Chapter 20: Deceiving the "Sun"Mystery: I Jump Back and Forth Between Two TimelinesHalf Moon Tiger4087 wordsJuly 20, 2025 08:30
"Good afternoon, Mr. Fool! Good afternoon, Mr. Hanged Man! Good afternoon, Mr. Lover! Good afternoon, Mr. Sun!"
Although because Fors and Xio had previously reported their encounters to her, and upon learning that this matter had already caused one person's death, Audrey was somewhat worried about Qilingers' existence.
However, after being pulled into the Tarot Club once again, Audrey's originally somewhat worried mood gradually became stable again, and her entire mood began to improve.
In Audrey's heart, ordinary Beyonders could only hold secret gatherings in the material world, and still had to worry about pursuit by official Beyonders; but the "Tarot Club" was directly conducting gatherings above the illusory gray fog, like conversations between deities.
This difference made Audrey certain that she and Qilingers were not on the same level, and her originally somewhat panicked heart became much more stable.
After Audrey finished greeting everyone, according to what had been agreed with Klein before the Tarot Club convened, Nimrod first indicated that he had something to say, then slowly spoke to the "Justice" and "Hanged Man" around him:
"We have already locked onto Qilingers' position and are prepared to launch a hunting operation against Qilingers."
For a moment, except for the "Fool" sitting silently on the throne, the eyes of the remaining people all revealed surprise and disbelief.
Qilingers had been found just like that? The Aurora Order moved so fast?
Alger was somewhat excited for a moment, but he still suppressed the excitement in his heart and said in a deep voice to Nimrod:
"Where is he?"
However, Nimrod had no intention of answering Alger's question, only raising both hands and pressing downward:
"Stay calm, Mr. Hanged Man. I can understand your thought of wanting to use the Storm Church to launch an encirclement and suppression against Qilingers, but sometimes please also consider our situation."
"Compared to Qilingers, I believe the Storm Church's archbishops hate me and my subordinates more than him—I'm sure you're also clear about the situation between the Storm Church and the Aurora Order."
"Hanged Man" Alger heard the words of the "Lover" beside him and understood that he was unlikely to learn about Qilingers from him, but he still frowned and said in a deep voice:
"Then, how does the Aurora Order plan to handle this matter?"
"Please trust our professionalism, Mr. Hanged Man." Nimrod spread his hands and spoke naturally to Alger:
"Mr. A will be responsible for killing Qilingers, and I myself will also be present at the time to ensure your commission can be completed smoothly."
"In addition, I can guarantee that the Aurora Order will not conduct divination on Qilingers, and will completely preserve his Beyonder characteristics—of course, because this is different from the commission you gave before, the reward I need will also increase accordingly. How about the same as Qilingers' own bounty?"
"If you can pay an additional reward, the Aurora Order can also properly preserve Qilingers' Beyonder characteristics and hand them over to me for disposal. You understand, I happen to have a certain... status within the Aurora Order."
"As fellow members of the Tarot Club, I can guarantee to sell the 'Wind-blessed' Beyonder characteristics to you at normal price."
Hearing Nimrod's words, Alger was indeed somewhat tempted, but he was still considering the personal credibility issue of the Aurora Order's divine envoy before him.
Having long conducted "plundering" activities on the sea, Alger was well-versed in this way, after all, many things said verbally were one thing, but doing them was another thing. If there were no guarantees, then for him...
"If you don't trust me, you can request Mr. Fool's witness. At the same time, after we kill Qilingers, the Aurora Order will announce responsibility for this matter in the newspapers and will not create any connection with you."
Nimrod said calmly, dispelling the last bit of doubt in Alger's heart. He pondered for a moment and nodded:
"I will gather the corresponding reward as soon as possible, but this matter needs Mr. Fool's opinion."
Hearing Alger's words, Klein's heart suddenly had the illusion that he now seemed to be deceiving this Tarot Club veteran together with Nimrod.
Klein finally just nodded lightly and said in the "Fool's" usual tone:
"I am willing to witness."
Only then did Alger's heart finally settle.
The god-like "Fool" had sufficient credibility in his heart, and he was even more familiar with the Aurora Order's methods of action. Although the Aurora Order's actions were often quite crazy, when it came to combat power, there really weren't many Beyonders who could match the Aurora Order's "Shepherds."
It's just that before this, the Aurora Order's divine envoys and believers were mostly crazy people who were difficult to communicate with!
After completing his conversation with Nimrod, Alger again lowered his head and informed the "Fool" that he was about to obtain a large batch of Roselle's diary, making Klein's heart immediately surge with some joy.
For Klein, Roselle's diary contained the research of his entire life, and perhaps he could find a way home from it.
After several people conducted another round of exchanges, and Nimrod also took the opportunity to sell several extraordinary materials, watching the gradually quieting Tarot Club, Nimrod turned his head to look at the "Sun" beside him who hadn't spoken much:
"Mr. Sun, I've always had a question I wanted to ask you."
"Sun" Derrick was stunned: "Please speak."
Nimrod nodded: "You once mentioned that you come from the City of Silver, so is the City of Silver still believing in deities now?"
Before the Tarot Club convened, Nimrod had mentioned to Klein about the City of Silver matter, suspecting that the City of Silver's faith was the Ancient Sun God, the predecessor of the "True Creator."
Derrick was somewhat puzzled, he just answered quite honestly in a reverent tone:
"We still believe in the Lord who created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent God."
Alger frowned, realizing this was some kind of primitive faith and worship, and subconsciously began to recall where exactly this ally he had deliberately courted was located in the real world.
In Alger's memory, this type of primitive faith was now mostly distributed in the northern Feysac Empire and the Southern Continent, belonging to the initial form of faith rather than specific faith in the Seven Gods.
Klein sat calmly on the throne like an old god. Earlier, Nimrod had mentioned to him the need to inquire about some matters from little "Sun"—and Klein naturally agreed readily, because he was also quite curious about the city-state where "Sun" was located, but appearing as a "deity" required constant attention to his image.
Family members, who understands? Having a mouthpiece as the "Fool" is really important.
As for our "Justice" miss, Audrey, who had only gathered materials to become a "Mind Reader" a week ago, obviously hadn't yet realized the meaning hidden in Nimrod's words and was still eating popcorn.
"...Although I felt before that the place where you live has similar descriptions in the Lord's scriptures, now I can confirm my guess." Nimrod said to Derrick in a calm tone:
"In this case, we are 'compatriots'... Mr. Sun, I am a saint of the Creator, His favored one."
After hearing Nimrod's words, Derrick immediately became excited. If not for considering that Mr. "Fool" was still sitting in the main seat at the long table, he would even be excited enough to stand up:
"You, what did you say? Could it be that the Creator is still responding to your prayers?!!"
"We have always been making sacrifices to the omniscient and omnipotent Lord, but since the day of abandonment, He has never responded to us..."
Hearing Derrick's words, Alger's heart suddenly had some ominous premonitions.
How did this description sound so much like the internal saying of the Aurora Order, the True Creator's sanctuary "God-Forsaken Land"?
The ally he had worked so hard to court was actually someone from the "God-Forsaken Land" who shared the same faith as "Mr. Lover," his natural ally?
"Mr. Fool, may I tell Sun that true history recorded within the Aurora Order? Of course, I also don't mind telling others the history that has been modified by the Seven Gods."
Nimrod pretended to speak to Klein sitting in the main seat, and Klein maintained the state of the "Fool" and nodded easily.
The "Fool" didn't mind... It seems that the "Fool" and the "True Creator" might have had some cooperation in ancient times, this is all secret history hidden by the churches...
Alger somewhat unnaturally pressed his lips together, thinking that he might need to make a choice between the "Fool" and the Storm Church as soon as possible.
However, it wasn't a choice of joining one side and needing to withdraw from the other, but a choice of to which side to dedicate loyalty!
Although being a double agent, Alger still knew the necessity of loyalty to an organization... especially the necessity of loyalty when facing a resurrected ancient god.
In the scriptures of various churches, there were many examples of saints and angels who were the original followers of deities!
He had stayed in the Storm Church for so long and was only a Sequence 7 "Navigator," a privateer captain excluded by the Storm Church due to his mixed-blood identity...
But the members found by Mr. "Fool" each had prominent identities, including mysterious great nobles, Aurora Order saints, and could even easily solve Qilingers whom he found difficult to deal with...
Alger closed his eyes, and some self-mockery arose in his heart.
How does Mr. "Hanged Man's" mental state look somewhat unstable? Is it because he's been at sea too long? Hmm, I heard Alfred say that life at sea is quite depressing... Audrey on the side noticed the "Hanged Man" who suddenly closed his eyes and felt some pity in her heart.
Even with the gray fog's concealment, Audrey could still rely on the "Mind Reader's" instinct to sense Alger's overly fluctuating emotions, and for a moment couldn't think of why he had such intense emotional changes because of the previous words.
However, Audrey's mysticism knowledge wasn't quite rich enough now, and she hadn't realized the blasphemy in the words Nimrod was about to speak.
Now Audrey only felt that being able to access secrets related to deities was quite thrilling.
"In our records, there is a continent permanently shrouded in darkness, which is the land forsaken by the gods and the sanctuary of the True Creator."
"His honorific name is:"
"The Lord who created everything... the Ruler behind the curtain of shadow... the fallen nature of all living beings."
Nimrod would deliberately pause after each segment, not directly speaking this honorific name completely.
To prevent the "Blasphemy Slate" Beyonder characteristics on his body and the Shadow Lantern stored in another area of the "Source Castle" from resonating, letting the still-mad True Creator's main body in the "God-Forsaken Land" notice him.
"But this is not the same as the Lord's honorific name!" Derrick subconsciously retorted, but Nimrod indicated for him to stay calm:
"Your history should not be complete, and you don't understand why the Lord would forsake you, am I right?"
Although very unwilling to admit it, Derrick still nodded after a while, his tone becoming heavy:
"Yes, we also don't know why the Lord would abandon us."
"Is there a possibility that the Lord never abandoned you?" Nimrod, not forgetting his "Saint" persona in front of everyone, spoke to Derrick:
"It was the kings who betrayed the Lord, killing the Lord on the throne—and the Lord was resurrected after seven days, but the glory had already been divided by the kings, so He changed His honorific name."
"He was once named 'Ancient Sun God,' the first sentence of His honorific name was also 'The Lord who created everything, the omniscient and omnipotent God,' and is also the predecessor of the 'True Creator' we now believe in."
Derrick was somewhat flustered and uneasy for a moment, not knowing how to refute.
Just then, Nimrod's voice came again:
"However, we are also working hard to help the Lord return to normal, recovering the authority He once possessed. At that time, the Lord will again have the ability to dispel darkness."
"Hehe, telling you this is hoping you can help me do something, this involves the Lord's recovery. Of course, because this matter has certain dangers, I will also give you a certain reward."
Derrick scratched his head: "Actually, if it's for the Lord's awakening, I should be paying the reward... Tell me, what can I do?"
"You should be clear that we don't live on the same continent as you. The power of the kings has isolated the inside and outside of the God-Forsaken Land, and we currently find it difficult to enter the God-Forsaken Land."
Nimrod said methodically:
"I hope to later request Mr. Fool to bestow upon you an item closely related to the Lord. You only need to carry this item with you, this will help us assist the Lord in recovering His own state."
"If you cannot trust my words, you can also ask Mr. Fool to witness, after all, Mr. Fool is an ancient god from the same era as the Creator."
Nimrod's words made some hope arise in Derrick's heart, and made some amazement surge in Klein's mind.
An ancient god from the same era as the Creator? Me?
Also, what exactly is the thing Nimrod wants to give to "Sun"? This wasn't mentioned to me before...
Release Statement
Lord of the Mysteries: I Keep Jumping Between Two Timelines
By: Half-Moon Tiger
Word Count: 686
Date: July 20, 2025 – 11:02
Five updates.
Mm, tomorrow there will be a guaranteed five updates, and possibly even more bonus chapters.
Originally, I wanted to coolly announce "ten updates," but honestly, I really don't know how much I can write tomorrow, so I don't dare boast—if I say it and fail to deliver, that would be bad.
Going in circles, another year has passed. I'm not really a newbie author anymore. Even though I've been floundering since my first book, at least I've had some intermittent gains and picked up a bit of writing experience.
Of course, all of that has to be reflected in the story itself. Although writing 4,000 words takes quite a bit of time for the author, when readers actually see it, it often feels short and unsatisfying.
As the author, all I can do is give it my all. As long as nothing unexpected happens this week, I'll try my best to ensure 2 updates of 8,000+ words per day. But since I still have my own life and not much time to write, I don't dare make bold promises. I hope all you esteemed readers can understand.
However, there is one thing I can guarantee:
I've written a complete outline for this book, and as long as it reaches 500 subscriptions to qualify for full attendance rewards, I can guarantee finishing it according to the original planned length. If it doesn't reach full attendance… then I'll have to cut down the later sections.
After all, one still has to live.
And the reason I came back to write a Lord of the Mysteries fanfic is still because of love. Otherwise, I wouldn't have abandoned the experience I gained to write the 宿环 (Cycle of Lodgings) plotline (after all, looking at the daily follow-up numbers, the 宿环 parts clearly get far fewer readers than Lord of the Mysteries).
Of course, I'll also pay more attention to balancing the weight of both storylines and work hard to make the pacing better.
Honestly, to say 宿环 is "bad" would be going too far, but… is this really Cuttlefish's level? In my view, I feel like Cuttlefish should be able to write 宿环 much better. It shouldn't be in this awkward, neither-up-nor-down state.
Mm, it's getting late as I write this. Tomorrow at noon, I'll release two chapters first, then three more in the afternoon. The evening updates won't have a fixed count, but I think there should be at least another two chapters, right?
In short, I'll give my all when it comes to updating. As for subscriptions, that's up to all of you.
Finally, thank you in advance to all the readers who've accompanied me this far. I am truly, deeply grateful.