Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

The moment the World finished speaking, Ebner modestly added, "I merely provided an idea to break the Flesh Abyss. The real credit goes to the Fool's favored, the Hero Bandit Black Emperor, who did all the hard work."

Klein needed the audience's admiration, while Ebner sought to spread his reputation as a scholar.

Their seamless cooperation not only completed a mutual exchange of compliments but also fulfilled their respective roles' requirements for feedback.

This was evident from the contemplative expressions on the Tarot Club members' faces.

So the Hero Bandit Black Emperor found a way to break the Flesh Abyss with Mr. Tower's wisdom? No wonder Connors mentioned that there were both the Emperor and Tower tarot cards left at the scene... It all makes sense now!

But how does the World know about this?

Justice Audrey's thoughts wandered before she made a sudden connection:

The Hero Bandit Black Emperor is a favored of the Fool.

The World was personally recruited into the Tarot Club by the Fool and has never collected Roselle's diary pages.

So... the World is Black Emperor, the Fool's favored? He doesn't submit diary pages because he's already doing it privately? His previous behaviors were meant to conceal his status as a favored?

Yes, that makes sense. When Miss Temperance submitted diary pages earlier, she said they should count as contributions for the World. This implies he's been accumulating contributions all along, only we didn't know about it... And since Miss Temperance could join the club, it must have been due to the World's request, much like when Mr. Tower brought Judgment into the club.

Ah, it really is hard to associate the World with the Hero Bandit Black Emperor... The latter seems more like a hero... Audrey believed she'd uncovered the truth and grew curious about who the World, or rather the Black Emperor, truly was in real life.

The Black Emperor who once shouted for help on the streets... Sharon, Miss Temperance, instinctively came up with a nickname in her mind.

The Hanged Man Alger shared suspicions similar to Justice's and once again raised his evaluation of the World.

That bandit managed to retreat unscathed from high-sequence powerhouses multiple times. This is true strength!

Judgment Xio had long known the World was the Fool's favored, though she hadn't initially connected him to Black Emperor. Even now, she couldn't be certain they were the same person, as their vibes felt entirely different.

Besides, as fellow favored ones, it wouldn't be surprising if they shared information privately. The World knowing about Black Emperor's activities wasn't strange at all.

The Sun Derrick, hearing that the Aurora Order and the Fallen Creator were involved, leaned forward eagerly, hoping Justice or the World would provide further details.

Magician Fors, however, looked utterly confused. Busy writing her book and maintaining contact with the Abraham family in Pritz Harbor, she hadn't caught wind of the major events in Backlund.

Such news never made it to the newspapers, which only vaguely mentioned the police dismantling an Aurora Order base.

"Flesh Abyss"? That sounds like some kind of vile magical ritual... Was it destroyed by Mr. Tower? But didn't he say he wasn't in Backlund? Fors looked around, noticing that she seemed to be the only one genuinely in the dark. She couldn't help but ask, "What exactly happened?"

At the same time, she thought with a hint of grievance: If Xio were in Backlund, I wouldn't be so out of the loop.

Sensing Fors's disappointment, Xio glanced worriedly at her friend. She didn't just stay in bed the whole time while I was away, right? I stocked up on food and drinks, but someone still has to cook...

Fortunately, Justice was too preoccupied with reorganizing her words to notice Judgment's inner musings.

"The Mandated Punishers were initially investigating a witch named Irene. They followed her to an Aurora Order base.

"Instead of fleeing, the Aurora Order's oracle went mad and initiated the Flesh Abyss ritual, intending to sacrifice the entire district's populace to the True Creator.

"In response, the Mandated Punishers launched an assault. During this time, Mr. Tand, a bodyguard for the Intis envoy accidentally trapped in the district, joined the fight. His sacrifice delayed the oracle, allowing the disadvantaged Punishers to hold on until the Church of the Earth Mother arrived for reinforcement..."

Audrey vividly recounted what she had learned from Connors, painting a detailed picture for the group. Her excellent language skills allowed her to narrate the events clearly, despite lacking professional training in storytelling.

"In the end, the oracle escaped from Archbishop Horamick using an advanced charm found on Mr. Tand's body." She then gracefully turned to the World and asked with a smile, "Mr. World, did I say anything inaccurate?"

Meanwhile, the Fool pondered: So there was a bodyguard from the Intis envoy there that day? Based on Justice's description, was he a Marionettist? A member of the Secret Order? Were they targeting me?

No... it was probably just Beyonder convergence. Perhaps he was searching for Rosago's characteristics.

Still, Mr. A is truly terrifying... swallowing a Marionettist just like that. Are Shepherds really that much stronger than other Sequence 5s?

Lost in these thoughts, Klein delayed his response by two seconds before replying, "I'm not clear on the specifics of Mr. A's battle with the Mandated Punishers."

Turning the conversation, he looked around and added, "However, there's something we all need to be aware of."

"What is it?" Justice asked curiously.

The others also turned their attention to him.

"The True Creator has issued a divine decree, instructing the Aurora Order to locate the Fool's followers," the World said in a low voice.

His words struck a nerve with everyone at the table except for Tower and Temperance, causing them to tense up.

Well, the Sun was an exception too. He figured he had already exposed himself when using the World's Full Black Eye. He believed the Aurora Order simply didn't have the capability to capture him. He never underestimated the power of a god.

The True Creator wants revenge for having multiple schemes foiled by the Fool's followers? This thought crossed the minds of Justice, the Hanged Man, the Magician, and Judgment, causing them to feel uneasy about their situation.

However, the Fool gently tapped the edge of the ancient bronze table and calmly said, "Do not be concerned."

Do not be concerned? Of course... the Fool is a mighty figure equal to the True Creator. Why should we be afraid?

Everyone immediately felt reassured, like they'd just been given a calming elixir. As they regained their composure, most reflected on their circumstances and concluded they hadn't left any incriminating traces in the real world.

Only Fors pondered silently, I was on the verge of losing control when I read the Fool's honorific in ancient Hermes from that slip of paper. I was then pulled above the gray fog, and no one knows about this incident, so there's nothing to fear... But that slip of paper came from somewhere—it was hidden in a book we borrowed from Viscount Glaint... Moreover, the vampire texts also mention the Fool...

The Glaint family doesn't have the heritage of the vampires. If it's reasonable for the vampires to have records about the Fool as a resurrected ancient god, then Glaint clearly isn't qualified...

Is he a follower or favored of the Fool? Doesn't seem like it... Could he be a Tarot Club member?

Fors glanced around at the four male members present but dismissed the thought. It was hard to imagine Glaint being as mature as the Hanged Man, as scholarly as Tower, as innocent as the Sun, or as cold as the World...

Propping her chin with her hand, she seemed to grasp a key point but couldn't connect the dots into a coherent conclusion. She had to set it aside and return to reviewing whether she'd exposed herself in any way in the real world.

Ebner noticed that Xio and Fors still appeared somewhat worried, so he cleared his throat and took the initiative to explain the reasoning behind breaking the Flesh Abyss ritual.

This served both to change the topic and to reinforce his reputation as a scholar while showcasing the Fool's status as no less significant than that of the True Creator, reducing everyone's fears.

After all, isn't the True Creator similar to the Fool in that neither can manifest much power in the real world? The only difference is that one has great power but can't use much of it, while the other can only extend a limited amount from the gray fog.

The Fool didn't know what Ebner was thinking but was quite pleased with his cooperation, disregarding the hint of amusement in Ebner's emotional color.

Seeing that the other members were engrossed in Tower's explanation, he controlled the World to say, "Mr. Tower, I have something I'd like to ask you privately."

Privately? What could be so sensitive that it can't be shared? Does he know Daniel is a transmigrator? But he doesn't know that I am one too. Why seek me out? Ebner's thoughts raced, but he nodded calmly. "Sure."

After the Fool tapped the table lightly, the World seemed to carefully choose his words before asking, "Mr. Tower... do you know about the Dream Labyrinth Tower?"