Lord of the Mysteries

Amongst all the Sanguine present, even if Emlyn wasn’t the oddest, he was definitely among the top ten.

As a member of a race born with a long lifespan, having one or more hobbies to kill time was common. Emlyn wasn’t the only one who liked dolls, but that wasn’t the problem. Aside from purchasing new dolls and matching them with new clothes, or obtaining blood from hospitals to drink, he almost never left his home. Nor did he enjoy interacting with his fellow kinsmen. Unless he desired relatively fresh blood, needed to obtain some historical knowledge, or exchange for certain ingredients, he never participated in any of the corresponding gatherings.

Such a lifestyle was nearly identical to the aging, high-ranking Sanguine who had no choice but to lie in specially-made coffins to barely maintain their existence. It looked nothing like that of a fellow who had recently matured. As a result, Emlyn became a topic of idle conversation at many Sanguine gatherings.

In the years before, people only mentioned it in passing, jeering at him in private, just like the normal gossip about different freaks in Backlund. When they heard that Emlyn walked into the Harvest Church because he got lost and ended up being captured and locked up underground by the Mother Earth’s bishop, his reputation slid into the irreversible state of being the brunt of the jokes, as well as being a disgrace to the Sanguine.

Yet, this disgraceful fellow had hunted three consecutive Primordial Moon believers!

Those were artificial vampires!

Could it be that he had employed the help of the Church of Mother Earth’s clergymen? Or did he hire some especially powerful bounty hunters? Thoughts flashed through the minds of the Sanguine as they speculated over how Emlyn had clinched victory.

At this moment, Cosmi coughed lightly and said, “Emlyn has already found the corresponding characteristic legacy and become a Baron.”

Baron… When the members of the Sanguine looked at Emlyn again, there weren’t any looks of doubt and puzzlement. Instead, their eyes were filled with shock, astonishment, and surprise.

For the first time in his life, Emlyn was being stared at by his kinsmen in such a manner. He suddenly felt ethereal as his mind was filled with joy. This made him wish to proudly tip his chin and say, “All of you should be addressing me as Lord.”

This satisfaction is identical to me buying a doll I’ve been saving up and craving for… Emlyn sighed silently as he held back his tongue. He wore a faint smile as he slowly surveyed the area. Then, while buttoning his coat, he got up and walked to Cosmi Odora’s side.

After the other Sanguine snapped back to their senses as they looked at the two Barons with mixed looks, Cosmi finally said, “The champion of the hunting competition will enter the final list of Viscount candidates and obtain free help for the ritual.

“In addition, he will also receive a ring created by the Ancestor.”

As he spoke, Cosmi took out a silver jewelry box engraved with complicated patterns. Snapping it open, he showed it to all the Sanguine present.

It was a translucent ring that seemed to be made of light-red amber. It had a blood-red gem embedded in it. It was the size of a fingernail and it emitted a faint glow.

“It’s called Lilith’s Ring. It allows the wearer to be even more charming and always be in the optimal state of being under the full moon.” Cosmi gave a rough introduction. “It can also make the surroundings be under the effect of a full-moon; hence, the corresponding Beyonder powers will be greatly enhanced. At the same time, it can also project a door that leads deep into the spirit world.”

Cosmi paused and added, “This door is the Door of Summoning. It can let creatures deep in the spirit world use it to arrive in the real world. However, it can only be used once in a fixed amount of time.

“When spirit world creatures pass through their door, it’s equivalent to signing a corresponding contract with the wearer. They will serve the wearer for a specific amount of time, possibly around five minutes. If the service period needs to be maintained for even longer, the wearer needs to personally communicate with the spirit world creature to re-sign a contract that’s of a longer duration.

“Under normal circumstances, the strength of the summoned spirit world creature will be equivalent or slightly stronger than the wearer, but there’s the possibility of them being much weaker or much stronger. There was once a Viscount who relied on this ring to summon a demigod-level spirit world creature.

“The stronger a spirit world creature’s strength, the more they can resist the agreement in the Door of Summoning contract itself and harm the wearer. If you encounter such a situation, you must decisively dispel the projection and end the summoning.

“Its negative effects is Blood Thirsting Disease. You will need to drink at least one blood vial of human blood every hour to relieve it. Otherwise, your blood will boil and evaporate. In less than fifteen minutes, it can cause the death of a Baron.”

I’m not against that. I do yearn to drink blood more frequently, but the problem is that I’m unable to obtain that much blood… Emlyn held back his joy and agitation as he considered how he could resolve the negative effects.

At this moment, Cosmi turned to glance at him.

“The additional blood will be provided by the race.”

Then the problem turns into the modification of a bottle so as to carry around that much blood… Emlyn scanned the other Sanguine who wore looks of envy and jealousy as he asked, “If I don’t wear it, will I get the Blood Thirsting Disease?”

“No.” Cosmi firmly shook his head.

Emlyn stared at Lilith’s Ring and asked again, “If I were to wear it for 59 minutes and take it off, will I get the Blood Thirsting Disease?”

Cosmi’s facial muscles twitched as he said, “When you wear the ring, you will be inflicted with the Blood Thirsting Disease. You have to drink one vial of human blood to have it subside for an hour. During this process, if you were to take it off and put it on again, the Blood Thirsting Disease will be activated again. Regardless of whether it’s been an hour or not, you’ll have to drink blood again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Of course, this isn’t a complicated problem,” Emlyn said with a tsk.

Cosmi retracted his gaze and looked at the other Sanguine.

“I’ll be giving this ring to the champion of this hunting competition, Emlyn White.

“Congratulations, Emlyn.” He turned and extended his right hand towards Emlyn to shake his hand.

Then, he handed over the blood-colored Lilith’s Ring to Emlyn.

“Thank you.” Emlyn smiled in a reserved manner.

Cosmi stopped looking at him as he said to the other Sanguine, “There are two targets left. They are your prey, and there will still be a reward for them.”

…

At 10 p.m. above the gray fog.

Klein received Leymano’s Travels which Emlyn had sacrificed, and he learned of the usage of the so-called Lilith’s Ring.

The other aspects aren’t noteworthy, but the thing to pay attention to is the Door of Summoning which leads deep into the spirit world… Perhaps there will come a day when the one passing through that door is an ancient goddess, Lilith… Of course, many conditions need to be met… As Klein made a bold hypothesis, he flipped open Leymano’s Travels and checked the Beyonder powers which Emlyn had used and replenished.

He used up all of the Lightning Strikes. Traveling is gone as well… This fellow really doesn’t feel the pinch when using the powers of others…

He added a Wings of Darkness. It can help the user receive an enhancement in speed and the ability of brief flight, as well as it transforming into a colony of illusory blood-sucking bats to attack the enemy…

One is Full Moon. It can make a certain region appear to be in the state of a full moon. One’s spirituality would be rejuvenated and the aspect of death would grow stronger… This is recorded from Lilith’s Ring…

One is Claw of Corrosion. It can cause one’s fingernails to grow another segment with mysterious symbols and patterns. They would be sharp enough to slice through steel. It would also come with potent corrosive abilities, making it the nemesis of defensive methods like scales and skin…

One is Animal Sense. It can communicate with animals and control them while also sharing their senses… If used well, this has wondrous effects… Heh, I’ve never seen Emlyn use it before. What a waste…

One is Abyss Shackles. It’s a spell belonging to the darkness domain. It can make the darkness or shadows condense into a chain that controls or restrains the enemy…

There’s no Door of Summoning… That’s right. It should be very difficult to record. With Emlyn’s personality, he would’ve given up after a few failures… As Klein flipped through Leymano’s Travels, he used divination and his mysticism knowledge to interpret the new Beyonder powers.

Retracting his gaze, he summoned the Sea God Scepter over, added a few pages of Lightning Strike. This was in line with his fear of lacking firepower.

Then, Klein used the Sun Brooch to record Holy Light Summoning and Holy Water Creation, allowing Leymano’s Travels’s Beyonder powers to become more varied.

After doing all of this, he closed the notebook and picked up the Mental Terror Candle.

After settling the split personality in the afternoon, he didn’t immediately return the mystical item. Instead, he had the idea that since it belonged to the Spectator domain, it was possible that it could help him explore the sea of collective subconscious inside Groselle’s Travels. Therefore, he planned on delaying it for half a day before returning it to Emlyn.

To his surprise, he found from his research that the Mental Terror Candle didn’t have any effects of placating the mind or eliminating negative emotions. All it could do was let one enter the depths of a target’s mind, and from there, one could plant a cue or resolve a problem.

Phew… Klein heaved a sigh of relief. Through the bestowment ritual, he returned the Mental Terror Candle and Leymano’s Travels to Emlyn and Fors respectively.

Returning to the real world, he had a comfortable bath, and he read some papers and magazines before heading to bed.

Amidst his reverie, Klein suddenly woke up, aware that someone had entered his dream.

He saw the scene before him change as the sky was dark and deep. They were adorned with resplendent diamonds that left him awed and serene.

A distance away, a singing voice sounded. The ethereal and common voice reached straight into his heart.

Meanwhile, the clouds moved as the crimson moon half-revealed itself, scattering down its mild glow.

All of this made Klein feel as though he had arrived in the Evernight Goddess’s divine kingdom. In the dream, he felt relaxed and comfortable.

This is… Klein suddenly realized the situation he was in.

This was the arrival of a Beyonder from the Church of the Evernight. This Beyonder was using the dream to placate the tycoon, Dwayne Dantès, so as to heal the mental scars he suffered in the afternoon.

What you are doing only disturbs my sleep! Klein silently sighed helplessly.