Nina was a pirate who had worked her way up from the lower ranks. Although she was often impatient and easily angered, she was incredibly experienced and relatively reliable. After a moment's thought, she described her earnestly:
"The well was on the deep seabed, and I needed enough time to adjust to the pressure and temperature there, so it took a long time to get there."
"It wasn't easy to spot in itself, but the remaining steel structures were quite noticeable, and I found them once I got used to the environment."
"They have completely collapsed and decayed, making it impossible to imagine what they originally looked like. However, it's clear that they must have been quite large before, but now they have shrunk considerably."
Nina chuckled twice as she finished speaking, her gaze sweeping over the men present.
Real female pirates are indeed different... Klein immediately thought to himself.
In his view, neither " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya, nor " Vice Admiral Iceberg " Edwina, nor " Vice Admiral Ailment " Tracy could be considered pure female pirates. This was because they all came from powerful forces or Concealment organizations. When they were at lower Sequence, they were either not at sea, or they followed important figures and did relatively safe things, or they were lone adventurers. They were almost untouched by the style and atmosphere of the lower-ranking pirates.
After Nina finished laughing, Cattleya pointed to the rusty thing in Nina's hand that was hard to call a metal strip:
"Is this part of those steel buildings?"
"Yes, Captain, you know I don't know much about history and the occult, so I can only bring some back for you to study. You're an expert in this area." Nina smiled and handed over the "metal bar."
Then, pointing to the remaining patch of black soil with a honeycomb-like surface, she said:
"Not far from the steel ruins, I found the well. It was really small. If this can be described as 'huge,' then I must have seen many giant cannons."
"Those drunken adventurers are better at bragging than us pirates!"
"This is the soil from the inner layer of that deep well; I simply cannot imagine how these marks were formed!"
Nina's fingers pounded repeatedly on the honeycomb-like spots in the black soil.
Klein initially thought they were marks left by a dense barrage of shots from small objects, but upon closer inspection, he suspected they were "patterns" left by something Corrosion the area: each spot was very shallow, with the edges spreading slightly and irregularly in all directions.
As Nina handed the black soil to " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya, she continued her description:
"That well was really small; even a child from Nass couldn't squeeze into it."
"It was so deep, I felt like it had no bottom. In that environment, its interior was pitch black, as if something was slowly beckoning me, yes, slowly."
"I found some stones nearby and threw them in, but there was no response; it was completely filled with water."
Cattleya picked up the "metal strip" and the black soil, examined them carefully through the thick glass lenses, and said:
"Since the well opening is too small for humans to enter directly, there's no need for us to start exploring now; it would be extremely dangerous."
"Once I figure out the secrets hidden in these two items and whether the ancient well is valuable enough to warrant the risk, we'll return here to try again."
"Yes, Captain!" Nina, soaking wet, shivered from the cold wind, causing the surrounding pirates to stare in disbelief.
Cattleya adjusted her glasses and said to Nina:
"You may drink one bottle of Sonia Blood Wine today, and there's no limit to the rest."
"... Long live the captain!" Nina cheered with extreme joy.
An ancient underwater well that humans cannot enter... Klein, devoid of any desire to explore, mentally summarized Nina's description.
Suddenly, a strange idea came to him:
Just because humans can't enter that ancient underwater well doesn't mean non-humans can't!
Many deep-sea fish are not necessarily that large, and there is a considerable chance that they can pass through the well opening.
As the " Sea God," he has ample means to command marine life when wielding his scepter!
Let's not rush. Let's see what the " The Hermit " lady can glean from these two items before deciding whether to explore them on the return journey. Otherwise, we might attract some outrageous danger... There's not enough information right now to Divination such a thing... Amidst these conflicting thoughts, Klein remained outwardly calm.
At this moment, " Admiral of Stars " Cattleya glanced at him rather strangely, then subtly looked away.
"Why did she suddenly look at me? What was she looking at me for? She couldn't possibly know I had the ' Sea God Scepter,' capable of commanding sea creatures. No, she did know, but what she knew was that Mr. ' The Fool ' possessed the divine scepter left behind by the sea serpent Kavithua, not 'The World'... Unless she saw through 'The World' to be ' The Fool '... But that's even more impossible. Even Mr. ' The Hanged Man ' is still at the level of 'The World' being Blessed; she hasn't even realized that..."
"Let's consider it from the perspective of the ' Admiral of Stars '... She is someone who pursues knowledge, followed the ' Mystery Queen,' served the ' Moss Ascetic Order,' and traversed the seas for many years, witnessing and experiencing many things. It's not surprising that she knows the ' Sea God's' realm possesses the extraordinary ability to command marine life..."
"So, after discovering that humans couldn't pass through the ancient underwater well normally, she naturally thought of the scepter in Mr. ' The Fool's ' hand, and planned to ask for help in the future? Is this me observing whether 'The World' also has relevant information and similar ideas?"
Klein thought of many things at once, and with the help of the " Clown's" abilities, he forced himself to keep his expression indifferent, without any unusual reaction.
While Nina went to collect the Sonia Blood Wine, Klein adjusted his hat and returned towards the cabin entrance.
As he approached the door, a scene suddenly flashed into his mind:
In a room on the upper deck, the windows were tightly closed and curtains drawn, revealing a pair of barely visible eyes that silently watched the people on the deck, focusing on Gehrman Sparrow.
Who? Klein didn't stop or stiffen as he entered the cabin without any change in his movements.
At three o'clock in the afternoon, bright but not scorching sunlight shone on a garden near Backlund University of Technology.
Michelle Deut, a senior associate professor who was only forty years old, was wearing a long tuxedo and a smart bow tie, and waited patiently at the door.
Yesterday evening, he received a letter. The messenger was a servant of the Earl Hall, the most powerful noble family in East Chester County, and the writer was Miss Audrey Hall, the daughter of the influential Lord Chancellor, known as the Backlund's Most Dazzling Gem.
In her letter, the distinguished lady mentioned that she had heard from the party that Mr. Michelle Deut was an outstanding collector, and as an enthusiast in this field, she very much hoped to make a visit.
Michelle Deut had no reason to refuse.
Soon, an elegant carriage bearing the family crest arrived at the gate.
Two servants, who had already been instructed, opened the outer gate made of steel bars and led the carriage around the garden to the front of the house.
A female housekeeper stepped down first, followed by guards and maids.
Then, a hand wearing a long white gauze glove reached out.
With the help of her maids, Audrey gracefully stepped onto the carpet that Michelle had laid out beforehand.
Michelle was taken aback at first, then her eyes lit up, as if all the flowers in the garden to the side had lost their color at that moment.
He stepped forward, removed his hat, and bowed, saying:
Welcome, esteemed lady.
Your visit is an honor for me and my family.
Audrey removed her veil from her head, handed it to a maid, exchanged a few polite words, and then followed Michelle Deut through the living room into the collection room on the first floor.
Upon arriving here, Michelle seemed to have finally regained his confidence as the owner, and starting from the left edge, he pointed to the collection and introduced it:
"This helmet appeared during the War of the White Rose. After my long-term research, I can confirm that its owner was a member of the Sauron Family, who were still royalty at that time."
The golden helmet was exquisitely designed, decorated with bird-like ornaments, while the visor was made of metal scales.
"My ancestor earned his first title during this war," Audrey replied with great interest.
She had prepared herself mentally beforehand, making herself feel like she was genuinely there for a visit.
"The defeat in the Twenty Years' War brought years of humiliation to the kingdom, but it also produced many heroes," Michelle said, offering a subtle compliment.
The War of the White Rose takes place after the Twenty Years' War of Broken Oaths, where Loen defeats Intis and regains its strength.
Michelle continued introducing her collection, Audrey listened very attentively, occasionally asking questions and exchanging ideas with her.
Finally, Michelle pointed to a notebook with a black cover:
It belonged to a knight who was stationed on the Sonia Island during the Twenty Years' War.
"The knight's name has been lost to the long history, only this notebook proves that he once existed and that he held out on the Sonia Island until the very last moment."
"This notebook is not only a primary source for studying that period of history, but it also contains certain problems. The knight has many unusual grammatical habits, which may be clues to help us figure out his exact identity."
Audrey instinctively believed that this notebook was her target, so she moved a little closer and sure enough, she found faint lines on the black cover that together outlined a rather abstract Dragon.
Judging from Associate Professor Michelle's tone and subtle expressions, his interest in the notebook was primarily focused on its content, rather than the notebook itself; he didn't seem to particularly cherish it... "I have a very good chance of buying it..." Audrey calmly made her judgment, turning her head and smiling slightly at Michelle Deut.
What specific, less common habit is it?
"I like to use short sentences, very concise ones..." Michelle boasted.
Audrey was a good listener, smiling at Michelle as she listened attentively, which encouraged Michelle to share more.
As she listened, she suddenly felt that the knight's grammatical habits were somewhat familiar.
"That is..." Audrey's eyes flickered slightly, and she quickly remembered the source of the familiarity.
Those were certain grammatical rules of the Dragonese that she had studied diligently and basically mastered!
P. S.: Requesting recommendation votes and monthly tickets on Monday!