Lord of the Mysteries

Nina was a pirate who had risen up the ranks. Often, she might be easily irritated, but she was very experienced at handling matters. She was a rather reliable person. After some thought, she gave a description in a serious manner.

“The well’s mouth is at a rather deep depth along the seabed. I need enough time to adjust myself before I can acclimatize to the temperature and pressure of the area. That’s why I took so much time to get there.

“It isn’t easily discovered, but the remnant iron buildings are indeed rather obvious. I found them once I got acclimatized.

“They’ve already completely collapsed or rotted. There’s no way to imagine what they originally looked like. However, I could tell that they definitely spanned across a great distance in the past. It’s just shrunken by a great deal now.”

When Nina said this, she chuckled and scanned all the men around her.

A real female pirate is indeed different… Klein sighed from the bottom of his heart.

From his point of view, be it Admiral of Stars Cattleya, Vice Admiral Iceberg Edwina, or Vice Admiral Ailment Tracy, none of them could be considered a pure female pirate. All of them hailed from major factions or secret organizations. When they were Low-Sequence Beyonders, they were either not at sea, or they were following important figures, so what they did were relatively safe matters. Otherwise, they were independent adventurers who had never been tainted by the characters and atmosphere of low- or mid-level pirates.

After Nina finished laughing, Cattleya pointed her finger to the rusted item that could hardly be described as a metal beam.

“This is a portion of the iron building?”

“Yes, Captain. As you know, I don’t know much about history or mysticism. I could only bring some back for your inspection. You’re an expert on this.” Nina smiled as she handed the “metal beam” over.

Then, she pointed at the black piece of hardened mud which was filled with holes on its surface.

“Not far from the iron ruins, I found a well. It’s not very big. If it’s to be described with the word ‘huge,’ then I’ve definitely seen plenty of huge cannons.

“Those drunken adventurers are better at bragging than us pirates!

“This is the mud from the inner layer of the well. I can’t imagine how such patterns could be formed!”

Nina’s finger repeatedly struck the honeycombed dots on the black mud.

Klein originally believed that they were marks left behind by dense shots with very tiny projectiles, but after a careful inspection, he suspected that they were remnant “patterns” after something had rotted. Each spot was very shallow as its edges spread outwards in an irregular pattern.

Nina handed the black mud to Cattleya as she continued describing, “The well’s mouth is really small. Even a child from Nas wouldn’t be able to enter.

“It’s very deep. I even felt that it was bottomless. In that environment, the interior was completely dark as though something was slowly summoning me, yes—slowly.

“I found a few rocks nearby and threw them in, but there wasn’t any response. In short, it’s filled with water.”

Cattleya held up the “metallic beam” and black mud. Through the thick glasses, she observed them seriously.

“Since the mouth is very small and humans can’t enter them, there’s no need for us to begin the exploration immediately. It will be very dangerous.

“Let’s wait until I figure out the secrets hidden within these items and whether the ancient well is worth us taking the risk before we return to make an attempt.”

“Aye aye, Captain!” The wet Nina was trembling as a result of the cold winds. The way she wavered made all the surrounding pirates stare straight at her.

Cattleya nudged her glasses and said to Nina, “You can drink a bottle of Sonia blood wine. There’s no limit for the rest.”

“… Long live the captain!” Nina cried out in joy.

An underwater well that humans can’t enter… Klein, who had no desire to explore it, summarized Nina’s description.

Suddenly, he had a strange idea.

Humans are unable to enter the well, but that doesn’t mean that non-humans can’t do it!

Many deep-sea fishes aren’t necessarily that huge. There’s a significant chance that they can pass through the well.

As the “Sea God,” he had the means to make marine creatures do his bidding while wielding the scepter!

There’s no rush. Let’s see if Ma’am Hermit is able to figure out anything from these two objects. I’ll consider whether I’ll explore it on the return trip; otherwise, I might attract some exaggerated danger… There’s still not enough information regarding this. There’s no way to do any divination… As his thoughts wandered, Klein’s expression remained deadpan.

At that moment, Cattleya shot him a glance out of curiosity. Then, she retracted her gaze without leaving any traces.

Why did she suddenly look at me? She was seeing what I was doing? It’s impossible for her to know that I possess the Sea God Scepter and can make marine creatures do my bidding. That’s not right. She knows, but she only knows that Mr. Fool wields Kalvetua’s godhood scepter, not The World… Unless she has figured out that The World is The Fool… But that’s even more impossible. Even Mr. Hanged Man is still stuck at the concept that The World is a Blessed. She hasn’t even realized this point…

Viewing this from a different point of view, I’ll consider it from Admiral of Stars’s angle… She’s someone being pursued by knowledge, and she’s a follower of Queen Mystic. She’s loyal to the Moses Ascetic Order, and she has roamed the sea for years. She has plenty of knowledge and experience, so it wouldn’t be odd that she knows that the Sea God domain possesses the Beyonder power to control marine creatures.

Therefore, after realizing that humans are unable to pass through the ancient well, she naturally made the connection with the scepter in Mr. Fool’s hand. Does she plan on requesting for help in the future? She looked at me to figure out if The World has also grasped the corresponding information or have similar ideas?

Many ideas went through Klein’s mind. With the powers of Clown, he forcefully maintained his indifferent expression. He didn’t react abnormally in any way.

As Nina was about to draw the Sonia blood wine, Klein pressed down his hat and returned to the cabin.

Just as he was about to approach the door, a figure surfaced in his mind suddenly.

In a room in the cabin’s upper level, the windows were tightly shut and the curtains were drawn. There were a pair of blurry eyes hidden behind them, silently watching the crowd on the deck, as well as Gehrman Sparrow.

Who is it? Klein didn’t stop. His body didn’t show any hesitation as he entered the cabin normally as though nothing had happened.

…

At three in the afternoon, the bright but not scorching sunlight shone into the garden adjacent to Stoen University.

Michele Deuth was already a Senior Associate Professor by forty. He was wearing a long tailcoat and a beautiful bow tie as he waited by the door.

Yesterday evening, he received a letter. The sender was from the attendant of the richest aristocratic family in East Chester County, the Hall family. The person who wrote the letter was the daughter of a Member of Parliament from the House of Lords who wielded immense influence. She was Miss Audrey Hall, who was deemed to be the most stunning gem in Backlund.

This noble lady had mentioned in the letter that she had learned from a gathering that Mr. Michele Deuth was an outstanding collector and an aficionado of this domain. She had a great desire in paying a visit.

Michele Deuth didn’t have any reason to refuse.

Soon, a classic carriage with a family emblem arrived at the door.

Two servants, who had been instructed to open the outer gates made of iron railings, led the carriage around the garden and arrived in front of the house.

A housekeeper was the first to alight, followed by guards and maidservants.

Following that, a hand wearing a long white-gauzed glove was extended outside.

With the help of the maidservants, Audrey elegantly stepped onto the carpet which Michele had paved.

Michele was first taken aback before his eyes lit up. He felt as though the flowers in the garden had instantly faded.

He took two steps forward and took off his hat to bow.

“Welcome, my honorable lady.

“Your visit is an honor for me and my family.”

Audrey took off the veiled hat and passed it to her maidservant before exchanging a few pleasantries. Then, she followed Michele Deuth into the living room and entered the collector’s room on the first floor.

Here, Michele finally found his confidence as the master of the house. He began pointing at his collection and providing an introduction from the left.

“This is a helmet that appeared in the White Rose War. After lots of research, it can be determined that the owner is a member of the Sauron family. Back then, they were still considered royalty.”

The golden helmet had an intricate design. There were avian and flying wings that adorned it, and the visor was formed from pieces of golden scales.

“My ancestor obtained his first aristocratic title in that war,” Audrey replied with piqued interest.

She had already adjusted her mental state ahead of time—she was to appear as though she was really here to tour the collections.

“The failure of the Twenty Year War had caused the kingdom to suffer years of humiliation, but it also carved out several heroes.” Michele resorted to flattery.

The White Rose War happened after the Twenty Year War and before the Battle of the Violated Oath. There, Loen defeated Intis and became strong again.

Michele continued introducing his collection as Audrey solemnly listened, raising questions from time to time as she conversed with him.

Finally, Michele’s finger pointed towards a notebook with a black cover.

“This belonged to a knight stationed on Sonia Island in the Twenty Year War.

“This knight’s name has already vanished in the long rivers of history. This notebook is the only proof of his existence. He once stood fast until the very last moment on Sonia Island.

“This notebook is not only a first-hand account for the research of that portion of history, but it also hides certain problems. The knight’s grammar has many uncommon habits. This might be a clue to aid us in determining his exact identity.”

Audrey instinctively believed that the notebook was her target. Hence, she only leaned in a little. Indeed, the black cover had unobvious patterns. Together, they outlined an abstract image of a dragon.

From Michele’s tone and minute expressions, his interest is focused on the content and not the item itself. He doesn’t particularly treasure it… I have a high chance of purchasing it… Audrey calmly made a judgment as she turned her head. She then smiled at Michele Deuth and said, “What are the uncommon habits exactly?”

“Enjoys using short sentences—very simple and short ones…” Michele described in a flaunting tone.

Audrey was always a good listener. She looked at him with a smile as she listened with focused attention. This made Michele speak more.

As she listened, she suddenly felt that the knight’s grammatical habits were somewhat familiar.

That is… Audrey’s eyes darted around slightly as she quickly remembered the source of the familiarity.

This was a grammatical habit of Dragonese which she had diligently mastered!