Night at White Beach

In the small second-floor sitting room used for afternoon tea parties, Sifa met his mother, Enilu. Though no longer young, she remained elegant as she flipped through a poetry collection. With her glasses on, she had gained an intellectual sort of beauty.

Since there was no afternoon tea party today, Sifa was glad he did not have to meet those ladies and young misses, especially several who seemed to have had some ambiguous entanglements with the original owner of this body. He had no desire to take over that mess.

"Good afternoon, Mom."

Sifa strode into the sitting room. His bright, clear voice made Enilu set down her poetry collection, remove her glasses, and look over with a smile.

"Did you come to have afternoon tea with me? Unfortunately, it's still a little early."

Sifa crossed to her side in a few steps and sat directly on the carpet. Looking up at his mother's face, he smiled. "I found something interesting in your books and wanted to ask you about it."

"Oh?" Enilu affectionately stroked Sifa's tousled black hair. "What is it?"

Sifa handed Emperor Roselle's Diary to her. Enilu put on her glasses, took one look at it, and exclaimed, "Oh? You actually found it. Where was it?"

"In that copy of Creation Myth." Sifa deliberately asked, "Are these words, or symbolic markings?"

Enilu removed her glasses again and smiled. "These are notes left behind by Roselle Gustav before his death. Of course, they aren't the original copy."

"It is said that the Emperor invented a strange set of symbols to keep his secrets, the very symbols you see now."

"I acquired this page of notes during an adventure long ago. I studied these symbols as well, combining mathematics, ancient writing, and mysticism, but I couldn't decipher any useful information."

"More precisely, I couldn't decipher even a single symbol, aside from those representing numbers. I put it away afterward, never expecting you to find it."

Sifa nodded and asked, "Is this the only page? I think it's quite interesting. I want to try deciphering these symbols too."

"I'm sorry, but this is the only page of notes in my collection. I've heard that Emperor's notes are occasionally auctioned at some Beyonder gatherings, but it is difficult to tell the real ones from the fakes. After all, only the Emperor knew these symbols, and only he could interpret their meaning."

Enilu spread her hands. "As a result, collectors who are keen on such items often end up buying forgeries."

She added, "Although people cannot decipher these symbols, they can use divination, philology, and other methods to identify genuine ones."

Sifa was slightly disappointed. "All right. I'll collect more when I get the chance."

Enilu reminded him, "You can treat it as a hobby, but don't devote too much effort to it. You still have much knowledge to learn. Don't forget that tomorrow, you'll begin studying Ritual Magic and charm-making."

Sifa stood and promised, "I'll keep my priorities straight. Don't worry, Mom."

The next day, Sifa and Helibel came to their mother's "private classroom." The siblings spent the entire day there.

In the morning, they studied Ritual Magic and learned that when praying to different deities, they needed to use items made from corresponding materials.

For example, when praying to the Evernight Goddess, they needed candles made from Moon Flowers, deep-red sandalwood, and other materials.

In the afternoon, they moved on to charm-making. This required mastering incantations and various symbolic markings. Learning how to use a carving knife to express spirituality, thereby engraving those incantations and symbols onto charm materials, was also an important subject.

Besides that, Sifa also had to master certain special formats so that he could engrave the correct symbols and markings in the proper positions on the charm materials.

He quickly discovered that he was not particularly skilled at either Ritual Magic or charm-making. He lacked talent in both.

Helibel was far better at them, far beyond Sifa's reach.

After dinner, Sifa returned to his room, his original bedroom. Its window had been damaged during the previous attack by the monster called Gorey.

It had now been replaced and the room tidied up, so Sifa moved back in.

Dogs barked outside from time to time. Since the attack, the villa's nighttime security had been strengthened, and two more hunting dogs had been added.

Sifa heard several neighs and the sound of rolling wheels. Looking out the window, he saw the family's carriage leaving through the gates. It seemed his father had another social engagement that evening.

When the wall clock reached five past ten, Sifa changed into a long, high-collared coat with a row of buttons. He took the Golden Revolver and Shadow Glove with him, then fastened a black iron mask over his face.

Taking on the identity of the bounty hunter Duke, Sifa quietly opened the window and left the house without drawing anyone's attention.

South of Enqi Town lay Desi Bay. Following Mermaid Road all the way to White Stone Gate, one could leave through that ancient gate, which had once witnessed the White Rose War, then head right for roughly fifteen minutes to reach a white beach.

That was White Beach.

Opening his pocket watch beneath the crimson moonlight, Sifa saw that there were still ten minutes until his appointed time with Doug.

He walked beneath the trees near White Beach, keeping to the shadows. Before long, he spotted several gang members.

They were gathered in a circle and seemed to be beating someone. Cries of pain and mocking laughter rang out from time to time.

The leader of Black Tie did not seem to be among them. Just then, Sifa caught another neigh. Following the sound, he saw a carriage parked in the distance on the beach.

Although Hunter had excellent eyesight, the carriage was too far away and the light too dim for Sifa to make out its style.

He only saw the door open and a short, stout figure get out, then bend at the waist toward the interior of the carriage.

The carriage quickly turned around and vanished into the vast night. As for the short, stout figure, he walked back. Only when he came closer did Sifa see clearly that it was Doug, the leader of Black Tie.

With both hands in his pockets, Sifa left the shadows and approached the crowd on the beach.

Doug spotted Sifa as well. Spreading his hands, he called out, "Duke, you're right on time!"

Sifa did not respond, merely giving a small nod.

Seeing their boss return, the gang members finally moved apart, allowing Sifa to see someone kneeling on the beach. Blood stained his face, clothes, and the sand around him. It seemed he had been beaten badly.

Doug walked over to the man, suddenly kicked him in the stomach, and cursed, "Run, then! Why aren't you running now?"

"You bastard, you dared betray me? You wanted to report me, didn't you? Fine, I'll let you report me!"

He raised a hand, and someone immediately placed a pistol in it. Doug pointed the gun at the "traitor" and grinned savagely. "You're lucky. I have things to do, so I don't have time to play with you. Let me give you a quick death. Be grateful for my mercy."

The revolver's hammer slowly rose. Just as Doug was about to squeeze the trigger all the way down, a hand suddenly pressed it down, sending the bullet into the sand.

Doug froze for a moment, then looked up with a smile. "Duke, what does this mean?"