Ai Qianshui de Wuzei

Lord of the Mysteries Volume 1

[Rating: 5 out of 5 stars] 


Jan 20, 2023 - Feb 5, 2023



Volume 1: CLOWN
Chapters 1-213

Possible spoilers ahead, be warned.... 


My emotions are still raw right now after finishing the first volume of this book. This volume is a re-read for me but I didn't expect that I would still cry despite knowing what happens at the end. 

This web series is an absolute gem for me that I happened to discover in the mid part of 2022. I started it and loving it so much but for some personal reason, I have to stop reading it and now, I don't know where in the story I stopped. I just know that I was only about 40%-ish of the way through, with the series having a total of 8 volumes with 1,430 chapter. That's right. That's how long it is. But I'm more than willing to give my time on this, otherwise, I wouldn't start reading this long ass series all over again.

This is just the first arc of the story but A LOT has happened. The pace is on the slower side but a great world building takes time. The author established the magic system of this world in a detailed way and maybe you might think there's so much information at once, but on the otherhand, he doesn't reveal too much of it at the same time. He left so much questions to ponder about. So much information that you wouldn't think existed until he slowly introduces it. And he does it after leaving small crumbs of hints that you thought were just insignificant details. He's done a lot of things purposefully, and it's to build an even bigger world for the future arcs of this series. 

The main protagonist, Zhou Mingrui, was mysteriously transmigrated into this world completely different from his own. Klein Moretti was supposed to die but Zhou Mingrui's transmigration saved him, and now he was forced to live the life of Klein Moretti, the owner of the body he inhabited. Now as Klein Moretti, he has to discover the secret and mysteries of this world and his true purpose for transmigrating. That is his only means if he wants to learn ways to come back to his own world. But clearly, it's not an easy task and he has to put his own life in danger multiple times to achieve it. 

ZHOU MINGRUI


KLEIN MORETTI


Honestly, Klein Moretti might be one of my most favorite fictional characters ever. I just loved every part of him. He's polite and gentlemanly but not in a pretentious way. He's mature, clear-headed and rational. He's a cautious guy and he rarely gets impulsive (one of the rare moments I saw him out of control is when he fired 'someone' five times when he saw a 'colleague' died in a mission for the first time) but he's usually a kind of guy who think things very thoroughly before acting. But he's also not indecisive. His mind automatically listed the pros and cons of the things he has encountered so he can make a decision easily and with conviction. He also has a good-natured personality. He will not hesitate to do what is right even at personal cost, but he wouldn't do it heroically. If he can help, he will, but he's not arrogant enough to help everyone. He never overestimate his own abilites. Even after having new skills as a Sequence 9 Beyonder, he knows that he's just slightly stronger than an average person but in actuality, he's still just as weak as them compared to other Beyonders.


To him, it was simply a help he could provide if he happened to chance upon it. However, if he were to miss it, and the situation was not especially clear, there was no point taking it to heart and delaying his own matters.


But despite having a cautious personality, he also has this recklessness once in a while. I love how he has a perfect balance of cautiousness and recklessness. He's also clever but not in a genius way. His level of wit is absolutely higher than average people but not to the point that he would be consider as prodigy. That's why his character is not out of reach, if you know what I mean. He's such a realistic character and it's so easy to relate to him. Also, I'm in love with Klein's humour. In the dangerous world he was now forced to live in, he still find ways to stay positive. He also has this strong ability to uphold to his own principles, which up until the part where I stopped reading in the series, he maintained that part of him. 


We are like puppets dancing on a string. What's even scarier is that we thought so highly of ourselves...


Expect that the coincidences in this story aren't simply coincidences. Having a mysterious figure manipulates the fate, albeit being restricted as well, is just a scary thought, especially when you are in the center of it all. He just saw himself as a small fry in this massive, mysterious and dangerous world. But unbeknownst to him and even to the 'mastermind', he's much more than just a cannon fodder to a much greater cause. 

To fight against the abyss, we have to endure the corruption of the abyss...

We are guardians, but also a bunch of miserable wretches that are constantly fighting against threats and madness


After witnessing the first death of someone he was close to, I think that was when Klein completely realized that someday, he might be the one in their position, and each and every death of someone close to him left a serious blow on him. 'He felt he would never forget this feeling for as long as he lived, even if he were to return to his world.' But those deaths make him more determined to be stronger, his resolve more intense. Maybe that's why he is firm on his cautiousness. 

Aside from Klein, there are also a bunch of characters, allies or enemies alike, that might or might not appear again in the next arcs. But most of them, especially the people who have significant roles in the story has a great depth into their characters. I'm glad to know that the enemies are real threats to Klein and his allies. And they're much powerful than Klein, at least for now. They are not called 'villains' just for show. Even the cannon fodders shouldn't be treated lightly. And this format of the story made me more excited. I was thrilled to see Klein's growth from being a weak Seer to a much more powerful Beyonder.

The last part of this volume is still as heartbreaking as I remember when I first read this. Maybe even more. The life he had lived, his 'siblings' that he treated as his own family, the friends he had made, he has to leave all of it in that small town of Tingen. The emptiness that Klein is feeling at the end is the same emptiness he felt when he first arrived in this world. He was once again alone, and that made me feel so sad. Aside from some character death, which was a given, one of the most emotional parts of this volume is when he was following his siblings and desperately wants to show himself to them, but he wouldn't dare since he knows that his 'fake death' is for their own good. He can see how his 'death' affected them so much and it also hurts him, but he has nothing else he could do but endure. 

 The clown brought the flower before Melissa and Benson. the flower was golden in color and symbolized happiness.

Melissa and Benson looked at the clown in a daze. All they saw was a wide smile plastered over the paster face. It was a happy smile, an exaggerated smile, a ridiculous smile

His last attempt to cheer his siblings up and also his last farewell. This part was actually so painful that I am still crying while writing this review. As a Beyonder, in order to not lose control and become a monster, they have to digest their potion properly by 'acting' their respective sequence, just like how Klein got a side job as a seer in a divination club. He advanced from Sequence 9 Seer to Sequence 8 Clown, but I don't want to see Klein 'digesting' his Clown potion this way. This sequence is particularly cruel for Klein, because he has to act like a clown, entertaining other people despite what he's really feeling deep inside. That 'hiding his pain behind his smile' is what broke me completely. 

Next volume would be Klein's journey alone in Backlund. How he will completely digest the Clown potion and how he would make himself stronger. Also looking forward on how his secret organization would grow, both in number of members and in strength. If I'm not mistaken, the next volume is also a re-read for me, but I'm still excited to dive into it.

PS. I remember that each arc, Klein has to disguise and use different personas. It's just so fun to include his appeance in my reviews with each of his persona. 

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Lord of the Mysteries Volume 1

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