Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Sunday morning at the Fragrant Manor, housekeeper Mr. Harvey and the staff were introduced to a beautiful young woman with long black hair, Miss Helene. They all "remembered" that their employer's personal maid had been seasick the previous day and unable to attend the welcome dinner, hence the belated introduction.

However, despite her title as a maid, the staff could tell from Mr. Bryan's regard for her that she was no ordinary servant, and they dared not treat her as one.

Only the guide, Winter, found it odd. Such a strikingly beautiful woman had accompanied them, yet he hadn't noticed her the day before.

He quickly rationalized this oversight as being due to his full attention on serving Mr. Bryan.

This so-called Miss Helene was, of course, Helene herself. As she diligently played her role as a "maid," her gaze lingered on Bryan as he left the manor with Winter.

She had learned the previous night, during the signing of the notarized contract, that the terrifying man was none other than the renowned Hero Detective, Ebner Bryan!

Back aboard the Black Death, when she had read various stories to Tracy, she had even mentioned the legendary detective's exploits. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine ending up as his maid.

The thought felt like a surreal nightmare.

No… Everything in my life has been surreal, hasn't it? A year ago, would I have imagined… becoming involved with Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy in that way?

Sighing, Helene stopped her spiraling thoughts and focused on her first assigned task: reviewing and organizing the manor's accounts, and separating income and expenses.

...

Meanwhile, after leaving the trivial tasks to Helene, Bryan had Winter guide him to Bayam's herbal shops and relatively secure trading venues to purchase necessary materials.

Winter proved to be a competent guide. Though not a Beyonder, he had a basic understanding of mysticism and knew where such items might be traded.

Under Winter's guidance, Bryan used some subtle methods to infiltrate a local Beyonder gathering. He successfully acquired some materials required to construct a teleportation ritual platform.

The gathering took place at the Scented Leaf Tavern, frequented by pirates, informants, and adventurers—an excellent hub for intelligence and supplies.

Of note, Bryan encountered a rotund apothecary aggressively promoting "mummy powder potions." Though he couldn't see the man's face, the familiar build and mannerisms left no doubt that it was Darkwill.

If I recall correctly, in the original story, Darkwill set up shop across from Bayam's famous Red Theater after leaving Backlund…

Watching the portly apothecary's retreating figure, Bryan thoughtfully rubbed his chin but decided against approaching him.

Darkwill was tied to dangerous matters that Bryan wasn't eager to get involved with. Unlike Klein, he lacked a Sealed Artifact capable of attending a "concert."

After leaving the Scented Leaf Tavern, Bryan had Winter escort him to a machinery company to purchase cylinders, gears, and other workshop components.

As for a steam engine, the ones available in Bayam were obsolete local models. Bryan planned to request better alternatives from his fellow Tarot members in Backlund.

After spending nearly 1,000 pounds on a spree, Bryan transported his purchases back to the Fragrant Manor. He instructed Mr. Harvey to clear out the basement to prepare for a workshop and the teleportation platform.

Helene, seeing his return, was about to report her day's progress when Bryan suddenly received an "enter dream" request from Iceberg Lieutenant Edwina. He excused himself, leaving Helene to wait as he returned to his bedroom.

Activating the Dream Door engraved on his hand, Bryan entered the Dream Labyrinth Tower.

In his personal study—styled like a vast library—Edwina appeared, her light-blue eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"I've set up the Edwards-Bryan Teleportation Platform aboard the Golden Dream. You can try teleporting over."

The teleportation ritual Bryan and Edwina had developed was now operational. It required a specially crafted teleportation talisman paired with a ritual platform. By activating the talisman and providing the correct platform cipher, the user could traverse the spirit world and arrive at the designated platform.

Each platform cost around 350 pounds to construct, even with the use of cost-reducing substitutes. However, platforms could be reused for over a year, even with frequent assembly and disassembly.

The talismans, on the other hand, were consumables. Each use consumed one, costing approximately 80 pounds to produce.

Considering the potential for frequent use, this was a significant expense. To mitigate this, Bryan had incorporated the talismans into the Dream Labyrinth's exchange list, allowing him to bring them into reality temporarily using points.

Reflecting on the challenges they had overcome in perfecting the ritual, Bryan glanced at his dwindling points. Smiling, he asked, "Where is the Golden Dream currently located?"

If it was too far from Bayam, he would wait until his own platform was completed.

"We're near Kronas Island, southeast of Bayam," Edwina replied before frowning slightly. "However, the Church of Storms has been patrolling Bayam's waters since last night…"

The Church's presence was unwelcome for her as a pirate admiral.

"Kronas Island…" Bryan pondered briefly before nodding. The distance was manageable, and he could make it back in time for dinner if he traveled quickly. He assured Edwina he would attempt the teleportation immediately.

As Edwina prepared to return to reality, Bryan stopped her.

She paused her secret technique to "wake up" and asked calmly, "Is there something else?"

"Do you have connections to claim a bounty on a major pirate?" Bryan inquired.

Edwina's clear blue eyes studied him for a moment before she asked, "Who?"

"Wormtongue Mithor King."

"That can be arranged. Bring him along when you teleport over." Edwina nodded after a brief pause.

(End of chapter)