Lord of the Mysteries

The bookmark was, on the surface, nothing special. Roselle’s portraits had been placed everywhere around the exhibition hall, and the image depicted was from the period when he was middle-aged.

Klein kept flipping the bookmark repeatedly, in scrutiny, and found a tiny puncture, thereby confirming that this was the bookmark which Miss Justice had verified.

He tried to spread his spirituality, and he slowly injected it inside. However, just like with ordinary objects, his spirituality only flowed and failed to permeate it, nor did it cause any abnormal changes.

That’s right, Roselle had the intention of finding someone who was fated, so he wouldn’t specifically restrict it to Beyonders… Klein thought for a moment, then said softly in Feysac, “Pirate King!”

The bookmark still didn’t respond.

He tried the words in ancient Feysac, Intis, Loen, and other languages again, but the result was the same.

As for Jotun, Elvish, Dragonese, and other languages from the mysticism domain, Klein could only try them out of hope since they was overly restrictive and unlikely to be the language used.

Without a doubt, he failed.

Immediately following that, Klein used Feysac again as he translated, “One Piece!”

The bookmark lay quietly on his palm, showing no sign of abnormality.

Klein tried the steps he did from before, using different languages again, but he was constantly met with failure.

It seems that my initial guess was wrong. The young Roselle might’ve used the meme of Pirate King to make a joke, but he might not necessarily do that when he was older. People will ultimately grow old and change. Klein reflected over his mistake as he tapped the edge of the long, mottled table with his finger, trying hard to infer from the bits of information that the diary had provided to unlock the bookmark.

After a while, he took out a pen and paper, and he wrote down his thought process so as to avoid any confusion or contradictions.

While doing this, Roselle was definitely maniacal and in despair. It also clearly showcases his warped humor. “The fated ones will receive it” is proof considering how it doesn’t suit the world’s lingo at present.

Therefore, I can be certain that he really wanted someone to discover the uniqueness of the Cards of Blasphemy by chance.

In that case, the unlocking method can’t be too unimaginable, or something that will often appear in daily life.

What Roselle required was a coincidence. For example, when someone holds the worthless bookmark and randomly says a specific word, then, congratulations, you have obtained a fortuitous opportunity! Yes, this is very in line with his warped humor.

Going by this logical train of thought, different Cards of Blasphemy should have different unlocking incantations. Using a single term to unlock all the Cards of Blasphemy clearly isn’t congruent with Roselle’s style.

What is the incantation for unlocking this card? Well, the first things that can be ruled out are the words that are commonly used, words that are said all the time.

Also, when creating the Cards of Blasphemy, Roselle’s state was in despair, maniacal, unwilling to part with it, reminiscent, struggling, and angry. I can try to immerse myself in that state of mind and imagine myself to be Roselle at that point in time. I can imagine what kind of incantation I would have used.

Klein stopped writing and began acting as Roselle in a bid to find some inspiration.

He first tried out vulgarities in different languages, including ancient Feysac, as well as terms pertaining to hope, but unfortunately, was rewarded with failure.

Immediately after, he tried to figure out what would be the last thing a desperate powerhouse would be reluctant to part.

His wife, Matilda? Such a licentious guy shouldn’t have such deep feelings for his first wife.

His children? The eldest daughter, Bernadette; the eldest son, Ciel; and the second son, Bornova…

According to the diary, the person he can’t get over the most was his daughter, Bernadette, who might become an important figure in the mysterious world.

Klein paused, took a breath, and prepared to try again.

“Bernadette,” he said in the Intis language.

The bookmark didn’t respond.

Klein switched to the languages of Loen, Highlander, and Feysac, but still failed to achieve the desired results.

He sighed and said with a deep voice which corresponded to ancient Feysac, “Bernadette.”

This name echoed in the empty and quiet gray fog like it was nothing special. Just as Klein was about to search for new inspiration, he suddenly felt the bookmark in his hand sink!

It immediately turned into an invisible whirlpool which wildly absorbed Klein’s mental energies.

For an ordinary person, this was a huge burden, but for a Sequence 7 Magician, it wasn’t especially draining. Klein easily survived this hurdle and couldn’t conceal his joy as he looked at the object in his palm.

A bright light emitted, bit by bit, from the bookmark, and the image of Emperor Roselle on the outside was being replaced by an entirely new image.

He was sitting on an ancient stone throne as he wore a black crown embedded with various precious stones on his head. He wore pitch-black armor, and a cape of the same color was draped over his body. He held a scepter, and he looked forward with cold, aloof eyes.

On the upper-left corner of the bookmark, there was a line of text condensed from the bright radiance of stars.

“Sequence 0: Dark Emperor!”

Sequence 0! Indeed, the secrets of the gods are hidden within! The Dark Emperor is actually Sequence 0… Klein thought with a smile, half sighing and half surprised.

Soon after, the bookmark became three-dimensional, like a miniature book.

The book moved without the wind, revealing a Roselle in a white hood. Beside it was a corresponding description in ancient Feysac.

“Sequence 9, Lawyer.

“Good at discovering and using loopholes in the rules and the weaknesses of their opponents. Possesses excellent eloquence and reasoning skills…

“Potion formula…”

Klein glanced at the formula ingredients but didn’t look carefully. He reached out his hand and touched it, making the book flip to the next page.

“Sequence 8: Barbarian.

“Problems that cannot be solved by the law will be solved by force. This is also one of the rules… The Beyonders at this Sequence have a high resistance to psychological influences…

“Potion formula…”

As Klein touched it, the book conjured from the Card of Blasphemy flipped through one page at a time.

“Sequence 7: Briber.”

…

“Sequence 6: Baron of Corruption.”

…

“Sequence 5: Mentor of Confusion”.

…

“Sequence 4: Count of The Fallen”

…

“Sequence 3: Frenzied Mage.”

…

“Sequence 2: Duke of Entropy.”

…

“Sequence 1: Prince of Disorder.”

…

“Sequence 0: Dark Emperor.”

…

After skimming through the book, Klein couldn’t help but sigh.

This really hides the profound secrets of becoming a God!

It’s no wonder all of the High-Sequence Beyonders who tread this pathway will attempt to establish their own kingdoms, and walk the lands.

It’s because the ritual of becoming a god requires it!

To advance from Sequence 1, the Prince of Disorder, to Dark Emperor, the necessary ritual requires one to possess their own country, linking their name to the title of Emperor, making it common knowledge among the populace. Furthermore, one needed to establish a set of strict and complicated rules that defied normality, including architectural styles.

Then, they would spur on their citizens to secretly establish nine mausoleums that were similar to pyramids. After which, they would enter one of the mausoleums. With a large majority of the citizens who would be scattered across different cities in corresponding sacrificial rituals involved, the Prince of Disorder would imbibe the Sequence 9 potion.

Once the advancement was successful, the Dark Emperor wouldn’t truly die until all the nine secret mausoleums were destroyed. Even if “He” was annihilated, “He” would still be able to awaken and return from one of the mausoleums.

What was even more terrifying was that even if the deity was successfully killed and all nine mausoleums destroyed, as long as a certain amount of the order set up by that deity remained, it was still possible for “Him” to mysteriously revive. It appeared to be a loophole against death.

The best way to completely obliterate “Him” was for a new Dark Emperor to appear!

“This is a deity!

“Mortals cannot fight against deities; same for angels.

“Those who have yet to become deities will never be able to fathom the power of deities.”

Roselle exposited with deep implications at the end.

In addition, Klein also knew one thing, once there was a True God with a Sequence 0, it was impossible for a Sequence 1 Beyonder to appear. If there was no Sequence 0, then, in the same way, there would be at most three Sequence 1 Beyonders. This was a result of the Law of Beyonder Characteristics Indestructibility and Conservation!

According to the Dark Emperor Card of Blasphemy’s description of the 10 Sequences, Klein could clearly see that the greatest feature of this pathway was the shadow of it gradually evolving into order!

Roselle also mentioned that if one had that Card of Blasphemy in hand after advancing to a High-Sequence Beyonder, the card would have a subtle reaction to the Beyonder ingredients that the person needed!

Of course, it was limited to High-Sequence Beyonders of the Dark Emperor pathway.

What a pity, this is of no use to me. Klein looked at the Card of Blasphemy thin down again, turning back into a poker card.

However, it was no longer in disguise. On the surface, it depicted Roselle sitting on a stone throne—Sequence 0 Dark Emperor!

Klein remained silent for a few seconds before he sighed silently.

This card’s biggest use to me is to exchange the formulas for the items I need. There’s also some information about deities and Sequences. Apart from that, there’s almost no other use for it.

Heh, at the very least, as the leader of the Tarot Club and as The Fool, I will no longer be an empty shell. I now hold one path of the divine, and it’s not like I can’t produce a High-Sequence Beyonder formula anymore!

Yes… I remember that at the Beyonder gathering organized by Old Mister “Eye of Wisdom,” the lady who is suspected to have an Artisan backing her has been always seeking to purchase the potion formula of Barbarian.

As his mind whirled, Klein took another look at the Roselle portrait on the Dark Emperor card and couldn’t help laughing.

He has made every Sequence in his own image. What a narcissist…

I’m suddenly very curious what the Card of Blasphemy for the Demoness pathway would look like. Hehe.

Reining in his thoughts, Klein destroyed the other bookmark he had casually picked up and discovered that it was just an ordinary bookmark.

After doing all of this, he changed his seating posture and leaned back into his chair. He responded to Miss Justice’s plea from last night and said calmly, “That was a Card of Blasphemy made by Roselle.”