Miss Hebe is Breaking Out of the Lostbelt!

The restaurant offered good service, delicious food, and low prices. She quietly added it to her personal map of places to eat.

Not long after she set down her cutlery, a waiter promptly came over. Along with the bill, he handed her a slip of paper.

"Our restaurant has only recently opened, and we're currently collecting diners' feedback," the waiter explained. "We'd be most grateful if you could leave us your valuable opinions."

"With pleasure."

Hebe knew that a restaurant in this price range was unlikely to make many adjustments to its menu, but their attitude made her feel respected.

"But there's no need to write it down. My tastes are rather unique..." Hebe smiled. "Could you make it a little spicier?"

"Spicier?" The waiter froze.

"This is only my personal opinion." Hebe shrugged. "London's weather is always so damp. Adding a little spice might better suit some customers' tastes. Whether you choose to adopt it is entirely up to you."

After Hebe left the Gaulish restaurant called "Vivian," the waiter relayed her words to Mordred.

The waiter watched his superior's brows instantly furrow.

"What is it?"

Mordred's expression eased.

"Nothing. It seems I was overthinking it."

Merlin had always been fond of all kinds of sweets. How could he possibly like spicy food?

Still, it was somewhat disappointing.

Chessboard and Instruction

When Hebe returned to the entrance of her antique shop, she found someone already waiting for her.

The visitor stood beneath the streetlamp by the door, holding a beautifully wrapped box in her arms.

"Yo, good evening, Hebe." The blue-haired girl raised the box in her hands. "Did you just go out for dinner? I've been waiting outside for ages."

Hebe narrowed her eyes slightly. "Your watch shop seems to be just across the street, not far from here... Miss Mostima."

"That's right." Mostima smiled with narrowed eyes as well. "But it was urgent, and I was entrusted with this task, so I came straight here to wait."

Mostima's watch shop was located at the second intersection diagonally opposite Fox Lily Antiques, and its business was just as sparse every day.

So, with nothing much to do, Mostima had added parcel delivery and letter-writing services to her business, giving herself another source of income.

All one could say was that even without Oripathy and mobile cities in this world, those people and events were still playing out in another familiar way.

"Woooow—" Mostima exclaimed as she carried the box into the antique shop behind Hebe.

Hebe sat back down behind the counter and shook her head helplessly.

It was far from Mostima's first visit to the antique shop, yet she insisted on making such strange noises every single time.

"Instead of wasting time marveling, why not support my business? How about I give you a ten percent discount?"

Hebe reached out and tapped the table, signaling that she should cut it out.

"Well..." Mostima smiled and held out a hand. "I've said this before. I don't need to buy the things you put in the front row; as for the things in the rows farther back, I can't afford any of them at all!"

"Besides, the moment I received this commission, I thought of you, Boss. You're not even giving me a tip, and you're still trying to make money off me... How heartbreaking."

Hebe opened her mouth, then stopped herself.

Just as Mostima had claimed, she had taken up messenger work as a side job.

And Hebe herself, after going so long without any business income, had started offering antique appraisal services for a fee.

Hebe gave a light cough. "Then... hurry up and bring the item over."

At that, a hint of delight appeared on Mostima's face as she placed the box on the counter.

Once Hebe put on gloves and took out the antique that needed appraising, her expression gradually turned grave.

It was a square stone chessboard. Its edges had been deliberately ground smooth, while most of the red-and-white painted squares had dried up and flaked away.

Several ivory and bone chess pieces lay piled to one side. The most eye-catching among them was a "queen" piece resting its cheek on one hand, its eyes bright and intense, looking as though someone had slapped it across the face.

After examining it for only two or three minutes, Hebe put everything back.

She raised her eyes and looked directly at Mostima.

"Where did you dig this chessboard up from?"

"It has nothing to do with me!" Mostima waved her hands repeatedly. "I only got this job through connections."

Hebe nodded.

Not much of what Mostima said was true, but at least her attitude made it clear that she wanted no association with it.

Since she had said it seriously, Hebe would take it seriously.

"No need to keep looking. It's genuine," Hebe said calmly. "Even a single chess piece would be extraordinarily valuable. This is a complete set—calling it priceless would still be an understatement."

Mostima narrowed her eyes and asked with a smile, "Why?"

"Because it represents the entertainment of the upper nobility of an era, and it also demonstrates a route of exchange and trade stretching from the Scandinavian Peninsula to the three islands of Albion."

Hebe's gaze lifted slightly. "Albion's history is not particularly ancient. The significance of such a well-preserved set of antiques speaks for itself."

"Have your client transfer the money into the account. I don't want to know anything about what happens afterward." Hebe waved her hand wearily. "If the Special Inspection Department comes knocking, I'll immediately tell them everything, Miss Mostima."

Faced with the dismissal, Mostima still maintained her smile.

She politely bid Hebe farewell, then left with the box.

Hebe's fingers tapped against the tabletop again and again, her gaze gradually deepening.

The item Mostima had just produced had also existed in Hebe's original world. It was a British national treasure known as the Lewis Chessmen. Moreover, in her original world, the Lewis Chessmen had never formed a complete set, much less come with a chessboard.

It seemed highly likely that the "chess set" Mostima had brought was a forgery.

Yet Hebe was utterly certain of this set's authenticity.

Because this chess set... had been made by her own hands in the Lostbelt.

To deliberately distinguish it from the Lewis Chessmen of original history, Hebe had given the "queen" a more exaggerated expression when carving it, and rounded off the edges of the chessboard.

During their pilgrimage, the three of them had relied on this chess set for entertainment, passing many unbearably dull nights.

Recalling the words in the Secret History Simulator about the "Lostbelt merging into the Fourth History," Hebe's brows unconsciously drew together.

If history had truly changed because of it... then what did the past and future mean?

This was destined to remain a question without an answer for some time.

Hebe temporarily stopped obsessing over it and turned to a far more obvious question.

—Was Mostima one of those so-called "Ascendants"?

Hard to say, but most likely.

—Then was Mostima with the authorities?

She definitely was.

"When I mentioned the Special Inspection Department, she was completely unfazed... wasn't that practically telling me she belonged to the Special Inspection Department?"

Pale wisps of mist curled up from the tabletop and wound around Hebe's fingers. An intact chessboard appeared out of thin air. Her fingers hovered in midair as the red and white pieces began a silent battle.

One piece after another fell, turning back into swirling, curling smoke. A few seconds later, the chessboard, the pieces, and the smoke all vanished together, as if they had never existed.

"She's no ordinary informant," Hebe thought. "Is Mostima on this street to monitor what's happening on Church Street, or is she tailing someone?"

"Hehe."

Not long after returning to her clock shop, Mostima suddenly laughed.

She waved a hand through the air above her head. "I probably wasn't exposed... That look in her eyes—I thought she'd seen right through me."

At the thought of that antique shop, the smile that had remained on Mostima's face slowly faded.

What Mostima had said had indeed omitted certain details—the department that had overseen the excavation of the Lewis Chessmen was the Albion Royal Archaeological Society, which truly had nothing to do with the Special Inspection Department where she worked.

Though both departments reported directly to the Dragon King, their styles of operation and areas of responsibility were vastly different.

The Archaeological Society was responsible for seeking out "borders" across the world, with the goal of exploring hidden history—namely, Lostbelts.

The Special Inspection Department's predecessor was the Night Duty Bureau, which had been responsible for monitoring and suppressing all unofficial hidden matters. Even after restructuring, its duties had not changed much; only its methods had become gentler.

When the Archaeological Society discovered a "border," the Special Inspection Department would explore it, and the two would work closely together.

The reasons for this were exceedingly complex.

It was both to prove the hidden histories that had been concealed, and to seek a way to mend the broken paths of the apprentices.

—Because ever since the first atomic bomb exploded and the Second World War came to an end, not a single person had been able to climb to the third rank, "Dusk," on the Path of Ascension.

Mostima lowered her eyes, recalling the "First Admonition" she had received when she first stepped onto the Path of Ascension.

Every apprentice knew that beyond the veil of the present world lay a corner of the true world. By way of dreams, we could visit the wilderness.

Radiance flowed from the highest point of the wilderness. It was complete divinity, pure greatness, and the origin of all knowledge.

Radiance could not be understood, described, named, or imagined. The more one pursued it, the farther away it became.

The wilderness was ever-changing, yet it resembled a mirror.

Radiance was refracted seven times within the wilderness, and thus the Seven Principles flowed forth from it.

The first was Lantern, signifying brilliance, illumination, and ascent. "Mr. Day is the Amber King. He lights our way through the darkness and guides the road ahead."

The second was Forge, signifying transformation, reforging, and destruction. "Celestial Flint is the lord of achievement. Since the age of darkness, They have sown stars across the night sky."

The third was Cup, signifying desire, birth, and drowning. "The Holy Grail is the Great Mother. The temptation of the cup outweighs suffering, yet suffering is its essence."

The fourth was Wing, signifying metamorphosis, shelter, and the world. "The Fisher King has sheltered us since ancient times."

The fifth was Blade, signifying battle, struggle, and dominion. "Scar Father's authority shall one day reach eternity. He shall reign over the world for ten thousand years."

The sixth was Winter, signifying remembrance, finality, and silence. "The Duke of Sighs waits forever in silence..."

The seventh was Opening, signifying gates, keys, and revelation. "The Messiah parted the sea. He suffered for all people."

Ordinary people's desires were vast and varied, ever-changing and formless like a primordial ocean, and thus difficult to ascend.

When an apprentice visited the wilderness, they received a glimpse of its response. This was the refraction of desire, and also the foundation of the path. This was Enlightenment. The sun had yet to rise; midnight was deep and still, yet the dawn's first light was already brewing.

Taking desire as one's path, one distilled personal rules from practice and adhered to them unwaveringly. This was Daylight. The sun had begun its course across the sky, and the road ahead was boundlessly bright.

Taking one's rules as the standard and desire as the guidepost, one achieved deeds worthy of the world's remembrance and legends praised by all. This was Dusk. The sun had reached the end of the firmament—perhaps it would sink beneath the earth, or perhaps it would rise even higher than before.

At last, with one's achievements, desires, and rules, one declared one's own truth. This was Crimson Dawn. The sun would eventually set, but one's own star had now begun to rise.

And who could deny that distant stars might become new suns?

To apprentices, the world remained a secret. Yet we were born to pursue radiance, just as sparks danced upward.

New Lostbelt (Thanks to Lotus Platform Wild Usami for the Golden Treasure Chest)

Early the next morning, Hebe began eagerly anticipating the Secret History Simulator's version update.

When the twenty-four-hour countdown on her desktop reached zero, a string of text visible only to her appeared.

"Secret History Simulator welcomes your login, The Knower. Current version: 1.0."

"The current version of the simulator has been updated with new content and additional features."

"New content: A new Lostbelt has been opened.

Lostbelt: Golden Truth Dream: Lost Sand Sea Kingdom—The divine king who ruled over the scorching sands foresaw the coming disaster. Thus, he would do all that must be done to prolong his royal authority, until that authority bred folly; until that folly touched upon taboo; until taboo brought disaster down upon him; until disaster devoured his kingdom."

On the dark green desktop, beside the card illustrated with "Rose and Sword," there was now another card illustrated with "Desert and Pyramid."

When she moved the cursor over it, the brilliant golden words "Golden Truth Dream: Lost Sand Sea Kingdom" quietly emerged.

Simply seeing those words left Hebe parched, her breathing quickening.