Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

Kurt and Hugh's expressions turned serious upon hearing Carter's tearful complaint. Kurt gently patted Carter's head to show he wasn't angry and said softly:

"Carter, how many days has your mother been asleep?"

Carter, whose trembling had subsided slightly, thought for a moment before speaking:

"It's been 5 days. I've been hungry for 2 days. My mother said she might sleep for a long time and told me to go to a place called an orphanage."

"She said there was food and lodging there. I didn't want to leave my mom, but... but I was so hungry, so I went out to find something to eat... I got lost and couldn't get back, and my mom didn't come looking for me..."

The little boy explained somewhat incoherently, glancing towards the door every now and then.

"I saw a lot of children coming here, so I followed them. It's sunny here, and it doesn't rain. You're very kind, sir, just like my mother..."

At this moment, Hugh couldn't help but speak up:

"Carter, you said you got beaten up?"

Carter trembled slightly upon hearing this, and stammered:

"A police officer, who looked really scary, told me I wanted to go to an orphanage, and he kicked me away, saying, 'You poor wretch, get out of here...'"

"I listened to my mother, I didn't cry, I just ran away and got lost... I really don't know what to do now. I've always listened to my mother, but... but..."

Carter seemed to break down, bursting into tears—the loudest he had ever cried in his life, except for when he was born.

Kurt didn't speak, but quietly patted his back. He remembered the left-behind children he had met when he went to teach in remote mountainous areas of Yunnan in his previous life.

Although they are from two different "eras", Kurt felt the same way.

No matter the times, suffering will always exist.

After Carter had finished crying, Kurt spoke gently:

"Would you like to come with me? I'll take you to a safe place with food and a bed. Of course, that's on the condition that you convert to the faith of Mother Earth..."

Carter was taken aback for a moment, then quickly nodded and said:

"I'm willing. I promised my mom I would find food and a place to stay..."

Kurt smiled and nodded, gently took Carter's little hand, and got up to walk outside. He then realized that Carter was too short or Kurt was too tall... Hugh naturally took Carter's little hand, and the three of them left the East District and arrived at the Bridge District in silence.

On the public carriage, Hugh watched Carter slowly close his eyes, then looked at Kurt and asked in a low voice:

"Where are you taking him?"

Kurt adjusted Carter's head to make him more comfortable before slowly speaking:

"I am a priest of the Church of Mother Earth, and I will send him to the Church of Harvest. Mother Goddess will accept such a vibrant child."

As he spoke, Kurt drew a holy symbol of the Mother Goddess on his chest and said:

"Life is precious, harvest is joyous, praise be to the Mother Goddess."

She was slightly surprised, her mouth opening and closing briefly before closing again. She hadn't expected that the wealthy Kurt would be a devout priest. However, she knew this wasn't the time to discuss this, and she spoke with some concern:

"What about his mother?"

Kurt, sitting opposite him, paused for a moment, looked down at the child in his arms, and then spoke slowly:

"Tomorrow I'll ask for her address and have the police investigate. Then the bishop of Harvest Church will officiate at the funeral... I hope she's just really asleep."

"I remember when you introduced yourself, you said you were a follower of the Goddess of Night, right? You should go home first. Don't worry about my safety. Bishop Utravsky is a kind and very powerful person."

The bishop is an Extraordinary? Well, he must be. After all, there's only one church in Backlund, so the bishop must be a fairly powerful Extraordinary. I really shouldn't go. Besides, the sudden full moon today makes me a little worried about Fors... He nodded, pondering whether Kurt knew about Extraordinary beings or was just an Extraordinary who wasn't good at fighting! It seems I need to be more careful around him in the future.

Although Mr. Kurt is kind and gentle, he is, after all, an official. Fortunately, my sequence is not easily exposed, and Mr. Kurt has not yet noticed anything unusual.

Kurt said that on purpose to pave the way for his later "exposure." Although he is currently a nominal "Wastelander" of the Church of the Earth Mother, he can actually be considered a "high-level informant" for the three major churches. He can cooperate with the official extraordinary teams of any church, so he can develop Hugh into an informant...

Today shouldn't be a full moon, but it suddenly appeared. Of course, this isn't unusual, and most people would assume the goddess is in a bad mood.

The crimson moonlight bathed the earth, casting an eerie glow over this largest human metropolis with an industrialized population of over 500 million.

When the public carriage arrived near "Perfume Street," Hugh said goodbye to Kurt and the other returned to her apartment. Once outside the East District, there was relatively little danger, well, relatively speaking.

Hugh held the pound in cash that Kurt had paid for her, glanced back at Carter who was sleeping in Kurt's arms in the carriage, pursed her lips, and walked toward the apartment she shared with Fors with mixed feelings.

She was a little worried about Fors' condition. During the previous full moon celebrations, Fors would always go out and return the next day, saying nothing was wrong. Hugh had already suspected something was amiss, and today Fors probably wouldn't have had time to go out.

If it really is a minor issue, then Hugh plans to share what happened today with Fors or talk about Mr. Kurt...

Of course, she couldn't rule out the possibility that Fors was asleep. She gently turned the doorknob, locked it behind her, and saw that the living room was dimly lit. Fors was probably already asleep.

Seeing this, Hugh originally intended to wash up and go straight to sleep, but when she passed by Fors's room, she heard Fors's low growls and cries of pain. Fors had tried to suppress his voice very much, but Hugh, whose body had been enhanced by the magic potion, still heard it.

If she hadn't gone to protect Mr. Kurt today, she probably would have fallen asleep and wouldn't have heard anything, and she wouldn't have known about her friend's tragic situation...

Without hesitation, Hugh violently broke the lock on the wooden door, rushed into the bedroom, and turned on the light.

Seeing Fors frantically grabbing her hair as she sat at her desk, with the novel she used to distract herself on it, each word bathed in moonlight as if stained with blood, Fors paused slightly upon hearing the noise. She turned her face, which was flushed and budding with flesh, and stared at Hugh with bloodshot eyes.

She immediately turned her face away and said painfully:

"Get out of here, I'm fine, just bear with it for a bit... uh, it'll be over soon, really, before..."

Before she could finish speaking, she felt a small body embrace her, patting her back. She didn't speak, only trembled, afraid—afraid that the friend in her arms would turn into a monster… Fortunately, after a while, Fors regained a little of her composure and gently pushed Hugh away. Looking at her slightly moist eyes, she spoke wearily and painfully:

"It really feels like holding a child."

……

Kurt arrived at Rose Street in the Joewood district. He gave the driver 5 sule and told him to stop near the Harvest Church and wait for him there. The driver, who had been planning to go home immediately, suddenly snapped out of his daze, clutching the 5 sule tightly. He glanced at the child in Kurt's arms and whispered:

"Thank you, kind gentleman. I will wait for you here, no matter what!"

Kurt nodded gently, picked up Carter, who was fast asleep in his arms due to the "Sleep" spell, and came to the heavy black church doors outside the simple baby emblem made of wheat ears, flowers, and holy water, which was stained crimson...