Lord of Mysteries

Chapter 66 Witch Sect

"Sequence 8, 'Instigator,' adept at inciting the evil desires in everyone's heart, excelling at escalating conflicts, provoking disputes, and creating bloodshed..."

The description isn't detailed enough; it seems the Night Watcher doesn't know much about this potion's abilities... but it does fit the characteristics of the Clover massacre... Klein's gaze shifted upwards, looking at Sequence 9 corresponding to "Instigator":

"Sequence 9, 'Assassin,' capable of altering their body for a short period, gaining feather-lightness and solidifying eagle-like vision and dark vision. Each 'Assassin' excels at hiding in the shadows, possessing agile footwork and the ability to unleash all their power in a single strike..."

After reading the description, Klein was once again deeply confused:

"Assassin"... The next level of "Assassin" is "Instigator"?

This is as strange as the advancement of a "fortune teller" into a profession skilled in technique and combat...

Some sequence pathways ascend sequentially, which is perfectly normal, such as "audience". Why do other sequence pathways defy intuition and logic?

Well, not necessarily. Perhaps I haven't noticed some underlying commonalities...

For example, both "assassins" and "instigators" can bring disaster to others...

But the "Diviner" one, I just can't figure it out! Hey, could it be from Gandalf's lineage? After adding a little bit of support magic, all the other skill points are put into strength and technique?

Klein silently complained and shook his head as he flipped through the documents to the section on the secret organization "Gnostic Society" that the "Instigator" was involved with.

"The Gnostic, a secret organization that emerged in the early stages of the Fifth Age, that is, the beginning of this age, believes that the spirit is the essence of man, and the body is merely a cage that binds the spirit. Man does evil because he is influenced by the body. He must gain knowledge through spirituality to gradually liberate the spirit from the body. After undergoing the trials of the stars, he can finally break free from the material world, return to his purest and truest self, and obtain eternal redemption."

"Therefore, many extremist members of the Gnostic Society aim to eliminate the bodies of others, and have committed many bloody cases... It is clear that the sequence pathways they have mastered are divided into two types: one is the more common 'apprentices' and 'master magicians' within their ranks, and the other is the rarely seen assassins and instigators... There is currently no evidence that the Gnostic Society possesses Sequence 7 or higher potions."

"How the Gnostic was founded is unknown. We can only analyze their possible origins through two sequential paths: First, 'apprentices' and 'masters of magic,' which easily reminds us of the Abraham family of the Tudor dynasty in the Fourth Age. We cannot rule out the possibility of the Tamara family, which had a long-term marriage alliance with the Abraham family. Second, 'assassins' and 'instigators,' which points to the witch cult."

The Abraham family, the Tamara family, the Antigonus family, the Zarathustra family, the Black Emperor of the Solomon Empire, the Blood Emperor of the Tudor Dynasty, the Terensust Empire, and the Jacob and Ammon families mentioned by the "Hanged Man"... The history buried in the Fourth Epoch truly holds many secrets, and perhaps many truths... Klein was deeply moved, feeling that the history of the Fourth Epoch was shrouded in a thick fog.

Even just the outline visible through the fog is enough to send shivers down one's spine, as if one can imagine an extraordinary and prosperous era, an age where blood and eeriness dance together, and terror and distortion sing in unison.

Klein took a silent breath, flipped through the pages, but found no corresponding description of "Witch Cult".

He raised his head, looked at old Neil who was fiddling with a filter paper to grind coffee, and earnestly requested:

"Mr. Neil, what is the Witch Cult? I didn't see any information about them in the documents."

Old Neil didn't rush to pay him any attention. After finishing his fuss, he chuckled and said:

"Your security clearance is insufficient. Even with Dunn's permission, you cannot access that information. In fact, much of the information is only kept in the Sanctuary and not at all behind the Charis Gate in Tingen. You will only be able to access it when you become the captain of the Night Watch squad and go to the Sanctuary for training."

"I don't know much about the Witch Cult. I only know that they believe in the 'Primordial Witch,' who is the true successor of the Creator. She is the 'First One,' born from chaos and from within the Creator, and will surely be the 'Ultimate One' who ends everything."

"Their pathways are related to this, because in order to obtain the blessings of the 'Primal Witch' and get closer to this hidden being, the higher-ups are all women, which is why they are called the Witch Cult."

"Most situations are beyond the scope of what a formal member like me can access. I've only heard that witches have a mission to spread disaster."

Spreading disaster... that does fit the common thread between "assassin" and "instigator"... but Mr. Triss's future is worrying, the potions that follow this path seem more suitable for women... Klein nodded slightly and continued reading the information.

After reading it, he found that there were many more secret organizations than he had imagined, but after thinking about it carefully, he felt that this was very normal. After all, this world has accumulated so many years of history and there was an era when extraordinary forces were active.

Based on the information provided, Klein categorized the clandestine organizations into three types using a chronological method:

First, there are ancient organizations that originated in the Quaternary period, including but not limited to the "Morse Ascetic," the "Secret Order," and the "Blood Cult" that follows demons, as well as the "Witch Cult" which is only mentioned once in the information.

Secondly, there are the secret organizations that emerged in the early part of the Fifth Age, which are more or less connected to the terrible families and sects of the Fourth Age. For example, there is the "Gnostic Society", the "Spiritual Cult" that believes in death, the "School of Life" which focuses on master-disciple inheritance, and the "Rose School" which is known in the circle of extraordinary people for its blood sacrifices.

Thirdly, there are newly formed organizations that have emerged in the last one or two hundred years, including the "Aurora Society," the "Iron-Blooded Cross Society," the "Elemental Dawn," and the "Psychological Alchemy Society," which Klein had first heard of.

In addition, there are some scattered organizations that haven't done anything significant.

"Benson and Melissa can't possibly imagine how dangerous this world is, and it's not just about war..." Klein shook his head and chuckled, neatly folding the classified documents and pushing them to old Neil.

At the same time, he silently added a sentence in his mind:

I really hope my tarot reading doesn't get "on the list"...

Old Neil had no idea that the person sitting opposite him was the leader of a secret organization. He chuckled, took the documents, and headed to Charnis Gate.

Klein sat there, wondering if he should try to divine the whereabouts of the "instigator" Triss. But after only a dozen seconds of thought, he gave up on the idea. After all, he only knew the other party's general appearance and a name that he didn't know if it was real or fake. If he could find out where he was by that, he wouldn't be called a "diviner" but a "prophet"!

When Old Neil returned, Klein focused his mind and continued his mystical studies in order to master more ritual magic "formats".

He spent the day studying and practicing, and did not participate in the joint operation to capture "Instigator" Tris. He only heard that the sealed artifact "2-049" from Backlund would be delayed due to some special factors, with the specifics to be determined.

Having earned nearly 2 shillings from a fortune telling yesterday, Klein spent 10 pence on his way home to buy Benson a 2-liter bucket of Enmat beer and to bring Melissa a freshly baked lemon cake.

"Klein, I know you value us, but it's really unnecessary. There's no need to always spend money on these things," Benson said, looking at the small wooden barrel of beer.

Melissa stood beside her, nodding silently and repeatedly.

This is probably due to the difference in our consumption habits… Klein chuckled and sighed:

"Benson, Melissa, don't worry, I bought this with my extra allowance. Well, I can get about 2 to 4 sulphurs a week."

"I can't exactly tell you that this is the money I get from telling fortunes for people..." he added to himself.

"...Your job is much better than I expected." Benson paused for a moment before offering a fair assessment.

"That's right, you can even learn divination..." Klein quipped silently, then turned and headed towards the kitchen.

With the combined efforts of the three siblings, a sumptuous dinner was prepared.

After eating and drinking their fill, Klein, Benson, and Melissa collapsed in the living room for a while before getting up to tidy up, chat, and study.

After Benson and Melissa fell asleep, I went up above the gray fog to check on the effects of the ritual... Klein glanced at his brother and sister as he reviewed the history books.

…………

West District, Tieshizi Street (lower street).

A three-story apartment building was shrouded in darkness, with no streetlights or any other light.

Suddenly, a figure leaped out of a window on the third floor, landing as lightly as a feather, making almost no noise.

He suddenly turned and disappeared, as if blending into the shadows, leaving only a faint outline.

The figure hurried along until it reached the dock area, where it came to a deserted corner where goods were piled up.

After observing carefully for a while and circling the area twice, the figure finally left the darkness and entered a corner.

As you can see, he has a round, very approachable face, and he is none other than Tris, the "instigator" who orchestrated the Clover disaster.

"How are you feeling?" A mysterious figure in a black hooded robe emerged from the shadows, her voice distinctly feminine.

Triss smiled kindly and contentedly and said:

"It's very comfortable; that's exactly the scene I've been dreaming of and pursuing."

"I think I've accomplished my mission and am ready for a promotion."

The woman in the black robe nodded almost imperceptibly and said:

"Very well, as promised, I will give you the recipe for Sequence 7 and the three main ingredients. You will need to collect the rest yourself."

"No problem," Tris replied as if he had been prepared.

The mysterious woman raised her hand and handed Triss a book-like object.

The "book" had an ancient and mottled bronze cover, and a strange star-shaped lock hung next to it.

Triss knew that the "book" contained recipes and ingredients, and he was immediately excited.

He suppressed his emotions and looked curiously at the name of the potion written on the bronze casing.

"A witch!"

Triss exclaimed in astonishment, unable to believe that the word written in ancient Hermetic was this.

"Witch"? I'm going to be promoted to "witch"? Are you kidding me!

The mysterious woman covered her mouth, let out a soft laugh, and after a long while, replied:

"Haven't you always found it strange that all our senior executives are women...?"

"That's the answer."

(End of this chapter)