Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

In an isolated house behind Iron Gate Street, the old "Eye of Wisdom" declared the gathering concluded, and the participants departed one after another through different routes, intervals, and orders.

Klein, who had just spent 2,000 pounds purchasing the "Sun Brooch" from the old man, was the first to leave.

Rubbing the dark golden brooch shaped like a sunbird in his hand, Klein wrapped it in spirituality to seal its continuous purification effect, preventing its presence from alerting nearby Extraordinary individuals.

However, he could not mitigate the negative effects. Beads of sweat were already forming on his forehead and dripping steadily.

After leaving the house, Klein quickly shed his hooded robe and removed his iron mask. Taking a roundabout route, he arrived outside the Bravehearts Bar.

He entered, took a quick look around, and then stepped out to hire a carriage.

As he climbed in, he noticed a figure in a black court-style dress sitting quietly across the street.

Miss Sharon sat as if she had been waiting for him, her voice ethereal and dreamlike as she asked,

"Are you ready?"

"Yes. You can choose the ambush location and time. Notify me when you're ready," Klein replied calmly.

To afford the "Sun Brooch," Klein had not only exhausted his savings but had also sold the Sequence 7 "Briber" formula from the "Lawyer" pathway to the "Craftsman's Proxy" lady at the gathering, barely scraping together enough money.

Currently, apart from the 100 pounds reserved in the gray fog as emergency funds, he had only a few soli left.

Sharon stared at him for a moment and said, "Alright."

As she was about to disappear, Klein recalled his theory about the "Magician" acting rules—requiring proactive performances and possibly an "audience"—so he added,

"Tell Kaspars to prepare a crate of explosives, scattered across the designated battlefield."

With Kaspars arranging it, I won't need to pay for the explosives myself.

Sharon paused for a couple of seconds before responding,

"Steve and Linster are also demolition experts."

"No, my goal isn't to blow anyone up," Klein said with a smile. "I just want to put on a fireworks show."

Sharon gazed at him silently for a few seconds before nodding and fading from sight.

Watching her figure dissolve rapidly, Klein leaned back against the carriage wall, opened the window, and let the bone-chilling wind blow in. Despite this, he still felt unbearably hot.

---

Meanwhile, Audrey, Xio, Fors, and Viscount Glaint exited the abandoned hospital in the northern suburbs where the trade gathering had taken place.

Audrey, who had deliberately sought to purchase a "Spectator" formula to attract the attention of the Psychology Alchemists, maintained her usual smile. However, Glaint and Fors appeared dejected, as neither had obtained the materials they needed.

Seeing this, Audrey kindly comforted her friend,

"I'll check my family's treasury when I return. Perhaps I'll find something you need."

Xio, on the other hand, patted Fors on the shoulder and "consoled" her,

"Don't be too down. Even if the materials you want showed up, you might not have been able to afford them."

Is this how you comfort someone, Xio? You've really changed! Fors swatted Xio's hand away in irritation.

On their way to the gathering, Fors had casually mentioned obtaining the "Trickmaster" formula.

Xio was about to say more when she suddenly straightened, furrowing her brows.

"We're being followed!"

She glanced at Audrey, guessing what the other intended. Deciding to react naturally, she asked,

"Should I capture the stalker now?"

Holding a "Level 2" Sealed Artifact from MI9, Xio was confident in her ability to finish the fight quickly. From her perception, the enemy wasn't very strong, likely around Sequence 7.

However, she doubted Audrey would let her act rashly.

As expected, Audrey stared at Xio in shock for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and saying,

"We don't know the enemy's full situation. It's best not to act preemptively. Just prepare for an attack.

"We'll pretend we haven't noticed the stalker.

"If we make it back to the Empress Borough, don't worry about Glaint's and my identities being exposed. You and Fors should leave discreetly."

"Alright, I'll listen to Audrey," Viscount Glaint mumbled reluctantly.

Xio and Fors naturally had no objections.

The carriage continued its journey as usual, occasionally taking detours. Eventually, the group switched carriages as planned.

During this time, the stalker made no attempt to attack.

Once they arrived at the rear entrance of Viscount Glaint's residence in the Empress Borough, the two nobles entered through conventional means. Xio instructed Fors to find her own way home while she donned the "Golden Mask" and began tracking the stalker.

About an hour later, Xio stopped outside a house on Seventh Avenue in the Hillsston District. Through a simple investigation, she quickly learned that the house belonged to a young, independent psychologist named:

"Islant Osisleka."

---

In Daville Port's School

Miss Gwyn noticed Ebner's interest in Indo Harbor and, having lived there for much of her childhood, began recounting what she knew in detail.

The two chatted until evening. After dining together, they parted ways.

After bidding farewell to the tall Gwyn, Ebner organized the information he had obtained. He then returned to his room, sealed the space with a chant, and "drew" a door adorned with magical symbols in the air using his left hand.

This was one of the privileges he had earned after clearing the fifth level of the "Dream Labyrinth Tower"—a portable "Dream Door."

Stepping through, Ebner arrived again at the spacious but sparsely furnished "Reward Space," which contained only a single row of couches.

Wasting no time, he quickly entered his personal resting chamber.

During his experiments with the privileges, Ebner had discovered that the ability to modify the "rules" of his resting chamber was incredibly powerful. He could even add new "laws" to the room, much like a "Law Mage." These laws were strong enough that even ordinary demigods couldn't break them.

For most climbers of the tower, this privilege might seem marginal, offering little beyond the thrill of "absolute authority." However, Ebner saw new possibilities in its essence.

Previously, when using "Roselle Dream Technique" to enter Tran's dream, he had considered reversing the spell to summon others into a "safe" dreamscape for training or aiding in role-playing.

The "Dream Labyrinth Tower" itself was dream-based, and the customizable "rules" of his resting chamber made it a perfect "safe dreamscape."

By establishing rules within the chamber to limit the power of those entering, even a demigod performing a summoning ritual would be at his mercy once inside.

However, upon seeing the costs of creating or modifying "rules," Ebner sighed and muttered,

"Still have to grind, huh..."

---

Monday Afternoon

When Ebner finally emerged from the "Dream Labyrinth Tower," yawning with dark circles under his eyes, it was already 2:30 PM.

"Exhausting, but worth it," he thought, recalling the "Ninth Law" charm resting in his chamber and the first draft of his modified "rules."

He nestled into the couch for a quick nap, only to be awakened by a dense gray fog.

I need to prepare for this Tarot Gathering...

(End of chapter)