Lord of the Mysteries

Audrey wasn’t surprised by The Sun’s request. Since the “acting method” had proliferated in the City of Silver, then the amount of time that had passed suggested that it was likely that he was close to the end of his digestion period. Seeking the subsequent potion formula was definitely one of his highest priorities.

I wonder how the Bard acts? Sing poetry every day? When encountering combat, dodge to the side and use his singing to bring courage and strength to his companions? Or perhaps he would first bless himself before charging forward with a hammer or sword raised? I wonder if it will bring about an improvement in his singing ability. If it’s possible, then he would definitely be an outstanding singer or opera singer… Audrey thought with great interest. She purposely didn’t express her stance in a hurry, so as to not let The Sun raise the price again.

This wasn’t something she learned from her tutor or from the Beyonder gatherings she had attended. It was purely a technique she had developed herself after she had advanced to become a Telepathist.

“I will try my best to find the Sequence 8 potion formula corresponding to the Bard pathway, but it won’t be today. Are you satisfied with this condition?” Audrey said in deliberation before looking at the seat of honor at the ancient table. “We can seek Mr. Fool’s help to bear witness to this agreement.”

At that moment, Klein laughed and replied, “Miss Justice, perhaps I can provide the Light Suppliant formula for you.”

Audrey’s eyes lit up as she quickly nodded slightly.

“No problem! Then, what should I use to exchange with you?”

I haven’t thought of it yet… Klein chuckled and said, “Don’t worry; perhaps my adorers will require help in certain matters in the future.”

His thoughts were very simple. If he allowed Miss Justice to obtain the formula of Light Suppliant in her Beyonder circles, then wouldn’t the knowledge he had stolen from the Eternal Blazing Sun at the cost of near immolation be for naught?

At the very least, it would be wasted at the Tarot Club!

“Alright, I will do my best to help them!” Audrey promised happily.

Klein pressed his hands together and a yellowish-brown piece of goatskin parchment appeared before him. On it was the formula for the Light Suppliant potion, including substitute ingredients and their ancient names. Furthermore, they were all translated to Jotun.

“Main ingredients: a piece of Brilliance Rock or powder of Dazzling Soul; Blood of a Mirror Hedgehog or the Heart of a Magma Titan; Supplementary ingredients: a Golden-edged Sunflower, three drops of Aconite Juice…”

With a gentle push, the goatskin appeared in front of The Sun.

Although he could pray to Mr. Fool to recall the formula even if he forgot it completely, Derrick still diligently memorized the formula. It took him quite a while before he said, “Miss Justice, we can talk about the dragons.”

“Mr. Fool, I seek your permission to speak with Mr. Sun alone.” Audrey quickly raised her hand.

She originally believed that The Sun would put the appropriate content on paper for her to read, but it would be inconvenient for her to ask questions. She would have to pen her questions and push them back to him. Such a way of communication was utterly cumbersome.

Speak with him alone? In such a conversation, you probably wouldn’t understand what The Sun is saying; likewise for The Sun… Klein nodded as his voice remained placid.

“Alright.”

In the Beyonder circles, Hermes was a language one had to master. Ancient Hermes was something that one could learn and was relatively popular. Jotun, Dragonese, and Elvish were relatively less popular, so few people knew them.

The moment that was said, Klein isolated The Hanged Man, preventing him from seeing or hearing.

Alger had a certain interest in the knowledge of the dragons, but it wasn’t enough for him to pay the price of listening, so he kept silent and waited.

Seeing that Mr. Fool had made a gesture for them to start talking, The Sun, Derrick, remained silent for a few seconds, organized his words, and said, “The dragons are mortal enemies of the Giant King. They all look like magnified lizards, and their entire bodies are covered in scales of different colors. Their four limbs are thick and powerful, and their wings are wide enough to drive their giant bodies to flight. They are the rulers of the sky.

“They have a myriad of abilities, some have the ability to breathe fire, others the ability to command lightning, bring corrosion, or even creating frost. But these are not mainstream among the dragons. The Dragon of the Mind occupies the greatest number of dragons with Dragon King Ankewelt as their representative. The Beyonder pathway that stems from the Dragon of the Mind is the Spectator. In the City of Silver, we typically call it the Dragon pathway.”

With regards to similar trades, Derrick had initially prepared to regurgitate the historical texts, but upon discovering that Miss Justice and Mr. Hanged Man didn’t seem to share the same “world,” he gradually realized the value of the widely-known history of the City of Silver. Thus, he only talked about dragons this time and spoke nothing of giants, elves, mutants, phoenixes, vampires, etc.

The King of Dragons Ankewelt… This aligns with the records of the Church… Audrey nodded slightly, politely refraining from interrupting The Sun’s narration.

Derrick recalled the contents of his textbook and said, “Back then, the most powerful and most terrifying dragon was the Dragon King Ankewelt, also known as the Dragon of Imagination. Apart from it, his son, Alzuhod blanketed the sky as well, overlooking the famous, powerful figures across the land and sea. Its name was the Dragon of Nightmare.

“Regarding the Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt, there was a legend that whatever he imagined would manifest. The kingdom he imagined would definitely descend upon the material world. The future it declares would definitely play out and become reality.”

This… Klein suddenly frowned. If it wasn’t for the fact that Justice Audrey was focused on listening to The Sun, she definitely would’ve noticed his abnormality, even if he was covered by the thick gray fog.

The description made him think of Sealed Artifact 0-08!

A declared future would definitely play out… They share similar characteristics!Klein leaned back in his chair; he looked relaxed, but in fact, he was even more focused.

Dragon of Imagination, how cool… That’s the mark of a deity! Audrey’s eyes lit up when she heard him, filled with excitement and anticipation.

Derrick paused for a few seconds before continuing, “Its son, Dragon of Nightmare, Alzuhod, is similarly terrifying. It can control the hearts of every living creature and make them act according to his will. And these living creatures will find it hard to sense it, believing that their actions were of their own will. It will also fabricate real nightmares into reality, causing many living creatures to unknowingly participate in them. It would then give them the cruelest and shocking ends.

“Legend has it that it especially loves mischief, that it will let a prince kiss a princess to wake her up, but the princess has already mostly rotten away. It will make ordinary girls wear dancing shoes and dance in front of the prince, but find themselves unable to do so until their deaths. It will create all kinds of coincidences and push the fates of many living creatures towards tragedy.”

All kinds of coincidences… This sounds even more like a 0-08… Of course, I don’t know much about the Sealed Artifact… Klein resisted the urge to stroke his chin as he made himself look like an immutable ancient well.

“What a vile dragon… However, its abilities are very interesting,” Audrey said, half sighing, half excited.

Is this the future of the Spectator pathway? No, I have to call it the Dragon pathway! I don’t want to switch to another Sequence! Audrey wished that she could immediately become a Sequence 7 Psychiatrist and continue her rapid advancement.

The Sun Derrick answered sincerely, “It has been two to three thousand years since the history of the dragon and the Giant King. Everything I know comes from textbooks and legends, so there is no guarantee of its authenticity.”

“At least your history remains intact.” Audrey was in a good mood. “And then?”

“Then? The Creator awoke, and the Dragon of Imagination, the Dragon of Nightmare, and other famous dragons fell from the sky, losing everything, including their lives. This resulted in a lack of sunlight for 49 days, causing countless volcanoes to erupt, as well as tides that drowned everything. And after the dragons declined, they could only hide away in various dangerous areas. Later on, the Giant King was destroyed by the Creator as well,” Derrick said in a heavy tone.

This is different from the history I know… Wasn’t it the Lord of Storms, Eternal Blazing Sun, and the God of Knowledge and Wisdom who led humanity to defeat the dragons, giants, and kill their kings? Audrey felt confused, as though time and history were somehow out of place.

Klein was also puzzled by this and felt that the true history was riddled with mysteries, especially as it was from the Second Epoch, a time more ancient than history.

Most of the legends recorded in the Church’s ancient texts should be fake, but the history of the City of Silver cannot be completely believed… What would real history be like? He gathered his thoughts, smiled and asked, “Is the exchange over?”

“That’s all I know,” Derrick replied in shame.

He felt that the information he had provided didn’t match the value of the Light Suppliant potion formula.

Audrey quietly drew a breath, as the corners of her mouth curved upwards.

“I’m very satisfied.”

I know my future direction… she added happily in her mind.

After a few more exchanges, Klein announced the end of this week’s Tarot Club.

After sending off Miss Justice and the others, he didn’t linger any longer and quickly returned to his bedroom to reduce the risk of being discovered by others.

…

In Empress Borough, the opulent villa of Count Hall.

Audrey happily paced back and forth, planning to reward Susie with a few dog treats.

Just then, she heard a knock at the door.

From the sound of her footsteps and the gait, she could tell that it was her personal maid, Annie.

“Come in.” Audrey looked at the mirror, smoothed her hair, and straightened her back.

Annie came in with a piece of paper and smiled.

“Miss, a telegram for you came from the Southern Continent.”

Southern Continent? Alfred? Audrey suddenly thought of her elder brother, took the paper in delight, and examined it closely.

It was indeed from her second elder brother, Alfred Hall. He had sent a telegram from the east coast of the Balam Empire and it read:

“I’ve found the Rainbow Salamander you wanted. Two in total. Please await its delivery.”

But, I don’t need it anymore… Audrey froze, blinked, and turned her head sharply to Susie.

The large golden retriever wagged her tail with a stupefied expression.