Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

The person who suddenly appeared in the room, though his voice sounded old, actually looked to be in his early twenties at most. He wore a white shirt, a brown vest, and a double-breasted black long coat. His appearance was quite ordinary, with no striking features…

This might align with the characteristics of a Thief.

Ebner, holding "Lilith's Tear" in one hand and the "historical projection" charm given by the Goddess in the other, scrutinized the newcomer with his Pure White Eye for a few moments before raising an eyebrow and asking,

"Parasite?"

"Heh, as expected of the person in the Great Emperor's prophecy, you saw through me at once… But you should put away those dangerous things in your hand; my main body isn't here, so they don't pose much of a threat to me," the young man chuckled with an old voice.

That's because you don't know its "Desolation" radius… Ebner silently grumbled, but only put away "Lilith's Tear."

Then, he composed his words and asked again, "Are you the leader of the 'Men in Black'? I should thank you for saving Edwina… However, do you have something to discuss with me?"

"The leader of the 'Men in Black' will always be the great His Majesty 'Caesar'. I am merely acting as the 'Commander's' proxy." At this point, he glanced at Edwina on the bed, then continued, "I was once Lord Edwards' aide-de-camp, so naturally, I wouldn't stand by and watch Miss Edwina get into trouble… Furthermore, she is also a person from the 'prophecy'."

Another "prophecy"? What arrangements did the Great Emperor make in Tosk? And what's so special about Tosk, why did the Seal of Calamity and Roselle both "make their move" here sequentially…

Hmm, perhaps the latter was following in the footsteps of the former, but this also indicates that what they are planning is no small matter!

"What is this 'prophecy'? How did I become a person from the 'prophecy'?" Ebner thought for a moment and tentatively asked.

The "parasitized" youth smiled without speaking, only taking out a book from his bag that looked normal but felt as if it were composed of many "worms."

It had an ancient and mottled black iron cover, with a strange clockwork-like lock attached to its side.

"This branch of our 'Men in Black' was originally ordered to look after His Majesty's descendants in Tosk… but later, we received the task of waiting for the 'person of prophecy'… And His Majesty ordered me to give this book to the 'person of prophecy,' which is you, Detective Ebner Bryan." The old voice rang out again. The youth didn't hand the book to Ebner but placed it on the table beside him.

Ebner, while examining the book with his Pure White Eye, casually asked, "Do you know me? Oh, and what should I call you?"

"Heh, although our 'Men in Black' no longer have the Empire's support, and our numbers are far fewer than a century ago, we are still one of the world's leading intelligence organizations… And information about you is not scarce." The youth ended the topic here and then chuckled, "As for a name, those of us in this line of work don't really have names. But you can call me 'Heart 1'."

Did the "Aurora Order" register the letter codes first, so the "Men in Black" had to start using "playing cards"?

While grumbling inwardly, Ebner also initially "analyzed" the general nature of the black iron-covered book—what it contained was still unknown, but the book itself was very likely made from "Time Worms"!

"Could this be the book Leon mentioned, made by Roselle using a captured Amon clone? This could truly be a genuine Book of Amon…

"However, that 'lock' is very special; it seals the actual function of the book… Even my Pure White Eye cannot 'analyze' it in a short time…

"But why would the Great Emperor give me this book? This thing attracts Amon, you know… While I'm not too afraid of Amon's clones, I don't want to actively lure him over… Could this old fellow be trying to shift trouble onto someone else?"

As he pondered, Ebner frowned, about to refuse.

But at that moment, Edwina tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "This book is related to that travelogue…"

She didn't elaborate, even deliberately controlling her thoughts to prevent the "parasite" from prying into anything.

Travelogue… Groselle's Travels? Right, the reason Edwina asked to meet me in Tosk was because she found a "safe" way to enter the world within that travelogue…

Regarding that travelogue, I previously speculated it should be an arrangement made by the Seal of Calamity after leaving Roselle…

But here, it's connected to the Book of Amon… Did Roselle later find the arrangements left by the Seal of Calamity and then modify them himself?

However, since the Book of Amon is involved in this matter, I have no choice but to accept it.

"Besides, Amon's main target should still be this 'Kaspersky' stronghold. Even with some aggregation, I can place it in the 'Quiz Labyrinth'… I remember the fourth level of authority has a function to 'weaken' the influence of Beyonder aggregation… although the price is quite steep, 10 pounds per hour."

After weighing it in his mind for a while, Ebner ultimately accepted the black iron-bound book.

As for "sacrificing" it to Mr. Fool, Ebner felt it wouldn't be quite appropriate. This was, after all, Amon's item, and it had arrangements made by the Great Emperor in his later years under the influence of contamination. If Klein were to recklessly "divine" it, there might be danger…

"I have completed the task from the 'prophecy,' and I won't keep you any longer… You are free to leave here now.

"Hmm, I will temporarily open a 'door' in the 'barrier.' I trust you can take advantage of this opportunity." The youth nodded with satisfaction after Ebner put away the book.

"Good." Ebner didn't ask anything further. After all, in front of such a "spy master," he was still too "green" to extract any useful information; anything he learned would inevitably be what the other party deliberately revealed.

With that, he walked to the bed, holding Edwina by her legs and back, and lifted her. At the same time, his Pure White Eye operated at its peak, and he quickly found an invisible "door" open in the underground space's "barrier." From outside this "door," he also connected to Chesi's coordinates.

Knowing the opportunity was brief, and that failure to seize it might truly leave her trapped, Edwina showed no shyness. While complying with Ebner's movements, she grabbed a small bag from the bed, which contained her personal belongings.

"The butler of that young master from the Delien family is very likely Amon!"

As a repayment for the "Men in Black" rescuing Edwina, Ebner warned the parasitized youth.

Immediately after, their figures blurred, entering the mysterious spiritual world where seven pure lights hung high above.

In that strange world, higher than reality, Ebner, holding Edwina, took a step in a certain direction.

A few breaths later, they emerged from their transparent, illusory state, returning to reality, to a guest room in a hotel in Tosk.

Chesi was sitting on the head of the bed, watching them.

.....

"The year when the great fog submerged all living beings, the Hermit Gathering of Fate…

"My bloodline… the foolish generation… after the Knight… those who ignore the 'Rat Way,' taking the 'Book of Pirated Fortune'…

"The sacrifice arrives… I shall return…"

Watching Ebner and Edwina disappear, the youth silently recited the fragmented text. It was part of the "prophecy" left by Emperor Roselle the last time he summoned him.

"Your Majesty, please forgive my incompetence. For all these years, I have been unable to decipher its full meaning…" The parasitized youth sighed.

He returned to his study. After a while, the dark golden-haired man named Gute rushed in and reported, "President, Madam Denise just delivered the latest intelligence. Her husband told that playboy from the Delien family how to summon and command 'guides'."

At this point, he added with a hint of guilt,

"Although there are other arrangements with the 'guides,' and the 'Rat Way' ritual can be activated at any time… I feel this matter is extremely urgent and must be brought to your immediate attention…"

You know it's "urgent"? Then why did you waste nearly half an hour on the bed? The youth looked at Gute with a half-smile but said nothing more, only deciding that this person could be a potential candidate for deep "parasitism" in the future.

He waved his hand and casually said, "I know, don't worry."

Gute breathed a sigh of relief and then excused himself and left.

"Amon's clone… and that descendant of the Delien family who believes in the True Creator…

"So that's it… These truly are good 'sacrifices'!

"Your Majesty, can you truly return this time?"

Thinking this, the youth had one of his clones lead a portion of the members he hadn't parasitized to evacuate the stronghold.

Firstly, those people could not be fully trusted.

Secondly, it was to leave a spark for the "Men in Black" to continue.

Regardless of success or failure, "Kaspersky" would be destroyed.