Lord of Mysteries: The Cultivator - Chapter 20
“Yo, good morning?”
At dawn, Gehrman and Danitz pushed open the door and found Quinn hanging from the ceiling like a spider, secured by a complex network of vines. Since developing his spiritual disorder, Quinn had become increasingly energetic.
He smiled at them while hanging upside down: “I thought I was the only one who couldn’t sleep well. Did you guys have fun last night?”
Klein, in the guise of Gehrman Sparrow, automatically ignored the latter half of the sentence. He pressed down on his top hat and said in a low voice, “We are preparing for a hunt.”
Danitz nodded behind him, his excitement and schadenfreude practically overflowing from his face.
“Oh!” Quinn’s eyes lit up. The word successfully piqued his curiosity and desire for exploration. He flipped down from the vine net and said excitedly, “Count me in!”
Danitz’s expression shifted, and he eagerly wanted to agree.
He knew very well the true capability of this seemingly mad bishop. His Beyonder power, which was strikingly similar to that of “Toxin Expert” Frank Lee, meant he was definitely an equally powerful Sequence 5 Beyonder.
Coupled with Quinn’s mysterious wooden golems and unusually strong vines, his abilities placed him even above the average Sequence 5 Beyonder.
With Quinn’s help, this “hunt” could only be described as a “sure win.”
However, a single sentence from Gehrman Sparrow shattered Danitz’s imagination.
He said, “No need.”
Before Danitz could cast a puzzled glance, Gehrman continued, “The more people involved, the greater the chance of being discovered by the ‘Mandated Punishers,’ and…”
He paused for a second and said expressionlessly, “Next time… I might need your help. I will pay you a reward, and I hope you will agree.”
“Eh—” Quinn dragged out the final syllable in disappointment, but he quickly changed his mood. He confidently patted his chest: “Say no more. You don’t have to wait long. Even for a demigod, I’ll show you I can handle it!”
A demigod, huh… Klein slightly narrowed his eyes.
Standing next to Gehrman, Danitz inexplicably felt a shiver down his spine.
Klein secretly clenched his cane. Familiar faces flashed through his mind one by one, and he silently said in his heart:
Ince Zangwill! You must save your life until that time!
“Let’s go.”
He waved his hand, led Danitz, pushed open the wooden door, and prepared to set off.
“Oh, right!”
Quinn suddenly called out to them.
Gehrman and Danitz turned their heads in unison.
Why do you also have the same habit as the Captain… Klein complained in his heart.
Quinn extended one hand, palm open. Two forearm-length, dark green branches slowly grew from it, with ancient, intricate patterns faintly visible.
He tossed the branches to the two of them and said, “I have to leave now.”
“Back to Bikini Beach.”
“If you need to contact me, just use this branch to write the four words ‘Quinn is super handsome’ on the ground, and my messenger will appear. You can use this method to contact me.”
“It won’t be long before I’ll be free to hang out with you guys again,” he winked, “if the one back home agrees, that is.”
Klein easily caught the branch, examined it for a while, and suddenly said, “Must the two words ‘super handsome’ be added at the end?”
“Ah, th-that… Ehehe (//////)-☆!”
“Hmph…” Gehrman chuckled lightly, put away the branch in his hand, waved, and left the hotel with Danitz.
“Am I not handsome… Sniffle, sniffle…”
Quinn mumbled as he pulled down his leather suitcase from the vine net. Inside, besides clothing, were several hundred pounds of banknotes.
The sanity-stabilizing potion and the hastily made charms were tucked into the inside of his jacket.
Suddenly, the morning sun broke through the shadow and illuminated the room. He unconsciously glanced out the window.
The “City of Generosity,” perpetually filled with the scent of spices, was now bathed in the new light of the sun;
The loud chants of workers drifted from the distant dock;
In the bustling crowd, the passion for life and the love for living radiated on the faces of men, women, and children.
Everyone in the city seemed to be striving to create meaning in life. This entire scene was fully reflected in Quinn’s eyes.
At this moment, he seemed to have a more intuitive understanding of what “life” meant.
He smiled, put on his bishop’s hat, straightened his bishop’s robe, and walked toward the port.
…
Quinn sat on the edge of the bed, staring intently at the relentlessly rolling waves outside the window.
A persistent whisper sounded in his ear: “Life… is the most perfect creation…”
“And you… are my most perfect one…”
The illusory, ethereal, and madness-laced murmurs seemed to come from the starry sky, stimulating Quinn’s brain and stirring his contaminated soul.
“Give up,” he said, accustomed to it.
“As long as I don’t recite your honorific name, murmurs of this degree cannot harm me. Moreover, it’s also like I’m listening to my own murmurs.”
“You don’t understand… You and I are destined to become one…”
“I understand!” The madness in Quinn’s eyes faintly flowed.
“I understand…”
“This is… futile resistance!”
“Heh heh…”
The corners of Quinn’s mouth curled upwards, but he was not smiling: “Your biggest mistake was…”
“You gave me life…”
“Mother.”
He closed his eyes, took out a bottle of potion, uncorked it, and guzzled it down, temporarily ignoring the annoying murmurs and the constant, empty ringing sound.
Around him, small glass bottles were scattered on the floor.
Quinn slowly opened his dazed eyes, his mind unable to stop thinking:
My current state is very bad. The contamination is rooted in my soul, and I need to remove it. The only way is to request the Mother Goddess’s help. Fortunately, She should still hold goodwill towards me for now.
But if I want to advance, I will inevitably face interference from the Fallen Mother Goddess. This process is extremely dangerous, and I must request the help of some existence…
I should still ask Mr. Fool for help. I have many more pages of Emperor Roselle’s diary. He should agree. Simply blocking the Fallen Mother Goddess’s interference shouldn’t be a big problem for Him.
Upon contemplating this, the heaviness in Quinn’s heart eased considerably.
He looked up at the clock. The time for “The Hanged Man’s” promised delivery was approaching, and his mood gradually became excited and apprehensive.
Finally, the familiar whirlpool appeared on time, and an exquisite metal box materialized before his eyes. The box seemed to be made of a special Beyonder material.
Without even opening it, Quinn knew from the faint attraction emanating from the box that it was the golem core he needed.
Along with the box, a small slip of paper appeared.
Quinn put away the box, picked up the note, and saw that it was written in a heavy, steady hand: “Mr. Empress, the gift has been received. It is very practical and very beautiful. Thank you for your generosity. May The Fool favor you.”
Quinn read the note carefully, a sincere smile appearing on his face. He rested one hand on the metal box.
“This is the first step on the ‘Filial Son’s’ path of rebellion against the ‘Good Mother.'”