Lord of Mysteries: The Traveler

Florent thought he should consider himself lucky...

After all, he had surpassed a vast majority of people and became an extraordinary being, a Beyonder, gaining power beyond that of ordinary humans, arguably the most solid form of self preservation in this accursed world.

Yet, Florent also believed he was unfortunate...

Unfortunate because he had stepped onto the 'Apprentice' Pathway, which is part of the group that is commonly known as the 'Cowardly Trio'.

Among these three, the 'Apprentice' Pathway was considered the least impressive...

Not because the sequence itself was weak, but because its representative figures were underwhelming.

The 'Seer' Pathway had figures like Klein Moretti, Zaratul, Antigonus, and the 'Annihilation Demonic Wolf Flegrea'.

The 'Error' Pathway had Amon and Pallez Zoroast.

But the 'Apprentice' Pathway only had 'Mr. Door', that is Bethel Abraham, a figure with an imposing presence, yet upon 'His' debut, 'He' ended up succumbing to Amon.

However, this was not the reason Florent considered himself unfortunate. The real reason was that his full name was Florent Abraham...

If nothing unexpected happened, he would at most become an 'Astrologer'. After that, he would either die of old age, be driven to madness by Bethel's ravings, or turn to an evil or righteous deity for survival.

Fortunately, this morning, Florent came across a piece of news in the Trier Daily:

< Congratulations to the great Consul, the Son of Steam, Sir Roselle Gustav, on his 11th year of presiding over the Republic of Intis...>

This news sent Florent into a frenzy of joy. He glanced at the date on the newspaper:

< July 5, 1183... >

Florent was an avid reader of the 'Lord of the Mysteries' series, a franchise renowned for its grand worldview and realistic portrayal of a mystical historical setting...

So Florent clearly remembered that this date held significant meaning for all members of the Abraham family on the 'Apprentice' Pathway.

It meant that Bethel's 'Full Moon Ravings' would soon be answered...

Bethel was the ancestor, glory, and nightmare of the Abraham family. It was his ravings that brought both suffering and safety to the Abrahams.

Roselle would engage in a long conversation with Bethel during these 'Full Moon Ravings'. The current date was July 5, 1183, and Roselle would respond to the ravings on November 18, 1183. Roselle would eventually fall in 1198.

However, the lengthy conversations between Roselle and Bethel would not last the full 15 years. During this time, Bethel's ravings would continue, but their intensity would likely diminish.

This period also saw the rise of the Abraham family, with members advancing in their Sequences. ~Sights in the Spirit World~ was written during this time, likely by a 'Scribe' or even a 'Traveler'. However, none of them could advance to become a demigod.

This became particularly evident when Fors Wall, an honorary member of the Abraham family, advanced to 'Secrets Sorcerer'. Fors nearly lost control due to 'Mr. Door's' ravings, but fortunately, she was in a state of good luck and had Klein's guidance, allowing her to barely escape the madness.

For the actual members of the Abraham family, advancing to demigod status would have been even more difficult. Fors was not even a true member of the Abraham family, she was merely an 'Apprentice' who had been dragged into their affairs.

Florent believed that if he wanted to become a demigod, or even an angel, or perhaps go further, he would have to advance to demigod status within these 15 years...

Even with the acting method, such a speed of digestion was almost fantastical. It meant Florent would have to constantly stir up trouble and digest his potions without a moment's rest during these 15 years.

If Florent simply wanted to survive, he could choose to do nothing during these 15 years and only advance to 'Astrologer'. That wouldn't be a bad life really. But eventually, he would grow old, lose his strength, and lose control of himself, leading to a gruesome death...

Therefore, Florent could not stop. He had to advance to demigod status within these 15 years, or else he would live in constant fear for the rest of his life.

Additionally, maintaining his sense of self and avoiding losing control during the advancement to demigod status, especially under the influence of Bethel's ravings would be extremely difficult. But Florent had no choice but to keep searching for methods as he progressed.

The resources of the Abraham family were enough to allow Florent to advance to grounded Angel status without much pressure. As for Sequence 1, Florent thought he might consider the 'Attendant of Mysteries' characteristic from the out-of-control Zaratul... This was Florent's only chance to advance to Sequence 1 and become an Archangel...

But back to reality, after all Rome wasn't built in a day.

Florent Abraham was currently single, unmarried, a homeowner, and an orphan with no siblings... a classic template for a male protagonist in a web novel. He was an ordinary rentier, the kind that would make the 'god of Poverty' weep.

Florent owned 2% of the shares of Trier Commercial Bank, which yielded an annual income of 3 000 pounds. He also owned a property at '34 Corson Street', Golden Hampstead District, Trier, located in a standard affluent neighborhood.

His fixed assets included 20 000 pounds in bank deposits, yielding an annual interest of 800 pounds, and a liquid fund of 1 342 pounds. There's no need to dwell on how rich or poor Florent was, as it was not particularly important. His wealth placed him at the threshold of the upper class, but it was still enough to make the 'god of Poverty' weep.

The 'Apprentice' Sequence was the starting point of a Mage build Pathway, so acquiring knowledge, especially mystical knowledge, was essential.

Whether it was Western Mages or modern Eastern Mystics with supernatural powers, people generally believed they possessed knowledge beyond the understanding of ordinary humans. Knowledge was power, so Florent believed he needed to do some reading.

Fortunately, as a member of a fallen Angel Family, Florent had inherited a wealth of mystical knowledge from his late father. As for other necessary knowledge, Florent thought he could acquire it from the libraries in Trier.

He was particularly fortunate because Trier was home to a library renowned across the Northern Continent, the Trier National Library. Its collections spanned countless subjects, making it one of the holy lands for knowledge seekers.

Florent felt he needed practical knowledge to prepare for the later Sequences.

The 'Apprentice' Pathway, from Sequence 9 to Sequence 0 consisted of:

9 - Apprentice

8 - Trickmaster

7 - Astrologer

6 - Scribe

5 - Traveler

4 - Secrets Sorcerer

3 - Wanderer

2 - Planeswalker

1 - Key of Stars

0 - Door

From 'Apprentice' to 'Traveler' was the mortal stage...

From 'Secrets Sorcerer' to 'Wanderer' was the demigod (Saint) stage...

From 'Planeswalker' to 'Key of Stars' was the godhood (Angel) stage...

And finally 'Door', which was the divine (True god) stage...

In Fors' advancement to 'Secrets Sorcerer', the Sequences of 'Trickmaster', 'Astrologer', and 'Scribe' all had acting principles that allowed for quick digestion.

Florent believed that during this process, he might need knowledge related to magic tricks, divination, travelogues, and geography to provide the necessary foundation for his acting.

Speculating further on the digestion of the 'Apprentice' potion, Florent thought the Sequence might require the potion taker to actively engage in learning.

Looking at Klein's journey of digesting potions, the internal logic of the potions was self-consistent, from reverence for Fate to mastering it, the underlying theme was to hide oneself and grow in secret.

As for the 'Apprentice' Pathway, Florent felt that concepts like Guidance, Keys, and Freedom were particularly important.

The one closest to 'Door', Bethel Abraham, the ancestor who led the Abraham family to its current state, had the Honorific Name:

'Great Door of All Doors;

Guide of Endless Cosmos;

Key to all Mysterious Worlds...'

The Honorific Name of a deity often hinted at the Acting Principles for their corresponding Pathway, representing the authority it wielded.

This was common knowledge in the mystical world... 'Knowledge Is Power'...

....

{T/N: As some of you can probably see, I tried my very best to make make this TRANSLATION make sense and be as canonical as possible... I spent almost an entire day on the LOTM Fandom just for this chapter alone... So that should be enough hint to let y'all know that the upload rate for this TRANSLATION will be a tad bit slow, especially since I'm also TRANSLATING a few other fics on the side...

...Quality over Quantity... A very good motto that I abide by...

Anyways, what are your thoughts on the TRANSLATION so far?}