Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 60, the second "Blasphemy Slab"

"No problem." Klein tried his best to keep his tone low and unchanged.

He rested his left elbow on the armrest of the high-backed chair, his fingers gently supporting his slightly tilted forehead, adopting a calm and attentive posture.

Alger considered his words carefully and said:

"Antigonus is an ancient family whose history can be traced back to the Cataclysmic Era before the Fourth Age, and is related to the second 'Profane Tablet'."

A second "Blasphemy Slab"? There can be a second "Blasphemy Slab"? How many are there exactly? Klein's eyes narrowed, and he almost changed his posture.

According to the previous statements of "The Hanged Man" and "Justice", the "Blasphemy Slab" records twenty-two divine paths!

There are two, or even more, such an important item?

Twenty-two divine paths... sequential paths... uh, can these two terms be equated? Is each complete sequential path the road to the throne of God?

In an instant, Klein had a series of thoughts pop into his head because of the description of the "second 'blasphemous tablet'". He believed that if it weren't for the thick gray-white fog obscuring his emotions, Miss "the audience" would have probably noticed them.

As for the term "Cataclysmic Era," he was familiar with it as a professional; it was a synonym for the Third Age.

After reviewing for a while, Klein even learned that the Tertiary Period was divided into two eras: the Glorious Age and the Cataclysmic Age.

"The second 'Blasphemy Slab'?" Audrey made no attempt to hide her doubt.

She had not yet calmed down and fully returned to being an "audience member".

"Good question!" Klein secretly applauded Miss "Justice".

This is a question that it's inconvenient for someone in the "Fool" identity to ask.

Alger glanced at the Fool, seeing that the man's posture hadn't changed and he hadn't spoken to stop him, then thought for a moment and said:

"The first 'Blasphemy Slab' appeared in the Dark Age, which was the second age when we humans struggled to survive under the protection of the gods. The second 'Blasphemy Slab' appeared at the end of the Third Age. In fact, you could say that its appearance marked the end of the Age of Catastrophe."

"The information on these two 'blasphemous tablets' is strictly confidential information from the seven major churches. I only know a little about it: that they both involve the way of God, but I don't know the differences between them."

"Was it the first or the second blasphemous tablet that Emperor Roselle looked at?" Audrey asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, Klein recalled Alger's description of the potion names at the first gathering, saying that the names of sequence potions all came from the "Blasphemy Tablets"!

"Similarly, the captain also mentioned that the formation and perfection of the potion system depended on the emergence of the 'Blasphemy Tablet'... This indirectly proves that the divine path is the sequence path!" Klein gave a silent answer to his earlier question.

At this point, Alger, the "Hanged Man," stated simply and directly:

"The second one."

Audrey's gaze returned to stillness, and she resumed her "spectator" mode, no longer asking questions, but focusing intently on the "Hanged Man."

This made Alger quite uncomfortable. He suppressed his emotions and continued in a low, slow voice:

"During the reign of Solomon in the Fourth Age, the Antigonus family was a prominent noble family, but they did not leave behind any impressive achievements until they supported the establishment of the Tudor Empire, which truly put them at the center of the stage in the North Continent."

"At that time, ancient names such as Antigonus, Amun, Abraham, and Jacob shone brightly in the human kingdoms, but after the War of the Four Emperors, the Blood Emperor of the Tudor Empire fell, and they fell from their peak, now hunted down by the Seven Gods."

"I don't know the specifics of the process, but I do know that the Antigonus family was ultimately destroyed by the Church of the Night. Mr. Fool, if you want to know more, you'll probably have to get it from the Church of the Night, or contact those ancient secret organizations. You know which ones I'm referring to."

I don't know... Klein nodded bitterly:

"Um."

The Secret Order counts, the Morse Penitentiary Society mentioned by Captain America and Neil counts, and I'm not sure if the Psycho-Alchemy Society counts...

As he silently tallied things up, Alger provided the final information:

"I don't know which sequence pathway the Antigonus family has mastered either, but in the relevant descriptions, two adjectives appear repeatedly: bizarre and terrifying."

Weird and terrifying... Thinking about that notebook, and the experiences of the original owner, his classmates, and Riel Bieber's mother, it does seem quite fitting... Klein tapped the edge of the long table lightly with the fingers of his other hand several times.

Then, he spoke slowly:

"Very good, I am very satisfied with this payment."

The reason he is repeatedly tapping the long table with his fingers is to reinforce this action, making "Justice" and the "Hanged Man" believe that he has a habit of tapping, thereby concealing the opening and closing of his psychic vision.

"It's my honor," Alger said, without mentioning anything else.

Audrey glanced at the "Hanged Man," then at the "Fool," and smiled faintly:

"Now for my second question: what are the names of the subsequent potions for 'The Audience'? Where can I find clues about them?"

I wanted to ask that directly too, but different choices bring different problems... Klein didn't speak, and turned his gaze to "The Hanged Man".

Alger paused for a few seconds and then said:

"I'll answer this question for free, because I was the one who guided you onto this path."

"The Sequence 8 following 'The Audience' is called 'The Mind Reader,' and the ancient name for Sequence 7 is 'Psychoanalyst,' which is now described as 'Psychotherapist.' This is what I learned from a member of the Psychological Alchemy Society, who I think possesses quite a few potion recipes for this path."

The Psycho-Alchemy Society… “The Psychic” Daly quite agreed with some of their theories, while the captain considered them evil and insane… Klein listened thoughtfully.

"Do you know where that Psychological Alchemy member is now?" Audrey asked, her eyes shining.

Whether it's a "mind reader" or a "psychologist," both fit her aesthetic perfectly.

Alger chuckled, a rare occurrence for him.

"I know, he sank near Sonia Island. I sank him myself."

"If you're looking for Psycho-Alchemy, then I'm sorry, the trail has gone cold."

He wasn't worried that "Justice" would confirm his identity through the description he had just given, because he had done it alone.

"Sigh..." Audrey didn't know what expression or words to use to respond.

She took a breath, suddenly losing her composure as an "audience member," and said somewhat shyly:

"The third question is, what would happen if—and I mean if—an ordinary animal drank a Sequence 9 potion?"

What kind of question is this...? Klein subtly tapped his brow twice with the fingers that were supporting his forehead.

He quickly discerned from the change in color that Audrey was somewhat flustered, nervous, and ashamed.

Could she have done something similarly stupid? Klein thought, slightly taken aback but not entirely surprised.

After the two previous gatherings, he was certain that Miss "Justice" had the genes for this.

Alger, the "Hanged Man," was clearly stunned as well, and it took him a while to speak:

"Ordinary animals don't have human brains and can't learn to meditate immediately, so they'll most likely die on the spot or break down into monsters. But if they survive, they should be able to become extraordinary beings. If the potion can enhance their thinking ability, they might even become smarter."

"Okay." Audrey breathed a silent sigh of relief and nodded in a relaxed tone. "I have no other questions."

Alger thought for a moment, then shook his head, not mentioning the "Aurora Society" or the "Listeners," and said:

"I don't have any either."

"I have something to ask of you," Klein said with a smile, maintaining his posture. "It will require your cooperation."

Even before he shut down his spiritual vision, he immediately noticed that the "Hanged Man" was visibly nervous, and the once carefree "Justice" was now more fearful and cautious.

Before they could speak, Klein reassured them:

"Don't worry, it's a small matter. If it succeeds, it will be of great help to you, so I won't pay any extra compensation."

"Go ahead." Audrey instinctively entered the "audience mode," but no matter how she looked, she couldn't see through the thick gray fog surrounding the "Fool."

"I will follow your will," Alger said in a deep voice, regaining his composure.

Klein twitched his fingers slightly and smiled as he spoke:

"As I said before, we're going to make some attempts to allow you to take leave in advance so you don't have to worry about what to do if you're in an inappropriate situation on Monday afternoon."

"That's exactly what we wanted." Audrey's brows relaxed.

Alger thought for a moment and said:

"What do you need us to do?"

"You can try a ritual spell in your spare time. It doesn't have to be too formal; just have an undisturbed environment... Place four new candles on the altar, one in each of the four corners, preferably the kind that smells of sandalwood... Place a slice of white bread on the upper left candle, a slice of Fennebot pasta on the upper right candle, paella on the lower left, and a Dipsy pie on the lower right... Use a silver knife to create a sealed spiritual environment..."

Klein described his ritual magic, which he modified from the "Changing the Fortune Ritual," and taught Miss "Justice" how to create a spiritual environment for free.

Frankly, since the target was himself, Klein believed that the earlier part, namely the sacrificial part that aroused the interest of the corresponding beings and pleased them, could be directly omitted. However, he still tried to make the process look like it was real—of course, it did not conform to what Old Neil said about two gods and three gods plus himself.

"...use a blend of moonflower, peppermint, deep sleep flower, citronella, and rock rose, distill to extract the essential oil, and add a drop to each candle..."

Audrey listened with great interest, taking notes, and finally asked:

"And what about the incantation, Mr. Fool? What is the corresponding incantation?"

Alger also stopped writing and turned to look at the Fool.

Enveloped in a grayish-white mist, Klein tapped the edge of the long table lightly with his fingers and replied calmly and without emotion in Hermes:

"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..."

(End of this chapter)