Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

You’re quite efficient. After receiving the warning, you swiftly unearthed the problem and found the clues. Instead of confirming it yourself, you’re now informing me directly, intending to leverage this issue for the final audit? No wonder you didn’t respond when I inquired about the audit completion date… Franca’s mind raced as she grasped Browns Sauron’s true intentions, representing the Demoness Sect.

Admiring the Demoness’s appearance and demeanor, she smiled and asked, “Is it just a suspicion?”

She was prompting the other party to provide more details.

Browns Sauron ran her fingers through her long orange-red hair and spoke with a somber expression, “After learning from you that the Bliss Society interacts with the participants in the orgies, I observed my friends and noticed two members who were behaving unusually.

“One of them fell in love with a man once again and entered into a romantic relationship. Consequently, she started declining participation in the female orgies. The other one encountered a new woman and succumbed to her advances, leading to feelings of guilt for betraying us.”

Friends? Girlfriends! Franca couldn’t help but criticize.

She smiled and inquired, “Who do you suspect are the members of the Bliss Society?”

“That woman,” Browns Sauron’s aura remained dark. “She took the initiative to ask about the orgies and reassured Adaina that there was no need to feel guilty. She claimed that everyone has the right to control their bodies and freely indulge their desires without caring about others’ opinions, societal judgments, moral restrictions, or religious constraints. She also stated that only deities and churches that genuinely embrace free will, physical freedom, and desire freedom are worth following.”

Physical freedom, desire freedom… It’s indeed the hallmark of the Mother Tree of Desire’s believers… The core members of the Bliss Society truly excel as Actors. Their acting skills are remarkable. They can artfully package indulgence and debauchery, presenting desires as a manifestation of willpower, subtly diminishing the importance of rationality, clarity, and thoughtful reflection… Franca clicked her tongue and inwardly sighed.

For a Demoness of Pleasure, this approach proved highly effective. If the surrounding humans believed it, she could swiftly immerse them in intense and genuine pleasure, causing them to lose themselves in a sea of indulgence. Long-term consequences and effects were typically disregarded by most Demonesses, as they would have already digested the potion by then.

However, Franca could discern that Browns Sauron was possessive and didn’t want her girlfriends to engage with humans outside of the orgies.

“That certainly resembles the Bliss Society,” Franca objectively remarked.

Browns added with a gloomy expression, “As for the other one, the lover is primarily concerned with money, houses, banquets, vacations, and various luxury items. It’s quite evident that he’s a male courtesan. They understand women very well, are eloquent, and possess considerable capabilities.”

“What do you plan to do?” Franca asked curiously.

She sensed that Browns Sauron wasn’t the type to simply give up on one of her girlfriends, especially when the new lover seemed unreliable.

Browns Sauron hesitated for a few moments before saying, “I’ve encountered him before, and I can tell he harbors an unusual desire for me. I intend to teach him a lesson, immersing him in pleasure without granting him true gratification. Once his body and mind are completely under my control, I’ll discard him.”

Wow… Did you learn this without a mentor? Do you even remember your original form? Franca raised an eyebrow, finding a rare target for mockery.

Browns glanced at her mockingly and retorted, “Based on what I’ve discovered and confirmed, you have two male lovers. One is mature, and the other is young. You seem to excel at enjoying yourself.”

Her implication was clear: “What right do you have to mock me? I’m merely planning to offer that man some pleasure without engaging in actual intimacy. As for you, you’ve long abandoned your gender, ending up in the beds of different men!”

Half of my reputation has been tarnished by Ciel! Franca didn’t lose her composure over the humiliation. She maintained a smile and said, “I view this as a unique experience.

“I’ve already become a woman. How can I not explore something entirely different from my previous existence? If you don’t experiment now, you may never have the chance in the future. Don’t you desire to return to your original form. Do you not know how?”

She subtly hinted at her knowledge of mysticism, paving the way for revealing her true motives for infiltrating the Savoie Mob in the future.

Browns was left momentarily speechless, unable to refute Franca Roland’s twisted logic.

Franca continued, “Life is confined to just a few decades. Why confine yourself to such a limited scope? As long as you avoid indulgence and obsession and always remain true to yourself, you’re merely experiencing the present moment. Why not venture into various realms and experiences?”

At this moment, Franca had an epiphany.

Pleasure wasn’t just something to offer to others; it was also meant for oneself!

Is this my first principle of acting…? No wonder my digestion speed hasn’t been slowing down recently; it’s even considered fast… How can being coy be considered Pleasure? Franca thought with a sense of delight.

Browns fell silent for a few seconds before speaking, “Your mindset surpasses my expectations, but with this mindset, it will be very, very challenging for you to perform a ritual, advance to Affliction, or experience pain and inflict it.”

“I’m currently focused on Pleasure. I’ll deal with Affliction when the time comes,” Franca replied casually.

The digestion process would take months, half a year, or even longer to complete. What was the point of worrying too much?

Browns glanced at Franca for a moment, feeling a mix of repulsion and envy.

It wasn’t that she desired it, but the Demonesses she had encountered, whether at higher Sequences or those who had just consumed the Witch potion, lacked this calmness and radiance. Each of them carried their own distortions, conflicts, and pain, and some even teetered on the edge of madness.

Browns decided not to delve further into personal philosophy and steered the conversation back on track.

“Adaina encountered the suspected Bliss Society member at an art exhibition. She goes by the name Theresa and comes from a former noble family. She’s now an art dealer.

“I’ve conducted some investigation. Her identity and name are real, but they don’t belong to her. In other words, there is a real art dealer named Theresa. She’s impersonating her and has altered her appearance to make herself more appealing.

“This aligns with the characteristics of an Actor, as you mentioned. When Adaina had intimate contact with her, she also experienced the abilities of a Sex Addict.

“I attempted to tail her earlier, but I was too cautious and lost her trail.

“Adaina has a date with her tonight.”

Franca listened attentively and then asked thoughtfully, “Can we trust Adaina now?”

Browns’s expression contorted as she replied, “She can be trusted.”

Franca didn’t press further and reminded her deliberately, “Then, will she exhibit any unusual behavior during her date with Theresa tonight? She’s dealing with an Actor.”

“Perhaps. She needs a Psychiatrist or an even more powerful Beyonder of the Spectator pathway to plant a cue or hypnotize her. This will help her maintain her normal state and prevent Theresa from becoming suspicious.

“If you can’t find one in a hurry, I can introduce someone, but it will come at a cost.”

Browns’s expression softened as she nodded in agreement.

“You’re indeed more experienced than I am.”

Following her sigh, she smiled and asked, “Is that Psychiatrist also a man?”

Franca was taken aback.

“Yes.”

Hey, what kind of image do you have of me!

The two of them silently refrained from discussing which side would handle the subsequent questions after identifying the fake Theresa. It was as if they had already reached an unspoken agreement.

…

At 7 p.m., in Quartier de la Maison d’Opéra, just outside the Delan Music Hall, Franca and Lumian, both dressed in light-colored pants, walked toward the entrance while discreetly holding each other’s arms.

They had used Lie to alter their appearances and heights, ensuring that they wouldn’t be recognized by anyone they might know.

Their target for this operation was the woman entering the concert hall, about seven to eight meters away.

Among them, Adaina, a participant in the Red House female orgies, had long, light-yellow hair with thin, curly bangs. Her face was powdered, her eyes light blue, and her nose perky, making her quite attractive. As for the art dealer, Theresa, she had long, wavy brown hair and a simple style. When her flaxen-colored eyes scanned the surroundings, they sparkled with liveliness.

This woman, suspected to be a member of the Bliss Society, had somewhat stiff facial features. It lacked softness but still exuded a strange charm.

Inside the small concert hall, Lumian and Franca found their seats and then swiftly locked onto Theresa and Adaina’s location, discreetly observing them from behind.

Franca watched with interest as Adaina and Theresa leaned against each other, feigning intimacy.

It was a pity that, despite her claim of loving women, Franca’s limited experience mainly revolved around “teasing” Gardner Martin’s other lovers. She had seldom been able to admire such scenes from a distance.

“Be careful,” Lumian warned with a sigh.

Franca responded disapprovingly, “For a Trierien, this attitude is entirely normal. Look around you. Aren’t others openly watching as well?”

Lumian snorted and didn’t push the matter further.

Their immediate objective was observation, not tailing. It was crucial to assess the target’s situation before taking any action.

Turning an ambush and surprise attack into an open confrontation would be a failure for any Hunter.

Lumian’s primary goal was to gather information about Theresa’s probable Sequence. If she happened to be a Sequence 7 Actor or a Sequence 6 Recipient, Lumian was confident in executing a successful surprise attack. However, if she turned out to be a Fallen Tree Spirit of a specific tree with a changed lifeform, the effectiveness of the Spell of Harrumph might be questionable.

Although Franca had suggested using Magic Mirror Divination to gather this intel, Lumian still wanted to witness it firsthand. The desires of a corresponding Sequence of the Mother Tree of Desire pathway couldn’t be easily concealed!