Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 21 Meeting an Old Acquaintance in a Foreign Land

For a fleeting moment, Klein thought he had traveled back in time, but the elegant gas lamp surrounded by brass grilles and the silver-inlaid tin can that Old Neil used to hold hand-ground coffee brought him back to reality.

Was Emperor Roselle, this time-traveling predecessor, really a fellow countryman?

He recorded secrets using simplified Chinese, a language that doesn't exist in this world?

With an indescribable feeling of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land," Klein quickly browsed through the three pages of manuscript in his hands:

"November 18th, what a magical thing. A whimsical experiment and an accidental mistake led me to discover a poor fellow trapped in a storm, lost in the depths of darkness. He could only get slightly closer to the real world during the full moon each month, but even then, he couldn't get his cries through. He was lucky; he met me, the protagonist of this era."

"After writing the above paragraph, I read it over and suddenly felt a little sentimental. Even though I used Chinese characters, it unconsciously took on a strong translation tone. Forty years have passed in the blink of an eye. The memories of the past really feel like a dream."

"On January 1, 1184, at the grand New Year's Eve party, Madame de Flore was truly a beauty."

"On January 2nd, the gentlemen of my Foreign Affairs Committee were all idiots!"

"January 3rd, the choice at the time was too hasty. Now it seems that whether it was 'Apprentice,' 'Fortune Teller,' or 'Thief,' they were all better. Unfortunately, there's no going back."

"January 4th, why were my children so stupid? I've said it a million times, don't be fooled by those charlatans. No, those charlatans might be fooled themselves. The key to potions isn't mastering them, it's digesting them! Not digging them out, it's playing them! And the name of a potion isn't just a core symbol, it's a concrete image, and even more so, it's the 'key' to digesting it!"

"On September 22nd, an alliance against me was formed, from Fussac in the north, Loon in the east, to Fenneport in the south. My enemies have finally come together, but I am not afraid. I will show them with facts that the generational gap in weapons and knowledge cannot be bridged by numbers or low-ranking individuals. Besides, I have my own subordinates, and as for the high-ranking ones, heh heh, have they forgotten who I am?"

"On September 23, I lost contact with the ship searching for the 'Forsaken Land.' I should consider inventing wireless telegraphy; hopefully, it won't be affected by the storm."

"On September 24th, Miss Ithaca was more charming than Madame Florent; perhaps I am just reminiscing about my youth."

Because it was a copy, the size of each character was greatly enlarged due to the complexity of Chinese characters. Therefore, there wasn't much content on each page, and the back was even blank for preservation and research. Even so, Klein was still thrilled by it, especially by Emperor Roselle's description of the key to the potion, which gave him the ecstatic feeling of having found the "solution" and grasped a priceless secret.

"Perhaps this will be my guiding light on the path to becoming an extraordinary person!"

"Hmm, the three pages of the manuscript are diaries from different periods. It can be seen that Emperor Roselle had a habit of only writing down which year it belonged to at the beginning of the year. We can't determine which year the pages from November and September belong to for the time being..."

"Who was the poor fellow he found?"

"What exactly do 'digestion' and 'playing' refer to?"

Where is the land forsaken by God?

……

A series of questions surged within Klein's heart along with his excitement, making him eager to collect all of Emperor Roselle's diaries and read them from beginning to end!

"Klein?" Just then, old Neil on the other side spoke up, puzzled.

Klein suddenly realized what was happening and quickly covered up his laughter:

"I thought I would be the most special one, and I wanted to try to decipher and interpret it."

"You're such a young man," old Neil chuckled and nodded. "I used to think I was the most special one too."

Klein glanced at the three pages of manuscript in his hand, making sure he hadn't missed anything, then handed them back and casually asked:

"Are these all we have?"

I want to see more of Roselle's diary!

"You think there will be many?" Old Neil chuckled, his wrinkles deepening as he stroked the manuscript. "There aren't many events involving the extraordinary and mysterious each year. Alas, the main problem is that those extraordinary species are gradually disappearing from our northern continent. Without them, there are no more potions, so there are fewer and fewer extraordinary beings. Alas, in the past few hundred years, dragons, giants, and elves have become records in books, and even sea creatures no longer appear in the coastal waters."

Upon hearing this, Klein suddenly remembered a joke and immediately laughed:

"I think it's time to establish the 'Dragon and Giant Protection Association'."

Old Neil looked completely bewildered, and it took him a while to understand what it meant. Once he did, he lightly slapped the table and laughed heartily, rather ungentlemanly.

"Haha, Klein, you're quite the humorist. It's a tradition in our Kingdom of Rune; a bit of humor is never a bad thing for young people. I think we can't be too narrow-minded. How can we only have dragons and giants? We should call it the 'Fantastic Beasts Protection Association'."

"No, no, no, how could we forget those poor plants?" Klein shook his head.

At this point, he and Old Neil exchanged a glance and said in unison:

"The Amazing Creatures Conservation Association!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two smiled knowingly, and the awkward atmosphere from before dissipated considerably.

"Young people as interesting as you are becoming increasingly rare... Where was I?" Old Neil smiled, his wrinkled face beaming. "I remember now. There aren't many extraordinary and mysterious events each year, and those idiots who worship Emperor Roselle are an even smaller minority. We've already done very well to have obtained three manuscripts... Hmm, there should be more in other cathedrals or parishes..."

He muttered a few words, picked up the "approval slip" that Klein had already placed on the table, glanced at it, and said:

"Was it a pistol bullet, a rifle bullet, or a bullet from a steam-powered high-pressure gun?"

"A revolver," Klein replied truthfully.

"Okay, I'll go get it. Uh, do you have a gun holster under your arm? As a gentleman, you can't let your waist and lower body bulge in public." Old Neil made a joke that all men understand.

"Heh, no, do we need to ask the captain to write it down?" Klein smiled in agreement.

Old Neil stood up and said:

"No need, just write it down. This is a 'complementary item'. Repeat after me, 'complementary item'."

"You used to be a teacher?" Klein asked, amused.

"I spent some time at the church's Sunday school and free school." Old Neil waved the note, took out the key from the drawer, and opened the iron door leading to the inner room.

"There's not much difference between extraordinary people and ordinary people..." Klein muttered silently, then turned his gaze to the three pages of diary on the table.

Emperor Roselle did indeed dabble in the mystical realm...

His diary is priceless...

To others, they are just pieces of waste paper, and they don't know when they will be able to decipher them. But to me, they are treasures!

I don't know where the rest of the diary is...

We need to find a way to find more...

Klein was lost in thought, unable to calm down, until old Neil came out from the inner room and closed the iron door.

"Ten Demon Hunter bullets, thirty pistol bullets, a leather armpit holster, and a badge from Special Operations Unit Seventh Group. Check them, test them, and sign your name in the logbook." Old Neil placed the items on the table.

The pistol bullets were packed in a cardboard box, arranged in three neat layers, and were the same bright yellow color as the bullets in Klein's house, with a slightly slender shape.

The "Demon Hunter Bullets" are stored in small iron boxes, which are the same shape as normal handgun bullets, but are silver-white in appearance. Upon closer inspection, they have intricate and dazzling patterns, and the bottom is even engraved with a small holy emblem of "black background with stars and red crescent moon".

The leather gun holster felt solid to the touch, with buckles on the straps. Next to it, a badge about half the size of a palm was made of iron with silver lettering that read "Ahova County Police Department" and "Special Operations Unit Seventh Group." The lettering was arranged in two nearly enclosed circles, surrounding the symbol of "two swords crossed around a crown."

"It's a pity it's not the badge of the Night Watcher," Klein said, half with regret and half with a tentative tone.

Old Neil smiled and simply urged Klein to try the underarm holster.

After taking off his coat, Klein struggled to fasten the gun holster and tuck it tightly under his left armpit.

"Not bad." He didn't take it off again and put on his formal attire.

Old Neil looked it over twice and nodded in satisfaction:

"Perfectly suited, my judgment is still as accurate as ever."

After putting the other items into his pockets and signing his name in the logbook, Klein chatted with Old Neil for a few more minutes before saying goodbye and leaving.

Halfway there, he suddenly felt frustrated and slapped his forehead:

"I forgot to inquire about more about sequences and potions; it's all the fault of Emperor Roselle's diary..."

He still doesn't know what the sequence beginning of the complete 'path' that the Church of the Night Goddess possesses, namely sequence 9, is.

Rosanne seemed to have mentioned something about... the Sleepless Ones? Just as Klein was slowly walking towards the stairs, a figure came running down the stairs.

He was wearing tight-fitting trousers for easy movement, and his white shirt was not tucked in. He had a distinctly poetic and romantic air about him. He was the black-haired, green-eyed police officer who had searched the Klein family home earlier. The two had met upstairs just now, but had not spoken.

"Good afternoon," the poet-like young night watchman greeted with a smile.

"Good afternoon, I don't think I need to introduce myself, do I?" Klein replied humorously.

"No need, I have a very good impression of you." The young night watchman extended his right hand and said, "Leonard Mitchell, the 'Midnight Poet' of Sequence 8."

Sequence 8… He really is a poet… Klein shook his hand lightly, smiled, and asked in return:

"You were impressed by me?"

Leonard Mitchell, with his deep green eyes and a faint smile, replied:

"You have a special kind of charm."

...So gay... Klein's lips twitched slightly, and he forced a smile, "I don't think so myself."

"Having experienced something like that, and not receiving our protection immediately, yet still surviving, that in itself is extraordinary." Leonard pointed ahead. "I have to replace the captain. See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Klein stepped aside to make way.

As he disappeared step by step at the top of the stairs, Leonard Mitchell suddenly turned around, gazing at the dim light and the stone floor, and muttered to himself:

"Did you notice anything...?"

……

"As expected, he's nothing special..."

(End of this chapter)