704 Origins

On the undulating sea, inside an ancient and dark sailboat.

Alger Wilson stood in front of a window, considering the report he had to produce when he arrived at Pasu Island. It was at that moment when the endless gray fog and a figure lording over him appeared.

He then saw a dark red glow and saw a blurry figure resembling The World. He then heard the figure's calm words.

After hearing it, Alger's eyes widened. He found it difficult to suppress his joy as a strong sense of bewilderment and shock emerged within his heart.

He remembered very clearly that The World had only promised The Sun to obtain the Notary potion formula within three days at the last Tarot Club gathering. He hadn't mentioned anything related to the Ocean Songster potion formula, but in just days, this gentleman had obtained the rare Sequence 5 formula and even its main ingredient!

What did he do exactly? Alger muttered silently to himself as he couldn't help but recall Gehrman Sparrow's cold and formidable appearance. He found the man more and more unfathomable.

Is this the advantage of being a Blessed? Yes, I just received the news yesterday that Gehrman Sparrow boarded the Future last week in Nas. On the one hand, it proves that Admiral of Stars is indeed The Hermit, and on the other hand, it means that what The World did last week was extremely important. For example, entering those dangerous waters in the eastern front to obtain something. Therefore, he had no choice but to seek The Hermit's help? As such, he advanced and became a Sequence 5 powerhouse?

This can explain how he obtained the Ocean Songster potion formula and its main ingredient in the span of a few days… But what did he do exactly? Don't tell me that he killed someone from the middle-upper echelons of the Church? Alger couldn't help but frown.

He quickly calmed his heart as he focused on another matter.

Although instantly obtaining the formula and main ingredient delighted and excited him, making him feel that becoming a Tarot Club member was a turning point in his life, he still needed to pay for it!

What can I give The World… Alger fell into deep thought, depressed to realize that he didn't have any items or money of equal value.

He subconsciously paced about his window.

…

Above the gray fog, the busy World vanished as Klein cast his eyes on Groselle's Travels which he had brought above the gray fog.

This book comprised of yellowish-brown goatskin was silently placed on the long bronze table. It didn't appear special in any way, appearing so ordinary that only history fans would notice it.

Klein conjured a pen and paper as he cautiously wrote the first divination statement: "This is the Spectator pathway's Uniqueness."

He was most worried about this point, as it meant that he couldn't seal the book above the gray fog. It might bring about unexpected accidents, but carrying it with him made it possible for him to be sucked into the book at any time. That would be very problematic.

He undid the spirit pendulum on his left wrist, composed himself, and attempted a divination.

When he opened his eyes, the topaz pendant was spinning counterclockwise.

It meant a negative result.

From the looks of it, this strange book isn't the Spectator pathway's Uniqueness. Then, there's no need to be too afraid… Klein thought for a few seconds before divining if Groselle's Travels was the corresponding item of the Spectator pathway's Sequence 1 or 2. To his surprise, the divination ended in a failure.

Hmm… he thought for a long while before penning a new divination statement: "Its origins."

The reason why Klein dared to do such a divination was because he knew very well that the Spectator pathway's Sequence 0 had long perished. There was a high chance that the Uniqueness was in the hands of the Twilight Hermit Order. Therefore, the chances of him having to face a real god was negligible.

Putting down the pen and holding the paper and book, Klein leaned back into the chair and recited the divination statement as he entered a dream with Cogitation.

The gray, hazy world cracked open as the sky turned extremely dark. It was as though strong winds were stirring the dark clouds.

In this dark environment, a sliver of light appeared first along the horizon as it grew bigger and clearer.

It was a floating continent!

It was a huge continent that could hold several cities!

The continent's periphery was grayish-white in color. Huge boulders revealed their outlines, and above them, there were dozens of erect hundred-meter-tall stone columns. They either stood independently or propped up magnificent ancient palaces.

Dragons of different colors—grayish-white, scarlet-red, yellowish-bronze—as well as some made of ice, were flying over the continent and the one-of-a-kind city. At times, they would land on a stone column to rest as they overlooked the land. At other times, they would enter the opulent palace and vanish from Klein's sight.

Among them, the smallest one was about the size of King of the North Ulyssan. The biggest spanned a hundred meters.

The scene quickly zoomed in as a palace with a height of over two hundred meters occupied Klein's vision.

Its interior had stone columns erected, propping up a dome. The space was so large that it allowed any dragon to move freely within.

The "camera" kept moving inward, and soon, Klein saw a book made of yellowish-brown goatskin. Its cover was blank as it floated in midair. Compared to its surroundings, it was amazingly small.

Right behind the book, a large shadow appeared.

Just as the shadow's silhouette was outlined, Klein felt his thoughts instantly explode!

His eyes spewed out with blood as his ears were left with two black holes. His mouth and nostrils had white matter stained with blood spew out from them.

The mysterious space above the gray fog gently trembled as it pacified everything. Klein quickly recovered as he gritted his teeth and rubbed his head.

It hurts! It freaking hurts!

It's in no way inferior to the Eternal Blazing Sun. I didn't even discern 'His' looks or gain any knowledge…

Was "He" Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt? According to Little Sun's information, "He" had perished at the end of the Second Epoch. After so many epochs, spanning two to three millennia, just prying into the mystery was enough to put me in such a sorry state. If not for the gray fog's screening and assistance, I would've died immediately… This mark is way too powerful, isn't it?

There's no way of comparing them. Its damage is inferior to the previous encounter with the Eternal Blazing Sun, but one had died long ago, while the other is still alive. It just begs the question if the ancient gods are stronger than the real gods of the present day…

Using nearly a minute to recover from the pain, Klein recast his gaze on Groselle's Travels. He tapped the mottled table's edge and muttered silently, This book's "author" is Dragon of Imagination Ankewelt?

A book written by an ancient god, a storybook that can automatically deduce the ending?

What is "His" goal? When this book was formed, the Dragon of Imagination likely hadn't encountered the ancient sun god and was fine. After all, it would take some time to go from the City of Miracles, Liveseyd, to the Giant King's Court. And before Groselle was swallowed by the book, the Giant King's Court was clearly still in existence.

Just a prank? A toy used to kill "His" boredom? Or could it be that the Dragon of Imagination had foreseen some of the future. "He" specially created this book to leave behind a chance for "Himself" or the dragons to resurrect. However, he underestimated the ancient sun god's might, and he completely perished. It made the book unusable for millennia, so all it could do was naturally absorb characters into it to play out a story?

Klein made some guesses, but he wasn't able to verify them. After some consideration, he thought of finding a chance to enter the book in search for clues.

In the future, I can enter as a Spirit Body above the gray fog. Once I encounter any trouble, I'll immediately return… Yes, I'll make the attempt after I'm no longer with Edwina and Anderson. I have to be careful and cautious… Klein nodded as he divined if leaving Groselle's Travels above the gray fog would bring undesirable changes to the mysterious space, but he was met with failure again.

As for the reason, he actually knew why. This was a place that transcended the spirit world. Divining about matters involving this area naturally failed if attempts were made to obtain revelations from the spirit world.

After deciding to frequently come above the gray fog to take a look so as to prevent any accidents, Klein threw Groselle's Travels into the junk pile. He then waved his hand, summoning a golden wine cup that had been partially flattened.

The cup had complicated patterns engraved on it, with the Elvish phrases "Calamity" and "Cohinem." Apart from that, there wasn't anything special.

With it in hand, Klein silently rubbed it for a few seconds.

…

Knock, knock, knock!

Klein politely knocked on the door to the captain's cabin.

"Is there something?" Edwina, who had let down her hair, looked at Gehrman Sparrow and asked.

Klein handed over the elf queen's golden wine cup.

"Put this in Siatas's tomb."

"… Alright." Edwina fell silent for two seconds before nodding and receiving it.

She habitually studied the engravings and symbols on the cup before withdrawing her gaze in embarrassment. She then looked out the window and said, "They'll be organizing a bonfire party. Will you be participating?"

"No." Klein shook his head.

"I understand. I don't plan on participating either. Not everyone is like Anderson, who can quickly raise his spirits," Edwina said with pursed lips.

Actually, it's not necessarily a bad thing… Klein was momentarily at a loss for a response. And apart from "giving lessons," Edwina wasn't good at socializing. Immediately, the two of them fell silent.

About ten seconds later, Klein silently inhaled and broke the silence.

"Are you selling that key that originates from the giants?"

"Yes." Edwina thought about it before glancing at her collector's room. She added, "I can lend it to you for studying. You can decide whether to buy it before leaving the ship."