The Deal Is Done

Lord Drew was stationed next door, guarding the treasures at the auction to ensure nothing went wrong.

The auction officially came to a close. The successful bidders went to Lord Drew to pay for and collect their items.

Arthur didn't go to collect the snake bone right away. Instead, he went to a corner and waited quietly.

Five minutes later, Arena's maid brought him a bag of gold coins.

"Miss Arena asked me to tell you to come see her as soon as you return to Blue Bay Island tomorrow."

"Understood. Please tell Miss Arena that Arthur is grateful for her generosity."

After watching the maid leave, Arthur's thoughts stirred. The power of the Moth flowed through him, and he reached into his leather coat and pulled out a flintlock musket.

Blue patterns appeared on its walnut stock, symbolizing the nightmare of Dread.

Staring at the musket for too long made a trace of fear rise in his heart, as though something ominous were about to happen.

[Fear Musket]: Anyone struck by the musket will feel fear rise in their heart.

The target's fear will turn into a new bullet, whose power depends on the fear in the target's heart.

The cooldown for condensing a bullet from fear also depends on the target's cooldown. The greater the fear, the faster the bullet condenses.

Cost: When the user fires a Fear Bullet, their own fear surges.

The musket spun around his fingertip, and Arthur put it back into his leather coat.

"According to the Church of Light's classification of prohibited items, the [Fear Musket] is a first-tier, document-class prohibited item."

Purified supernatural items came with very minor costs, while prohibited items came with much higher ones.

There wasn't much difference in their essential nature.

The cost of the [Fear Musket] was the fear that rose in one's heart, much like the effect of a prohibited item.

Document-class: Its abilities can be recorded in detail in a document without exposing the user to supernatural corruption.

Time passed. After most people had left the great hall, Arthur went to Governor Drew to claim the item he had won at auction.

Old Peter was waiting there. A ring on his middle finger swallowed up the piles of gold coins.

When he saw Captain Arthur, Old Peter's eyes lit up. "Lord Arthur, your erudition astonished me. Could you introduce me to your learned friend?"

A scholar proficient in the Sea Race Language would be treated as an honored guest anywhere.

Since the Age of Navigation began, the supernatural had grown active again, and ancient languages had resurfaced.

Unlike the languages of the New Continent, which could be handled by capturing a few interpreters, supernatural languages were connected to certain rites and ancient texts.

Among the many supernatural languages, the Sea Race Language had been passed down the least.

Arthur chuckled, not keeping Old Peter in suspense. "My learned friend is a discreet scholar."

"Mr. Peter, you'll surely have a chance to meet him one day."

"May I ask what that gentleman's name is?"

"Sherlock."

Old Peter committed the name to memory. He had to find this scholar who was proficient in the Sea Race Language.

Arthur tossed the bag of money in front of Old Peter and took the Jana Snake Bone.

He touched the Jana Snake Bone with both hands and let the power of the Moth brush against it, but it didn't respond at all.

It was a bone without any supernatural power. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been brought out so readily and sold for only 101 gold coins.

"Safe travels, Lord Arthur!"

As Arthur was leaving, Arena arrived, and their eyes met.

Arthur hurried away. He had to prepare for tonight's Society of Hours meeting; Mr. Red Grail had been waiting too long.

After leaving the great hall, Arthur took Mickey to an inn on Rhine Island, where they temporarily rented two rooms.

He took out the Jana Snake Bone and studied its jade-white surface, still feeling a trace of doubt.

What exactly was this bone made of?

Just as he'd said at the auction, the Jana wouldn't have carved those words into the bones of their own people, would they?

"This sentence means that the Jana are going to attack the Merman Race."

"If its material can be verified and I find the right buyer, I might still be able to sell it for a decent price."

Arthur put away the Janna Fish Bone and lay down on the bed. Layers of mist enveloped him, and he entered the Secret Sect Long Table.

With his hands clasped on the tabletop, he considered how to maintain Mansus's air of mystery.

A great being needed not only immense power, but also wisdom and mystery.

The simplest way to maintain an air of mystery was to keep his followers guessing—for example, by foreseeing the Black Devil Order's actions.

He had used foreknowledge of the Black Devil Order to respond this time. What would he do next time, or the time after that, to maintain his own mystery?

Arena's background and sequence were both impressive, and Mr. Red Grail was a great pirate in the Mist Sea.

"Knowledge is the simplest way to convey mystery. It seems I'll have to move forward with my transformation into a scholar."

When the time was right, Arena should obtain the Sequence 9 potion of the Scholar Path.

Arthur raised a hand and pointed toward the seats of "Miss Moth" and "Mr. Red Grail."

A ship sailed across the sea. Arena sat quietly in her cabin, waiting for the Society of Hours meeting to begin.

She toyed with the glass bottle containing the Scholar Potion, a trace of confusion rising in her eyes.

"The belief system of the Darkness Path corresponds to the Swordsman Path; the belief system of the Light Path corresponds to the Knight system; the belief system of the Storm Path corresponds to the Sailor Path..."

"Do supernatural beings of the Scholar Path have no corresponding belief system?"

Suddenly, a doorway appeared in Arena's mind.

She composed herself, closed her eyes, and pushed open the Pure White Gate.

The Mist Sea, an unknown island.

The Piranha was temporarily moored nearby. Its crew were searching the island for supplies and taking some time to rest.

Edmond Tide stayed in his cabin, poring over the contents of the Mermaid Book, but couldn't find a single clue.

The map recorded in the Mermaid Book was his only lead.

After he announced the treasure map to the crew, the sailors aboard the Piranha became extremely excited and wanted to explore it.

But one crucial element was missing: a scholar who understood the Sea Race Language.

Edmond Tide toyed with a card. He kept troubling the great Mr. Mansus over such trivial matters.

His heart trembled slightly. It felt disrespectful to Him.

Suddenly, a Pure White Gate appeared before him.

Edmond took a deep breath, gripped the card, closed his eyes, and fell asleep. He pushed open the Pure White Gate and entered the mist.

The mist descended and enveloped his consciousness. When it dissipated, he found himself at the Society of Hours, seated in the Red Grail's place.

"Good evening, Mr. Mansus."

"Good evening, Mr. Mansus."

Arthur lightly tapped the tabletop and said in a relaxed tone, "Today's Society of Hours meeting begins."

Arena Stuart's gaze fell on Mr. Red Grail. She said softly, "Mr. Red Grail, I've prepared the corresponding supernatural item."

"When can we make the exchange?"

Edmond Tide took a sea chart from his pocket. "This is a chart of Moonlight Island. Once Miss Moth is ready, we can complete the exchange through a rite."

He looked toward Mr. Mansus. "Mr. Mansus, is that all right?"

"Of course. It's a trifling matter."

After they finished discussing the exchange, Edmond Tide took out another card. "Mr. Mansus, I have a card from the Mist Sea here. I hope you can interpret it."

A card from the Mist Sea?

Could a naturally occurring supernatural item really take the form of a card?

Or was it a card-type prohibited item, manufactured by someone for some special reason?