Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

At the Saed Chamber of Commerce, Cordova Roye, the Mandated Punisher, led his team in thoroughly searching the Loen-style three-story building. They uncovered ample evidence of collusion with various criminal gangs and even rescued over a dozen young girls from nearby islands who had been imprisoned in the basement.

Meanwhile, Alger stood quietly at a distance, watching the Punishers busily process the scene. As an outsider, he refrained from touching any evidence.

"Steward Roye, we've interrogated the captured members of the chamber separately. Their testimonies suggest that just before we arrived, a group of people hastily left to retrieve something… However, the captives are all low-level members. They don't even know who lived here before," reported Wick, the squad leader of the Mandated Punishers, as he approached Cordova.

After glancing at the Punishers still meticulously combing the scene, Cordova suppressed his irritation and asked in a somber tone:

"Did that group leave without any prior warning?"

"Yes," Wick confirmed gravely.

The Punishers had only notified the Loen military briefly before the operation. If there wasn't a traitor among them, the leak most likely came from the military, alerting Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy's subordinates.

Cordova deliberated for a moment before changing the subject:

"What about the Beyonder who escaped right under our noses? Do we know who they are?"

Wick did not answer directly. Instead, he turned to another Punisher responsible for uncovering clues and using supernatural means to reconstruct events.

This individual, a Sequence 7 "Knowledge Keeper" of the Reader pathway, commonly known as a "Detective," organized his thoughts before responding:

"Based on my retrospection, she's either a Demoness capable of invisibility or someone using a magical item to achieve the same effect. That's how she avoided detection during our raid. She only exposed herself by leaving footprints when she crossed the perimeter, which Captain Alger noticed. Unfortunately, her agility and our lack of manpower on the outer perimeter allowed her to escape."

"Do we have any suspects?" Cordova frowned.

The Knowledge Keeper nodded.

"Yes, Cecilia, known as the 'Golden-Haired Magician.' She's been with Tracy since her early days as a mere girl and is suspected of being a member of the Theosophy Order. Her bounty is 3,000 pounds.

"She oversees Tracy's intelligence operations. While her combat appearances are few, making it hard to determine her exact pathway, she's likely one of Tracy's closest confidants."

Cordova paced back and forth before concluding gravely:

"This corroborates our intelligence. This chamber of commerce is indeed colluding with Vice Admiral Ailment."

As he spoke, he nodded at Alger in acknowledgment before continuing:

"Secure the scene without alarming the local residents.

"Notify the docks to carefully scrutinize anyone suspicious attempting to leave.

"Mobilize Punishers skilled in tracking to locate the woman who escaped as soon as possible.

"Lastly, I'll submit a report on this operation, requesting further support and resources."

Cordova tempered his rising frustration with a measured and rational plan.

Alger, observing from the side, silently approved. If he were in Cordova's position, his approach would be much the same, differing only in minor details.

At that moment, a vision of boundless gray fog appeared before Alger, along with the image of four corpses and the Tower's prayer.

Wormtongue Mithor King? And those three appear to be his subordinates, each with a bounty of around 500 pounds. Is Tower pruning Tracy's wings? Could his report have been a ploy to force them out of the chamber of commerce?

As a former friend of Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, Alger recognized these individuals immediately and quickly formed a chain of speculation.

However, upon considering the reward Tower had promised, Alger hesitated. Wormtongue was not someone he could openly claim to have killed; bringing his body to official bounty offices would raise difficult questions. Meanwhile, his alternative "safe" avenue was compromised after he collected the bounty on "Gray Giant" Gravina, drawing the attention of people aligned with the King of Immortality.

"Greed often shortens lifespans," Alger muttered to himself, cautioning against avarice. He decided to relinquish Mithor's bounty, focusing instead on claiming the rewards for the three lower-ranking pirates.

Having resolved this, Alger approached Cordova and offered a suggestion:

"Some pirates may use small boats or even swim to nearby islands. I recommend deploying ships to intercept them on the surrounding waters. I can assist with this effort."

"Good suggestion," Cordova acknowledged, appreciating Alger's initiative. The idea of requesting additional naval support had already crossed his mind. Alger's offer provided an immediate solution, leveraging his independent status as a privateer captain.

"In that case, set sail immediately to intercept any vessels not departing from the docks. However, I cannot issue a search warrant. Officially, you'll need to conduct these inspections under the guise of piracy."

"Yes, Steward Cordova." Alger agreed readily, raising his right fist to his chest and declaring,

"May the Storm be with you."

"May the Storm be with you," Cordova replied in kind, watching as Alger left briskly.

Maintaining a facade of urgency, Alger calmly made his way to the docks, climbed aboard the Blue Avenger, and ascended the rope ladder.

Given the "tight schedule," he didn't bother recalling his crew from their shore leave. After all, the Blue Avenger, being a ghost ship, could operate perfectly fine with only its captain aboard.

Once the ancient Fourth Epoch frigate left the port and sped across the vast Sunya Sea, Alger performed a ritual to request "The Fool" grant him the three lesser corpses, leaving Mithor behind.

Flipping through his bounty ledger, Alger confirmed that the three pirates were worth a combined total of 1,400 pounds.

"Not even a third of Mithor's value, but it's a decent haul—and it doesn't involve unnecessary risks," Alger mused, pouring himself a glass of Loranque and leisurely savoring it.

...

In the ancient hall above the gray fog, Klein glanced at the other corpse worth 5,400 pounds. While admiring Alger's restraint, he mused with amusement:

"I wonder if I could strike a deal with Tower next time. Maybe he could offer fresher corpses that aren't so 'dead,' so I can conduct some spirit channeling and pick up a bit of extra knowledge as 'shipping costs.'

"Then again, demanding conditions for sacrificed corpses sounds more like something a real evil god would do. It would completely ruin The Fool's image among the Tarot Club members…"

Chuckling at his own joke, Klein extended his spirituality to Tower's crimson star to relay The Hanged Man's decision.

...

In the third-floor study of the Fragrant Manor, Helene sat slumped on the cold floor. Her soaked trousers made her mildly uncomfortable, but the protection ritual trapping her left her with no opportunity to change clothes. She could only endure.

Helene had tried disrupting the ritual, but her fiery crows left no marks on the barriers. Accepting her predicament, she gave up.

Soon after Ebner's departure, her initial terror and panic had been replaced by anger, mortification, and anxiety about her future.

The mortification stemmed from the obvious puddle nearby. As a former member of the Sauron royal family of Intis, Helene had received an excellent education and etiquette training, despite her father's ruinous habits of indulgence.

Yet here she was, reduced to such a state of disgrace, urinating herself out of sheer fear in front of a man…

I shouldn't have drunk so much earlier out of nervousness…

Helene desperately avoided looking at the incriminating puddle.

Even her most passionate and intimate moments with Tracy had never left her feeling so ashamed.

As for her anxiety, it was fueled by her uncertainty about what her captor intended. From his questions, it was clear he knew who she was and understood much about Tracy. His reactions suggested her arrival had inconvenienced him.

Neither scenario seemed promising—whether Tracy discovered her or her captor decided to dispose of her.

Am I going to be silenced? Or sold into some dreadful situation?

Lost in her thoughts of regret, Helene looked up as the study door opened. A man with light blue eyes, brown curls, and copper-rimmed glasses entered.

Glancing at her and then the puddle, he chuckled softly. Helene's cheeks burned bright red. Struggling to compose herself, she asked in a trembling voice:

"What do you intend to do with me?"

The man smiled, pulling out four boxes from his pocket. Opening them to reveal four Beyonder characteristics, he pointed at them and said:

"Miss, it's not about what I intend to do with you—

"It's about the trouble you've brought me!"

(To be continued…)