June 28th marked the global premiere of the anime adaptation, dropping worldwide simultaneously.
The Lord of the Mysteries (诡秘之主) series is a Western fantasy IP created by "Cuttlefish That Loves Diving" (爱潜水的乌贼), a Platinum-tier author on China Literature. Shattering web novel records over the past two decades, this global phenomenon has captivated readers worldwide and stands as a landmark achievement in online literature. The IP currently comprises two installments: Lord of the Mysteries and Circle of Inevitability.
Set in a world steeped in occult mystique, it blends Victorian-era aesthetics with steampunk flair, crafting a meticulously structured power system, vast continent-spanning geopolitics, and unforgettable characters.
Modern-day clerk Zhou Mingrui awakens as Klein Moretti, a university student in this strange new world. To unravel the mystery of his transmigration, he pursues supernatural abilities—plunging from ordinary life into a vortex of fate involving other empowered beings and the very survival of the world.
On the surface, it's an age of industry: revolvers, cannons, dreadnoughts, and airships fill the landscape. Yet beneath this rational veneer lurks a realm ruled by arcane forces. Potion-based magic, divination, curses, and sentient artifacts (artifacts with sealed powers) permeate society. Ancient secret societies pull strings from the shadows, while unspeakable horrors wait to unleash humanity's doom.
The IP's crowning innovation is its 22 divine pathways—each a unique sequence granting distinct powers and ascension rituals. Every rank-up brings exponential strength and deeper truths about the world. These pathways interlock in an intricate web of checks and balances, forming a vast, living tapestry of supernatural intrigue.
So, what makes Chinese web novels tick? How do business deals help Chinese IPs go global?" These questions get tossed around a lot. Through all the talk and action, a fresh cultural symbol is hitting the world stage. For Lord of the Mysteries, this is harvest season. For Chinese web novels? It's time to sow new seeds all over again.
Take Xiaozhou, a reader who's been devouring web novels for over a decade. She told me Lord of the Mysteries was actually one of the few male-targeted novels she'd ever read. Before this, Xiaozhou was a hardcore fan of female-oriented romance stories. Over the years, she'd seen plenty of the sweet, fluffy tales she followed get turned into smash-hit idol dramas.
Lord of the Mysteries, though? Totally different beast. Not only is it a serious male-targeted fantasy epic, but the protagonist doesn't have a single traditional romance subplot. By all rights, this thing shouldn't have been anywhere near Xiaozhou's bookshelf.
"But it was everywhere," she sighed. From bloggers raving about it, to friends sharing celebratory fan art, to cryptic inside jokes in reader chat groups – the name Lord of the Mysteries popped up so often, Xiaozhou couldn't help but wonder: "Who is this 'Our Lord' (我煮, a fan nickname for the Lord) everyone keeps talking about?"
So, curiosity piqued by all the organic hype, she dove into this massive hit. And then? She was completely sucked in. All those assumptions she had about the rigid divide between male and female reader tastes in the web novel world? Lord of the Mysteries smashed them to bits.
Rewind to April 1st, 2018. That's the day "Cuttlefish That Loves Diving", a top-tier author for Yuewen Group, uploaded Chapter 1 of his new work on Qidian. Under the glow of a "crimson moon" (a key atmospheric element), a once-in-a-decade phenomenon was born.
Right from the start, thanks to Cuttlefish's meticulous plotting, Lord of the Mysteries exploded beyond its initial niche by the end of Volume 1. The chilling smile of the "Clown" became an iconic moment endlessly discussed by fans. Over the next two years, its popularity skyrocketed, dominating the #1 spot across major web novel charts.
Numbers Don't Lie.
Numbers Don't Lie.Lord of the Mysteries shattered multiple records held for 20 years on Qidian. Today, it boasts a global fanbase exceeding the 15 million range. Its cumulative recommendation votes? Over 34.25 million. The word count of its reader comments, a key measure of user engagement? A staggering 102 million...
But beyond the stats, Lord of the Mysteries became arguably the most boundary-crossing web novel of the past decade. The usual divides? The gap between male and female reader preferences? The wall between pop culture and academia? None of it mattered anymore.
When Cuttlefish launched his new novel Circle of Inevitability in 2023, continuing the Lord of the Mysteries world, even public figures stepped out of their usual lanes to express excitement. Take Professor Yan Feng from Fudan University's Chinese Literature Department. He tweeted about supervising a student's graduation thesis on Lord of the Mysteries, deeply shaken by its grand, mysterious world-building.
What's even more striking? Even after Lord of the Mysteries itself concluded, its long-tail impact keeps growing. Its influence across different communities? It just keeps spreading.
Even after the original story concluded, its vivid characters continue to captivate readers—they're the very reason many choose to stay "in the pit." Xiaozhou shared that she finally understood the meaning of "Praise The Fool," and genuinely grew to love the protagonist who bears that title: Klein Moretti.
To Xiaozhou, Klein shattered her expectations of typical "male-targeted protagonists." She explained: "Many readers noted in chapter comments that Klein is actually a somewhat 'ordinary' good person. Yet this ordinariness makes him extraordinary among web novel leads."
Consider the world of Lord of the Mysteries—true to its name, it's steeped in eerie, mysterious, even distorted atmospheres. But darkness never dominates the narrative because Klein consistently anchors the story with his "ordinary" kindness.
Unlike conventional male leads who thrive on moral ambiguity, Klein embodies gentle restraint. Protection is his mission; sacrifice, his tool. "After finishing Mysteries, it's impossible not to adore Klein," Xiaozhou concluded.
This explains why the character followed by companions in-fiction is equally adored by countless real-world fans.
On Qidian, Klein Moretti dominates the platform with over 5.99 million "Starlight Value" (character popularity metric)—a staggering lead over all other characters. Calling him "unrivaled" feels accurate. Across fan-creation platforms, Klein reigns as the undisputed king of web novel adaptations. Even in fan-made parallel universes, his compassion, integrity (and signature stinginess) remain deeply relatable.
Xozhou recalled a recent official charity campaign: "Guard the Yangtze Porpoise, Walk with The Fool" (愚你同行 plays on "with you" and "Fool"). Klein served as ambassador for Yangtze finless porpoise conservation, rallying fans to protect river ecology. Later, during the Jiujiu Charity Festival, he joined a reading aid program for blind children under his original identity "Zhou Mingrui," guiding readers to support visually impaired youth.
When a fan referenced the novel's lore, calling Klein "protector of all poor children in Backlund," Xiaozhou instantly liked the comment. "Someone like Klein would absolutely do this," she mused.
As for using different identities across charity projects? Xiaozhou laughed: "That's just how our 'Fool' operates..."
The Fool Sleeps, But the World Turns.
After Lord of the Mysteries concluded in May 2020, Klein's journey didn't end. A continuously evolving cultural force was taking root.
The clearest sign of this evolution? The expanding series universe.
In early 2023, the long-awaited sequel Circle of Inevitability—set in the same world—finally launched. Global fans rejoiced, cementing it as an instant blockbuster before a single chapter released.
Its mere 30-character teaser propelled it to #1 on Qidian's bestseller list. The staggering feat—"600,000 pre-release bookmarks for a 30-word preview"—reached #2 on Weibo's trending charts.
Within 24 hours of its official launch, Circle of Inevitability shattered Qidian's record for first-day bookmarks. Ten months later, it secured the #1 spot on Qidian's 2023 Annual Monthly Votes Ranking, leading the charts throughout.
Proving everyone right, this wildly popular serial has successfully expanded Lord of the Mysteries' unfinished world by introducing new characters and unexplored territories.
Simultaneously, deeper signals of the IP's evolution emerged. What's growing isn't just Cuttlefish's written universe—it's Yuewen Group's entire operational strategy for the franchise.
In late 2023, to refine the IP's long-term planning and execution, Yuewen established a dedicated Lord of the Mysteries IP Project Team. A company Vice President personally took the role of IP Owner. This was a significant move at the time—dedicated teams for single web novel IPs were almost unheard of in the industry.
A year later, the team's work touches every aspect of the IP: development strategy, commercial partnerships, fan engagement, and more. And when judging its success? Few hold more authority than the fans themselves.
Take A Zhe, a media professional and "6-year veteran fan" who started reading Lord of the Mysteries back in 2018. He calls it the web novel he's recommended most often.
His industry experience made him realize early that web novel IP operations often lagged behind other entertainment sectors. "Take the simplest example—popular films or dramas almost always have dedicated social media presences. They're easy to find. But major web novels? They rarely create public-facing hubs."
He acknowledges that the sheer volume of web novels makes meticulous management seem impractical. Plus, the industry lacked proven models—at least until recently.
But in 2024, things changed. "Right now, Mysteries feels like it's leading the pack. The longer you follow it, the more 'doorways' you see opening to the outside world."
For one, the IP steadily built bridges connecting the books to real-world fan communities. As A Zhe recalls, "When Circle launched, Qidian started testing a dedicated community space. It wasn't polished at first—it grew organically."
This "community" bears a playful name straight from the books: The Curly-Haired Baboon Research Society. "Curly-Haired Baboon" is insider slang among readers immersing themselves in the world. In reality, this hub is Qidian's interactive platform for the IP—a place to access lore resources, share fan creations, post reviews, and connect. It has drawn over 2.3 million members to date.
Beyond Qidian, the IP's presence across social media platforms has steadily amplified through official efforts. By November 2024, Lord of the Mysteries had amassed nearly one million followers on Chinese platforms like Weibo and Xiaohongshu. The hashtag #LordOfTheMysteries alone surpassed 1 billion views on Weibo and 900 million video plays on Douyin. Overseas social media operations on platforms like Facebook have also gained solid traction.
Simultaneously, the IP's adaptations are expanding beyond text into multimedia formats, opening new gateways for fans to engage. As A Zhe observes, "The Mysteries team doesn't rush adaptations, but whenever they tease something, it just feels right—like it captures the original's soul."
Thanks to the team's disciplined stewardship of the IP's core identity, spinoff projects consistently reflect the source material's distinct tone. Consider these:
The flagship audiobook on Himalaya, exceeding 1.2 billion plays;
The in-development game Code: Mysteries by Kuaishou's studio "Finger Snap Universe," already demonstrating deep reverence for the lore. Its debut trailer even featured "Hermes", the fictional language from the books—and when flooded with "Praise The Fool" comments during playback, the vibe was utterly authentic.
Perhaps most significantly, where Mysteries truly diverges from typical web novel IPs is its expansion into physical spaces. Throughout 2024, it launched multiple pop-up events across China—Shanghai, Ningbo, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and more.
For instance, from March to April, fans nationwide envied those in the "delivery-friendly" eastern regions when "Klein's Home" appeared overnight at Shanghai's Joy City mall. It hosted a lively "Beyonder Gathering" celebrating the "Curly-Haired Baboon Birthday". Even the author "Cuttlefish That Loves Diving" joined the festivities on the eve, drawing massive cheers and snaking queues.
A Zhe missed that event, living vicariously through photos while "gnashing his teeth" at peers who scored signed merchandise. Yet he remains confident: "More chances to meet 'Klein' in the real world will come."
Like enduring IPs that spawn annual fan traditions, key dates from the Mysteries timeline may well evolve into real-world "Mysteries Festivals" where devotees gather.
Looking back, the novel's grand finale wasn't an ending—it marked the start of the IP's journey beyond boundaries and into longevity. It may have been the first celebration, but it won't be the last.
The Global IP Question
After its explosive 2024, one question remains: How close is Lord of the Mysteries to becoming a truly global IP?
Comparing it to worldwide franchises reveals promising parallels.
First, its genre foundations offer natural global appeal. Blending Eastern motifs with universal themes, Mysteries merges Lovecraftian horror, Victorian aesthetics, and steampunk sensibilities—elements with established international fanbases.
Take steampunk: from Miyazaki's classics to Arcane's massive impact, works featuring whirring machinery and floating airships consistently resonate across cultures.
This shouldn't come as a surprise. Cuttlefish, the author behind the Mysteries IP, is known for meticulous research. The British and French cultural textures in his work are carefully crafted. While preparing Circle of Inevitability, he delved into numerous historical and sociological texts—including works like A History of Parisian Cafés, Impressions of Paris, and Montaillou—to authentically capture the social fabric of France circa the 1850s to 1890s.
Secondly, beneath its genre framework, the IP carries universally resonant themes. Foreign media have hailed Lord of the Mysteries as "a story for all Earthlings" precisely because its core narrative transcends cultural boundaries.
On one level, the IP builds a complex, logical, yet utterly unpredictable world by weaving together Western fantasy elements. Protagonist Klein Moretti's journey of unraveling mysteries mirrors the reader's own exploration of this world.
In this sense, the world of Mysteries is to its IP what Middle-earth is to The Lord of the Rings or Westeros to Game of Thrones. Shifting pop culture trends have repeatedly proven: distant, enigmatic lands hold timeless, universal appeal.
On another level, as touched on earlier, while the IP draws from Lovecraftian roots, iconic characters like Klein infuse it with profound warmth. Within its pages, we see powerful figures aiding the vulnerable and humanity shining brighter than divinity. This pervasive humanism forms a universal value transcending national borders.
Even if Hollywood's "family-first heroes" draw online jokes, even if Disney-style "truth, goodness, and beauty" face modern deconstruction, universal values remain vital for storytelling. As the Mysteries IP ventures globally, it's the "ordinary yet kind" Klein who has the power to resonate with ordinary people everywhere.
In essence, the source text provides a solid "anchor" for the IP's global voyage, revealing immense inherent potential.
By the end of 2024, concrete results of this global expansion were visible:
On Webnovel (Qidian International), the English version Lord of Mysteries surpassed 47.7 million reads with a 4.85/5 user rating.
Its sequel Lord of Mysteries 2: Circle of Inevitability exceeded 10.1 million reads, rated 4.81/5.
Beyond English-speaking markets, the IP launched French and Korean digital editions, released Thai and Russian physical books, and debuted its Japanese version on Webnovel on October 21st—reaching ever-wider audiences. Adding to this momentum, the inclusion of both Mysteries books in the British Library's collection marked a year of explosive global growth for the IP.
Looking inward, sustaining the IP's high-speed development requires building on the lessons of the past year. Specifically, it demands focused energy on driving the "three pillars":
A dedicated operations team,
Broad industry partnerships,
Highly engaged fans.
The synergy of these three elements will be the key to scaling new heights.
