Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

"3: Every three minutes, this mask drains life force from its wearer;

"When the mask's life force drops below a certain threshold, it will drain life force from living beings within a five-kilometer radius to replenish itself;

"The rate at which the mask's life force decreases depends on frequency of use. If left unused, it can last up to seven days. If used frequently and unable to replenish life force from the wearer, it can only last 45 minutes;

"The mask possesses living characteristics. Even when in use, it must be closely monitored, otherwise it will attack the wearer and their companions;

"The mask yearns for a complete body. It will entice the wearer and those around them to gradually replace their bodies with mechanical constructs;

"Those enticed by it will not have their life force drained, nor will they be attacked by it.

"4: The method of sealing is to let it sleep, replenishing its life force at regular intervals, with specific timing depending on usage conditions;

"It can be persuaded."

A Sealed Artifact that can be persuaded and possesses living characteristics? After hearing Franca's relay of information, Lumian extended his right hand toward the Face of the Arcane that she was holding.

During this process, he had already activated the residual aura of the Blood Emperor in his palm, along with the Underworld Daoist's seal and that terrifying black pinhole appearing.

On the mechanical mask that only covered the left half of the face, the springs, mainsprings, rivets, gears, and other components suddenly appeared to lose their elasticity, gradually relaxing.

It was like watching a snarling puppy quickly lying down, legs up in the air, exposing its belly.

Lumian stroked it a couple of times with his finger and said with a smile, "It can indeed be persuaded."

At this moment, Ludwig came over, staring eagerly at the Face of the Arcane, and asked, "Can I eat it?"

He wasn't asking if the mechanical mask was edible, but rather if he himself was allowed to eat it.

On the Face of the Arcane, whether springs, mainsprings, gears, or bearings, everything suddenly tightened with a swoosh, making the sound of machinery starting up.

"No." Lumian answered Ludwig's question.

After becoming a Sea Monster, Ludwig seemed able to directly consume Beyonder characteristics and mystical items, then use their corresponding powers through some method.

He wouldn't lose control from this, but it would accumulate madness and appetite.

Disappointed, Ludwig pulled out a lollipop, comforting himself with the sweet treat.

"Being able to be persuaded means it can be reasoned with. Isn't sleeping once a day a normal living habit?" Lumian said with a smile as he withdrew his finger.

"Before long, Anthony should be able to become a Sequence 4 Manipulator. When that time comes, if the child doesn't want to sleep, we can Hypnotize it to sleep. Children who don't sleep will be eaten by Ludwig."

As for the requirement of regularly replenishing life force, Lumian thought it was easily solved-he now had to take Ludwig out to sea for a feast every day.

After confirming that the Face of the Arcane had lulled itself to sleep, Franca handed this Grade 1 Sealed Artifact to Jenna. "You keep it safe. Whoever needs it between us can use it."

Jenna didn't refuse, and while placing the Face of the Arcane into the Traveler's Bag, she thoughtfully said, "I know which pathway Julien should take."

"Which one?" Franca had a vague guess at the answer.

Jenna let out a sigh and explained, "Savant."

She explained earnestly, seemingly trying to convince herself, "The Savant pathway primarily focuses on mastering scientific knowledge, enhancing memory, intelligence, and logical reasoning abilities. Unlike the Mystery Pryer and many other pathways, it doesn't involve high spirituality, seeing things that shouldn't be seen, or hearing voices that shouldn't be heard. It also doesn't attract disasters, making it relatively safe for daily life.

"Moreover, Julien is already a technical worker who loves machinery. With just one or two months of additional knowledge, he should be able to fully digest the potion. The subsequent Archaeologist Sequence is equally straightforward-we can find relatively safe ruins for him to explore, provide him with carefully selected historical artifacts and corresponding documentation to guide his research.

"Given these conditions, plus the approaching apocalypse as a prerequisite, he could become a Sequence 7 Appraiser in a short time. While an Appraiser isn't particularly strong on their own, they can identify mystical items and maximize risk avoidance when using them. At that point, by giving him Sequence 5 Sealed Artifacts, we can provide him with basic self-protection abilities, essentially making him equivalent to a quickly-molded Sequence 5 Beyonder.

"Additionally, among the Mid-to Low-Sequence Beyonder characteristics and potion formulas I obtained from the Moses Ascetic Order this time, the Savant pathway ingredients are the most numerous after the Warlock pathway."

There was no shortage of ingredients and formulas.

"When you think about it, the Savant pathway is indeed the most suitable. It can effectively leverage external power without reckless archaeology, while avoiding too deep an involvement in the mystical world," Franca agreed with Jenna's reasoning.

Lumian then said to Jenna, "You can modify your previous plan now. The key is how to naturally and reasonably get your brother to encounter and choose the Savant pathway."

"Yes," Jenna nodded seriously.

…

Thursday afternoon, Northern Trier Train Station.

Julien, wearing a gray-blue worker's uniform, a flat cap, and carrying a suitcase, stood in the crowded second-class carriage aisle, slowly moving forward amid the whistling arrival announcement.

Standing nearly 1.75 meters tall, with flaxen hair and regular features, his half-year exchange study had greatly boosted his confidence in his technical abilities. His entire demeanor, from temperament to behavior, exuded ambition.

He believed he would soon be valued highly, receive promotions in rank and salary, and before long become the kind of senior worker who could take on apprentices.

Once my salary increases, we can move away from Rue Pasteur to a better neighborhood, and Celia wouldn't need to work part-time anymore-she could focus on studying dramatic performance... Thinking of the bright future, Julien walked with straight posture, each step in his gait firm and steady.

Following the flow of people, Julien exited the steam train and the relatively clean platform, entered the Northern Train Station, and passed through the turnstiles.

He looked around, searching for his sister who had promised to meet him.

As he searched, he noticed many travelers unconsciously gazing toward one corner, reluctant to look away, with some even walking in that direction.

Though curious, Julien didn't go to see what the commotion was about.

Meeting up with Celia was the most important thing right now!

After walking several more steps, he finally spotted the familiar figure.

She was also the person drawing all those gazes.

Julien saw that his sister Celia Bello's flaxen hair had darkened considerably and was tied in a simple bun, Her face wore no makeup yet appeared fresh and clean, like a flower newly washed by rain.

Celia seems to have grown even prettier, more beautiful than Mom's photos when she was young... Julien quickly squeezed through, blocking a man who was trying to chat up his sister.

"Welcome home!" Jenna gave her brother a hug.

Meanwhile, she grumbled inwardly, it's really inconvenient for a Demoness to go out without concealing her appearance. Even with using Lie to adjust my features to look more like before and having suppressed my charm, I still draw attention, though not as drastically...

"Let's go," Julien glanced at the eager men around them and protectively guided his sister quickly out of the Northern Train Station.

Jenna pointed to a double-decker public horse carriage. "This one's already full, let's wait for the next one."

Julien looked around and pointed to the rental carriage lane. "Let's take one of those back. I've saved some money during this time."

He had expected his frugal sister to object and need convincing, but to his surprise, Jenna immediately nodded in agreement.

Julien felt that his sister must have changed quite a bit over these six months.

After settling into the two-wheeled, two-seater rental carriage, Jenna asked with a smile, "How did your studies go? Your letters weren't very detailed about Julien instinctively straightened his back. "I think I'm about at the same level as the master who taught me before."

He went on to explain many technical details, though Jenna couldn't understand them.

Jenna offered some complimentary remarks before changing the subject, "I recently met an outstanding technical expert. She says she's a technical expert-I don't understand much about it, but when she repairs machines, she's really incredible, the kind of incredible that even I can recognize.

"She said when you return, everyone could get together to exchange ideas."

She? Julien relaxed.

With a smile, he said, "Sure, you can arrange a time with her."

He was very confident in his technical skills now.

"Let's go right after you put away your luggage-we'll have dinner together!" Jenna quickly decided, as if her previous words had been leading up to this.

Julien gave his sister a suspicious look, suspecting she was trying to set him up.

However, after their long separation, he didn't want to refuse.

After dropping off his luggage at their rental place on Rue Pasteur, Jenna led Julien to a newly built factory on the south side of Quartier du Jardin Botanique.

Inside the factory, a young woman with short hair and goggles was using a hammer, pliers, and other tools to work on a giant machine, continuously installing rivets, levers, bearings, and other components.

Her movements were fluid and unassuming, but every detail was perfect, not a fraction off, without the slightest error.

As Julien watched, he became transfixed, his previously high confidence gradually crumbling.

Is this even humanly possible?

Even machines manufacturing machines can't achieve this level of precision!

Could this be the blessing of the God of Technology that the Church of Steam preaches about?

When the woman finished her work, Jenna stepped forward and called out with a smile, "Good afternoon, Miss Bella."

Bella's body instinctively trembled slightly, then she turned around and said with a smile.

"Celia, is this your brother?"

"Yes, my brother Julien." Jenna made the introduction.

Julien nodded bewilderedly, his previous confidence completely gone.