Chapter 165: Miss High Priestess

Chapter 165: Miss High Priestess

As Mo Fei’s consciousness detached from his physical shell, the suffocating stench of rotten sea muck and the burning itch of the Flesh Authority’s corruption vanished instantly.

His perception soared upward, tearing through the thin veil of the island’s spatial anchor and plunging into the infinite, protective white mist of the Spirit World.

The blinding mist swirled like a protective shroud, isolating his private, divine realm from the prying eyes of wandering spirits and hidden orthodox gods.

With a conceptual step, Mo Fei manifested within his grand, illusory sanctuary.

Towering pillars of pristine, ancient marble rose from the sea of white mist.

In the very center stood the same mahogany table, surrounded by high-backed chairs of his followers.

The Divine Serpent, woven from the light, coiled around the base of his grand throne, its multi-faceted eyes reflecting the birth and death of distant realities. "Welcome back, Great Master." The Serpent’s voice resonated with its same ancient tone.

Mo Fei smoothly glided to the head of the table, his astral form shifting into a majestic, towering silhouette wrapped in layers of cosmic fabric that obscured his face. He leaned back into the divine chair, adjusting an illusionary hat.

’Time to play the Cosmic Jester.’ Mo Fei thought as a small amusement flashed through his hidden gaze. My spirituality is running on fumes, so maybe acting as a fraud is the only way out currently.

Suppressing his internal exhaustion, he tapped his long, pale fingers against the mahogany table.

"Let the gathering commence." Mo Fei spoke. His voice rippled through the white mist with a thunderous roar, instantly responding to the passive prayers lingering in the spiritual ether.

With a soft whoosh, three pillars of brilliant white light erupted beside the high-backed chairs.

***

Avrill Pearl watched the stars through the windows of her royal palace. She stood nearby a table, a chair resting beside her as she read through the requirements to become an Ascended. Feeling the excitement of becoming an Ascended, she closed her eyes and clasped both of her hands in a prayer to the grand Cosmic Jester.

Before she could call out, Miss Sage felt a sudden, violent tug at the core of her soul. One moment, she was sitting inside her private study, staring at the Threadbinder formula she had obtained from Mr. Courage; the next, her vision was completely swallowed by a blinding, pristine white fog.

When she opened her eyes slowly, she found herself standing before an ornate chair. Across the table, two other figures were rapidly solidifying. She blinked a few times as she tried to process the thing, although she hadn’t performed the ritual to become an Ascended yet, because she wanted to get reassurance from the deity here.

Just the nearest chair beside her, Mr. Courage opened his eyes, a wave of profound relief washing over him. Just seconds ago, he had been trembling inside the cramped, haunted cabin of the stranded ship, terrified of the ticking corruption outside. But here, in the sanctuary of the Lord, the phantom gills on his neck and the psychic nausea vanished completely.

Mr. Mysteries’ realm is truly a divine sanctuary. Mr. Courage thought inwardly, immediately bowing his head in deep respect toward the obscured figure sitting at the head of the table and speaking in a welcoming voice. "Good evening, Mr. Mysteries."

"Good evening, Mr. Mysteries." Miss Sage followed next, her voice holding the natural anxiety of someone attempting to ascend into the Threadbinder Authority — an Authority over fate itself. Although at that moment when Silas already welcomed Mr. Mysteries before her, she felt a bit of sulkiness.

’Ohw, I wanted to welcome Mr. Mysteries first. Maybe next time, I’ll be more careful.’ She talked to herself in mind before sitting with a graceful step and bowed down once again, lifting her gown slightly.

Finally, the third figure, Mr. Commoner, remained perfectly still. As an Ordinal Seven of the Arbiter of Motion Authority, he had successfully performed a terrifying ’Ordinal Six Descent’ just a day prior.

His astral projection flickered with a faint, violent red hum, a sign of immense, chaotic power of his recent ritual, but even then, the volatile energy was suppressed and flattened by the absolute weight of the white mist around them.

Mr. Commoner scanned the majestic hall, his innocent eyes lingering on the Divine Serpent before finally resting on the supreme being at the head of the table. He bowed gently and said in his usual soft tone. "Greetings, Mr. Mysteries."

Mo Fei chuckled in a melodic, eccentric sound, dripping with an unnerving, playful detachment. The perfect mask of a cosmic jester who viewed the struggles of mortals as nothing more than a passing play. "Welcome, sit down, Mr. Commoner, and welcome my dear Lenormand members."

Avrill blinked and looked at Mr. Commoner in awe as she thought that did she hear it right or Mr. Mysteries truly acknowledged the youngest member and welcomed him back.

’Did Mr. Mysteries welcome Mr. Commoner? I wish I could get acknowledged too.’

"Tonight, we will greet our new member of our organization." Mo Fei spoke and lashed his fingers together.

All of their breath caught in their throat as they waited.

Suddenly, the dense white mist at the far end of the mahogany table parted. A fourth pillar of starlight descended from the cosmic vault as a figure began to solidify within its glow.

Kiyori opened her eyes, her mind instantly racing as she took in the cyclopean marble pillars and the infinite expanse of the protective white mist.

’Where am I? I was going to sleep. What just happened?’ Having a partial control over the Spirit World, she could immediately feel the boundary and the familiarity.

Her gaze swept across the table, passing over the anxious Miss Sage, the relieved Mr. Courage, and the gentle presence of Mr. Commoner, before finally landing squarely on the towering, cosmic silhouette seated at the head of the table.

Even wrapped in shifting layers of nebula fabric and wearing that absurd hat, she could still see through it. Due to the access of the spirit world’s Embodiment — The Divine Serpent, the face was clear.

’Mo Fei?!’ Kiyori’s eyes widened slightly beneath her illusory veil. This dramatic, eccentric, grand setup... ’What is he doing here?!’

At the head of the table, Mo Fei managed to remain terrifyingly still as he glanced at her.

’So the Divine Serpent wasn’t joking when it said that she has access to the meeting.’ Mo Fei screamed internally.

Desperately, Mo Fei subtly tapped into the realm’s authority, projecting a localizer thread of spiritual thought directly into Kiyori’s mind that completely bypassed the other three members.

’Don’t say a word! Pretend you don’t know me, I have to act as a fraud to save my life. Please keep it hidden!’ Mo Fei’s mental voice pleaded, stripped of all cosmic grandeur and sounding entirely like a panicked peer.

Kiyori’s lips twitched slightly. She had to keep herself from laughing out loud right then and there. Looking at the imposing, terrifying figure of ’Mr. Mysteries’ who was currently giving off the aura of an ancient, world-ending deity, she found his silent, desperate internal panic amusing.

’I’ll ask about it later then.’ Kiyori gracefully bowed her head toward the head of the table. "Greetings. May I know what this place is?"

Mo Fei secretly heaved a sigh of relief, though outwardly, Mr. Mysteries merely let out a low, satisfied chuckle that rippled through the mist.

"Welcome to the Lenormand Club." Mo Fei spoke, his voice returning to that booming cadence. "From this night onward, you shall hold the seat as Miss High Priestess within the Lenormand Club."

Miss Sage looked across the table at the newcomer, her eyes glinting with instant curiosity.

Mr. Courage and Mr. Commoner both bowed their heads slightly in greeting to Miss High Priestess, recognizing the expansion of their hidden lord’s influence.

"Now." Mo Fei quickly changed the topic, waving his fingers to draw the attention away from Kiyori. "I see the strings. So, Mr. Courage, tell me, have you got your protection?"

Mr. Courage immediately leaned forward, eager to exchange information that might help him survive the current nightmare on the ash-grey island.

"My greatest respect for your protection, Mr. Mysteries. Although I have an urgent update regarding the Bloodborne Sea." Mr. Courage stated, his voice turning serious. He glanced briefly at the members before continuing. "Mr. Detective and I have successfully breached the first stage. We encountered a terrifying manifestation that my companion recognized as Kraken."

Miss Sage gasped softly, her finger moving toward her mouth.

"But the most terrifying part..." Mr. Courage continued as his astral form shivered slightly. "My companion committed a fatal mistake. In a moment of extreme duress, he uttered the true, hidden name of the slumbering Outer God’s Embodiment inside His own dream. He called it... Cthulhu."

The moment the name Cthulhu echoed within the grand hall, a sudden, violent tremor shook the majestic pillars. The white mist churned aggressively, and the white scales of the Divine Serpent flared with a defensive brilliance.

Mr. Commoner’s eyes narrowed instantly, his Arbiter of Motion instincts warning an absolute danger.

Mr. Mysteries spoke in the usual tone. "Ah... Cthulhu." Mo Fei murmured, his tone filled with a terrifyingly casual familiarity, as if he were speaking of an old, eccentric neighbor rather than an apocalyptic cosmic deity. "I suppose my protection is quite... audacious, Mr. Courage. To invoke the Dreamer within the dream is to invite the gaze of the cosmos, but... rest assured, as long as you have your companion and my blessings, you’ll get out successfully alive."

Mr. Courage bowed his head lower, sweat conceptually forming on his astral brow. "Yes, Mr. Mysteries. He paid a heavy price. His right arm was instantly corrupted by a foreign Flesh Authority. We are currently on an island filled with strange, human-faced fig trees on the literal edge of the first stage. We are attempting to repair the vessel before the corruption claims him."

Hearing this, Mr. Commoner finally spoke softly and asked for permission first. "Mr. Courage, may I speak, since I know something of it from one of my companions."

Mr. Courage gave Zhuo a small, respectful nod. "Yes, Mr. Commoner."

"An island on the edge of the first stage with human-faced trees... that sounds like the Isle of Silent Remnants. My companion told me that the island is a spatial anchor point. It is a cemetery of ancient, forgotten rituals since she had been there, and according to the historical records of it, the island had been used as a ritual point. Safe, but for the next 14 hours before an Ascended’s spiritual presence spoils it. I recommend escaping soon after your Ritual."

Hearing the warning from Zhuo, Silas finally realized the danger of staying on the island.