Lord of the Mysteries (Web Novel)

Some pathways are interchangeable after Sequence 5? That’s different from what the Nighthawks told me!

Isn’t it a fact that you cannot change your pathway after you choose one? Wasn’t it mentioned that diverging from your pathway would allow one to obtain strange, mysterious powers, but that person would definitely go insane and would never be able to advance?

To think that there are some hidden exceptions to this!

Klein looked at the diary, his pupils constricting.

He didn’t think that the Emperor Roselle would spout nonsense about something like this. After all, the surprise in his words were so real. But he didn’t assume that the information Emperor Roselle had received was definitely correct. There was also a possibility that he had been lied to, or that he had misinterpreted the information.

I will need to verify this. I’ll commit it to my memory first… Klein reminded himself, then thought deeply about this.

If what Roselle described here turns out to be correct, then the Sequence pathways go deeper than what I imagined… It hides many secrets…

The complete pathway possessed by the Nighthawks is Sleepless. They also possess a relatively complete path in the Corpse Collector, which they have up to Sequence 4. To think that those are interchangeable after Sequence 5… The other potion chains they have are even less complete, as some pathways only possess the first Sequence…

Similarly, the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery holds the complete pathway of the Savant, and has a relatively complete pathway for the Mystery Pryer. These can also be interchanged at High Sequences…

Interesting… I wonder which pathway is interchangeable with the Seer pathway? The Apprentice or Marauder that was mentioned by the Emperor?

Hmm, there’s a high possibility that the first five Sequence pathways of the Seer pathway would each provide a separate ability, and that these abilities would be combined at Sequence 4. At that stage, there should be no way to interchange it with some other potion… Klein retracted his thoughts, once again placing his attention onto the diary.

He noticed that although the two diary pages were connected, the content was not in chronological order. The dates belonged to two different periods. This could be a mistake made by whoever copied their content.

“9th April. The relationships between the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, the Church of the Lord of Storms, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom are poor. They see each other as enemies. The Church of the Evernight Goddess is at odds with the Church of the God of Combat from the Feysac Empire. This can be taken advantage of. These are all facts worth considering.”

“13th April. I participated in an ancient organization’s gathering. I never expected them to be members of this organization as well. It sure was frightening.”

“To think that the second Blasphemy Slate was in the hands of this organization. This is the first time I’m seeing this legendary item!”

“Indeed, it was hiding an unimaginable secret, hehe. Perhaps there will come a day when I will create a Blasphemy Slate unique to me. No, a set of them, with each one hiding an ultimate secret!”

Holy f**k, Emperor, why didn’t you specify the name of this ancient organization!? You’re killing me! Perhaps—perhaps, Roselle had a reason, or didn’t dare to write down the name of the organization, even if he was using Chinese… Klein looked at the diary, a little uncomfortable and puzzled.

But with this page of the diary, Klein could finally confirm that Emperor Roselle had seen the second Blasphemy Slate. Furthermore, he created a set of cards after that, each card represented a pathway to godhood.

Yes, that could be the ultimate secret that matches each pathway to godhood. I wonder where that set of twenty-two cards are now? That ancient organization managed to obtain the second Blasphemy Slate… Klein’s thoughts flowed quickly.

But he quickly reined in his thoughts. He shifted his gaze away from the diary and shot it towards The Hanged Man, Justice, and The Sun. He smiled and said, “Actually, you didn’t need to wait for me.”

“It’s our honor.” Alger had already reined in his dissatisfaction as he answered humbly.

Audrey thought for a moment before smiling.

“Mr. Fool, the open selection of government officials through examinations that you described previously has already garnered the support of the King and the Prime Minister. It will soon be passed by the House of Lords and the House of Commons and is predicted to be implemented early next year.”

“It looks like the King and the Prime Minister still use their brains,” Alger mocked out of habit.

Well, with Benson’s intellect and diligence, his grammatical and accounting skills should be passable by early next year… But once it’s passed by the two Houses, it will definitely be announced widely by the various newspapers. I wonder how long Benson’s advantage will last? The earlier the examination, the better…

Sigh, there’s no way Benson can triumph over the elites who graduated from the various universities in such a short period of time. But he need not compete against them; the positions they’re fighting for wouldn’t be the same. Those people might only have their sights trained on positions such as the Cabinet secretary, or Finance secretary… The silent Klein worried for his brother as he nodded his head with a smile.

Audrey straightened her back when she saw The Fool’s affirmative nod. She said with a smile, “Mr. Hanged Man, you got me to check on something for you previously. I’ve received an answer. The King has been convinced by the Prime Minister and won’t seek revenge on the Feysac Empire at the East Balam Shore for the time being. I think you can now give me the extra payment that you promised me.”

Alger thought for a few seconds before saying, “Miss Justice, thank you for your answer. This eases my concerns over certain things. What kind of extra payment do you want? I’ll consider it if it’s within reason.”

Audrey smiled, obviously prepared.

“Clues to the Psychology Alchemists, or clues to the main ingredients of the potion Telepathist. Of course, that can wait until after The Sun hands the formula over to me.”

“No problem,” Alger said without hesitation.

Two seats away from The Hanged Man, Derrick Berg couldn’t understand a single word. He was very confused, feeling that he only understood a few terms, but couldn’t string them together to provide any logical sense.

A method of selecting officials through examination? A King and Prime Minister, House of Lords, House of Commons, East Balam Shore, Feysac Empire, Psychology Alchemists? He understood none of that.

Feysac, the root of the word came from Jotun. What connection did it have with the fallen Giant King’s imperial household? Derrick looked at Justice and The Hanged Man, suddenly having the feeling that they might not come from the same world.

Could there be another city-state, or one that had formed a nation, somewhere far away from the City of Silver in the cursed lands? Derrick remained silent and listened on. He had a faint understanding of why the mysterious Fool mentioned that he might not be able to receive the monetary compensation Justice was going to give him.

To be able to gather people this far away from each other, disregarding the terrifying monsters hiding in the darkness of the cursed lands, The Fool might really be a god, an ancient god… he thought.

After accomplishing everything that she set out to do, Audrey wanted to become a silent observer, but she suddenly remembered something. She spoke in a hurry, “I recently came into contact with a Beyonder circle and found out about a powerful person named Mr. A. Mr. Fool, Mr. Hanged Man, Mr. Sun, do you know of this person’s background and identity?”

I don’t even know what you’re talking about… Derrick maintained his silence.

Mr. A? I only know a Mr. Z… With such a similar code name, could he also be from the Aurora Order? Klein made a guess, but didn’t give an answer.

He had to maintain his image and try not to give answers he wasn’t confident in. If he had to, he would give a vague description just like a charlatan.

Alger looked at The Fool and found him calm and unchanging. It was hard to read his true thoughts. Thus, he said in a deliberative tone, “The Aurora Order is at odds with the Church of the Lord of Storms, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun, and the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, so members of these Churches understand the Aurora Order more than any other organization. And I happen to know something about them.”

You need not explain, I know that you come under the Lord of Storms. Of course, you could be a whistleblower… But why would there be hatred between the Aurora Order and the three ancient Churches? Klein smiled but didn’t speak. He looked calmly at The Hanged Man.

Alger knew that he couldn’t hide his Sequence pathway from The Fool, but didn’t pay too much attention to it and continued.

“The Aurora Order has five Saints and twenty-two Oracles. These Oracles use the alphabet as their code names, from Mr. A to Mr. X. They are Beyonders, with the weakest being Sequence 7 and the strongest Sequence 5. They are all adept at hiding themselves. Should a Oracle die, a new Oracle will take their place.”

“I cannot guarantee that the Mr. A you spoke of is the Mr. A from the Aurora Order, but there is a good possibility. As for the details of the Aurora Order, I have mentioned that to you before.”

Audrey nodded, becoming even more cautious of Mr. A.

She said, feeling a little pinch in her heart, “Thank you for your answer, Mr. Hanged Man. You need not make a payment anymore.”

“No, I wish to ask for your help with the answer just now, as well as provide extra compensation,” Alger said with a deep voice.

“What help?” Audrey asked curiously.

Alger thought for a few seconds before saying, “I received intelligence that the pirate Qilangos, codenamed Rear Admiral Hurricane, has secretly gone onshore and infiltrated Backlund. I don’t know what he’s up to, but I hope that you can help me locate his whereabouts. As for whatever happens afterwards, you need not put yourself in danger.”

“Rear Admiral Hurricane Qilangos? One of the seven great admiral pirates?” Audrey widened her eyes, almost unable to maintain her Spectator state.

What was the thing she wanted to do the most after she became a Beyonder? It was, of course, to interact with the people that only existed in the fables of the nobles!

“Yes, he’s a Sequence 6 Beyonder of the path of the Sailor, a Wind-blessed. He also has a miraculous item that could be classified as a Sealed Artifact. He’s quite crafty and cruel. Don’t attempt to deal with him,” Alger introduced seriously.

He suddenly turned to Klein.

“Mr. Fool, can I get your adorer to assist me at the critical moment? I would pay a price that interests you.”

The only adorer I have is myself… Klein lampooned to ease his emotions as he smiled.

“That is built on the premise that my adorer happens to be in Backlund.”

“Alright.” Alger retracted his gaze, a little disappointed, but also a little expectant.