Lord of Mysteries: The Color of the Stars

"Huff, huff, huff..."

Under the crimson moon, a young man is running frantically through the streets of Tingen.

He was dressed in a respectable suit, and his expensive silver-inlaid cane was swinging wildly like a pendulum as he ran.

A dark red, matte name tag flickered in and out of focus as his chest rose and fell.

If you look closely, you'll find a name engraved on it:

Julian Albrecht, Assistant Professor, Department of Physics, Hoy University.

"Will this ever end?! I've been out of Rembourg for so long, how come the Church of Knowledge's enforcement team still managed to track me here?!"

Julian cursed inwardly.

His original name was Li Ang. He was a transmigrator from China. The original owner of this body was a direct descendant of the Jacob family. He graduated from the Department of Astronomy at the University of Azshara and was once a "Guardian of Knowledge" of the "Reader" pathway Sequence 7.

Three years ago—in June of 1346—during a botched ritual magic, this guy was somehow corrupted by a mysterious entity from the depths of the universe called "Star Colors," and died on the spot.

When Li Ang awoke inside Julian's body, his extraordinary "Knowledge Keeper" traits had been extracted, and his mind contained additional special knowledge.

This included information about ritual magic and the starry sky, as well as a Sequence 9 potion recipe.

The potion is called "Four-Colored Awakener," which, as the name suggests, means having cone cells that can sense four colors, unlike ordinary people who only have three.

Julian tried taking the "Reader" potion again, but strangely, it seemed that due to the presence of the contamination, the extraordinary properties of the potion would be released at the speed of light as soon as they entered his body.

He tried potions not only through the "Reader" route, but also through other routes, with the same result.

It was as if the "Color of the Stars" had rejected all the extraordinary qualities that entered his body, leaving him only the path to becoming a "Four-Colored Awakener".

To make matters worse, perhaps because they noticed the cosmic pollution on Julian, the enforcement team of the "God of Knowledge and Wisdom" quickly set their sights on him.

Before he could be captured, Julian had no choice but to change his identity and escape Azshara with the help of a secret organization called the "Hermits of Destiny," and went to work as an optics professor in the Physics Department at the University of Høj in Tingen.

During this time, he had been collecting materials for the "Four-Colored Awakener" potion. However, just as he finished collecting the materials and before he had a chance to concoct them, the Church of Knowledge somehow found out about his whereabouts and came knocking on his door again.

"when!"

Just then, Julian suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right neck. The next instant, a humming sound came from the black iron drainage pipe not far in front of him, as if something had hit it.

"A crossbow bolt?"

Julian felt a chill run down his spine.

The Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom had its missionary rights severely restricted in the Kingdom of Rune, and it also lacked law enforcement authority. Therefore, their arrest of Julian was a secret operation.

Therefore, they dare not use guns or offensive supernatural abilities, and can only use crossbows, which are quiet but highly lethal.

Fortunately, the shot missed; otherwise, Julian would be a corpse by now!

"His carotid artery was severed..."

As Julian ran, his blood flowed faster and faster, which made the bleeding in his already injured neck even worse.

His right hand was completely soaked in blood, and even his crisp suit was flushed red.

Sweat beaded on Julian's forehead, and he felt his vision growing increasingly blurry, his steps feeling as heavy as lead.

Just then, a string of Rune characters suddenly appeared in front of Julian.

"Red Moon Street".

Red Moon Street... Red Moon Street...

Julian bit his lip, trying his best to grasp the fleeting inspiration that flashed through his mind like lightning.

"...Oh right, the Church of St. Serena is here!"

"If I go in to take refuge, the people of the Church of Knowledge will absolutely not dare to go in!"

Although the Church of the Goddess of Night is also a righteous church, Julian, who is corrupted by the "Color of the Stars," would most likely not have a good ending if he rashly entered the church.

But considering that the Goddess of Night is a remnant of the past, Julian decided to give it a try.

This is the only way out!

"Whoosh!"

Just as Julian turned the corner and could see the stained glass windows of the Church of St. Serena, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right back.

The pain quickly spread to his entire right chest, and Julian felt his breathing become increasingly heavy, the extreme pain almost threatening to engulf him.

"I was stabbed in the right lung..."

Despair, resentment, and an intense will to survive surged wildly from his heart.

For the first time in his life, Julian began to pray silently to that revered name:

"The goddess of the night, more sublime than the stars, more eternal than eternity, the crimson lord, the hidden mother, the queen of calamity and fear, the lord of slumber and silence!"

"Taking the lost era and the former glory as a warning, I beg for your protection, and I pledge my loyalty to you."

"I wish for the end of the world..."

Just then, whether it was Julian's imagination or not, he suddenly felt that the shadow at the corner of the Church of St. Serena had become much thicker.

Both the moonlight and the footsteps behind him seemed to fade away, almost disappearing.

Julian was jolted. Using the last afterimage before his vision disappeared, he leaped up with all the strength he had left, simultaneously holding the silver-inlaid staff head in front of his chest.

"Splash!"

The sound of shattering glass rang out, and Julian felt himself fall heavily to the ground.

The red moon outside the window shone again on him, who was on the verge of death. His smile, which was more like a grimace than a cry, revealed a hint of bittersweet joy.

He made a gesture of contempt towards the window, and the next second he fainted...

When Julian woke up again, he was already lying in a hospital bed.

The white sheets and curtains caught his eye, and the sunlight streaming through Zotland Street outside the window was perfect.

"Professor Albrecht, you're awake?"

Julian turned his head to look at the nurse with a concerned expression, and then nodded slightly.

"Who brought me to the hospital?"

He asked the question.

"It's the priest from St. Serena's Church... Please don't speak yet, I'll go get the doctor."

Hearing this answer, Julian felt relieved.

He nodded slightly, and then closed his eyes again.

After the doctor finished the examination and told Julie to rest, the door to the ward was suddenly opened, and two men and a woman walked in.

The police officer was around thirty years old, with a high nose bridge and gray eyes that gave him an indescribable depth, like a deserted lake in an ancient forest.

The other two men, one with black sideburns and green eyes, were good-looking and possessed a romantic, poetic air.

The woman had white hair and black eyes. She was around thirty years old and had a rather ordinary appearance, but her temperament was outstanding, appearing calm and serene.

All three men were wearing epaulets from the Ahowa County Police Department, and Julian recognized them immediately.

The Night Watchers' captain, Dunn Smith, and team members Leonard Mitchell and Sigia Teon.

"Three officers...is there something you need?"

Julian raised his eyes and spoke.

"Professor Albrecht, nice to meet you. I am Dunn Smith, head of the Seventh Squad of the Arhowa County Police Department. These are my colleagues Leonard Mitchell and Sega Teon."

Dunn began with his usual self-introduction.

But the next second, his gaze shifted from calm to scrutinizing, and his tone changed again:

"Of course, as you know, we are also called 'Night Watchers'."