Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Ebner had already noticed the ruins near Indor Harbor in the Feysac Empire from the journal of Officer Bascov, which he had obtained as a reward on the fifth floor of the Dream Labyrinth Tower. However, the intelligence provided by Miss Justice was far more detailed and specific. What he hadn't expected was that there would be a portrait of Mr. Azik inside those ruins… Was that one of Mr. Azik's former strongholds? Or perhaps one of his places of slumber?

As these thoughts crossed Ebner's mind, he asked, "Do you have the exact location of the ruins?"

Miss Justice shook her head regretfully. "Unfortunately, no…" Then, after glancing at Ebner, she noticed a hint of surprise on his face, as if he recognized the person in the painting. Though curious, she chose not to press the matter and decided to investigate privately after returning. Changing the topic slightly, she continued, "However, the caravan member who sent the letter was a Beyonder himself. In his letter to his illegitimate son, he speculated that the ruins weren't actually in the real world. Instead, the dense fog had somehow transported their ship there. After all, they never deviated from their course and remained within the established sea routes the entire time."

Ebner nodded in response, finding this explanation more reasonable. Otherwise, the Feysac authorities would have discovered the ruins long ago. Based on the journal he had obtained earlier, a fishing boat had strayed into the area over a decade ago. However, since no one had ever been able to locate it again, the event had been largely ignored.

Hmm, once Xio returns to Backlund, I'll "teleport" to that mountain with hot springs near Indor Harbor and track down Officer Bascov. Maybe I can get more valuable information from him. If I manage to find those ruins and they turn out to be too complicated to navigate, I can call on Mr. Azik for help… After all, that place might hold clues about his past memories, and he likely wouldn't refuse.

Having formed a rough plan in his mind, Ebner turned to Audrey with a smile and said, "Thank you for the intelligence, Miss Justice."

Audrey returned his smile and replied, "No need to thank me, Mr. Tower. I'm just fulfilling my promise to repay my debt to you."

"I'm very satisfied," Ebner said, the corners of his lips curling slightly. If I can complete the "Bone Dragon" before the New Year, then maybe I'll have the power to intervene in the upcoming "Great Smog" incident… at the very least, I can save some innocent civilians. It has nothing to do with me personally, but it was one of those regrettable events I read about in the past. If I were powerless, then so be it—but if I have the ability to act without excessive risk, then I wouldn't mind lending a hand. That has always been my way of doing things.

After that, the room fell silent for a few seconds. Seeing that no one else was sharing any more information, Derrick the Sun adjusted his posture, looked at Alger, and hesitantly said, "Mr. Hanged Man, I followed your guidance and successfully used the item with the Fallen Creator's aura, provided by Mr. World, to expose Darke's problems. I also managed to throw out the worm left behind by Amon…"

Later, with Mr. Fool's blessing, I was able to deceive the Six-Person Council during their questioning…" Since Mr. Tower had long developed the "Fool's Image Projection" application, Derrick did not awkwardly rely on verbal descriptions alone. Instead, with Mr. Fool's permission, he materialized vivid images of his memories, accompanying them with simple explanations.

As a result, everyone present could see just how bizarre the squad member named Darke was. And when the so-called Doom Fruit—which supposedly made a crisp snapping sound when bitten—was revealed to be a cluster of severed, bloodied, pale human fingers, even Justice Audrey, Magician Fors, and Mr. Fool himself felt their stomachs churn. Ebner wasn't spared either.

"There is no doubt… he has already been corrupted by the Fallen Creator," Alger stated coldly.

The next set of images showed the Monitor stepping out from the shadows and restraining Darke. Meanwhile, Derrick flawlessly executed a series of performances—offering the sacrifice, purging the worm, and feigning unconsciousness—successfully deceiving the Monitor and leading him to the wrong conclusion.

At this point, Alger nodded approvingly. "Not bad. You have great potential."

The potential to fool your superiors and become a seasoned trickster? Both Ebner and Klein inwardly mocked at the same time.

Audrey, on the other hand, sighed quietly. The Sun was such an innocent boy… and now the Hanged Man has corrupted him. Speaking of which, isn't the True Creator also depicted as a Hanged Giant who loves to "corrupt" others? Is this what Roselle meant when he said, "There are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names"…? A very theatrical big guy…

Sharon's eyes flickered slightly as she silently gave Derrick a new moniker in her mind. Meanwhile, Fors, after overcoming her nausea, began intently studying the Doom Fruit, thinking about how she could incorporate such a grotesque element into her next novel.

This made Xio even more worried. Has she reached the point where she's starving and desperate? Should I ask Mr. Fool to "grant" her some food?

At that moment, Derrick the Sun had finished displaying all his "memories." He glanced at The Hanged Man, The Tower, and The World before hesitantly asking,

"The First Seat has allowed me to go home… Does that mean I've completely cleared myself of suspicion?"

The Hanged Man Alger looked at The World and The Tower and, seeing that neither had any intention of answering, took a moment to think before responding,

"Your 'performance' conveyed the following message to your First Seat: Amon and the mastermind behind Darke's corruption are bitter enemies… Your previous visits to the training ground to observe the exploration team and your report about them were both attempts made by Amon to probe the situation without exposing himself.

"At the same time, the mastermind behind Darke's corruption sensed something unusual about you and sent Darke to control you. The blood-stained scalp and fingers were the tools used for that purpose… In the end, to thwart that mastermind's plans, Amon lost a clone."

He noticed The Sun instinctively nodding along and continued,

"But your First Seat won't trust you that easily. Even if you passed the 'interrogation,' that doesn't mean he's convinced. If he were that careless, Silver City would have been destroyed long ago.

"So, expect further tests. I suspect he won't restrict your movements, but he will secretly monitor you and even assign you normal tasks.

"You mustn't display any unusual behavior for the time being… Meaning, try not to conduct sacrifices or receive bestowals.

"Once several of his tests yield no suspicious results, your First Seat will naturally assume you've truly broken free of Amon's control."

The Hanged Man really does seem like he's orchestrating everything behind the scenes… Derrick firmly memorized his advice before asking,

"How can I tell which tasks are actual missions and which ones are 'tests' from the First Seat?"

The Hanged Man glanced at him and replied flatly,

"No, it's better if you don't try to distinguish them. That way, your reactions will be more natural and more convincing."

The Sun blinked, puzzled, but chose not to press further, simply committing the advice to memory.

....

Bayam, Fragrant Manor

As soon as Ebner and Xio returned to reality from the Tarot Club, there was a knock on the bedroom door.

Sensing that it was his red-haired maid, Helene, Ebner told her to wait for a moment while Xio changed into her usual attire.

About two minutes later, Helene heard a voice from inside: "Come in." She then pushed the door open and entered.

Her gaze swept over her employer and Miss Xio, then she subtly sniffed the air, a confused expression flashing across her face. This isn't quite what I imagined…

However, fulfilling her duties as a maid, she quickly composed herself and reported,

"A military officer just delivered an order. Miss Xio is to return to her unit by six in the evening, without fail."

"Did they say what for?" Xio frowned.

The last she heard, there were no new missions until Wednesday, since they were waiting for Princess Vera and others to return.

"They did. The military didn't seem intent on keeping it secret," Helene nodded before relaying the message:

"Hunting down Baron Larry!"