Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

"Sequence Nine 'Clockmaker' Main Materials: One core stem vine of an adult Quiet Tree, three eyeballs of an adult Three-Tailed Viper"

Additional ingredients: 90ml purified water, 12 drops of vanilla extract, 9g dracaena powder, 2 peppermint leaves.

"Sequence 8 'Teacher' Main Material: One complete pituitary gland of the transmitter, one dark flower language."

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

Kurt was thankful that he had prayed to "Infinite Collapse" for the Sequence Nine recipe. Otherwise, he would have had to use the church's restroom with spiritual materials.

After writing down the recipe, Kurt nervously handed it to Bishop Utravsky.

The bishop indeed had no intention of inquiring about the source; it wasn't that he had forgotten this step earlier. He had merely glanced at the recipe and did not ask any further questions.

Kurt breathed a sigh of relief and carefully chose his tone:

"It would be best to have the church verify its authenticity to prevent me from misremembering. If I obtain the subsequent formula, will I receive merit for submitting it to the church?"

Seeing that the church didn't care about the source, Kurt simply reported that he had channels and resources, and also showed his loyalty.

Utravsky nodded, his expression unchanged, and said:

"Of course, the church will remember the contributions of every believer."

……

36 Elland Street, at the intersection of Crand West and Queens, is a three-story detached house.

Feeling somewhat unreal, Kurt returned to his shop.

He recalled the details of the day and felt something was very wrong; it seemed to have gone too smoothly.

He touched the ring on his left ring finger, and his flustered mood instantly calmed down.

I became a "favored one" of the Earth Mother Goddess without even realizing it, and even received a "divine gift"? This is the name he gave to the ring, firstly to remind himself that this involved matters between gods, and secondly because he wasn't very good at naming things.

Moreover, his process of joining the church was very hasty, and he was very lax in his self-discipline. This may be the reason why he is favored by God, but he is not devout.

He could only think of his unique qualities—his source nature, his singularity, and his membership in the Tarot Society—which could serve as motivations for Lilith to accept him as a chosen one. But if that were the case, shouldn't He have warned the Church about this uncontrollable factor? Yet He didn't; instead, he was certain that he wouldn't betray them.

Kurt felt conflicted about the church's decision, and his head throbbed. He shook his head, deciding to put it aside for now. At the moment, the advantages far outweighed the disadvantages for him; he'd even received a weekly wage of £4.

Moreover, he's only at Sequence Eight, too weak, and has no power.

As soon as he entered, Finks greeted Kurt. Then his gaze immediately locked onto Kurt's left hand, before silently looking away a second later.

He touched his gold-rimmed glasses with his somewhat pale and thin hand, and spoke with a refined and serious tone:

"Mr. Bard, three guests came this afternoon. One bought a fine gold watch worth 5 pounds. Mr. Tom sent the watch back for repair and paid 10 sole. He will pick it up tomorrow afternoon. Another gentleman wanted to repair his watch, but he left because you were not here."

Kurt covered his left hand, nodded, and picked up the Tasok newspaper on the table to read.

He casually mentioned something about Finks.

"How is Mrs. Sarah doing lately?"

Mrs. Sarah was Phinks' mother. Phinks also had a virtuous wife. They lived in the Joewood district and worshipped the goddess of night.

Finks shook his head and sighed:

"The situation is not optimistic. Her lung disease has worsened, and Coralie usually takes care of her."

"I also want to thank Miss Lori for recommending the respiratory physician."

Curry nodded and said:

"May the goddess of night bless her, and I will also help you find a doctor who specializes in this area."

As he spoke, he touched the ring again, silently adding in his mind: "Like me."

The Tasok newspaper reported on the lower food prices resulting from the repeal of the Grain Act and the "unanimous praise" from the citizens of Ruen.

Thinking about the conspiracy behind this, Kurt felt a heavy weight in his heart.

Two months of living there had made Kurt completely realize the reality. His previous plan for the future was to avoid getting involved in things that were too high-ranking, such as the Twilight Hermits' Society, and to live a peaceful life while trying to become a demigod.

But today's events made him feel like he could no longer remain detached. The solace his soul received from the "divine gift" helped him think things through and reminded him of his most carefree days.

Every gift of fate comes with a price tag attached in secret.

My uniqueness destined me for a bumpy road.

The days of comfort are gone forever. Abandon illusions and prepare for struggle.

Now that you've decided to participate in the story, try your best to change this imperfect tale and bring a glimmer of hope to this crazy and bizarre world.

Kurt has decided to stop recruiting apprentices. His surroundings could become very dangerous afterward, and he doesn't want to affect any more people.

Kurt has no plans for the current employees and domestic helpers. Firstly, most of them are facing financial difficulties, and Kurt is reluctant to fire them. He wants to find them new employers first.

Secondly, I cannot explain these things to Lori at the moment.

Moreover, protecting Lori is a major headache. He doesn't want his only family member to go down this crazy path, but ordinary people are too fragile and could easily fall down like straw when the wind blows.

The West District isn't entirely safe either; a Sequence 5 demon lives not far from his house. Fortunately, "Infinite Collapse" has an absolute advantage in hiding, making it easy for Kurt to shield himself from malice.

Otherwise, their entire family would likely have perished.

Perhaps Lori could gradually join the church, become a non-combatant, and eventually go to Fenneport to receive the protection of the sanctuary. This would certainly be safer than staying in Backlund.

But Lori has a career she loves here, sigh, it's tough.

In the end, Kurt decided to take it slow and not rush things.

After all, Kurt's "infinite collapse" ability is not so easy to expose.

It's worth mentioning that during dinner, both the chef and the maids noticed his ring immediately, but fortunately no one asked about it.

After dinner, Kurt returned to his bedroom and began drafting a letter to Lori.

"Today I went to the Harvest Church to pray. Through the revelation of the Mother Goddess, I realized that I do not want to give up my dream of adventure. I want to bring hope to the children of the East District and spread the belief in the Mother Goddess of the Earth."

"Business has been slow lately, with very few customers. I have a lot of free time, so I plan to volunteer at Harvest Church for two hours every day and also run a free school in the East End. I would like to hear some of your suggestions."

"I will ensure my own safety, and I hope you can support me."

He told Lori about his experience "truthfully," using his previous desire to go on adventures and punish evil as a cover, and then asked for some advice, showing that he knew his previous mistakes and would listen to the advice, which increased his persuasiveness.

As for why he went to the East End, firstly, it was where the most children were unable to study; secondly, he needed to familiarize himself with the situation in the East End in advance to prepare for the later Backlund smog; and thirdly, it was to spread hope.

After finishing writing, he folded the letter and put it in his pocket, waiting to hand it to Bill later.

During this time, he entered the watchmaking workshop and saw the watch that needed repair on the worktable.

He picked up the ivory-handled hairspring adjusting tweezers, screwdriver, and other tools and began to work skillfully.

Around 8:30, Bill, with his meticulously combed blond hair, clean-shaven face, black-rimmed glasses, and formal attire—clearly not the double-breasted suit worn in the clinic—arrived at the watch shop on time, still looking somewhat tired and exuding a strong sense of corporate slavery.

He immediately noticed the "divine gift" that Kurt hadn't had time to hide, which was worn on the ring finger of his left hand.