The Blood Dread Clan's generosity gave Murphy a headache. After he told Triss about it, even the Blood Vulture Grand Duchess realized how serious the situation was.
"So Babro told you himself that they really came to Transia with a second purpose? And that it has something to do with some kind of disaster?"
Triss asked from her laboratory, where she was busy mixing things Murphy couldn't make heads or tails of.
"And they got the prophecy from an astrologer of the ancient Callum Kingdom?"
"Mm. That's what he said. I also used the power of desire to listen in, and he wasn't lying. Babro and Claire really are panicking. That kind of hidden fear can't be faked. They've definitely run into serious trouble."
Murphy leaned nearby, admiring the smooth, practiced movements of his brilliant girlfriend as she worked on her alchemy.
He said softly:
"I can't even imagine how much trouble it takes to make a bunch of greedy pirates willingly give up their money. But we really do need their help. I suspect those guys got more than just a prophecy from the mysterious sorcerers in the East.
They got a solution, too."
"Of course. If there's any faction in the world that has mastered prophetic magic, then aside from the Shadow Elf Fateweavers, it's the Imperial Observatory of the ancient Callum Kingdom."
Triss poured a tube of solution into a heated crystal flask and said:
"Back when I traveled the continent, I was planning to visit the ancient Callum Kingdom. But as soon as I crossed the Dark Mountains and reached the Western Realm's Ten-Thousand-Mile Dragon Ridge, an astrologer was already waiting there to turn me back. That mysterious fellow told me my fate wasn't in the East.
"Thinking about it now, that person really did seem