Lord of the Mysteries

Putting down his dark red fountain pen, Klein picked up the piece of paper with the divination statement and leaned back in his chair.

His lips moved as he whispered, “Capim’s dinner time today,” over and over again.

Klein’s voice echoed above the empty gray fog as his eyes rapidly turned dark, and his eyelids drooped.

In a fragmented dreamscape, he saw the spacious, elegant dining room where there was gilded porcelain cutlery, caviar, roasted chicken, lamb stew, fried rib eye steak, deep-fried Dragon-Bone Fish, thick creamy soup, and so on.

The food was placed in a certain order according to specific requests in front of several diners. Among them was the slightly plump Capim; the middle-aged gentleman in a white hood, Harras; the thin-bloused Katy; and Parker, whose face was rather unintimidating due to his old age.

Looking out from the end of the dining table, he could see a window decorated with gorgeous decorations. Outside the window, the clouds were sparse, and the crimson moon was faintly discernible in the air.

Klein opened his eyes and marked the location of the moon in his dream. Using his knowledge in astromancy, he quickly calculated a rough corresponding time.

It looks like it’s from 7:30 to 7:45 in the evening… Considering those few scenes, Capim and the others have already finished more than half their meals, so I can push the time back by another 15 minutes. That way, 7:30 is the best choice… Klein muttered silently to himself as he interpreted the revelation from his dream divination.

Eating at half past seven was not a rare occurrence. This was even considered mainstream in the Loen Kingdom and even the Northern Continent because many middle-class people—either due to their personal situations or because of low rent—lived in the suburbs and had to commute to work by taking the short-distance steam locomotive. By the time they got home, it was usually after seven in the evening, so it was normal for people to have dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.

Klein had had the same experience in Tingen City, but that was because he had no servants and no housewife. Once the three siblings returned home, they still needed to busy themselves for quite a while before they could enjoy any hot food. It wasn’t because they lived far from work.

This was why civilians and the poor often had dinner between 7:30 and 8:00.

As lunch and dinner were separated by quite some time, afternoon tea, which should’ve belonged to the upper-class citizens, became popular among the middle-class citizens and civilians.

When he finished the interpretation, Klein recalled the revelation he had just received. Klein became acutely aware of a problem: Where were Capim’s wife and children?

They didn’t appear in the dining room… Is Capim an extreme believer in the Lord of Storms, so his wife and children have to eat their meals in the activity room? Or is there another reason? Or could he be unmarried and childless? He’s already a middle-aged man… Klein tried to divine the situation, but he failed to receive any effective revelations, so he gave up.

7:30. He repeated the time once more before returning to the real world.

…

In the evening, even at home, Capim, who was wearing a formal bow tie, narrowed his eyes and looked at his subordinates before him. He asked in a slow but chilling voice, “Fabian is dead?”

“Yes, Boss.” Even though he had been working with Capim for many years, his subordinate still felt fear and horror.

“Odysseus, call me Mister. Mister. In a few years, you’ll have to call me Sir Capim.” Capim loosened his bow tie and casually handled a thick cigar. “When did Fabian die? How did he die?”

“This afternoon, I sent him to East Borough to do something. He ended up in a conflict with the Zmanger gang and got stabbed in the neck…” Odysseus described in a trembling voice.

Capim, who was toasting the cigar, said in an unperturbed tone, “Fabian is really a fool.

“But are the Zmanger gang fools to not know that he’s my subordinate?”

“Mister, as you know, highlanders often join the Zmanger gang when they arrive in East Borough, and they’re barbaric and reckless, and they don’t give a shit who’s who,” Odysseus quickly explained.

Capim snorted.

“Have they forgotten that this isn’t the highlands? Or have they forgotten who I am?

“Odysseus, I want the body of the Zmanger gang’s leader from that block. Can you do it? If you can’t, I’ll sink your wife, your child, as well as you into the Tussock River.”

“Mister, no problem!” Odysseus immediately raised his voice.

He immediately asked in a low voice, “Who can I mobilize?”

Capim was about to reply when the door suddenly opened and the middle-aged gentleman with a white wig, Harras, walked in.

He gave Odysseus a cold glance before casting his gaze onto Capim.

“I heard that one of your subordinates had a conflict with a gang in East Borough and ended up dying?”

“Yes, Mr. Harras.” Capim stood up, cigar in hand.

Harras stared into Capim’s eyes and said, “You want revenge on them?”

Capim’s forehead suddenly dripped with beads of sweat.

“No, not at all. Mr. Harras, you misunderstand.”

Harras nodded slightly. “You have to remember that during this critical period, we have to try our best to not cause any trouble unless necessary.”

He paused for a second and observed Capim’s reaction.

“You are not the only human trafficker in Backlund. We can support you, but we can also do so for others. You have to remember this point.

“The reason why I picked you was because you were vicious and shameless enough. However, you were extremely cautious. It wasn’t because you were the biggest human trafficker.”

From the side, Odysseus listened to the duo’s conversation. He wished that he was just a mass of air. That way, he didn’t need to see how humble his boss, Capim, was.

Without a trace of anger on his face, Capim smiled and said, “Mr. Harras, my main concern is that Fabian’s death isn’t simple. It might disrupt your plans.”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with his death,” Harras said in an affirmative tone. “I didn’t get any feedback.”

“Is that so…” Capim acted enlightened. “Then I’m relieved.”

He looked at Odysseus and signaled him to leave. He then lowered his voice and said, “Mr. Harras, this time, there are the kind of goods you like from this batch.”

Seeing Harras’s expression soften but not show any signs of emotion, Capim quickly added, “We’ve already finished gathering the ones that will be sent over.”

Harras nodded slowly.

“Send her to my room tonight.”

“Yes, Mr. Harras!” Capim said with a big smile.

After Harras left, his face turned gloomy. He took a deep breath and whispered, “I hope that you can keep your promise this time… I don’t want to be involved in anything like that anymore!”

He clearly remembered that year during the Harvest Festival—someone had come to him, hoping to get a batch of innocent girls.

From that day on, the trajectory of his life had undergone tremendous changes. He had taken a fifth of the market share of the unlawful slave trade.

He quickly became one of Backlund’s rather famous tycoons, acquainting himself with several important figures and dragging them into the abyss of depravity.

At this point, he desperately wanted to cover up the sins of his past. He wanted to let “Capim” undergo a catharsis, allowing him to become a true member of the upper-class. However, for the time being, he was unable to do so.

Glancing at the cigar in his hand, he picked up the framed photograph of himself with a beautiful woman and two children.

Rubbing the surface of the photo frame with his thumb, Capim narrowed his eyes and whispered to himself, After this deal, you should be able to return…

At dinner time, Capim walked out of his study, a warm smile plastered over his face again.

“Ma’am Katy, there’s your favorite caviar and a roast chicken specially prepared for you this evening,” he said to the woman in the thin blouse.

Katy touched the old scar on her face and nodded without saying a word.

Capim knew that she was silent and fierce, so he didn’t continue. He watched her as she took her seat.

Then Harras, wearing a white wig, entered the dining room, nodding slightly to each of the diners.

The elderly Parker took a sip of his pre-meal wine, smiling as he motioned for Capim to sit down.

The white napkins were spread out, and the food was served one by one. Capim raised his glass and chuckled.

“Holy Lord of Storms, let’s toast to a beautiful future.”

“To a beautiful future,” Parker responded.

Harras didn’t say a word. He merely held the wine glass in his hand and made a gesture. Katy completely ignored them.

At this moment, the classical clock hanging in the hall read 7:23.

…

In a cheap hotel in the Backlund Bridge area.

The disguised Klein took out his golden pocket watch, looked at the exact time, then he took out Holy Night Powder, and he sealed the room with a wall of spirituality.

After doing that, he quickly set up an altar and conducted a ritual.

“I!”

“I summon in my name:

“The Fool that doesn’t belong to this era, the mysterious ruler above the gray fog; the King of Yellow and Black who wields good luck.”

…

When the ritual was over, Klein immediately took four steps counterclockwise and went above the gray fog, ready to respond to himself.

Inside the towering and solemn palace, he saw the Door of Summoning condensed by rippling light. It was a pair of illusory doors that opened outwards, covered with mysterious symbols.

Klein was in no hurry to be summoned. Instead, he took out the Sun Brooch and other mystical items, and he absorbed them into his Spirit Body according to his plan.

Finally, he picked up the Dark Emperor card and let his Spirit Body envelop it.

All of a sudden, Klein felt as if his Spirit Body had turned corporeal with flesh and blood. It was as if he could lift a gun and move a table and chair!

A dark and ethereal mist rose up around him, and as the mist clung onto the surface of his body, it formed an imposing set of armor.

He had a black crown on his head and a long cape of the same color on his back.

At that moment, Klein was like an emperor about to embark on a journey.

Dark Emperor.

He examined the purifying bullets and revolver that he didn’t bring with him before taking a step forward and entering the crack on the illusory door.

Leaping out of the candlelight, he immediately flew under the cover of the night towards Capim’s villa on Iris Street in Cherwood Borough.

Not long after, he floated in front of the artificial fountain and approached the villa’s entrance at a relaxed pace. The patrolling guards passed by him, but they didn’t have any reaction. Since it wasn’t really late into the night yet, there were no Beyonders on guard outside.

In addition, Klein wasn’t afraid that the powerful Beyonders inside would notice and have a premonition.

It was because the Dark Emperor card possessed anti-divination and anti-prophecy characteristics!