Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

"What's more, exposed 'demons' are easier to monitor… And even as high-ranking officials of the Intis Kingdom, the Delien family, even if they collude with demons, would not allow them to openly commit egregious acts…"

"In short, as long as there's no clear evidence, the Church of the Eternal Blazing Sun won't move against the political forces they've fostered."

"After all, the Delien family also possesses a Grade '0' Sealed Artifact. Pushing them too hard might lead to even more terrifying disasters…"

"This is just like how the three Loen Churches tolerate some minor actions by the Augustus family."

After listening to Helene, Ebner nodded thoughtfully, also noticing a piece of information Helene's words revealed: "The Delien family possesses a Grade '0' Sealed Artifact?"

The information Xio had received from Vera before didn't mention this.

Lady Helene smiled and explained, "This is information Yarubed deliberately leaked, but she also doesn't know what that Sealed Artifact specifically is… but it's definitely related to the Mother Tree of Desire."

The Mother Tree of Desire… this evil god's reach is truly far! The Delien family's relationship with It is probably closer than I previously imagined… The Churches might have misgivings, but the Eternal Blazing Sun wouldn't truly be unaware, would It?

Why would It allow a family supported by an evil god to become Prime Minister?

Even if, as Lady Helene said, the Prime Minister is just a representative of interest groups and holds power that won't cause too much harm… shouldn't even small harms be taken seriously?

Moreover, if small harms accumulate to a certain extent, they might indeed lead to disaster!

Is the Eternal Blazing Sun plotting something?

Though confused, Ebner knew he wasn't in a position to meddle in a true god's affairs, so he reluctantly put the thought aside for now.

Seeing that he had no further questions, Lady Helene curtsied, smiled, and said, "It was a pleasure cooperating with you, Mr. Bryan… I look forward to future opportunities like this."

"Furthermore, you don't need to worry about the aftermath. With Yarubed and me covering things up, the official squad in this city found no issues… and I will voluntarily report to the three Churches afterwards, not implicating you."

As soon as she finished speaking, she transformed into moonlight and vanished from the hotel.

Of course you're happy. You made so much money from this trip; if I were you, I'd also want to continue cooperating in the future…

After muttering to himself, Ebner removed the room's barrier, and Fors, Helene, Fanny, and Lion Leon entered at that moment.

"Ebner…" Fors had just greeted him, wanting to ask what had happened, when she suddenly saw "Chesi" beside Ebner, clad only in a bathrobe, and blurted out, "This lady is…?"

She doesn't look like an enemy, but when did Ebner get another woman this beautiful and seductive?

The three ladies sized up "Chesi" with various thoughts, especially Fanny, who suddenly felt a sense of crisis, because in front of this lady, her physical advantage completely vanished.

"She's one of the 'Charm Apostles' who attacked me… However, her mind has been controlled by my Magic Mirror; she's just a puppet now." Ebner explained casually, while also observing Fors and the other two. He noticed that, aside from Helene, no one else was injured, which put him at ease.

Then, he used the secret art "Violet's Perfect Restoration," causing five-colored light composed of white, black, blue, green, and red to envelop Helene. In the blink of an eye, she was restored to her original state.

"This secret art is really effective. What's its name? How about this, I'll provide opportunities to help you 'act' it out?" At this moment, Lion Leon, staring at the five-colored light, suddenly spoke.

Although it had witnessed Roselle's process of crafting the "Fallen Morning Star" necklace, it had never personally seen the effects of the secret art within it.

Ebner did not answer immediately, but first glanced at Fors. He had mentioned the name "Violet's Perfect Restoration" at the Tarot Club, so if he answered now, Fors might recognize it… While being recognized wasn't a big deal, it would seem too unskilled to be exposed just for this.

If there's going to be an exposure, Xio's side should be exposed first!

With various thoughts swirling in his mind, Ebner simply nodded, then took out a card sealed with The Cube and handed it to Lion Leon, briefly explaining the usage of the "occult" version of the camcorder.

This was a video backup prepared for the City of Silver, lest the spiritual energy in The Cube be exhausted before they could learn…

Consider it your reward for protecting Fors and the others! Ebner muttered to himself as he explained.

Come to think of it, he had originally intended to pick a piece of loot as a reward for Leon, but now, of course, he wouldn't.

Just as the man and the lion were conversing, the Magic Mirror also controlled Chesi to greet the three ladies: "Good evening, my hostesses."

Fanny was quite pleased with its address, and her earlier slight worries vanished… After all, it was just a puppet controlled by a Sealed Artifact.

Helene, on the other hand, was a bit embarrassed, her face instantly turning red.

As for Fors, she didn't really care. Months ago, she and Xio were often mistaken as the "Hero Detective's" lovers at various social events, even Miss Audrey had heard about it. Initially, she would try to explain, but after it happened too many times, she became lazy to clarify, as she had already gotten used to it and there was no loss…

Hmm, sometimes there were even benefits… like attracting the envy of some ladies, or feeling more at ease staying at Ebner's place without having to worry about others' gazes…

Having briefly finished explaining the usage of The Cube to Lion, Ebner suddenly noticed that the atmosphere among the ladies was a bit subtle. He performed a slight "Trace" and understood the reason, so he proactively changed the subject, recounting the entire story of the previous battle.

Of course, this was limited to the part about the Charm Apostles' attack; information involving higher-level existences like Helene, the Mother Tree of Desire, and the Goddess of Wealth was omitted.

But even so, the three ladies listened with trepidation.

Five Charm Apostles, dozens of mid-Sequence Demons and Serial Killers, and even more Criminals—such a force, lacking only a demigod, could almost rival a Pirate Admiral's power.

Even the current King of Immortality couldn't assemble such a lineup.

After hearing the full story, Helene, Fors, and Fanny, while suddenly understanding Ebner's previous arrangements, also gained a new perception of his strength.

Helene had always known Ebner was very strong, but only thought he was comparable to Tracy… But now, it seemed she had underestimated him… Even Tracy couldn't have so easily taken down five Charm Apostles.

Fors had some idea of Ebner's background, knowing he was a divine favored one who had rapidly ascended several Sequences to become a Sequence 5.

But this was also the first time she clearly realized just how powerful Ebner truly was.

"Perhaps among those below demigod, only Mr. Tower and Mr. World of our Tarot Club are his match!"

Fanny's eyes sparkled, as she finally saw hope for killing Johnsen Fryers and avenging her grandfather.

Although Ebner had previously spoken of helping her with revenge, Fanny had always felt he was just comforting her… But now, she felt that once Ebner became a true demigod, revenge might not be an issue.

However, Ebner, who "read" their thoughts, felt a bit awkward at this moment. After all, while such a "glorious" battle result was indeed due to his "strategic planning" and individual defeat of enemies… in reality, he didn't participate in any actual combat.

Charm Apostle Chesi was hoist by her own petard, inversely controlled by the Magic Mirror.

Mirror Apostle Herta ran out of money and lost himself.

Light Apostle Baruch was also ridiculous, possessed by an "angel," and surrendered directly.

Slaughter and Death had it even worse, inexplicably self-destructed by the Light Apostle, resulting in their deaths by betrayal from their subordinates while severely wounded.

Speaking of which… there were indeed some "coincidences" in this process!

However, it didn't seem to be orchestrated… Judging from the Quiz Labyrinth, it was more like some kind of aggregation.

Just then, Ebner's heart suddenly stirred. His Pure White Eye activated, receiving a passive "prophetic" revelation:

"The Feast of Desire."

The Feast of Desire? Does it refer to tonight's event?

Feast… Could it be that these Charm Apostles were entrapped by my "gathering disaster" constitution?