Mystery: Survival from the Secret Doll

Chapter 372 371 Underground Mausoleum
After the tarot reading ended, Klein let out a soft sigh of relief.

He rubbed his temples, looked at the empty gray mist, and shook his head.

"It's not easy being Mr. Fool either."

But it's still much better than the initial struggles.

The Tarot Club is now growing stronger, featuring the "Magician" lady connected to the Abraham family, the "Sun" Derrick connected to the Forsaken Lands, the "Hanged Man" gentleman, a traitor from the Church of Storms, the noblewoman from Backlund, and the "Justice" lady who owns a supernatural dog...

The bigger the business grew, the more Klein learned, and the more he felt that the underworld was both insane and terrifying, both twisted and dark.

Moreover, the situation in the Land of Forsaken Gods is indeed quite unique...

Klein thought about the history of the Silver City that Derrick Berg had mentioned, and some things that Little Sun had mentioned in the Silver City.

He could only marvel at the power of Mr. "Mistake," the time-traveling predecessor.

Why would bottled water, finished cotton products, noodles, and even jianbing (Chinese crepes) appear in the isolated Eastern Continent?

When Klein heard Derrick, the little sun, say that the staple food of Silver City was jianbing guozi (a type of Chinese crepe), he almost couldn't hold back.

Mr. Flamel, just how much do you love jianbing guozi?!
If it weren't for the lack of mine lamps, the perpetual darkness with only the roar of lightning, and the countless monsters lurking in the shadows, Klein would have even thought that the Silver City and Tingen City were closely connected, or even equivalent to Tingen City on another continent.

Well, speaking of which, there are a lot of things like jianbing guozi (Chinese crepes) and scallion pancakes in the food street near the University of Tingen.

Tingen has jianbing guozi (a type of savory crepe) = This is Mr. Flamel's territory.

Silver City has jianbing guozi = This is Tingen City = This is Mr. Flamel's territory. Very well, the equation holds true. The Forsaken Land is also their Miskatonic territory.

"However, although it's unclear why Little Sun doesn't know Miskatonic, nor is he aware of the existence of 'Mistake' Nikolai Flamel..."

But perhaps this is what those in high positions do.

It's normal that some of the actions of these high-ranking individuals are hard to understand; after all, there are many things that are beyond the comprehension of someone in their position.

This is a place where knowledge is toxic; if you learn too much, you won't even know how you died.

Klein was a little curious as to why Mr. Flamel was able to find the entrance, even though the Seven Gods couldn't find it, and judging from the situation, he had been developing in the lower limit for quite some time.

“Mr. Flamel’s power may be stronger than I thought; he may not be weaker than any god.”

A mortal body, yet comparable to the gods.

"However, perhaps the so-called gods of this world are just extraordinary beings at a higher level? Just like in those novels,"

As a keyboard warrior, Klein knew a little about everything. "Immortals are just stronger cultivators."

With that, he shook his head and prepared to log off.

Klein did not tell Nicholas about this mysterious space above the gray fog, and Nicholas seemed unwilling to investigate it either. However, the matter of the Forsaken Land was obviously a secret within the major churches. The information that Klein obtained through the Tarot Society could not be verified.

Of course, if Nikolai asks, he will most likely tell the truth.

He always felt that Mr. Flamel knew about his secret all along, but just hadn't really pointed it out.

Nikolai had also informed Klein of the curse during the full moon through a letter.

"The source of the Blood Moon Curse is not the Blood Moon itself, but something hidden within it... I have some of Huang Tao's diaries here, as well as some related information. I will send them to you, and you should understand after you have read them."

Thus, Klein learned about Mr. "The Door" and that Emperor Roselle had once been in contact with this Mr. "The Door".

The information Nikolai gave him certainly included more than just these things; Nikolai also gave him some of Mr. "The Door's" secrets.

This includes Mr. Door's former extraordinary status, as well as some of the connections and relationships between Mr. Door and the Abraham family.

It's so hard to be a fool...

Klein sighed silently once again.

He simulated the feeling of falling, tilting his body downwards, leaving the gray fog and returning to the real world.

-

Rune, Backlund.

Tang's inspiration stirred, and his gaze fell on the eaves of a house in the distance outside the window.

On the eaves of the house, a beautiful woman was gazing at the red moon in the sky. Countless black, snake-like shadows silently spread out beneath her feet, connecting with all the mirrors around her.

Seemingly noticing Tang's gaze, Archerley gracefully lifted her skirt, bowed in his direction, and slowly disappeared from sight.

The snake hair that had been surging wildly on the ground seemed to be just an illusion, disappearing without a trace.

He—no, I mean she—adapted really well.

An ageless witch, without determination and will, an ordinary witch could not reach this level... except for her puppet, after all, puppets are good at digesting potions, especially witch potions, and with a slight change in the settings, they are very suitable for playing the role.

Clearly, this ageless witch is not like Brooks, or other puppets in Backlund, a puppet on strings in his hands.

The vast majority of the first cohort of Miskatonic University graduates are still shining in their respective fields.

With Mr. "Mistake" around, even if one has not reached the level of a demigod, or if one's own lifespan is far from reaching a thousand years, one can still extend one's lifespan and survive through Mr. "Mistake's" gifts.

These people are the core pillars that enabled Miskatonic to maintain a relatively neutral attitude towards the major orthodox cults in the world of extraordinary beings, and to have an extraordinary status.

Experienced Extraordinary Individuals are highly sought after, whether in official Extraordinary Individual organizations or clandestine ones. The experience gained through risking one's life is a valuable asset to these organizations.

Of course, aside from this group, a small number of people either died or went insane and were confined to mental hospitals, never to see the light of day again.

Tang withdrew his gaze and looked at the red moon in the sky.

The crimson moonlight bathed the black velvet curtain, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene with an otherworldly charm.

"It's ok."

He spoke softly, whether to himself or to someone else, "It will all be over soon."

He stood by the window for a long time, until Klein next door had finished writing and mailing the letter to Mr. "Mistake," before he lay back down and closed his eyes to sleep.

-

Deep within the raging sea, at the very bottom of the pitch-black inverted pyramid mausoleum, Tang, seated in mid-air, slightly opened his eyes and received the information obtained from the historical pore image.

He looked at the feathered serpent that had already sunk halfway into the River of Eternal Darkness, and with a slight twitch of his fingers, one after another, spiritual threads spread out from the feathered serpent's body.

As the angel king of the divination path, he once again awakened the spirit threads that had died due to the power of death, turning every part of the feathered serpent's body that possessed spirituality and extraordinary power into his own puppets, into marionettes in his hands, and peeling them away.

"How's the situation outside?" Owen asked.

"It's normal," Tang said with his eyes half-closed. "Repairing the barrier is urgent. That thing is getting more and more fragile, and the power that the Outer God is letting in is getting stronger and stronger."

"But it's alright. Even if the sky falls, there are still tall people to hold it up." "With the plan proceeding steadily, we will surely be the ones to win in the end."

Tang tilted his head to look at Owen: "Owen, where do you plan to go after the apocalypse ends?"

Owen thought for a moment, then his eyes widened suddenly. "Don, what are you thinking?!"

"Don't set such a flag! You said it!"

Tang: ...

I really want to slap this guy to death.

-

The next morning, Klein and Don, who were at home taking a break after the manuscript incident, received a new case at the detective agency.

The client wanted to deal with the things in the basement of his luxury house, and Klein and Don accepted the commission and set off to handle it.

"Underground ruins that have almost completely collapsed."

After observing the situation beforehand, Tang thought carefully, "Hmm, I think it's not difficult to handle, but there's something to it..."

Tang frowned, used illusion magic to confuse the ordinary people next to him, and whispered to Klein, "Klein, don't you think it feels a bit eerie down there?"

"Now that you put it that way..."

Klein also got goosebumps.

He glanced at the old butler who was following them, now obscured by an illusion, unable to see or hear them. "Is there something wrong with this underground ruin?"

“I think so. My intuition tells me that something’s not quite right here.”

Tang nodded, "Things like this are dangerous even from hundreds of years ago, let alone this decoration. It looks like an antique from the last era..."

As a student with double degrees in linguistics and history, Klein, after being reminded, also realized that the architectural style here was completely out of step with any historical style from the Fifth Age to the present.

"Should we report this?"

Klein asked tentatively.

Don nodded decisively. "That's right, Klein, that's exactly it."

"The first rule that all of us fortune tellers need to follow is to follow the will of our hearts."

What a wonderful example of following one's heart's desires!

Klein sighed silently.

You're quite the talent to make even the most cowardly person sound so fresh and refined, Tang!

The two did not explain the situation to their employer, but simply said that they needed to prepare some things, and then left 15 Minsk Street.

After finding a secluded spot, I recited the name of Lady Archerley and informed this Sequence 3 ageless witch of the situation. Lady Archerley arrived shortly afterward.

Faced with this ageless witch, even without spiritual power, her natural charm alone captivated the old butler and their employer, leaving them completely mesmerized as the three of them headed straight down.

"It is indeed in the style of Quaternary architecture."

Ms. Archerley confirmed this after observing for a while.

“You shall inscribe a ritual spell to sweep away these collapsed things.”

she says.

"Okay, ma'am."

Klein and Tang acted quickly. As Level 3 and Level 2 ritual masters, they prayed to the "Great Knowledge" on the spot using the spiritual materials in their hands and received a response.

The collapsed buildings in front of them gradually returned to their original positions, revealing an underground passage that was four people wide and three people high.

Ms. Archerley stepped inside, and Klein and Don exchanged a glance before following her in.

They hadn't gone far when they saw the stone statues representing the seven gods, and also an empty throne.

Lady Archerley gazed intently at the now empty throne, her brow furrowed in rare deep thought.

“This matter is a bit complicated. I need to report to Mr. ‘Wrong.’ Klein, Don, you two go back first. We will seal off this area, and your employer will be properly taken care of.”

Is this the "birthplace" of the former Red Angel, now the evil spirit of Søren Einhorn Medici?

"So, Mr. 'Mistake' did say that the Backlund region was going to get lively, and the liveliness he was referring to stemmed from the conflict between Mr. Brooks and the Red Angel?"

Some members of the resistance received help from the high-ranking Red Priestess, which allowed them to repeatedly evade her map-like strangulation and disrupt Mr. Brooks' control over the lower-ranking members.

Was it a coincidence that Klein and that person discovered this place, or...?

Ms. Archerley watched Don's departing figure without receiving any prompting.

"Is everything predetermined, or is it destiny?"

Is all of this a predetermined future...?

When Brooks, the conqueror in charge of Backlund, arrived here, he also saw an empty throne.

His expression remained unchanged, but Archerley had already noticed something was amiss.

"So, everything is still under that person's arrangement?"

Brooks remained silent for a while, then nodded in agreement.

Archerley twirled her long black hair with her fingers, looking thoughtful.

She looked at Brooks. "Is that Hope, the Red Angel, going to compete with you?"

"The Red Priest's path to godhood follows a certain destiny, and competition is more helpful for becoming a Red Priest than for conquerors who rise through the ranks."

"I don't quite understand."

Archerley was puzzled. "The uniqueness of the three Red Priest pathways, along with their uniqueness, should be under our control. Even if there is a need for competition, why would that person choose the Red Angel Evil Spirit instead of someone else?"

"Or……"

Archerley's eyes flickered slightly. "Is it related to the Primordial Witch?"

Even though the Witch Cult has reached an agreement with them, there are still ways to fight here, and the current stability is not necessarily permanent.

(End of this chapter)