Lord of the Mysteries

“No, we are not…” Klein didn’t have the chance to retort before Benson interrupted with a smile. “Although Elizabeth is indeed a little young and her family is much more outstanding than ours, I find the two of you quite suitable for each other. But you might have to wait a few more years. She is still studying at a public school and wants to enter university. Marriage should be something to consider only six to seven years later. Of course, you can get engaged sooner than that.”

… Can you guys not think that far ahead? Klein took in a deep breath.

“I do not fancy Elizabeth, or, well, more accurately, I do not fancy a girl who is younger than me by too much. I prefer girls who are more mature.”

Truthfully, I can accept anyone within a reasonable age gap, just not now… He added inwardly in exasperation.

“You like girls who are more mature?” Melissa knitted her brows. “Then you should quickly settle the issue regarding your marriage.”

Ah? Klein couldn’t understand his sister’s leap in logic. He asked in confusion, “Why?”

Melissa explained seriously, “You will be about 25 when you finish saving up for your marriage. Girls that are more mature than you will either be married or engaged when they reach that age. Do you want to chase after a widow?”

What the… Klein thought to himself in Mandarin as he wore a blank expression.

Benson smiled and refuted his sister, “Melissa, you don’t understand. In this day and age, it isn’t rare to see women in their thirties who isn’t married or engaged within the middle class. They are mostly followers of the Goddess, and all have the ability to provide for themselves. They would rather be single than stuck in a marriage that they are not satisfied with. Yes, that’s what I read from the ‘Family’ magazine.”

“Is that so?” Melissa was a sixteen-year-old girl after all. She didn’t have a great understanding concerning matters like this.

Upon seeing his siblings getting roused up from the conversation, Klein coughed and said, “What I meant by mature is their mental state. They don’t need to be older than me. Furthermore, the person that should be worried about their marriage is Benson.”

I’m sorry, Brother, I had no choice… he apologized in his heart.

“…” Melissa froze for a moment, then nodded heavily. “That’s right!”

Benson was just about to elaborate on the marital problems of the middle class when he suddenly shivered. He looked at his sister who was staring at him and said, “I am now at the cusp of a turning point in my life. I have to devote all my attention to studying. I will only be confident of chasing after my desired girl when I have found a job that I’m satisfied with and have a reasonable amount of savings. Only then will I be able to provide her with a good life.”

Klein and Melissa froze, then asked in unison, “You have a girl that you fancy?”

Benson, who had merely given a perfunctory reply, was shocked. He shook his head in a hurry.

“No! I was merely giving an example!”

…

In a dark, gloomy house of Backlund, Hillston Borough.

A middle-aged man with graying hair sat silently on a rocking chair in front of an unlit fireplace with a dark colored pipe in his hand. He looked at the guest on the sofa.

Stanton, a private detective with notable fame. But

a white shirt and black vest, brought the pipe to his lips and inhaled in

a thirty minute consultation is one pound. If I were you,

relating

course, they had removed Qilangos’s name and changed the description

containing the documents to Isengard’s assistant, a browned-haired

habits in the target’s actions using the material

though she wasn’t tall, Xio Derecha had an air of authority

his assistant. He opened the folder and

set down his pipe and focused on reading page after page without

later, this gentleman slowly

for long in a polluted area in Backlund, the Capital of Dust. In other words, he could be staying at the Empress Borough,

day… The most logical thing he could do is to target the vagrants that

be the act of someone unsophisticated to search for victims that are too close to him. That isn’t consistent with your descriptions… If the target has

in the water… A reasonable deduction would be that he wouldn’t be living somewhere too far away from the water. If anything unexpected happens, that would

…

possible radius of activity for the target. He should be living somewhere close to the Backlund Bridge area. Perhaps somewhere close to both banks of the Tussock River—the West Borough or the Cherwood

…

this from the

didn’t understand all of it, his deductions seemed to make sense. Xio and Fors looked at each other and nodded. They took back their materials

ladies, Isengard took out a bronze item from his vest pocket. It was

chair, rubbing the item while

…

basement of Pritz

a chair, looking coldly at

His head was enveloped by a film of pale-blue water and his face was purple

face with both hands, but all he could do was flick droplets

no longer hold his breath and gave a signal of

smiled, then nonchalantly clapped

turning into droplets that fell to the

deep breath and coughed violently. He coughed so hard that it tugged at his heart and

Alger leaned back. He emulated the peaceful

me the reason why Qilangos went

boasted in front of us. He said that

dreaming of obtaining? Alger knitted his brows and slipped

…