Deal Reached

Lord Drew sat in the adjacent room, guarding the treasures of the auction to ensure nothing went amiss.

The auction officially concluded, and the successful bidders came to Lord Drew to exchange their gold for their goods.

Arthur did not rush to claim the snake bone, instead walking to a corner to wait quietly.

Five minutes later, Arena's maid delivered a pouch of gold coins to him.

"Miss Arena asked me to tell you: return to Blue Bay Island tomorrow and see her first thing."

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

Watching the maid depart, Arthur's thoughts stirred. As the power of Moth flowed through his body, he reached into his leather coat and withdrew a flintlock musket.

Blue patterns appeared on the walnut stock, symbolizing the nightmares of fear.

Staring at the firearm in his hand, a lingering sense of dread welled up in his heart, as if some omen of misfortune were about to unfold.

[Fear Musket]: Targets struck by this musket will have fear rise within their hearts.

The fear within the target's heart will manifest as new ammunition, with the power determined by the depth of that fear.

The cooldown for the fear-condensed bullets also depends on the target; the greater the fear, the faster the bullet condenses.

Cost: Firing a fear bullet causes the user's own fear to spike.

Spinning the musket on his fingertip, Arthur tucked it back into his leather coat.

"According to the Church of Light's classification of contraband, the [Fear Musket] is a Tier 1 Document-grade item."

Transcendental items are purified, carrying minimal costs, whereas contraband carries a higher price.

The essential difference between the two is not significant.

The cost of the [Fear Musket] is likewise the rising of fear within one's heart, much like the effects of other contraband.

Document-grade: Capable of having its abilities recorded in detail on paper without suffering from transcendental corruption.

Time passed, and as most people left the grand hall, Arthur headed to Governor Drew's office to redeem his auction item.

Old Peter was waiting there, a ring on his middle finger swallowing and spitting out a small mountain of gold coins.

Seeing Captain Arthur, Old Peter's eyes brightened as he spoke, "Lord Arthur, your erudition has surprised me. Might you be able to introduce that learned friend of yours?"

A scholar proficient in the Merman language would be treated as an honored guest anywhere.

Since the dawn of the Age of Sail, the transcendental has become active once more, and ancient languages have begun to surface.

Compared to the languages of the New Continent, which can be managed by hiring a few interpreters, transcendental languages are tied to rituals and ancient texts.

Among the many transcendental languages, the Merman language has the fewest surviving traditions.

Arthur chuckled, not leaving Old Peter hanging, "That learned friend of mine is a low-key scholar."

"Mr. Peter will certainly have a chance to meet him in the future."

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

"Sherlock."

Old Peter memorized the name; he had to find this scholar who had mastered the Merman language.

Tossing the money pouch before Old Peter, Arthur took the Jana Snake Bone.

Touching the Jana Snake Bone with both hands, he channeled the power of Moth into the bone, but there was not a shred of response.

This was a bone devoid of any transcendental power; otherwise, it would not have been so easily put up for auction and sold for a mere 101 gold coins.

"Safe travels, Lord Arthur!"

As Arthur left, Arena happened to arrive, and their gazes crossed.

Arthur walked away quickly; he had to prepare for tonight's Society of Hours meeting, as Mr. Red Grail had been waiting far too long.

Leaving the grand hall, Arthur took Mickey to an inn on Rhine Island, temporarily renting two rooms to stay in.

Taking out the Jana Snake Bone, he scrutinized the jade-white bone, still harboring a sliver of doubt.

What exactly was the material of this bone?

Just as he had said at the auction, surely the Jana Race wouldn't use the bones of their own kin to carve such a message, would they?

"The meaning of this sentence is that the Jana Race intends to attack the Merman Race."

"If the material can be verified and a suitable buyer found, it could still fetch a decent price."

Putting the Jana bone away, Arthur lay on the bed. As layers of mist shrouded his mind, he entered the Secret Sect Long Table.

With his hands clasped on the table, he pondered how to maintain the mystery of the Mansus.

A great being must not only possess great power but also be erudite and mysterious.

The simplest way to maintain mystery is to keep followers unable to fathom him, such as by predicting the actions of the Black Devil Order in advance.

He had used the prediction of the Black Devil Order to respond this time, but what method should he use next time, and the time after, to maintain his own enigma?

Arena's background and sequence were not low, and Mr. Red Grail was a great pirate of the Mist Sea.

"The manifestation of mystery is easiest through knowledge. It seems the transition to a scholar's identity must be put on the agenda."

When the time was right, Arina Stuart was due to obtain the Sequence 9 potion of the Scholar Path.

Arthur reached out and pointed toward the seats of "Moth" and "Mr. Red Grail."

On a ship upon the sea, Arina sat quietly in her room, waiting for the Society of Hours to begin.

She toyed with the glass bottle containing the Scholar Potion in her hand, 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..."

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

Suddenly, a portal appeared in Arina's mind.

She adjusted her attire, closed her eyes, and pushed open the Pure White Gate.

The Mist Sea, an unknown island.

The Piranha was temporarily docked nearby, searching the island for supplies and taking a break for a period of time.

Edmond Tide stayed in his room, reading the contents of the Mermaid Book, unable to find any leads.

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

After the treasure map was announced on the ship, the crew of the Piranha were exceptionally excited, eager to explore this map.

However, a very important link was missing: a scholar who understood the language of the Sea Race.

Edmond Tide toyed with a card, feeling troubled that he had to bother the great Mr. Mansus with such trivial matters.

His heart trembled slightly; this was a sign of disrespect toward Him.

Suddenly! A pure white door appeared before his eyes.

Edmond took a deep breath, gripped the card, closed his eyes to enter a dream, and pushed open the Pure White Gate to enter the mist.

The mist descended to shroud his consciousness, and after it dissipated, he arrived at the Society of Hours, sitting in the seat of the Red Grail.

"Good evening, Mr. Mansus."

"Good evening, Mr. Mansus."

Arthur tapped the table lightly and said in a rather relaxed tone, "The Society of Hours for today begins."

Arina Stuart's gaze fell upon Mr. Red Grail, and she said softly, "Mr. Red Grail, I have already prepared the corresponding transcendent items."

"When can we conduct the trade?"

Edmond Tide took out a sea chart from his bosom, "This is the sea chart for Moonlight Island. If Miss Moth is prepared, we can conduct the trade through a ritual later."

He looked toward Mr. Mansus, "Mr. Mansus, may I ask if this is acceptable?"

"Of course, a trivial matter."

After the trade was settled, Edmond Tide took out another card, "Mr. Mansus, I have a card here from the Mist Sea, and I hope you can interpret it."

A card from the Mist Sea?

A naturally formed transcendent item, and it was actually in the form of a card?

Or was it a contraband item of the card type, artificially manufactured for some special reason?