Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 58 An Idea

The next day, Monday morning.

Klein, who was on his day off, did not go out. Instead, he gave Melissa a letter to his mentor, Cohen Quentin, along with the extra postage, and asked his sister to mail it at the post office near the Tingen Technical School.

After breakfast, he leisurely made up for the sleep he had missed during his "work" period, and it wasn't until nearly noon, when his stomach started rumbling, that he got up again.

He heated up the leftovers from last night, ate a piece of oatmeal bread, and took a newspaper before entering the bathroom in the second-floor washroom.

At times like these, he couldn't help but sigh that he didn't have a cell phone.

Seven or eight minutes later, he came out feeling refreshed, washed his hands, went back to his bedroom, and locked the door.

Next, Klein drew the curtains, lit the gas lamp, meditated for half an hour, practiced clairvoyance, pendulum and wand techniques for half an hour, and reviewed occult knowledge for an hour through recollection.

After finishing these tasks, he tore the old newspapers into more than a dozen pieces, wrote the names of the materials on them, such as "Moon Flower Candle" and "Full Moon Essential Oil," and systematically simulated the process of ritual magic in order to master the details. He did not intend to try ritual magic rashly before he was truly proficient and learned more, because that would be both wasteful of materials and likely to bring danger.

Again and again, Klein picked up the silver pocket watch with the vine pattern, turned it on and glanced at it, finding that it was just past 2:45.

He considered for a few seconds, then took the old newspapers to the first-floor kitchen to burn, using the opportunity to adjust his state and prepare for the tarot gathering.

After locking the bedroom door again, Klein didn't wait for three o'clock; he planned to enter the Gray Fog ahead of time.

He wanted to take this opportunity to thoroughly investigate the place!

Just as Klein stood in the empty space in the room, about to begin walking counter-clockwise, he suddenly thought of something after worrying about whether "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" had entered a suitable environment and whether they would be disturbed or discovered:

He said he wanted to find a way for "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" to "ask for leave" in advance and miss the gathering if they really couldn't get away or encountered some other situation.

For the Klein of the past, this was an almost unsolvable problem. He couldn't very well build an otherworldly instant communication network by hand, and using wired telegraph would expose himself.

And now, he suddenly found inspiration in ritual magic:

"Ritual magic that relies on external forces is all about invoking the help of different beings. Similar incantations will definitely have a clear target at the beginning, such as the God of Night, the Lord of Crimson, or a description of those unknown and hidden beings."

"Can I modify the incantation to make the initial description point to me?"

"Pointing at me..."

"In this way, even if the 'Justice' and 'Hanged Man' rituals are held in foreign lands, I can still obtain the relevant information."

Klein's spirits suddenly lifted, and he began to analyze the feasibility of this method:

"There are two difficulties. First, I am not a high-sequence individual powerful enough that even if the description of the incantation does point to me, it is unlikely that I will receive the 'request'."

"Secondly, how can we ensure that the description of the incantation is accurately aimed at me, and that it doesn't miss its target and hit some unknown entity that matches the description? That would be extremely dangerous."

Klein paced back and forth, pondering possible solutions.

His footsteps were silent as he circled around and around, naturally connecting the matter with the mysterious world above the gray fog.

"My inability to receive 'requests' doesn't mean that the gray fog is ineffective. Its combination with the crimson star can directly 'pull' people into space, regardless of distance."

"We could consider linking me to that mysterious space when making directional descriptions..."

"Following this line of reasoning, although I cannot receive the 'request' immediately when the other party performs the ritual, I can see the corresponding information as long as I enter the gray fog."

Simply put, it's the difference between online and offline messages on QQ.

Klein became more and more excited as he thought about it, feeling that this idea was worth trying.

"Hmm, what description should I use to pinpoint me precisely, to pinpoint that gray, foggy world?" He began to consider the specific details.

In fact, he had a spell that would definitely succeed, which was the pure Rune transliteration of "Fusheng Xuanhuang Tianzun". However, the problem was that this would cause him to lose control over the gray mist and lose his dominant position, so it had to be ruled out.

"...'The Fool from Another World'? No, that's precise enough, there's almost no other being that fits the criteria, but it would expose my biggest secret..." Klein thought of one incantation after another, but he rejected them all.

Seven or eight minutes later, he finally finalized the first directional description in the incantation:

"A fool who does not belong to this era."

This was clearly not precise enough, so Klein quickly added another paragraph:

"The mysterious ruler above the gray fog."

The combination of the two is enough to confine it to him, and bind the gray mist to him as a whole.

"It's still a little short. We can't rule out the possibility that there are multiple spaces and multiple rulers above the gray fog. We can't rule out the possibility that this description points to the spirit world..." Klein frowned, intending to add another layer of insurance.

Hmm... He thought about it for a full minute before finally coming up with the last paragraph:

"The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune!"

This is a near-interpretation of "Fusheng Xuanhuang Shangdi". If it were just that, it would likely go astray and invite unknown dangers. However, with the limitations of the previous two points and the example of entering the gray fog by using similar incantations, the object being described can be completely locked in.

Klein didn't know if performing the ritual magic according to these three descriptions would be effective, but he was certain it wouldn't attract the attention of other beings and wouldn't put "Justice" and "The Hanged Man" in danger.

Klein let out a long breath and silently recited the incantation he had prepared:

"Fool who does not belong to this era, you are the mysterious ruler above the gray fog, you are the king of yellow and black who holds the reins of good fortune..."

He nodded almost imperceptibly, took out a pocket watch from his pocket, and checked the time.

"It's 2:58..." Klein stopped thinking about it, put away his pocket watch, and entered meditation. Accompanied by incantations, he took four steps counterclockwise, forming a square.

The most intense noise and the most heart-wrenching screams rang out once again, and he felt a headache that was even more unbearable than when he had taken the "Diviner's" potion.

This is different from the excruciating pain of a head injury that penetrates the skull; it is a throbbing pain that makes people manic, lose their minds, and become confused.

Klein controlled himself through meditation, trying hard not to listen.

The murmurs and whispers receded like the tide, his body became lighter, his spirit became lighter, and everything began to drift away.

An endless gray fog appeared in his sight, and the deep red stars, some near and some far, resembled countless eyes.

Above the gray fog, the majestic palace, like the dwelling place of a giant, still stands, seemingly having existed here for millions of years.

Klein's heart stirred, and his figure vanished from the spot, taking a seat at the head of a long bronze table with twenty-two high-backed chairs.

"The ritual effect is indeed fixed..." he murmured, tapping his brow and letting the gray mist envelop him, thicker than ever before—according to the "Hanged Man's" description, if "Justice" becomes an audience, it's best not to reveal one's actions to her.

With no time to investigate, Klein stretched out his right hand, constructing an invisible connection to communicate with the two familiar crimson stars.

…………

On the deep blue, turbulent Sunia Sea, an ancient sailing ship sails with the wind.

Alger Wilson locked himself in the captain's cabin, entrusting the ghost ship with the highest level of protection.

The pocket watch in front of him lay open, ticking away beside the brass sextant, its ticking sound less cheerful and more tense.

Just as the hour, minute, and second hands pointed to the correct positions, a crimson light burst forth before Alger Wilson's eyes, ignoring layer upon layer of protection.

Alas… his sigh echoed in the captain's cabin.

…………

Backlund, Queens.

Audrey Hall leaned against the velvet pillows, glanced once more at the brownish-yellow paper in her hand, her jewel-like eyes seeming to hold two slowly swirling vortexes of soul.

Her gaze was calm and detached, as if she were waiting for a drama to unfold.

The crimson erupted, and she looked down at herself as she was swallowed up.

…………

Above the gray fog, inside the grand palace, a long bronze table stood weathered and ancient.

As soon as Audrey Hall appeared, Klein, who had already activated his spiritual vision, looked over and, unsurprisingly, saw that the colors deep within her aura had blended together, becoming pure and serene, like a lake clearly reflecting things.

She had indeed become an extraordinary one... Just as Klein was about to look away, he suddenly noticed that the high-backed chair belonging to Miss "Justice" had changed.

The glittering stars on the back of the chair moved rapidly, forming a fantastical constellation that did not belong to reality.

To Klein, this constellation was so familiar because it was a symbolic representation in the mystical.

A symbol representing a "dragon"!

The audience… the dragon… Klein controlled himself not to shake his head, and looked inquisitively at the high-backed chair of the “Hanged Man”.

Normally, from his angle of view, he certainly wouldn't be able to see the back of the chair, but this was his domain, and everything was presented according to his will.

The constellation behind the chair remained unchanged, but Klein, who had already grasped the basics of mysticism, was no longer as clueless as before and recognized it as a symbol of "storm".

Sailor... Sea-loving one... Storm... That's fine... The color deep within the "Hanged Man's" aura has become even purer... He's advanced? By the way, what's that symbol behind my seat?

Klein suppressed his impulse, and as before, tapped the edge of the long table three times with his fingers, then smiled and said:

"Congratulations, Miss Justice, you are now an extraordinary being."

"He can tell right away?" Audrey paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.

"Thank you, thank you Mr. Fool, thank you Mr. Hanged Man."

"It's faster than I expected," Alger Wilson said frankly.

Klein didn't continue the topic, tapped his temple, and said with a smile:

"Madam, sir, have you found Russell's diary?"

(End of this chapter)