Lord of the Mysteries

“That glove still needs sealing.”

As he spoke, the badly sunburnt Enzo removed the human-skinned glove from his right hand with his left hand which wore the Flower of Blood and Green Essence rings.

It was Creeping Hunger.

Normally, Klein tended to throw Creeping Hunger above the gray fog when it wasn’t in use. After all, the glove’s original seal had been disabled after its mutation. It needed to consume a living person on a daily basis; otherwise, it would feast on the wearer. However, considering how Mr. Azik had already replied, it was very likely that he would meet him soon. Finally, he decided to keep Creeping Hunger in the real world unless there were unique circumstances.

After all, he could already imagine the scene of Mr. Azik arriving. He didn’t wish for such a conversation to happen.

“Didn’t you say that the glove needs sealing?”

“Yes. Give me a second. I need to use the washroom.”

Or:

“Are you ready?”

“...No. Give me a second. I need to use the washroom.”

Just the thought of a similar scene and similar line embarrassed Klein, making him feel awkward. Even if he didn’t consider the possibility of Mr. Azik realizing the secret of the gray fog, this would also affect his impression of him.

Therefore, after obtaining a new marionette and completing his attempt at looking at himself, Klein brought Creeping Hunger back to the real world, making up for its previous meal.

Unlike before, the wearer was now Enzo.

Aside from that, to restrain Creeping Hunger’s urge to eat a person on a daily basis, Klein carried a few normal mushrooms with him. He also made the marionette maintain a distance of at least five meters from him.

Upon hearing his words and seeing the marionette’s actions, Azik nodded and reached out to receive the human-skinned glove.

Taking this opportunity, Klein took out a few mushrooms from his pocket and threw them into the nearby trash can.

Pa!

He snapped his fingers, igniting the mushrooms within a scarlet flame. However, it didn’t affect anything around it.

This was his Flame Controlling power from being a Magician.

After completing this action and seeing Mr. Azik inevitably glance over, Klein chuckled dryly.

“The unforeseen development back then has made Creeping Hunger a little afraid of mushrooms. I’m using its weakness to restrain its usual urges.”

In fact, there wasn’t much point in doing so because carrying the mushrooms restrained Creeping Hunger. It made the starving Sealed Artifact immediately lash back the moment the mushrooms disappeared. Unless there was any easily obtainable “food” in front of it, it would end up aiding the enemy.

“Mushroom...” Azik muttered as he held the glove which had blood stains on its surface. He made the surroundings suddenly turn dark as the sunlight outside was prohibited from entering.

Ghastly-white, dark-green complicated symbols, labels, and patterns appeared out of thin air. They appeared to be calligraphed by invisible wraiths, shadows, and spirit bodies.

They meshed together in midair, forming a mysterious, illusory double bronze door that seemed to lead to another world. It was a deep, silent, and terrifying world.

The illusory door shrank and finally landed on Creeping Hunger, causing its blood stains to rapidly recede, making it mostly white.

A few seconds later, this human-skinned glove returned to normal. It was still a thin layered glove, and even without any suppressive effect from the mushrooms, it didn’t express any signs of mania or urges.

“It’s like how it was before.” Azik handed Creeping Hunger to Klein.

Having a bigshot backing you sure feels good! Klein reflected inwardly and earnestly thanked him before wearing Creeping Hunger on his left hand.

He thought for a moment and raised a matter.

“Mr. Azik, while I was carrying your copper whistle while passing through the Berserk Sea, I had the same dream repeatedly.

“The main theme of the dream is darkness and coldness. In an inverted underground mausoleum, there were countless coffins with a deceased body inside. On their backs were dense white feathers.

“Those feathers were tainted with pale yellow oil, and deep inside the mausoleum was a blob of black fog that enveloped everything.

“In the dream, you and I were exploring the mausoleum. We triggered something, causing the black fog to produce panting sounds as thin illusory black tubes were extended.

“I would jolt myself awake whenever I reach this point in the dream. This seems to be similar to the byproduct of the Numinous Episcopate’s Artificial Death Project that previously appeared.”

Klein described, in detail, his divination of the copper whistle as a dream; he did this as a warning to Mr. Azik as if to say that he shouldn’t be too careless. After all, dream divination was, in a sense, equivalent to a dream, and Azik knew that he was a Beyonder of the Seer pathway. Having such an encounter wasn’t anything odd.

Having a revelation from a normal dream and getting a revelation from a dream divination only differed in one way: one being passive and the other active.

Azik finished listening silently without cutting Klein off. At the end of that, he nodded and said, “It’s likely related to something Death left in the Berserk Sea.

“From the looks of it, the Numinous Episcopate’s Artificial Death Project has had some qualitative progress.”

Mr. Azik lives up to being a Fourth Epoch Death Consul. He doesn’t belittle my dream at all... Klein raised his right hand and rubbed his face, turning into Gehrman Sparrow.

He then said, “I only have one more thing I need to prepare. I need to confirm if Admiral Hell Ludwell isn’t somewhere dangerous and that there aren’t any Numinous Episcopate demigods around him.”

As for whether the Murloc Cufflink was still on the ship, Klein didn’t mention it. This was because he would check on it every few days. He believed that Admiral Hell had yet to discover the mystical item, or he might’ve already discovered it but had deliberately not moved it, hoping to lay an ambush for the crazy adventurer, Gehrman Sparrow, when he visited

Azik replied calmly, “That can be confirmed when we are nearby.”

“Alright.” Klein immediately made Enzo walk to the coat rack and pull out the golden cane.

Seeing that there was nothing else, Azik reached out his right hand and grabbed Klein’s shoulder.

Klein also reached out his right palm to grab onto Enzo’s shoulder.

The surrounding colors suddenly changed. The reds became redder, and the blacks became blacker. They stacked against each other but were bright and discordant.

The two men and the marionette began passing through the spirit world as the black gold inlaid cane danced ahead, pointing out the direction of Klein’s lost Murloc Cufflink.

Before long, the cane fell down and was suspended in midair. Azik terminated the traveling, but they remained in the spirit world.

He seemed to be watching something or listening in on something. After two to three seconds, he said, “There aren’t any problems.”

With that said, he brought Klein while Klein brought his marionette out of the spirit world.

Meanwhile, Klein recalled the time he searched for clues to Azik’s memories. Back then, the target was the ancient chronicles that Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy possessed. Back then, Azik had said “the problem isn’t serious,” but in the end, he faced Demoness of Unaging Katarina...

There aren’t any problems... Alright, since you say so... Klein lampooned as he sized up his surroundings.

It was a rather familiar environment. It was a huge ship with a mainly dark color with a ghostly green to it. It had a Black Tulip flag, as well as zombies, skeletons, wraiths, shadows, and other undying creatures; these creatures either directed the sails, patrolled the area, or did cannon drills. All of that proved that it was the flagship, Black Tulip, of Admiral Hell.

Unlike Klein’s last encounter, the Black Tulip had quite a number of living Beyonders.

The silver-masked captain with an exaggerated rapier, frilly shirt, a gorgeous coat, and a triangular hat with a white skull on it, Admiral Hell Ludwell, was standing by the cabin’s entrance looking over.

Suddenly, the black ring on Ludwell’s right hand trembled and glimmered.

The pale white flame in the arrogant pirate admiral’s eyes wavered and finally constricted to its limits.

Immediately, Ludwell bent his back, prostrated to the ground in front of Azik Eggers, and kissed the deck under the gaze of the either glazed, surprised, or lifeless eyes.