Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Seeing the genuine fear in Ludwig's eyes, Lumian looked down at himself and noticed the plain white robe with brass threads he was wearing.

He laughed and reassured his godson, "Don't be afraid. There's no exam, and no study."

Ludwig's eyes lit up, and his expression gradually relaxed.

For a moment, he had feared that his godfather had joined the Church of the God of Knowledge and Wisdom, thinking the sky was falling.

Lumian glanced at Lugano, who had hurriedly stood up. He took the former Carnivore bar owner's stomach from the Traveler's Bag and tossed it to Ludwig.

"This is a gift for you."

Having completed his journey to Morora, Lumian was no longer bound by his promises and could now obtain godhood. He decided to accelerate the formation of his hunter team, with Ludwig being the most important member.

Taming this sealed Angel involved granting favors.

Ludwig's expression turned ecstatic, as if he had just ascended from the abyss to heaven.

He eagerly prepared to devour the stomach of the Depriver on the spot.

Lumian rubbed his temples and cautioned, "That's infected with a mystical pathogen. You'd better handle it properly to prevent the disease from spreading."

"A mystical pathogen..." Lugano exclaimed, instinctively distancing himself from Ludwig.

As a professional Doctor, Lugano activated his Spirit Vision, focusing on the stomach for two seconds before confirming the presence of the disease.

Ludwig took a bite at the stomach's pylorus and mumbled, "Once it's in my stomach, the plague won't spread."

"And what about you?" Lumian asked, amused.

"At most, I'll have an upset stomach for a while," Ludwig answered nonchalantly.

Should I skip purifying the food in my Traveler's Bag? Since it wouldn't hurt you...

Lumian mumbled and turned toward his bedroom.

After taking a few more bites, Ludwig lifted his head and hesitantly said, "Thank you. Thank you, godfather."

Lumian smiled, nodding in satisfaction. "Not bad. Your manners have improved a lot."

Ludwig shivered suddenly.

His godfather's tone and expression now resembled those of his most feared people-his teachers!

Lumian said nothing more, heading to his bedroom. He spread out a letter paper and wrote down the key points of his journey to Morora, detailing the problems he had encountered.

Then he summoned the "doll" messenger, handing over the letter along with the Traveler's Bag.

The "doll" messenger disdainfully picked up the Traveler's Bag with two fingers, complaining, "Don't put everything in here! It's too dirty! It's too dirty! It's a trash can now!"

Lumian smiled sheepishly. "I had no other choice."

I can't carry those Sealed Artifacts directly, right?

Their negative effects combined could kill me instantly.

After sending off the "doll" messenger, Lumian collapsed onto his bed without cleaning up the makeshift altar on his desk. He closed his eyes, letting his body relax.

In Morora, he had stayed up late reading and couldn't sleep soundly with a mad Demoness living next door and other enemies possibly ambushing him at any moment, keeping his mind on high alert.

Now, he finally felt a long-lost sense of safety.

Lumian quickly fell into a deep sleep. When he woke, it was already six in the morning of a new day.

Ah, refreshing and comfortable. Lumian sat up, stretched, and saw his Traveler's Bag and a letter on his desk.

"The messenger came without me awakening... This means I trust her quite a bit..." Lumian muttered as he walked to his desk and drew the curtains.

In the morning light, he sat down and read Madam Magician's reply: "For now, leaving a mark to become a proxy is enough. Other matters can be dealt with later. In short, regarding 0-01, you've at least gotten ahead of the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel.

"However, no matter how beneficial something seems, it always has its drawbacks. This means you've officially stepped onto the stage vying for the Red Priest position. You will face more attention and danger. Previously, the Demoness Sect might have seen you as a potential ally, and the Red Angel might have considered using you. Now, eliminating you to vacate the proxy position will be a practical option for them.

"You should also remind Two of Cups to be cautious to avoid being exploited by the Demoness Sect.

"Of course, since both the Demoness Sect and the Red Angel have gained something from this, each leaving a bit of blood on 0-01, their immediate urgency to target you is not very high.

"Regarding the Abscessed Hand, due to significant catastrophes in the Fourth, Third, and Second Epochs, many folklore and legends have not survived. The high-level corruption from the Great Mother on the Abscessed Hand prevents us from direct divination, requiring indirect methods, making it hard to obtain the most effective information. We haven't determined when the related legends first appeared but can confirm their existence at the beginning of the Fifth Epoch.

"From your description of its appearance and state, we reasonably suspect that the Abscessed Hand was a Vampire of Angel rank before its death. According to information from the Sanguine, one of the three dukes, an ancient being born in the Second Epoch, Round Moon Duke Olmer, has no memory of such a kin.

"Note that a Sequence 2 Angel is equivalent to a duke among the Sanguine. Even in the long history of the Sanguine, the number of dukes is very limited, and it's impossible for them not to recognize or remember each other.

"The New City of Silver is currently searching through historical texts related to Omebella for possible clues. I will inform you if they find anything."

Hand Bro isn't a Sanguine. No wonder Madam Magician calls him a vampire.

High-level beings of the Moon pathway are not equivalent to the Sanguine, just like the followers of the Primordial Moon in the Rose School of Thought are not considered Sanguine but are referred to as Artificial Vampires or something...

Lumian leaned back in his chair and continued reading.

"You can also try to get information from the Aurora Order. The secrets the one they believe in holds are among the top even among true gods.

"According to my divination, Albus Medici is still alive. His ancestor, the Red Angel, reached some sort of tacit agreement with someone or something in the special mirror world after entering Fourth Epoch Trier through the Hostel plan. This had significantly reduced the danger for Albus to escape from Morora through the special mirror world.

"No need for regrets. This is good news. At least we know the Red Angel might be cooperating with powerful beings in the special mirror world.

"The Grade 1 Sealed Artifact is called Black Tear, created from the tear of a Demoness of Despair after her death, fusing with her Beyonder characteristics.

"Black Tear continuously produces the mystical pathogen that infected you, spreading it around without stopping.

"Wearing Black Tear significantly enhances your charm, with a slight feminine touch, but it won't change your gender.

"Black Tear can help you master some mirror magic, including passing messages through the mirror world, Mirror Traversal, and mirror illusions.

"It also makes your Cull more lethal, allowing you to infuse all your power into a single Cull.

"In places with a special mirror world, Black Tear can help you utilize its special characteristics and power.

"Those were the effects. The negative effects are:

"The wearer also gets infected with the mystical pathogen, with Demonesses of Affliction being less affected and more resistant;

"The wearer experiences intermittent Pleasure, every 45 to 90 seconds;

"Even just carrying it makes you more emotional, more easily moved, and persuaded;

"Having Black Tear also increases the likelihood of unwanted romantic encounters, based on the curse from the Demoness of Despair before her death."

Reading this, Lumian couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

This Sealed Artifact seems more suitable for a forbidden book like Monks Chasing Dogs.

Pleasure every 45 to 90 seconds is a major problem in battle!

Franca can't use it either, unless it's a quick fight. The mystical plague takes time.

For now, I can only treat it as an unlimited Mirror Cufflink, using it briefly and then sealing it... Lumian pondered and continued reading Madam Magician's sealing methods.

"The most versatile solution is to find a Sealed Artifact of the Sun pathway that continuously purifies the surrounding area, placing it with Black Tear. How to mitigate the Sun pathway Sealed Artifact's negative effects is another matter.

"The simplest but most demanding solution is to place Black Tear in a mirror, confining the pathogen to the area behind the mirror. Don't worry, the Plague can't travel through the mirror. The issue is that without other items to interact with the mirror world, you can't retrieve Black Tear. If the mirror sealing it breaks, Black Tear will be lost in the mirror world, wandering who knows where.

"The custom solution is that I've isolated a separate space in your Traveler's Bag. Regularly throw in a flame that can burn for over half an hour to incinerate the mystical pathogen.

"I've also purified the other items in your Traveler's Bag. No need to worry about infection."

Lumian finished reading the letter and exhaled deeply.

This is the benefit of the Tarot Club!

After burning the letter, he checked the Traveler's Bag, confirming that Celeste's Demoness of Affliction Beyonder characteristic was a beautiful eye, stored with the corpse chunks in the isolated space with Black Tear. To use it later, he would need to purify or "disinfect" it first.

Hanging the Traveler's Bag, Lumian walked to the full-length mirror in the room.