Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

"Hmm... I once speculated about the item the Elf King gave to the Queen of Calamity for her to take to the Western Continent."

"If it's truly as I suspect, that the Elf King was actually a 'fallback plan' prepared by a certain Sefirah, then that 'thing' is most likely related to a 'Sefirah'...

"No wonder Lilith attaches such importance to it!"

"Where would Roselle hide Groselle? There's absolutely no clue...

"However, Groselle's soul is currently split into two parts: one part was originally hidden in the 'Book of Calamity' and was taken by Roselle along with the 'thing';

"The other part, Groselle in the golden goblet, most likely sensed that something was wrong and actively severed the connection to hide herself...

"And now I not only possess the 'Golden Goblet' but can also borrow the 'Book of Calamity' at any time. The chances of encountering either part are not low... As long as I find one, the other shouldn't be difficult...

"Finally... Roselle must have learned about the 'Book of Calamity' because the 'Calamity Seal' actively revealed it to him... I wonder what that cunning 'Conspirator' is plotting now!

"Thinking about it carefully, all the incidents I've encountered in the past six months are inextricably linked to that guy who transmigrated into a 'Sealed Artifact'!"

Thinking this, Ebner quietly "cursed" the "Calamity Seal" for a few moments, then pondered the first mission Lilith had assigned:

"To uncover the hidden secrets within the Deline family, there are roughly two directions...

"First, use the Black Knight Serlo Deline, whose body and fate were stolen by the former Pope of the Eternal Blazing Sun Church, to gather information from within.

"Second, continuously suppress this family from the outside, forcing them to reveal things they haven't shown before...

"Hmm, internally, Serlo Deline can only represent the faction aligned with the Intis Prime Minister, and may not be able to uncover the deepest secrets... After all, the Deline family also has a most mysterious lineage, that of the patriarch following the Hunter pathway.

"And simply suppressing them from the outside makes it difficult to control the degree...

"Therefore, a combined approach, both internal and external, would be more stable."

With a preliminary plan in mind, Ebner looked back at Lilith, who was smiling at him, and nodded, accepting her missions.

However, although Ebner appeared to have given it deep thought before agreeing, he had actually never considered refusing from the very beginning.

No matter how gentle Lilith's attitude was towards him, she was still a deity, and Ebner certainly didn't have the courage to refuse a deity's command.

What's more, given the blessings Lilith had already bestowed upon him, he wouldn't want to refuse.

"Very good... However, in Intis, you're not without support... Helen is currently in Trier. If anything comes up, you can contact her anytime.

"Additionally, if needed, I can send some personnel to you later."

After Lilith finished speaking, she extended a finger and touched the demon wolf's forehead, drawing out some spirituality from it and infusing it into a golden piece of paper she had pulled out from somewhere—this was a contract.

Then, she handed the "contract" to Ebner.

The process of contracting this ghost demon wolf needs no further elaboration; it went smoothly.

As Lilith said, after being converted into an undead, it had lost most of its memories and its intelligence had regressed significantly, making it only slightly smarter than a wild beast. It was now completely under Lilith's control and would not question her commands at all.

Ebner suspected this might be a habit it developed during its time under Salinger's command.

Watching this eight-legged ghost, resembling a husky, run to his feet with its tongue hanging out and even lower its head to sniff... Ebner's feelings were somewhat subtle, but he quickly suppressed certain thoughts that could be considered "blasphemous," completed the final step of the "contract," and temporarily sent the demon wolf back to the Spirit World.

"Abigail..." Ebner learned its name after the contract was completed.

At this point, Lilith once again extended her fair hand and swiped forward, and the Summoning Gate, condensed from crimson light patterns, reappeared.

Next, accompanied by swirling fierce winds and the vibration of natural forces, the illusory gate covered with mysterious blood-red patterns opened wide, and Beyonder characteristics flew out one by one.

Telepathist, Solar High Priest, Briber, Demoness of Affliction, Mysticism Magister, Guardian, Reaper, and Black Knight...

Following these characteristics, the metal flask with a noticeable dent also flew out together.

Lilith caught the characteristics one by one, patiently divided them into different containers, sealed them, and then placed them in a briefcase, handing it to Ebner.

Next, she picked up the metal flask again and said with a smile: "This item still retains most of its previous abilities, but each ability's liquor only has a single effect, and it's gone after use."

"Once the effects of all the Beyonder abilities within it are exhausted, it will become an ordinary flask."

"What's better than before is that the effects and side effects of the liquor generated each time can be 'appraised.' If it's not to your liking, you can pour it out."

This is much more practical; after all, it's not a complete 'blind box,' so the risks are controllable... Ebner took the flask, deeply feeling that the liquor inside could be used as both an "enhancement fluid" and a "poison."

After all, if the side effect is 'giving birth,' tricking an enemy into drinking it might directly cause them to 'lose a Sequence.'

.....

East Chester County, at the Hall Family manor.

Audrey sat before her dressing table and lit a candle.

Then, she looked at herself in the mirror through the flickering candlelight and performed a simple "psychological suggestion."

She intended to explore her dream, to see if she could, by doing so, enter the subconscious ocean and spiritual sky of all living beings.

This was an attempt no other Psychiatrist had ever thought of; at least, the reference experiences provided by the Psychological Alchemists did not include anything similar—self-suggesting, self-exploring one's own dreams.

However, fortunately, Audrey succeeded in just one attempt. She entered her lucid dream, saw the spiritual sky, and even discovered psychological issues she hadn't noticed before.

Just as she entered the collective subconscious ocean and walked through one dream after another, a cave made of various crystals suddenly appeared before her.

Whose dream is this? So fantastical? Audrey curiously observed it for a while, then bravely stepped inside.

Soon, a lady dressed in an exquisite and intricate long gown appeared before her eyes.

The lady seemed slightly dazed, just staring blankly in the direction of the cave entrance, seemingly unaware of any outsider intruding.

Audrey carefully observed her and found that her face seemed to be veiled by a layer of mist, appearing extremely blurry. She could only deduce from her shiny black hair and the soft contours of her cheeks that her appearance should be good.

Blurred face... indicating she has issues with her self-perception... Is she suffering from amnesia? Or symptoms of old age?

As Audrey observed and pondered, the woman seemed to finally notice her and suddenly looked over.

The woman's height was similar to Audrey's, but the latter still felt the pressure from a superior being.

However, this pressure quickly dissipated, and the woman fell back into a state of confusion and helplessness.

"I apologize for disturbing you... However, perhaps I can help you with something," Audrey thought for a moment and said cautiously.

"Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?" The woman looked over again, directly asking her confusion.

Oh dear... I'm not entirely sure either... Audrey smiled awkwardly, but connecting it to the current scene, she had some guesses and tentatively said: "Perhaps you are waiting for someone?"

The black-haired woman was silent for a moment, then uttered a word in ancient Elvish:

"Luck!"