Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 61 Strange Symbols

"A fool who does not belong to this era... A mysterious ruler above the gray fog... The king of yellow and black who holds good fortune..." Audrey Holmes read these three descriptions aloud, and a storm suddenly surged in her heart, making it impossible for her to maintain the state of "audience".

As a lover of the occult, before she was pulled into this gray fog, although she had not formally come into contact with extraordinary powers, she would still exchange information about things she knew, whether true or false, when she met with fellow nobles in private. She would learn the Hermes script used in rituals and try some of the rituals that others talked about.

None of the rituals had any effect, but they did give Audrey some understanding of formatted incantations.

Therefore, she clearly understood what the Fool's three-part description meant in other rituals:

That represents, that points to, seven gods who look down upon the entire world!

It is almost equivalent to "Crimson Queen, Secret Mother, Queen of Calamity and Fear"!

Was Mr. Fool the unknown, mysterious, and powerful being that Grynt and the others had mentioned? Was he a source of danger that had to be carefully avoided in the ritual? Audrey quickly recalled the sighs of her friends when they wanted to try certain strange rituals but dared not, and for a moment she was speechless.

Alger Wilson, who knew more and understood more than her, trembled with genuine fear:

"If the ritual magic designed by the Fool can truly be directed at him, allowing him to receive our request, then we must address him with the honorific 'He,' using this third-person respectful term to describe deities and similar beings..."

"How lucky I am! How wise I am! I've been very cooperative throughout, haven't done anything foolish, and even when I tested them, it was within the bounds of propriety..."

"He might be some ancient, hidden, terrifying being, only he hasn't appeared before us in his original form or with his true name... The primordial witch, a concealed sage, or the true creator worshipped by several mysterious cults?"

Alger understood that the Fool he was seeing might not be his true form, and that the other person might not even have a gender or be humanoid.

Klein rubbed his forehead with one hand and tapped the edge of the bronze table with the other, keenly sensing the changes in "The Hanged Man" and "Justice".

But he pretended nothing had happened, acting as if everything was as expected, and continued speaking to himself:

"I beg for your help."

"I pray for your favor."

"I pray that you will grant me a sweet dream."

"Deep Sleep Flower, herb of the Red Moon, please transfer your power to my incantation."

"Golden Hand Orange, herb of the sun, please transfer your power to my incantation."

……

He described the incantation, which belonged to a different format, line by line, and then smiled and said:

"Madam, sir, have you remembered?"

"Ah..." Audrey gasped softly, quickly covering her mouth as she began to recall the events.

Thanks to the audience's powerful memory, she quickly finished taking notes and repeated them aloud for confirmation.

Alger, on the other hand, acted much more normally than her; no matter what he was thinking, his pen never stopped moving.

After confirming Audrey's record, Klein smiled slightly and said:

"If this attempt succeeds, then next time we can slightly modify the incantation to achieve our desired result."

"I hope you can complete this ceremony no later than Wednesday."

He plans to go back in on Thursday night to confirm whether the ritual magic was effective.

The reason why "The Hanged Man" and "Justice" were not allowed to directly request "absence" was because Klein was worried that it would be impossible to tell whether they really wanted to "ask for leave" or it was the result of trying ritual magic. In that case, should they be pulled or not?

"As you wish," Audrey and Alger replied respectfully, composed themselves.

"As the Hanged Man suggested last time, the business is over and we'll have some small talk. Who wants to start?" Klein gestured for him to begin.

Audrey hesitated for a moment and said:

"Mr. Fool, your suggestions on examination and screening and separation of administrative and political affairs have been well received by many members of parliament. Perhaps it is possible that it could become a reality. Of course, given the efficiency of the Kingdom's government, the plan is unlikely to be available for at least six months."

She wasn't worried that the "Hanged Man" would find out her identity based on this incident, because she had only casually mentioned it, leading those proud ladies to believe that their brilliant minds had played a role, making them eager to show it off to their husbands, their fathers, and their brothers.

At that moment, Audrey felt as if she were seeing golden peacocks spreading their tails.

She believed that the ladies would constantly suggest to themselves that the credit for this event belonged to them, completely forgetting their own role, and arguing with each other about who first brought it up.

Using this ingenious method to change the kingdom's situation gave Audrey a strange sense of accomplishment, as if she had found a way for the "audience" to influence the plot.

"I hope so," Alger, the "Hanged Man," replied sarcastically.

He paused for a few seconds, glanced at the Fool at the head of the bronze table, and carefully chose his words:

"In recent decades, the activities of various clandestine organizations have been on the rise, and several new, large-scale organizations with considerable power have even emerged."

Are you trying to find out the reason from me? I haven't even started looking into the "illegal organization's" information yet... Klein just smiled, not commenting on the "Hanged Man" news, and instead said ambiguously...

"Some ancient forces are awakening."

For example, the power represented by the Antigonus family notebooks...

"Is that so..." Alger muttered to himself, as if he had thought of something.

Klein glanced at the "Hanged Man," then at "Justice," and said with a smile:

"If there's nothing else to share, then let's call it a day."

"As you wish." Audrey and Alger stood up at the same time.

Klein slid his finger, severing the connection with the crimson star, and watched the two figures disappear into the majestic hall.

He stood up and moved to the back of his high-backed chair, which was the seat at the head of the long bronze table, and looked at the constellation symbols there.

The glittering stars connected to form a strange symbol, a symbol outside the scope of Klein's current knowledge of occultism.

He examined it carefully for a while and saw the "eye without pupils" symbolizing secrecy, and the "twisted lines" symbolizing change. Each of them was missing a part and overlapped with each other to form a new symbol.

"Incomplete secrets, incomplete changes... what does that all mean?" Klein frowned and muttered, unable to come up with an answer for the time being.

He withdrew his gaze and walked around the magnificent, ancient temple, his eyes taking in every corner.

"I just came up with this idea casually at the time, and only gave a rough concept. I didn't describe the shape of the palace, the long table, and the chairs in detail... So what did they come from? An optimal choice? An initial template? Or a mapping of reality?" As Klein looked at it, he suddenly thought of a question he had overlooked before.

Alas, I must admit that as a keyboard warrior, I am indeed inexperienced and not perceptive enough in many things, so much so that I am slow to realize things... With this self-reflection, Klein carefully examined the area above the gray fog and around the temple, but found no other creatures or other strange occurrences.

As for the more distant, seemingly boundless, illusory places, he dared not venture there for the time being, fearing he might get completely lost there.

"Phew, this place is indeed full of mystery... I wonder if there will be any new changes when I become stronger..." Klein sighed, unleashing his spirituality to envelop himself and simulate the feeling of rapid descent.

Everything passed by quickly, and the various illusions shattered. He pierced through the gray mist and saw the real world, including his desk, curtains, and coat rack in his bedroom.

…………

Backlund, Queens.

Audrey saw the oil painting hanging on the wall and felt the softness of the velvet pillow.

She didn't get up immediately, but instead savored the day's gathering as if watching a play being re-enacted.

"When Mr. Fool said he was trying that ritual, when he gave descriptive incantations like 'Mysterious Ruler' and 'King of Yellow and Black,' his tone was confident... confident..." Audrey, who was silently analyzing, suddenly gasped, her body trembling slightly.

Well, since there's no way to fight it, then let's not even think about it... Mr. Fool has always acted very kindly, so he must be a lawful being... Audrey's mood quickly improved as she thought about her role and the slight backlash from the potion.

She hummed a light melody, got off the bed, walked towards the door, and deliberately adjusted her state to become an "audience".

As she opened the door, she saw the maid passing by across the street. She noticed the calluses on the maid's hands, the sunspots on her face, and many other similar details, which allowed her to deduce a lot of things.

Just then, Audrey suddenly sensed something and quickly turned her head to look at the dark corner away from the balcony.

She saw Susie, the golden retriever, squatting there, quietly observing her, just as she observed her maid.

Goddess… Audrey’s lips twitched, she wanted to cover her face and let out a long sigh.

…………

In the heavily guarded captain's cabin on the Sea of ​​Sunia.

When Alger regained consciousness, he found that nothing had changed around him, as if nothing had ever happened.

He sighed and muttered to himself:

"An ancient being?"

…………

Having left the ceremony behind, Klein drew back the curtains, took out his notebook, and began writing once again.

He recalled the contents of several of Emperor Roselle's diaries, using such records to reinforce his impressions and prevent future forgetting.

After he finished writing it down, he looked at it again and again, but in the end he tore up the notes he had written down from memory and burned them to ashes.

Coming here once a week should prevent me from forgetting the key points... However, as time goes on, the task will become more and more arduous... Unfortunately, there is no other good way for the time being, as I have not studied cryptography... Klein gathered his thoughts, stretched his neck, and prepared to go out to the fortune-telling club.

— Different people have different standards for "diviners," and no one can say that others are definitely wrong. Therefore, Klein does not know what kind of "diviner" is most suitable for the needs of "potions." He can only determine it by correcting it through repeated practice!

(End of this chapter)