Lord of Mysteries: Yao Guang

Troublesome, but not too troublesome.

Esther thought as she walked into the hotel. She probably couldn't get rid of her temporary weakness.

Rabbit boldly tugged at the corners of her sleeves, his cheeks red with excitement, making Esther worry that he might have a fever from being soaked in the rain.

But because of timidity, Rabbit said nothing on the road. He seemed to be full of things he wanted to ask, but he suppressed his curiosity and didn't want to annoy Esther.

"Esther", Rabbit recited the name silently again, remembering it firmly. Every time he recited the name, Rabbit seemed to remember something.

But when he tried to remember, those fleeting fragments were long gone.

Esther only had her own identity certificate, but she had enough "acting skills" to convince the other party. Standing at the front desk, Esther's face was full of guilt:

"This is my cousin, this bastard, Goddess above, he actually ran away from home secretly and ran so far away from Backlund! I forgot to bring his identification, can you help me? We have to do it tomorrow We left by steam train. It rained heavily today and we can’t catch up now..."

The wrinkled woman at the front desk looked at the boy and saw him subconsciously hiding behind the lady. She immediately nodded in a funny way: "It's okay, he's just a child. Do you want a single room or a double room?"

"A single room is enough. You are so kind. It's a pity that we have to save some money. Thank you very much!"

The woman waved her hand, chatted casually with Esther, and even teased the rabbit hiding behind Esther. But Rabbit kept his head shrinking and simply nodded in response, just like that.

Esther turned the key with the round iron ring in her hand twice, and led the rabbit up the stairs: "You can take a bath first and wash your hair well later."

Rabbit curled his lips, said nothing, and followed Esther honestly.

When the two of them were going upstairs, a middle-aged man happened to be walking downstairs as well. He was wearing a brown long windbreaker and a black soft-top gentleman's hat. Although his hair was gray, there was no trace of gray on his face. There were too many wrinkles, but the tall aquiline nose and deep eye sockets made his otherwise ordinary appearance look gloomy.

When passing by the two of them, the middle-aged man glanced at them one more time, and then his eyes stayed on Esther.

Esther also turned her head and looked at the gentleman, making a silent inquiry with her eyes.

The middle-aged man gave a polite and restrained smile, and even moved to the other side of the stairs in a gentlemanly manner. He took off his hat and said, "Good afternoon, madam. I wonder if the rain outside has stopped?"

Esther did not hold an umbrella in her hand. She left the white umbrella in the umbrella bucket at the door of the hotel. However, her and Rabbit's clothes were still stained by some rainwater, and even though Esther had stolen most of the water stains, their trouser legs and shoe edges were still wet.

The other person might just be confused about his appearance like others. Thinking of this possibility, Esther responded with a gentle smile: "It's still raining lightly outside. If you brought an umbrella, you don't have to worry too much about getting wet. .”

Rabbit looked at the middle-aged man alertly. Before seeing Esther, he clearly had no intention of getting out of the way. This staircase was enough for people on both sides to pass together, which made Rabbit subconsciously feel that the other person was strange.

Esther was also aware of this, but she didn't care much about it: "Thank you, let's go upstairs first."

The middle-aged man leaned over slightly and acted quite politely. He did not continue the conversation and just watched the lady and the boy walk upstairs. Even if the boy let out a low "hum" as he passed by, the middle-aged man just smiled tolerantly and did not show any dissatisfaction.

Esther sniffed and smelled a hint of salty sweetness, and her cuffs were suddenly tightened.

Esther turned back instantly, just in time to see the trance in the rabbit's eyes. She reacted quickly and pulled the boy to prevent him from falling directly on the stairs.

When she looked back at the rabbit, she glanced at the stairs with her peripheral vision. The middle-aged man was pretending that nothing happened and put his hat back on his head.

The corners of Esther's mouth gradually raised, she raised her hand and rubbed her right eye socket twice casually.

This simple little gesture immediately stimulated the other person.

A hint of fear appeared in the middle-aged man's originally indifferent brown eyes. He turned away and walked down the stairs in a few quick steps. He almost jumped down the last two steps.

He almost jumped out of the stairwell.

Rabbit came back to his senses and heard a "plop" behind him. He subconsciously turned his head and glanced, and found that the middle-aged man had left at some point.

Under Esther's lead, the rabbit continued to follow her up the stairs.

Rabbit pinched the brim of his peaked cap in confusion: "What happened to me just now?"

"It's okay, it's just that the gentleman had some evil intentions, but it's been resolved."

Rabbit squeezed his eyes hard, closed his mouth blankly, and didn't ask any more questions, fearing that he would leave an annoying impression on Esther.

After entering the room, Esther immediately "stealed" the rainwater from the two of them and threw it into the drain.

Rabbit saw Esther's strange ability again, and his face flushed with surprise. He looked at her expectantly and was embarrassed to ask her to show it again.

However, at Esther's urging, Rabbit did not pester her to ask how it was done, but instead went into the bathroom honestly.

Esther sat on the easy chair in the room, thinking carefully about what to do. Bringing the rabbit would have no impact on her, but she couldn't always carry a child with her, so she should find a way to put him down. …

A very bad idea suddenly came to me.

Anyway, Rabbit has always been in this line of work. Should she consider letting him become a "thief" too? But it seems too early for a child of about eleven years old to be exposed to the dangerous and extraordinary world.

Forget it, let’s wait until Monday’s tarot meeting and ask someone to make a fake identity. This is Pulitzer Harbor after all. Mr. “The Hanged Man” will probably have connections, and it won’t cost much. With proof of identity, he will Rabbit just pops into any shop and lets him learn some crafts.

"Thieves" are still thieves after all, and extraordinary people are too dangerous after all, so it's better not to involve a child.

Anchor...

Esther stretched out and glanced at the window where the drizzle was lighter. The gloomy sky outside was becoming clearer.

——

No one followed behind him, especially not another figure dangling with a monocle. The middle-aged man in a brown trench coat released his spiritual vision and relaxed a little.

He stared at the white umbrella next to the umbrella barrel passing by the hotel door for several seconds.

The umbrella looked pleasing to the eye, which gave him the idea of ​​stealing it, but his "spiritual intuition" suddenly became slightly vigilant.

He finally picked up the black umbrella that belonged to him. Even if the suspicious lady was not a "blasphemer", there was a high probability that she was a member preparing to attend the rally in June, because only the "stealers" would know...

Well, maybe she was just deliberately intimidating herself because she was dissatisfied, otherwise she could just take out a monocle, or even let herself take out one.

The middle-aged man shuddered when he thought of this, and his pace gradually slowed down as he walked through the light rain, gradually returning to his usual elegant demeanor.

Just like the middle-aged man himself - he parasitized a new host two months in advance, and went to Pulitzer Harbor early in early May under the pretext of "vacation" to hide himself among the passing crowds.

This is a completely normal situation. No "parasite" would use his original appearance to participate in the gathering of the "Hermits of Destiny". What is the difference between that and walking into a ball of nobles and celebrities naked?

Threats don't just come from the outside. Within a small team full of "scammers", there can be no "group interests" at all. Everyone has their own plans.

If it weren't for that terrible King of Angels, we wouldn't have become like this, forced to unite...

The middle-aged man sighed and stopped a taxi that was lying on the puddle.

Twenty minutes later, he walked to the front door of a townhouse.

This house looks very ordinary. Except for the mailbox and the front door, which are painted completely black, which is slightly depressing, the rest of the house is no different from the house next to it:

A simple two-story building with a small garden in the backyard and a small balcony on the second floor, which is quite suitable for a family with a small amount of savings.

Similar houses can be seen everywhere in this neighborhood. Many sailors who went to sea from Pulitzer Harbor will consider buying similar homes for their families after saving up funds.

The middle-aged man did not ring the doorbell directly. Instead, he rang the doorbell after knocking three times. After the doorbell stopped ringing, he knocked twice more and rang the doorbell again.

There is a pattern on the black wooden door, which is twisted with white iron wire. At first glance, it looks like a strange-shaped flower. There are three slender petals distributed on it, but the petals on the left and right sides form upward spirals, while below there are two ribbon-like extensions, overlapping each other half a circle, and turning into pointers hanging downward.

The ghost orchid is the totem of this special family, but these days, not many people know about it.

Another ten seconds passed before the door was opened inwards. A face with a high nose and lake green eyes appeared from behind. His golden brown hair covered both sides of his face smoothly, but the ends were slightly raised. , that pair of round glasses without outer frames made the young man look elegant.

When he opened the door, the young man looked surprised: "Long time no see, Uncle Gad. What on earth made you come to my door and contact me with a secret code?"

The young man stepped back to the door so that the middle-aged man could enter the house.

"I remember the meeting is next month, but I didn't expect you to come so early."

The middle-aged man waited until the door was closed before speaking: "Benjamin, you have been in Pulitzer Harbor. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

"No, our gathering method is very secretive and we will move the location every time. This has always been our unwritten rule."

The middle-aged man came to the living room under the guidance of the young man. The young man quickly made a pot of hot black tea and poured a cup for each of them.

Perhaps the heat of the tea soothed the middle-aged man's nerves. He slowly breathed a sigh of relief: "Maybe I'm too sensitive. If I am really a 'blasphemer', I cannot be let go in front of you now." …”

The young man raised his teacup to the middle-aged man and winked playfully:

"I say this every time I open the meeting. Everyone who comes to participate in the meeting is too nervous. Monocles are also popular among the general public. A friend of mine who lives in Jianhai County also likes to wear them. It's okay, it's not All who wear a monocle are parasitized by Him.”

But the middle-aged man shook his head with great disapproval: "No, no, believe me, our two families are scattered and separated, and we rarely even keep in touch, just to avoid that terrible guy, for Him..."

"I know, Uncle Gad, you will advise me like this in private every time," the young man blew again and again on the rim of the cup. He gently shook the cup to let the light mist cover his eyes, "He is the one who steals all of us." The enemy's mortal enemy, the inexhaustible deterrent."

The young man smiled, and the green eyes peeking out from behind the hot water seemed to become darker:

"As the descendants of Jacob's family, we must of course take it as our responsibility to continue the family and live cautiously——

"You have to tell me these words every time in the meeting, and I can memorize them."

Before the middle-aged man spoke, the young man rushed to ask: "But what exactly did you encounter? Why are you so nervous?"

"She is a woman who does not look like a person from the Northern Continent. She has light blond hair and strangely light eyes. She is more like the facial features of the legendary elves. There is a high probability that she is also a 'thief', and she also has... There is a young brown-haired boy, who is an ordinary thief..."

The corners of the young man's mouth curved further, but he just pursed his thin lips and did not interrupt.