Chapter 1: Arrival
Loen Kingdom, Capital of Capitals — Backlund.
The city was divided by the Tussock River, which flowed southeast into the Sonia Sea. On its banks stood the Backlund Bridge, with ferries crisscrossing its waters. With a population of over five million, Backlund was one of the most prosperous cities on the Continent—perhaps even unmatched.
At this moment, in a dark alley of the Metropolitan Bridge district, a young man crouched in the shadows. Though he bore no external wounds, his face twisted as if he were enduring unbearable pain.
Liu Bo forced himself to suppress the buzzing in his mind and, with great effort, opened his eyes. He saw the massive bridge spanning the Tussock River, and above it, a crimson full moon hanging in the sky.
The crimson moon… Loen Kingdom… Backlund…
Fragments of chaotic memories flashed through his mind. After a long while, he felt some strength return to his limbs. Supporting himself against the wall, he stood shakily.
Looking down at the unfamiliar palm of his hand, he gave a bitter smile.
I've transmigrated… Loen Kingdom, Backlund? Heh, hearing those names, it seems I've landed in Lord of the Mysteries. But this really isn't the kind of place one looks forward to…
Back in his original world, Liu Bo had been a lecturer for elective courses at a third-rate university. After three years, he was still going nowhere, even considering a change of career. Who would have thought that he'd wake up one day to find himself transmigrated—into the world of his favorite web novel, Lord of the Mysteries!
"My current body's name is Enber Bryan. Just turned 18, still in public school. Because of a trance, I accidentally fell off the Backlund Bridge… and that's how I transmigrated. The trance seems to be tied to a family upheaval… Wait, something's off!"
As he sifted through the original owner's memories, Liu Bo's expression abruptly changed. He hurriedly reached into his pocket and pulled out a thumb-sized blue gemstone.
Under the crimson moonlight, the gem glittered with an eerie glow. The moment he gazed upon it, an image surged through Liu Bo's mind: a middle-aged man lying dead in a pool of blood, stripped of nearly everything. Only this gem had lain quietly on his chest. Driven by greed, the original Enber had snatched it up and fled the scene.
"This… Could it be a Beyonder characteristic left behind after a Beyonder's death? Was the original Enber killed because of this? No… perhaps merely carrying it for a week was enough for the contamination to kill him!"
A shiver ran down Liu Bo's spine. He remembered how carelessly Enber had kept it on him, utterly ignorant of the danger.
Following Klein's example from Lord of the Mysteries, Liu Bo took out an iron cigarette case from his pocket, dumped out the remaining two cigarettes, and carefully placed the blue gem inside.
Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Hiding the case, he oriented himself by memory and hurried toward his rented room in East Borough. The Metropolitan Bridge area was far from safe; too many shady figures and homeless lurked there at night. By comparison, East Borough, though poor, was slightly more secure.
On the way, Liu Bo remained tense. He hadn't fully integrated Enber's memories, and the boy had been living in a haze for days. He didn't even know the exact date. That uncertainty made him fear suddenly crossing paths with assassins, cultists, or other horrors.
Fortunately, nothing of the sort happened. Apart from some ragged vagrants wandering like the walking dead, his journey was uneventful. At last, he reached the one-bedroom apartment he rented on Black Palm Street.
The place was small and sparsely furnished: just a bed, a chair, a bedside table, and a half-length mirror hanging on the wall. The weekly rent was four soli. Thank you, Emperor Roselle… Without your mass production of glass, even this mirror might not exist.
Lighting the candle on the bedside table, Liu Bo sat dazed for a long while, forcing himself to calm his dizzy mind. Then he retrieved the gem from the cigarette case, studying it under the flickering light.
"I wonder what pathway and Sequence this characteristic belongs to… and what repercussions the contamination might already have left…"
Even as he murmured, he suddenly noticed his thoughts sharpening. His focus and logical reasoning skyrocketed, his mind racing like a high-speed computer. But within seconds, searing pain shot through his skull. With a scream, Liu Bo collapsed to the floor.
Before losing consciousness, he glimpsed his reflection in the mirror: a youth with curly brown hair, but his eyes… his eyes had turned completely white, pupils erased as if bleached away.
---
Meanwhile, under the Holy Wind Cathedral in Cherwood Borough, a Mandated Punisher reported to his captain:
"Captain, Old Reed found An Rui's corpse in a trash heap near the Bridge district. During last week's battle in the suburbs, when he was scattered by the heretics' Sealed Artifact, he was already in bad shape. In the end, he still died…"
The captain's face darkened. He slammed the table. "Do we know who did it?"
The subordinate sighed. "We found the body too late. It had been thrown out by tramps. His spirit had mostly dispersed, and the divination yielded little. But based on the traces, our Knowledge Keeper speculates he must have run into East Borough gang members while seriously wounded—and was robbed and killed."
"How dare those sewer rats?! If it was robbery, they must have taken his belongings and Beyonder characteristic. Track this clue. Find the scum who harmed An Rui!" The captain's fury gave way to weary resignation. He rubbed his temples. "But… take half a day's rest first, you and Old Reed. It's nearly dawn. After that, resume the search. I'll have to face An Rui's family…"
"Captain…"
---
When Liu Bo next awoke, he didn't panic. Calmly, he pulled a pocket watch from his breast pocket. "Unconscious for nearly six hours… So this transmigration gave me a cheat? A gold finger that works for three or four seconds, then knocks me out for six hours? Some cheat this is…"
Glancing at the mirror, he saw his eyes were once again a normal light blue. Yet he remembered the pure white eyes from before. He chuckled bitterly. "What is this? Naruto's Byakugan? In terms of insight, it's about the same… except it lasts only a few seconds. Hah, let's just call it the Pure White Eye."
Despite his jest, Liu Bo knew how valuable this ability truly was. In those brief seconds, he had gained enormous benefits. He grabbed pen and paper and, instinctively, began jotting notes—in Chinese.
"The first ability of the Pure White Eye is enhanced memory and recall. In just a few seconds, not only did I fully digest the Host's memories, but all the knowledge I'd learned and books I'd read before transmigrating resurfaced with perfect clarity! That's priceless. Even the potion formulas and rituals from the Lord of the Mysteries novel, which I never memorized deliberately, are now etched into my mind. However, after leaving the state, these memories begin fading, especially knowledge involving demigods and above. Anything related to Outer Deities vanishes almost instantly. I'll need to review and rewrite quickly to preserve them."
"The second ability is heightened logic and insight. It lets me spot countless details and instantly analyze their connections. Perfect for strategy and deduction. That's why I wasn't disoriented upon waking—I had already thought everything through in those few seconds."
"And the third ability is analysis—the true core of the Pure White Eye. By combining knowledge and direct observation, it can extrapolate results far beyond my level. The previous two abilities are just foundations for this one. It's extremely powerful. In those few seconds, with just one glance at the Beyonder characteristic and at myself in the mirror, I derived a whole series of conclusions!"
Switching to a fresh sheet, Liu Bo recorded:
"First: this Beyonder characteristic belongs to the Reader pathway. Specifically, Sequence 8 — Student of Ratiocination.
"Second: my body has indeed been contaminated by the characteristic. But, thanks to the Pure White Eye's suppression during transmigration, the corruption fused smoothly into my body and spirit. My spirituality and mental strength have already improved. Unlike the Eye's temporary boost, this change is permanent—akin to second-generation Low-Sequences born with a characteristic."
He sighed bitterly. "Which also means I'm locked into the Reader pathway. I can't take any other route. But… Reader enhances memory, logic, and analysis—the perfect match for the Pure White Eye. It will only grow stronger alongside it. Is that coincidence… or fate?"
Shaking his head, he continued writing:
"If I don't advance, this hidden corruption will eventually drive me to lose control. There's no other choice. I must become a Reader."
His pen scratched across the paper:
"Reader, Sequence 9 — Reader.
Main ingredient: Pupil of the Gara Fish.
… …"
This was the true terror—and gift—of the Pure White Eye. It had granted him insights that even a Sequence 5 of the Reader pathway would struggle to reach.
(End of the chapter)