Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

Backlund, Joewood District, Rose Street, Harvest Church.

Kurt adjusted his top hat and walked into the somewhat dimly lit church with practiced ease. As usual, only a few elderly people were praying inside.

He glanced inside and saw a tiny figure standing beside the tall, giant bishop. It was the somewhat reserved little Carter, who had changed into a brand-new little priest's robe, which the bishop had sewn himself the day before and which fit him perfectly.

Carter looked much better than yesterday; his injuries had probably been healed, and he was clutching the bishop's robe.

He suddenly spotted Kurt at the church entrance, his eyes lit up, he whispered something to the bishop, and then jogged over, bypassing the benches.

He had bright blue eyes and brown curly hair, and a slightly upturned nose. He ran up to Kurt and whispered:

"Thank you, Mr. Kurt, Wut... uh."

Hearing Carter's words, Kurt's sharp expression softened considerably, and he reminded him:

"Bishop Utravsky, but he preferred to be called Father."

Cardi nodded and said:

"Father Utravsky gave me clothes and food, and my body no longer aches!"

"Um... um, Mr. Kurt," Carter said, suddenly becoming a little hesitant, until he saw Kurt's encouraging look before continuing, "Could I... bring my mother to live here too?"

Kurt's face stiffened for a moment, but to avoid worrying the child, he maintained his smile and was speechless for a moment.

At this moment, an old lady sitting at the back of the church, her face wrinkled like an orange peel, said with a smile:

"This child is so well-mannered. I saw him quietly following Father Utravsky all morning. No crying or fussing. Hehe, child, your mother must be a gentle lady as well."

Carter smiled and said happily:

"That's right, my mom is very good to me. Although she sometimes criticizes me very seriously, I know my mom loves me very much."

"Grandma, her smile is as kind and beautiful as yours!"

Carter's words seemed to lessen the wrinkles on the old lady's face, and she became even happier, saying:

"Mother Goddess, you are even more lovable than little Kurt! What's your name?"

Kurt quickly took over the conversation, patted Carter on the head, and looked at the 75-year-old woman as he spoke softly:

"Mrs. Saliz, his name is Carter, he's a child from the East End, a child blessed by the Mother Goddess, and he will continue to spread the faith here for her..."

"I have some questions for Carter, so I won't keep you company today."

To protect Carter's pride, Kurt subtly told Mrs. Salitz that he was an orphan she had taken in...

Mrs. Saliz, having experienced much in her life, naturally understood the unspoken meaning in Kurt's words. Watching Kurt and his group walk away, she tightened her clothes, sighed softly, and muttered to herself:

"The weather's getting colder again, sigh..."

The bishop also saw Kurt's arrival. He led Kurt and Carter aside and said to Kurt:

"Your teacher has arrived in Backlund and is now registering with the three major churches. He hasn't returned yet, so you may have to stay a little longer today."

Curt nodded without saying anything more. Instead, in front of the bishop, he looked at Carter, who was curiously listening to their conversation, and asked:

"Carter, do you remember where your home is?"

Carter assumed Kurt and his family wanted to bring his mother over, and after thinking hard, he finally said:

"I only remember it being on Black Palm Street, but I forgot the exact number. My mother never let me go out after my father went on a long trip, and she didn't mention it before I went to bed last time..."

After listening to Carter's description, Kurt nodded heavily and handed Carter to the bishop, saying:

"Carter, I'm going out to run some errands. You stay with the priest."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at the bishop, who nodded slightly. Kurt had already told him everything last night.

With a heavy heart, I stepped out of the church and went to the nearest police station to report the situation.

When he returned to the church, he saw a tall figure walk into the church. Carter was chatting with Mrs. Salitz, and the bishop was still standing like a giant in front of the emblem, observing the situation in the church.

He then told Kurt that the teacher sent by the church had arrived. The bishop said gently:

"She is a vampire baron, Sequence Six 'Potion Professor'. She's waiting for you inside."

Kut was a bit distracted, chewing on the word "vampire." It seemed he was born that way, rather than the kind of "vampire" that ordinary people ascend to...

Upon entering the church, he saw the tall figure from behind, and then Kurt saw a large raven slowly emerge from her shoulder.

Before Kurt could make a move, the vampire baron seemed to sense something, turned around, and looked directly at the "divine gift" on Kurt's left hand, bypassing Kurt's face.

Kurt also took this opportunity to get a clear look at the person in front of him. He was about 1.7 meters tall, wearing a light brown baseball cap, a wool shirt with a high collar, a brown leather jacket over the shirt with gold buttons turned out, and a gold necklace that looked like an extraordinary item. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an apple. He was wearing ordinary trousers.

Her long, slightly wavy golden hair fell down her sides, and her red eyes, fixed on her ring, were hidden behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses. She had a high nose bridge, thin lips, and soft features.

Kurt impolitely wondered to himself whether this vampire, who looked like a young girl, was 100 or 200 years old.

The raven on her shoulder stared at Kurt, its eyes gleaming with a thoughtful glint, though thankfully it wasn't wearing a monocle...

The vampire, who resembled a young girl, sized up "God-given" for a moment before raising her head and speaking in fluent Rune:

"Hello, my name is Melanie Snell, squad leader of the 'Wastelanders' in the Tosos Parish, Sequence Six 'Potions Professor', ha, a vampire."

"This is my partner, Walker, Sequence Eight 'Barbarian'."

Kurt was taken aback. Didn't the bishop say you were a vampire? What vampire would say they're a vampire? Could the bishop have made a mistake? That seemed unlikely... Did she not care about her "vampire" identity and therefore choose a more down-to-earth way of putting it?

He also brought along a "savage," no, it should be a "savage bird." Kurt was a little curious about how the crow was supposed to play the role.

Kurt didn't dwell on the matter and said in a normal tone:

"Kut, Sequence Eight 'Teacher', you should have seen my file."

Melanie smoothed her curly hair, nodded, looked around, found a chair, sat down, and commented:

"The church here is so small, like a cage, less than 1/10, no, 1/20, of the sanctuary."

Kurt's lips twitched, and he really wanted to comment—"Nonsense."

She went on to say:

"Alright, let's start with what you want to learn first. I also want to explore Backlund; the last time I was here was 80 years ago."

"By the way, I am already 120 years old. Although that is still considered young among vampires, you don't need to doubt my knowledge and experience compared to ordinary humans."

As she said this, she slightly raised her chin.

"Yes, that's the feeling, that's more like a vampire..." Kut nodded, liking Melanie's decisive style. He said:

"I want to learn ancient Hermetic, Giant's language, and other languages ​​first."

Melanie adjusted her glasses, nodded, and said to the raven perched on his shoulder:

"Okay, Walker, go and get the suitcase from the corner."

Walker didn't speak, or perhaps he wouldn't. He flew over indifferently, grabbed the handles of the huge suitcase with both claws, lifted it up easily, then accelerated and flew over again. Then, he released his claws, and the suitcase fell to the ground.

Thump! The suitcase slammed onto the table, kicking up a cloud of dust, while a crow landed directly on Kurt's head...

Melanie smiled awkwardly and said:

"Sorry, Walker is rather...savage, this is how it greets people... Walker! Get off Mr. Kurt's head!!!"

Walker gave a haughty snort, flew to a corner of the room, turned its rear end towards the somewhat dazed Kurt, and closed its eyes...