Lord of Mysteries: Taiyi

North section, beneath St. Samuel's Church.

Sost, a "Requiem Master" in his forties, looked at the report in his hand with a slight frown.

"The Nihilistic Cult first appeared in Fenneport 120 years ago. It is a very young and secretive organization with very cautious members. Its organizational structure and specific purpose are unknown."

"In the past century, only a few members have been arrested, and they were all peripheral members. In the last two months or so, they have suddenly become active and have begun to spread their faith in an organized manner. It is currently known that members of the organization use the names of the tiles in the board game called 'Mahjong' invented by Emperor Roselle as code names. The lowest code name is 'One of Bamboo,' the next level up is 'Bamboo,' and the rest are unknown."

"The method of mastery is suspected to be the 'Storyteller' method, sequence nine 'Storyteller', sequence eight 'Mental Patient', and the rest are unknown."

"The level of danger is unknown, but there is a suspected loyalty to a Sequence 5 'Chaos Mentor'. The object of their faith is 'Taiyin', the specific method of supplication is unknown, and the motive is currently considered to be spreading their faith; there are no actions that harm society."

"They believe in historical nihilism, assert that the past, present, and future exist simultaneously, and that all three can be rewritten by humankind."

"The targets of their manipulation are mostly people who want to reverse the past in order to change their lives."

A very young, clandestine organization… Soster pondered for a moment, then instructed his subordinates:

"Share this information and the 'four' portraits provided by Auster with the other churches." He paused, thinking that the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess had recently gained another Sequence Six vampire, who was also a considerable force, and continued, "Have Leah take the portraits and information to 'Chosen One' Kurt Bard, and ask him and his teacher to keep an eye out for them."

During the past few days of investigation, the night watchmen discovered that Kurt's father, Cole Bard, who died two years ago, had a very good relationship with Leah's father.

……

After Leah joined the Night Watch following her own heart, she was told that the church currently did not have the recipe for "Lawyer" and could only become a clerical staff member in the Night Watch squad responsible for the Bridge area. Only if she accumulated contributions and obtained the recipe in later operations would she have the possibility of becoming an Extraordinary...

This prevented her from fighting on the front lines against evil, leaving her incredibly frustrated. In the end, she could only pray that she would eventually obtain the "Lawyer's" recipe.

……

36 Ewald Street, at the intersection of the West End and Queens.

Lia visited Kurt while he was having dinner, and Kurt invited her to join him for breakfast: vegetable soup and a plate of beef stew with peas, along with Southland rice, which Kurt always loved.

During the meal, Kurt gritted his teeth and activated his spiritual vision, discovering that Leah was very frustrated and guessing that the Church of the Night had not provided her with the potion recipe.

Looking at the somewhat silent Leah, Kurt guessed why she had come.

Are you asking me to find a recipe? Or are you here to catch up? Or are you just here to freeload a meal...?

After finishing her meal, Leah smoothed her black hair, took the coffee Kurt handed her, and only spoke after Kurt had sat down:

"Kurt, the church doesn't have a 'lawyer' formula, so I only became a clerical worker." She paused before continuing, a flicker of pain crossing her pale face. "I don't want to be just a clerk. I don't want to experience that feeling of being manipulated again..."

Kurt's expression turned serious. That incident had indeed caused her great harm... Kurt was conflicted about whether or not to help Leah become an Extraordinary.

Kurt glanced at Leah's somewhat obsessive eyes and suddenly sighed. Even if he didn't give it to her, she would definitely find other ways, which might be even more dangerous.

He stared into Leah's eyes, which, though somewhat haggard, were still beautiful, and said:

"I have a way to get the lawyer's formula for you."

Leah indeed became excited, regaining some of her previous composure, and asked in surprise:

"Really? What method is there, and what do I need to do in return?"

Kurt hesitated for a moment, then slowly began to speak:

"The price is simple: you need to see a psychologist and give the diagnosis to me and the church. As for the formula, I will let you know once I find it."

Leah's psychological issues might not affect her advancement to Sequence Nine, since she's already halfway there. However, at Sequence Seven or higher, there's a high chance Leah will lose control because of it!

Although Kurt believed the church would handle this, after what Leah had experienced a few days ago, his words might be more useful.

Leah was visibly taken aback, recalling how Kurt had sent her to the church and the police station. Now she understood his actions… A flicker of fear crossed her eyes as she spoke:

"Okay, I definitely will... Can you come with me? Also, I'll save up some money and pay you accordingly later."

Her eyes were filled with fear and vulnerability; she was afraid that she would lose her autonomy again because of that terrifying power and become a puppet to be manipulated by others...

Kurt, having taken a sip of his coffee, nodded after hearing Leah's request, abandoning his plan to not accept payment, and said:

"Of course. Since you don't want my gift, you need to pay me 170 pounds. You can pay me back slowly. Your priority right now is to stabilize your life." Kurt, who had originally planned to go together in the afternoon, suddenly realized the problem and asked, "Lia, didn't you become an office worker? Are you on vacation today?"

Seeing that Kurt had agreed, Leah felt much more at ease, and her tone became much lighter:

"Actually, I came to see you with a mission. Of course, I was also happy to visit you. I was planning to find some time later to properly thank you..."

She offered an explanation, then opened her bag, took out a portrait, and explained:

"The church asked me to inform you and the Church of Mother Earth to keep an eye on this person. They also gave me a day off."

Kurt took the very realistic portrait. It was of a middle-aged man who looked to have Indis blood. He had golden hair, a large black mole on his chin, a large and flat nose, and a pair of impressive brown eyes.

After memorizing the face, Kurt casually asked:

"This is?"

Leah then took a sealed document bag from her pocket and said:

"His information is here, but I don't have permission to access it..."

Kurt frowned for a moment, then relaxed, took the file folder, and found it was sealed by spirit. Kurt pushed it aside, not opening it in front of Leah.

He clasped his hands together and said:

"I'll keep an eye out. I'm going to church for a class later. Wait for me at your house this afternoon, and I'll pick you up."

Hearing the word "home," Leah said with a hint of disappointment:

"The church demolished that house... and the church compensated me with an apartment at 7 Truffle Street in the Bridge District, which is very close to my workplace, the 'Kerner' Mediation Office at 47 Truffle Street."

The Church of the Night is as generous as ever, and the Night Watch squad's disguise is excellent; there shouldn't be any trouble... Kurt noted the location down and said somewhat apologetically:

"Sorry, I'll pick you up there then."

Leah nodded, and Kurt chatted with Leah for a while before leaving.

After watching Lydia leave, Kurt sighed deeply and lamented:

I've been targeted by the Church of the Night. They sent me a secret message through an office worker, instructing me to notify the Church of Mother Earth.

This clearly shows that they believe or have determined that I have a problem, perhaps because of my status as a "chosen one of the gods," or for other reasons?

The main thing is that I really have no problems. I'm just a remnant of the past who possesses a ring personally bestowed by the Mother Goddess, a unique and primordial one, blessed by the gods and knowing all the information in the original work and the truth of the world.

Furthermore, if the goddess wanted to compromise my uniqueness and essence, she wouldn't have just hinted at it today.

So, did the Night Watcher discover something else related to me, such as being connected to Leah's father, the suspected "Chaos Mentor," or to the previous sacrificial ritual? Or is it related to the people around me?

Kurt's gaze shifted to the document...