Lord of the Mysteries: I Married the Queen Mystic

{T/N: Okay, so some of the readers of this Translation have been kindly asking for more chapters... To that, I can only say, fork up those stones.

While I'm very much capable of doing 2, or maybe 3 chapters daily, that would require that I sacrifice my personal time, which is not something I can do without the proper motivation...

So here's an olive branch; 1 extra chapter for every 150 Stones. In my 'books', this is indeed a 'reasonable' development...}

....

~Forsaken Land of the Gods, City of Silver~

Derrick suddenly awoke from his slumber...

Before his eyes stretched an endless gray fog, and high above sat the exalted 'Fool'.

A distant and ethereal voice echoed in his ears: "I understand. I have a task for you. Test whether this ritual is effective."

Derrick knew that Mr. Fool occasionally assigned experiments to members of the Tarot Club, so he wasn't surprised.

With swift efficiency, he rolled out of bed, gathered the necessary spiritual materials, and immediately began drawing the corresponding symbols and sigils. Once everything was prepared, he lit the candles, closed his eyes, bowed his head, and repeatedly chanted the Fool's honorific name:

"The Fool that doesn't belong to this era…"

He lost count of how many times he recited the name before his mind abruptly grew hazy.

Visions flooded his consciousness... He saw indescribable figures, radiant streams of infinite knowledge in myriad colors, and a towering golden silhouette gazing down upon all from above.

This figure stood beside Mr. Fool amidst the thick gray fog, its back adorned with twelve pairs of enormous and mysterious black wings.

Unconsciously, Derrick felt himself connecting with that figure, as if comprehending the essence of sunlight and learning how to create holy water.

The wondrous spiritual experience intoxicated him, and only when everything faded, replaced by the sight of his simple room, did he snap back to reality.

A sincere smile spread across Derrick's face: 'Was that the 'Secret Deed Ritual' mentioned in textbooks? For over two thousand years, no one in the City of Silver has ever succeeded...'

He lowered his head and spoke reverently, "Praise be to Mr. Fool!"

At that moment, a sudden vision flashed before his eyes. Derrick saw himself... his own body enveloped by a translucent, illusory figure.

The figure wore a black classical robe, a black pointed soft hat, and a monocle made of crystal. Like a serpent, it coiled tightly around him.

A chill ran down Derrick's spine: 'The Amon avatar isn't dead! Somehow, it had parasitized my body under the watch of the Chief and the mystical artifacts in the Spire!'

The vision continued. He saw that during his Secret Deed Ritual, Amon's avatar had reached out, as if attempting to grasp the gray fog beneath the Fool's feet.

But in the next instant, the winged angel beside the Fool suddenly lunged forward, colliding with Amon's avatar.

The illusory figure of Amon vanished...

The vision dissipated, and Derrick's heart finally settled: 'Mr. Fool had discovered Amon's avatar and commanded his attendant angel to eliminate it!'

Once more, he praised wholeheartedly, "Praise be to You, Great Mr. Fool."

....

~Backlund, West Borough, Unit 51 Henry Street~

Odis arrived at the herbal shop early today to slice some herbs...

He had only just begun, when Max entered with breakfast. The two men ate leisurely while chatting.

Max asked, "You're twenty-five this year... have you ever thought about finding a wife?"

Odis chuckled and asked, "What would I need a wife for?"

"To manage your finances," Max pointed at the cream bread in his hand, "And to prepare breakfast for you and your friends."

It was hard to imagine that the owner of the Rosewood Pavilion didn't even have a servant.

Max had advised Odis many times to stop wasting money on his research... or at least to collaborate with the Church of the God of Steam and Machinery for funding. But Odis always refused under various pretexts.

Max even suspected that Odis was researching how to resurrect his family... Because of this, he once consulted scholars in the church to review some of Odis's studies. Only after verifying that they weren't related to necromancy did Max drop the matter.

Today, his wife had suggested introducing her cousin to Odis, which prompted this conversation.

"It's too dangerous," Odis said between bites, "As Beyonders, we constantly struggle against loss of control. So it's far too risky."

Max knew Odis wasn't being entirely truthful, but he had no rebuttal.

After breakfast, he handed Odis the approved funds before leaving for work by carriage.

Odis counted it, and it was exactly 1500 pounds...

Just then, Kain arrived. Odis instructed him, "Take good care of the shop these next two days. You can pause making Flamebolts for now."

Kain understood, "You're leaving again?"

Odis gave a vague hum, then reminded him which herbs needed slicing and which required grinding. Then, he headed to the backyard.

In the lounge, he set up a simple altar and offered 1220 pounds to the Fool, completing yesterday's transaction...

...

Receiving the money, The Fool (Klein) was momentarily stunned: 'Did The Hermit really gather the funds this quickly? Did he max out his credit card or something?'

...

Soon, the formulas for the 'Sailor', 'Seer', and 'Warlock' potions appeared in Odis's mind...

He focused on the 'Warlock' recipe:

«Sequence 7: Warlock»

Main Ingredients:

- Complete brain of a Pale Long-Necked Beast...

- Two fruits of the Fleabane Tree..

OR

- A Warlock Beyonder Characteristic...

Supplementary Ingredients:

- 12 ml of Silver-Beaked Crane blood...

- 6 drops of Aconite juice...

- 18 grams of Black-Edged Lilac powder...

- 60 ml of purified water...

Odis memorized the three formulas, then sighed inwardly: 'The main ingredients for Sequence 7 are rare on the market. Even the supplementary ingredients like Silver-Beaked Crane blood aren't available in herbal shops...'

Though he had attended Beyonder gatherings, he had only heard of Fleabane Tree fruits being traded, never the brain of a Pale Long-Necked Beast.

But advancement wasn't urgent. He could wait until the 'Melee Scholar' potion began digesting before attempting trades at the Tarot Club or with Bernadette.

As for the 'Mysticism Research Society', its level was too low to facilitate trades for Sequence 7 materials...

After this reflection, Odis retrieved the mystical and metal materials he needed from the adjacent warehouse and descended into the basement. Activating the teleportation array, he arrived at his laboratory over 50 kilometers away in the suburbs.

He planned to spend the next two days materializing the research results from the 'Knowledge Moor'.

Placing the materials on the workbench, Odis first sketched the blueprint at his desk. Then, he lit the metallurgical furnace and began crafting the metal framework of the prototype.

Next came engraving the array formations, mixing the mystical pigments, and applying them to the carved patterns.

Finally, he embedded the Amantha Crystal and placed the 'Melee Scholar' Beyonder characteristic, a sphere with alternating black-and-white stripes and intermittent red veins, at the center of the formation.

The prototype was complete.

At that moment, a line of pale text abruptly appeared on the workbench before him:

<...I'm here...>