Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 28 Secret Society

Pfft!Pfft!Pfft!

Klein's heart suddenly began to pound violently; it contracted and then swelled up, causing his body to tremble slightly.

For a moment, he almost forgot what he was supposed to do, until the intruder paused, tilted his ear slightly, as if he had heard something change.

As the "blood" returned to his brain, Klein regained his basic cognitive abilities, reached under his pillow, and grasped the wooden handle of the revolver.

The hard, smooth touch sent a jolt through him, and he quickly regained his composure. With a slow, silent motion, he drew his pistol and aimed it at the intruder's head.

To be honest, he had no confidence in whether he could hit the target. Although he had been able to hit the target consistently before, a moving person and a fixed target are completely different concepts. He was not so arrogant as to confuse the two.

However, he vaguely remembered a saying from his previous life, which roughly meant that the greatest power of a nuclear bomb only exists before it is launched.

In this situation and environment, the same principle applies: the best deterrent is before the bullets are fired!

If you don't pull the trigger and fire blindly, the opponent won't be sure that you're a novice. They'll be very likely to miss, and they'll worry, be afraid, and overthink things, thus putting themselves in a bind!

In an instant, one idea after another surfaced, prompting Klein to make a decision immediately. He was not the kind of person who became calmer in times of crisis, but rather someone who had long anticipated the scenario of encountering a monitor and planned to primarily use intimidation rather than attack.

There's a Chinese proverb that goes, "Better safe than sorry!"

When Klein pointed his gun at the infiltrator, the gaunt man froze, as if sensing something.

Immediately afterwards, he heard a voice with a soft laugh:

Good evening, sir.

The thin man's hands clenched silently, his body tense. Klein, sitting on the lower bunk of the bunk bed, aimed his gun at the man's head, speaking in a relaxed and natural tone:

"Please raise your hands, turn your body, and try to do it slowly. To be honest, I'm a timid and easily nervous person. If you go too fast, I'll be startled and can't guarantee there won't be any accidental firing. Yes, that's it."

The thin man raised his hands halfway beside his head and slowly turned his body. The first thing that caught Klein's eye was the neatly buttoned black bodysuit, followed by two thick, sharp brown eyebrows.

Klein couldn't see fear in his azure eyes; instead, he felt as if he were being stared at by a ferocious beast, as if he might be pounced on and torn to shreds if he wasn't careful.

He tightened his grip on the gun handle, trying his best to keep his expression calm and composed.

Only when the thin man was completely facing him did he raise his chin, point to the door, and speak softly and gently:

"Sir, let's talk outside. Let's not disturb other people's sweet dreams. Hmm, move slowly and quietly. It's the most basic courtesy of a gentleman..."

The gaunt man's cold eyes swept over Klein, but he still kept his hands half-raised and walked step by step toward the door.

With the revolver aimed, he turned the handle and slowly opened the door.

Just as the door was half open, he suddenly crouched down and rolled forward, and the door, as if pulled by a strong wind, slammed shut again.

"Hmm..." Benson, who was on the upper bunk, was startled by the loud noise and was groggy, about to wake up.

At that moment, a melodious and tranquil tune drifted in from outside, and a deep and soothing voice sang:

"Ah, the threat of fear, the crimson hope!"

At least one thing is true: this life is fleeting.

One thing is true, the rest are lies.

After blooming once, the flower will depart from this world... (Note 1)

The poem seemed to have a relaxing and calming power, and Benson on the upper bunk and Melissa in the inner room drifted off to sleep again.

Klein was so calm that he almost yawned.

The thin man's movements were so swift that he didn't even have time to react.

Looking at the closed door, he smiled slightly and muttered to himself:

"You might not believe it, but this was actually a blank."

To prevent accidental firing of blanks!

Next, Klein listened to the midnight poems and patiently waited for the battle outside to end.

In less than a minute, the serene melody, as tranquil as a moonlit lake, ceased, and the night returned to its deepest silence.

Klein silently slid the wheel, moving the empty space aside, and waited for the result to appear.

Ten minutes passed, and just as he was feeling uneasy and hesitating about whether to go out and investigate, Dunn Smith's calm and gentle voice finally came from the doorway:

"Resolved."

Klein sighed, picked up his revolver and the key, and barefoot, cautiously approached the door. He opened it silently and saw Dunn Smith standing opposite him, wearing a black trench coat that reached his knees, a top hat, and deep gray eyes.

He closed the door behind him and followed Dunn to the end of the corridor, standing in the faint crimson moonlight.

"I wasted some time getting into his dream," Dunn said calmly, gazing at the red moon outside the window.

"You know his background now?" Klein relaxed a lot.

Dunn nodded slightly and said:

"An ancient organization called the 'Secret Order' was founded in the Fourth Epoch. It was associated with the Solomon Empire and some of the decadent nobles of that time. Ah, the Antigonus family's notes came from them. Due to the negligence of one of its members, they entered the antiquities market and were obtained by Welch. They had to send people everywhere to search for them."

Before Klein could ask, he paused and then said:

"We will use the clues to capture some of their members. Well, it may not be a good result. These guys are as good at hiding as rats in the sewers. But at least they will understand that we may have obtained the Antigonus family's notes, or rather, we have key clues. In that case, unless it is a very important item, they will completely abandon this operation. That's their survival philosophy."

"...What if the notes are extremely important?" Klein asked worriedly.

Dunn smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he said:

"We know very little about the 'Secret Society,' and this success is largely due to your quick thinking. This is partly your achievement. Considering the potential dangers and the increased inspiration that will help in finding the notes, you have one choice."

"A choice?" Klein vaguely guessed what it meant, and his breathing unconsciously became heavier.

Dunn's smile faded, and his expression became solemn and serious as he said:

"Do you wish to become an extraordinary one? Only extraordinary ones can be chosen from the incomplete sequence."

"Of course, you can also give up this opportunity and choose to accumulate merit until it is enough for you to become a 'Sleepless One,' the first of the Night Guardians bestowed by the Goddess, and the beginning of the complete sequence controlled by the Church."

Sure enough… Klein was overjoyed and, without hesitation, asked:

"Which 'Sequence 9' can I choose from?"

We need detailed information to determine whether to give up, accept, and which option to choose!

Dunn turned around, draped in a veil of crimson, looked into Klein's eyes, and slowly said:

"Besides the Sleepless Ones, the Church also has three 'Sequence 9' potion recipes. One of them is called 'The Spy,' which is the ability that Old Neil possesses. Heh, Rosanne should have mentioned it to you. She can never control her mouth."

Klein gave an awkward smile, unsure how to respond. Fortunately, Dunn didn't seem to mind and continued:

"Our 'Secret Seeker' potion recipe and the disconnected parts came from the 'Morse Ascetic Order.' At that time, they were said to have not yet fallen, still upholding morality and discipline, persisting in the pursuit of knowledge, and strictly keeping secrets. All members who joined the order had to remain silent for five years after becoming 'Secret Seekers,' learning to be silent in order to cultivate and improve concentration. The 'Secret Seeker' motto, 'Do as you please, but do not harm,' originated from them."

"The 'Secret Seeker' has a comprehensive but rudimentary understanding and mastery of mystical knowledge such as magic, witchcraft, and astrology. They know a lot of ritual magic, but they can easily sense certain existences hidden behind things. They must be careful and have great awe for extraordinary powers."

"We lack most of this sequence, so much so that it is scattered and cannot be chained together, for example, its sequence 8, of course, perhaps the 'Sanctuary' has it."

This almost meets all my requirements... Klein nodded slightly, feeling a sense of choice.

Fortunately, he still remembered other things:

"What about the other two?"

"The second type is called 'Corpse Collector.' Many cultists in the Southern Continent who worship the god of death choose it. After taking this potion, one will be mistaken for one of their own by mindless undead and thus avoid being attacked. One can withstand the corrosive effects of cold, decay, and death, directly see some evil spirits, understand the characteristics and weaknesses of many undead creatures, and gain some physical enhancements. We have its subsequent Sequence 8 and Sequence 7. Hehe, you can probably guess its Sequence 7, 'Spirit Sorcerer'! That was Daly's choice back then." Dunn described it in quite detail.

"The psychic" certainly looks mysterious and cool, but what I want most is to master the knowledge of the occult... Klein didn't interrupt and listened quietly.

Dunn Smith glanced at the crimson moonlight and said:

"The third type we only have is Sequence 9. I don't know if the 'Sanctuary' is hiding anything else. It's called the 'Diviner'."

A diviner? Klein's pupils contracted slightly as he recalled the regrets left behind by Emperor Roselle in his diary:

He regretted not choosing between the apprentice, the thief, and the fortune teller!

Note 1: Adapted from Edward FitzGerald's English translation of the Rubaiyat.

(End of this chapter)