Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Jane and Edwina's gazes similarly fixed upon the radiant card, which shimmered with brilliance. Above Roselle's image, where he blew a trumpet, a line of text formed from dazzling starlight:

Sequence 0: Justiciar

"'Justiciar'... Sequence 0... So this is Emperor Roselle's 'Blasphemy Card.' So that's what 'blasphemy' truly means!" Edwina murmured, her eyes gleaming with newfound understanding.

Jane, however, appeared far less surprised. After all, she had once retrieved a "Death Card" from her ancestor's tomb. While Roselle's depiction on that card had been different, the essence remained the same.

Without moving personally, Jane donned the glove adorned with a vertical eye and commanded the wraith Steven to retrieve the card. Once she confirmed that there was no danger, she brought it closer.

Placing her finger lightly on Roselle's depiction, Jane caused the card to transform into a miniature, three-dimensional book.

The book fluttered open on its own, revealing lines of text written in ancient Feysac:

Sequence 9: Arbiter

"Possesses persuasive charm and sufficient authority, along with exceptional combat skills for handling unexpected situations..."

"Potion formula..."

Jane merely brushed her fingers across the page, prompting the book to turn itself:

Sequence 8: Sheriff

...

Sequence 7: Interrogator

...

Sequence 6: Judge

...

Sequence 5: Disciplinary Paladin

"Attacks against enemies who violate the Paladin's established rules will be enhanced by an unknown force and possess guaranteed accuracy..."

Potion formula:

Main ingredients: The stinger of an Adal Queen Bee, the forehead crystal of a Mist Tiger.

Supplementary materials: ...

Ritual: Consume the potion in the nest of a Beroth Mountain Ape.

Sequence 4: Imperative Mage

...

Sequence 3: Chaos Hunter

...

Sequence 2: Balancer

...

Sequence 1: Hand of Order

...

Sequence 0: Justiciar

Potion formula: Three portions of the Hand of Order's characteristics, along with the Uniqueness.

Ritual: Judge a deity who has violated your established rules, exact sufficient retribution, and make it public.

A succession of potion formulas and rituals flashed before them. Only after Jane finally put away the card did Edwina withdraw her gaze, sighing in awe.

"So this is the secret to godhood...

"A discovery like this would definitely 'shock' the world, but..."

"But the gods would never allow it! Neither the righteous nor the wicked ones," Lyon the lion interjected, unexpectedly entering the grand hall and seamlessly picking up the conversation.

Although Ebner and the other two had most of their attention on the Blasphemy Card, they maintained enough caution in unfamiliar territory to have noticed the lion's presence long before, so they weren't surprised by its sudden appearance.

"'Blasphemy' truly lives up to its name..." Jane nodded in agreement. Having seen another Blasphemy Card, she was far less shaken than Edwina.

As someone who already knew several pathways' godhood rituals from the original work, Ebner wasn't overly awed by the divine. In fact, he silently speculated:

"When the Night Emperor became the 'Justiciar,' which god did he judge?"

As the lion leaped onto the second-tier platform of the grand hall, it extended its paw forward, colliding with an invisible barrier.

Fixating on the rippling distortions of the barrier, it observed intently for a while before shaking its head and grumbling, "As expected, this is beyond my ability to break... Makes sense. Roselle merely exploited part of this seal's rules and still managed to trap me outside the valley for over a hundred years."

The trio had focused on the lion from the moment it acted. Hearing its remark, Jane curiously asked, "The rules that trapped you originated here? Are you free now?"

"Actually, Roselle only leveraged this seal. The true 'core' that bound me was that Blasphemy Card... When you picked it up, I was set free."

The lion leaped back to the lowest platform, flicking its tail as it spoke.

"So that's how it is..." Jane finally understood why the lion hadn't followed them inside initially. It was still constrained by the rules the Emperor had established for it.

While they conversed, Edwina carefully surveyed the grand hall, noticing its three-tiered structure. They stood on the first level, the lion had encountered the barrier on the second, and the topmost level featured two enormous high-backed chairs.

Red-tiled steps connected each platform, leading toward the golden pillars that supported the hall and ultimately to the two thrones.

After trying to break through the barrier on the second platform without success, Edwina deliberated and spoke, "This architectural style belongs to the Trunsoest Empire... But the color scheme is off.

"And this seal is incredibly advanced. I have no means to bypass it."

The Trunsoest Empire, once ruled by the Night Emperor whose consort was the Blood Moon Queen, would never have employed gold as a primary color in their palaces...

"Gold is associated with the Sun and symbolizes light. The red might represent blood and fire—or perhaps crimson... Could this be symbolic of some ritual?" Ebner mused, rubbing his chin while glancing at the lion.

"Don't look at me. I don't know either," the lion huffed. "Maybe Daniel just liked these colors."

That possibility couldn't be ruled out... but it felt unlikely.

Turning to Edwina, Ebner noted her subtle headshake, indicating she had no solution. Jane's expression was similarly resolute; despite her formidable combat prowess, she lacked expertise in mystical constructs.

"I'll give it a try," Ebner said after a deep breath, stepping toward the second platform.

The Ghost Empire's "ticket" was most likely on the top platform. Having come this far, he had to try.

Though the MI9 operatives with their "keys" could unlock the seal eventually, doing so would forfeit their current advantage.

Gently touching the invisible barrier, Ebner activated his Pure White Eye and began analyzing it intensely.

Streams of data flickered before his eyes. Several minutes later, as he circumvented a mechanism designed to thwart analysis and was on the brink of locating the barrier's weak point, a figure suddenly materialized before him.

The figure wore ornate clothing, had chestnut-brown curly hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips—

It was none other than Roselle Gustav in his prime!

.....

Due to continued rainfall, the Daniel Valley was now inundated with water, with the deepest areas reaching past Xio's knees and up to Princess Vera's calves.

Their team had already joined forces with Prince Mountbatten, MI9 Colonel Lloyd, and several other squads. Among them were six Sequence 5 Beyonders and more than ten Sequence 6 combatants.

Ordinary soldiers had long since withdrawn from the valley and were now facing off against certain southern continental tribal forces at its perimeter.

Within the valley, however, MI9 personnel and their allies maintained a cautious stance toward the encroaching members of the Rose School of Thought, whose extraordinary combat strength exceeded their own.

"If you surrender the cursed item, I'll let you leave," declared an arrogant wraith, emerging from the ranks. "It's clear you've failed to find the entrance all this time, proving that Daniel's treasure was never meant for you."

His tone exuded a commanding arrogance, evidently someone accustomed to issuing orders.

"Heh, do you think that's possible, Chief Fat?" Prince Mountbatten stepped out from under the rain curtain, scoffing with disdain. "Our forces are evenly matched, and the Saints are still restraining each other in unknown areas. What gives you the right to decide?"

The wraith known as Chief Fat immediately contorted his face into a grimace upon hearing this and let out a piercing shriek. As a member of the Indulgence faction, he never bothered to suppress his temper.

Unfortunately for him, the shriek had barely begun when Prince Mountbatten opened his mouth and sang Roselle's "Serenade." The tune instantly nullified the wraith's spiritual attack on their side.

"Starting a pointless fight before we even see the treasure—don't you think that's foolish?" Mountbatten said with a smile, showing none of the typical irascibility of a Sailor pathway Beyonder.

Seeing his attack neutralized, Chief Fat's face darkened further as he prepared to unleash another powerful ability. However, an elderly bald man stepped forward and stopped him.

The old man seemed highly respected; even someone as hot-tempered as Chief Fat begrudgingly backed down, merely letting out a cold snort.

After pacifying Chief Fat, the elder turned to the MI9 forces and said, "Since you can't find the entrance, why not hand over the key to us? Isn't this just a waste of time?"

"Heh, we actually found the entrance long ago," Prince Mountbatten said indifferently. "Why do you think we're waiting here?"

The elder frowned, then his expression shifted to one of astonishment. "You mean... Daniel Lake?"

"Exactly. The rain started as soon as we entered the valley with the key, and it's been getting heavier and heavier—a clear sign!

"When Daniel Lake reappears, the treasure will be in the lake's mirrored world... No wonder your school has never found anything here for centuries," Mountbatten explained with a triumphant tone.

The elder's eyes glinted as he gave Mountbatten a half-smile. "Then we'll wait a little longer."

Battling in the mirrored world would be more advantageous for the Rose School of Thought, so there was no need to act rashly now.

Relieved, Mountbatten returned to his group and nodded at a short young man with black curly hair standing behind Ivan. "Your name's Bas, right? Good job figuring out where the true entrance is."

The young man, who seemed to be one of Ivan's subordinates, humbly replied, "It was all thanks to you and Boss Ivan, Your Highness. I merely offered an insignificant idea."

After speaking, he avoided Ivan's approving gaze, lowering his head with a subtle glint of amusement in his eyes.

...

On Sonia Island, in a Feysac Empire colonial town.

At the same time that Ebner saw Roselle's image during his parsing process, Niango Iziamai Panin, a senior deacon of the Church of the God of War, suddenly looked south as he listened to his subordinate's report. Squinting, he thought to himself:

"It's starting, huh?

"Then I should act as well... Heh, I might as well help you this time!"

But just as the thought crossed his mind, his eyes rippled violently, and it took over ten seconds for him to suppress the disturbance. Fortunately, the reporting subordinate remained bowed and unaware.

Heh, Panin, I've already gained control of your mind. You won't be getting any chances! A faint smile tugged at Panin's lips as he conversed internally with an unknown entity.

The subordinate finished his report and stood respectfully to the side, awaiting orders.

Panin rose to his feet and said casually, "Select 666 pirates from those recently captured and have them encircle the newly constructed Silent Town as a prison."

"Understood, Your Grace," the subordinate replied, perplexed but not daring to question a demigod.

After the subordinate left, Panin looked southward again, his smile deepening. "I wonder if your thousand-year-long scheme will succeed.

"I can only offer a little help at best."