Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader-Chapter 1254: Escape from Predicament

After hearing Yarolan’s threatening words, Cohinem stared at her coldly for a while before finally nodding and saying, "There will be a resolution this time."

"I certainly hope so." Yarolan smiled faintly, then stepped back half a pace, leaving the space to Ebner and the "Queen of Calamity."

Although Ebner had many things he wanted to ask after hearing their exchange, he suppressed them for now and simply looked toward Cohinem before the throne and asked, "Can we begin?"

"We can... First, give me the blood of our descendant." Cohinem, with her glossy black hair and gentle features, nodded slightly and extended her fair right hand.

Ebner took out a bottle containing the blood of the "Red Saintess" Margaret. After lifting the seal upon it, he handed it over.

"No problem..." After carefully examining it, Cohinem said, "The ’Song of Calamity’ ritual can begin."

"Alright!" Ebner responded. With a thought, far away in "Roaring Town" on the Southern Continent, Alwin signaled to the elf Shatas and the "Great Elder" Emily.

Shatas and Emily immediately understood. They directed the elves, who had rehearsed for two days, to begin dancing around great cauldrons filled with boiling water in which various cubes of blood floated.

One after another, the elves danced lightly and gracefully, their bodies supple, weaving and crossing like butterflies among flowers. They performed all manner of difficult movements without the slightest disorder.

Along with their dance, the six "Elf Songsters," led by Shatas, opened their throats and sang of the ancient "Queen of Calamity."

As the song rose, the entire southern Sonia Sea suddenly churned with wind and clouds.

...

On a sea vessel heading toward East Balam, Captain Alanson had been drinking as usual while bragging to the passengers.

Suddenly, however, his inspiration stirred. He instinctively turned his head toward the sea.

Aside from noticing that the waves seemed somewhat larger, there was nothing unusual.

And having just left the Berserk Sea, large swells were normal in these waters.

Just as Alanson shook his head, thinking he might have been mistaken, a violent sea wind howled through the steamship, making the drunkards on deck stagger. It also caused the already-alert Alanson to suddenly hear a faint, indistinct song in the distance.

At times, the song was ethereal and distant; at times, it surged intensely, like a choir singing a complex composition in praise of a heroic figure’s great achievements.

Unconsciously, Alanson recalled his past—his service in the Bayam Fleet, and the experience of being hijacked by the "Vice Admiral of Iceberg," struggling with her, and ultimately being rescued.

An indescribable mix of emotions surged uncontrollably in his heart. He did not come to his senses immediately. Only after several seconds did he abruptly react, frowning deeply and listening carefully.

This time, he heard nothing. The ethereal song seemed never to have existed.

Alanson did not dare to be careless. He hurried back to the captain’s cabin and sounded the alarm.

He thought it was a precursor to an attack by some sea monster or siren!

But what he feared did not occur. Until the sun rose, they suffered no attack. Only then did Alanson finally let out a sigh of relief.

After docking, he went to the Church of the Storm at once to report the matter to a priest, only to discover that quite a few captains had experienced the same thing—and they all shared one common trait: they were Beyonders of the "Sailor" pathway.

...

"’Queen of Calamity,’ Cohinem, all things listen to Your hymn;

"’Queen of Calamity,’ Cohinem, the elves await Your return;

"’Queen of Calamity,’ Cohinem, the hurricane requires Your majesty;

"’Queen of Calamity,’ Cohinem, the sea calls Your honored name..."

Within the main hall of the "Trial Temple," through the "Song of Calamity" ritual, the gathered voices of the elves reverberated beneath the crystal-formed dome.

Countless bolts of lightning, as if infused with souls by the song, began to roam ceaselessly, illuminating the entire temple even more brightly.

At that moment, Cohinem poured the bottle of blood into the "golden wine cup" she carried with her, then flung it toward the lightning at the dome.

Immediately, with a thunderous boom, the scattered lightning and the flung blood vanished at once, and the elves’ singing ceased.

Cohinem’s soul body visibly dimmed somewhat. She closed her eyes, as if stabilizing her condition. After quite some time, she looked at Ebner again and said calmly, "Take out the ’Gatekeeper’ you prepared."

"You severed your connection with the ’Trial Temple’?" Ebner casually asked as he brought out the "doll" he had crafted.

"It’s severed... From now on, I have nothing more to do with the elves..." Cohinem murmured softly before examining the body Ebner had painstakingly created and saying with satisfaction, "Not bad. Better than I expected... It’s qualified as a transitional body!"

As she spoke, she directly entered the "Artificial Underworld" within that body and rapidly expanded its scope, permeating the entire body with her own aura.

Moments later, the "doll"—or rather, the reborn "Cohinem"—opened her eyes and said to Ebner, "Very good. You still handle matters in a way that satisfies me..."

"I’m not entirely the ’God of Luck’ Oliver..." Ebner felt slightly awkward and couldn’t help but correct her.

Cohinem replied indifferently, "I know... But that may not necessarily remain the case in the future."

Lady, are you cursing me? I just helped you escape. Even if this is merely a transaction, you can’t immediately turn around and slaughter the donkey after it’s done pulling the millstone, can you?

After complaining inwardly, Ebner asked instead, "Do you need me to return the ’Book of Calamity’ to you so you can ascend to the angelic level again?"

"No... It wasn’t easy to cut ties with my former identity. If I used the ’Book of Calamity’ again, all previous efforts would be wasted... You may keep that book." Cohinem sighed before continuing, "Moreover, I have no strength to resist the ’Tyrant,’ nor do I wish to become His angel.

"Rather than choose Him, I would choose you."

Ebner immediately caught the meaning in her words and asked carefully, "You want to change pathways—and you already have a target?"

"Yes..." Cohinem’s lips curved slightly. "Heh, in fact, you’ve already come into contact with it."

I’ve already come into contact with it... At first, Ebner was puzzled. Then he recalled the somewhat strange "Queen of Calamity" seated in the queen’s position within the ancient dragon’s dream and suddenly understood. "The ancient dragon in ’Roaring Town’?

"You intend to make a move against It?"

"It seems you truly haven’t remembered Oliver’s memories..." Cohinem shook her head. "More precisely, It is also me... another identity you helped me create."

Hearing this, Ebner maintained a smile on the surface, but inwardly he couldn’t help complaining:

Also you? Could it really be an elf dragon? And, Lady, exactly how many parts did the ’God of Luck’ divide you into?

(End of Chapter)