Lord of the Mysteries

Nightmare? Klein deliberated for two seconds and said, “Yes.

“I dream of a town that’s enshrouded in fog. The crimson moon in the sky would be clear and blurred at random.

“In the middle of the town is a black cathedral. Corpses are hung up inside. They wear clothes from different eras as they sway in the wind and produce strange sounds.

“Apart from that, there’s a beautiful lady whose gaps in her teeth were filled with blood-colored human flesh, a mushroom man formed of countless tiny mushrooms…”

To treat his psychological problems, Klein reconstructed his dream in a rather complete manner. However, he didn’t say that he had encountered those things in reality, nor divulge that he knew the beautiful lady’s identity and the strange mushroom’s origins. At the same time, he hid the existence of the cluster of translucent maggots and Zaratul.

Audrey listened intently and seriously. Based on her Beyonder intuition and knowledge from mysticism and psychological, she said as she contemplated, “Mr. World, I can imagine such a terrifying and sinister dream. I can also experience the immense horror that it brings you.”

Seeing that there wasn’t any rebuttal from the other side of the wooden partition, Audrey grew in confidence. She silently did another round of Placate and began “Guiding.”

“The horror that appears in dreams will often stem from feelings hidden deep in one’s heart. And there are only two sources of horror in one’s heart. One is the unknown, and the second is what cannot be resisted.

“The terrifying things you see in your dream are only superficial. What you are really afraid of is what they represent and symbolize—the truth hidden behind them.”

As she spoke, Audrey suddenly asked, “What is it?”

Klein was gradually relaxing and scrutinizing himself as he took in Miss Justice’s gentle and sweet voice. When he suddenly heard this question, he subconsciously answered, “The existence that created all of that.”

He paused and hesitantly added, “They are both an unknown and also cannot be resisted.”

At this point, Klein knew why he was having nightmares, as well as the true reason for his terrible mental state.

He instinctively felt horrified over certain matters and instinctively had latent negative emotions.

The former included the cluster of translucent maggots and Zaratul’s terrifying performance. There was also the Eraser angel’s baffling actions and the fact that using the Dark Sacred Emblem was the key to opening the door. They separately created a mood of despair that seemed impossible to resist, as well as the feeling of not knowing who was friend or foe, and their ploys.

Yes, I’m fearful that the cluster of translucent maggots that’s suspected to be a Sequence 1 Attendant of Mysteries of the Seer pathway. I’m fearful of Zaratul who has accomplished an unknown objective by “opening” the door. I’m fearful of the Goddess whose thoughts are an unknown, as well as the Eraser angel… Klein slowly exhaled as he admitted his fears.

Audrey used Placate once again and discovered that Mr. World’s tense mind had essentially relaxed. She was delighted as she boldly said, “One of the biggest sources of fear is a lack of confidence. Try recalling if you had any oversight or had committed any mistakes in the related matter. This results in your spirit repeatedly warning you and hinting to you. It eventually transformed into part of the nightmare.”

Oversight and mistakes. Warning from my spirit… Klein pondered over Miss Justice’s words and seriously began organizing the details of the matters that resulted in his horror.

Soon, his expression turned heavy, bit by bit, as he discovered a problem.

I swore an oath with the Goddess bearing witness via the holy sword. Although I hadn’t become a Clown, with the gray fog’s powers yet to have entered the real world, preventing me from being noticed by special deities, demigods, and spirit world creatures. However, I couldn’t fool fate, which would also be Beyonders of the Monster pathway.

And the Goddess has another title. “She” is the Empress of Misfortune and Horror. “She” wields control over misfortune and is one of the deities in the domain of fate!

Therefore, I was noticed from back then?

Klein’s heart sank bit by bit as the horror that stemmed from the unknown was greatly alleviated.

He didn’t reply nor did he wait for Miss Justice to speak again. He switched to asking, “If you will face one or even many difficult-to-challenge enemies, what would you do?”

Audrey wasn’t annoyed by her patient’s question. Instead, she felt that it was a good sign. After some deliberation, she said, “First avoid them and hide. Try harder to improve yourself.

“What if the time won from avoiding and hiding isn’t enough to make you grow to a level that is sufficient enough to face your enemies?” Klein pressed, “What if the gap between the two is difficult to bridge?”

Audrey answered him seriously while also consoling him, “Find enough helpers.”

Helpers… Names suddenly flashed across Klein’s mind as his heart felt a lot more settled. he then continued asking, “What if the enemies cannot be resisted even with helpers?

“What if there are helpers who are plotting something that might be beneficial to you, but they might also bring you harm?”

Audrey drew a blank, and after a few seconds of thought, she replied, “You can pray to a deity.”

She nearly said to The World: you can seek Mr. Fool’s help.

And from the question and answer session, Audrey was able to confirm a matter. The mental problems that Mr. World was suffering stemmed from powerful and terrifying enemies, but there was a worry that, at a deeper level, the “helpers” had unknown stances.

Pray to a deity… Klein didn’t dare to directly say: what if deities couldn’t resolve it because the thoughts of deities are even harder to fathom. After all, this was The Fool’s kingdom, and he was a Blessed.

He organized his words and said, “Deities can only provide help in certain areas. And what if that isn’t enough?”

“…”

Audrey originally wanted to say that there was always a way and that good was bound to defeat evil, but she couldn’t convince herself of it. She couldn’t provide any relevant case studies, so eventually, she pursed her lips and said, “I don’t know…”

In the confessional, it was a still darkness. The two temporarily stopped speaking as they fell into their respective inner struggles.

Finally, Audrey broke the silence and looked at the wooden partition.

“Regardless, something needs to be done. Work hard at it. You can’t just give up like that and not put up a fight.”

That’s right… At the very least, I still have many secrets and things to rely on… Klein closed his eyes as he leaned on the wooden plank. His thoughts slowly rewound from the most recent events as he was no longer constantly tense and often frustrated.

Audrey sensed his change and immediately added a Placate. With that, Klein’s mental condition was completely restored back to normal.

“I feel much better. Thank you for your treatment. What kind of consultation fee do you want?” Klein offered.

Actually, I should be the one thanking you for providing me an opportunity to handle a case… Audrey didn’t really wish to collect any fees as she looked at the wooden partition in the darkness. She couldn’t help but recall Mr. World’s usual gloominess and coldness, as well as his experienced and ruthless demeanor.

Hmm… His mental problems likely also have to do with his personality… Audrey suddenly had an idea as she smiled.

“The consultation fee that I charge isn’t much at all.

“Yeah, wish me happiness!”

…What’s going on? Klein was momentarily stunned. He nearly forgot he was wearing the facade of Gehrman Sparrow.

This was a request he had never heard of before.

Klein hesitated for a moment. Finally, he pretended to coldly say with The World’s identity, “Since you requested…

“I wish you happiness.”

Audrey’s smile turned into a beaming smile.

“I wish you happiness too!

“Mr. World, don’t always keep everything inside. Smile more and be happier. It can eliminate most of the latent problems.

“Alright, your mental problems have been resolved, but you will need a follow-up appointment in a few days or by next week.”

Klein was at a loss for an answer as he tersely acknowledged in affirmation.

Then, he heard the door on the other side creak open. With The Fool’s angle, he saw Miss Justice retreat from the confessional and straighten her body.

After sending her to the real world, Klein didn’t dare stay above the gray fog for too long. He quickly left and got into bed.

At that moment, his mental condition had been restored. With his body and mind at ease, he realized something. He had digested quite a bit of his Marionettist potion! The progress had surpassed his expectations.

This is because I relied on my marionette to fool a demigod, Panatiya, and orchestrated her and Mr. A to complete my planned out performance at the foggy town? Therefore, apart from “trying to hide behind the shadows” and “let every marionette have their own persona to make it more realistic,” the Marionettist principles include “use one’s marionette as a guide to control the enemy to play the role of a puppet?” Klein thought as he muttered inwardly in thought. He believed that he could digest the potion before the end of the year.

He exhaled with mixed feelings as he turned his head and looked at the crimson moonlight that penetrated the curtains as he silently said, That missing servant should’ve been found. The clues I left behind should’ve been discovered as well…

…

In the basement of Saint Samuel Cathedral, Leonard, Cindy, Bob, and company looked at Captain Soest who had returned from a meeting as they patiently waited for him to introduce new clues.

Soest drank a mouthful of aromatic coffee and said, “The missing servant has been found.

“And in the room he was left in, there were some clothes left behind by the infiltrator.

“It has been confirmed that it belongs to the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, who had previously been active at sea.”

Why did it involve another crazy adventurer… Leonard was somewhat puzzled as he directly asked, “When did he come to Backlund?”

“No one knows. The only thing that can be confirmed is that this crazy adventurer had appeared at sea in the recent few weeks and had hunted a few pirates,” Soest said in an unhurried tone. “The Church of Storms knows more. MI9 also seems to know quite a bit. The higher-ups will send people to liaise with them.”

Just as Soest finished his briefing, a telegram was sent over.

It came from the Nighthawks in Desi. The content which was decoded read:

“Dwayne Dantès’s present identity is fake. In the past ten years he spent in the Southern Continent, he had relied on adventuring to amass a significant amount of wealth… Further confirmation will require some time. As this place is very chaotic and there are often wars, the jurisdiction of zones are frequently changed.”