Lord of the Mysteries

After returning to the real world, Alger patiently waited for the mission Mr. Fool had mentioned.

On this day, he, wearing the pontiff’s clothes and the silver-black mask, was discussing the internal affairs of the Church of the Sea God with Oracle Danitz when he suddenly saw a bishop enter.

“Your Holiness, the Church of Storms has sent two gifts to congratulate you on becoming a proxy of God.” The bishop held a tin box and bowed respectfully.

Danitz, who had been secretly rejoicing over the malfunction of Bayam’s telegram, blurted out in surprise, “Where’s that messenger?”

“He left after leaving the present,” the bishop at the door answered helplessly.

Although the members of the Church of Storms often had impulsive moments, such behavior was still quite rare.

Alger nodded slightly and said, “If they don’t view us as enemies, sending a messenger to deliver a gift is enough.”

With that said, he raised his right hand and gently made the tin box in the bishop’s hand fly over.

After catching the small box, Alger’s actions suddenly slowed down as though he found it heavy.

He slowly opened the container and saw a book made of yellowish-brown goatskin.

On the surface of the book, there was a line of words written in Elven:

“Book of Calamity.”

Book of Calamity… After seeing the words clearly, Alger felt a little dazed as though he was dreaming.

But very quickly, he understood what the mission Mr. Fool was talking about was.

Alger sighed silently and looked at the bishop at the door.

“What’s the second gift?”

“It’s a ghost ship called the Blue Avenger. It has already moored at the harbor,” the bishop answered without any abnormalities.

The Blue Avenger… When Danitz heard the name, he instinctively cast his gaze at the pontiff, Alger.

He remembered very clearly that this was the ship Alger used back when he was a pirate.

This meant that the Church of the Lord of Storms knew that the pontiff Church of the Sea God was once their cardinal!

Is this a congratulation gift, or a challenge to war? As Danitz’s heart tightened, he realized that he was rather familiar with the other gift.

It was the extremely sinister Book of Calamity he had seen when he followed Gehrman Sparrow.

“Help me return a letter to the Church of Storms, and thank them for their gifts,” Alger composed himself as he calmly instructed.

After the bishop left the room, he turned to Danitz and said, “Oracle, I’ve received Mr. Fool’s revelation. I’ll have to complete a mission in the time to come. It will perhaps take me a few years before I return.”

“A revelation?” Danitz blurted out in surprise.

At this moment, there was only one thought in his mind:

Why don’t I know about this?

Alger nodded.

“Mr. Fool is about to enter a deep slumber.

“However, this will not affect responses to your prayers.”

“…” Danitz was so shocked that he couldn’t speak.

Alger continued, “Gehrman Sparrow has also entered a state of slumber.

“After I leave, the Church’s matters will be handed over to Elder Derrick Berg of the New City of Silver. You need to cooperate with him and write into the bible that the Sea God is Mr. Fool and get all believers to accept it.

“Our faith is key to Mr. Fool’s awakening. You are ‘His’ Oracle, and you have to make an example in this aspect.

“Of course, ‘He’ will give you a new revelation at any time and give you other missions.”

Danitz was a little dizzy and confused when he heard that, but he still understood the seriousness of the matter.

He hesitated for a moment before nodding heavily.

“Okay.”

After settling the matter, Alger stood up and returned to his room with the Book of Calamity.

He looked at himself in the mirror and laughed. He slowly removed the papal tiara from his head and removed the silver-black mask on his face.

A few days later, at the crowded Bayam Harbor.

Alger raised his head and looked at Derrick, who was taller than him, and said with a smile, “You’ve been doing very well recently. The Church of the Sea God has been running smoothly.”

Derrick subconsciously wanted to raise his hand to scratch the back of his head, but he ultimately held back. He said with some melancholy and reluctance, “Mr. Hanged… Your Holiness Wilson, when will you return?”

Alger shook his head and said, “Everything ahead is still uncertain. No one can tell.”

Without waiting for Derrick Berg to respond, he said, “You’re already mature and reliable. I don’t have any advice for you.”

Having said that, Alger paused before saying, “If the Rorsted Archipelago encounters a disaster you cannot stop, don’t sacrifice yourself in order to protect it.”

“Ah?” Derrick was stunned.

This was the most important place of worship for Mr. Fool. It was the new home of the City of Silver, so how could he give up just like that?

Alger had already expected Derrick’s reaction and explained with a serious expression, “To Mr. Fool, the most important thing is the believers here, not these islands. To the City of Silver, the most important thing is the people, not the city.

“As long as you can protect Mr. Fool’s believers and protect the citizens of the City of Silver, migrating them away in time. Even if we lose Bayam, the New City of Silver, and the Rorsted Archipelago, we can rebuild a new city elsewhere and rebuild a new home.

“Remember, don’t lose sight of the forest for the trees.”

Derrick was deeply moved when he heard that. He grasped the crux of the problem.

He replied sincerely, “I understand. Thank you, Mr. Hanged… Your Holiness Wilson. I will protect Mr. Fool’s believers and the citizens well.”

Alger didn’t say a word as he turned around and walked towards the Blue Avenger that was moored at the dock.

The ghost ship was a three-masted sailboat that was still behind the present era era, no different from before.

Alger looked at it and looked at the crew members on the deck. He suddenly felt something and looked down at himself.

He was wearing a linen shirt, brown jacket, and trendy pantaloons. He had a custom-made belt around his waist. Attached to it were a dagger and a scepter made of bone.

The corners of Alger’s lips curled up as he took a step forward and landed on the deck of the Blue Avenger.

He then turned his head to look at the boundless blue sea, raised his right hand and said in a deep voice, “Set sail!”

…

Backlund, Empress Borough, inside the Hall family’s luxurious mansion.

Audrey sat on a comfortable sofa and watched her father, Earl Hall, her brothers, Hibbert and Alfred, discuss the recent developments of the kingdom. She watched as her mother Lady Caitlyn constantly convene the butler and footmen to make final preparations for the ball.

She didn’t say a word. She wore a faint smile as she quietly observed this common scene in her daily life.

After some time, Earl Hall smiled and looked over.

“What is our little princess thinking about?”

Audrey pursed her lips and replied with a faint smile, “Guess.”

“I’m guessing you’re thinking about which dress you’ll be wearing today, and what kind of hair and makeup you’ll be matching it with,” Hibbert said casually on behalf of his father.

Audrey smiled and said, “Correct, but there are no rewards.”

She slowly stood up and said to her parents and brothers, “I’m going upstairs to change into my gown.”

Earl Hall smiled and nodded.

“There’s no hurry. Everyone believes that you’re worth the wait.”

Audrey bit her lower lip and maintained her smile as she walked towards the door.

When she was about to leave the room, she paused and looked back.

Her parents and her two brothers continued with their discussion or arrangements.

Audrey’s gaze froze as she slowly retracted her gaze.

She walked out of the room and went upstairs to the bedroom.

Susie was already waiting there.

Audrey inhaled indiscernibly and raised her right hand. She used her index finger to draw lines of faint light.

They seemed to come from the deepest part of a dreamscape.

A few seconds later, the faint glow turned into a blonde, green-eyed, abnormally beautiful girl—Audrey Hall.

But unlike Audrey, this girl still carried a little childishness and a slight romantic bearing.

“Good evening, Miss Justice~” The girl greeted her cheerfully.

Audrey smiled and replied, “Good evening, Miss Audrey.”

After the last-minute Tarot Gathering, she finally made up her mind to advance to Dreamweaver and prepare to split an identity to accompany her family. She would stay away from them and not let the various dangerous matters she had attracted affect them.

After staring at her for two seconds, she turned to look at the golden retriever beside her and said, “Susie, are you sure you want to follow me?”

“Yes, we are friends forever,” Susie replied seriously.

Audrey didn’t say another word. She split off a Virtual Person and entered Susie’s Body of Heart and Mind which she opened up for Audrey.

Then, she raised her hand again and outlined another Susie in midair.

The moment Susie formed, she opened her mouth and let out a woof.

Audrey retracted her gaze and looked at herself.

After a moment of silence, although she knew that their thoughts and ideas were synced, she couldn’t help but say to the blonde girl in front of her, “I-I’ll leave it to you in the future.

“Remember to wheedle to Father often and get him to not be so busy. He’s not young anymore, so he needs to be mindful of his health. He can hand over many things to Hibbert and Alfred or the butlers.

“Also, slowly counsel Mother and tell her that she doesn’t have to pay too much attention to the opinions of others. She doesn’t have to maintain a perfect image at social events. It would be very tiring.

“Yes, don’t forget about Hibbert. Cheer him up often and don’t let him be so gloomy. He shouldn’t complicate matters too much from overthinking things. Alfred won’t threaten his position.

“Alfred, Alfred, he needs a good wife to stop him from taking any more risks…

“Oh, why are you crying? We’ve already grown up. We can’t be little girls anymore.”

Audrey lowered her eyes slightly and smiled at her crying self.

“I know, I know.” After Audrey said that, she pursed her lips tightly and nodded heavily with a sad expression.

Audrey retracted her gaze, picked up her cloak, and draped it over her.

Then, she led Susie out of the bedroom and into the corridor.

The hall below was lit with lights, and the guests came one after another to attend the ball. Lord Hall, Lady Caitlyn, Hibbert, and Alfred were already at the door.

Audrey stood behind the railing and watched silently for a while.

She then lifted the ends of her skirt and slowly and solemnly bowed to her parents and brother from a distance away.

After maintaining such a posture for two seconds, she straightened her body and raised the hood from her dark blue cloak to cover her face.

To her side, behind her, there were bright lights and a bustling din. In front of her, many dark lights formed a sea of collective subconscious.

“Let’s go,” Audrey said hoarsely to Susie.

With that said, she walked into the dark illusory sea.

Audrey rushed out from the bedroom and cried out with a sobbing tone, “You must come back!”

Audrey didn’t turn back. She raised her right hand and waved it, indicating that she understood.

The figure wearing a blue cloak gradually disappeared into the distance amidst the deep, silent darkness.