Lord of the Mysteries (P1)

Chapter 148: Messenger

Klein’s reply made Daly chuckle. The translucent face with only a mouth said, “Even though you found inspiration through the maxim of the Mystery Pryers and confirmed your theories through my experience and performance, it only took you a month to understand the ‘acting method’ and come up with your own Seer principle. That shows that you possess outstanding wisdom and an open mind.”

Klein didn’t engage in the topic which made him guilty, but instead asked in response, “Madam, do the higher-ups in the church know about this so-called ‘acting method?’”

“No doubt, they understand it very clearly. I once read through the historical information in the church and searched through stories of people ignoring the norms and advancing quickly. I realized that there were more than a few Nighthawks and bishops who have done so, I’m not the most unique one either. But their ending...” Daly intentionally paused, and she suddenly sounded heavy-hearted.

“What kind of ending did they have?” Klein asked, feeling a tug at his heartstrings.

Could it be that the Church of the Evernight Goddess views the “acting method” as the seduction of some devil or evil god?

The translucent face suddenly laughed. “Their endings were rather great. Besides the few who lost control or were sacrificed in Beyonder incidents, the rest of them have at least become archbishops or high-ranking deacons. Among them, there are also experts that have successfully become High-Sequence Beyonders. In the Church of the Goddess, Sequence 4’s and Sequence 3’s are called Saints, while Sequence 2’s and Sequence 1’s are called Grounded Angels. Of course, every angel was once a Saint.”

... Madam Daly, you deliberately tried to scare me earlier... the corner of Klein’s lips twitched before he asked, without hiding his suspicions, “Since the Church has mastered the ‘acting method,’ why didn’t they just tell every Nighthawk? Although it wouldn’t prevent every Nighthawk from losing control, it would definitely lower the probability and reduce unnecessary losses.”

A sense of loss appeared on the translucent face. “I have no idea why either. They told me that when I become an archbishop or high-ranking deacon, I’ll be able to know the secret. I came here today because I hope that you can tell Dunn about the ‘acting method’ more clearly before you hand in your special request.”

Klein wasn’t stupid enough to ask why she couldn’t do that herself; instead, he said thoughtfully, “Once noticed by the Church, one has to swear not to tell anyone about the ‘acting method?’”

“Yes, you must do it before the Goddess’s holy items and swear upon Her name. That holds enough binding force. Trust me, you definitely don’t want to know the outcome of a violation. I can only talk about it with people who have mastered the ‘acting method,’ like you. Your body language already gave me the answer before you replied; that’s why I dared to say the term.” Daly made the creepy face sigh.

She paused for a moment before saying, “I only faintly grasped the essence of ‘acting’ back then and digested the potion very quickly. Yes, among the higher-ups in the Church, using the term ‘digesting’ to describe the control of the potion is very aptly worded. Anyway, before I made the pledge and found out about the ‘acting method,’ I had no clear understanding of it, so I couldn’t accurately explain it to Dunn and the others.

“I gave up at first. I never thought that I would meet you, an eccentric wonder that could clearly understand the ‘acting method’ before handing in a special application—no, a genius.”

So that’s how you see me, Madam... the corner of Klein’s mouth twitched before he solemnly promised, “I originally intended to remind Captain about the existence of the ‘acting method’ through my special application. With your explanation, I don’t have to worry further.”