Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Tosk, the basement of the Surry family ancestral home.

As a sparkling circle appeared on the altar, Ebner's figure emerged from it.

After helping Hazel resolve the crisis, Ebner "teleported" back to Tosk, a border city between Intis and Loen.

However, since the "Azure Shadow" ring, which allowed him to transform into a special spirit body, was still in its "cooldown period," this time he did not use "Ebner's Spirit Body Roam." Instead, he used the "Edwards-Bryan Teleportation Art," relying on a "teleportation altar" set up in a property outside Backlund to perform the spirit world travel.

As soon as Ebner stepped off the altar, he saw "Chezia" approaching him, handing her "main body," the magic mirror, to its master.

—Because "Ebner's Spirit Body Roam" couldn't carry people through "spirit world travel," when he was at "Fragrant Manor," Ebner had instructed the "Magic Mirror" to control "Chezia" to return to Tosk on her own via the "teleportation altar."

Next, Ebner did not rush to leave this underground space. Instead, he took out various spiritual materials and held a sacrificial ritual for Mr. Fool, placing the bell to be given to Edwina on the altar, and conveying the Goddess's "circle review" reply to "The World."

As for the characteristics Lilith helped him separate, Ebner wasn't in a hurry to share the spoils with Klein, planning to present them at the Tarot Club to boost Mr. Fool's prestige.

A moment later, the bell for summoning a messenger disappeared into the illusory, mysterious gate, replaced by a black crystal card-like charm that fell onto the altar.

Klein is quite efficient, huh? He figured out how to use the "Worm of Time" so quickly?

Hmm... the effect of this charm is much better than I expected... Did Klein leverage the power of the "Sefirah Castle" with the "Error" card?

After the showdown last night, Ebner had given Klein the "Book of Luck Theft", which still contained a dead "Worm of Time." He hadn't expected to see results in less than a day.

A spirit body integrated with the "Error" card can perhaps leverage demigod-level power from "Sefirah Castle." Mr. Fool has gained another trump card, which somewhat compensates for the loss of the "Groselle's Travels" shield...

After a sigh of emotion, Ebner put away the black crystal card-like charm, then tidied up the ritual items. Only then did he, with "Chezia," simulate a "short-range teleportation" and entered the Surry family's ancestral home.

He was going to rendezvous with Fanny, Helene, and Fors to continue their journey to Trier, the capital of Intis.

Speaking of which, Fanny and the other two didn't know where Ebner had been these past few days, nor did they know that Edwina and Klein had visited the Surry family's basement, let alone the "Ritual Chamber" leading to the world of imagination.

However, they didn't ask much... After all, everyone had their own secrets, and they also had their own things to do.

Fors, needless to say, should have returned to Backlund after completing the task her teacher assigned her—helping Mr. Trelawney handle his affairs after his death and retrieving his relics...

But the password to a safe in the First Bank of Trier, which Mr. Trelawney specifically told her before his death, made her both curious and concerned.

Curious about what was stored inside. Judging from Mr. Trelawney's final murmuring, it seemed to be related to an elder named "Benjamin."

And Mr. Trelawney clearly hadn't intended to give her the item initially, only making the spontaneous decision after hearing her name, "Fors Wall"... The reason behind this particularly concerned her.

Therefore, she stayed in Tosk, waiting for Ebner to finish his business, and then planned to go to Trier together.

After all, no one knew what was in the First Bank's safe. What if she encountered others' covetousness after retrieving it? It was safer to go with Ebner.

As a well-known author, Fors immediately imagined a series of thrilling stories filled with conspiracies, schemes, and blatant snatching.

However, after she returned from Rit City, where Mr. Trelawney had been, she didn't have the mental capacity to think about so many things, because she was being watched by a lion and had to rush her manuscripts day and night.

Meanwhile, Helene had not been idle these past few days. She utilized the funds Ebner left with her, as well as the Surry family's local connections, to successfully establish a film theater chain in Tosk, and premiered it with "A Bite of Backlund."

Due to the positive reception, Helene invested further and collaborated with Madam Denise of the Varunyan family, the true local power in Tosk. She was currently organizing personnel to shoot a "silent film" with humorous elements that Ebner had once mentioned.

As for Fanny, she visited the new Archbishop of the Church of Steam in Tosk to ascertain the details of her family's Archbishop's death. She also inquired about the current political situation in Intis and the recent circumstances of the Surry family.

She also received a somewhat unexpected piece of intelligence: during the Surry family's most difficult period, they were suppressed by multiple forces, primarily led by the Fleurys family. Many of their businesses were on the verge of collapse, but they unexpectedly received support from Rit Bank and Trier Insurance Company, which barely allowed them to hold on until a turning point arrived.

Of course, the so-called turning point was when Johnson Fleurys, the one who killed her grandfather, returned to the country and exposed many of his schemes. The Fleurys family had to relinquish their vested interests to give an explanation to the Church of Steam.

Fanny's father consequently returned to Parliament, but without the protection of a demigod, the Surry family's influence and assets still shrank by nearly half. All personnel who were abroad were also recalled to Trier.

Just as Fanny was pondering how to deal with the Fleurys family and how to ensure Johnson Fleurys received genuine punishment, Ebner appeared in the living room with "Chezia."

Fanny was long accustomed to Ebner's elusive appearances. Seeing him now, the sorrow on her face immediately vanished, and she asked with a smile:

"Ebner, you're back? Is everything handled?"

As she spoke, she rose to personally brew him a cup of black tea.

Ebner's gaze towards Fanny was somewhat complex, however. After all, she was a fallback plan set by Roselle, and might have children with him in the future. Yet now, Roselle's "split soul" had been "concealed" by the Goddess, effectively rendering his fallback plan completely useless.

Never mind, let's just let nature take its course. After secretly making up his mind, Ebner picked up the teacup and took a sip, praising it with an impeccable description: "Very pure Queen's Black Tea."

This was a top-grade black tea, priced at nearly 10 Fels per pound of tea leaves. It was rumored to be a variety personally cultivated by the Queen of the Trunsoest Empire in the Fourth Epoch, hence its name.

However, in Ebner's opinion, this so-called "Queen's Black Tea" merely tasted good and was likely just a fabricated commercial product. It wouldn't have come from "Blood Moon Queen" Auernia's hands. After all, Auernia was the Beauty Goddess, a top-tier Apothecary; how could a variety she cultivated be so simple?

Moreover, as far as Ebner knew, the "Blood Moon Queen's" medicinal garden was still controlled by the Blood Race.

"If you like it, I'll have someone get more for you later... But 'Queen's Black Tea' is said to have very low yield, and the amount our Surry family can buy each year is limited... And it might become even less in the future," Fanny said, her emotions slightly dampened towards the end.

Ebner was about to comfort her when, at that moment, his spirituality was suddenly triggered. He activated his "Spirit Vision" and then saw white bones surge out like a fountain from the ground, witnessing a gigantic messenger nearly four meters tall take shape. It lowered its head, its eye sockets burning with dark flames, and simultaneously handed him a letter.

"Jane's letter?" Ebner's heart stirred, and he quickly tore open the envelope and began to read:

"The Captain seems to be in trouble... Not only is she burdened with worries, but her words also sound like she's leaving a will...

Ebner, I'm very uneasy..."