Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability

Room 12 was where Madame Night Pualis de Roquefort, her husband, butler, lady’s maid, and the children resided!

Almost simultaneously, Lumian recalled the oil painting he had seen at Trier’s art center. The woman in the painting, modeled after Séraphine, was naked, her skin adorned with faces.

Were those faces the symbols of the room’s occupants, or were they the manifestations of the Hostel itself? Lumian’s pupils dilated as he fixed his gaze on Séraphine, prepared to activate the black mark on his body at any moment and use the Spell of Harrumph to block the exit of Room 12’s occupants.

He was still haunted by the memories of Madame Pualis.

Séraphine tugged at her lake-blue dress, her plump face contorting with obvious pain.

“I can’t influence how long the residents inside can sense the outside world…”

In other words, Madame Pualis hasn’t discovered me yet… Lumian heaved a sigh of relief, but he didn’t dare to be careless. What if Séraphine’s interference quickly failed?

At that moment, Séraphine pulled down the collar of her dress, revealing a portion of her skin.

Lumian could clearly see the oil painting-like faces there. They were half-hidden and half-exposed, looking exceptionally terrifying.

This confirmed Lumian’s guess and piqued his curiosity.

Why use a corrupted human model as a room in the Hostel? Why allow Madame Pualis, Voisin Sanson, and other powerful evil god-bestowed individuals to stay there? Couldn’t they just move into this replica—the fake Auberge du Coq Doré?

Was this to interfere with divination, prophecy, and other mysticism methods employed during a search?

Why does it feel like a ritual? It’s like a specific setup and requirement… As an Alms Monk with ample knowledge of ritualistic magic, Lumian sensed something sinister about this matter.

Seeing that Séraphine hadn’t left, he seized the opportunity to inquire, “How many rooms does the Hostel have?”

“From Room 2 to Room 13,” Séraphine replied in her ethereal voice.

“No Room 1?” Lumian asked immediately.

Gabriel answered for his lover. “There’s supposed to be one, but we’ve never seen it. Room 1 has never moved into the Hostel.”

Mysterious Room 1… It’s confirmed at the moment that there are 12 rooms, but there might be more than one evil god bestowed living in each room… Lumian realized that time was of the essence and quickly changed his line of questioning.

“How can I escape from here?”

“With the permission of the pixies or through the black hole on Avenue du Marché, but it’s very dangerous. It might lead you to places you shouldn’t be,” Séraphine replied, her eyes shifting between emptiness and pain.

Avenue du Marché’s black hole… Lumian inquired further, “How many pixies are there, and where can I find them?”

“Three,” Gabriel responded. “They don’t reside in this world and only visit occasionally. They typically allow the servants to maintain order here—they are the flying and glowing figures you see outside.”

Three pixies… According to the Purifiers’ information, the Sequence of a Pixie likely hasn’t reached godhood. I can tentatively consider them equivalent to Sequence 5, but their unique states mean that unless they actively enter reality, some Saints might not even be able to attack them… I do have the potential to deal with the pixies when encountering them, especially if I could capture one to facilitate my escape… Lumian’s thoughts raced as he asked further, “Do the pixies have a regular pattern of entering and exiting?”

“No…” Séraphine replied, her demeanor gradually fading as she shook her head slowly.

Lumian switched to another line of questioning, “Do you know where Jenna is hiding?”

“I don’t know,” Gabriel replied quickly. “The pixies’ servants haven’t located her either. They’re uncertain if anyone has truly entered this place. The pixies must have ordered an investigation based on the changes in the outside world out of caution.”

Before Lumian could ask another question, Séraphine’s face twisted once again.

She turned and left Room 207, heading upstairs.

It was evident that her ability to influence the residents’ perception of the outside world was quickly fading.

Gabriel’s condition worsened as he slowly made his way to the corridor outside.

“Is there a boundary here?” Lumian inquired one last time.

Gabriel nodded, his eyes growing increasingly vacant.

“Only Avenue du Marché and the area around it are real.

“It’s surrounded by a dark, deep void with a formless barrier.”

Barrier… Lumian repeated this word in his heart, his expression unchanged as he watched Gabriel close the door for him and listened to his footsteps returning to the third floor.

The word “barrier” brought to mind something Madam Magician had mentioned before.

She had spoken of a barrier outside their world, preventing the invasion of alien evil gods.

Although Gabriel’s description of the barrier might not be the same as Madam Magician’s, Lumian couldn’t ignore the possibility that these barriers were connected, especially given the evil god believers’ grand plans.

Turning away from the door, Lumian realized that time was of the essence.

Séraphine and Gabriel’s corruption would only worsen, rendering them increasingly out of control. Once fully mutated, they would no longer help Lumian and Jenna hide the truth, likely reporting it to the pixies.

There are two pressing issues at hand. First, how to contact the outside world or escape this place. Second, finding Jenna. Lumian focused and employed his Conspirer thinking abilities.

Regarding the first question, especially how to contact the outside world, he quickly brainstormed several potential solutions:

1. Fully activate the Blood Emperor’s aura in his right hand to see if it could break through the barriers of this abnormal world, attracting the attention of the demigods in Trier.

2. Set up a boon-seeking ritual to bypass The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth for Blessings’s interference and transmit information to Mr. Fool.

3. Test the spirit and flesh connection between himself and Mr. K’s finger.

4. Attempt to summon Madam Magician’s messenger.

5. Attempt to summon Madame Hela’s messenger.

6. Recite the incantation used to enter the Curly-Haired Baboons Research Society’s gathering—the Nation of the Evernight palace—to see if it could be of use in this situation without any prior request.

7. Find the fake Franca in this world and check if she possesses the ancient silver mirror they had obtained from underground to potentially use it to escape.

8. Create a commotion to attract one or two pixies and capture them.

9. …

Before diving into any of his numerous plans, Lumian knew that locating Jenna was a top priority, as any of his actions could potentially alert the pixies and draw their attention.

How should I find Jenna? He tried to put himself in Jenna’s shoes, considering how she, an experienced Witch, would handle being in this strange world, suspected to be the Hostel’s location.

Jenna must have also seen Gabriel, and she wouldn’t take the risk of entering the fake Auberge du Coq Doré immediately.

She can become invisible and hide in the shadows. She usually has the patience to observe. It’s not difficult for her to notice the peculiarities of pedestrians and vendors…

Under these circumstances, what should I do if I were her?

Yes, I’d search for the boundaries of this place… I’d see if cathedrals and other deity-protected buildings have been replicated. If they have, I’d investigate what’s inside and whom they believe in… I’d identify the differences between this place and the real market district to find any clues for my escape… And my first task will be to confirm if there’s a fake me.

The pixies’ servants were conducting a search…

Lumian’s thoughts gradually cleared. He returned to the desk, drew the curtains slightly, and peered outside.

Lumian waited until the ethereal pixie servants, blurry figures emitting a faint glow and wearing blank expressions, had finished their investigation and disappeared before he took out the silver Lie earring and placed it on his left ear.

Swiftly, he transformed into Madame Fels and descended to the first floor, as though inspecting every room.

Then, he became a vendor who didn’t sell his wares nearby, passing by Madame Fels and leaving Auberge du Coq Doré.

This was his home territory. Even though it was a replica or a reflection, it didn’t stop him from already knowing the environmental details and the common figures that often appeared in this area.

Lumian didn’t hurry to Rue des Blouses Blanches. Instead, he circled Rue du Rossignol and entered his secure hideout.

As soon as he opened the door, his brow furrowed slightly.

There was only one trap at the door among the many he had set up—the simplest one.

Lumian’s gaze then swept across the room, but he didn’t see the ritualistic furs or the used cowhide and dog skin that were placed here in the real world.

It’s not a strict correspondence… he muttered to himself.

The more he thought about it, the more he realized that this place resembled the real market district on the surface. In particular, in a room protected by traps, various details didn’t correspond.

It’s like an external observation and the re-creation of key rooms… It’s like… It’s like… Lumian’s pupils dilated as he had an epiphany.

It’s like painting!

…

Fake 3 Rue des Blouses Blanches, Apartment 601.

Jenna clutched the lucky coin and offered a brief prayer to Mr. Fool. A thin gray fog materialized before her eyes but then dissipated.

“It… it’s actually working,” Jenna stammered.

That lucky gold coin proved to be truly lucky enough!

Jenna didn’t receive any revelations, so she had no choice but to persevere and maintain her guise as her counterfeit self. She diligently tidied up the room and wiped the coffee table.

Time in this world appeared to pass slowly, with the sun in the sky staying fixed in its position, unmoving.

Suddenly, Jenna heard the door open and instinctively turned her gaze in that direction. The fake Franca continued with her task, showing no reaction.

Jenna’s eyes locked onto Lumian’s golden-black hair. She immediately averted her gaze and assumed an expression of emptiness, not certain if Ciel was the real deal.

In the next instant, she heard a familiar, taunting voice.

“As expected, you’re here. That’s all you can think of.”