Side Story: Feather and Poison (3)

Section Four: Association for the Study of Ancient Languages

Chloe walked into the hall carrying a stack of books.

A staff member quickly came forward.

"Welcome, Professor Chloe." The other person reached out and took the book from her hands.

The Feather Race does not have fingernails like humans; instead, their hands are covered with ring-shaped feather keratin structures. Although these structures are hard, they are not durable and are generally not suitable for heavy work.

"Thank you." Chloe nodded in thanks. "There are still quite a few carriages outside, all returning them."

The staff member nodded and arranged for a few people to go out and help.

The carriages parked outside were almost full, filled with a large number of books and research items borrowed from the association. The coachman was standing to one side, untying the ropes securing the items.

Chloe took off her gloves, took a file folder from her bag, and handed it to the staff member who was receiving her.

"This is a translation of an ancient script commissioned by Master Newman."

It was a rubbing of ancient script from the Jincheng Dynasty of unknown origin. As agreed by both parties, the contents would not be made public, so both the original rubbing and the translated manuscript were sealed and handed over.

When the staff member took the document, he was visibly taken aback.

"Isn't this—the commission originally given to Master Corbyn?"

Master Newman repeatedly warned and emphasized that this work should never be handed over to the Chloe scholar.

Unexpectedly, it still ended up in her hands.

"Master Corbin wasn't available," Chloe explained casually. "He just asked me to bring the documents over."

Upon hearing this, the staff member immediately relaxed and carefully put the documents away.

"I'll send it to Master Newman later."

Master Newman took on a construction project in the City of Radiance, and now he lives in the city, which is quite convenient.

"Scholar Chloe, would you like to take on the next task?" the staff member asked respectfully.

"No, let's pause for a little while first." Chloe shook her head.

Although her marriage to Xialike came somewhat unexpectedly, now that it was settled, she had to take it seriously.

There are quite a few things to do during the preparation process.

Although she wasn't taking on any new commissions for the time being, Chloe still went to the association's archives as usual, intending to look through some recent archaeological data for leisure reading.

"Miss Chloe, it's a pleasure to meet you!"

A slightly aged, yet still powerful, voice suddenly rang out.

Chloe turned around at the sound and saw that it was an elderly man who was half-deer. Her face immediately lit up with surprise and delight.

"Mr. Lu Fawen, the Scholar Heron!"

The two quickly sat down at a nearby table, and staff promptly brought them tea.

"Your performance in the field of ancient script translation has been quite remarkable recently," Heron said with a smile, his gaze then falling on the documents in Chloe's hand. "So, you're researching things related to the Old Humanity?"

Humans in the world of Taya appeared five thousand years ago. The "Old Humanity" who existed even earlier are generally believed to have gone extinct as early as twelve thousand years ago.

"I discovered an Old Humanity site in Northern Ice Island," Chloe explained, "And within it, I found traces of their activity dating back 12,000 years."

"Twelve thousand years ago?" The Heron was quite surprised upon hearing this. "That means the Old Humanity lived in Northern Ice Island for at least another two thousand years?"

Almost subconsciously, he began to recall the timeline of glacial evolution in his mind, and his brows furrowed as he did so.

"Judging from the climate changes during that period, the average temperature in Northern Ice Island should have been about ten degrees Celsius lower than it is now, right? And the ice sheet in Northern Ice Island was also much thicker back then."

Northern Ice Island is not at the true North Pole, but on the edge of the Arctic Circle—but precisely because of this, it is the region with the thickest ice sheet in the Taya world.

Conversely, because the Arctic is an ocean area, the average ice sheet is only a few meters thick.

"To be precise, it was twelve degrees lower than it is now," Chloe added. "Twelve thousand years ago, the lowest winter temperatures in Northern Ice Island could reach minus forty degrees Celsius."

This harsh environment is not something that the Feather Race can afford to take lightly, even in its current state. To safely survive the winter, the Feather Race must make extremely serious and thorough preparations.

Moreover, the Old Humanity did not possess any talent or ability in magic. This is why they failed in the competition with other beings and were pushed to the edge of the world.

"How did the Old Humanity reproduce and survive under such primitive conditions of productivity?" the Heron asked, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"This is something I care about very much," Chloe said earnestly. "So I plan to first gather as much information and knowledge as possible about the Old Humanity, and then try to unravel their secrets."

She paused, her eyes brightening slightly.

"I believe this will help our Feather Race cope with the current predicament in Northern Ice Island."

"I see."

The Heron nodded, understanding why the other party was so dedicated to this field.

After their defeat in the world war a thousand years ago, the Feather Race was forced to retreat to Northern Ice Island, where the living conditions were harsh. In some ways, they shared a similar plight with the descendants of this Old Humanity.

The two scholars found themselves getting along very well over the rest of the conversation.

They discussed the overall changes during the Ice Age, the specific glacial movements in the Northern Ice Island region, and inferred the possible migration routes of this Old Humanity from the distribution of relics, further speculating on their methods of survival.

Even at lunchtime, the two were still enjoying themselves immensely.

So they went to a nearby restaurant and had lunch together.

As the meal drew to a close, Heron put down her knife, carefully wiped her hands with a napkin, and then smiled, saying, "Miss Chloe, I have learned a great deal from talking with you today."

"However, I have some things to take care of afterwards, so I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave."

"It's my honor to speak with you," Chloe replied.

The Heron looked at her, then suddenly smiled again, its tone carrying a deeper meaning.

Congratulations in advance, Your Highness, the future Crown Princess.

"?"

Chloe was visibly taken aback, surprise in her eyes. "How did you know?"

"Xialike has already invited me to be the officiant," Heron said with a smile. "You two are putting a bit of a test of the knowledge of us old scholars."

Chloe blushed at his words and quickly stood up, giving him a half-bow.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you."

"That's no trouble at all." The Heron's smile deepened, and he waved his hand. "I'd be happy to!"

After parting ways with the Scholar Heron in the fifth section, Chloe returned to the Crown Prince's residence to continue tidying up the things that were not yet finished.

Later that evening, she went to the Royal Library.

They brought a whole cartload of books.

The servants carried the books inside, box by box. Chloe, along with the library's assistant librarian, counted the books one by one by category and then returned them to their respective shelves.

Although she usually spends most of her time browsing books in the library, she occasionally brings some back to the palace.

Over time, I unknowingly accumulated so much.

It's clearly only occasional.

As Chloe was organizing, she noticed that several new books related to the Feather Race had appeared on the bookshelf.

She was about to walk over and look through it when she bumped into Emperor Lorenzo.

"His Majesty!"

Chloe immediately curtsied.

Behind the emperor was a scholar-like man. Chloe glanced at him and recognized him as a medical scholar named Samuel.

This guy has a terrible reputation in the industry, and his name isn't exactly clean either. But for some reason, he gained the emperor's favor and was brought into the palace a few months ago, apparently to conduct some kind of research.

Samus would occasionally visit the Royal Library, and Chloe met him a few times.

At most, the two sides simply nodded in acknowledgment.

"No need for formalities." Lorenzo nodded slightly.

Chloe straightened up, her expression unchanged, but her eyes subtly swept over Samus behind the emperor.

The other person walked to the bookshelf filled with information about the Feather Race and pulled out a few books.

Chloe's eyes narrowed slightly.

What is Samus looking for information about the Feather Race for?

"I heard from Xialike that you've accepted his proposal?" Lorenzo asked, his voice flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

"Yes, Your Majesty," Chloe replied immediately.

However, she still had some attention on Samuel, so she was multitasking.

What exactly was Samus researching, and why was he looking through these materials related to the Feather Race?

Lorenzo clearly misunderstood Chloe's slightly tense state, and softened his tone a bit.

"Don't worry, Xialike has already obtained my approval."

As he spoke, he turned and summoned the eunuch beside him.

"You will oversee this matter," Lorenzo ordered. "The Crown Prince and Crown Princess must adhere to all the proper etiquette, utensils, and standards. Nothing can be lacking or lowered. If anything damages the royal dignity, you will be held accountable."

The eunuch's back tensed slightly. "I will obey your command, my king!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Chloe said immediately.

Looking down, I noticed a few drops of dark red liquid on Samuel's shoes.

This looks like... blood?

****

Emperor Lorenzo did not linger and soon departed.

Samus, carrying the books, walked towards the library door.

Just then, Chloe reached for a book on the nearby bookshelf, her movement slightly sideways, blocking the other person's path.

"Sorry." Chloe immediately withdrew her hand, bent her knees and took a half step back, adjusting her long skirt as she did so.

The two nodded to each other, and Samus, without saying anything more, picked up the book and left.

Chloe took a deep breath, put the book she had picked up back in its place, and then turned and left the Royal Library.

She lifted her skirt and returned to the Crown Prince's residence, then went straight to the second floor.

Xialike was dealing with something when he saw her like this and was somewhat puzzled.

Why are you holding up your skirt?

Chloe was wearing a casual dress today, the hem of which didn't even reach her ankles. Walking normally on flat ground, she didn't need to lift it up at all.

As he asked questions, Xialike followed her upstairs until they entered the second-floor workroom.

Chloe strode to the table, grabbed a pair of scissors, and cut off a small piece of fabric from the hem of her skirt.

Xialike was even more confused.

"I met His Majesty and Physician Samus at the Royal Library."

Chloe briefly recounted what had happened in the library while carefully examining the piece of cloth in her hand.

Sure enough, a very faint dark red mark appeared on the edge of the light-colored fabric.

She had deliberately moved closer to Samuel, using the gesture of making way to brush the hem of her skirt against his shoes.

That's exactly what I'm after.

Xialike had naturally heard of Samus's reputation, and his brows immediately furrowed.

He looked at the piece of cloth in Chloe's hand, his gaze darkening.

"Is it blood?"

"Um."

Xialike turned his head to look at Meiwu'er beside him.

"Go and find out where this guy is."

Without saying a word, Meiwu'er quickly left.

Chloe pulled out a glass used for alchemical experiments, placed the cloth inside, poured in solvent, and began to soak it.

Before long, Meiwu'er returned.

"I went to inquire with the servants," he reported. "Samus arrived at the palace three months and twenty days ago and is currently residing in the laboratory building that His Majesty the Emperor arranged for him."

"That villa by the lake?" Xialike asked.

"Exactly."

"The benefits are good."

By this time, the dissolution should be almost complete.

Chloe took a portion of the liquid from it, dripped it into the alchemical analysis fluid, and then began to cast an analysis spell.

Magic Power light shimmered at his fingertips, slowly seeping into the liquid.

Feedback came quickly.

The originally clear liquid was stained pale blue.

Chloe's pupils contracted slightly, and her voice darkened.

"It's the blood of the Feather Race!"

Xialike's expression also changed.

Besides Chloe, there were indeed other Feather Race in the palace.

But those were all low-ranking servants and attendants; even if they were injured, they wouldn't warrant treatment from Samus, who had been specially invited by the emperor.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat silent.

Xialike pondered for a moment.

"Samus is a healer," he said slowly. "Is he using the Feather Race for medical experiments?"

That is indeed one explanation.

But behind this lies a host of more problems.

"Those books about the Feather Race were also purchased through arrangements made by His Majesty Lorenzo," Chloe said, her tone clearly showing concern. "Would His Majesty have personally intervened if it were just a routine experiment?"

Everyone present knew the emperor's temperament and style of doing things all too well.

Even with his infamous reputation, Samus was at best a doctor who liked to take radical approaches.

What could possibly pique the interest of an emperor like Lorenzo is certainly not something trivial!

"Meiwu'er," Xialike instructed, "Find out all the details about Samuel's recent movements and the lakeside villa!"

"Yes," Meiwu'er replied.

But Chloe was very worried, "His Majesty Lorenzo is extremely suspicious. What if our investigation attracts his attention?"

Xialike then reached out and grasped her hand, pressing down firmly on the back of it.

"Don't worry. We'll take the lower-level route."