Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

"Answer correct.

"Issuing reward…"

Not long after Ebner's words fell, two lines of text suddenly appeared on the blackboard. Then, as a sneer echoed, a bottle of unknown liquid appeared on the podium at the front.

"Hmm… Although it's bottled, this is undoubtedly the hot spring water from the 'Gentle Words' hotel… and it has Chesi's added ingredients." Ebner picked up the bottle and glanced at it, immediately making a guess in his mind.

"It seems the so-called rewards given by the 'Quiz Labyrinth' after a correct answer are provided by the holder of this Sealed Artifact… He probably can't violate this rule, otherwise, he wouldn't have bottled water for me…"

"Of course, it's also possible he's deliberately messing with my head, then seizing the opportunity to plant a 'Seed of Desire'."

When facing a "Charm Apostle," one must never have overly strong emotional fluctuations or display too obvious desires, otherwise, a "seed" will immediately be planted, or one will be remotely controlled, or directly catalyzed and detonated.

In a sense, the "Mechanical Mind" of a "Knowledge Keeper" truly is the bane of a "Charm Apostle."

"Furthermore, during the quiz, that 'Mirror Apostle' probably cannot peek into the 'classroom,' otherwise, he would have made a sound earlier to pressure me."

"Hmm, it's probably because the Transmigrator senior didn't want outsiders to know the questions… So, either they get trapped here and die, or they're one of their own, capable of answering ten questions…"

"This isn't hard to verify. If I answer a few questions correctly in a row, I'll know if he only appears during the breaks in questioning!"

Thinking this, Ebner put down the "hot spring water" and told the "blackboard" that he was ready.

Soon, the second and third questions were easily answered1 by Ebner.

These two questions were not the kind of unspoken questions shared among Transmigrators, but rather two history questions. They weren't simple, but for a "Polymath" like Ebner, who had read extensively, they weren't difficult either.

And that voice belonging to the "Mirror Apostle" indeed only came through with the rewards during the questioning window.

What was more noteworthy was that the reward for the second question was a cup of beverage, while the reward for the third question was a brand new tie.

Hot spring water isn't worth much… that drink is about 5 pence. This tie, judging by the brand, should be between 5 and 10 solidi.

The value of the rewards is progressive, and likely by orders of magnitude… The items given after the fourth question will definitely be measured in gold pounds… At this rate of increase, by the tenth question, can that "Charm Apostle" really afford the price?

And what consequences would there be if he couldn't pay?

As Ebner narrowed his eyes in thought, he heard the gloomy voice of "Mirror Apostle" Herta coming from the broadcast:

"Do you know? Since this Sealed Artifact came into my hands, as long as one's luck isn't so bad as to encounter some incomprehensible questions from the start, it's not uncommon for people to answer 3 questions correctly in a row… But from the fourth question onward, obscure questions become more and more common, and I only know two people who have managed to persist until the sixth question!"

"Also, a free piece of information: once you answer incorrectly, once you restart, even normal questions will become much harder!"

He finished speaking, sneered again, and then fell silent.

Tsk tsk, he's trying to pressure me, but seeing that I don't have the emotional fluctuations he expected, he plans to mess with my mind again after I make a mistake?

Too bad, I think your mind will be the first to break!

While feeling "pleased" internally, Ebner began to tackle the subsequent questions.

The fourth question indeed presented considerable difficulty, requiring the improvement of a ritual. Fortunately, this was a "Reader's" strong suit, so he passed easily.

The fifth and sixth questions were both related to anime from his previous life: one asked the location of the Marineford Arc in One Piece, and the other asked the name of the poison Conan drank at the beginning…

This couldn't help but make Ebner suspect that the senior named Alvin Abraham had a similar range of knowledge to his own, perhaps they were peers.

As for the rewards he received after successfully passing three rounds, they were a shirt, a formal suit, and half a tube of demon blood, respectively.

"Sure enough, the shirt costs around 1 pound, the formal suit is about 10 pounds, and half a tube of demon blood is an excellent spiritual material; it would definitely sell for 100 pounds…"

"This is truly a quantitative leap!"

As Ebner pondered with the half-tube of demon blood, Herta's chilling voice came through again:

"Your luck is truly extraordinary to have answered six questions correctly in a row!

"Unfortunately, starting from the seventh question, it will involve high-sequence knowledge, and the probability of obscure questions will also be higher. There was once a 'Mysticism Magister' holding a Beyonder item with the 'Winner' ability who was trapped here and also stopped at the eighth question!"

His tone hadn't changed, but his words clearly carried a hint of "curse"…

Is this guy panicking a bit? That makes sense. The item value corresponding to the seventh question will likely be 1000 pounds, which is no small sum… And the eighth question will jump directly to 10000 pounds. It's normal for him to panic, especially since my answering speed is beyond his expectations.

Ebner chuckled to himself, then directly initiated the seventh question:

"What is the name of the Sequence 2 potion for the 'Seer' pathway?"

Tsk, an ordinary mid-Sequence Beyonder probably wouldn't know this… But for a Transmigrator, this question is a piece of cake!

"Miracle Invoker!" Ebner gave the answer without hesitation.

This time, after nearly half a minute of waiting, the reward appeared on the podium.

It was a "Knowledge Keeper" potion formula.

Although it's completely useless to me, this space clearly recognizes its value… Ebner nodded thoughtfully. Then, without waiting for the "Mirror Apostle" to speak, he immediately started the eighth question.

The new question that appeared on the blackboard was indeed quite obscure. Even Transmigrators or Ancient Ones might not be able to answer it…

"Someone came to buy what?"

Ebner pondered for a moment, then cautiously replied, "Melon?"

"Answer correct!

"Issuing reward…"

A moment later, a Beyonder item was "teleported" onto the podium… It was a double-barreled shotgun, with different symbols and patterns drawn on its left and right sides, making it look quite magical.

A Beyonder weapon worth ten thousand pounds? It must have been crafted with a Sequence 5 Beyonder characteristic, at least? Of course, it could also have used several Sequence 6s…

Just as Ebner was about to appraise it, a phantom of "Mirror Apostle" Herta actually appeared on the classroom's glass window.

"Ninth question, you cannot answer correctly again! Otherwise, one of your three women will die!"

After he finished speaking, the glass window displayed a scene of a demonized wildcat tearing apart the orange cat and capturing Fors, Helene, and Fanny.

He wasn't genuinely expecting Ebner to give up on the quiz, but rather to disrupt his state of mind and create an opportunity for himself.

However, observing this scene, Ebner's reaction was far from what the other party anticipated; in fact, his lips even curled into a smile.

That wildcat could tear Leon apart? This is either a purely fake image, or Leon, after subduing that demonic wildcat, transmitted a false image to the other party!

(End of chapter)