A Sudden Flutter of the Heart

The Loen Kingdom had three major, officially recognized churches.

They were the Church of the Evernight Goddess, the Church of Steam, and the Church of Storms.

All three churches controlled at least one complete Pathway. Sifa knew this because he had read the first few dozen chapters of Lord of Mysteries and occasionally heard his friends mention it.

However, this was the first time he had heard of the Arbiter Pathway. Furthermore, the Watcher known as "Faceless" had recommended it because of his noble status.

It seemed, then, that the Arbiter Pathway was related to this identity. Could it be connected to the nobility, or perhaps a Pathway controlled by the kingdom?

Obviously, among the twenty-two Pathways, these few were controlled by the churches and official authorities. Their information was detailed, and advancement was stable.

They belonged to the benefits of being within the system.

However, Sifa knew that enjoying the system's benefits also meant taking on its responsibilities.

Furthermore, that Watcher had mentioned the issue of "supervision."

That alone made Sifa reject these Pathways. He was unwilling to accept supervision from the church or the kingdom's official authorities. After all, he was a transmigrator with far too many secrets.

If he were discovered one day, he might be locked up and studied like a white mouse.

Besides these, that Watcher had also recommended the Hunter Pathway.

He pointed out that this Pathway enhanced one's physical qualities and improved one's combat ability from the very beginning. After advancing, one would also gain the ability to control flames.

He personally believed that, judged purely by destructive power, this Pathway could rank among the top three.

However, he had not said where one could obtain the initial formula or potion for this Pathway.

Looking further down, Sifa found messages left by several other "Watchers."

"Taiyin Youying Yue: Isn't the Demoness Pathway good?"

"Number 20170913183645514: Assassin! It has to be Assassin~"

"Let Fate Bring Us Together Here: In Lord of Mysteries, the twenty-two Paths to godhood can be divided into nine types, corresponding to *******

"Melancholy Flatbread: I always feel that the Black Emperor and Justiciar Pathways are incomplete. One of them ********"

Strange. Why had the information after that been blocked?

Suddenly, Sifa thought of something. He closed the thick tome and let his gaze fall on the line of information on its cover: Knowledge Authority—9.

Could it be because he did not have enough authority? Or were the "knowledge" levels left behind by these two Watchers too high, exceeding his authority and making them impossible to read?

At that moment, Sifa felt somewhat dizzy, as if he had expended a great deal of energy. It seemed that summoning the Book of Mysteries was extremely mentally taxing.

He was just thinking about how to end the summoning when the thick, illusory tome, flickering with a faint radiance, began to fade. In the end, it disappeared from his hands.

The colors of his surroundings also returned to normal. Sifa heard faint voices coming from beyond the high window, clearly indicating that he had left the mysterious space created by summoning the tome.

"Looks like I've found the 'switch' for the summoning."

He sat down, poured himself a glass of water, and continued thinking as he held the cup.

Judging from that Watcher's description, the Hunter Pathway focused on destructive power.

Destruction was an extremely appealing element. Especially for men—who didn't like wielding immense destructive power?

Moreover, besides excelling in combat, this Pathway also granted the ability to control flames. That was another aspect that made Sifa's heart flutter.

"In any case, I'll remember it for now." Sifa drained the water in his cup, then lay down on the bed and relaxed his body and mind to ease the slight headache brought on by mental exhaustion.

The next day, Bison came to visit with a middle-aged man who had blue eyes and a prominent nose.

He was Lawyer Ziriff, Bison's personal lawyer and the man who had handled quite a few problems for Sifa's family over the past several years.

Sifa spent the entire afternoon speaking with the lawyer, answering Ziriff's various questions in detail and with patience. Only after the police urged him several times did the visitor finally leave.

Over the next few days, Sifa was occasionally interrogated and questioned by the police. He also sometimes saw Joyce and the others, but they could not speak. They could only exchange a hurried glance before being taken back to their respective cells.

Nearly a week passed in the blink of an eye.

That day, the cell door opened, and Bison strode in, his booming voice saying, "We can go home, son."

Sifa stood up in delight. "Really?"

Bison smiled. "Of course it's true. The others from the ship have also been freed."

"That's wonderful news."

Sifa eagerly left the "single room" and followed his father to the police station's main hall. Sure enough, he saw Joyce and the others.

The captain, Joyce, Brando, and the others came over and surrounded Sifa, offering their heartfelt thanks.

During this process, Sifa noticed that Joyce did not look well. Although he wore a smile, his expression was somewhat weary, vastly different from the excitement and elation of the others.

After exchanging pleasantries, Sifa pulled Joyce aside. "You don't look well. Are you all right?"

Joyce shook his head, then said with a bitter smile, "It's probably because I've been having nightmares lately. They wake me up in the middle of the night every time. I haven't been sleeping enough, so..."

"Nightmares?" Sifa smiled and asked, "What kind of nightmare could make you look so awful?"

"I dreamed that I fell from the Clover into a crimson sea. Fortunately, someone caught me, but I couldn't see what he looked like."

"And I was holding on to someone else. Do you know who it was? It was Eunice King, that scoundrel! Heaven knows why I dreamed of him. And in the dream, I actually tried to save him."

"But every time, he would end up falling while wailing. The strange thing was, at that moment, the person holding on to me, whose appearance I couldn't see, would also let go. I'd fall just like that, and then I'd wake up."

Sifa said unconcernedly, "It was only a nightmare. Don't take it to heart. We're all free now, so you can return home without worry."

"If you keep having nightmares, go see a doctor. I mean a psychiatrist. I think you're only reacting this way because you've been under too much mental strain and pressure recently."

"By the way, do you have travel expenses?"

After saying that, Sifa laughed at himself. "That was a stupid question. Wait a moment."

He went over to Bison and asked his father for some money. Fifty pounds of it went toward Brando's bodyguard wages, while the rest was divided among the penniless survivors so they would have enough money to return home.

Of course, this was done in Bison's name.

After saying goodbye to Joyce and the others, Sifa was about to leave the police station and return home with his father. Unexpectedly, near the entrance, he bumped into Inspector Roy, who had a black beard, and a tall police officer.

Sifa remembered the tall policeman. On the deck, he had been the one who had pinned Sifa down.

"Is there something else, Officer?" Bison asked, looking somewhat displeased.

Inspector Roy coughed lightly and introduced the policeman beside him. "This is Officer Barton, Sir Bison. During the incident a week ago, Officer Barton was somewhat rash while performing his duties aboard the ship. He may have handled Mr. Sifa too roughly."

"So he wanted to take this opportunity to apologize to Mr. Sifa."

Bison gave an acknowledging sound and looked toward the tall policeman.

Sweat covered the forehead of the policeman named Barton.

After learning that Sifa was indeed the son of a baron, Barton had felt deeply uneasy. He remembered mocking Sifa and remembered refusing to listen to his explanations at the time.

As a minor police officer in Smatt Harbor, Barton feared that the nobles would retaliate against him. Thus, he had begged his superior to create an opportunity for him to apologize of his own accord.

After the inspector finished introducing him, Barton hurried forward two steps, removed his soft cap, and bowed to Sifa. "I'm very sorry, Mr. Sifa. I apologize for my rashness and impulsiveness a few days ago, and I hope you can forgive me."

This scene drew everyone's attention in the hall. People whispered among themselves, most of them shaking their heads. They did not think highly of Barton's chances. They did not believe that noble young master would easily forgive this big man.

Sifa raised his head and looked at the policeman without any expression. "I"