Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

In the piano room, after finishing her practice, Audrey glanced at the clock and realized the Tarot Club meeting was approaching. She began making her way back to her bedroom.

As she passed by her father, Earl Hall's study, she noticed the door was slightly ajar, and a thick stack of documents lay on the desk.

Those weren't there before… Audrey's curiosity was piqued. She slowed her steps and gave a meaningful look to her golden retriever, Susie—she was becoming increasingly proficient at communicating with her dog using just her eyes.

As a "Spectator" for quite some time, Susie could easily understand what her owner wanted her to do. However, she would occasionally pretend not to understand, preferring to lie down and stay put.

But this time, Susie didn't play dumb. She trotted into the study, propped her two front legs on the edge of the desk, and stood upright.

After a quick glance at the top sheet of the document stack, she returned to Audrey's side and whispered in a low voice:

"Survey on Living Conditions in the East Borough, Dock District, and Factory District."

"Audrey, what does that mean?"

A survey of the East Borough, Dock District, and Factory District? Why is Father suddenly conducting such an investigation? Could it be that my previous subtle hints have had an effect?

Audrey was puzzled, and she didn't immediately answer Susie's question.

Looking around and ensuring no one was watching, she calmly entered Earl Hall's study and approached the desk to examine the documents.

The top report was authored by a journalist named Mike Joseph… Behind it were several other investigations conducted from different perspectives…

Some even mentioned the spread of cults and collusion between certain Beyonders and criminal gangs… At the bottom of the documents, there was the emblem of the Goddess…

Father and the Church have both conducted investigations? Are these compiled reports? No wonder during the luncheon, Father and several committee members discussed the Anti-Pollution Act and the Smoke Emission Reduction Act… They must be planning to start by tackling the factory district's pollution issue and gradually improve conditions in the East Borough and Dock District!

Hmm… Perhaps Father also intends to use this opportunity to build a reputation for Hibbert… But overall, this is still a good thing!

With a sigh of relief, Audrey glanced at the clock hanging in the study and saw it was nearly three o'clock. She abandoned the idea of carefully reading through the documents, restoring them to their original position.

Before leaving, she casually pulled a book from the shelf to make it look like she had entered the study to borrow reading material.

...

Bayam, Fragrant Manor

Ebner sat in the living room, sipping coffee while observing the slightly anxious Winter nearby. With a smile, he said:

"Mr. Winter, have you thought it through? I can offer you an annual salary of 30 pounds."

After observing Winter for several days, Ebner had concluded that he was a capable and well-connected young man with a good personality—exactly the kind of person he needed to handle mundane tasks such as purchasing materials and gathering intelligence.

Although Ebner already had a personal maid, Helene, she was primarily responsible for managing the manor's maids and overseeing financial expenses. And according to their "contract," she couldn't leave the estate without his permission.

As for Butler Harvey, he had anticipated his new employer would want to place his own confidant in the estate, which is why he had refrained from recommending a personal male attendant.

Winter seems like a promising candidate. If he continues to prove reliable, I could consider training him as a Beyonder in the future. That way, even the purchasing of materials and artifacts could be entrusted to him…

I do have several low-sequence Beyonder characteristics at hand. Whether it's Hunter, Sailor, Corpse Collector, or Sleepless, they're all viable options… Hmm, as an employer, providing Sleepless might be the most appropriate choice…

At this moment, Winter's heart was already swaying. Over the past few days, he had developed a favorable impression of Mr. Bryan, finding him to be a refined gentleman and, more importantly, the renowned Hero Detective Bryan, one of his personal idols.

But the real deciding factor was the salary—30 pounds a year!

While it might not seem like much, in the colonies, it was considered a generous salary for someone of Winter's social class. Even his peers in Backlund rarely earned more than that.

To put things into perspective, Winter had earned just 10 soli over the past few days assisting Ebner, and he still had to pay 30% of that as a commission to the Service Company that introduced him. High-paying jobs like this were rare.

Finally… A stable, respectable job? Renee, I can finally give you a home…

Suppressing the surge of excitement in his heart, Winter's voice trembled slightly as he said:

"I am willing to serve you, Mr. Bryan."

"Excellent. I'll have a lawyer draft the contract as soon as possible," Ebner said with satisfaction.

Suppressing his internal musings, Ebner patted Winter on the shoulder and said warmly:

"I heard you're from the far western island of Simium? I can give you an advance on your first month's salary and grant you a few days off to bring your family to Bayam and settle them here."

Winter's eyes lit up with gratitude, and he said with deep emotion:

"Thank you, Mr. Bryan. I'll make sure not to disappoint you!"

Ebner nodded with a smile. At the same time, he began mentally planning how to integrate Winter into his growing network and how best to utilize this capable young man's talents.

"I don't have any family left…" Winter shook his head, a look of sadness crossing his face. But then he straightened up, his expression turning determined as he said gratefully, "However, I do need a short vacation… I—I have a girl I like, her name is Renée… I want to return to Simium Island and confess to her… If she agrees, I'll bring her back here…"

Mid-sentence, Winter noticed that Mr. Bryan was looking at him with a strange expression. Realizing he had let himself get carried away, Winter immediately apologized:

"I'm sorry, Mr. Bryan. I… I shouldn't have let my personal affairs disturb you…"

Ebner waved his hand nonchalantly, signaling that he wasn't bothered. But internally, he was quite taken aback. Renée? Isn't Winter the same unlucky guy from the original storyline who picked up a Beyonder characteristic, carried it around, and ended up growing mushrooms all over his body?

I remember Klein had to impersonate him as a Faceless to confess to Renée… and ended up being chased out with a broom…

Now that I think about it, the original owner of this body also died because he carried a Beyonder characteristic on him… Is this some strange twist of fate?

Pushing aside these fleeting thoughts, Ebner gave Winter a few more words of encouragement before gesturing for Helene to advance Winter three pounds from the estate accounts.

After all, a manservant technically belongs to the estate, so his salary shouldn't come from my private account.

Once Winter left, clutching the coins tightly and looking deeply moved, Helene turned her bright emerald eyes toward Ebner, her lips curling into a mischievous smile as she asked, "And what's my annual salary?"

After spending a day or so with Ebner, Helene had used her Hunter abilities to get a decent read on his personality. She realized that, most of the time, he wasn't difficult to get along with, which made her bold enough to tease him a little.

To be fair, if I handed you back to the Black Death, I'd get at least 1,000 pounds… and yet, here you are asking me for a salary?

That said, it's true that a 'personal maid' without a salary would be odd and might raise suspicions. I'll let Harvey know that her salary will come from my private funds.

With these thoughts in mind, Ebner said casually, "You don't have any expenses right now, so I'll just hold onto it for you."

After a brief verbal skirmish with his Red Maid, Ebner checked the clock and saw it was nearing two o'clock. Dismissing Helene, he returned to his bedroom and sealed the room with spirituality.

If everything goes as expected, 'Sun' will ask about Amon during this Tarot meeting… But I can't tell him the truth directly. He's facing Amon's avatar head-on, and the more he knows, the more dangerous it'll be… I'll have to stick to the original plotline as closely as possible.

However, not telling Sun doesn't mean I can't tell Klein. If he gets a bit of forewarning about Amon, he'll be better prepared to deal with that troublesome kid.

As for how to deliver the information, Ebner decided to forge another page of Roselle's Diary before the Tarot meeting.

After spending over half an hour carefully crafting the diary entry, Ebner summoned Helene again and had her transcribe it in her handwriting. Once satisfied, he committed the awkward script to memory and waited for the upcoming Tarot meeting.

...

3:00 PM sharp.

The chimes of the clock were still reverberating when Magician Fors, bleary-eyed from her writing marathon, was suddenly enveloped by deep crimson light and transported to the grand, ancient palace. She appeared at the side of the old bronze table.

She glanced left and right, noticing that the top seat on her side, occupied by Justice Audrey, was already vacant. Hastily, she stood up and followed Audrey's lead, greeting The Fool:

"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool~"

Afterward, Fors watched Audrey greet The Hanged Man, The Tower, The World, and Judgment. When Audrey reached The Sun, she hesitated slightly.

Even Fors could sense that the young man from the Forsaken Land seemed unusually anxious.

Did he leak information about the Tarot Club? Fors' mind jumped to conclusions, her chest tightening. Almost simultaneously with Audrey, she asked:

"What are you worried about?"

The Sun Derrick hesitated for a moment, then, seeing that The Fool did not stop him, recounted how he had successfully pretended to be sick and was sent to the bottom of the round tower for isolation and treatment. He then asked whether the mysterious item in the round tower could detect the gray fog.

Hearing this question, Justice, Magician, and the others all turned to The Fool with tense expressions.

How would I know… I don't even know what that thing is… But so far, nothing strange or powerful has tried to invade this space. Even the Evernight Goddess and the True Creator haven't been able to find this place… It should be fine…

Klein's fingers tapped lightly on the edge of the ancient bronze table as he calmly replied:

"Normally, it shouldn't be able to detect this place.

"But certain miraculous items have unusual effects."

Hearing this definitive answer, Derrick visibly relaxed. But then he seemed to recall something the former exploration team captain had said, and he blurted out:

"Have you ever heard of someone named Amon?"

(End of chapter)