Lord of the Mysteries

East Chester County was still cold in January, with snow often piling up. The branches and leaves of the trees were withered, with beasts hiding themselves, making it appear lifeless.

Audrey led Susie around the ancient tower several times while surrounded by her attendants and maidservants, but they found nothing.

There were only piles of gray bricks and rotten wood, and in the gaps, there were weeds and the corpses of tiny critters.

Audrey had thought she could find some murals on the wreckage of the walls, allowing her to decipher the origins of the ancient tower and use the appearance of wild beasts to secretly practice her Beyonder skills such as Awe, Frenzy, Placate, but she was only left very disappointed.

This isn’t a tiny adventure… It’s just a stroll on horseback… She pursed her lips, held her whip, and walked to her horse.

Unwilling to resign herself to this, she asked the attendants and maidservants around her when she had traveled half the distance, “Are there any legends of monsters nearby?”

Half of the attendants had followed her from Backlund to the family castle before coming to this manor. The other half were locals and were usually busy in the manor. There was no doubt that Audrey was asking the latter.

The reason why she had come to this manor was because, historically, there was a folk tradition of worshiping dragons in the surrounding areas.

A young attendant secretly shot a glance at his noble and beautiful mistress. He mustered his courage, took two steps forward, and bowed while saying, “Deep in this forest, there are many fearsome wild beasts. Every year, hunters die there, but no one has ever encountered a monster before.

“It’s just like the situation described in an old folk song that goes around this place…”

He recounted the folksong and the general meaning was:

“Monsters are in your dreams;

“Dragons are in your dreams;

“The great imagined palace, floating in the air, is also in your dreams;

“There is the place where you will have everything, all the way until you wake up.”

Curious children, brave adventurers, go and find the dragon in your dreams… The attendant deliberately left out the last line, because he might be misunderstood as being sarcastic to Miss Audrey.

A dragon in a dream… The great palace that is imagined and floating in the air is also in a dream… Audrey carefully pondered for a few seconds before she suddenly felt that this ancient folk song wasn’t completely meaningless.

According to the information about dragons that she’d bought from Little Sun, the Dragon of Imagination, Ankewelt, had actually imagined a floating city with massive temple pillars supporting a towering palace complex. The name of the city was Liveseyd, meaning the City of Miracles.

In dreams… The Spectator pathway comes under the mind dragons, involving the conscious, subconscious, the sea of collective subconscious, and the sky of spirituality. No matter how you look at it, it certainly involves the “dream” domain… Perhaps this ancient folk song really is pointing to something… Could Liveseyd really exist in the sea of collective subconscious, in dreams? But a dream is purely in the mind… Many thoughts flashed through Audrey’s mind. Even when she returned to the manor, she was still unable to come up with a clear train of thought.

Entering the room, she glanced at Susie, suddenly having the urge to show off.

Susie doesn’t know anything about dragons, so she definitely wouldn’t be able to detect the peculiarities of this folk song… No, don’t be arrogant; that’s too superficial… And it’s easy for Susie to discover that I’m hiding something… Audrey walked a few steps back and forth with her back straight, and she asked in a seemingly casual manner, “Susie, what do you think that folk song is really about? I have a nagging feeling that it’s not as simple as it seems.”

Susie opened her mouth, momentarily at a loss for words because she didn’t know anything about poetry.

She gave it some serious thought and said, “Audrey, I’m only a dog.”

…

In a forest in Blue Mountain Island.

Because of his agitation and excitement, Kalat didn’t sleep at all. Sitting on the wheelchair, he inspected his surroundings, as if he had found a reason to live apart from revenge.

After making a full circle, he returned to the altar to pray once again.

He remembered the contents of the “Ten Commandments” very clearly. He knew that he couldn’t use Sea God’s name in vain, so he planned to use the relatively vague “God” as a replacement during his prayers.

When he approached the altar, his gaze suddenly turned into a stare because the items placed on it all had an unusual aura. For example, a dagger didn’t reflect any crimson moonlight but released silver lightning. A leaf had become increasingly greener, making him feel that it was easier to breathe from a mere glance.

God has bestowed his grace… This thought suddenly flashed in Kalat’s mind.

Up to this point, he no longer had any doubts regarding the transformation of Sea God. The sacrilegious thoughts hidden deep within him were completely dispelled.

The revelation from God that previously said that “‘He’ will walk the land again” was an implication that “He” is reconstructing “His” image… This layer of meaning goes very deep, and we actually failed to interpret it before… Kalat slowly took in a deep breath and propped himself up with his hands before solemnly prostrating himself before the great Sea God.

Soon, he returned to his wheelchair and headed for the residence of the High Priest, Edmonton, and the others.

He couldn’t wait to tell his companions about what had just happened, to share with them the grace of God.

…

At a quarter past eleven in the evening.

Klein sat in his chair and watched with a blank expression as Danitz held the Soulfall Ritual, memorizing all the details while he did it.

It still requires help from the spirit world… He made a preliminary judgment.

If it’s a spirit world creature, one can locate them as long as there’s no mistake in the description. Just using a language with a certain amount of “power” can allow direct summoning or allow them to make their spirit descend. It has nothing to do with distance or range.

To a certain extent, deities have this trait as well, but sometimes it’s possible to get a response from them even if the prayer is in an ordinary language. Of course, that is only if they have become believers and have caught the notice of the deity.

At the level of demigods, they seem to have blended with the spirit world to a certain extent. That’s why one can point towards them with an accurate description to receive the possibility of a response. But there will be a distance limitation. Once it’s beyond a range, they wouldn’t be able to receive the “signal”… Sea God Kalvetua is an example.

Vice Admiral Iceberg is considered a powerful Mid-Sequence Beyonder. To achieve something like this, relying on herself isn’t sufficient. She needs to use the aid of a corresponding deity, and use a precise and unambiguous description; furthermore, there are restrictions on distance and range.

The moment Klein finished organizing his thoughts, the various items on the altar began to float up, with the exception of the three candles.

Danitz shuddered uncontrollably, his expression turning cold.

Very soon, he let out the female voice of Vice Admiral Iceberg.

“Good evening.”

Her tone seems to contain the anger of being woken up… Klein felt that Danitz’s entire person had turn feminine.

He hesitated for a moment and said, “I have a way to find Admiral of Blood.”

“What?” Edwina Edwards, whose spirit had possessed Danitz, already had her tone return to normal—one that usually lacked emotion.

Klein said simply, “They use the latest wireless telegraphy technology. I received the frequencies and passcodes from White Shark.”

“Wireless, telegraphy… You know such things?” Edwina appeared surprised to learn that Gehrman Sparrow, who was an expert in mysticism, would also have some general knowledge of radio communication technology.

Klein politely smiled.

“A little.”

Edwina was silent for two seconds, then she asked through Danitz, “Have they discovered that?”

Are you referring to whether Admiral of Blood and company have discovered the leak of their frequencies and passcodes? In theory, they should’ve since their intelligence officer, Old Quinn, has died at the hands of Mr. Hanged Man. However, wireless telegraphy hasn’t reached the level of wide-scale adoption yet, so it’s easy for those who use it to ignore security risks… Klein didn’t respond with absolute certainty.

“Perhaps.

“But we can try.”

As long as I can listen in on the frequency, there’s a very high chance of finding Admiral of Blood! As Sea God, even at the level of a demigod, making it difficult for me to know about matters in neighboring seas like the back of my hand, I can still control sea creatures and ask them to seek people out… Klein silently added.

Edwina said thoughtfully, “I’ll have Danitz help with the surveillance.”

You know a lot about wireless telegraphy as well… Klein grinned and said, “Okay.”

When the Soulfall Ritual was over, Danitz watched Gehrman Sparrow take out a sizable piece of machinery and its corresponding accessories, with mixed emotions.

“What is this?” he asked in astonishment.

Klein said flatly, “Radio transceiver.”

Danitz turned agape as he finally forced his question out.

“Where did you get it?”

Klein glanced at him.

“Outside”

As he spoke, he tossed the manual and information on the frequencies and passcodes to Danitz and went back to his bedroom to sleep.

So this is what he does on his frequent trips out… Danitz felt as though he had understood something.

After much reading and experimenting, he finally mastered the usage of the radio transceiver and settled back into his reclining chair. He was soon snoring away.

Without knowing how long he slept, he was suddenly awoken, astonished to hear rhythmic clicks.

What? Danitz rolled to his feet and looked towards the source of the sound.

He saw the radio transceiver in the dim room working on its own, spitting out illusory sheets of white paper under the serene moonlight.

… What’s this? Danitz conjured flames in his palms as he carefully inched forward.

This scene reminded him of the horror stories that pirates often spoke off when they were bragging!

There’s a problem with the radio transceiver? It’s connected to an evil spirit? Danitz decided to yell for Gehrman Sparrow the moment he discovered anything amiss.

As he approached the radio transceiver, he saw several lines of ancient Feysac on the illusory sheet of paper.

“Hello.

“I sense a familiar but unique aura, but it’s about to dissipate.”

“… Hello.” Danitz attempted a response. “Who are you?”

The radio transceiver produced its clickety-clack again, spitting out a piece of white paper.

“My name is Arrodes.

“In exchange, you have to answer one of my questions.”