Mystery: Survival from the Secret Doll

Chapter 344, Collaborator

The words on the glass kept flashing in Klein's eyes. After a long while, the words that kept floating and rearranging finally returned to their original state.

Klein held a thick book, his eyes darkening slightly.

"It looks like it's been interfered with?"

This phenomenon is not uncommon for the diviner Klein. In divination, once he divines about those high-ranking beings, the effectiveness of his divination will be greatly reduced, or even become ineffective, or even backfire on him.

Seeing things you shouldn't see, hearing sounds you shouldn't hear, or divining things you shouldn't divine—you really will die.

Similar to this kind of interference with prophecy, there are several other types in mysticism. One of them is that the name itself has a certain mystical meaning, and even if it is not for divination, simply saying the name will have an impact.

Therefore, the magic mirror Arodes was interrupted when pronouncing the name.

"Standing alongside Mr. 'Mistake,' yet not mentioned by name..."

The way the Magic Mirror Arodes is arranged in this order also has some problems.

Klein remained silent, pretending that he had seen and heard nothing.

Whether this was another test from Miskatonic or just a coincidence, Klein didn't think his worries were pointless.

Whether this thing coming to his door was good or bad, Klein could only grit his teeth and continue on.

Let's take it one step at a time.

He took a deep breath and multitasked, trying to disguise himself while using his peripheral vision to continue looking at the blood-red words that kept appearing and reassembling on the glass next to him.

“I’m sorry, Your Highest, Greatest Master, Arodes cannot directly reveal that being’s true name, as it would incur terrible, truly terrible punishment…”

The words floating on the glass were trembling slightly. It was clear that its intention was to let Klein know that the name existed, but due to its limited abilities, it could not fully present the name and could only give some hints.

Klein understood the hints and sensed the fear of the Magic Mirror Arodes from these words.

Mr. "Mistake" Nicola Flamel is the angel of Tingen, a powerful being capable of negotiating with the church and taking control of the city.

Such an existence did not frighten the mirror; rather, it was the name behind it that made Arodes unable to even mention it…

"Does it involve someone in a higher position? Or someone else?"

For example, those in high positions through the divination path?
Mr. "Mistake" controls the Thief's Path, and the Abraham Family controls the Apprentice's Path. These are two of the three interchangeable paths that Klein previously possessed.

So, who controls the last path, the one Klein is on, the "Diviner" path?
Other fortune tellers at Miskatonic University? Fortune tellers who are comparable to Mr. "Mistake," no, even more powerful than Mr. "Mistake"?
If such a diviner truly exists, then why has he—no, why has he never appeared before the public?
Because of its special nature, it has hidden itself, or perhaps it is like the Master of Puppets, whose eyes have long been all over the city of Tingen. Many people who are actually Puppets are acting in its place in Tingen.
Because of its special nature, it does not require its presence.

Klein's mind was very active. He went through the analysis in his mind and then suppressed it deep in his heart, trying his best not to show any abnormality.

These are not things he needs to consider at his age.

One mistake is enough; there's no need to repeat it twice in such a short time to learn from it.

Soon, those blood-red "pigments" formed new characters once again.

“Arodos sincerely hopes that you, my master, are safe and sound. Your humble servant Arodos has waited for a thousand years and has finally gotten this opportunity.”

"Master, please be careful from now on."

"Watch out for the sun—!"

The blood-red words sent a chill down his spine. The blood-red words quickly disappeared, as if bound to the second floor once again by some even stronger force. Klein flipped through the books, but there was no movement.

"After waiting for a thousand years, has this opportunity finally arrived?"

After waiting for a thousand years, have I finally met him?

Klein withdrew his gaze, but his heart was already churning with turmoil.

If Arodes initially approached him perhaps because of the mysterious space above the gray fog, these current accounts subtly reveal other issues.

Did Arodes know of his existence a thousand years ago? What did it know? What did it understand?
And one last sentence.

"Watch out for the sun..."

The "sun" here clearly does not refer to Mr. "The Sun" who just joined the Tarot Club.

So, what does this sun refer to?

"Sunwell?"

Klein's heart tightened, but he casually glanced around.

The place Klein had chosen was quiet and deserted. Seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he looked away and then returned his gaze to the catalog in his hand, pretending that nothing had happened.

While keeping a high level of vigilance in mind, wary of surveillance whose whereabouts and even its existence were unknown, Klein had already found what he wanted.

He looked exactly like an ordinary extraordinary person who came to the University of Michigan library to borrow books, neither the "Fool" above the gray fog nor the great master who had just been approached by a mirror.

The Unknown Secrets of the Third Age, A Simple History of the Dark Ages, A Multi-layered Theoretical Analysis of the Kingdom of Thodol, A Brief History of the Nobility of the Thodol Empire...

After noting down the titles, Klein first asked the librarian if the books were available for loan. After confirming that several of them were still in the library, he politely thanked him and wandered alone through the unusually large library, searching for the books he needed.

Nothing happened during that time.

Perhaps Miskatonic really didn't know about this, and it was just Klein overthinking things?
Klein tried to comfort himself with these thoughts.

After walking around the huge library for a short while, Klein quickly obtained the first book he needed, using a ladder and taking advantage of his clown-like abilities.

According to "A Brief History of the Tudor Nobility", Amon was a prominent surname during the Tudor Empire in the Quaternary period, and one of the five major noble families at that time.

Among the nobles who were on par with it during the Tudor Empire in the Quaternary period were Abraham, Jacob, Tamara, and Antigonus.

Antigonus...

"The notes written by the descendants of the Antigonus family appeared in Tingen, leading to the deaths of Welch and Naya."

At that time, Abraham controlled the apprentices, Ammon controlled the thieves, and Antigonus controlled the soothsayers. They were all in the same kingdom and served the same king.

The convergence of extraordinary properties. This inexplicably reminded Klein of a rather important concept in occultism.

"Thieves, apprentices, and diviners are interchangeable adjacent paths, does that also mean that the law of convergence of extraordinary characteristics can also apply to adjacent paths?"

Those who are high-ranking in the Thief path can also attract those who are high-ranking in the Diviner or Apprentice path, but the attraction is not as strong as that of the other paths.
Therefore, the high density of fortune tellers and thieves in Tingen City, and the fact that apprentices, due to their high mobility, rarely appear in Tingen City, is well explained.

After bringing his wandering thoughts back together, Klein began to carefully examine the history book in his hands, which contained many hidden matters.

This book is not thick, and it contains some of the hidden history of the Tudor Empire in the Quaternary period, which is obviously not included in the University of Michigan Library.

Or perhaps, these hidden histories are not unrecorded, but simply not stored on the first layer.

Tang said that the fourth level is a sealed area, and there must be some things there that involve secrets from ancient times.

The fact that those things are difficult to disclose to the public, and are not even open to students at the University of Michigan, is enough to prove the importance of those secrets.

However, Klein only thought about it and had no intention of venturing into the fourth sealed area.

The Antigonus family's notes had previously led to the death of the original owner's friend, and the law-abiding Klein had no intention of challenging the taboo in such matters.

Having found a quiet spot, Klein put down the book, sat down, and began to read it carefully, as if he were just an ordinary extraordinary being, nothing more.

"Of course I'm just an ordinary extraordinary person... that mirror was just a scam."

After muttering a few complaints to himself, Klein carefully perused the book in his hands that described the Tudor Empire of the Fourth Age.

The first thing he saw was a general description of the Tudor Empire in the Fourth Age.

Because these are records of the nobility in the empire at that time, there are not many general descriptions of ordinary history.

In this brief and somewhat rambling account, Klein first focused on the ruler of the Tudor Empire, rather than on the normal history of the Fourth Epoch.

Blood Emperor, Arista Tudor.

"The Blood Emperor made a deal with the Evil God, which sparked a war among the nations of the Northern Continent. In the end, the Blood Emperor perished, and Trier, the capital of the Tudor Empire at the time, sank into the ground and disappeared."

The Blood Emperor, who made a deal with the evil god, ultimately met a tragic end, leading to the destruction of the Tudor Empire. The five noble families disappeared without a trace, rarely appearing in non-mystical historical anecdotes.

Because he made a deal with an evil god, he was attacked by all the kingdoms of the Northern Continent. In the era when the gods walked on the earth, this book of history, which involves the secrets of ancient times, briefly describes the horrors of the war.

Furthermore, the gods themselves intervened to fight against the evil gods. The Church of the Righteous God overthrew the entire Tudor Empire, once again maintaining peace in the Northern Continent and eliminating the evil gods' henchmen.

Klein paused when he got to this point, then turned to the first page of the book and glanced at the author's name.

Very well, I don't know them, maybe they're members of some church.

Klein could only return to the page he had just seen, and then turn the page again.

The Tudor Empire continued the aristocratic system of the Solomon Empire. The five noble families at the beginning of the empire were Ammon, Tamara, Abraham, Jacob, and Antigonus. Each of these five noble families was a prominent figure in the Tudor Empire at that time.

These important figures were not only prominent in terms of status, but also in terms of mysticism.

In particular, the ancestor of the Abraham family was an ancient and mysterious figure known as "Mr. Door".

"Mr. Men..."

Klein subconsciously squeezed the paper in his hand; he had seen this name in Emperor Roselle's diary before.

This is how Emperor Roselle described "Mr. Men".

"A poor wretch lost in madness, trapped in darkness and storm."

The important figure who was once respectfully addressed as "Mr. Men" was called that by Emperor Rosell during his time.

Klein found no trace of respect from Russell the Great for this "Mr. Door" in Russell's diary at the time, but this does indicate something.

Mr. "Door" may still be alive.

An ancient being that has lived from the Quaternary period to the present day.

"Mr. Men, could it be the highest-ranking member of the Abraham family who collaborated with Miskatonic?"

A thought suddenly popped into Klein's mind.

-

Within the mysterious space above the gray fog.

Tang hung a newly completed painting in the space above the long bronze table, looking up to admire one painting after another, nodding and commenting from time to time.

Mr. "Mistake" sat at the head of the long bronze table, leaning back in a high-backed chair, still with a smug and condescending air.

He noticed the painting Tang had hung up again, crossed his arms in front of his abdomen, and said, "Looks like the preparations are complete?"

"more or less."

Tang put away his brushes and paints. "I've spoken to the goddess, and she'll open a hole in the seal so we can go in."

The goddess of night and the lord of storms sealed Mr. "Door". In order to prevent the fallen mother goddess from relying on Mr. "Door" to enter this planet before the barrier breaks, the corrupted Mr. "Door" has been thrown into a place devoid of anything, corrupted by storms and darkness, for thousands of years.

Although this seal could be bypassed using Euclidean space, Euclidean space itself had been breached by Mr. Men before. Although this happened a thousand years ago, Tang still cautiously chose a more prudent approach.

Mr. "Mistake" lowered his eyes:
"When are you going to take action?"

"When the next blood moon arrives."

Tang said.

"With the help of contacts, we will then enter that area and capture Bethel."

“Your true form is not here,” Mr. “Error” said. “I must remind you that even if the historical pore image reaches the rank of the Angel King, this plan is still risky in the face of the Fallen Mother Goddess who can exert influence remotely.”

(End of this chapter)