LORD OF MYSTERIES | Band 1 Clown – Teil 2

Lord of Mysteries #1.2

by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

Der majestätische Palast auf dem Hauptgipfel des Hornacis-Gebirges und ein unsichtbarer Blick – sind sie eine verborgene Weisung oder die Versuchung eines finsteren Gottes? Der Zauberspiegel entweiht das Antlitz des Mädchens. Das einzelne Auge des Gehängten Riesen flammt blutrot auf. Selbst der wahre Seher darf seinen Augen nicht trauen. Der Tod naht, das Unheil kriecht heran, lautlos entfaltet sich eine verborgene Intrige. Über dem grauen Nebel neigt der Narr das Haupt und lauscht der Dissonanz des Schicksals…

Genres: Fantasy, Light Novel, Mystery, Horror, Fiction, Steampunk, Magic

548 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2025

About the author

Associated Names:
* 爱潜水的乌贼 (Simplified Chinese) / 愛潛水的烏賊 (Traditional Chinese)
* Ai Qianshui de Wuzei / Cuttlefish That Loves Diving (English)
* อ้ายเชียนสุ่ยเตออูเจ๋ย (Thai)

Reviews

[Iqbal]

If I got a dollar every time Klein lampooned, I'd have as much money as Audrey.

[Akshay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lord of the Mysteries, Vol. 2: The Clown, Part II by Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 / 5)

If Part I was about survival, Part II is about transformation.

The Clown, Part II is where Lord of the Mysteries stops merely intriguing you—and starts consuming you. Klein Moretti is no longer stumbling blindly through the occult underworld of Tingen. He is adapting to it. Refining himself. And unknowingly stepping closer to forces that operate on a scale far beyond human comprehension.

This volume deepens the horror, sharpens the mystery, and delivers one of the most emotionally devastating turning points in the entire early series.

📖Overview

In this installment, Klein’s advancement to Sequence 8: Clown is more than a power upgrade—it is psychological conditioning. The potion doesn’t just enhance agility and control; it reshapes how he interacts with fear, deception, and performance.

The horror intensifies. The investigations grow darker. And the comforting illusion that the Nighthawks can contain the occult threat begins to fracture.

By the final arc, the story delivers a gut-punch that redefines Klein’s journey from curious scholar to hardened seeker of truth.

📚 Chapter-Wise Breakdown (Spoilers Ahead)

Chapters 1–5: Stabilizing the Clown

Klein continues digesting the Clown potion, carefully practicing emotional control and physical precision. The emphasis here is on restraint. The Seer pathway demands performance, and Klein learns to act “normal” even while navigating supernatural danger.

This section reinforces one of the series’ key mechanics: power requires psychological alignment. Advancement is not brute force—it is compatibility.

Chapters 6–12: Escalating Investigations

The Nighthawks handle increasingly dangerous cases involving Beyonder artifacts and hidden cult activity. The stakes subtly rise as Klein begins to sense deeper patterns connecting these events.

The world-building expands—secret organizations, hidden pathways, and looming threats beyond Tingen’s jurisdiction begin to surface.

Chapters 13–20: The Royal Family and Conspiracies

Hints of larger conspiracies emerge, particularly involving high-ranking figures and shadowy cults. Klein’s role transitions from observer to active participant.

The Tarot Club scenes gain more weight. Klein’s persona as “The Fool” grows in confidence, foreshadowing the mythic identity he will eventually inhabit.

Chapters 21–30: The Megose Arc Begins

The arrival of Megose and the corrupted artifact marks the tonal shift into outright horror. The grotesque imagery surrounding her pregnancy and the infant amplifies the Lovecraftian dread underpinning the series.

Klein realizes the threat is beyond normal containment protocols. The tension here is relentless.

Chapters 31–End: Catastrophe in Tingen

The confrontation with Megose spirals into disaster. Captain Dunn Smith sacrifices himself to prevent a greater calamity. The scene is brutal, chaotic, and emotionally crushing.

Klein survives—but survival feels hollow. The cost is too high.

The volume ends with Tingen scarred and Klein fundamentally changed. His innocence dies alongside his captain.

🧠 Character Development

Klein Moretti

This volume marks Klein’s first true psychological break from normalcy. The Megose incident shatters his illusion of control. His curiosity hardens into resolve. He begins to understand that knowledge in this world is never neutral—it extracts payment.

Dunn Smith

Dunn’s sacrifice anchors the emotional core of the volume. His quiet steadiness contrasts with Klein’s intellectual anxiety. Losing him removes Klein’s stabilizing force.

The Tarot Club

Though still in early formation, the Club begins to feel like something larger than a gathering of strangers. Klein’s myth-making instincts are sharpening.

🎭 Core Themes

Performance as Survival: The Clown pathway demands emotional masking. Identity becomes layered.

Knowledge Has Consequences: Every secret uncovered increases danger.

Cosmic Indifference: The Megose incident reinforces that humanity is fragile before ancient forces.

⚖️ Critical Evaluation

Strengths

✔ Exceptional atmospheric horror ✔ Deep, rule-consistent power system ✔ Emotional payoff with lasting consequences ✔ Gradual but meaningful protagonist evolution

Weaknesses

✖ Slow early pacing may deter impatient readers ✖ Heavy exposition during investigative segments

🔥 Final Verdict

The Clown, Part II is where Lord of the Mysteries proves it isn’t just clever—it’s merciless.

The horror becomes personal. The systems become dangerous. And Klein learns that advancement in this world doesn’t just grant power—it erodes comfort.

By the final chapter, the stage is no longer Tingen.

It’s the world.

[Bibliothecat · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Many thanks to Bunny for joining me for this buddy read!

Volume two picks up right after the events of the first. After dealing with the aftermath of the first hints around the titular Clown elements, things become a little calmer again as Klein goes on about his daily life with the Nighthawkes and his research around the history of the world he's found himself in. Unlike the previous volume, we get fairly little exposure to the Tarot Club and even less POV from the other members. Klein is such a fantastic character, though, so he easily carried this volume - almost - on his own.

This series is truly mystery upon mystery and each reveal leaves you with more questions than answers. The worldbuilding keeps growing, although it was easier to follow in this volume as the first one set us up with a good foundation. Some characters I thought were irrelevant gained in importance and it's been nice getting to know little bits and pieces about the substantially large cast.

Being a little further into the series now, I really feel like this feels like a blend between Sherlock Holmes and Pandora Heart with a few gaming elements sprinkled on top. I definitely think this series would appeal to Pandora Hearts fans in particular. I've personally really been enjoying the more crime and mystery element to it. Some parts become really quite dark, the final chapters in particular felt quite bleak and have broadened the world further. Altogether, those last chapters made the stakes feel higher and I am curious to see what comes next.

[Brittaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more information I get, the more I want to know D:

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Volume 2, as expected. This one has more content that is not revealed in the show (at least, not yet). I look forward to Volume 3 out in May. It appears to catch up to the end of season 1 of the show.

[Zaph.Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

AHHHHHHHHHH!!
Absolutely LOVED this! :DDDDDDDD

[Lidik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Klein and his fog world get blasted by a nuclear bomb 🖊️🔆

[Aiden Smith · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

intriguing book, mysterious indeed

worldbuilding continues to be the biggest strength of this series. while this book is notably slower than the first one, i quite enjoyed the reveals and pacing of this book

the characters are great as well. but the plot continues to have convenient moments, and some larger oversights. but those are easy to look past if one simply enjoys the story being told

recommended indeed, and i think i will continue the webnovel for the series. i’d like to see where the author takes the plot

[Ali Haji · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is too good. Review incoming someday, I really hope I don’t become lazy and skip the review
Send prayers

[Vi Van · Rating 3 out of 5]

More lore and exposition, and yet I keep on wanting to keep reading? The mystery of it all and the worldbuilding keeps me going, despite my constant confusion over where the overarching plot is going.

[James Shanks · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot more world building and build up in this part. Still super enjoyable and really well paced. I have no clue how the author wrote the book while juggling around so much information to strategically spoon-feed the reader. Looking forward to the finale of this first arc.

[TwitMeat · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25

[Grungnir · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Really good. First half is just more setting stuff up. Second half is where stuff gets really interesting. New characters and mysteries in play. Really exploring more of the world and the mysteries of the 3rd epoch and the gods. Just makes me want to read more

[Gavin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klein is so meticulous

[Daniel Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good continuation from the first book, so many interesting concepts and mysteries and I love the way the more episodic feeling moments connect into the larger story like the mirror divination at the house party and such. Also glad to see another member added to the tarot club.

[Ritesh Dhiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed the 2nd volume very much and Klein's lampoons 😄😄

[Rukky Shonubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Information is power. That is all I have to say

[Chidemsworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📚📖 Kitap / Book / Buch:
Lord of Mysteries – Clown, Teil 2 (Gizemlerin Efendisi – Palyaço, Cilt 2 / Herr der Mysterien – Clown, Band 2) — Cuttlefish That Loves Diving

🔮 Tür / Genre / Genre:
Fantastik, gizem, macera, steampunk
Fantasy, mystery, adventure, steampunk
Fantasy, Mystery, Abenteuer, Steampunk

📅 Dönem / Period / Epoche:
Çağdaş Çin Fantastik Edebiyatı – Çin
Contemporary Chinese Fantasy Literature – China
Moderne chinesische Fantasy-Literatur – China

📝 Kısa Özet / Short Summary / Kurze Zusammenfassung:
🇹🇷
Serinin ikinci cildi, ana karakterin gizemlerle dolu dünyanın katmanlarını keşfetmeye devam ederken daha büyük komplolar ve tehlikelerle yüzleşmesini anlatıyor.
🇬🇧
In the second volume, the protagonist dives deeper into a mysterious world, uncovering hidden conspiracies, ancient powers, and increasingly dangerous challenges.
🇩🇪
Im zweiten Band dringt der Protagonist noch tiefer in eine geheimnisvolle Welt ein und stößt dabei auf verborgene Verschwörungen, uralte Mächte und immer größere Gefahren.

💬 Yorum / Review / Rezension:
🇹🇷
Bu ikinci cilt, world building açısından tanıdığım bütün hikâyelerden kat kat daha ayrıntılı. Harry Potter, One Piece, Attack on Titan ve daha nice büyük eser ancak bununla aynı seviyede gösterilebilir. Şimdiden geleceğin klasiklerinden biri olacağı hissini veriyor. Normalde fantastik edebiyat çok okuduğum bir tür değildir; ancak bu seri fikrimi değiştirecek gibi görünüyor. Bunun yanında, olay örgüsünü takip etmek, ipuçlarını birleştirmek ve sürekli analiz yapmak da okuru zihinsel olarak aktif tutuyor. Mantık yürütme becerileri için adeta mükemmel bir egzersiz.
🇬🇧
This second volume surpasses almost every story I know when it comes to world-building. Harry Potter, One Piece, Attack on Titan, and many other iconic works are, in my opinion, only on a similar level. It already feels like a future classic. Fantasy is not usually my preferred genre, but this series may very well change that. On top of that, constantly piecing together clues, making deductions, and analyzing every detail makes it an outstanding intellectual exercise.
🇩🇪
Dieser zweite Band übertrifft nahezu alle Geschichten, die ich kenne, was das Worldbuilding betrifft. Harry Potter, One Piece, Attack on Titan und viele weitere große Werke sind für mich höchstens auf Augenhöhe mit dieser Reihe. Schon jetzt wirkt sie wie ein zukünftiger Klassiker. Normalerweise lese ich nur selten Fantasy, doch diese Serie könnte das ändern. Gleichzeitig fordert sie den Leser ständig dazu auf, Hinweise zu kombinieren, Zusammenhänge zu erkennen und logisch zu analysieren – ein hervorragendes Training für das eigene Denkvermögen.

#LordOfMysteries #Clown #CuttlefishThatLovesDiving
#BookReview #BookRecommendations📚❣️

[Hendrik-Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing sequel - Rational characters and perfect atmosphere

Following up an amazing debut, this sequel delivers again. Honestly, there wasn't a single bad chapter.

The pacing is spot on. Even the minor stories, which usually feel like filler, served as chill interludes rather than dragging the story down. The title fits perfectly; there are layers of secrets to unravel, and the book respects the reader. It gives you bits and pieces of the mystery without holding your hand, preserving the element of surprise while playing fair.

The cast is a huge relief compared to other genres. The side characters act like rational people and the MC remains level-headed; the entire main cast is competent and likable.

The atmosphere hits right up my alley, nailing the blend between Cthulhu-esque horror and the detective genre.

Overall, this is probably my favorite book series of the year

[Caspar · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love a novel that lets you turn page after page because you NEED to know more about the world it's placed in, let alone where it takes our characters.

The pace is even slower than that of the first novel, although for the first time time-skips of a few days and even one of two weeks are implemented (amazing stuff), but it's like waiting for a fruit to ripen as the storytelling really profits from the slow build-up.

In part two some of the old side characters get expanded on (which I very appreciated as there were also a lot of new additions), and the world gets even bigger - all while the dots start to connect to something terrible that will happen soon in near future.

The only downside of reading this series is really the sweet agony of getting fed only small portions of information about people, the secret organisations, etc. as time goes on, knowing that every detail could be important later on. It's like collecting puzzle pieces that a strategically placed.

[Sayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will probably raise my standards for a fantasy book forever. This journey is just so incredibly fulfilling, detailed and enjoyable.😭💕
Every chapter feels useful and complete.
Even the mundane moments give so much life, that it is never boring to read them.^ - ^

The characters are so loveable. Klein as the protagonist of this novel is just so awesome to watch. I have the whole Moretti family close to my heart, as well as the Nighthawks. The Tarot Club as well is something I always look forward to read! (*^▽^*)

The plot is just so amazingly thought through and you just can wonder what happens next. Incredibly long read, but it always feels so short. Can't wait for the next part and please translate this novel faster hahah（╹◡╹）

10/10 recommend to every mystic enthusiast and keyboard warrior! ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

[Jonas Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just want to start off by saying: DO NOT WATCH THE ANIME BEFORE READING

Okay now that we have gotten that out of the way I’ll explain why. I made the mistake of watching the anime which gave too much and too little at the same time. It was heavily focused on the events of the book and not the world building which spoiled so much of the two books and didn’t add anything to it.

The anime has gone so far that not even the end of the second book catches up. So while this book was great especially the parts which I wasn’t spoiled, it was like so much enjoyment was lost because of that, which is of no fault to the book.

Besides that, if you read the first you’ll enjoy the second.

[Sam Ormsby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dropped at chapter 119. While the setting has potential, the English translation drags the prose down with awkward, overly explanatory writing. It rarely follows the principle of “show, don’t tell,” instead spelling out nearly every emotion, deduction, and action. The result is a reading experience that felt repetitive and increasingly difficult to stay engaged with, so I ultimately decided to DNF it.

I realize reviewing a book I didn’t finish has its limitations, but I also think it’s valuable to explain why I stopped. Web novels, manga, and anime adaptations often receive extremely high ratings from dedicated fan communities, so I wanted to offer a more balanced review.

[Dew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt pretty much the same as I did in book 1. I really liked the action scenes, especially everything that was happening in the last 15% of the book. I love the lore a lot, and the whole Sun plotline at the end was really interesting, especially Derrick! I didn't expect the Forsaken Land to be such an interesting place—it lowkey reminds me of Tsurumi Island, with the whole isolated-from-the-world thing. Very cool, very interesting!! Klein's inner commentary was really funny too, especially in regards to captain Dunn; Klein's really gearing up for that Clown potion huh 😭😭

Anyway, Derrick's subplot has me much more excited for book 3 now. #fun!

[William Scroggie · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

I feel as if I’m being transported into the world of Tingen everytime I open this book. I absolutely am fascinated by this story, hands down has to be my favourite series, regardless of the media format. This book is only getting better and better, building on more details from such a captivating opening book. The characters and mysteries feel deeply thought out and unique, I can’t wait to uncover the truths of the sequences and discover what lies ahead for Klein. Very excited to see what happens with Derrick 🙏☀️

[Joe Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm fully hooked on this series. Not the best prose, not the cleverest of writing but so damn good.

The Fool added the new member to the Tarot club in Sun, a boy trapped in the Land of Silver, but who has access to a lot of different formulas. Klein has also fully digested his Sequence 9 Seer formula, so is ready for the Clown formula, only he's deciding whether to use the formula for it that he found on the cultist, or if he goes through the Nighthawks

[Cassie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this 2nd book more than the first as the story was more developed. I did find when the book ended, it felt like a weird break to the next book. I honestly thought both the first and second book could have been split differently. I do enjoy reading when the Tarot Club meets. I also find Klein interesting that he has so much going on that people haven’t caught on to him actually being a fool. Will he ever advance in the sequence, or will he keep trying to get home???

[JD RoXas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This section of chapter includes multiple points of information. Part 2 of the clown volume has more set up narrative than anything else. From major early lore drops and contextualization while setting up the third part. One thing is that even though all three parts are the first volume overall, I didn't felt like the middle had any middle book syndrome. Yet, I like how more exposition and how the timeline moves differently compared to the animation

[Aiden Schmiedel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed it more then the first book had more development and showed off the grey fogs powers in much better detail. I enjoyed the pacing and development and the fact it is more progressive in the tarot club. In my opinion it is a far better version of the show and shows off the story so much more wonderfully then the shows first season.

[Redletalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still excellently written! I love the small nods to real Victorian jobs and living and whatnot. It's obvious that the author did some good research. And the mystery only deepens. Now to wait for book 3.