__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
next chapter of Lord of the Mysteries
Chapter 576. Vice Admiral Iceberg's Collector's Room | Lord of the MysteriesIs she suspecting something? Klein looked straight into Edwina's eyes without moving them away. Nor did his eyes blink or dodge.After knowing that Danitz had divulged his sacrificial ritual to Kalvetua before it died, Klein had the necessary preparations. If he wasn't standing on the shipboard and was instead sitting on a soda, then he definitely would've crossed his right leg and leaned back to give a calm and composed answer.He smiled as he raised his left hand. He introduced with a calm tone, "This glove of mine is called Creeping Hunger."Klein believed that Danitz, who had witnessed him in combat, had definitely passed the relevant details on to his captain. Therefore, with Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina being of equal rank as Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos, it wasn't difficult for her to guess that he had acquired Creeping Hunger. In that case, taking the initiative to divulge it gave him a psychological advantage rather than being exposed by her.And for him to suddenly mention it gave it a double meaning. First, he was hinting to her that he had an organization backing him, one that could kill Vice Admiral Hurricane and orchestrate Kalvetua's death and reply to its believers in its stead. Second, it was a warning for Edwina that she was not to attempt to investigate or delve deeper into the matter. Otherwise, the instantaneous death of Vice Admiral Hurricane awaited her.At this moment in time, Klein continued maintaining Gehrman Sparrow's persona. He didn't directly threaten her or refuse to admit it. Instead, he provided a calm answer that hid madness within it.Edwina Edwards nodded slightly and suddenly changed topics."I plan on providing a certain amount of assistance to the Resistance in the Rorsted Archipelago, mainly in food and fabric."Assistance? Her backing faction is against Loen, or it just wants to make things difficult for the Church of Storms? Klein wiped his smile and calmly replied, "This has nothing to do with me."Don't expect me to trip up… he said silently to himself.Edwina turned her head and raised her arm to point to Blazing Danitz who was drinking while secretly stealing glances."I will entrust him to handle it, including contacting the Resistance and confirming the time. We'll arrange for a private harbor, and I wish you can provide sufficient help."Pfft… Danitz spewed out a golden waterfall from his mouth.Haha. Pfft! Bam! Bam! Bam! The two pirates sitting beside him laughed as they bent their backs and struck the deck, spewing out the beer that they had just drunk.One of them had dark skin like he was covered in a layer of metal skin. His waist was rather thick, and although he wasn't fat, he had no curvature to speak of.Edwina retracted her gaze and added in an unhurried manner before Klein could speak, "You're an adventurer. I believe you won't decline a job that pays well."You really have found me an excellent excuse… Klein smiled in response."Of course."He didn't ask how much the payment was, while Edwina seemed to forget mentioning it.This intelligent and beautiful pirate admiral gloomily said, "Senor got someone to pass me the news that he's willing to buy the key of the giants, which I previously discovered, for 5,000 pounds."It was the item proclaimed to be Death's Key. It was a gigantic black iron key that nearly made Danitz lose his life in Bayam. Klein suspected that it didn't originate from the dark Second Epoch, but it was something that was connected to the Giant King's Court.She's hinting at me to offer a price? Klein was first taken aback before he came to a realization. He couldn't help but inwardly mumble, 5,000 pounds? I don't even know if the key is of any use, or if it really involves the Giant King's Court! If it doesn't have anything to do with it, can I return it for a refund?Besides, there's no prior information about it. Even if I take it above the gray fog to divine it, I wouldn't receive any effective revelations.Yes, a simple inference is that if it doesn't involve the Giant King's Court but some other treasure that I have no idea about, then it would be useless if I buy it. The only benefit is that it will disrupt Admiral of Blood's plans. It harms him without benefiting me. If it involves the Giant King's Court, Admiral of Blood is unlikely to find the target location even if he bought it, as it's located in the Forsaken Land of the Gods. Besides, I plan to hunt him. When the time comes, I can obtain the key without spending any money. It's equivalent to having him buy it for me and watch over it for some time.Although such thoughts are very idealistic, it's not impossible…Klein pondered for a few seconds and said, "It might be hiding a huge secret."He deliberately mentioned this to make Vice Admiral Iceberg unwilling to sell the gigantic black iron key to Admiral of Blood Senor. It was to prevent the latter from rapidly strengthening himself after obtaining the treasure and step into the demigod realm. That would bring a considerable calamity upon Klein.Edwina listened silently and didn't continue on the topic. She turned her body halfway around and pointed at the cabin's entrance."Breakfast has been prepared for you.""Thank you." Klein took off his hat and bowed.As he followed Vice Admiral Iceberg into the cabin, he quickly recalled the conversation they just had and sought out the true motive behind Edwina's invitation.From Gehrman Sparrow's identity problems, to the mystical item suspected to be Creeping Hunger, to the matter of the sacrifice to Kalvetua while the dead Sea God continued responding to believers, all of these matters put together does allow one to imagine that I have a secret organization backing me, one whose motives are unknown.As for the faction that Vice Admiral Iceberg belongs to, it's very wary, guarded, and interested in this matter. Therefore, it got her to probe me in person to see if they can obtain something?They're still rather friendly at the moment. Extending their assistance to the Resistance is a way to convey their intentions. It seems they're leaning towards cooperating with the organization backing me. Of course, the unknown always leaves others afraid. Without grasping the situation, the chances of Vice Admiral Iceberg and company attacking me is very, very low.Heh heh, if they realize that the secret organization backing me was established only about half a year ago, including The World and Miss Xio, whose connection has been established but not recruited, there aren't more than ten people. I wonder if they will get so infuriated that they end up losing control…As his thoughts raced, Klein entered the cabin and followed a dim passageway, passing through one wooden door after another.He followed Edwina up some stairs and arrived at a brighter second level.Before entering the pirate's dining hall, they passed by a half-opened room.Klein casually glanced inside and saw a gigantic black iron key sitting on a wooden table."These items are evidence from our various treasure-hunting expeditions. Most of them are mementos, while others have yet to show their value and require further study." Edwina appeared cold, but her explanations were in great detail. It had the feeling like she was afraid that he wouldn't understand her or was left puzzled.And when she mentioned the word "study," her aqueous blue eyes clearly lit up a little.Evidence of the various treasure-hunting expeditions? Klein couldn't help but look inside carefully.At this point, Edwina pushed open the door and walked in. She then introduced in passing, "This is a gold coin from the Fourth Epoch's Solomon Empire."Klein's gaze shifted over and saw a coin placed inside a frame.It was entirely dark gold in color, as though it was combined from two semicircles of different dimensions. It looked extremely asymmetrical, and there was a sharp crown engraved on its surface. It looked very similar to the crown worn on the King of the Five Seas, Nast.Edwina was like an owner who liked to flaunt her collection. She began introducing the items in the room, making Klein recall a familiar person—Old Mister Eye of Wisdom, the great detective, Isengard Stanton.In regards to the trait of flaunting collections, they're very similar… Is this a tendency of people with huge collections? Wait, Mr. Stanton had studied in Lenburg for four years. Vice Admiral Iceberg's description includes information that Edwina Edwards that hails from Lenburg. This… Lenburg's capital is the headquarters of the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom. Mr. Stanton also admitted that he converted his faith to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom while studying abroad… Could the faction backing Vice Admiral Iceberg be them? Klein listened in thought until Edwina stopped in front of the huge iron black key.Just like he had seen in the dream, the key was about the size of a seven-string zither. An ordinary human would have to wrap their arms around it to move it. It was dull and ancient-looking.The patterns on it are similar to the City of Silver's style. It clearly has giant traits… Klein nodded and was just about to retract his gaze when he heard Edwina say, "You can study it."You are letting me study it? You probably have no idea how many latent problems I've triggered in the past. Aren't you afraid that the Golden Dream will disappear once you let me study it… Klein criticized himself in a self-deprecatory manner before reaching out his right hand to touch the black iron key that seemed to belong to a giant's.He found it ice-cold to the touch, and regardless of how much spirituality he injected into it, it was useless.Unfortunately, I cannot bring it above the gray fog to study it… Klein retracted his right hand and shook his head indiscernibly.He shifted his gaze onto a book in goatskin placed on the same table. On the brown cover were words written in ancient Feysac: "Groselle's Travels.""It originates from a sunken ship. It had been soaked at the bottom of the sea for 165 years without suffering any damage," Edwina introduced. "It records a story about a giant named Groselle. He had decided to head to the Nation of Frost to hunt the King of the North, a powerful frost dragon. Along the way, he encounters companions, a female elf, a devout ascetic, an aristocrat of the Solomon Empire, and a Loen soldier. The story develops until they encounter the King of the North before it suddenly comes to a halt. It's not the end, but the later pages cannot be opened no matter what methods are used. You can give it a try."This isn't a notebook in a journal style, but rather a novel? This novel sure is odd. It puts together characters from different epochs and eras. It should be something that was recently produced… Klein flipped through the book and allowed the yellowish-brown pages to slide past one after another.The content was roughly what Edwina said, but the story appeared rather abrupt and fractured. It kept making Klein suspect if he had missed a paragraph. For example, the protagonists would become familiar with one another moments after encountering each other as strangers.Soon, he browsed to the last few pages and found that they were stuck together. There was no way he could pry them apart.Such effects… probably can be dealt with above the gray fog… I wonder what sort of accidents might happen… Klein turned his head to look at Vice Admiral Iceberg.Edwina fell silent for a moment before saying, "If you wish to have it, I can sell it to you. I've studied it for years without gleaning anything from it."However, I have a condition."What is it?" Klein returned with a question.Edwina pursed her lips and said, "If you figure out something, you have to tell me the result, so that I won't have to be puzzled over it."As long as you agree to this condition, I can sell it to you for cheap."Klein's interest was suddenly piqued."How much?""8,000 pounds," Edwina said calmly."Uh…" Klein deliberately pondered as he nodded indifferently. "I'll consider it."I'll consider how to pretend that this never happened… he thought silently to himself.Lord of the Mysteries179059Report
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
next chapter of Lord of the Mysteries
Chapter 577. Book from More Than 3,000 Years Ago | Lord of the MysteriesVice Admiral Iceberg Edwina didn't show any changes in her expression when she heard Gehrman Sparrow say that he needed to consider it. She nodded calmly."No hurry."She seems to feel that I'm unable to make the decision regarding a transaction of this scale and that I need to seek advice from the secret organization backing me… Is this a problem of me not being able to make the decision? This is a problem of not having the money! Klein lampooned and closed Groselle's Travels. He asked in a deep voice, "Do you know who the author is?"What happened to the people who last possessed this book?"Edwina walked in front of him and reached out her right hand. She rubbed the cover with her fingertip and said, "The owners from before cannot be identified, as the sinking of the ship has resulted in the relevant information being lost to history. Similarly, we are unable to confirm who the author is. Oh, the book doesn't include the author's name."I've used some mystical arts to study it and discovered that the goatskin was created at least 3,000 years ago, before the Cataclysm."This is why I believe it's worth at least 8,000 pounds."A book from three thousand years ago. There's a dragon, an elf, and a human ascetic, a Solomon Empire noble, and a Loen soldier… These are all concepts from years later! A magical book that contains the power of prophecy? Or did someone specially use an ancient goatskin to create it? But it's meaningless to do so. It's purely a hoax? Klein deliberately curled the corners of his mouth without any intent of smiling."The giant's name is Groselle. Could the author be Roselle?""No, Roselle's name originated from a root word in Jotun. When ancient Feysac evolved into Intis, there was a second change, making it have a different meaning…" Edwina explained in detail the origins of Roselle's name. It left Klein stunned as he felt like he was back in school.He nodded gently and said in an unperturbed tone, "If it's an ancient piece of work, I'm very curious as to why a frost dragon would be named the King of the North. What Sequence and pathway does it correspond to?"Edwina raised her gaze from Groselle's Travels and looked at Klein."Before the appearance of the first Blasphemy Slate, there was no concept of Sequences and pathways. Furthermore, many creatures didn't abide by such arrangements. In that Epoch, chaos and mania was the basic attitude to everything."Some dragons might gather many Beyonder characteristics related to frost, just like a Demoness's frost, a Zombie's frost, and a Weather Warlock's frost. As such, it would possess rather powerful strength and a relatively high level. Of course, such a gathering would definitely lead to death and a loss of control."This means that if it doesn't die, it would definitely lose control and become a monster. However, a dragon is a monster in and of itself."If there are many similar products of this sort from the dragons, giants, and elves, then it can be understood why the Second Epoch is known as the Dark Epoch… Klein pondered for a moment and inquired as though he was talking to himself, "This results in the wastage of Beyonder characteristics."Edwina looked at him for a few seconds."Emperor Roselle once said this:"Whatever separates will definitely converge, and whatever converges will definitely separate."The Emperor said that before? I understand the first part. That's another form of saying the law of convergence of Beyonder characteristics. But what does the second part mean?After the convergence happens to a certain extent, it would tend to separate and dissociate? When one doesn't belong to a particular pathway, the extremely chaotic convergent mix will cause a dissociation? The more chaotic it is, the more repulsion there is between the characteristics?Such words aren't likely to be said to anyone. It definitely isn't something that's spread out in the public… Last time, I guessed from the Vice Admiral's usage of the Roselle's Dream Spell and her last name that she's a descendant of one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Edwards… It's extremely possible…After the Emperor perished, their family escaped to Lenburg and gradually converted their faith to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?What a good teacher. She answers any question!Klein didn't speak further as he continued admiring Vice Admiral Iceberg's collection.At the same time, he had some thoughts. He planned on asking Little Sun via The World during the Tarot Gathering if he knew of the book, Groselle's Travels.Of course, in order to prevent The Hanged Man from sensing something problematic with The World and hence, figure out that something was amiss with The Fool, he decided to communicate in private while blocking everyone else.After a brief excursion of the room, Edwina led Klein out and entered the captain's room in the dining hall."The relatively special food here is yogurt. You can add strawberry jam and other things. You can also directly add honey…" Edwina pointed to the row of food outside. "There's some dried fish that isn't bad. They come from the deep sea, species that have yet to be named."As she spoke, she gestured for Klein to take the food for himself to bring back to the room. She then got up and made herself an example.Klein took some yogurt of unknown origins and added a few spoonfuls of honey. Then, he carried his tray and placed pork sausages, buttered bread, and other food on it.During this process, he saw a young man dressed in a white shirt and black vest, decked out with a flowery bow tie, looking more like an office worker than a pirate, approach Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina and have a hushed exchange with her.The man had pretty good looks with almost blond hair other than his slightly black hair roots. His hair was neatly combed to the sides.His eyes were a very light lake-green color, and his nose was sharp. He had thin lips and that made him exude a trustworthy vibe."Don't be fooled by that guy's appearance. He's a wolf-fish can. He stinks deep down!" Danitz whispered in contempt, having entered the pirate's dining hall and arriving beside Klein at some point in time.Klein turned his head and glanced at him without saying a word. This was because he knew Danitz would offer to explain without him egging him on.Without waiting for Danitz to speak, a man with a swollen waist beside him said with a crude and sharp voice, "He's the third mate, Jodeson. He used to be a casanova and part-time pirate, saying that he would steal our Captain's heart, but he ended up getting a beating. He ended up staying to be educated. Dogsh*t!""In short, he's a bad egg!" Danitz emphasized."He's a bad egg!" another pirated with iron-black skin echoed.Why do I have the nagging feeling that all of you are the same… Klein thought and said, "Flowery Bow Tie Jodeson with a bounty of 5,200 pounds? Sequence 6?"As expected of the standard Gehrman Sparrow reaction… Danitz glanced to the side as a lingering sense of fear was hidden within his contempt."He's not that strong, but he's very strange. In my brawls with him, no—when in combat, fireballs suddenly can't be used, and he will be able to replicate my fire powers."A very familiar description… Klein subconsciously glanced towards Jodeson. After some careful thought, he recalled the familiarity.This is very similar to the Sealed Artifact, Blood Vessel Thief, found behind Tingen City's Chanis Gate!Klein had already forgotten the Blood Vessel Thief's Sealed Artifact number, but he still remembered clearly that it could temporarily steal a person's Beyonder powers for themselves.The corresponding pathway? Klein retracted his gaze and discovered that Danitz and his two companions were drinking while looking in that direction.Thinking back to how Danitz divulged his sacrifice to Kalvetua, Klein took a cup of beer and carried his food tray towards the Captain's dining room. He said indifferently, "All of you like her, right?"Pfft… Pfft… Pfft… Behind Klein, there was the sound of alcohol being spewed out at the same time.He saw Danitz jump backward through the corner of his eye, looking at him in horror before turning his head in relief to size up his companions.They had unknowingly opened up a gap between themselves as the look in their eyes turned complicated. They looked like they had the fury of being fooled.Klein didn't stop. He returned to the Captain's dining room and enjoyed breakfast.After a while, Edwina carried a meal tray back.She drank a mouthful of milk and paused before saying, "Danitz showed me the summoning ritual of your messenger."It mentions that one gold coin is a necessary component."I'm somewhat perplexed. Does it refer to Loen gold coins, or those from Intis, Feysac, or somewhere else? Their weights are all different, and the amount of gold they contain is different."Klein thought for a moment before saying, "Loen's gold coin."This is also the gold coin that's worth the most… It's not like I need to pay for it myself… Klein added inwardly.Edwina nodded."Payment also needs to be done when receiving a reply?""Different spirit world creatures have different hobbies," Klein said.He knew that Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina was a researcher of spirit world creatures, and he believed that she could understand what he meant.Furthermore, he wasn't lying. He just hid the fact that the messenger's owner could also pay for it."Yes," Edwina very seriously answered him, "I once attempted to find a messenger, but I could only use trial and error for the incantation. Not only was it dangerous, but it was very difficult to satisfy the requirements. I eventually had to give up."This is one of the reasons. The other reason is that simulating the power of the undead isn't enough to sign the contract."Your incantation has given me quite the inspiration."Klein ate his breakfast in silence without explaining anything. This was because this was the knowledge he had learned from Mr. Azik. He wasn't at liberty to teach it to others without receiving permission from him.After a delicious and quiet breakfast, the Golden Dream approached a private harbor and dropped Klein and Danitz off.Danitz looked back at the glimmering golden ship and suddenly sighed."I feel like my friendship has sunk into the ocean!"Klein pressed down on his hat and calmly said, "Losers can always form alliances among themselves.""…"Danitz was unsure whether he should be happy or sad.After changing their identities and creating fake identification, they successfully bought tickets back to Bayam and boarded the ship. Klein finally had a private space for himself.He entered the washroom and went above the gray fog and began scanning through the believers' prayers.This time, the first thing that appeared before him was the bald member of the Resistance, Kalat."Honorable God, we have discovered the whereabouts of red-haired Helene. She's currently hiding in the Intis embassy."This has been confirmed by a laundry maid and gardener."Lord of the Mysteries158859Report
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
next chapter of Lord of the Mysteries
Chapter 578. "Abduction" | Lord of the MysteriesIn the Intis embassy of the City of Generosity, Bayam.Helene sat in front of a dresser, looking at her beautiful yet somewhat frail reflection. She sat there in a daze for several minutes.Her escape from the Black Death had been filled with anticipation and torment. She was afraid that any tiny mishap would cause her to be discovered by pirates or adventurers, causing her to be caught by Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy once again and making her lose all her freedom. She would then never be able to return to her hometown and return to the life she originally enjoyed.Only when she used the meager connections left by her family did she manage to hide inside her country's embassy and obtain a ticket to leave the sea, providing her a little relief.However, this still wasn't enough to make her feel at ease. She believed that everything would only be truly over when she stepped onto the Northern Continent.With this in mind, Helene couldn't help but raise her right hand and touch her cheeks which weren't considered fair but was sufficiently healthy. She realized that her exquisiteness had improved significantly since her time as a sea merchant. She felt like time had reversed, making her mistake herself as returning to her days as a young lady.In fact, after entering the Intis embassy, she had an additional choice other than escaping the sea—cooperate with the Church of Storms, Loen's military, or the embassy. By using herself as bait, they could capture Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy.But after considerable thought, she finally gave up on this plan. She even begged her family elder who was an officer in the embassy to keep the information of her hiding in there from others.Regardless, she ultimately didn't cause me any actual harm. Many a time, she indulged and satisfied me… Apart from every night… every night… But that's only on the surface… Amid her recollections, Helene quickly blushed red.Those intoxicating nights, the fiery passion from having limbs intertwined with each other, and the unimaginable pleasure flashed past her mind, leaving her unable to compose herself.Helene slowly took a deep breath before exhaling.She shook her head and made her pining for freedom, her homeland, and her family occupy her heart again.She once again looked at her reflection and coiled up her drooping red hair.Then, she thickened her eyebrows with makeup and darkened the contours, making her facial features sharper and pronounced.After this round of make up, Helene looked more androgynous, with a maculine air to her.Finally, she took off her clothes and used a cloth to flatten her chest. She then wore a white shirt, a black vest, men's trousers, and a double-breasted frock coat.Finally, she took a silk hat and wore it on her head, hiding the coiled red hair inside.At this moment, her reflection appeared more like a handsome young man than a lady. Her emerald-like eyes specifically seemed to suit her getup, giving her an alluring level of profundity.Helene patiently waited until someone knocked on her door.She picked up her luggage and walked out the door. She followed the good friend of her senior family member all the way to the side door in the embassy's garden.A carriage was there waiting for her. It was to send her to the harbor where she would board a liner and head for the Loen Kingdom's Pritz Harbor. There, she would make a detour to return to Intis.Helene had anti-tracking Beyonder powers. She carefully observed the surroundings, including the carriage driver.A thin and virile local. Doesn't like wearing hats. His looks are identical to the one I met before. He looks a little nervous, but that's normal… After Helene did her final checks, she thanked her family senior's friend, carried her luggage, and boarded the carriage.As the wheels started to roll, she pursed her lips and looked out the window, watching one Intis parasol tree after another being quickly left behind.This gave her an inexplicable feeling as though she was back in Trier.It was a huge city filled with sunshine, located in the region of the Ryan River and Srenzo River. It was a radiant and enchanting scene with all sorts of roses. It was a place with bustling arts and humanities, a sacred land for artists, musicians, and novelists.That was Intis's capital. After Emperor Roselle rebuilt it, it was in the true sense of the word, a world-class metropolis. It was also Helene's hometown. She grew up there and often cried when she saw it in her dreams.After an unknown period of time, Helene suddenly felt something was amiss. The surrounding streets were turning more deserted and remote.As a sea merchant, although she spent most of her time in the Fog Sea and wasn't too familiar with Bayam in the Sonia Sea, being a Sequence 9 Hunter made her sufficiently alert."Is this route correct?" Helene moved from her seat and carefully asked the carriage driver.She was prepared to jump off the carriage and produce a fireball at any moment.The carriage driver didn't look back as he continued looking forward. He said with a sycophant smile, "Honorable Lady, this route is closer, and it's not that easy to get into jams."As you know, Bayam was built years ago. Back then, there weren't that many people or carriages. Many streets are narrow. Around noon and in the evening, it's very easy to encounter jams. Walking would be even faster than taking a carriage."Is that so? Helene thought about it and believed his explanation. This was because she had encountered such situations in several cities.Trier is still the best. When Emperor Roselle reformed the old city districts, he had the foresight to widen the roads. There's sufficient space even today… Helene had this thought flash through her mind when she heard the horse pulling the carriage neigh, seemingly in pain."Wait a moment. It seems to have stepped on something." The carriage driver stopped the carriage to the side and jumped off.Helene originally didn't think much of it, but sweeping the area with the corner of her eye, she realized that they were in an uninhabited quiet alley.Her heartstrings tightened as she didn't hesitate to attempt breaking through the carriage walls and escape.Regardless of whether it was an overreaction or not, she believed that it was necessary.At that moment, an intense horror surged out from the bottom of her heart. It felt like she had been locked onto by an extremely hungry monster.The pressure she felt at a spiritual level left her hesitant. She didn't dare to rashly take action.Following that, she heard a deep voice."I won't harm you."I have some questions for you."Helene's mind raced as she quickly considered the options placed before her.Ultimately, she didn't rashly escape. She sat back in her spot under the tremendously terrifying pressure.She planned on assessing the situation first before adjusting her plans.The door to the carriage opened, and the thin and virile local carriage driver walked in. He sat opposite Helene, and he was none other than Faceless Klein.In order to act as the carriage driver, he had specifically practiced how to drive a horse and carriage. This was a technique he had failed to properly learn while he was on the Tingen City's Nighthawks squad. Due to the little amount of time he had, he didn't master it sufficiently and could only use Creeping Hunger's aura to successfully make the horse obedient.At the same time, Danitz, who was hidden nearby, quickly ran over and took the carriage driver's seat and began driving the carriage.His round felt hat was pressed low, and he was dressed like a real carriage driver.Helene bent her back in a guarded manner, like a leopard who was ready to pounce at any time.She felt that the gaze of the man opposite her was sweeping through her forehead, her eyebrows, her eyes, nose, mouth, neck, chest, waist, and legs. It left her extremely uneasy.She had encountered such gazes and methods of sizing her up back in Intis, in Trier, and during the days when she was out at sea. It was something that disgusting perverts filled with sexual desires possessed.But this time, she strangely didn't feel insulted. She didn't have the feeling that the man would rip off her clothes or was fantasizing about something abnormal.Instead, he looks like he's studying food… He's like a icy-cold snake that's slithering across my skin… Helene finally couldn't bear it as she asked, "What questions do you have?"After fully grasping her looks and features, Klein leaned forward and placed his arms on his thighs in a natural manner. He slightly clasped his palms and said, "Have you heard of a person named Jimmy Necker?"Helene took a few seconds to recall before firmly shaking her head.She slightly frowned and asked in a daze, "Have you gotten the wrong person?""He's a tycoon, someone who likes to collect things. Have you heard of such a person from Tracy?" Klein asked again.Tracy… Helene sighed secretly and replied seriously, "No. She never mentioned a tycoon who likes collecting."Klein looked at the red-haired lady's eyes and said with an unhurried tone, "Then, does her room have any ancient documents regarding the Southern Continent's Balam Empire?""No. She's not someone who enjoys reading documents. She hates reading. She even gets me to read novels to her." With that said, Helene revealed a bitter smile."What novels does she read?" Klein asked without a change in tone."Those classics by Roselle, as well as any contemporary romance stories," Helene answered frankly.Klein nodded."Does she have a collector's room?""Yes, but apart from her and a few mysterious visitors, no one is allowed entry, including me," Helene said as she recalled.Klein fell silent for a few seconds as he maintained an unchanging posture."Tell me your story.""Mine?" Helene pointed at herself in surprise.Klein nodded gently without repeating himself.Helene said after momentarily being dazed, "My story is very simple."My father is a member of the former Sauron royal family of Intis. He received quite a bit of wealth, but he lost himself to alcohol, mistresses, marijuana, and gambling, causing him to eventually go bankrupt."In order to repay the debts, I chose to accept some conditions raised by the family and became a Beyonder. I then went out to sea to become a sea merchant."Lord of the Mysteries89037Report
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
next chapter of Lord of the Mysteries
Chapter 579. Academic Question | Lord of the MysteriesAs she spoke, Helene's eyes moved up slightly as though she was immersed in her memories."Early on, I transported iron and coal from Midseashire to Feynapotter, then I shipped back tobacco, coffee, cocoa, and other native specialties back to Intis. This is a sea route that borders the shore, so it was rather safe. The competition was intense as well. In order to quickly get out of my predicament and save up money, I worked hard to raise my Sequence, hoping that I could trade in the colonies."Unfortunately, just as I familiarized myself with the sea route and made some money, I chanced upon Ailment Maiden Tracy, who wasn't Vice Admiral Ailment at the time, in one of her raids during my second trip to West Balam. She only had one ship back then, but she was very powerful. My partner and I resisted with our lives, but all of that was in vain."She doesn't have the habit of killing mindlessly. All she did was snatch the goods, as well as myself…"As expected of an oddity among Demonesses… Klein listened in silence and used his Clown powers to suppress his embarrassed emotions to expressionlessly ask, "How far did the relationship between the two of you go?""We didn't!" Helene instinctively denied. "She forced me! I-I didn't want to die. I-I could o-only choose to accept it. B-besides, she's a woman!"Lady, there's no need to get so worked up. If I had asked if the two of you had a relationship that went beyond friendship, would you have jumped out? It's only because I'm kind enough and had considered your shame which had prevented me from being so direct… Sigh. Under the facade of the crazy Gehrman Sparrow is a gentlemanly me… That's the true me… Klein switched to asking without a change in expression, "What kind of food do you like? Are there any dishes you especially like? Do you prefer sweet or salty food, or somewhere in between?"What food do you dislike? What food are you allergic to?"Do you have any dietary restrictions? If you do, what are they?"…"These questions made Helene feel like she was in a dream, as though everything was surreal.She never imagined that the man would ask her such questions. It was like a pursuer was asking his crush what hobbies she had.No! No pursuer would ask such questions! These are all indirectly obtained from numerous chats, or are obtained by other means! No woman would like to be questioned like that! T-this is like a survey which Emperor Roselle created… W-what does he want? He's asking these questions without any expression. I'm so afraid… Helene fell silent for a few seconds before answering them one after another under Klein's cold, unmoving gaze.Klein maintained his seating posture of leaning forward and continued asking, "How do you usually sit? Do you have any habitual motions…"The more Helene answered, the more panicked she became. She had the inexplicable feeling that answering these questions would make her disappear.By the time the perplexing and terrifying "survey" was done, she felt heavy deep down, constantly suspecting that a terrible outcome awaited her.Why don't I risk it and jump off the carriage while he isn't paying attention? Helene seriously considered the possibility.However, the man didn't seem to have any indication of attacking her, and this made her indecisive. She felt that there was hope to resolve the matter amicably.After grasping Helene's personality, habits, and preferences, Klein turned the topic towards Vice Admiral Ailment."What do you know of Tracy?"Helene fell silent as her mouth quivered a few times. She couldn't bring herself to speak.After the carriage continued on for quite a while, it was only then that she finally smiled ruefully."She possesses excellent combat abilities. She's good at infiltration and curses, with her being capable of turning invisible and becoming light."She grasps the means of swapping bodies with a mirror or magic staff, as well as black flames and frost. She can make enemies in a certain range suddenly fall sick, including colds, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and other illnesses. The longer the fight lasts with her, the worse the ailments inflicted. Some Beyonders might even directly die from a heart attack."She c-can also create invisible threads to control her enemy. She knows human ana-anatomy very well. She can easily give people pleasure through contact—th-that kind of pleasure."She has an active charming ability that would make many pirates give up putting up a resistance once they're near her."S-she's often friendly, but she's cruel to her enemies. She enjoys destroying the perfection that others would wish to protect, making them suffer immense pain and torment…"Helene didn't go into detail on how Tracy destroyed the state of perfection of others. There were many cruel stories and hilarious matters. This Ailment Maiden had once made her enemies—a father and son duo—kill each other, as well as instigate an enemy's wife to betray him and let him come across the scene.As expected of a Demoness. She's a Sequence 5 Demoness who's one Sequence higher than Demoness of Pleasure… Klein gained a basic grasp of Tracy's combat style, and he calmly asked again, "Does she have any mystical items?""… Yes. A bangle that's inlaid with diamonds. As long as she wears it, it's very difficult for Tracy to be injured." Helene hesitated before revealing Vice Admiral Ailment's secret.Klein asked a few other detailed questions as he straightened his body a little."Tracy is helping the Demoness Sect perform human trafficking?"This was something he took great notice of when he heard Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina mention it.The Demoness Sect cooperated with Ince Zangwill, and it was related to the royal family. It involved an underground ruin whose location was unknown.Tracy helped them in the human trafficking.Baelen, who was pointed out by The Hanged Man, was someone who orchestrated numerous disappearance cases of slaves and the disappearance of primitive tribes in the Southern Continent. With him appearing at the underground ruins, he would be a member of the upper echelons.The biggest human trafficker, Capim, had Beyonders who were of the Arbiter pathway protecting him. And this is a pathway controlled by the Loen and Feynapotter royal families, as well as their military…All of these matters that Klein was aware of linked together to form a line, but he wasn't sure what it actually exposed. Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy was a breakthrough point."What Demoness Sect?" Helene asked in puzzlement."You don't have to know," Klein calmly replied.If you don't know what a Demoness is and end up suspecting that the extremely charming Vice Admiral Ailment who gives you pleasure is a dirty and savage man, then I'm afraid that you would've lost control on the spot… You don't have to thank me. I'm a good person… Klein lampooned inwardly.Helene suppressed her puzzlement and said while recalling, "In recent years, she's been busy shipping slaves. The other end of the trade is Crazy Captain Connors Viktor. Rumor has it that he and many human traffickers and slave merchants in Loen have a deep partnership."Crazy Captain Connors Viktor… Klein remembered the nickname and name.He nodded and no longer spoke in a heavy voice. Instead, he said in a relatively gentle voice, "Did you involve yourself in such matters? Such as being a part-time pirate?"This very polite and amiable tone left Danitz trembling for some baffling reason. He felt that Gehrman Sparrow being in such a state was much more terrifying than his cold and expressionless state."No." Helene shook her head. "The blood of the Sauron family flows in me. I will not bring shame to my family. Be-besides, Tracy always said that she wouldn't let me be tainted by bloodshed and darkness. All of that would be faced by her."She must've read too many romance novels… Klein took out a gold coin and allowed it to weave between his fingers like it was dancing.He didn't keep it from Helene as he performed a divination in front of her to confirm that she wasn't lying.The result was that she was rather honest.This is also because I didn't ask in detail about her emotional entanglements with Tracy; otherwise, she wouldn't be that honest… Klein secretly reflected and put away the gold coin.At that moment in time, the carriage had circled around the harbor, no longer heading for the ship that Helene was meant to board.Klein looked at the scenery outside the window and took out a small metal bottle. He handed it to Helene and said, "Use the liquid inside to wipe away your makeup.""Why?" Helene subconsciously asked."This isn't something you should be asking," Klein leaned forward once again and said without expression.Despite feeling aggrieved and furious, Helene didn't wish to agitate the man and get on his bad side at such a critical moment. She could only remove the bottle cap and took a sniff at it to test if it was poisonous."Can it be used directly?" she asked.Klein tersely acknowledged in the affirmative.Helene took out a white handkerchief and dabbed it with the bottle's liquid. Then, she began wiping her face and quickly cleaned away her prior disguise.Her aesthetically-pleasing masculinity vanished and her contours became softer as Helene's original looks were presented before Klein.After careful observation, Klein calmly said, "Take off your hat and let down your hair."Helene furrowed her brows and had a nagging feeling that what followed would be unacceptable instructions such as taking off her clothes.She took a deep breath, removed her hat, and released her coiled red hair. Immediately, she appeared extremely feminine.Klein straightened his body and leaned back on the carriage wall before calmly instructing, "You can put on your disguise again."Is he a madman? After all this, he wants me to revert to how I was before? Helene didn't dare to voice her displeasure, afraid that the man would raise unacceptable requests. She hurriedly opened her suitcase and took out a mirror to look at herself.The makeup has been removed so cleanly… She was stunned for a moment before she quickly put on makeup and coiled her hair.When the carriage came to a stop, she was already looking like a handsome young man.Klein nodded indiscernibly and looked out the window before retracting his gaze."One last question.""What?" Helene asked nervously.Klein raised his line of sight a little as his facial muscles moved."How big are your breasts?""…" Helene was first taken aback before her face flushed red.This wasn't a redness caused by embarrassment, but an anger from wanting to punch the man in the chin.Klein didn't move his gaze as he calmly added, "It's an academic question.""…" Noticing no sexual intent from his eyes, Helene inhaled and closed her eyes to answer the question.Klein secretly heaved a sigh of relief and took out a boat ticket and a stack of papers."New identification, tickets to Tiana Port."Once you're there, buy tickets to Pritz Harbor."Helene glanced at him vigilantly before receiving the tickets and documents. She carried her suitcase and carefully alighted the carriage to see the ship she was taking.Klein followed behind her and watched her leave. From the corner of his eye, he saw Danitz trying hard to hold back his laughter.Lord of the Mysteries98424Report
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
next chapter of Lord of the Mysteries
Chapter 580. Wormtongue | Lord of the MysteriesKlein slowly turned his head and shot a glance at Danitz.The pirate with a bounty of 5,500 pounds immediately shut his mouth and clamped up. It was as though nothing had happened.After confirming that Helene boarded the liner without issues, he turned around and walked to the side of the carriage. He pretended to casually ask, "Did you hear the conversation?""No, no. A little, just a little…" Danitz shook his head as he gave a hollow chuckle.Klein nodded slightly and said, "You have to remember; otherwise, it'll be easy for people to see through you.""See through… me?" Danitz raised his hand and pointed at his nose and said blankly.Klein said without changing his expression, "She's from the Sauron family. She has anti-tracking Beyonder abilities. Together with her ticks and behavior, it can be confirmed that she's a Sequence 7 from the Hunter pathway, Pyromaniac. She's very similar to you, and you'll be able to do a good job acting as her.""Me? I won't do! I won't be able to disguise myself like her! I'll be identified with just a look!" Danitz jumped in fright.Klein held back his laughter and said in a deep voice, "I'll lend you Creeping Hunger.""… No, no! I have no experience in such matters. I won't be able to fool Vice Admiral Ailment's subordinates!" Abnormally nervous and horrified, Danitz declined the mission.To him, this was an extremely embarrassing and dogsh*t matter. Only a pervert or a madman would complete it without any qualms.Klein nodded in agreement and said without an expression, "Indeed, you are rather stupid."Danitz forced a smile. "Yes, I'm very stupid."Klein didn't say a word as he walked past Danitz and opened the door to the carriage.Danitz followed him with his eyes when he suddenly saw Gehrman Sparrow's hair turn red.He blinked his dull eyes and saw the man's facial contours turn soft and his eyes turning emerald-green. His lips turned thin as they pursed, making him look frail and insecure. He had a masculine beauty and looked identical to Helene who had just left."…" After watching Gehrman Sparrow enter the carriage, Danitz turned his head back as the corners of his mouth twitched.He was silent for a few seconds before he muttered silently, What a madman. He changed into a woman without any hesitation!I have to say that Helene looks pretty good when disguised as a man.This Beyonder power sure is useful. If I can receive an item like that and figure out what Captain's ideal type is, then I can make the corresponding changes and make her fall in love with me.But in that case, would the person that she falls in love with still be me?Danitz found himself pondering over philosophical questions until he heard a cough from the carriage behind him.He snapped to his senses and drove the carriage away from the harbor. He planned on making a huge detour before circling back.Inside the carriage, Klein wasn't as calm as he appeared. Although Helene was in male clothes, allowing him to temporarily not bother about the most embarrassing parts, he still felt quite embarrassed to have his face change into a woman's while squeezing out breasts. This left him feeling down and awkward.Sigh, a Faceless's change in appearance is very easy. The difficult part is apparently the mind. To act as a good Faceless, I'll have to cross many mental blocks. If I don't, then I'll have to spend a great deal of time to act as a real person for many years. My identity has to be recognized by everyone as I fully immerse myself into that character until I almost treat it like it's real… This is more challenging on my bottom line. It's crazy and warped.To speed up my progress, I have to overcome a certain number of obstacles.Klein pulled out a suitcase from under the carriage's seat. He rummaged for some cloth and clothes before replicating Helene's disguise.He could've gotten Danitz to act as Helene and borrow the mystical item with the Faceless Beyonder characteristic from Justice for a few days without a problem.However, that meant that there was a high chance of Danitz facing Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy directly. Without the Clown's powers, it was almost impossible for him to hide it from her, putting his life in extreme danger.It was impossible for Klein to make others bear such huge risks for his own matters; therefore, he could only challenge himself and do it himself.Soon, he looked identical to Helene. Under the black top hat was a handsome androgynous face with soft and pronounced contours. His emerald-green eyes looked as beautiful as gems.He adjusted his build, making himself shorter by a few centimeters and narrowing his shoulder width. His frame shrank and he looked like he had lightened significantly.His current appearance quickly surfaced in Klein's mind with his Clown powers.It's still not bad. There's not much to it… Perhaps it's because I'm not in female clothes, so it doesn't feel much different from turning into Gehrman Sparrow, Danitz, or someone else. I just look prettier and have some discomfort in my chest… If I look like that on Earth, I wouldn't have needed to worry about not having a girlfriend, he mocked and consoled himself as he curled the corners of his mouth.What looked like a normal action on Gehrman Sparrow now looked pitiful and sorry.F**k ! Klein cursed silently as he quickly adjusted his state of mind. Bit by bit, he immersed himself into the state of true acting.With the passage of time, he discovered that the resistance he had had lessened significantly. Following that, he felt relaxed and calm as though the potion had harmonized itself further.And that meant that the speed of his digestion would speed up.It really is useful… Klein said silently as he got up and took four steps counterclockwise. He went above the gray fog and once again confirmed the danger level of his upcoming operation.After returning to the real world, he switched to using Helene's voice and deliberately suppressed it."Head to Pier 6 at the harbor."Danitz didn't find anything amiss, but he suddenly came to a realization after changing directions. He couldn't help but tremble. It's like the real person… I wouldn't be able to distinguish him if the day comes where he transforms into Captain to fool me…After a while, the carriage reentered the harbor and went to the liner which Helene was originally meant to board. But it didn't truly approach it and had instead circled around to a nearby warehouse.Danitz jumped off the carriage and knocked on the warehouse's door, according to a prior agreed pattern.Out came a group of dock workers who were clearly of native blood. Following that, they made way.After confirming that there wasn't anything amiss, the bald member of the Resistance, Kalat, came out on a wheelchair."Where is she?" he looked at Danitz as he asked.Through Helene's matter, Danitz had successfully established communications with the Resistance.Danitz laughed mischievously."In the carriage."She's been drugged with medicine that makes her lose her strength. Its effects will last another ten hours."Remember, I want 70% of the thousand-pound reward."Kalat raised his right arm and waved it. Immediately two thin members of the Resistance got onto the carriage."Boss, it's that woman," they soon poked their heads out and said in the tone of a local gang."Take her down. Our mission is to protect her," Kalat emphasized again.Helene, who was disguised as a male, was helped down from the carriage with two soldiers supporting her on either side of herWith his control as a Clown, Klein pretended to be weak in the knees as he staggered.He was soon moved to a room among the Bayam populace. At the same time, Kalat instructed a local gang member, who believed in Sea God, to find Strongman Ozil and tell him that they had found the target. He was to bring 1,000 pounds in exchange for the woman. As for Danitz, he had returned to the inn to await the news.At noon, Ozil replied saying that he couldn't be sure if the person was the real deal and had planned on sending a person over to confirm things.Kalat agreed to his request.Closer to the evening, a figure appeared outside the house.He was a man wearing pantaloons and a jacket. He was Loenese and was dressed in the style of a native. He had short brows, about half of the average person's. His brown eyes were recessed, and his face looked cut.Kalat pushed himself on a wheelchair and appeared by the door. After seeing the man, he said in a heavy voice, "Mithor King?""Should I be honored that you actually know me?" The man laughed.He was originally a captain of one of the pirate ships under Vice Admiral Hurricane Qilangos. After Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy took over the crew, he took on the role as third mate of her flagship, the Black Death. His nickname was Wormtongue, with a bounty of 5,400 pounds.Kalat didn't reply as he wheeled himself to make way.Mithor entered a nearby room after being led by a gang member. Inside, he saw Helene sitting by the bedside in a gentleman's outfit. Her eyes were darting about and glaring at him. Her teeth bit down on her lip as she looked furious and fearful while having feelings of despair and obstinacy."It's her alright. However, I can't be certain because she's wearing thick makeup. It's hard to tell what a woman really looks like once they don thick makeup. Wipe her face clean for me. Hey, why didn't you cuff her? Don't you know she's dangerous?" Mithor surveyed the area and took two steps back in a guarded manner."She's been drugged. She doesn't have much strength and hasn't resisted. But since you asked…" Kalat lifted his chin to a Resistance soldier.The soldier found a pair of cuffs and walked over. After pulling Klein's hands back, he cuffed him.Klein continued wearing mixed emotions like before, trying hard to act like he was struggling despite having a lack of strength.Then, another gang member got some water and wiped his face with a rough towel.Thankfully, most of the makeup in this era isn't waterproof… Klein began changing his face's contours as the towel covered his face.Before long, Mithor saw Helene's moist face. She looked extraordinarily frail and beautiful in this state. Her emerald-green eyes shot out with intense hatred and a look of perplexity.Unfortunately, she's Captain's… Mithor's throat moved.As a man and a pirate, he often fantasized about Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy and red-haired Helene falling into his embrace at the same time, but of course, it was only his imagination.The way he looks at me is disgusting… Klein nearly puked.Although he knew that it was targeted at red-haired Helene and had nothing to do with him, he couldn't help but feel goosebumps.In that instant, he got to know the real him a little deeper. He knew what things he couldn't accept at all."It really is her." Mithor turned his head and said to Kalat, "This is your reward."He threw the tiny leather bag in his hand over to him.Kalat did a brief inspection and threw it to his subordinate. He pondered for a second and said, "We still need your help.""No problem. Seek out Ozil when needed." Mithor pointed to red-haired Helene in the room and asked, "I'll take her away, right?""Yes." Kalat made way once again.Klein didn't wish to be helped by Mithor as he pretended to have regained some of his mobility while stumbling out.Mithor was afraid of Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy, so he could only hold her by her shoulder and lead her to the carriage parked outside.The carriage left the city and came to a private harbor. Mithor led Klein, who was disguised as red-haired Helene, onto a fishing boat which had been long prepared. Under the cover of the night, they left Bayam.After about an hour, they saw a ship docked under the shadow of an island's cliff. Fluttering in the wind was a huge flag with white bones drawn on it.Black Death!Lord of the Mysteries399186Report