Lord of the Mysteries fanfic: wake up, hermit

(Wow, wow, wow, sorry for being late today! Damn it, it was already agreed to be eleven!)

"Cultist? At this time?"

"It's not that we can't understand... After all, people are immersed in the joy of the New Year, so they will naturally relax, which is just suitable for cultists to fish in troubled waters."

"Hmph, Stiano is really ungrateful. He was disgusted by His Majesty the Emperor and did not repent. He even got in touch with a cultist."

"Don't rush to a conclusion yet, let's listen to what the captain has to say."

"Captain, you've been staring at this piece of paper for a long time."

While his companions were discussing, Tristan Darby was staring at the piece of paper handed to him by the painter. There were not many words on it and he could read it quickly, so he was not simply reading, but analyzing.

judge.

"Tim," he called out the name of a team member after thinking for a long time, "How are the people who have been in and out of Stiano's house recently?"

The girl whose name was called hurriedly opened her big book to the latest page, "Let me see, Peter Nell - the farmer who delivers vegetables and fruits, Scorpius Dane (Viscount) - his family

In the mining business, there is some interaction with the Stiano family's jewelry business, Mark Lancos - the seafood dealer, Anistasha Sullivan - the etiquette teacher..."

Listening to these many names and professions can easily make people drowsy, but Tristan listened very carefully. In the end, Tim concluded, "Except for the etiquette teacher, everyone else is a familiar face."

"We have also investigated Anistasha Sullivan's background. She was born in a declining aristocratic family. Her mother died of illness at an early age. Her father, Lucas Sullivan, was a viscount. Because of gambling, the entire family was on the verge of bankruptcy. In order to

To pay off the debt, he mortgaged his fiefdom in Longcordo to a branch of Augustus..."

After finishing speaking, Tim shrugged, "Otherwise, this lady wouldn't still be single in her twenties, and would have to go to Stiano's house to find work."

The background of everyone who comes in and out of Stiano's house has been carefully investigated, whether they are traffickers or high-ranking officials, this is their job.

"Captain," another young man asked, "how did old Geller know that a cultist was coming to Stiano's house?"

Old Geller was the painter, believed in the hidden sage, and was one of Tristan's many informants. He entered the mysterious world late, but he himself was not impatient, but held the attitude of "I am just playing."

It took fifteen years for the "play" mentality to move from sequence 9 to sequence 7, and then it never moved again.

"He went to the underground trading market yesterday."

The underground trading market mainly sells spiritual materials, extraordinary medicines, ritual props and other miscellaneous things. Perhaps because there is generally nothing of value in the stalls, the nobles who have grasped the path to God have tacitly chosen a gentle policy rather than strict control.

Strict crackdown, but this does not mean that they will completely allow the underground market to develop freely. A few seemingly ordinary stall owners may be their eyes and ears, and the things on the stalls are their scraps.

Old Geller had little interest in promotions, rituals, divination, etc. He went to the underground market just to buy some tentacles of the Lava octopus and dried petals of the moon flower - these two things would be mixed together to get a good blue.

Color pigment is much cheaper than grinding lapis lazuli.

Tristan continued: "Then he saw the chief valet of the Stiano family next to a stall. This man often came to the art workshop where he stayed to place orders. He made an impression as soon as he went there, so old Geller followed quietly.

When he went up, he saw the male servant handing an envelope to the stall owner. After the male servant left, he pretended to go to that stall to select products, and used the 'Peeping' charm I gave him to attach a spying eye to the stall owner."

"With that voyeuristic eye, Old Geller discovered the secret altar set up by the stall owner on the outskirts of the city. Judging from the golden dagger used in the ceremony and the sunflowers worshiped, the stall owner should worship the eternal burning sun. As for that

The envelope contained an invitation letter, to the effect that the guests were waiting for their arrival at six o'clock in the evening on the 27th - this reminded him of another thing. Stiano's house came to the art workshop a week ago and ordered a pair to hang in the living room.

A horizontal oil painting, the steward said, 'You can pay more, but please be sure to hurry up before the 27th so that all the guests can admire its elegance.'"

Decorating works of art in the house is an elegant and subtle way of showing off, which is very suitable for wealthy people who want to distinguish themselves from the "nouveau riche". Furthermore, if you add the sentence "This painting is specially made for me" when entertaining guests,

"Purchasing for this grand event" will make you appear more generous and stylish.

"So, he came to this conclusion."

Tristan showed the piece of paper to everyone.

"It sounds like he got the information very smoothly." A companion tactfully raised the possibility that it might be a trap.

"But if Stiano deliberately releases this news, what benefits will he gain?"

"Wait! Isn't the 27th today? We have no more than six hours of thinking time."

"Captain, what is your decision...?"

It would be great if we could really collect evidence that Stiano colluded with the followers of the Burning Sun, but taking rash actions would easily alert the enemy, and the gain would outweigh the loss.

After thinking for a long time, Tristan said: "Seek enlightenment from the sages."

The ritual magic was quickly set up. They lit candles, mixed essential oils, and finally built a spiritual wall. Tristan drew an inverted triangle on his chest, and then recited the name of the Hidden Sage devoutly—

—

"The great hidden sage..."

"You are the eyes that pry into mysteries..."

"You are the embodiment of knowledge and spiritual numbers..."

"You are the beacon that dispels ignorance and the fire that enlightens wisdom..."

"We pray for your attention and your hearing..."

The candle burned quietly, and tears fell quietly. Tristan was a little surprised. In his impression, the hidden sage always responded quickly. He remembered that when he was young, he went to pick mushrooms in the mountains to supplement his family's income, and was accidentally bitten by a poisonous snake.

The toxin spread quickly on his arms. He felt his nosebleeds flow down and his tears flowed out uncontrollably. He recited the sage's name with the intention of giving it a try, and soon a big white bird appeared.

It flew over with a bunch of fruits in its mouth.

After eating the bunch of fruits, he felt much refreshed. From then on, his devotion to the sage became one step closer.

At that time, he was just a poor boy. He had no money to buy candles and scented oil, and he didn't know how to decorate the spiritual wall. But the sage still answered his prayers. Now that he has arranged everything with great respect, why can't he get His sight?

Destiny always has some coincidences that even writers marvel at. At five o'clock in the morning on December 27, the Hidden Sage entrusted the safety of the North to the Red Angel and the True Creator, and then went to the direction of the Suniya Sea.

, it is now ten o'clock in the morning on the 27th, and He has arrived at the isolated place abandoned by God. The prayers from the northern continent encountered an invisible and omnipresent barrier and could not reach His ears.

The emotions of loss and confusion lingered in Tristan's heart for a while, but perseverance and calmness soon reappeared in his eyes.

"The Sage did not respond to me." He said to his companions, "But I think this is not because of disgust, but because He wants to give us a test and wants to know how we will use our strategy and courage."

The word "test" made everyone feel nervous and expectant. Someone tentatively asked: "So captain, tonight we...?"

Yes, sages cannot give enlightenment, so it is up to me to decide the direction.

With a lofty sense of mission, Tristan began to make arrangements in an orderly manner, extracting interpersonal information, including the places where members of Stiano's family often went, business partners, lovers with casual marriages, and apprentices he had taught.

...After a series of inferences, screenings and temporary interviews with informants, a possible guest list was drawn up, and several names that could become entry points were highlighted.

"I plan to disguise myself as Viscount Sforza's valet." Tristan clicked on a circled name, and many people suddenly looked worried.

"Would it be too risky?"

"Without going inside that house, it's hard for us to get any valid information."

"It's hard for us to get any useful information without going inside that house."

Adjacent paths will inevitably understand each other, guard against each other, and penetrate each other. Even if they deliberately hide it, they will know each other's abilities to some extent. As a family of craftsmen, their family will never lack extraordinary items-one of them

The item in the "Mediator" path is used to prevent prying eyes.

Thanks to Old Geller, Tristan once placed a Peeping Eye on a sculpture ordered by the Stiano family, but the statue exploded the moment it was moved into the living room, and the Peeping Eye hidden on it exploded.

It was also wiped out under the weight of the ban - this was a major strategic mistake. Since then, the Stiano family has become more cautious, and even has a sense of "better to kill by mistake than let go".

One day in the past, three laundry maids and two gardeners quietly disappeared from Stiano's house, but only one of them was Tristan's informant.

They were brought to the square for public display and tied to a torture device designed by the Stiano family. The exquisite guy would not kill the person immediately, but would tighten the iron clamp around the prisoner's neck little by little.

Little by little, the chains tied to the prisoner's limbs were tightened - and with a final "bang", one person turned into five pieces of meat.

Some of the onlookers were so scared that they covered their eyes, but others stretched their necks in excitement. When blood spurted out from their necks, shoulders, and thighs, some even cheered like opening champagne.

Tristan stood among them, feeling cold all over.

He was frightened by the unsympathetic fanaticism of the crowd, shocked by the ingenious cruelty of the torture device, and felt regret and guilt for his act of inserting an informant... He considered the possibility of the informant exposing his intentions and encountering danger.

But I never thought that other innocent people would be affected.

Those bloody scenes were like ghosts that would haunt him at any seemingly irrelevant moment, just like now.

"I will enter the mansion and others will meet me outside."

Tristan repeated it again to show his determination. He is the one with the highest rank here. He should do the most dangerous things, and among the wonderful knowledge given to him by the Hidden Sage, some of them are suitable for sneaking in.

.

Fortunately, Viscount Sforza is not rich and cannot afford to hire three layers of guards, and most of his money is used for arty rather than purchasing occult equipment - especially those with detection and screening capabilities.

, so Tristan went in smoothly, and just as smoothly, when the valet returned to his room to change clothes, he stunned him with a knife, took off his clothes, and took out a piece of "paste" that had been refined for a long time - this

It was originally the mutated pituitary gland of a hunter with a thousand faces. After being fused with a secret rumor called "Painted Skin", it turned into something even more wonderful.

The "paste" began to squirm and grow. It covered the man's face, Adam's apple, chest, shoulders, waist and abdomen... It was like the cocoon wrapping a caterpillar, but it fit the human body better than the oval cocoon.

Curves. After forming the texture of the skin, hair begins to grow - whether it is the short maroon hair of the valet, or the two mustaches above his lips, or the lush armpit and leg hair under the creaks and on the thighs.

It has grown out properly.

Finally, a little fleshy mole appeared on the valet's neck in a rigorous manner.

Tristan turned the manservant wrapped in "paste" over, carefully made a cut in the back with a knife, peeled off the formed painting skin, then took off his clothes and put the painting skin on his body.

A few minutes later, Tristan walked to Viscount Sforza's study with a silver tray and teapot, and the original valet was stuffed into the deepest part of the closet, along with a sleeping charm.

Everything was ready. When night fell, the carriage drove leisurely to Stiano's house. To Tristan's surprise, Baroness Stiano actually greeted him outside the door. She smiled at everyone.

The guests greeted each other with greetings, interpreting the word "hospitality" to the extreme.

As if to wash away the desolation of the previous few days and forget all the adverse experiences this year, the Stiano family decorated the hall with great luxury. Elegant sculptures were placed in an orderly manner, and the grand candlelight made them more and more beautiful.

Wonderfully, glasses of Ormir wine as red as blood were set up in a hill-like pagoda, while another table not far away was filled with roasted chicken, red wine-spiced lamb shank, curry beef, lemon cake and more.

Ten kinds of delicacies, the band played songs one after another, sometimes festive, sometimes sad, sometimes passionate...

In this grand scene of singing and dancing, Baroness Stiano was chatting with one guest after another. Today, she was by no means as described in the rumors. She was a woman as cold as a gear. Sometimes she gasped in surprise, and sometimes nodded appreciatively.

, and the people she was chatting with looked very happy. The men covered their stomachs and burst into laughter, while the women covered their mouths with silk or feather fans and giggled like silver bells.

She seems to be very good at making fun. Tristan thought so. He has been observing Baroness Stiano. Although he knows that she has the ability to make a puppet substitute, as far as he knows, the puppet substitute cannot make so many vivid things.

With such an expression on her face, she couldn't drink one cup after another, and her face turned red from being tipsy.

Not only her, but other members of the Stiano family were also having great fun, and everyone looked drunk.

Happy time is always short. When the twelve o'clock bell rings, people who can't bear it leave one after another, but there are also people who like to show off their physical strength by staying up all night for entertainment.

When they were done eating and drinking, the puppet show came on stage. It is said that each puppet was made by their own hands. They were far more flexible than ordinary puppets and could make many funny actions. Many people were staggering with laughter, but

There are also many people who want to do something else——

There is an unwritten rule in the upper class society of the empire. After twelve o'clock, it is time to enter the "wine pool and meat forest" session. Tristan caught a glimpse of a man who looked like a gentleman before and was burying his face in the chest of a noble lady.

, the noble lady made a cat-like noise, but did not move away.

Some people hugged each other and entered the garden, some were biting each other's lips, and some were rubbing their lower bodies against each other... But in the midst of the chaos of demons, one person was extremely sober.

Baroness Stiano was holding the wine glass. Her face was very red, but her eyes were bright, even giving people a feeling of indifference.

"Bang."

She spoke in such a light tone that most people would think she was burping.

The clock struck two o'clock in the morning, and Tristan's spiritual intuition also sounded.

"Bang——!" The entire Stiano Mansion turned into a golden firework. In an instant, all the men and women who were entangled and drunk and unconscious turned into a luxury. Even panic became a luxury.

Before being swallowed by the huge heat wave, Tristan saw several screws bursting out of Countess Stiano's body that had been split into two parts.