MTLNOVEL Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Aha, Don't Contact Me Anymore, I'm Afraid the Goddess Will Misunderstand
"In this era, making money is quite easy," Celeris thought as he walked, lightly tapping his right wrist. A semi-transparent light screen appeared before his eyes, a result of Punk Lode's ethereal editing technology.
Passing by a small kebab stand, he pointed at the vendor's money box. Currency data appeared on the light screen. Celeris tapped "Print" on the screen, and stacks of pennies and suoli materialized in his hand, which he casually stuffed into the newly obedient and understanding Little Can Boy's body.
For this world, such technology was undoubtedly a dimensional strike. The locals certainly had no countermeasures against this method.
"Aren't you worried about affecting the currency system?" asked a voice.
"Not really," Celeris explained. "Unless I produce several million pounds at once, this small amount won't make waves in all of Loen."
"Speaking of which, with so many Beyonder, how does the currency system maintain balance? Surely there are ways to conjure gold pounds?"
"Because lower sequences can't do it, and higher sequences don't need to. Moreover, most money created through Beyonder means doesn't last long. For example, historical projections created by [Ancient Scholar]. Money that can't enter the market won't affect the economic system, which is essentially no different from stealing or robbing."
Celeris then casually waved his hand, and a set of clothes similar to the surrounding style replaced his original attire as if by magic.
Now he wore a gray linen shirt under a black long coat, black wide-leg trousers, a beige deerstalker hat, off-white gloves, a jade brooch on his left collar, and held a silver-edged black cane in his right hand. Little Can Boy sat on his shoulder, serving as a decoration. Through the open coat, an orange-red mask could be seen hanging at his waist.
Although it was still June, Tingen City was in northern Loen, and the temperature was already quite cool. Many people on the street wore coats, so Celeris's attire didn't stand out.
These were clothes he had worn at the Cogitation Hall, recommended by a researcher. Surprisingly, they suited the current environment well.
Putting away the ethereal editing panel and turning off psychological invisibility, an elegant English-style gentleman appeared silently among the crowd, unnoticed by anyone.
If there's anything mentioned most often in the original "Lord of Mysteries" novel besides Mr. Fool's divine toilet, it's probably the pound sterling.
He suddenly had the whim to experience the magic of this treasure that Mr. Fool couldn't stop thinking about.
"I'm a bit unlucky today," Celeris thought. He wanted to record the information of a few pound sterling banknotes for easy printing. But all along the way, not a single vendor or passerby had taken out a pound sterling to pay, which made him scratch his head.
Actually, the pound sterling wasn't important, but for some reason, he just wanted to get a few. This inexplicable feeling made him rub his temples.
"Perhaps I'm influenced by Klein's love for pound sterling in the original novel," Celeris thought.
Besides money, he also needed a place to stay. He remembered that in the original story, Klein initially lived on Iron Cross Street. Perhaps he could go there to seek lodging...
Passing by a trackless public carriage station, Celeris saw someone waiting for a ride. The person wore the plainest white robe, with a light golden beard covering half his face, and a cross pendant hanging on his chest. He was a rather simple priest, commonly seen on the streets.
Celeris's gaze passed over the priest to the carriage station, recalling the description of public carriages in the original novel. He suddenly had the idea to try it out. The thought of borrowing lodging at Klein's house was temporarily put aside.
"Please board quickly if you're getting on," the ticket collector on the public carriage announced as it arrived at the station, not even looking up.
Under the effect of the synesthesia beacon, Celeris easily understood the ticket collector's words.
"Hmm..." Celeris couldn't quite remember other place names from the original novel.
He didn't step forward, as there was no real need to experience this. The urgent matter now was to find a place to stay, Klein's house...
The priest slowly walked forward and boarded the carriage, handing over 5 pennies and nodding to the ticket collector.
The priest's voice was gentle and warm: "To Red Moon Street."
"Then I'll go to Red Moon Street too." Now that he had a place name, Celeris no longer hesitated. He didn't care where he was going; he simply wanted to experience the trackless public carriage and see how it differed from a bus.
"Red Moon Street," he said, following the priest onto the carriage.
The language Celeris spoke was also transformed into familiar Loen language by the synesthesia beacon. Being an ordinary person, the ticket collector didn't notice anything unusual.
"5 pennies."
...
"It's a bit bumpy," Celeris frowned as he got off the carriage. Little Can Boy had been making retching motions the whole time, but unfortunately couldn't vomit anything.
Ignoring Little Can Boy, he still wanted to get a pound sterling, perhaps influenced by the original "Lord of Mysteries" novel. After all, Klein was quite obsessed with pound sterling in the original story. He was curious to see what magic this thing had that could make the protagonist so fixated on it.
Turning a corner and looking up, he was attracted by a white building. He thought to himself that there must be pound sterling inside this building. After all, he was just going to copy it, not take it away, so it wouldn't count as theft and shouldn't cause any problems.
"Don't be afraid, brothers, let's make a bold move!"
Saint Selena Cathedral.
This grand cathedral had an obvious Earth-like Gothic style. The overall structure was black, with a tall, weathered bell tower on the front facade, rising between red and blue checkered windows on a huge central buttress that pierced the sky.
Celeris entered the cathedral, walking along the aisle towards the donation box in the center. He placed a 5-suoli note into it. While his finger was in the donation box, he took the opportunity to record the information of other banknotes inside.
"The Goddess will bless you," a nun beside the donation box softly blessed Celeris. The nun had a beautiful face but lacked expression, her dark eyes devoid of spirit.
Finally obtaining what he wanted, he felt a sense of satisfaction. His mood was so good that he could spare some time to listen to a mass. It happened to be Sunday, what luck.
Examining the suddenly appeared pound sterling in his hand, he looked at the stern and pedantic George III with his small mustache. Come to think of it, Klein had also mentioned that this image was quite "cute" when he first transmigrated.
Perhaps when killing George III later, Klein could point a gun at Him and say, "I loved you once."
"I feel much more relaxed after entering the church. It's nice, worthy of the Lord of Slumber and Silence," Celeris found a seat and comfortably listened to the low, gentle sermon of the bishop on the platform.
"They are naked, without clothes or food, with no shelter in the cold.
"They are drenched by heavy rain, with nowhere to hide, so they can only cling tightly to the rocks.
"They are mothers whose children have been taken away, they are orphans who have lost hope, they are the poor who have been forced off the right path."
"The night has not abandoned them, giving them care."
...
Looking at the Night's sacred emblem on the wall, in the gentle preaching voice, Celeris's spirit gradually relaxed, but his brows furrowed more and more.
Although it's understandable to want to find the protagonist after transmigrating into a novel, this urgent desire to find the protagonist, to approach Klein, to get close to the heir of the Sefirah Castle, was clearly abnormal.
"Damn... ahem," he abruptly stopped himself, after all, this was in the Goddess's cathedral.
"Disappearing Gobi."
"I owe a favor..." He made a sour face, drawing a Crimson Moon on his chest with four taps, his expression like he had just eaten a plate of raw ginger fried potato strips. "Praise the Goddess, praise Adam."
"Who understands, family? I went out for a bit and got targeted by a narcissistic woman. It's infuriating, when will we men be able to stand up? I almost fell for the trap of a low-quality woman, I dare not even think about what would happen if I fell for it. Perhaps I'd be taken to play Ace Amor day and night."
"Inherently evil and fallen mother goddess, I must personally..." Celeris muttered quietly in his heart.
"A path to death! A path to death! Damn it, eat my green horse entanglement!"
Listening to the sermon, feeling his mood gradually calming, Celeris softly said "Praise the Goddess" again.
"Still praising the Goddess? You've changed your faith so easily? You're unfaithful! Inquisition!"
"Just kidding, we Joyous believers are famously loyal in our faith across the universe. Are you firm in your faith in Aha?"
"How dare you! I believe in the Spring Eyebrow Star God Ideriha."
"Hey, I suddenly feel that the Night Goddess might be an alias of the High Tao Star God Hakivili. What do you think?"
"I'm a fictional historian, this is constructing history."
"Anyway, Aha, don't contact me anymore. I'm afraid the Goddess will misunderstand."
"That's awesome, that's awesome."
PS: Many people say the protagonist becomes less prominent in the next few chapters, which is indeed the case. After all, this is a behind-the-scenes story. The frequency of appearances will decrease after the necessary exposure in the early stages.
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meme references in the chapter and their explanations:
"Aha, Don't Contact Me Anymore, I'm Afraid the Goddess Will Misunderstand"
This phrase mimics the format of meme-like phrases where someone humorously distances themselves from a situation to avoid trouble. It's often seen in internet culture when someone jokingly refuses association with something that could lead to misunderstandings or problems."If there's anything mentioned most often in the original Lord of the Mysteries novel besides Mr. Fool's divine toilet, it's probably the pound sterling."
This is a reference to Lord of the Mysteries, where the protagonist Klein often emphasizes money (pound sterling), and there's a running joke among fans that he's obsessed with it. The "divine toilet" part refers to an in-universe artifact that plays a role in the story, which has become a meme among fans."Perhaps when killing George III later, Klein could point a gun at Him and say, 'I loved you once.'"
This is a reference to Neon Genesis Evangelion, where Gendo Ikari says, "I loved you" to his deceased wife in a dramatic moment. The phrase is often meme-ified when jokingly applied to situations where someone has to confront someone or something they once cared about."Disappearing Gobi."
This phrase references a Chinese meme where people use "Gobi Desert" (戈壁) as slang for something vanishing into thin air or disappearing without explanation. It's used humorously when things go unexpectedly missing."I owe a favor..."
Likely referencing a common trope in fiction where characters accumulate mysterious debts or owe favors to powerful beings. This phrase is often used humorously online when someone reluctantly acknowledges being indebted."Who understands, family?"
This is a common internet phrase in Chinese and English online communities, often used in discussions to express shared frustration or irony. It conveys a sense of "Only we who have been through this understand.""I went out for a bit and got targeted by a narcissistic woman."
This resembles complaints in internet culture where male protagonists or characters joke about being "hunted" or "targeted" by powerful or obsessive female characters, often exaggerated for comedic effect."Eat my green horse entanglement!"
This might be referencing an obscure phrase or wordplay, possibly originating from internet gaming or anime culture. "Green horse" (绿马) could refer to a metaphorical entanglement or troublesome situation."Just kidding, we Joyous believers are famously loyal in our faith across the universe."
This plays on internet jokes about faction loyalty in games and stories, where members of a specific group (here, Joyous believers) exaggerate their faithfulness in an over-the-top manner."Are you firm in your faith in Aha?"
This phrase structure mimics internet debates about loyalty or belief in a concept, whether serious or comedic. "Aha" seems to reference a mysterious or humorous figure."Hey, I suddenly feel that the Night Goddess might be an alias of the High Tao Star God Hakivili. What do you think?"This follows a meme structure where people create "conspiracy theories" connecting unrelated things, common in fandom and meme culture."I'm a fictional historian, this is constructing history."This is a parody of historical revisionism jokes often seen online, where fans or theorists humorously declare their speculative connections as "historical construction.""Anyway, Aha, don't contact me anymore. I'm afraid the Goddess will misunderstand."Repeats the chapter title, reinforcing the meme format of distancing oneself from something suspicious or questionable."That's awesome, that's awesome."This phrase is often used sarcastically online when someone reacts to absurd or unbelievable information, commonly seen in meme culture.