Lord of Mysteries: The Assassin's Dark Path

The Capital of the Ten Thousand Cities, Backlund.

It is the capital of the Kingdom of Leon, with a population of over five million, and is also one of the most prosperous cities on the continent.

The wide Tussok River flows into the city from the northwest and exits from the southeast, eventually merging with the sea.

While dividing Backlund into two halves, the Tussok River also provides convenient waterway transportation, making the city's dock area bustling. The nearby East District is even more crowded with factories.

The night sky is mostly clear, with large swathes of crimson moonlight spilling down, reflecting the riverbank's scenery on the calm surface of the Tussock River.

A breeze sweeps across, causing ripples on the water, and the reflected image shatters into vibrant, flowing lights.

This is the section of the river near the docks in the East District.

Rows of residential buildings stretch from the riverbank, extending deeper into the East District. They vary in height and age, but through the passage of time, they present a unique harmony.

At this point, it is well past midnight.

Almost everyone is deeply immersed in sleep, with the rare insomniacs tossing and turning in bed.

Of course, there are always exceptions.

On the second floor of a small building, by a window facing the river, stands a young man.

He wears loose sleepwear, his black hair slightly disheveled, and in his deep brown eyes, there is a profound sense of bewilderment.

He is contemplating a question—"Who am I?"

Before tonight, this question would have been easy for him to answer.

His name is Varina Atano, twenty years old, a warehouse manager at the Sillen Textile Factory. His past life has been quite simple.

Perhaps a great change happened in the dream tonight, or maybe the seeds had already been planted, only to explode tonight—he is not entirely sure.

In any case, when he suddenly woke up, he realized that he had lived another life in his dream, gaining a strange set of memories.

In this other memory, his name was Yu Yue, and he lived in a world completely different from the one he knows now.

A strange world, strange experiences, strange memories...

These memories were so vivid that he could hardly distinguish between the dream and reality, unsure if he was Varina or Yu Yue.

He almost thought he was going mad, considering everything related to Yu Yue to be nothing but a mad delusion, until he remembered the contents of a novel called Lord of Mysteries.

"Leon," "Backlund," "The Goddess of the Night"...

Isn't this the world he's in?!

Wait a minute.

"Extraordinary ones," "Paths of the Gods," "True history"...

Is this really the world he's in?!

Two sets of memories, two lives, two personalities, have brought this young man an unparalleled sense of contradiction and division, almost driving him to madness.

He can only stand quietly by the window, ignoring the night view outside, fully focused on trying to reconcile the two identities in his mind.

As the incomplete red moon slowly moves toward the western horizon, the young man's efforts also begin to take shape.

He tries to use the method of indirect proof to negate the memories of Yu Yue.

First, he assumes the memories of Yu Yue are true, then attempts to fit them into the reality known to Varina, attempting to explain everything and see if it can hold up.

If it can't, then it is undoubtedly just a delusion!

As the comparison proceeds, the young man is shocked to find that he can't find any flaws, because most of them involve extraordinary powers that he currently cannot verify.

However, there are some things that, although still unverifiable, he is inclined to believe.

The first and foremost is Emperor Roselle.

As is well-known, Emperor Roselle's life was extraordinary, and his achievements were vast, touching various fields. He was an outstanding inventor, philosopher, artist, and politician, with countless titles and honors attached to him...

But if the memories of Yu Yue are true, then Roselle was merely a transmigrator, and his achievements came from copying the experiences of another life.

"Plagiarist" vs. "Omnipotent genius"—clearly, the idea of a "plagiarist" is easier to accept, especially after experiencing something similar himself.

Apart from the parts that remain unverifiable, the young man has worked out many things that he can soon verify, as the novel's content from Yu Yue's memory touches not just the past, but the future as well.

Thus, the young man at the window becomes deeply immersed in the clash of two personalities within him, completely losing track of time.

When the first light of dawn begins to glow in the east, he lets out a deep breath, as if some weight has been lifted, and the two personalities, through his efforts, have come to a slight understanding.

"No matter what, I can only be Varina Atano on the surface for now."

After half the night's efforts, the young man has effectively eased the inner division he felt.

"The next most important task is to verify the existence of extraordinary powers and reconcile my mind."

After standing by the window for half the night, Varina stretches his stiff body and walks into the adjacent public washroom, a wry smile on his face, "And the first thing to do is—work."

Yes, work.

Varina's parents passed away long ago, and he was raised by his uncle. After completing his technical education, his uncle asked him to become independent and introduced him to his current job.

A warehouse manager—this job is already quite good for a young man who has only completed middle school education. He cannot give it up easily. At least, until he verifies and masters the extraordinary powers, he doesn't want to quit.

Since it's still early, he has time to carry out his first attempt before work.

After freshening up, Varina returns to his room and takes out four loaves of rye bread from the cupboard, planning to try a ritual he remembers.

That's right—the "fortune-turning ritual" of Mr. Fool, Zhou Mingrui, and Klein Moretti from the original work.

The time is now late September, 1348. Although Varina doesn't remember the exact date of Mr. Fool's descent (it's specifically 1349.06.28), he is certain that he hasn't arrived yet—if he ever will.

His reasoning is the Grain Law.

He remembers clearly that Klein's descent is very close to the abolition of the Grain Law, and this law hasn't been abolished yet.

Of course, calls for the abolition of the law are growing louder, and Varina even participated in a small rally related to it.

This means Klein's descent is probably not far off—if he is truly going to descend.

Although Varina knows deep down that he is probably unrelated to the gray mist pointed to by the ritual, and that the chances of success are very low, he feels he must try to confirm it.

The small room is filled with necessities like a bed, desk, chairs, wardrobe, cupboard, and coal stove, taking up most of the space.

This is the only private space Varina has in this world.

He places the four loaves of bread in the four corners of the room—by the bed, desk, cupboard, and coal stove—and moves to the center of the room to begin the "fortune-turning ritual."

"Blessings Stem From The Immortal Lord of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings Stem From The Sky Lord of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings Stem From The Exalted Thearch of Heaven and Earth."

"Blessings Stem From The Celestial Worthy of Heaven and Earth."

...