Researching

In the bathroom.

As Sulu showered, he brought up his Attribute Panel:

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Name: [Sulu Portley]

Occupation: [None]

Class: [0]

Title: [None]

Strength: [1.5], Agility: [1.2], Constitution: [1.0], Spirit: [1.6]

Skills: [Corpse Maiden Creation LV1], [Krav Maga Combat Arts LV4]

Passives: [Universal Hebraic LV3], [Basic Physics LV4], [Demon Hunting Lore LV1], [Ancient Hebraic LV2]

XP: [70]

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Even setting aside the dead man's belongings, the changes to his Attribute Panel alone made all those days spent in the sewers worthwhile. The stench clinging to him had been enough to keep everyone at a distance.

Honestly, it was enough to make a man cry.

He and Sean hadn't exactly been popular at the university to begin with. Ever since taking the sewer job, they'd become walking street-clearers—people could smell them coming from three blocks away and avoided them at all costs.

Sulu himself was a clean person, and he'd practically scrubbed himself raw.

Even so, when he arrived at the library the next day, he still felt as though he smelled a little.

Maybe it was just his imagination!

Sulu went to the language section, pulled out several hefty books, and sat down at a table.

A moment later, he noticed the already-crowded area around him clearing out. Several young women hurriedly got up and left.

Well... at least he had no trouble getting a seat!

Sulu laughed at himself, opened one of the hefty books, and began comparing texts.

The Gold Dragon he'd found in the sewer was ordinary. He planned to study the diamond-shaped metal tag later. Only the few scraps of paper were worth his careful attention.

But the writing on them was unfamiliar, and he needed to translate it.

The library at St. George University had books on just about everything. He'd even found a few books about Ancient Hebraic there. They were rather limited in scope, but at least he'd read a little about it.

Now he could only hope that would help.

"Research into Ancient Languages? No!"

"On the Twenty-Seven Variants of Hebraic? Not this one!"

"The Relationship Between Island Scripts and Mysterious Symbols... Hm?"

After more than an hour of turning pages, Sulu found an image in one of the books.

The writing on it was almost identical to the writing on the parchment.

"...Based on the author's observations, the language carved into the mysterious stones on Walker Island comes from the Gulam Language... This language is extremely rare. Today, it may survive only among a few tribes in the rainforests, where it is used by their priests."

"The Gulam Language?"

Sulu examined it again. The twisted, snake-like script in the stone-carving illustration and the writing on the parchment were undoubtedly from the same source.

But...

The author had only taken a few photographs. The book contained no translations of the Gulam Language.

What was more, even after searching the entire library, Sulu couldn't find a single text devoted to the Gulam Language.

"It is a minor language, after all..."

Sulu got up and returned the books to their places, feeling a little disappointed.

He was certainly curious about the identity of the mysterious dead man. The man had probably been a supernatural being, yet had died silently in the sewers. It was tragic.

Who killed him? And why?

As he pondered, Sulu copied the Gulam Language from the parchment onto a sheet of paper, planning to ask a linguistics professor for help.

There were no relevant texts in the main library, but a professor might have a few in a private collection.

"Wait... Is that the Gulam Language?"

A voice full of uncertainty came from beside him as Sulu concentrated on writing.

"Molly?"

Sulu looked up at a timid face and asked in surprise, "Have you studied ancient languages?"

"Yes... I've always been interested in ancient writing, so I took a few classes in ancient languages. One of the professors mentioned the Gulam Language to us!"

Molly adjusted her glasses. "Apparently, it was passed down from some mysterious ancient civilization and possessed all sorts of incredible powers."

She actually came up and talked to him on her own?

Something felt off to Sulu. Last time, she'd been in such a hurry to get away from him. Could he have frightened her into developing Stockholm syndrome?

As if she'd sensed his confusion, Molly quickly explained, "Officer Marilyn spoke to me afterward. I know you were innocent... I'm sorry. Before, I thought you... I thought you..."

Her voice grew quieter, as if she were too embarrassed to go on.

"It's fine, as long as the misunderstanding's cleared up!"

Sulu glanced at the few characters he'd written down. "Could I trouble you to translate them for me?"

"I'll try..."

Molly stepped closer and carefully examined the words. "The professor only gave us a few examples of the Gulam Language. The script is so complicated that no one uses it anymore... Where did you get this?"

"From an old book..."

Sulu lied without batting an eye.

After all, he'd only copied one or two characters from the parchment. Even someone fluent in ancient languages couldn't possibly guess the context.

"I only recognize one word—'spirit'!"

Molly pointed to a twisted, snake-like character. "In the ancient Ram Civilization, this symbol meant soul, ghost, and things like that... Sorry, I don't recognize the other two!"

"Thank you. You've already helped me a lot!"

Sulu smiled and nodded. He was amazed that she'd recognized even one word. "May I ask the name of the professor who specializes in the Gulam Language?"

"She's a good friend of my advisor, Professor Alanis!" Molly answered readily.

"Ah, her!"

A poised, mature-looking woman immediately came to Sulu's mind.

Professor Alanis was one of the most famous beauties at St. George University. She was still single, and countless men were infatuated with her.

Sulu felt a sudden chill.

The dead supernatural being used the Gulam Language, and Molly just happens to recognize it. That's far too much of a coincidence... And now that professor is connected to her, too!

At that thought, Sulu even regretted asking Molly about it.

He hadn't forgotten that he was still under threat from that shadow. Until Rhode Potterley arrived, he ought to keep his head down.

Life's a game you only get to play once. Don't go looking for trouble and get yourself killed.

"Would you like me to ask Professor Alanis for you, or borrow one of her books about the Gulam Language?" Molly asked considerately, unaware of what Sulu was thinking.

"No! There's no need!"

Sulu immediately shook his head. "I only came across a few characters by chance and got curious. I'm not interested in studying it in depth!"

He kept a straight face, doing his best to seem indifferent.

Perhaps sensing the mood, Molly's smile froze on her face. "I... I understand."