Diary

In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Angel's mind.

Had she been wrong? Was this still Earth?

Had some country developed a writing system similar to the one from the world before she transmigrated?

Or...

Suppressing the excitement in her heart, she picked up the page from the table and asked, "Mr. Neil, what are these?"

Only after the words left her mouth did she realize that her voice had become a little hoarse.

Old Neil was carrying his keys and preparing to leave the cramped room. Hearing Angel's question, he turned back to look at her. When he saw the yellowed page pinched between her fingers, he smiled and replied, "These are rubbings of Emperor Rosell Gustav the Great's notes. They are writing symbols he created himself and were passed down after his death. Some people believe they are a complete set of mysticism code concealing endless treasure, but according to my recent research, I've already deciphered the meanings of a small portion of the symbols. My guess is that it may very well be a diary."

A diary? Emperor Rosell Gustav the Great's Diary?

Angel searched her mind for that unfamiliar name and quickly found him among Cole Granger's memories. The man was simply too famous, practically a household name.

The feat of overthrowing the original rulers of the Intis Kingdom, becoming the Consul of the Intis Republic, then transforming the republic into an empire and proclaiming himself emperor was enough to secure Emperor Rosell's place in history. During that time, he also invented the practical steam engine and launched the Industrial Revolution, bringing industrialization to the North Continent. Not to mention that he single-handedly ushered in the age of colonization in the Southern Continent. He could be said to be a major figure who profoundly shaped modern world history.

Many inventions in her memories, such as "Tarot Cards" and "newspapers," gave Angel an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Could this multi-talented emperor of the Intis Empire also have been a transmigrator?

The moment that thought emerged, she immediately found more evidence: novels and plays from different eras of the original Earth, famous sayings from different countries, creations and improvements in different fields.

It made no sense for all these creations and inventions spanning so many fields to have come from a single person.

Together with these writing symbols that he had supposedly "created" but whose origins Angel could identify, she could basically conclude that Emperor Rosell had also been a transmigrator from Earth.

And most likely an Asian.

"What? Trying to decipher those words?" Old Neil's question sounded beside her ear, pulling Angel from her thoughts.

She casually waved the papers in her hand and shook her head.

"Just curious. After all, it's that Emperor Rosell's diary. I thought..."

"You thought you might uncover some secret?"

Old Neil smiled and shook the ring of keys in his hand. "As one of the most famous figures of this era, his manuscripts have long been studied by countless people. Every separate symbol in them may represent a different meaning, but unfortunately, no one has ever truly deciphered what they mean."

"You can keep trying here. I'll go fetch the materials for you."

He clearly didn't think Angel would be able to make anything of them, so he shut the iron door and left the room.

Angel turned her gaze back to the three pages of the emperor's diary in her hands, trying to find some pattern among the block-like characters. Unfortunately, aside from further confirming that the writing was Chinese, she made no other progress.

At that moment, she only regretted not being Chinese, or at least not having chosen Chinese as an elective foreign language.

These diaries might have been nothing more than mundane records of daily life, but they might also conceal countless pieces of knowledge and mysteries, perhaps even...

Clues to returning to Earth?

Then she remembered that Emperor Rosell had died in his later years in an assassination orchestrated through a palace conspiracy. Perhaps this senior transmigrator had never found the road home, even until his death.

Gathering her thoughts, Angel began committing the characters on the three diary pages to memory.

Even if she could not decipher them now, she had to at least remember them.

Bang bang—

A knock on the door pulled Angel out of her state of intense concentration.

With the memory of a Beyonder far surpassing that of ordinary people, she had already memorized all the writing on those three diary pages and was checking them one by one when Dunn Smith's deep voice came from beyond the iron door Old Neil had left through.

"Old Neil, are you in there?"

The captain had come to the basement too... Hadn't he run into Old Neil on the way?

Angel put down the diary and pulled open the iron door. Captain Dunn, wearing a top hat and a black trench coat, stood outside.

Seeing that she was the one who had opened the door, Dunn paused in surprise and asked suspiciously, "Where's Old Neil?"

Then he patted the top hat on his head and answered himself as if he had only just remembered. "Oh, he went to get your materials, right?"

Angel nodded. "Yes. I've already received the bullets. He said he needed to go to the Alchemy Room and Cha... ah... Chanis Gate for the remaining materials."

It was her first time pronouncing that awkward term, and she nearly bit her tongue.

"I just came from the Alchemy Room, so he should be inside Chanis Gate." Dunn's eyes swept over the bullets on the table before he quickly made a decision. "Old Neil needs to help Mr. Klein Moretti prepare a Potion, so he may not have time to bring you the materials. I'll go collect everything for you. Wait here a moment."

Why was everyone telling her to wait here?

Angel frowned as she thought.

Wait, preparing a Potion? Klein Moretti?

She recalled the shy young man who had ridden in the carriage with her to the Nighthawks' headquarters. Was he going to drink a Potion and become a Beyonder too?

The Potions Cole Granger had consumed in his memories were all prepared by himself and drunk on the spot. However, neither Cole nor Angel had ever watched someone else consume a Potion from a third-person perspective. Hearing that Old Neil was helping someone prepare a Potion, she became very interested.

"Can I watch from the side? I mean, the process of preparing the Potion."

Angel asked casually, pretending not to care, but her jumbled sentence exposed her true feelings.

Dunn frowned and looked at Angel for a long time. Just as she thought he would refuse, those gray eyes shifted away.

"Come along."

After nodding his agreement, Dunn turned and walked out of the room.

He actually agreed?

Angel hurriedly set down Emperor Rosell's manuscripts and quickly followed Dunn Smith through the passage they had come by, returning to the crossroads.

Just as they were preparing to turn into the passage leading to Chanis Gate, a series of tapping footsteps sounded. Old Neil, dressed in a black robe and carrying a wooden box, walked over from the other end of the passage. Seeing the two of them standing at the intersection, his body stiffened as though startled. Only after recognizing them did he relax.

"Dunn, why are you down here?" Old Neil greeted Dunn first, then handed the wooden box in his hand to Angel before waiting for an answer. "These are the materials you need. They're all in the box. I took extra of everything except the Star Crystal. Check them yourself."

Angel accepted the wooden box, lifted the lid, and looked inside.

The small wooden box was divided into several compartments. The two Glass Bottles probably contained alcohol and Etching Fluid. Luminous Lizard scales were neatly stacked in a corner. Bundles of dried Screaming Grass packed one compartment full. The Star Crystal was stored separately in a Glass Bottle, glimmering with starlight under the lamp.

She nodded. Everything was in order.

Only after the two had completed the handover did Dunn slowly say, "Old Neil, go back to Chanis Gate and retrieve a Potion Formula and materials for the 'Diviner' pathway. Bring them to the Alchemy Room."

"Diviner?"

Old Neil repeated the word.

"Oh, it's for that kid Klein, right? Didn't expect him to choose this pathway. I thought he'd choose 'Sleepless,' though we already have plenty of Sleepless here."

Muttering to himself, he turned and walked toward Chanis Gate.

"Let's head to the Alchemy Room first. Klein is waiting there too." After watching Old Neil leave, Dunn said to Angel.

The two left the crossroads once more and headed in the direction of Saint Selena Church. They walked along the long stone passage for some distance before stopping in front of a hidden door opened in the wall.

This was the Alchemy Room? But why hide it behind a secret door?

Angel followed Dunn into the room and examined the concealed Alchemy Room under the Gas Lamp's light.

Crucibles, test tubes, flasks, and disorderly tables and chairs—it looked less like the clean, orderly "proper Alchemy Room" Angel had imagined and more like an enlarged version of a home basement. Klein Moretti, whom she had only said goodbye to upstairs earlier, stood before a table, looking around at the items in the Alchemy Room. Hearing the Footsteps, he turned back and stared at the doorway in surprise.

"Captain, why are you back?"

"Old Neil went to fetch the Potion materials. I ran into Miss Angel Granger on the way and brought her along to... well, observe."

Dunn pointed at Angel and gave a brief explanation.

Only then did Klein notice Angel by the door. He held his top hat and greeted her. "Miss Granger, we meet again."

These formalities were such a pain... Overly polite people were difficult to get along with too.

Angel grumbled inwardly and could only return the gesture.

After the two had exchanged greetings, Dunn stepped forward, cleared his throat, and said, "Since you're both here, let me introduce you. This gentleman is Klein Moretti, a local of Tingen and a graduate of Hoy University. He became involved in a mysterious incident last week and has now joined the Nighthawks."

Klein smiled faintly at Angel, greeting her again.

"This beautiful lady is Angel Granger, from Sivellas County. She only recently arrived in Tingen City and likewise chose to join us after becoming involved in a mysterious incident."

Angel extended her right hand toward Klein. He froze for a moment, then quickly raised his right hand and shook hers.

"Pleased to meet you, Mr. Moretti."

"The pleasure is mine, An... Miss Granger."

"Oh, how could I miss such a little social gathering?" A deep yet lively voice came from behind Angel. She turned to see Old Neil holding a silver case in one hand while removing his round-brimmed felt hat with the other. He pressed it to his chest and gave a slight bow.

"This witty old gentleman is known to everyone as Old Neil. You may also call him the keeper of the Nighthawks' warehouse, a seeker of mysterious knowledge, a Mystery Pryer in the darkness."

With an exaggerated gesture, he raised the case in his hand.

"Presenting the 'Diviner' Potion to the ladies and gentlemen."

The Alchemy Room fell silent.