Lord of the Mysteries

The Fool acknowledged softly and didn’t deny The Hanged Man’s guess, nor was he certain that it was Queen of Calamity Cohinem. After all, it was impossible for him to take out a gold coin in front of him and perform a divination on the spot.

Alger waited for a few seconds. Seeing no clear response from Mr. Fool, he quickly went into greater detail about what he had said in the prayer. From the woman suspected to be Queen of Calamity Cohinem saying that he had some elven blood in him, to how she gave him a promise of becoming a demigod, as well as the key to the Western Continent and the completion of the agreement.

After recounting everything, Alger shut his mouth and lowered his head, not daring to directly ask Mr. Fool what “He” thought. He obediently waited for the great existence to speak.

Some elven blood... Send something from the Book of Calamity to the Western Continent... The missing Western Continent might reappear again... The Western Continent... The Fool Klein listened quietly. He closed his eyes and calmly said, “This is very dangerous, but this is also an opportunity for you.”

He had already gained initial control of Sefirah Castle, and the power he could mobilize had reached the level of a Sequence 2 angel. As for Queen of Calamity Cohinem, she couldn’t be higher than this level; therefore, he was quite confident that he could resist the various accidents brought about by the Elf Queen.

It was precisely because of this that he dared to claim it to be an opportunity for The Hanged Man.

Of course, the prerequisite for grasping the opportunity was that The Hanged Man wasn’t rash or went overboard. He had to constantly remember to ask for protection at all times. Therefore, Klein specially emphasized that it was very dangerous. He wanted The Hanged Man to remember to pray to Mr. Fool before he took action.

This short sentence had two meanings to it, but he believed that Mr. Hanged Man would definitely understand it.

Alger was delighted as he replied rather sincerely, as though he had learned from The Sun.

“My faith lies only with Mr. Fool!”

These words made Klein feel uneasy as he remembered the pain of being drowned by endless lightning. He could only smile without saying a word.

Alger deliberated for a moment before asking, “Honorable Mr. Fool, what are the incantations or commands needed to enter the Western Continent?”

I would like to know that too... The Fool Klein sighed and said, “It’s not time for you to know.”

“Yes, Mr. Fool.” Alger didn’t ask further as he bowed respectfully.

When he returned to the real world, he immediately walked out of the tent and led his sailors out. Under the light of the morning sun, he spent a certain amount of time reaching the elven ruin.

The scene here was identical to what he had seen in his dream. The withered vines covered the decaying wooden structure, and there were some areas where the text on monuments could be seen. The air seemed to have frozen, as though no one had stepped in for a long time.

Looking around, Alger suddenly thought of a question.

How was he to face the Church after he really relied on the Queen of Calamity to become a demigod?

Directly rebel, becoming the fifth king over the Five Seas—no, the sixth king? But this way, I won’t have a chance to come into contact with the Book of Calamity. Unless I design a situation that forces the Church to use this Sealed Artifact that might’ve been labeled as Grade 0 without my knowledge. That will not only be very difficult, but I have to become a Sea King, or even a Calamity to succeed... Yes, I can request The World’s help... If I wish to continue staying in the Church, I have to give them a reason that they cannot ignore but is sufficiently believable... Alger frowned slightly without hiding his solemnity.

In the eyes of the sailors who followed him, this was a sign that he was worried about the ruin.

As his thoughts churned, Alger gradually came up with ideas:

There are many books in the Church that have records of people turning into demigods due to a fortuitous encounter... Two-thirds of them were invaded by evil gods and devils and eventually lost their lives in the purification process... However, a third of them passed the test and became a high-ranking deacon or a cardinal...

Now that the war has broken out, the situation in Loen is tense. As long as there aren’t any problems during the investigation, the Church wouldn’t mind having an additional Sequence 4 demigod as cannon fodder... Then, I can slowly gain their trust later...

The prerequisite for all of this is that the Queen of Calamity hasn’t truly attempted to corrupt me or left a mark on me...

Considering the various Sealed Artifacts in the Church’s possession, I have to pray for Mr. Fool’s blessings ahead of time... According to Miss Justice, Angel’s Embrace can effectively hide one’s true thoughts and tests in one’s dream...

With the members of the Tarot Club beginning to become demigods or about to become demigods, Alger really didn’t wish to be lining the bottom of the barrel. Just like in the past, he had done so many things in the Church, all for the sake of being superior to others. Now, he was naturally willing to take a certain risk.

With this decision, Alger immediately led his sailors into the ruins and began exploring the path in his dreams.

This time, he didn’t split his subordinates into small teams. On the one hand, he was worried that an accident might occur, and on the other hand, he hoped that they could all be his “witness.”

After fifteen minutes, Alger and his crew arrived beside the giant tree that had signs of its soil being churned.

Before he could survey his surroundings, his vision blurred, and he saw a gorgeous palace made up of coral.

Above the palace was a layer of deep blue seawater that rippled outwards. Giant pillars stood tall and held up an exaggerated dome. It was tall and beautiful, but also dark and gloomy.

Alger looked around and realized that all the sailors beside him had disappeared. He immediately knew that he might have been pulled into an illusion.

He took a silent breath and slowly walked into the coral palace.

There were many elves inside. They were either roasting fish or placing spices in the coagulated animal blood. Their choice of utensil was two tree branches to bring the food to their mouths. None of them minded the entrance of a stranger.

Alger then cast his gaze to the nine-staired stairs a hundred meters away.

On the steps, there was a coral throne inlaid with sapphires, emerald, and lustrous pearls. The Elf Queen, Queen of Calamity, was sitting there, looking down at Alger.

“Very good.” Cohinem nodded and threw out the exquisite gold wine glass.

The gentle but resilient wind held the wine cup in its embrace and, like tiny pixies in a line, carried the corresponding items towards Alger.

Alger reached out to receive it and looked down. He discovered that there was a blue liquid inside the golden cup. It was incorporeal, dreamy, and surreal.

“Drink it, and then head to the waters near the Symeem Island of the Rorsted Archipelago. Find this coral palace. The thing you want is inside.”

“If I don’t drink this ‘wine,’ I won’t be able to see that palace?” Alger asked thoughtfully.

Although he was facing an angel, he was still able to communicate rather calmly. This was because he met a mighty figure every week and was already used to this situation.

Queen of Calamity Cohinem nodded and said, “That’s right.”

“Will you leave a mark on me?” Alger asked cautiously.

“Yes,” Cohinem said coldly. “So, before entering the coral palace and obtaining the corresponding items, you can’t return to Pasu Island. You can’t meet the angels under Leodero.”

The pontiff can’t be met even if I want to... Alger heaved a sigh of relief inwardly before asking, “After I get hold of that item, the effect of this ‘wine’ will disappear?”

Elf Queen Cohinem, replied without any change in expression, “No, you need to directly consume that characteristic.

“When the time comes, this ‘wine’ will transform into a seal, allowing that characteristic to temporarily not invade your body. How you prepare the ritual and explain this to the Church of Storms will be up to you.”

Let the characteristic belong to me first before holding the ritual? This way, there might be a better way for the Church to accept it... Alger thought for a moment before raising his hand to bring the wine cup to his lips.

The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat and disappeared in a blink of an eye. The entire coral palace shattered as the light of dawn and the remnants of the gigantic green tree reappeared in front of Alger.

You didn’t sign a contract or get me to swear an oath? Yes, drinking that cup of “wine” is equivalent to making an agreement... Alger retracted his gaze and said to the surrounding sailors who were unaware, “There’s nothing here. Let’s go deeper and take a look.”

...

In the ancient palace above the fog.

Klein also retracted his gaze from the crimson star representing The Hanged Man and nodded thoughtfully.

That’s Siatas and Mobet’s grave... I never expected that golden wine cup to have such an effect...

That is indeed Elf Queen Cohinem... How’s “Her” present condition? Half of it is in the Book of Calamity, while the other is hiding somewhere unknown. “She” was using the golden wine cup or the characteristic to influence reality?

Mr. Hanged Man hasn’t been contaminated for the time being. I’ll wait for him to head to the Rorsted Archipelago before making another assessment.

As his true body had a limited amount of time left in the Historical Void, Klein didn’t stay any longer, and he returned to the pitch-black wilderness. He carried the lantern that emitted a faint yellow light as he walked towards a certain location.

As he walked, he turned his head to look east, which was symbolic of where Chernobyl was. His footsteps slowed down involuntarily.

Once I gather sufficient information from the Dark Demonic Wolf’s former hiding spots, I’ll head east. I’ll walk all the way until I reach the boundary and confirm the situation. Then, I’ll consider the matter of the Miracle Invoker Beyonder characteristic... Amon probably wouldn’t expect that I would suddenly leave... “He” definitely knows the past of the Dark Demonic Wolf. It’s impossible for “Him” to do the same kinds of investigations that I’ll be doing... Yes, but “He” will definitely be tracking me... Klein exhaled slowly and sped up his pace.

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the dark and red desolate plains. Raindrops began dripping down intermittently.

Klein dragged out a black umbrella from the Historical Void. With one hand holding an umbrella and the other holding the lantern, he proceeded alone.

...

About a week later, the Future was docked somewhere along the long Loen coastline.

Cattleya held a stack of tarot cards in her hand and said to the sailors—Nina, and company, “I’ll be staying in Loen for some time. All of you have to watch Frank and prevent him from doing his strange experiments.”