In this vast but tightly packed storeroom alone, Mulan felt the Pirate King's wealth-a wealth of knowledge.
But all these precious treasures were the Pirate King's private possessions, not shared with anyone else. Perhaps, as an awe-inspiring existence of the seventh tier, the Pirate King rarely even remembered these books that were of little use to him.
Conspiracies, schemes, disguises, performances.
For a long time, Mulan had devoted himself to calculation, but returning to a simple kind of happiness was the best way to rest. Well, perhaps sleeping while "basking in holy light" deserved a place beside it.
"Elemental Gate," "Whisperers of the Otherworld," "Personality and Soul," "The Fall of Magic Power."
Book after unread book brought Mulan that simple happiness. Even if some were clearly questionable in their accuracy, they were at least interesting.
"A shame there's no Book of Esoteric Arts."
Mulan picked out several books, sat down beside the reasonably clean table, and began reading. Still, without his own notebooks to distill what he read into concise notes, he felt rather out of sorts.
In a secret chamber on Jewel Mountain, Newt was still poring over the final section of the ritual array.
The chamber was a large room, with miscellaneous clutter piled around its edges. On the circular platform in the center lay a nautical chart pieced together from fragments. The patchwork section in one corner, accounting for roughly a tenth of the whole, was precisely the portion Kilga had spat out.
The glow of magic power enveloped the assembled chart, gradually soaking into its surface of unidentified sea-beast hide. Fine golden lines emerged from its center and kept extending outward.
The lines of the ritual array steadily approached the edges, crossing one break, then two, then three. Just as Newt grew increasingly excited, two golden