Lord of the Mysteries

Phew, I finally got through the round with the medium…

Klein let out a foul breath. He slowly turned around and enjoyed the cool breeze and tranquility of the night while walking closer and closer to the apartment building’s door.

He took out his keys, inserted the correct one in and turned it gently, allowing the crimson-mixed darkness to expand with the creaking sound of the opened door.

Walking on the staircase without a single person in sight and taking in the cold air, Klein had an inexplicable and amazing feeling. It felt like he had a few more hours than others. This caused him to hasten his pace.

In a similar state of mind, he opened the door to his room and before he even stepped inside, he saw a silhouette sitting silently in front of his desk. It had reddish black hair, bright brown eyes, and a delicate, pretty face. Undoubtedly, she was Melissa Moretti!

“Klein, where did you go?” Melissa asked curiously as she relaxed her eyebrows.

Without waiting for Klein’s reply, she added, “Just now, I got up to go to the bathroom and realized you weren’t home.” It was as if she wanted to know everything clearly, from the causes and effects of the matter to the underlying logic.

With great experience at lying to his parents, Klein’s brain took a spin before he gave a bitter smile and calmly replied, “I couldn’t fall asleep again after I woke up. Instead of wasting time, I decided that I should train my body. So I went out to run a few rounds. Look at my sweat!”

He took off his jacket and half-turned his body, pointing to his back.

Melissa stood up, took a glance half-heartedly and deliberated for a few moments before saying, “Honestly speaking, Klein, you don’t have to stress yourself out. I’m sure you can pass the interview to Tingen University. Even if you can’t, er—I mean if —you can still find better ones.”

I haven’t even thought about the interview… Klein nodded his head and said, “I understand.”

He did not mention the “offer” that he had gotten because he had not decided whether he wanted to join them or not.

Staring at Klein intensely, Melissa suddenly turned around and trotted into the interior of the house. She took out an object that resembled a tortoise. It was comprised of items like gears, rusted iron, torsion springs and ordinary springs.

After quickly tightening the torsion spring, Melissa placed the object on the desk.

Ka! Ka! Ka!

Dum! Dum! Dum!

The “tortoise” moved and jumped with a rhythm that could pull anyone’s attention.

“Whenever I feel irritated, I feel much better seeing this tortoise move. I’ve been doing this very often recently and it’s very effective! Klein, give it a try!” invited Melissa as her eyes brightened.

Klein did not turn down his sister’s goodwill. He approached the “tortoise” and waited for it to stop before laughing. He said, “Simplicity and regularity can indeed help relaxation.”

Without waiting for Melissa’s reply, Klein pointed to the “tortoise” and casually asked, “Did you make this yourself? When did you make this? Why wasn’t I aware of it?”

“I made use of unwanted materials from school and things picked up from the streets to make this. It was only finished two days ago,” Melissa said in her usual tone, the side of her lips upturned a few more degrees.

“That’s impressive,” Klein praised sincerely.

As a boy with poor skills in machine assembly, he encountered great difficulties even assembling a four-wheel toy car as a child.

With her chin slightly raised and her eyes slightly bent, Melissa calmly replied, “It was okay.”

“Being overly humble is a bad trait,” Klein smiled slightly and continued, “This is a tortoise, right?”

Instantly, the atmosphere in the room took a great plunge, leaving behind an air of graveness for a while. Then, Melissa faintly replied with a voice that seemed enigmatic like the crimson veil, “It’s a puppet.”

Puppet…

Klein gave an awkward smile, and tried to forcefully explain, “The problem lies in the materials, they’re too rudimentary.”

Following that, he tried to change the topic and said, “Why would you go to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Isn’t there a toilet here? Don’t you always sleep till dawn?”

Melissa was taken aback momentarily.

It was only after a few seconds, before she opened her mouth, prepared to explain.

At that moment, an intense sound of digestion sounded from herthoracoabdominal 1 area.

“I-I’ll go get some more sleep!”

trotted to the interior of

head as he smiled, slowly walking towards his desk. He sat down soundlessly, silently pondering Dunn Smith’s invitation as the crimson

a Nighthawk civilian staff member

mysterious Gathering—and the multiple secrets I have, it will be risky to be under the noses of the

I would certainly aim to become a Beyonder. I could then cover up the benefits gained from

would entail many restrictions on my freedom, like how a civilian staff has to report his leaving of Tingen. No longer

is given, I can only wait for the arrangements and accept orders. There is no room

risk of

…

by one, Klein turned to considering the

the eighty percent of lucky people. In the future, there is bound to be some bizarre event happening to me,

Beyonders or by joining the Nighthawks can

the Gathering. The potion formula is not a major problem, but where can I find the corresponding materials? How am I

of daily practice, I’m faced with serious obstacles! It is just not possible for me to consult Justice and The Hanged Man on every matter and exchange every object with them. This would not only hurt the image of The Fool and arouse their

I am unable to produce anything that can pique

leave behind the trail of my real identity. Then, “online disputes” would effectively be transformed

and relevant channels. This can sufficiently accumulate into a corresponding social circle and can be used as leverage. Only then can I initiate the Gathering and in turn gain the greatest benefits from Justice and The Hanged Man. In reality, the gains can feedback into reality, allowing me to

by the various Churches such

freedom, and be in a constant state of fear and anxiety. However, more importantly, I have no idea where to look for them. Even if I manage to gain the corresponding information

a civilian staff leaves opportunity for a

inferior recluse hides away in the wild; the superior, the crowd. Perhaps

authorities of the tribunal, who would imagine that I am a heretic, the

…

the crimson disappeared. Gazing at the golden light on the horizons

would find Dunn Smith today and become part of

out of bed again, had pushed open the door to the room. She was surprised to see

through some things.” Klein

“Whenever I encounter problems, I’ll list out both the pros and cons one by one and compare them. After that, I would be able to

good habit. I did that too,”

was relaxed, and she did not add more. Holding a yellowish sheet of paper and her

his breakfast and his sister’s departure, Klein took a good nap. Based

the afternoon, he smoothed the pleats of his silk hat and handkerchief using a small

formal clothing, just like he

afraid that he would miss the “working hours” of the Nighthawk.

public horse carriages were

two horses and could sit approximately 20 people while taking into account the top of the carriage. Only a general route existed, without specific stations. It had flexible operations and could be hailed anywhere

was laid on the main street. The horses would move on the inner lane while the wheels ran on the

was that the route

the wheels hitting the tracks approached from a distance. A double-decker

said to

get there, it takes about ten minutes to

go to Champagne Street then.”

a young man with a fair and clean face, as he extended his

was a worker responsible for

fished out four copper coins from his pocket and handed it to the other

up to the carriage and found that there were not many passengers. Even on the first floor,

walk when I

and women were mostly well-dressed although there were a few clothed in their work clothes, leisurely reading newspapers. Almost no one spoke, and it

his eyes and recharged his strength, oblivious to

station passed until he finally

and soon reached Besik Street, where he

gradually opened, inundating him with a wave of uproarious noises and

many customers in the pub. Some were temporary workers, looking

iron cages with

wooden wine cups and surrounded it, sometimes discussing

a curious glance, Klein found two dogs caged inside. One was black and white, similar to the husky found on Earth. The other was wholly black, with shiny

a little man wearing a brown beret, as

first,

“Dog-fighting?”

and wealthy students would always ask him contemptuously and curiously, if the boorish workers and unemployed hooligans enjoyed participating in boxing and gambling

and card games, didn’t it also include cruel and bloody