Lord of the Mysteries:Voice of the Stars

"Yes, Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth was indeed a deity. To be more precise, He was an existence far greater than a god. You should already know about the Seven Gods worshipped by the people of this world, correct?"

"Yes, I do."

After merging with the original owner's memories, Klein (formerly Zhou Mingrui) had developed a basic understanding of the so-called Seven Gods.

On the Northern Continent, where the Loen Kingdom was located, the seven orthodox deities were: The Eternal Blazing Sun, The Lord of Storms, The God of Knowledge and Wisdom, The Goddess of the Night, The Earth Mother, The God of Combat, and The God of Steam and Machinery.

The churches of these deities wielded immense power over worldly affairs, influencing both politics and military operations.

The body he had transmigrated into—both its previous owner and his family—were all devout followers of the Goddess of the Night.

At first, after absorbing these memories, Klein had assumed this was merely a form of theocratic rule, where political and religious authority were merged. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case at all.

The Seven Gods were most likely real!

And Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth served as proof of that!

The mere thought of this made Klein's head ache. He cautiously turned to Hermes and asked,

"So… the Seven Gods truly exist?"

Hermes nodded and answered,

"Yes, They are all real. In the Fourth Epoch and even earlier epochs, these gods walked the earth."

"My Lord, you must never pray to any of Them."

Klein was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because if They discover that you are Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth's heir, you will be in grave danger."

"Yeah… figured as much."

Klein sighed before asking his next question.

"Earlier, you mentioned 'extraordinary characteristics'—what exactly are those? Do they have something to do with gods?"

"Yes, they do."

Hermes nodded and explained,

"Extraordinary characteristics are the foundation of supernatural power. Any living being who absorbs them will gain abilities beyond human comprehension."

"In our world, these extraordinary characteristics form the basis of twenty-two Beyonder pathways. Some pathways are adjacent to others, while some stand alone. But one common rule applies: Each pathway consists of extraordinary characteristics ranked from Sequence 9 to Sequence 0."

"Once someone chooses a pathway, they cannot switch unless they reach a high Sequence and transfer to an adjacent pathway."

"In the Sequence system, Sequence 9 to Sequence 8 are low Sequences, Sequence 7 to Sequence 5 are mid-Sequences, and anything beyond Sequence 4 is considered a high Sequence."

"Those who reach Sequence 4 or Sequence 3 are called Saints. Sequence 2 and Sequence 1 are called Angels. If a human ascends to a Saint's level, they are referred to as a Demi-God."

"And Sequence 0 is the rank of a god."

Klein's expression shifted slightly.

"Were you once human?"

Looking at the so-called "angel" before him—who, aside from the eight wings, appeared almost human—Klein couldn't help but be curious.

"No, I was never human," Hermes answered calmly. "To be more precise, I am not a true living being. I am merely a portion of extraordinary characteristics that has gained sentience. The body you see now is only a temporary vessel."

Klein's eyes widened.

"You mean… you're a living extraordinary characteristic?"

This was shocking. What did that even mean? Was Hermes some kind of self-aware artifact?

Ignoring Klein's stunned expression, Hermes continued,

"If you wish to absorb extraordinary characteristics, you must first convert them into potions. Otherwise, with your current body, you cannot withstand their power—the risk of losing control is too great."

"Losing control? Potions?"

The unfamiliar term caught Klein's attention, and he quickly asked for clarification.

"Yes, losing control."

Hermes nodded before explaining further.

"Everything in this world originates from the Creator, and so do the extraordinary characteristics. Within each one remains a fragment of the Creator's will."

"This acts as a pollutant. If one cannot resist it or find balance, those who absorb extraordinary characteristics will succumb to corruption, lose control, and transform into inhuman monsters."

Hearing this, Klein involuntarily swallowed.

Hermes continued,

"The use of potions is one of the safest ways to reduce the risk of losing control. The method was first developed in the Third Epoch and remains the most stable way for Beyonders to ascend Sequences."

Just as Klein was about to ask more questions, the sharp pain in his head surged once again, making his face twitch involuntarily.

Forcing himself to endure the headache, he looked at Hermes and said,

"That's enough for today. Let me leave this place."

"As you wish, my Lord. You only need to will it, and you can depart from here."

"This space is actually a manifestation of your own dreamscape, a illusory world formed from your subconscious."

"You are the master of this realm. I am merely a guest speaking with you."

Hermes smiled as he revealed the true nature of the gray fog world and the method to exit it.

Klein nodded, but before leaving, he asked,

"How can I contact you in the future?"

"It's simple. You can summon me in the space above the gray fog—this realm is Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth's legacy to you."

"The way to enter is the same as the ritual you performed before."

"Got it."

Rubbing his aching forehead, Klein gave a simple response before vanishing from the gray mist world.

Meanwhile, in the Spirit World…

Ael, who had taken on the guise of Hermes, sat in a secluded space within the Spirit World, his lips curling into a subtle smile. Slowly, he opened his eyes.

As he had expected, the Night had not been keeping constant watch over the "nesting doll."

Thus, his disguised intervention as Hermes had gone unnoticed.

His reasons for doing so were threefold:

Amusement.To disguise his true identity—shifting from being seen as an Outer God's offspring to merely a "follower of an evil god."To gain favor with a future powerhouse.

"Tomorrow… things will get even more interesting."

The Next Morning…

After buying bread, Klein carefully avoided the bustling streets and made his way toward the "Lettuce and Meat" Market—he had promised to buy tender peas for his sister's lamb stew.

As he arrived at a municipal plaza near Iron Cross Street and Narcissus Street, he noticed something unusual.

Unlike usual, the plaza was now filled with tents, and several clowns—dressed in bizarre outfits—were handing out flyers.

Klein picked up a discarded flyer from the ground and read it aloud.

"A circus performance… tomorrow night?"

"Melissa will probably like this. I wonder how much the tickets cost?"

As he stepped forward to ask one of the red-and-yellow-clad clowns, a hoarse female voice suddenly spoke from his side.

"Would you like a divination?"

Instinctively turning his head, Klein saw a woman in a black dress and a pointed hat standing before a low tent.

Her face was painted with red and yellow grease paint, and her gray-blue eyes held an unfathomable depth.

"No, I don't need it." Hearing the other party's question, Klein shook his head without hesitation. He didn't have the spare money to do divination now.

Besides, the most important thing now is to perform the ritual and enter the mysterious gray fog space that Hermes mentioned.

Hearing Klein's refusal, the woman in the long skirt did not give up. She smiled and said:

"My tarot readings are very accurate."

"Tarot..."

When Klein heard the woman say tarot divination, he was stunned. Why did he feel that the pronunciation was very similar to the tarot cards on Earth?