Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

The Spirit Cult's royal faction had dispatched three demigods this time, ostensibly to oversee the actions of the Loen military and the Rose School. Although Daniel Valley was located in the Pass River Valley, it bordered the southern region and wasn't far from the Balam Restoration Army's territory.

The leader among the three was a stately, elegant lady in her thirties, with long black hair and brown eyes. Facing the Silent One Mahmosi's questioning, she remained indifferent and said:

"Though the Demoness Sect was once a close ally of our Balam Empire, that relationship ended long ago with the disappearance of our god.

"We no longer have control over them."

Mahmosi stared at her for a long moment, seemingly employing some ability to verify her words. After a while, he slowly nodded:

"Bruna, it seems you're not lying.

"The Demoness Sect may have caught wind of this on their own... or perhaps Loen leaked information.

"After all, they did previously use a demoness' ship as a cover—getting noticed is only natural."

Mahmosi refrained from further questioning Loen. Unlike the Spirit Cult in the southern continent, Loen was a true enemy.

Since they were enemies, it was only natural for Loen to resort to any means necessary.

Satisfied that the Spirit Cult wasn't deliberately intervening, Mahmosi retrieved a gold nail intricately engraved with patterns from his pocket and pierced it through his lips, fastening his mouth shut.

As a Silent One, speaking required him to pay the corresponding price.

This spectacle puzzled Loen's demigods, but Bruna, unfazed, turned her gaze northward toward Daniel Valley, her thoughts stirring:

"Roselle, after all these years, I still can't decipher your schemes.

"You asked me to conceal that lion's whereabouts, yet specifically instructed me not to stop Maria if she discovered it.

"Even stranger, Her Majesty the Empress approved my actions this time...

"What exactly did you foresee?

"What are you plotting?

"Even in death, you refuse to let us rest in peace."

As Bruna pondered, Duchess Georgina, leader of the Loen delegation, proposed:

"Since there's been an incident at Daniel Lake, standing here in a standoff is meaningless and might let the Demoness Sect take advantage. Why not work together to break through Daniel's setup?"

The Rose School didn't object and even invited the Spirit Cult to join them.

Bruna readily accepted their proposal.

...

In the mirrored world of Daniel Lake, as Xio sensed herself landing on the "ground," she instinctively raised her black revolver in one hand and gripped a transparent dagger adorned with dozens of interlinked star-like lights in the other, assuming a battle stance.

She soon realized, however, that she was alone in a roughly 100-square-meter space with no signs of other people or objects—just six inconspicuous doors embedded in the six walls of this cubic room.

A message echoed in her ears, explaining her current situation.

This shadowy world beneath the lake was called the "Daniel Labyrinth," constructed by a long-fallen Saint. Hidden in its depths were the Saint's lifetime collection of treasures.

All the mid- to low-sequence Beyonders who had been confronting each other outside were now scattered across different parts of the labyrinth. By choosing any door, they would enter a similar space and face another choice of doors.

However, the path to the deepest part was singular—only by selecting the "correct" door at every juncture could one reach the ultimate destination.

Each mirrored space contained hidden clues to indicate which of the six doors led closer to the true path.

Of course, abilities such as divination, prophecy, or luck manipulation could bypass the need to search for clues, allowing one to reach the depths more quickly.

Similarly, those with "mirror-jumping" abilities could remember the coordinates of specific spaces and shuttle between them to systematically test each door, employing brute force to find the path.

This place has both "rules" and the possibility of exploiting "loopholes."

After processing the information from the space, Xio, though still vigilant, was no longer as tense. She raised the near-transparent dagger that shimmered with bright star-like lights to examine it closely.

It was a mystical item given to her by Vera at the very moment she was sucked into the lake's shadow. Due to time constraints, Her Highness hadn't had the chance to explain what this dagger was or what it could do.

But Xio instinctively believed Vera wouldn't have handed it to her without reason. The dagger must hold significant value in this space, perhaps even becoming a key asset for her survival.

Xio wasn't overly concerned about not knowing its specific function. She swept her gaze around the space, but her Arbiter intuition detected no trace of any "clues." Letting out a sigh, she muttered to herself:

"I'm far better at tracking, infiltrating, or fighting... I'm really not good at finding clues—that's a detective's job.

"If Ebner were here, he'd probably be looking all smug, already 'knowing' the answer."

Imagining Ebner's "proud" expression made Xio chuckle. Then, she softly recited the title of the Fool:

"The Fool who does not belong to this world..."

Yes, she wasn't worried at all—because she had "external support" to call on, whether for identification or solving puzzles.

...

6 a.m., the early dawn light barely illuminated the sky.

Klein, fast asleep, wasn't awakened by the church's customary chimes but instead by a soft and ethereal voice that roused him to sit up abruptly.

A woman's voice? Did Miss Temperance manage to organize the information about Daniel for Mr. Tower so quickly?

Or was it from another member? Hmm, it couldn't be Miss Magician—she would never be up at this hour. Besides, she just returned from a tense meeting with an Abraham descendant at Pritz Harbor and was still mentally drained.

Was it Miss Justice? Or Miss Judgment?

Though a bit grumpy from waking up, Klein got up nonetheless. The room remained cold, but his body felt comfortably warm without the usual chill of leaving the covers.

"Miss Sharron's potion is remarkable. I thought I'd be sick for days... I'll have to ask her where she bought it next time."

After a brief moment of admiration, Klein skipped washing up, reversed four steps, and entered the space above the gray fog.

Seated in the Fool's high-backed chair, he activated the crimson star representing Miss Judgment and was immediately surprised:

"The mirror world? How did Miss Judgment end up there? My Beyonder abilities don't touch that domain at all...

"Forget it for now... Is it to identify an item? That I can handle. But can a normal sacrificial ritual even work in the mirror world?

"Let me think... From my previous tests, mirror divinations can tap into the power of the gray fog, forming a spectral pathway to me... There's no reason a 'sacrifice' wouldn't work...

"Still, I should divine whether that item poses any danger first."

...

In a private room at the Braveheart Bar, Sharron had sent Maric away and now placed a neatly transcribed document on the altar.

After a brief hesitation, she recited a name that still stirred a tinge of fear within her:

"The Fool who does not belong to this era..."