Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 6 Extraordinary Ones

The same Rune language, the same heavy and tense feeling.

Where am I? What do I want to do? I want to know too… Zhou Mingrui calmed down and silently repeated the two people’s questions.

What impressed him most was not the sentences made up of words, or the meanings they contained, but the panic, vigilance, fear, and awe shown by the man and woman!

The fact that two people were inexplicably pulled into this gray fog world left even the "perpetrator" feeling extremely bewildered and shocked, let alone the passive party like them!

In their view, this kind of thing and this kind of experience is probably beyond imagination.

In that instant, Zhou Mingrui considered two options: one was to pretend to be a victim as well, concealing his true identity to gain a certain degree of trust, observe the situation, and fish in troubled waters; the other was to maintain the mysterious and unpredictable image in the eyes of the man and woman, actively guide the development of events, and obtain valuable information from them.

Without time for further thought or deliberation, Zhou Mingrui seized upon a fleeting thought and quickly made a decision to try the second method.

Take advantage of the other party's current psychological state and seize your greatest advantage!

After a brief silence above the gray fog, Zhou Mingrui chuckled softly, his tone flat and his voice low but not deep, as if responding to a visitor's polite greeting:

"An attempt."

An attempt...an attempt? Audrey Hall stared at the mysterious man shrouded in gray-white mist, feeling that the matter was absurd, funny, terrifying, and bizarre.

Just moments ago I was in my bedroom, in front of my dressing table, and now I've "arrived" in this place filled with gray fog!

How utterly unbelievable!

Audrey took a breath, gave a flawless, polite smile, and asked rather nervously:

"Sir, is the trial over? May we return now?"

Alger Wilson also wanted to make a similar attempt, but his rich experience made him more composed, and he suppressed his impulse, simply observing in silence.

Zhou Mingrui looked at the questioner and could vaguely see her figure through the blur. She was a tall girl with soft blonde hair, but her specific appearance was not very clear.

He didn't rush to answer the girl's question. Instead, he turned to look at the man on the other side. The man had dark blue hair that was messy like seaweed. He was of medium build and not particularly muscular.

At this moment, Zhou Mingrui suddenly realized that when he became stronger or had a deeper understanding of this gray fog world, he might be able to truly see through the haze and clearly see the appearance of the girl and the man.

In this incident, they were the guests, and I was the host!

With a change in mindset, Zhou Mingrui immediately noticed some details he hadn't paid attention to before.

The sweet-voiced girl and the calm, reserved man both appeared quite ethereal, tinged with a reddish hue, like the projection of two deep red "stars" above the gray mist.

This projection is based on the connection between oneself and Crimson, a connection that is invisible and intangible yet can be truly grasped.

"Sever this connection, and the projection will dissipate, allowing them to return..." Zhou Mingrui nodded almost imperceptibly, looked at the blonde girl, and chuckled softly:

"Of course, if you make a formal request, I can send you back right now."

Audrey, sensing no malice, breathed a sigh of relief, believing that since the gentleman who could perform such a miraculous feat had made a promise, he would certainly keep it strictly.

Once she had calmed down a bit, she didn't rush to leave. Her emerald green eyes darted left and right, flashing with an unusual light.

She said nervously, expectantly, and eagerly:

"This has been a truly wondrous experience... Well, I've always longed for something like this. I mean, I love the mysterious, I love miracles that transcend nature. No, my point is, what do I do to become an extraordinary being?"

She became more and more excited as she spoke, even becoming somewhat incoherent. The dream that had sprouted when she was a child, when she heard all sorts of strange tales from her elders, seemed to finally have a glimmer of hope for its realization.

In just a few words, she had forgotten her previous fear and anxiety.

"Good question! I'd like to know the answer too..." Zhou Mingrui said to himself.

He began to think about how to answer to maintain his mysterious image.

At the same time, he felt that standing and talking like this seemed a bit low-class. Shouldn't such a scene have a temple, a long table, and many chairs with ancient patterns and mysterious backs, with him sitting at the head of the table, quietly watching the guests?

The moment Zhou Mingrui finished thinking about it, the gray mist suddenly churned, startling Audrey and Alger.

In an instant, they saw towering stone pillars all around them and a vast dome overhead.

The entire building is magnificent, grand, and imposing, just like the legendary palace of giants.

Directly beneath the dome, amidst the swirling gray mist, a long bronze table appeared, flanked by ten high-backed chairs on each side, with identical seats placed in front and behind. The backs of the chairs shimmered brilliantly, their deep red hues outlining strange constellations that did not correspond to reality.

Audrey and Alger sat facing each other, in the seats closest to the head of the table.

The girl looked to the left, then to the right, and couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"That's amazing..."

It was truly amazing... Zhou Mingrui stretched out his right hand and gently stroked the edge of the bronze table, his expression remaining calm.

Alger also looked around, and after a few seconds of silence, he suddenly spoke up, answering Audrey's question on Zhou Mingrui's behalf:

"You're from Ruen, aren't you?"

"To become extraordinary, join the Church of the Goddess of Night, the Church of the Lord of Storms, or the Church of the God of Steam and Machines."

"Although most people never see an extraordinary person in their lifetime, leading them to suspect that the Church is in the same situation, and even within the major churches, many clergy members have similar thoughts, I can tell you clearly that extraordinary people still exist in the Tribunal, the Inquisition, and the execution chambers, and are still fighting against the dangers growing in the darkness, only their numbers are much, much fewer than in the early Iron Age or before."

Zhou Mingrui listened attentively, but his body language tried his best to show that he was not paying attention to the children's story.

Relying on Klein's remaining historical knowledge, he knew that the "Iron Age" referred to the current era, the Fifth Age, which began 1,349 years ago.

Audrey listened quietly, then let out a soft sigh and said:

"Sir, I know everything you're saying, and even more, such as the Night Watchers, the Punishers, and the Mechanical Heart. But I don't want to lose my freedom."

Alger chuckled softly and mumbled:

"Who can become an extraordinary person without paying a price? If you don't consider joining the church and undergoing trials, then you can only go to the royal family, to those noble families with a history of over a thousand years, or, by chance, find those evil organizations that are hiding in the shadows."

Audrey subconsciously puffed out her cheeks, then looked around nervously. Only after confirming that neither "Mr. Mystery" nor the guy opposite her had noticed her small movements did she press for an answer:

"Is there really no other way?"

Alger fell silent. After a dozen breaths, he turned to look at Zhou Mingrui, the "mysterious man" who was silently observing without saying a word.

Seeing that the other party remained noncommittal, he looked back at Audrey and carefully said:

"I actually have two Sequence 9 potion recipes."

Sequence 9? Zhou Mingrui muttered to himself.

"Really? Which two?" Audrey clearly knew what a Sequence 9 potion recipe represented.

Alger leaned back slightly and answered in a measured tone:

"As you know, the only way for humans to become truly extraordinary is through potions. The name of the potion comes from the 'Blasphemy Tablet,' and it has undergone many translations through Giants, Elven, Ancient Hermes, Ancient Fursak, and modern Hermes, reflecting the characteristics of the times. The name is not the point; the point is whether it can represent the 'core symbol' of the potion."

"The Sequence 9 recipe I have is called 'Sailor.' It will give you excellent balance, allowing you to move freely like the earth even on a stormy ship. You will also gain exceptional strength and phantom scales hidden under your skin, making you as hard to catch as a fish and as agile as a sea creature in the water. You can easily dive for at least ten minutes without any equipment."

"That sounds amazing... the Storm Lord's 'Sea-Cherisher'?" Audrey asked, half expectantly and half seeking confirmation.

"In ancient times, it was indeed called 'Sea-Cherisher'," Alger continued without pausing. "The second Sequence 9 formula is called 'The Audience,' but I don't know what it was called in ancient times. This potion will give you exceptional mental strength and keen observation skills. I believe you've seen operas and plays, so you understand what 'The Audience' means—like an observer, scrutinizing the 'actors' in secular society, glimpsing their true thoughts from their expressions, their mannerisms, their verbal tics, and their unseen actions."

At this point, Alger emphasized one point:

"You must remember that whether it's a lavish banquet or a bustling street, the audience is always just an audience."

Audrey's eyes lit up, and it took her a while to say:

"Why? Well, that's a follow-up question. I... I think I've come to like this feeling, 'the audience.' How can I get the 'audience' formula? What will I trade with you for it?"

Alger, as if prepared, replied in a deep voice:

"Ghost shark blood, at least 100 milliliters of ghost shark blood."

Audrey nodded excitedly at first, then asked with concern:

"If I could get it—and I mean, if—how could I give it to you? And how could I guarantee that after you get the Ghost Shark Blood, you'll give me the potion recipe, and that the recipe is genuine?"

Alger said in a calm tone:

"I'll give you an address, and once I receive the Ghost Shark Blood, I'll send you the recipe back, or I can tell you directly here."

"As for guarantees, I think with this mysterious gentleman as a witness, both you and I will be reassured enough."

As he said this, he turned his gaze to Zhou Mingrui, who was seated at the head of the table:

"Your Excellency, you possess unimaginable power to bring us here. Neither I nor she would dare to disobey your testimony."

"Yes!" Audrey's eyes lit up, and she excitedly agreed.

In her view, the mysterious man with unimaginable methods was indeed a sufficiently "authoritative" witness.

Neither I nor the guy on the other side would dare to deceive him!

Audrey turned halfway around and looked earnestly at Zhou Mingrui:

"Sir, please be a witness to our transaction."

At this moment, she realized that she had completely forgotten to ask a certain question, which was very impolite, so she quickly asked again:

"Sir, how should we address you?"

Alger nodded slightly, then asked solemnly:

"Sir, how should we address you?"

Zhou Mingrui was stunned for a moment, and his fingers tapped lightly on the bronze table as the contents of the previous divination flashed through his mind.

He leaned back, withdrew his right hand, interlaced his fingers and rested them on his chin, smiling as he looked at the two of them and said:

You can call me...

He paused here, then spoke in a soft and calm tone:

"Fool."

(End of this chapter)