Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Atop the bell tower attached to the Church of Storms, Jahn Kottman, Cardinal of the Church of Storms and High Deacon of the Mandated Punisher, stood at the edge, gazing at the invigorating sea and the mountains stretching along the coastline into the distance.

—The pollution level in Bayam was quite low because mining and smelting industries were located in other cities on the island. Here, the pillars were the spice trade, brothels, and casinos—a hub for goods and transit—with no established industry. Heating coal was used infrequently due to the agreeable climate.

"Sea King" Jahn Kottman had just withdrawn his gaze when he saw a Mandated Punisher run up the winding stairs.

"Your Excellency Kottman, new intelligence," the Mandated Punisher said, striking his left chest with his right fist.

"What is it?" the well-built Jahn Kottman asked, turning around.

The Mandated Punisher handed him a slip of paper:

"According to information from our informant within the Resistance, they received a response from Kalvetua a few days ago and are now shaping a new idol."

"A new idol?" Jahn Kottman unfolded the paper and quickly scanned it.

He then turned his head to look towards the vast jungle of Blue Mountain Island, pondering for a moment:

"Search for anomalous areas in the Rorsted Archipelago waters."

From this intelligence, he confirmed one thing: the mysterious person who took Kalvetua's remaining characteristics had not left the Rorsted Archipelago waters. This could be accurately judged from the fact that the individual was able to impersonate Kalvetua's response to his followers.

At the same time, Jahn Kottman was well aware that the Beyonder characteristics left behind by Kalvetua, who had completely lost control before his death, whether they formed actual items or not, must have severe negative effects and would inevitably cause anomalies in the surrounding area.

And finding the correct sealing method would not be easy.

Even if found, responding to prayers would be uncontrollable, revealing anomalies.

This was the clue!

"Yes, Your Excellency Kottman, the Storm be with you!" The Mandated Punisher saluted and was about to leave when Kottman called him back:

"Have any members of the 'Demoness Sect' visited the Rorsted Archipelago waters recently?"

The "Sea King" still remembered the image of the woman he had replayed in the "water screen" within Kalvetua's hidden ruin. From his intuition, she must have been a Demoness.

"'Vice Admiral of Ailment' Tracy encountered a squad from the 'Demoness Sect' chasing her on Symeem Island last week." As this case was ultimately handled by the squad led by this very Mandated Punisher, he remembered it clearly and answered directly.

"Symeem? I recall the previous intelligence report mentioned someone found an elven ruin on that island, didn't it?"

"Yes, Your Excellency... The timing was just before Kalvetua lost control... So we suspect there might be a connection between them." The Mandated Punisher realized something at this point as well. "You mean... 'Vice Admiral of Ailment' Tracy and the 'Demoness Sect' squad pursuing her might be involved?"

"Kalvetua's hidden ruin is of elven temple style... The ruin discovered on Symeem Island was also built by ancient elves... A Demoness took Kalvetua's remnant... And a Demoness appeared on Symeem Island just before Kalvetua lost control..."

"Hmph! Once is a coincidence, how can it be a coincidence every time?!" "Sea King" Kottman snorted.

The Mandated Punisher nodded in realization, then hesitated before revealing new intelligence, "One of the 'privateer captains' we support, well, a bishop named Alger, previously reported that the 'Celestial Sect' is deliberately approaching His Excellency the Governor and promoting their sect's ideology through him."

"And just recently, we received news that they also issued a mission to find members of the 'Demoness Sect' and the 'Vice Admiral of Ailment.'"

"Alger? Is that the Captain who reported the anomaly at Bansy Harbor?" His Excellency Kottman asked with interest.

"Yes, that's him." This Mandated Punisher member clearly had a good relationship with Alger; this was indirectly giving him credit.

Kottman was well aware of this but saw no issue, as all this intelligence was valuable.

"In that case, keep an eye on this 'sect.' Although they haven't shown much harm yet... I have a premonition that behind them might be one of our 'old friends,'" Kottman had also heard of the "Celestial Sect's" doctrines and already disliked them.

However, there were too many such rogue organizations, and this sect hadn't done anything too outrageous beyond messing with male-female relationships, so he hadn't bothered with them.

"As you command, Your Excellency."

.....

Aboard the "Black Death," Tracy, lightly wounded, allowed her blonde maid, Hilia, to help bandage her wounds.

She had just escaped another dangerous battle, once again fleeing from her father... no, her mother.

"The letter to Mother received no response... and because of it, Mother chased me again... What's going on? Is it possible that not just Mother, but even Mother is being controlled by some mastermind?"

"But she's an old immortal who's lived since the Fourth Epoch; she shouldn't be so easily manipulated... Or rather, even if she were, she wouldn't lack means of self-preservation."

"And my contact person in the organization also has problems; it'll probably be hard to find an opportunity to report this bizarre incident within a month or two..."

"But can I even hide for a month or two? If Mother is truly controlled and she personally intervenes..."

At this thought, Tracy even felt a pang of despair.

But she quickly cast aside such weak thoughts and began to consider countermeasures.

"Enter the 'Raging Sea'! Only by entering the 'Raging Sea' can I temporarily block Mother and Mother's perception of me through our bloodline!"

"Once I disappear, the organization will inevitably investigate the entire affair, and there's a good chance they'll uncover the problem."

"And even if they don't, I can arrange for someone to find the 'Saintess of Darkness' before entering the 'Raging Sea.'"

She had just thought of this when commotion and shouts suddenly erupted outside the cabin. Tracy frowned. Just as she put on a piece of clothing, a sailor burst in, frantically reporting: "Captain! It's bad! The second mate and third mate have gone mad; they've killed the first mate!"

"What?" Tracy shot up. She rushed out of the cabin in a few strides, only to find that there was no battle on the deck as she had imagined. The "killed" first mate, along with the second and third mates, stood together, eyeing her greedily.

A bad premonition immediately arose in Tracy's heart. Just as she was about to use her accumulated prestige to question them, a sharp pain shot through the wound on her back, and she herself felt light-headed.

At this point, she noticed a faint, peculiar odor in the deck's air.

This odor, mixed among a group of pirates, was very subtle and had no adverse reactions... But when it came into contact with Tracy's wound, it transformed into a potent "sleeping" potion.

"Specifically targeting wounds? No... The medicine Hilia applied to me is problematic!" Tracy struggled to turn her dizzy head, and then saw her blonde maid's face full of guilt.

"I'm sorry, Captain... But it was Madam's order... You actually don't have to resist; Madam won't truly harm you!" Hilia stammered, not daring to meet the Captain's eyes.

Madam? Ah, Mother... So Hilia was her person all along... I never knew...

Tracy saw her former subordinates closing in. In her current state, she couldn't use her Beyonder abilities, so she ignited her last bit of spirituality, activating the diamond-encrusted bracelet on her wrist.

Instantly, countless diamond-like crystals "grew" from her body, encasing her entirely.

Tracy mustered her last ounce of strength, using her control over the "Black Death" to make it lurch, tossing the crystal-encased self into the sea.

The pirates, caught off guard, failed to stop Tracy's actions. When they reacted, they all attacked the crystal, but were repelled by it, which only propelled it faster into the sea.

Seeing this, the few officers' faces turned ashen. They immediately ordered the "Sailor" pathway crew members to dive into the sea to retrieve it.

Unfortunately, the crystal seemed to have merged with the seawater, having already vanished.

.....

Bayam, in Danitz's dream.

After listening to the "Great Pirate," whose worth had increased to 4500 pounds, recount his experiences of the past few days, Ebner, Edwina, and Klein found nothing out of the ordinary.

Could it be that a bounty hunter saw through Danitz's disguise and intended to use him to find "Vice Admiral Iceberg"? Ebner speculated.

Meanwhile, Klein noticed a detail in Danitz's words:

The Governor's Mansion invited me to a banquet? I have no relation to the Governor... Why invite me?

The reason given was that I am a recently famous hunter...

Hmm, could it be that they want to invite me to eliminate Detective Ebner Bryan?

Thinking of the bounty issued by the Governor on the black market, Klein couldn't help but look at "Tower" beside him...