Curse

On Friday morning, when the first rays of sunlight pierced through Backlund's terrible smog and used the last of their strength to shine through the window into a house near Bravehearts Bar, Abner finally awoke from his coma.

He skillfully took out his pocket watch and glanced at it before sighing. "Just as I thought. Six hours."

Although the price had been steep, his gains had been quite substantial.

He had activated the Pure White Eye twice last night. The first time, he had successfully analyzed one auxiliary ingredient for the Sequence 8 Detective from the Beyonder Characteristic.

The second activation had been brief, but he had memorized over a hundred Ancient Feysac words from the study materials. Its efficiency had been remarkable!

More importantly, Abner discovered that reading and studying books while the Pure White Eye was active greatly aided the digestion of the Reader Potion.

After only a few seconds last night, the signs of his Potion's power unconsciously overflowing had already completely subsided.

"Judging from its name alone, the Reader's Acting clearly requires reading more books and broadening one's knowledge and horizons. Its deeper meaning should be to understand the laws of nature, humanity, and even the supernatural through reading, reaching Omnipotence through Omniscience!

"Of course, a mere Sequence 9 can't possibly reach that level of Omniscience. But that should be the essence of Acting for this Sequence. The subsequent Detective, Keeper of Knowledge, and Polymath are also all about analyzing, interpreting, imitating, and so on, the various kinds of knowledge one learns...

"My Pure White Eye clearly fits this central theme extremely well during its use. No wonder it can aid the digestion of the Potion."

"At this rate, as long as I persist in using the Pure White Eye to read and study all kinds of knowledge every day, perhaps I can digest the Reader in half a month? Maybe I'll reach Sequence 8 before the Fool descends?"

Just as Abner was imagining the future, a knock suddenly came from outside.

"It should be Kaspars." Abner glanced at his pocket watch again and reached a conclusion.

He stood up, dispelled the Wall of Spirituality, walked out into the entryway, and cautiously opened the door.

To his surprise, there was no one outside.

Abner was stunned for a moment, then blinked. A flash of white flickered across his eyes before he gazed as far ahead as he could.

Only then did he spot Kaspars on the road two courtyards away. He couldn't help but feel speechless and mock himself. "Is this really necessary? I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"

Kaspars had watched Abner from outside the courtyard for quite a while before finally walking unsteadily to the house.

With an expressionless face, he said, "I once personally saw someone open a door without the slightest caution, only to be swallowed in one bite by a monster formed after the Beyonder inside lost control."

Abner's expression stiffened. Before he could say anything to ease the atmosphere, the other man directly handed him a gun case.

"This is the revolver you wanted. That'll be three pounds." Kaspars held the case and spoke concisely.

Abner's eyes lit up. He hurriedly counted out three pounds from his wallet and handed over the banknotes before taking the case and removing its contents on the spot.

What entered his eyes was a silver-white revolver with a relatively long barrel and a walnut grip.

There were also fifty neatly arranged yellow bullets in the box.

Abner tested the unloaded gun, then loaded five bullets. He put the revolver back into the case and hung it beneath his armpit inside his coat.

As for the remaining bullets, he placed them in another pocket close to his body.

Kaspars held the banknotes up to the sunlight to verify their authenticity before saying, "Our transaction is complete. If you need anything in the future, you can find me at Bravehearts Bar."

Abner nodded. "Thank you very much this time. If you ever run into trouble in the future, you can also come to me for help. As you know, I'm already a Beyonder."

Kaspars snorted. "Don't get too confident, kid. Beyonders are still made of flesh and blood. Don't recklessly show off just because you have a few abilities."

Abner could tell that he was genuinely offering well-meaning advice, so he wasn't offended. He merely engraved his promise in his heart.

After chatting for a while, Abner took his leave first. He had quite a few things to do today and had no time to linger.

After Abner had gone far, a figure suddenly emerged from thin air. He was a mature man with short yellow-brown hair, a white shirt, and a brown vest.

The moment he appeared, he smiled at Kaspars. "Looks like I wasn't needed. Your little friend is quite cautious."

Kaspars shook his head. "I'm just afraid he'll rely too much on his abilities and get himself into even greater trouble..."

The man straightened his expression. "Kaspars, don't underestimate that little friend either. I don't know which Pathway his Sequence 9 belongs to, but he should have noticed me just now!"

"Really? Zeriel, are you sure?" Kaspars was clearly surprised.

"Don't underestimate a Detective's powers of observation and judgment, Kaspars. Although I'm not a Detective from the Reader Pathway, I could still sense his obvious nervousness and guardedness through Spirit Vision." Zeriel glanced at his watch before continuing, "All right. I've seen your little friend here, so I need to go prepare breakfast for the little ones at home."

"Zeriel, you're still raising those orphans?" Kaspars asked from the side.

"They're excellent assistants for me as a Detective, aren't they?" Zeriel replied with a smile.

Kaspars frowned and said nothing more, merely watching as Zeriel's body slowly faded away.

On the other side, Abner quietly breathed a sigh of relief after returning to the East Borough.

When he opened the door earlier, he had instinctively activated the Pure White Eye for a second. He had then seen a hidden figure beside Kaspars.

He had truly been startled, but he soon sensed that the hidden Beyonder should not harbor any ill intentions. Rather, he had come to help Kaspars deal with any possible Loss of Control incident.

Only then had Abner maintained his secret vigilance while completing the transaction with Kaspars.

"My Pure White Eye still doesn't possess Spirit Vision, and I can't see spirits for now, so that person shouldn't have been in a spiritual state...

"Then was it the Trick of the Eye of a Trickmaster? A Magician creating an illusion? A Swindler using mental interference? Only those three are skilled at this during the Lower Sequence.

"Hmm, the principles behind these abilities should all involve influencing people through the mind. In that case, does my Pure White Eye also have the ability to resist or see through mental spells? Sigh, I have too little information. I can't determine that yet."

While pondering these matters, Abner entered the restaurant he had visited every day since transmigrating. He looked around but didn't see Xio.

That lady's investigation should still be underway...

The thought flashed through Abner's mind, but he paid it no mind. Although he knew that the so-called Two-Faced Man, Rosen, had kicked his predecessor's father while he was down, he had only inherited the predecessor's memories, not his emotions.

He didn't feel it deeply and wasn't in a hurry. He would simply make that man pay when the time came.

After breakfast, Abner returned the study materials to his home before making his way to a nearby subway entrance.

Backlund's subway had been established twenty-five years ago. At first, it had connected the two banks of the Tussock River, but it had now expanded to several major boroughs. Naturally, there still weren't many stations.

Since Riverside Street in Saint George Borough, where Abner was headed, was simply too remote and would take too long by carriage, the subway was more convenient.

Underground, Abner glanced at the wooden price board near the ticket window:

"During peak hours—seven to nine in the morning and six to eight in the evening—there is one train every ten minutes. At other times, there is one every fifteen minutes. First-class seats cost six pence, second-class seats four pence, and third-class seats three pence. Round-trip tickets cost nine, six, and five pence respectively. Annual tickets cost eight pounds for first class and five pounds ten soli for second class. Third class has no annual ticket."

The price was reasonable. Even if he took it every day to practice shooting, he could afford it.

With that thought passing through his mind, Abner took out four copper pennies and handed them to the ticket seller, buying a second-class ticket.

He arrived at the platform leading to Saint George Borough's Station Four. He hadn't waited long before he heard a rumbling whistle echoing like thunder.

A massive steam locomotive, carrying a powerful presence, burst through the glow of the gas lamps on both sides and clanked to a halt.

Its enormous shape, winding body, black-iron color, and intricate mechanical components blended together into a unique beauty.

"This finally feels a little like steampunk!" Abner couldn't help blowing a whistle.

At the same time, he mentally complained about Cuttlefish's bait-and-switch in the introduction to Lord of Mysteries. Although he knew that the steampunk elements in the novel were merely background embellishment and shouldn't be overanalyzed, now that he was actually living in it, he finally experienced the force of steam and machinery!

Not long after boarding, the Steam Subway began racing from slow to fast amid the clanking noise. Ten minutes later, it gradually slowed down again and pulled to a stop beside the designated platform.

Since Abner had not yet reached his destination, he remained seated and waited for the train to start again.

At that moment, accompanied by a series of firm footsteps, a petite girl with disheveled hair entered the carriage. It was Xio Derecha, the future Judgment of the Tarot Club.

"Xio?" Abner exclaimed in surprise, while thinking, Am I perhaps too fated to meet this lady? I've only been here for less than four days, yet I've encountered her on three of them.

Xio had clearly seen Abner as well. She walked straight over and sat in the empty seat beside him before greeting him. "Good morning, Abner. What a coincidence. Where are you going?"

"Good morning, Miss Xio. I'm planning to go to the shooting club on Riverside Street to practice my shooting." Abner answered honestly without thinking too much about it.

"Riverside Street... Is it the shooting club at 33 Riverside Street?" Xio paused suddenly before asking in a complicated tone.

"That's right! How did you know, Miss Xio? Have you been there?" Abner was about to ask that when he suddenly noticed that something was wrong with Xio's expression.

Her face kept changing, filled with all kinds of emotions—nostalgia, Bewilderment, unwillingness, and more. She was completely consumed by them.

Abner couldn't help being alarmed. He thought, Even if my words somehow stirred something in Xio, as a Sequence 9 Arbiter, how could she lose control like this in front of someone she barely knows? Something is very wrong!

With that thought, Abner decisively activated the Pure White Eye. He then saw a strange black pattern coiled across Xio's forehead!

"That used to be my father's property. I even played there when I was little..." Xio seemed unaware of her own condition and continued murmuring about the past.

But when she unconsciously turned her head and met Abner's pure-white pupils, she suddenly shuddered and completely regained consciousness.

"Xio, listen to me. Calm yourself first and empty your mind! You've probably been cursed, and the curse may be exploiting your extreme emotions." Seeing her gaze return to normal, Abner rubbed his slightly dizzy head and continued, "We need to get off immediately and find a safe place to talk."

As he spoke, he grabbed Xio with one hand and reached into the gun case with the other, gripping the revolver's handle. Before the train could start moving, he strode toward the platform.

Although Xio was a wild Beyonder with insufficient knowledge of mysticism, she had extremely rich experience. She didn't hesitate and quickly followed Abner.

I didn't expect to receive a private message about signing a contract... Also, starting tomorrow, there will be two updates a day: one at 6 p.m. and one at midnight.