Chapter 95: Books from More Than Three Thousand Years Ago

Chapter 95: Books from More Than Three Thousand Years Ago

Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina showed no change in expression because Gehrman Sparrow had said he needed to consider it. She merely nodded calmly.

“There is no rush.”

She seems to think that, for a transaction of this size, I cannot decide on my own and have to go back to ask the secret organization behind me… Is the problem that I cannot decide? The problem is that I have no money! Klein mocked himself inwardly. Closing Groselle’s Travels, he asked in a deep voice, “Do you know who the author is?

“And what happened in the end to those who once owned this book?”

Edwina walked to the opposite side of him and extended her right hand, rubbing the cover with her fingers.

“Because of the fog of history, the sinking of ships, and the loss of relevant records, its previous owners can no longer be traced. Likewise, there is no way to confirm who the author was. Mm, there is no signature on it.

“We used a few secret techniques to study it and discovered that the parchment was made at least three thousand years ago, before the Cataclysm.

“That is also why I believe it is worth at least eight thousand pounds.”

A book from three thousand years ago, yet its characters include not only dragons and elves, but also a human ascetic, a Solomon Empire noble, and a Loen soldier… Those are all concepts from later eras! Is it a magical book concealing prophecy? Or did someone deliberately use ancient parchment to make it? But what would be the point of that? Pure mischief? Klein deliberately raised the corner of his mouth without truly smiling.

“The giant’s name is Groselle. Could the author be Roselle?”

“No. The name Roselle itself originates from the decomposition of giant language. It underwent a second transformation when Intisian evolved from ancient Feysac, gaining a different meaning…” Edwina explained the etymological origins of Roselle’s name in great detail, leaving Klein somewhat dazed, as though he had returned to a classroom.

He gave a slight nod, then said in a tone without much fluctuation, “If this is an ancient work, I am rather curious why a frost dragon could be called the King of the North. Which pathway and Sequence would it correspond to?”

Edwina lifted her gaze from Groselle’s Travels and looked at Klein.

“Before the first Blasphemy Slate appeared, there were no concepts of pathways and Sequences. Many creatures did not follow such arrangements either. In that epoch, chaos and madness were the main themes of everything.

“Some dragons may have gathered many Beyonder characteristics related to frost, such as the frost of Witches, the frost of Living Corpses, or the frost of Weather Warlocks. In that way, they could possess extremely powerful strength and a fairly high level of existence. Of course, that kind of convergence would inevitably bring death and loss of control.

“What I mean is: if it had not died, then it must have lost control and become a monster. Then again, dragons are monsters to begin with.”

If there were many similar products among dragons, giants, and elves, then it is understandable why the Second Epoch was called the Dark Epoch… Klein pondered briefly, then spoke as if to himself and as if asking a question.

“That would cause a waste of Beyonder characteristics.”

Edwina looked at him for a few seconds.

“Emperor Roselle once said something:

“Whatever separates will surely converge, and whatever converges will surely separate.”

The Emperor said that? I understand the first sentence. It is just another expression of the law of convergence for Beyonder characteristics. But what does the second mean?

When convergence reaches a certain point, a tendency toward separation and repulsion appears? When things that do not belong to the same pathway gather in a chaotic composite, a separating effect arises? The more chaotic, the more they reject one another?

The Emperor would not have casually told others such words. It certainly would not be one of those quotations widely circulated outside… Last time, from the Roselle dream-entering spell and the vice admiral’s surname, I guessed that she was a descendant of Edwards, one of the Emperor’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse… The possibility is extremely high…

After the Emperor fell, their family escaped to Lenburg and gradually converted to the God of Knowledge and Wisdom?

She really is an excellent teacher, practically answering every question!

Klein said no more and began appreciating Vice Admiral Iceberg’s other collections.

At the same time, he developed a certain idea: at the Tarot Gathering, he would have The World ask Little Sun whether he knew of the book Groselle’s Travels.

Of course, to prevent The Hanged Man from detecting something off about The World through the question and thereby noticing something abnormal about The Fool, he decided to communicate privately and block everyone else.

After a brief tour, Edwina led Klein out of the collection room and into the captain’s private room within the pirates’ dining hall.

“The special food here is yogurt. You can add strawberry jam or other fruit preserves to it, or directly put honey in it…” Edwina pointed at the row of food outside the door. “Several kinds of dried fish are also quite good. They come from the deep sea and remain unnamed species.”

As she spoke, she indicated that Klein could take what he wanted and bring it back into the room. Then she rose first and set an example.

Klein took a serving of yogurt made by someone unknown, added several spoonfuls of honey, then held his plate and picked up pork sausages, cream bagels, and other foods.

During this process, he saw a young man in a white shirt, black waistcoat, and patterned bow tie, looking more like a clerk than a pirate, approach Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina and quietly speak with her about something.

The man was rather good-looking. His hair was somewhat golden, though the roots were darker, and it was neatly parted and turned back to either side.

His eyes were an extremely pale lake-green. His nose bridge was high, his lips were thin, and he possessed a temperament that made people feel he could be trusted.

“Do not be fooled by that fellow’s appearance. He is a can of wolffish—full of stench inside!” At some unknown point, Danitz had also entered the pirates’ dining hall. He came to Klein’s side and whispered in contempt.

Klein turned his head and glanced at him without saying a word, because he knew Danitz would explain on his own.

Before Danitz could speak, the thick-waisted man beside him said in a slightly sharp voice, “That is the third mate, Jodson. He used to be a playboy and pirate. Said he wanted to steal our captain’s heart, got beaten up, and stayed behind to receive an education. Dogshit!”

“In any case, he is not a good person!” Danitz emphasized.

“Not a good person!” another pirate with iron-black skin echoed.

Why do I always feel that you all are strangely united on this point… Klein thought for a moment and said, “Fancy Bow Tie Jodson, bounty of 5,200 pounds? Sequence 6?”

As expected, that is the standard Gehrman Sparrow reaction… Danitz glanced over there. Hidden beneath his disdain was a trace of lingering fear.

“His strength is not all that strong. He is just very strange. When I fought him—no, when I battled him—I suddenly could not use fireballs, while he could imitate my flame ability.”

That description sounds very familiar… Klein subconsciously looked toward Jodson, carefully recalled, and remembered where he had heard of it:

It was extremely similar to a Sealed Artifact behind Tingen City’s Chanis Gate: the Vessel Thief!

Klein could no longer remember the Vessel Thief’s serial number, but he still clearly remembered that it could temporarily steal another person’s Beyonder ability and use it for itself.

The corresponding pathway? Klein withdrew his gaze and found that Danitz and his two companions were drinking while looking in that direction with obvious concern.

Thinking of how Danitz had leaked the matter of his sacrifice to Kalvetua, Klein picked up a glass of beer, carried his plate, and walked toward the captain’s dining room. As he did, he said casually, “You all like her, don’t you?”

Pfft… pfft… pfft… Behind and slightly to the side of Klein, the sounds of beer spraying out rang almost simultaneously.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Danitz jump back two steps. First, Danitz looked in that direction in terror, then relaxed slightly and turned back to examine his companions.

They had unknowingly pulled apart from one another. Their gazes had grown rather complicated, carrying a kind of anger as though they had been deceived.

Klein did not stop. He returned to the captain’s dining room and enjoyed the morning delicacies.

After quite a while, Edwina returned with her plate.

She took a sip of milk, paused for two seconds, and said, “Danitz showed me your messenger-summoning ritual.

“It mentioned that a gold coin needs to be used as a material.

“I am somewhat puzzled. Does that refer to a Loen gold coin, an Intisian one, a Feysac one, or some other? Their weights and gold content differ.”

Klein thought for a moment.

“A Loen gold coin.”

That is also the most valuable gold coin… In any case, I am not the one paying… Klein added inwardly.

Edwina nodded.

“Is payment also needed when receiving a reply?”

“Different spirit-world creatures have different preferences,” Klein acknowledged with a brief “Mm.”

He knew that Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina was a researcher of spirit-world creatures, and trusted that she would understand the meaning of his words.

Moreover, he had not lied. He had merely hidden the option that the messenger’s owner could pay instead.

“Yes.” Edwina responded very seriously. “I once tried to find a messenger, but I could only explore the incantations by myself. It was not only dangerous, but very difficult to obtain a satisfactory result, so I eventually had to give up.

“That was one reason. The other was that simulated necromantic power could not be used to sign a contract.

“Your incantation has given me no small amount of inspiration.”

Klein quietly ate breakfast and did not take the opportunity to explain further to her, because this knowledge came from Mr. Azik’s teachings. Before receiving permission, he would not spread it casually.

After the delicious yet quiet breakfast, the Golden Dream approached a private harbor and set down Klein and Danitz.

Danitz looked back at the ship that seemed to glitter with golden light and suddenly sighed in sorrow.

“I feel like my friendships have already sunk into the sea!”

Klein pressed his hat and said flatly, “Failures can form an alliance with one another.”

“…” Danitz did not know whether he should feel happy or sad.

After changing identities, forging proof, buying tickets back to Bayam, and successfully boarding the ship, Klein finally had private space.

He entered the washroom, went above the gray fog, and began browsing the prayers of Sea God’s believers.

This time, the first to enter his eyes was the bald rebel Kalat.

“Great God, we have discovered the red-haired Elaine’s whereabouts. She is hiding inside the Intis Consulate.

“This has been confirmed jointly by a washerwoman and a gardener.”