Lord of the Mysteries:Voice of the Stars

As his mind gradually calmed down, fragmented memories suddenly surfaced, slowly unfolding in his consciousness.

The sharp pain in Zhou Mingrui's head forced him to close his eyes and sit back down, absorbing the memories left behind by this body's original owner.

Meanwhile, in the interstice of worlds, Ael observed the unfolding events with a smirk before disappearing from sight.

Tap, tap, tap… click!

A flicker of fire ignited, quickly expanding. The bright glow first filled the inside of the wall-mounted lamp before spilling through the transparent glass, bathing the room in a warm hue.

Inside the study, Zhou Mingrui, having cleaned the gunshot wound on his forehead and roughly integrated the original owner's memories, inserted a penny into the gas meter and turned on the gas lamp in the room.

As the darkness receded, the crimson moonlight withdrew from the window. The cold wind from outside, after Zhou Mingrui had washed his face with cold water in the communal washroom, significantly eased the splitting pain in his head, allowing him to completely regain his composure.

After a moment of contemplation, he tidied up the remnants of the suicide scene, closed the window, and sat back in his chair, shifting his focus to more pressing matters.

The original owner's death, that eerie notebook, and the sentence written in ancient Hermes—"Everyone will die, including me"—were not his immediate concerns.

What he truly wanted to figure out was why he had transmigrated and, more importantly, whether he could return.

Regardless of whether it was involuntary or accidental, Zhou Mingrui had never wished to transmigrate.

Thinking back to what had happened before his transmigration, a bolt of realization flashed through Zhou Mingrui's mind, illuminating the foggy depths of his memory.

"That good luck ritual…?"

Recalling the ritual for improving fortune that he had performed before dinner, Zhou Mingrui became increasingly convinced that it was the key to his situation.

"There's a good chance that ritual was the cause… Hmm, I'll try performing it again here tomorrow. If it really was the reason, then I have hope of going back!"

As this thought settled, a faint smile appeared on Zhou Mingrui's face. The ritual's requirements were remarkably simple, and he could replicate it even in this new world.

All he needed to do was prepare four servings of the region's staple food and place them in the four corners of the room—on a table, a cabinet, or other surfaces—then stand in the center and take four counterclockwise steps, forming a square.

With each step, he had to chant a sacred name, and after completing the steps, he needed to close his eyes and remain still for five minutes for the ritual to be considered successful.

With a concrete plan in place, Zhou Mingrui felt a sense of stability. His panic and unease were pushed into the back of his mind, and exhaustion swiftly took over. Slumping onto the desk, he drifted into sleep.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

A set of heavy footsteps echoed.

Still deep in slumber, Zhou Mingrui suddenly became alert. His mind, though groggy, urged his eyes to open.

As his consciousness fully cleared, Zhou Mingrui realized he was no longer in the study from before. Instead, he found himself in a vast space shrouded in strange gray mist, where neither direction nor size could be determined.

Just as he was beginning to feel bewildered and apprehensive, the heavy footsteps became more distinct, and suddenly, a figure emerged from the swirling gray fog.

It was a young man, clad in a flowing white robe, with eight pairs of pure white wings sprouting from his back, resembling an angel from ancient mythology.

Before Zhou Mingrui could react, the angelic figure placed his right hand over his chest and spoke in a respectful tone:

"Congratulations on your rebirth, heir to the Great Existence…"

At that moment, an ominous premonition struck Zhou Mingrui.

It seemed like he had—somehow, inexplicably—been recognized as the heir to some powerful being.

This situation immediately reminded him of the classic folktale of a fisherman and the devil.

Realizing this, Zhou Mingrui did not panic. Instead, he calmly asked,

"Who are you?"

"I am Hermes, Angel of Time and servant of the great ruler, Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth."

"Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth?"

Hearing the name, Zhou Mingrui was shocked—because it had been spoken in fluent Chinese.

"As I suspected, my transmigration is connected to that ritual!

My train of thought was correct. This bizarre space and this mysterious figure are proof of it."

Taking a deep breath, Zhou Mingrui forced himself to stay calm and hesitantly asked,

"You serve Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth… What does that have to do with me?"

Hearing Zhou Mingrui's question, Hermes smiled slightly and answered,

"Because He has already perished, and you are His chosen heir."

"Perished? Uh… You mean, He's dead?"

"And you're saying I am His heir? But I don't know anything about this!"

Zhou Mingrui was utterly dumbfounded. He had no idea how or why he had been designated as the heir to this so-called deity.

"Heir to a Great Existence, do you not remember performing the good luck ritual?"

"At the moment you completed the ritual, you had already become His heir."

"But plenty of other people must have performed that ritual—why weren't they chosen as heirs?"

Thinking about his own foolish decision to perform that damned ritual, Zhou Mingrui felt another wave of pain pulse through his skull.

"I do not know," Hermes replied. "Perhaps it is because you yourself are unique."

Zhou Mingrui let out a long sigh as his thoughts raced.

Suppressing his emotions, he calmly asked,

"Since you know I performed the ritual, you must also know that I don't belong to this world. Can you send me back?"

Hearing this, Ael, disguised as Hermes, paused for a moment before responding with a helpless tone,

"I do not have that ability."

Zhou Mingrui had already expected this answer, so he was not too disappointed. Instead, he followed up with another question:

"Then who does? Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth?"

"But you just said He has already perished. Unless He is revived, I have no way to return."

A new thought crossed his mind, and Zhou Mingrui spoke with certainty:

"The reason I was chosen as His heir… Is it because I am supposed to revive Him?"

Hermes hesitated before replying,

"I cannot answer that question. However, as His heir, you have the option to reclaim the extraordinary characteristics He left behind and revive Him."

"Whether He would help you return afterward, I do not know. But from my understanding…"

"He was a devious, sinister, ruthless deity—one who delighted in deceiving and manipulating others, entirely devoid of humanity. Reviving Him would not be a rational choice."

"Of course, I cannot interfere with your decision, as you are the heir of that Great Existence, and I am merely an extraordinary characteristic He left behind, a servant meant to assist you."

"However, instead of reviving Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth, you could choose to replace Him, become a new god, and let Him truly die. Perhaps that way, you could return to your original world."

Zhou Mingrui's resolve solidified.He would never revive Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth.

Even the servants who once served him had this impression. He could no longer imagine what kind of existence the living Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth was like. It was definitely not a good decision to resurrect Him himself.

"Wait, what's the situation with gods and Beyonder characteristics?

Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth is a deity?"

Thinking back on Hermes' words, Zhou Mingrui discovered something he didn't know.