Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

"Variables outside the boundary of a constant,"

"Those who return home against the tide of change."

"You are the reflection of the law, the crack of truth."

"I beg for your gaze, I beg you to bestow upon me the potion recipe of 'Teacher'."

"Night-blooming jasmine..."

Chamomile...

After reciting the incantation, Kurt closed his eyes and felt the source matter floating in the astral body collapsing infinitely.

Before long, the Sequence 8 "Teacher" potion recipe from the Watchmaker pathway clearly appeared in his mind.

"Main materials: One intact pituitary gland of the messenger, and one Dark Flower Whisperer."

"Auxiliary materials: 100ml pure water, one lapis lazuli stone, 9g black-edged sunflower powder, 3 drops of corydalis juice."

Seeing the potion recipe clearly displayed, Kurt breathed a sigh of relief. This indicated that his Sequence Nine potion, "Clockmaker," had indeed been completely digested; otherwise, he would not have been able to obtain the complete Sequence Eight recipe.

He raised his right hand and looked at the exquisite watch with a perpetual calendar, which he had personally designed and constructed from mechanical parts. June 28, 1349.

Today is the day of the Fool's "birth," and also the fifth year since Kurt came to the mysterious world. However, the first four years and ten months were in the "old era," and at that time he only thought he had traveled to a parallel world... until he lost consciousness after watching the stars with his fiancée, and woke up on April 20, 1349.

Knowing too much, Kurt should have been eliminated immediately and gone insane, but he miraculously survived. Through his continued experimentation, he discovered that a source substance existed deep within his celestial body. Kurt was certain that it hadn't appeared in the book because its two associated pathways, "Storyteller" and "Clockmaker," did not belong to the 22 divine pathways.

After weighing his career options, Kurt chose the "watchmaker" path, which excels in precision work, greatly enhances his learning and memory abilities, strengthens his spirituality and physical muscle control, allows him to perceive the passage of time more clearly, and has been tested to accurately control his biological clock.

The original owner of the body, Kurt, was the son of the great clockmaker Cole Bard. He was from Backlund in the Kingdom of Rune in the northern continent. His father had just passed away. After inheriting the estate at the age of 22, he wanted to go on an adventure in the southern continent. However, he quarreled with his sister and tried black magic, which led to his death.

He currently resides at 36 Elland Street, a three-story detached house at the border of Backlund West and Queens, with the ground floor being a shop. He is currently locked in his bedroom on the third floor. His sister, Lori, is a surgeon who went on a business trip to Connaught, County Dixie, three days ago.

Looking at the silver ceremonial dagger he had found at the antique market stuck in the table, Kurt's thoughts wandered aimlessly, and he thought of the plot in the book.

"Today should be the day of the first Tarot meeting, but unfortunately I can't join. If I were to recite the name of the Fool directly, it would probably scare Little K to death."

His plan was to first find Fors and Hugh, and then find an opportunity to connect with them through Miss Audrey's introduction to the Tarot Club.

"Fool..."

Just as he was thinking this, the ritual silver dagger in front of him suddenly burst into a deep red light and engulfed him.

……

Above the gray fog.

"What's going on?" Zhou Mingrui looked around in astonishment, then looked down and found himself floating on the edge of an endless gray fog.

The gray fog flowed like water, dotted with deep red "stars," some large, some tiny, scattered throughout the fog at varying heights and distances.

Looking at the somewhat dreamlike scene before him, Zhou Mingrui, half confused and half exploratory, reached out his hand to a nearby deep red star, trying to find a way to leave.

When he touched the surface of the red star, water suddenly surged from his body, causing the crimson star to erupt.

Zhou Mingrui was startled and hurriedly pulled his right hand back, accidentally bumping into another one.

Then this one also burst into light, and Zhou Mingrui felt his head go blank and his mind become scattered.

Suddenly, another star appeared on Zhou Mingrui's left hand, and it shone brightly when he touched it.

Strangely, this time Zhou Mingrui's spirituality was not absorbed again; on the contrary, it increased slightly.

Almost instantly, three more people appeared above the gray fog: Audrey, Alger, Kurt, and Zhou Mingrui, all looking bewildered.

"Sir, where is this?"

"What do you want to do?"

Audrey and Alger were taken aback and fell silent for a moment, then spoke at the same time.

Kurt remained silent, still somewhat bewildered, but still feigned confusion as he looked at "Mr. Fool," who was about to begin his show-off act.

Zhou Mingrui heard familiar Ruen language, except for the tall, imposing gentleman who remained silent.

Where am I? Who am I? What am I supposed to do? I want to know too… Zhou Mingrui calmed down and thought to himself.

After a rapid thought process, Zhou Mingrui made his judgment.

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."

Audrey Hall felt a mixture of absurdity, strangeness, horror, and amusement. She had just been in her bedroom, at her dressing table, and now she found herself in this mysterious, foggy place!

This is utterly unbelievable.

She took a breath and gave a perfectly standard smile.

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

Alger, however, suppressed his urge to test the waters and his impulse, silently watching the others.

Kurt has accepted that he became an early member of the Tarot Club by chance due to good luck, and he remains silent, trying not to interfere with "The Fool's" pretentious act.

He was secretly pondering which tarot card to choose as his code name, while worrying whether the "Fool," being an ordinary person, would be spiritually sufficient for him to convincingly portray the character. Then, Kurt secretly observed the images of Justice, the Hanged Man, and the Fool.

Zhou Mingrui was doing the same thing, but due to the obstruction of the gray fog, he could only see that the girl had soft golden hair and a tall stature.

On the other side were two men, one with dark blue hair resembling messy seaweed, and of medium build, not particularly muscular.

The last one, who hasn't said a word yet, seems to be the most composed. He has the same short black hair as himself, a tall and well-defined figure.

He felt he could sever their connection with the gray fog at any time, and his mindset changed.

Zhou Mingrui chuckled and nodded, answering in a confident and relaxed tone:

"Of course, as long as you formally request it, I can let you go back right now."

Audrey, sensing no malice, breathed a sigh of relief, trusting that the mysterious being before her would keep its promise.

After calming down a bit, she didn't rush to leave. Her emerald eyes gleamed with an unusual light as she surveyed her surroundings.

She was both apprehensive and eager to try.

"What a wonderful experience... Hmm, I've always looked forward to something like this. I like the occult. No, what I mean is, how do I become an Extraordinary? Or what kind of price do I have to pay?"

Audrey became more and more excited as she spoke, even becoming somewhat incoherent. She seemed to have forgotten her earlier fear and anxiety.

"That's a good question, I'd like to know the answer too..." Zhou Mingrui said to himself.

The mysterious figure, obscured by the gray fog, remained silent for two seconds.

Subsequently, as Kurt had anticipated,

The gray fog suddenly churned, startling Audrey and Alger.

In the blink of an eye, they saw towering stone pillars rising from the ground, and they also saw a vast dome covering the sky above.

The entire building is exceptionally magnificent, like the legendary palace of giants.

Amidst the swirling gray mist, a new bronze table with 22 seats appeared. Audrey and Alger sat facing each other, while Kurt sat below and next to Alger.

The girl looked around and muttered to herself:

"That's amazing..."

Zhou Mingrui sat at the head of the long bronze table, extending his right hand and gently stroking the edge of the table, his expression remaining calm.