Lord of the Mysteries

After instructing her golden retriever, Susie, Audrey paced around, seemingly worried. She too was uncertain if the ritualistic magic would result in anything odd.

“Let’s do this…” Her eyes turned calm as she used her state as a bystander to view the imagined process. Soon, she came to a new arrangement.

Audrey unlocked the door to her bedroom and said to Susie, “Susie, sit here. If Annie and the rest try to barge their way in, immediately go to the bathroom to inform me.”

In order to prevent any accidents, her personal maidservant had the key to unlock her door.

Susie looked at her enigmatically and wagged her tail thrice.

“Very good. I will let you choose anything you want for lunch today!” Audrey pumped her fist gently.

After exhorting Susie, she entered the bathroom. The square bathtub was three to four meters on each side. There was clear water rippling gently in it with steam emitting from it. It was quite a dreamy sight.

Audrey tidied up a rectangular table with many bottles placed on it. Then, she went back out and moved candles, sacrificial items, and a white robe over.

Immediately after that, she closed the bathroom door.

With everything done, Audrey heaved a sigh of relief and picked up a translucent light-blue bottle beside the four candles.

The cylindrical bottle shimmered dreamily under the light. In it was the essence oils she had distilled from a mixture yesterday. As an aficionado of mysticism, she had no lack of research regarding such items. She had many different kinds of pure dew, flower essence, perfume, essential oils, and incense that she brewed herself at home. As such, she had already finished the initial preparations according to The Fool’s instructions.

“Moon flowers, gold mint, slumber flowers, fingered citron, and rock-rose… What an odd concoction…” Audrey mumbled softly. “Oh, one has to cleanse one’s body and calm their mind before engaging in ritualistic magic. This is a form of reverence to the divine—uh, to the target.”

As she went through the entire process in her head, she placed the ritual’s essential oil beside her bathtub. She reached out and began disrobing what she wore at home.

Pieces of her silk clothing fell into the laundry basket one after another. Audrey coiled up her hair into a bun and tested the water’s temperature with her hand. Then, she carefully stepped into the bathtub, allowing her body to slowly sink into the water’s warm embrace.

“Phew…” She exhaled comfortably, finding herself warm all over. She felt abnormally relaxed.

I don’t even want to move a single finger… Audrey forcefully pumped herself out as she grabbed the translucent light-blue bottle beside her and dripped a few drops into the water.

A waft of fragrance dispersed, filling the silence with a refreshing smell. Audrey breathed in a few times and nodded in satisfaction.

“Not bad. It smells really good.

“How relaxing. How comfortable…

“I don’t want to move at all. All I wish is to lie here in silence…

“Silence, in silence… si…lence…”

After losing her sense of time, Audrey suddenly heard barking.

She opened her eyes in shock, looking to her sides in a daze. She had no idea when Susie had opened the door and entered. She was squatting outside the bathtub, looking at her with an exasperated look.

her eyes, Audrey felt

She

at her without barking

effects of that bottle of ritual essential oil sure is great. Yeah, really great!” Audrey chuckled dryly as she explained

wrapped and wiped her body, said to the golden retriever beside her, “Susie, continue

retriever left did she secretly stick out her tongue. She threw her towel aside

to the bathroom, Audrey recalled the ritual

and placed them on the four corners of the

the top right corner. Smells great, but it’s a little cold… No! It’s not time to think of this! Paella at the bottom left corner and Desi pie at the bottom right… Audrey set

her four candles lit. She picked

raised the knife with beautiful patterns

the silver ‘sacred blade,’

spewed out as Audrey held the knife and circled the altar once. When she felt that a spirituality wall was fully erected around her, she expelled all the

Spectator state, she prevented her excitement and joy from

down the silver knife and picked up the tiny light-blue crystalline bottle and dripped a drop on

Sizzle!

body, heart, and soul seemed to attain

breath as she lowered her head in reverence

Fool that doesn’t belong

mysterious ruler above

King of Yellow

for your

for

pray for you to

that belongs to the red moon,

herb that belongs to the sun, please bestow your powers to

…

the incantation and hoped to cogitate the contents of her plea, she felt there was a stir within the spirituality wall. She saw a dark red star swirling on the

hurriedly closed her eyes and calmed her heart to plead

her surroundings wondrously, but

that all?” Audrey knitted her

…

in his windstorm robe was silently reciting the three lines of description he had heard in the afternoon. He seemed to be attempting to find clues of the

a clearly vexed manner, but ultimately did not do

ease inside the Blue Avenger, an ancient ship that was a relic from the Tudor Dynasty. Although he was already in control of the ship, he had a gut feeling that there were still many hidden secrets, just

to test The Fool’s powers but did not wish to attempt the unknown ritualistic magic on the

for a few minutes before leaving the captain’s cabin and went on deck. He said to the few sailors, “We will be reaching the Rorsted Archipelago soon. We will be anchoring there for

as they shouted in unison, “Thank

no need to worry about their supplies, being able to enjoy fresh food and clean water. However, day after day of voyaging at sea and the nearly unending vistas exhausted them both physically and mentally. It felt like they were always repressed

colony on the Sonia Sea.

member gyrated his hips and sniggered a meaningful laugh that

…