Mystery: Survival from the Secret Doll

Chapter 291 290 Unlucky Anderson
In the world of mysticism, seeing things you shouldn't see, hearing sounds you shouldn't hear, and knowing things you shouldn't know can actually kill you.

In this exploratory examination environment, candidates are forced to go further and further down the path of self-destruction.

The more you explore, the higher your final score will be, but your mental state will generally drop more. You're more likely to "die" and be expelled from the exam room because you see things you shouldn't see, hear things you shouldn't hear, or know things you shouldn't know.

"In exams with this type of question, it's generally difficult for any candidate to survive until all the questions are answered. If the task requirements aren't met, the final score won't be very high."

Klein pondered his next move. After a moment's thought, he flipped his fingers, revealing a Rune gold pound in his hand.

With a thud, Klein bounced the gold pound up and caught it again.

Are you telling fortunes?

Klein glanced at the gold pound insignia facing upwards on his hand, a faint, scholarly smile on his face. "Yes, Ms. Wall, I'm trying to divine the future."

This kind of divination, which involves one's own destiny and safety, has always been the most difficult to interfere with and the easiest to obtain.

"Hmm, very careful. That's a good approach. So, what was the result of your divination?"

"It seems safe for now, but I can't guarantee the accuracy of the divination results. After all, as you know, Ms. Wall, divination is not a panacea."

“Of course.” Fors nodded understandingly, then turned to look thoughtfully at the slowly but definitely writhing and twisting words, before turning to look at Klein beside her.

"Mr. Moretti, who are you?"

"The college student returning home is preparing to attend the funeral of his uncle, who died for reasons unknown."

"Uncle's funeral." Fors smoothed her hair, a faint smile on her face. "My identity is, well, I should be your uncle's neighbor. I came back today to visit my sister who is in the hospital, and to attend your uncle's funeral... This time, the test even came with an identity requirement."

It's like role-playing or playing a murder mystery game. Klein added in his mind.

She looked at Klein with a hint of teasing and said jokingly, "Look, this is just like something out of a novel, a fateful encounter."

Klein smiled. "But I think this might not be a coincidence."

There must be some deeper consideration behind the identity given in this kind of exam.

For example, both of these identities serve as a necessary reason for them to attend their uncle's funeral.

"You guys are also test takers?"

The steam train behind them had already sounded its whistle, signaling its imminent departure. As the train began its chugging motion, a male voice came from behind them as Klein and Fors were discussing their conversation.

Klein and Fors looked back and saw a young man with short blond hair and emerald green eyes. He was carrying a suitcase and held up a semi-transparent bracelet with twelve links on his left wrist.

He glanced at Klein and Fors's wrists, looking thoughtful in the same manner.

"Who are you?" Klein asked in return.

They do indeed look like test takers.

“Anderson Hood,” the blond man introduced himself, grinning and saying with a touch of weariness, “also a victim of this exam, um.”

"Victim? What do you mean?" Fors had just pulled out a notebook from somewhere, and upon hearing this, he picked up his pen again, still quite interested even in the exam room: "It sounds like a story."

"Ah, well, I can't go into details about that."

Anderson scratched the back of his head, still smiling. "But the only thing I can say is, whatever you do, don't go to Lenburg."

“Lunkburg? A region that worships the god of knowledge and wisdom?” Klein recalled the original owner’s memories and said.

But why suddenly mention Remnantburg? And the god of knowledge and wisdom?
Anderson nodded with a pained expression. "Because you simply cannot imagine how terrifying the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom is now."

"Oh, Lord of the Storm, I don't know which madman gave the clergy there the idea that they would pull people off the street to do exams. If they couldn't do the exams, they would force them into the church for a seventy-two-hour 'education' session... Anyway, I advise you, even if you want to travel abroad in the future, don't go to Remburg."

"Isn't it said that only the residents of Remnburg who believe in the god of knowledge and wisdom receive this treatment?"

The renowned writer Fors Wall, who was working with Klein, seemed a little puzzled. "But from what you're saying, it seems you also believe in the Lord of Storms?"

“When you’re at sea all year round, you have to believe in His existence, don’t you?” Anderson shrugged and said nonchalantly.

For believers in general, it is very common to believe in this here and that there.

Fors was about to say something and dig deeper, but seeing that the candidate didn't seem to want to continue, she didn't press the matter further.

"By the way, what were your identities?" After emerging from his self-pity, Anderson looked at Fors and Klein, and at the same time noticed the ancient Hermes script on the train station sign behind them, which was constantly twisting and gradually turning into a vortex.

“I’m a writer, and I’ve returned to this town to visit my sick sister and, incidentally, to attend a neighbor’s funeral. Mr. Moretti is back home for his uncle’s, oh, that is, my neighbor’s, funeral,” Fors said.

Anderson paused for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh.

"Sure enough, I've been having a really bad run of luck lately."

He scratched his head again, his blond hair, parted in a 3/7 ratio, was all ruffled and messed up. "I'm a photographer, and I'm going to use photographs to follow and record you... There are no fixed options, but there must be at least twelve special 'photos'."

Cameras do exist in this world, but judging from Anderson's tone, these "captures" and "photographs" are certainly not simply things taken with a camera.

Considering the nature of the exam, it should involve some special symbolic elements within the realm of ritual magic...

The questions Klein and Fors asked were simply to record information, and they did not restrict the method of recording.

Compared to Klein and Fors's exam questions, this strange guy's questions were unusually difficult.

"Perhaps it's because my extraordinary level is higher than yours."

Seeing the two's surprised looks, Anderson's troubled expression turned into a grin. "It's a bit unlucky, but as long as we work together, I think there shouldn't be any major problems."

As for how a Sequence 5 got into this exam room...

After all, it was just unlucky Anderson; it was all fate's arrangement, wasn't it?
-

“But I think he could be even more unlucky. Nikolai, go and take away some of his good luck. This is to balance the fairness in the examination room. I’m not doing this for personal reasons.”

Inside Euclidean space, Tang stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding within a sphere of light. Wow, they were insulting him right to his face.

Go ahead and curse, keep cursing. When you get back, we'll have the people from the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom drag you to the church headquarters and make you a diligent floor cleaner.

Nicholas hesitated for a moment: "Emm, but what about the suggestion you made to the church..."

Indeed, it seems, probably, possibly, truly, it's terrifying.

The thought of someone being dragged away on the street to do tests is terrifying.

-

Anderson felt a sudden chill run down his spine. He glanced curiously at the tail of the steam train that had already pulled away from the platform, looked around, and then slowly said:

"It seems there are only three of us taking the exam in this room."

After waiting a while at the steam train station and seeing that no passengers with strange bracelets appeared, the group exchanged basic information about themselves, briefly explained their sequences and general extraordinary abilities, and then prepared to take a vehicle to the seaside town standing by the sea to begin answering the questions.

When they learned that Anderson Hood, this strange fellow, was a Sequence 5 Beyonder, both Klein and Fors were extremely surprised.

"What kind of look is that?" Anderson found it a little funny, but also a little worrying.

"But why would a Sequence 5 take a Level 3 ritual magic test?" Fors couldn't help but ask curiously. "According to the announcement issued by Miskatonic, this should be the level of a Level 2 ritual master, right? Haven't you taken this test before?"

No, among the countries of the Northern Continent, the "Professional Ritual Magic Level Test" is a very popular official exam in the mystical community, with a relatively high level of certification and prestige. It doesn't even restrict test takers from being members of the Church of the True God.

Moreover, the subsidy is a genuine welfare benefit. Even without a bank anonymous account or anything like that, you can redeem it at the Miskatonic main campus or branch campus by presenting your qualification certificate.

“Probably because I’m not very good at these things,” Anderson shrugged. “Besides, I was forced to take this exam. Since I was forced to take it, of course the simpler and easier it is, the better.” He hadn’t passed Level 3, and according to the rules of this exam, he couldn’t skip to Level 2.

Okay, that makes sense.

The group didn't dwell on the matter for too long.

While Sequence 5 Extraordinary Beings are very strong, they are not uncommon in Tingen City, after all, the number of demigods in this city is not small.

Klein, who had learned quite a bit from the captain and members of the University of Tingen's security detail, remained quite calm.

"However, judging from Anderson Hood's case, this exam has a certain balancing mechanism. The stronger the person, the more difficult the task is. There is no situation where a demigod comes along and passes the Level 3 exam in a few seconds."

Of course, it's not a big deal that a demigod coming to the Level 3 exam room will just take some time to pass the exam.

After all, the Level 3 exam is mainly for extraordinary individuals from Sequence 7 to Sequence 9, and cannot restrict demigods for too long.

"It's raining."

Just outside the steam train station, before even boarding one of the horse-drawn carriages waiting for customers, a light drizzle began to fall from the low-hanging clouds in the somewhat gloomy sky.

The group looked up at the sky together, somewhat surprised by the strange clouds. They were not the usual dense, dark mass, but rather they were rhythmically and regularly rotating and converging towards a certain point.

It's like a huge, forming vortex.

"In the unusual scene at location six in the exam question, which is Lake Swell, there seems to be a mention of a typhoon?"

This strange weather is like the prelude to a typhoon.

"It definitely looks like it's going to get windy."

Anderson stretched out his hand to measure the wind speed, then turned his gaze to the horizon in the distance, where it disappeared into the sea.

Anderson stroked his chin, then said with an air of experience, "Judging from the clues, a typhoon is definitely going to hit here soon, but how will this typhoon disappear..."

That's not necessarily the case.

Klein, Fors, and Anderson's gazes involuntarily fell on the not-so-large lake in the center of this seaside town.

That lake is called Lake Swell, and it's a key location when talking about typhoons.

-

Inside the rented carriage, the three of them did not head to the residence under Klein and Fors's identities, but instead headed west of the town towards a building with a huge chimney.

The coachman wasn't good at chatting, and the group peered out the carriage windows at the completely unfamiliar town.

The low-rise houses, the pedestrians on the road, and the roadside greenery were all normal; there was nothing strange about them, and no monsters were present.

"It does look like an exploration-oriented exam room, and it should also come with a puzzle-solving mission... Unless we touch the key questions, the things here shouldn't attack us."

Fors pondered for a moment, then looked at Anderson, who was sitting opposite Klein next to him, a Sequence 5 powerhouse who, according to his own account, was unlucky enough.

She asked earnestly, "Mr. Hood, how are your combat abilities?"

"So-so," Anderson chuckled. "Probably a little better than you, ma'am."

The carriage soon arrived at the destination the group was heading to.

It was a crematorium.

As relatives and neighbors, as well as a 'photographer' who came to take pictures, they arrived at the first problematic spot.

but……

"To cremate the body?"

Fors raised an eyebrow.

The Kingdom of Rune has not practiced this form of funeral for a long time. It is said that it was popular for a period of time hundreds of years ago, but now most people are buried directly after receiving a requiem.

Burning corpses is a rare occurrence in the Republic of Intis, since the Eternal Sun also has the custom of "purifying the body and mind with fire".

(End of this chapter)