Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

By the time evening arrived, Klein had returned to his rented residence at 15 Minsk Street, following a day spent on a protection assignment.

As he reflected on the scenes witnessed while accompanying Reporter Mike on interviews, a heavy weight settled in his heart.

The death of the elderly lady ruined by the "Corn Laws" and the children coerced into pickpocketing by gangs, as revealed by Old Kohler, had left indelible impressions on him.

Even the relatively better-off, like clockmakers and laundresses, were teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Any small misfortune could reduce them to the same tragic fate as that old woman who had died before Klein and Mike's eyes.

"That place is more like a jungle than human society… No wonder the Emperor wrote in his diary, 'The Industrial Revolution I personally set in motion, the Steam and Machinery Era I forged with my own hands, will become the breeding ground for evil gods' descent.' If this continues, the True Creator or the Original Witch might truly descend."

Sighing inwardly, Klein pulled out his keys and unlocked the door.

He had just hung his hat and coat on the rack when a faint, ethereal voice suddenly reached his ears:

"I've brought the item I mentioned earlier."

Startled, Klein instinctively raised his revolver, Confession. Only when he spotted the figure seated on his sofa did he relax, lower his weapon, and chuckle wryly.

"Miss Sharon, your way of appearing is always… so unique."

Dressed in a gothic court-style black dress and a matching petite hat, Sharon sat silently on the sofa, as motionless as a life-sized doll.

"Next time, I'll knock on the window first," Sharon replied without a change in her calm and detached tone.

A ghost knocking on my window? That's even scarier! Klein grumbled inwardly but decided not to dwell on it. Instead, he picked up the previous topic.

"What's the item exactly?"

Sharon didn't respond verbally. Instead, she flipped her pale hand, and a translucent brown glass bottle appeared as if out of nowhere.

"This is the Biotoxin Bottle. It randomly generates different toxins and, once opened, disperses them into the surrounding air.

"The effects take hold within a minute, grow progressively worse, and can lead to death in about four minutes if the affected individual doesn't escape the toxic environment."

Sharon's ethereal and floating voice lingered as she uncharacteristically spoke at length.

Not bad. If wielded by a spirit, it's perfect for ambushes. Klein accepted the Biotoxin Bottle, and numerous potential uses for it immediately came to mind.

Still, I don't know its drawbacks or the exact potency of the toxins… Sharon's style suggests she might not know either; otherwise, she would've mentioned it.

"Would you mind leaving it here for now? I'll give you an answer by this time tomorrow." Klein pondered for a moment before making his request. He believed there was enough mutual trust between him and Sharon—especially since they still needed to tackle the labyrinth tower together.

Sharon, ever doll-like, listened quietly before nodding. "That's fine."

She seemed to expect this… Makes sense. Trading Beyonder items requires proper verification.

With the main topic settled, Klein exhaled slowly and decided to make small talk.

"You and Maric haven't had any trouble with the curse lately, have you?"

"No. I gave the Scarlet Lunar Corona to Maric," Sharon replied evenly.

The wearer of the Scarlet Lunar Corona was immune to the full moon's effects—a highly coveted artifact among Beyonders of the Monster pathway.

So the necklace she had functions similarly to the Scarlet Lunar Corona? And it's not temporary? Sharon must have deceived Linster and his group right from the start… Klein mused before shifting the conversation.

"Have you found a way to purify the contamination in Linster's lingering Beyonder characteristics?"

"No," Sharon shook her head slightly, then added meaningfully, "The sixth level might provide an answer."

True… Completing a labyrinth for the first time often grants desired information. Unfortunately, Linster won't make it easy for us to pass.

Klein grunted thoughtfully, unsure what else to discuss. After a brief pause, he asked, "Why does the owner of the Biotoxin Bottle want to trade for the Zombie characteristic?"

Sharon remained silent for a few seconds before stating simply, "It's her nemesis."

Her nemesis? That makes sense… But what does she want the Beyonder characteristic for? To keep it close as a reminder of her grudge?

While Klein privately mocked the odd motivation, Sharon fixed her gaze on him and asked, "Anything else?"

"No," Klein shook his head.

With that, Sharon's form swiftly faded, vanishing from the living room without leaving a trace.

"Miss Sharon doesn't seem to wear perfume… Well, if an Wraith used perfume, their stealth would probably be compromised. Makes sense."

After thoroughly inspecting the living room and confirming with his Black Emperor vision that Sharon had indeed departed, Klein took the translucent brown Biotoxin Bottle to his bedroom. There, he set up a spiritual wall, walked counterclockwise, and ascended to the fog-shrouded hall above the gray fog.

Finally, after everything that had happened, Klein now had time to examine the spoils from the recent battle and the payment Sharon had given him.

Seated in the position of The Fool, Klein began with the simpler items.

First, he picked up the Werewolf and Zombie Beyonder characteristics, observed them briefly, then conducted divinations in the form of dream interpretations.

Within moments, he gleaned the unique abilities and dangers of both characteristics.

If only I could've conducted a séance shortly after their deaths. I could've obtained the potion formulas for both sequences… Regretful, Klein set the characteristics aside and turned his attention to the Biotoxin Bottle.

He repeated the dream divination process but didn't feel confident about the depth of his insights. Adjusting his method, he focused on the question:

"What are its positive and negative effects?"

The dream revealed that the Biotoxin Bottle had a wide range of potent applications, but its use also came with risks.

This item's value likely rivals, if not exceeds, that of the Sun Brooch. If sold, it could easily fetch over 3,000 pounds.

That price aligns with the Zombie characteristic… The contamination in the latter—resulting from its exposure to the full moon—renders it unfit for direct use. Plus, the Monster pathway's curses reduce its market value.

So, this deal seems fair…

Having reached a decision, Klein set the bottle down and turned his gaze toward the sheaf of Roselle's diaries and the bound book, The Book of Secrets.

After a brief hesitation, he chose to start with the diaries, flipping open the first page.

December 1st

After formally stepping into White Maple Palace, I encountered for the first time the Sauron family's "living" Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.

Its... no, his code was 0-22, and his name was Calamity Seal.

He was capable of communication, with logic and wording so humanlike that he seemed more approachable—far more so than the "Lamp Genie" from the Wishing Lamp.

Yet, I dared not underestimate him. No matter how congenial he appeared, he was the one who orchestrated countless disasters from behind the scenes, even overthrowing the Sauron family's rule in Intis—though I, admittedly, had a hand in that as well.

He seemed to read my thoughts and, with what could be described as a "smile"—as much as one could discern a smile from a seal—he remarked that he hadn't schemed anything directly. Most of the Sauron family's troubles were self-inflicted, and he had merely "nudged" them along.

Ha, all masterminds say the same thing! I'm no fool like Franlow.

Still, after chatting with him for a while, I discovered that many of his views aligned with mine. He could swiftly grasp the nuances of my words—something even my private secretary struggled with.

Could this be the cunning of a Schemer? Or perhaps a skill honed by a Conqueror—one of those so-called "War Angels"? A tactic to lull me into a false sense of security before executing his plans?

Maybe I was overthinking it. Regardless, when he ended our conversation by asking not to be returned to the storage chamber for sealing, and instead offered to share some secrets with me, I was deeply tempted... and promptly refused.

Reading up to this point, Klein couldn't help but smirk. That's the Emperor for you. I wonder if 0-22 was infuriated by him...

But a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact with such advanced intelligence isn't unheard of, right? The Wishing Lamp has a mind of its own too?

Intrigued, Klein flipped to the next page to continue reading.

December 2nd

After another round of conversations with 0-22, he once again reiterated his request not to be sealed back into the storage chamber.

I didn't expect him to be so persistent. Ultimately, I decided to grant his wish—sort of. To prevent any sudden antics on his part, I relocated all the sealing mechanisms from the storage chamber to my workshop. I also resolved to personally guard him for the night.

That counts as fulfilling his request, right?

December 3rd, early morning

As 0-22 and I were casually chatting, he suddenly went quiet. Just as I suspected he might be gearing up for some mischief, he spoke—but this time, in flawless Mandarin:

"Hello, fellow transmigrator. My name is Liu Bo."

A fellow transmigrator? There's another one besides Roselle?! Liu Bo? That's a Chinese name... Poor guy, though. At least Roselle and I transmigrated into human bodies. How did he end up as a Sealed Artifact?

Excitement flickered in Klein's eyes. If this "Liu Bo" is still around as a Sealed Artifact, maybe I can find him one day…

Suppressing his growing anticipation, Klein steadied his thoughts and read on:

I was utterly stunned at the time but managed to compose myself quickly. Still wary, I asked him why he hadn't revealed this earlier.

He explained that both White Maple Palace and the storage chamber currently had angels from the Church of the Evernight Goddess stationed there, making it inconvenient for him to identify himself.

I accepted this reasoning. Considering the ongoing turmoil in the country and my not-yet-solidified position as Grand Chancellor, it made sense for the Church to assign protectors in case of any desperate moves by the remnants of the Sauron family.

As for my workshop? Due to the transferred sealing mechanisms, it had become a relatively secure location for private conversations.

Subsequently, we delved into his backstory. To my surprise, he wasn't experiencing his first transmigration. He claimed that early in the Fourth Epoch, he emerged from an unknown origin point and transmigrated into a vampire's body, eventually becoming a duke. However, he was ultimately slain by the "divine vessel" of the Eternal Blazing Sun.

Later, at the end of the Fourth Epoch, he returned from the same origin point and was reborn as a Death Consul—another pawn left by the "God of Death." Unfortunately, this time he faced relentless pursuit by a chief archbishop of the Church of the God of War. Though he narrowly escaped, he fell into slumber deep within Calderón City.

Of course, these were merely his more successful lives. Apart from these, he had experienced numerous other incarnations, but either achieved little or met untimely deaths—often due to his own personality flaws.

When he mentioned his time as two angel-level figures, I grew curious and inquired about the names he had used back then.

He revealed that as a vampire duke, he had gone by "Rhein Karaneldia," while as a Death Consul, he chose the name "Vicente Miranda"—both inspired by characters from a novel he adored called The Arcane Throne.

I hadn't heard of the book. Then again, with the sheer volume of web novels out there, it wasn't unusual to miss a few.

However, the name Rhein Karaneldia did ring a bell. During an exploration in Loen, it was Rhein Karaneldia who helped Black Emperor banish the vampire duke tied to the legacy site.

I never imagined he'd turn out to be a fellow transmigrator!

Klein's astonishment deepened as he reached the end of the entry. A transmigrator sealed into an artifact… with a history spanning epochs... This Liu Bo is remarkable.

His curiosity surged. If Liu Bo were still "alive," Klein resolved to locate him someday.

(End of Chapter)