Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Amon… So the storyline hasn't changed because of my arrival… The fateful confrontation between Amon and the Fool over the "Seer" pathway is truly about to begin… Ebner sighed inwardly.

Amon! Xio, still disguised in her noblewoman attire, narrowed her eyes. She had seen this name in the files of the Military Intelligence 9th Division. It was said that the Church of Steam had recently "stumbled upon" a tomb belonging to the Amon family and had discovered many Beyonder materials inside.

Amon? Klein thought for a moment and quickly remembered the source of his familiarity. The Hanged Man had mentioned this name in a previous Tarot meeting.

Similarly, Justice Audrey also turned to The Hanged Man, thinking, The only time I've heard this name was from Mr. Hanged Man… and that was before Mr. Tower even joined the Tarot Club.

The Magician Fors, on the other hand, stared blankly, realizing that the conversation had once again leaped out of her range of knowledge.

The Hanged Man Alger frowned slightly, glancing at The Tower and noticing that he had no intention of speaking. Alger then asked The Sun in confusion:

"Did your exploration team encounter someone claiming to be Amon?"

The Sun Derrick nodded earnestly.

"Yes. Forty-two years ago, an exploration team encountered someone claiming to be Amon in the depths of the darkness. After returning to Silver City, they gradually went mad and lost control, except for one survivor who was confined at the bottom of the round tower… right next to me."

The Hanged Man pondered briefly, carefully organizing his thoughts before explaining the status of the Amon family in the Fourth Epoch, particularly during the Tudor Dynasty. Finally, he said:

"There's a rumor passed down from Nast, the King of the Five Seas, that the Amon family are blasphemers. They possess the secret of stealing the power of gods!

"Additionally, the Amon family claims to be descendants of the Ancient Sun God."

Ancient Sun God? From the name alone, it sounds like one of the authorities of the Lord… Derrick was left bewildered, feeling as though his brain was struggling to process all the information.

Seeing Derrick fall silent, The Hanged Man stroked his chin and asked:

"The Amon family is an ancient lineage stretching back one or two thousand years, almost synonymous with history. I'm very curious—why did the individual you encountered appear near Silver City? What was his purpose?"

He directed this question not at Derrick, but at The Tower. It was clear that he believed Derrick wouldn't know the answer, but Ebner might have an unexpected insight.

The others had the same thought and all turned their eyes toward Ebner in unison. Even The World was a beat late in making the same motion.

Ebner hesitated for a moment before answering simply:

"I cannot judge his purpose… But one thing is certain—the Amon family possesses an Angel of the Marauder pathway!

"Moreover, aside from Mr. Fool, if anyone else could possibly enter the Forsaken Land, the only one I can think of is him…"

An Angel of the Marauder pathway? Could the so-called 'secret of stealing the power of gods' be a high-sequence manifestation of this pathway? Hmm, during a past Tarot meeting, Miss Justice mentioned that the Nighthawks in Backlund once had their 'thoughts' stolen by a demigod of the Marauder pathway… Perhaps, at the peak of this pathway, one could indeed steal from a god…

Klein nodded thoughtfully under the cover of the gray fog, but no one else could see it.

A Marauder pathway… Could this be the same pathway as that elusive demigod the Nighthawks still haven't caught? Audrey recalled the story shared by Captain Glaint and almost blurted it out.

Judgment Xio, after some thought, said:

"The Church of Steam recently completed an exploration of an Amon family tomb near White Cliff Town in the Stratford Gulf…"

The Magician Fors's eyes lit up. She was deeply fascinated by tales of exploration and immediately asked with curiosity:

"Miss Judgment, could you tell us more about the Church of Steam's exploration?"

You're not this polite when you talk to me in private… Xio silently complained, shaking her head."The 9th Division only received a summary report from the Machinery Hivemind. We know they retrieved a significant amount of materials and ultimately destroyed the tomb… but there were no specific details in the briefing."

Ebner was equally surprised by Xio's account. That tomb being excavated by the Machinery Hivemind happened over a month earlier than in the original plotline…

This must be one of the butterfly effects I've caused. Perhaps because the Dragon's Tooth Tavern, where Fanny and Emma posted their exploration commission, was requisitioned due to the Conway Baron incident, which leaked the information and accelerated the exploration.

"I see…" Fors adjusted her posture, feeling slightly disappointed. However, she made a mental note to convince Xio to check the archives at the 9th Division after the meeting.

An Angel of the Marauder pathway… But Beyonders of this pathway are exceedingly rare. Of all the people I've heard about, none seem to have abilities resembling a Marauder.

Only Mr. Fool and Amon can enter the Forsaken Land… If Mr. Fool relies on sheer power, does Amon rely on stealing the authority to 'enter' such a place?

Also, if the Machinery Hivemind sent a report to the 9th Division, they must have sent one to the Mandated Punishers as well. Perhaps I can ask someone to procure it.

While Alger contemplated these possibilities, he discreetly glanced at The Fool and noticed that even Amon hadn't managed to stir any visible interest from the enigmatic figure. Slightly disappointed, Alger turned back to Derrick and said:

"Speak with the former team captain next door. See if you can glean any new information."

After a brief pause, he added sternly:

"But be extremely careful and cautious. I believe that person is exceedingly dangerous."

"Dangerous? Mr. Hanged Man, you think so too?" Derrick asked in surprise.

The six-member council thought the same thing!

Alger glanced up at the towering dome above and explained patiently: Everyone else died, yet he survived. He's been confined for forty-two years and remains lucid and rational. And he's connected to someone who might be an Angel of the Marauder pathway… Isn't that suspicious enough?

Derrick finally understood and said sincerely:

"I understand.

"Thank you, Mr. Hanged Man!"

Then, he turned to Ebner and added, "Thank you as well, Mr. Tower… Also, I'll gather the materials I promised you as soon as I'm released from the round tower."

That's going to take a while… This situation won't be resolved quickly. Ebner thought, but outwardly, he just smiled and said, "I'm glad I could help."

With that topic concluded, the Tarot meeting proceeded as usual. Audrey submitted three pages of Roselle's Diary, and when The Fool asked what she wanted in exchange, she opted for a private discussion.

Moments later, when the other members regained their perception, they noticed Justice was quickly masking the excitement and astonishment on her face. Everyone couldn't help but grow curious about what she had asked The Fool.

Only Ebner, recalling the original story, deduced that she had likely caught a glimpse of the Black Emperor card and truly understood what the Mystery of Godhood entailed.

At the same time, Ebner had already materialized three pages of the diary. One was his earlier fabrication, while the other two were selected from the entertainment entries found in Fanny's grandfather Surrey's diary.

This is to dilute any potential suspicion Klein might have… Although, at this point, I'm not too concerned if Klein realizes I'm also a "compatriot."

But it's still better to keep it under wraps. After all, if Mr. Fool loses the ability to commit his "amusing antics" during Tarot meetings, wouldn't we lose so much joy?

On the other side, Klein noticed that Mr. Tower had, unsurprisingly, chosen to continue accumulating contributions. He then transferred the three pages of the diary to his side and began to read them carefully. —He had already reviewed the diary submitted by Justice during their private exchange.

"January 25th, on a night of a blood moon, I successfully connected with Mr. Door once again.

This time, we continued our discussion about the angelic families loyal to the Tudor Dynasty—Antigonus, Amon, Jacob, and Tamara.

But he simply laughed and told me that Jacob had long since withered, Tamara had split into two factions and was barely holding on, Antigonus was in an even worse state than he was… and Amon isn't even truly a family!"

(End of Chapter)