Siles was equally struck by this quote mentioned by Kellogg.
Literary Digest of the Age of Shadows was the book on Kellogg’s recommended reading list that provided Siles with the most inspiration. Once again, he gained insight into the relationship between deities and believers of that era from a literary perspective.
It was fair to say that after the long Age of Empire drew to a close, when the shadow descended—regardless of what that shadow truly represented—the relationship between gods and believers underwent a subtle transformation.
In ordinary times, people revered and believed in the gods. Whichever deity it was, ordinary citizens maintained a fundamental level of respect and fear. They dared not discuss the existence of the divine in raised voices, only able to look up in awe and trepidation at the divine might that far exceeded their comprehension.
However, by the Age of Shadows, things had changed. A theater troupe could even write a play lampooning self-abandoned believers of the gods. Such a thing had been completely unheard of in the past.
Siles was quite curious about this. He wanted to know what kind of social environment gave birth to such literary creations.
During the Age of Shadows, had the status of the gods undergone a shift? What relationship did this have with the “major events” that might have occurred during that era?
Regrettably, no relevant historical records were mentioned in the book. It was also possible that this portion of history had not yet been discovered by people—at least not in the Duchy of Konst.
Because of this, Siles was also extremely interested in the archaeological ruin Professor Dunlop had gone to visit. He looked forward to them making a ground-breaking breakthrough that would shock the world.
Finally, Siles concluded this club activity with the same sentence that ended Literary Digest of the Age of Shadows.
“‘We look up at the world, but perhaps one day, the world will bow to us,'” Siles said. “At the dawn of human civilization, it always developed within the embrace of the gods. But starting from the Age of Shadows, everything changed.”
The students below the stage gazed at Siles.
Siles thought for a moment, then said, “On a Friday in December, we will go outside to visit an exhibition. For our next activity, we can discuss the impact of economic activities on our lives, as well as on literature.”
He heard a student remark that this was a rather peculiar topic they had never considered before. In addition, he noticed that his two apprentices wore thoughtful expressions.
When Siles had met with them yesterday, he had given them their reading list for the new semester and asked about their thoughts regarding this semester’s thesis. Both apprentices had rudimentary ideas, but neither had truly settled on a decision yet.
Perhaps the topic of Siles’s club activity could bring them some inspiration as well.
After the students left, Siles breathed a slight sigh of relief. Another week of teaching had passed, and next came the time belonging to Siles Noel, the “Revelator” and “Novelist.”
…Even though he was still exceedingly busy.
“Knock, knock.” Two gentle knocks came from the doorway.
“Congratulations to you, the weekend is about to arrive,” Chendo said.
Siles fell silent for a moment, then shook his head. “When you say it like that, it feels as though you are mocking me.”
“Mocking you for what?” Chendo tilted his head.
“…Busy,” Siles glanced at him calmly, turning his head slightly. “Don’t deny it, Chendo. I see you are looking forward far too much to the Monday after the weekend.”
Chendo chuckled softly under his breath, then walked to Siles’s side and held his somewhat cold hand. “…Your hands are always this cool. In any case, yes, I am indeed looking forward immensely to our new date.”
Siles, on the contrary, found himself slightly at a loss for words by his so frank attitude.
Afterwards, Siles packed up his belongings and left the classroom together with Chendo.
“Are you going to the History Society tomorrow?” Chendo asked.
“No,” Siles shook his head. “Tomorrow morning I have to meet with the publisher. The paper… and the new novel. It’s time to put them on the agenda.”
Chendo, however, let out a sigh. “After solving the academic paper, there is still a novel waiting for you. Of course, I am very much looking forward to your new work; I am now one of your loyal readers as well.
“However, Professor Noel, don’t you think you are looking for too much trouble for yourself?”
“These things must be resolved eventually,” Siles said objectively. “Of course, I also feel a bit busy.”
Chendo muttered something under his breath, then added, “And there’s also that shop in the West District.”
“…No need to remind me at a time like this,” Siles said helplessly.
Chendo laughed, his emerald eyes flashing with a playful and gentle smile. He said, “Sometimes, I rather enjoy seeing you look distressed.”
Siles: “…”
…Was this still the Chendo he was familiar with?
Since the hour was somewhat late, they went straight to the dining hall to have dinner. The following morning, Siles took a transcript of his paper and headed to Atherton Square to meet with the publisher, Barnett.
Unexpectedly, the merchant Lanmere was present as well.
It was still the same restaurant where they had met for the very first time. Barnett had already prepared pastries and hot tea, sitting there beaming. Beside him, Lanmere sat beaming as well.
…Seeing these two merchants sitting there with big smiles, Siles felt that today’s conversation seemed to carry a secondary motive.
However, they still brought up the matter of the paper first.
“You don’t need to worry,” Barnett said with utmost attentiveness. “Ever since you mentioned this to me, I had already contacted a journal for you in advance. Of course, I must ask, what did you write about in your paper?”
“The wandering poets of the Sardinian Empire,” Siles paused, and noticing Barnett’s somewhat bewildered expression, added a sentence, “They were believers of Ligadia. I provided evidence for this in the paper.”
“W-What?!” Barnett nearly raised his voice instinctively. “Are you certain? Your paper involves an Old God?”
“Er, it cannot be put that way,” Siles explained honestly. “I merely confirmed the faith of a group of poets.”
He analyzed the matter from a literary perspective—after all, an author’s faith could indeed influence their work—but the two merchants before him did not seem to evaluate the matter so simply.
Lanmere remarked from the side, “You see, Barnett. I told you long ago that Professor Noel is an exceptionally outstanding young scholar. You don’t need to worry about the quality of his paper.”
“…Of course I understand that!” Barnett said, unable to resist adding, “I just feel… Professor, this paper of yours is far too terrifying! How could you hide such a major discovery inside a plain and ordinary academic paper!”
Siles maintained a calm silence.
He did not feel this discovery was all that important. However, his way of thinking seemed out of step with the people of this era. Of course, it was also possible that because he understood there were far more terrible insider secrets behind it, he no longer cared about the belief of the wandering poets itself.
He passed the transcript of the paper to Barnett. Barnett flipped through it, browsing for a moment, and then lamented, “You are truly… Who would have thought that someone as young as you could have such an important discovery.
“If you ask me, after this paper is published, professors in the history department will probably wish for nothing more than for you to research history instead of keeping your head buried in the field of literature.”
Siles smiled slightly, recalling that Professor Bright had also said something similar previously. He then said, “I remain dedicated to literature.”
“Indeed so. That can also be seen from your enthusiasm for creating novels,” Barnett naturally shifted the topic. “So, when do you plan to publish your new novel?”
Siles hesitated for a moment, then mentioned the matter regarding Professor Mantel to Barnett. Naturally, he polished his phrasing slightly.
“Therefore,” he said, “I am afraid I have no choice but to use a pen name to continue writing.”
Barnett opened his mouth wide, then slammed it shut, saying almost indignantly, “What an ungrateful old man!”
Siles shook his head, gesturing that he didn’t need to speak that way.
Barnett then turned to say, “In that case, your approach is naturally acceptable…”
“Professor, however, I don’t think you need to be overly worried about this matter,” Lanmere said nonchalantly from the side. “This… Professor Mantel, he probably thinks he is just casually suppressing a young professor to teach the youngster some humility.
“However, once your paper is published, the situation will be entirely different. This will bound to be a paper of ‘outstanding’ caliber; perhaps that Professor Mantel has never even published a paper of this level.
“When that time comes, this old professor who relies on his seniority might even have to step down and make way for someone more talented.”
Barnett nodded repeatedly, indicating that he held the same opinion.
Siles was not quite so optimistic about it; or rather, he did not particularly wish for matters to develop to that extent.
He then said, “I can understand, thank you for your goodwill. However, I still need to change to a pen name for my writing.”
This course of action was because the matters he was currently involved in were becoming increasingly dangerous. If he continued to write under his real name, those dangers would very likely ripple outward to people associated with his identity as a “novelist.”
Even if this pen name could easily be linked to him upon investigation, as long as it could serve a slight buffering purpose, Siles was satisfied.
Barnett nodded. “Of course, that is no problem. For the new novel, what do you plan to write about?”
“The adventure genre, most likely,” Siles nodded toward Lanmere. “Not long ago, I went to the Ashless Lands and gained a lot of inspiration there. Mr. Lanmere is also aware of this matter.”
Lanmere hesitated to speak, and in the end, gave a forced smile and nodded. His expression seemed to say that it was far more complex than just “a lot of inspiration.”
Barnett did not think so deeply into it. He simply said, “Adventure novels are a good choice as well. By the way, Professor, have you ever considered serializing your novel in a newspaper?”
Siles was taken aback and said, “Serializing… in a newspaper?”
“If you plan to publish it as a complete book, that works as well,” Barnett said. “However, this is a harsh winter, and many readers are looking forward to receiving some comfort from words during such cold weather.
“If you could serialize your novel in a newspaper, that would be for the best. It would allow your writing to meet readers sooner… publishing a segment every so often, and then publishing the full volume once serialization ends—isn’t that a better choice?”
Siles nodded, understanding the logic. He pondered briefly, then replied, “That is indeed a good choice.”
Given Siles’s currently busy state of life, writing a novel could only be done in his spare time, and it was a lower-priority task. If he had to complete a whole book before publishing, he didn’t know how long he would drag the matter out.
Serialization, on the other hand, divided the task into different timeframes. Furthermore… serialization was something he was very familiar with. He was even almost instinctively contemplating where to cut off a chapter to best leave readers hanging in suspense.
He then smiled slightly and said, “Then let us serialize it in a newspaper.”
Barnett also clapped his hands with a smile and said, “In that case, you can think of a pen name and submit drafts regularly. Typically, it is serialized once every week to half a month, and you can arrange the schedule as you see fit.
“When the time comes, simply mail your novel content to the publishing house; you have been there before. You can write my name directly as the recipient.”
Siles nodded.
Lanmere chimed in at an opportune moment from the side, “Now that you two have finished discussing your business, it should be my turn.”
Siles looked at him with some interest. Since parting ways in the Ashless Lands, Siles had not heard any news regarding Lanmere. He found it a bit strange as to why Lanmere would appear here.
Why would this merchant, who never got up early without a profit to gain, participate in his conversation with Barnett?
“Professor Noel, first of all, I must thank you for your actions in the Ashless Lands. Regardless, you saved my business, as well as the lives of countless explorers.”
Siles said in a deep voice, “It cannot be put that way. I merely did my best to accomplish what I believed ought to be done.”
Lanmere nodded with a smile, appearing not to want to refute Siles’s view. However, he still said, “How you view it is your affair, but those of us who received your care must ultimately feel grateful for your actions.”
He probably realized that Siles did not particularly enjoy this kind of talk, so he quickly shifted the topic: “I returned to Lamifa City not long ago and visited many colleagues. From Mr. Bertram Fern, I heard that you are planning to open a shop?”
“Indeed so. However, I haven’t quite decided what to do yet,” Siles said. “My November is extremely busy, so I’m afraid I will have to consider this matter after some time passes.”
Lanmere nodded in understanding and said attentively, “I see. Professor, if you need my assistance—connections, channels, or any factories—please do not hesitate to come to me. You also know my home address; just send a letter when the time comes.”
Siles thanked him for his kindness.
Having brought the conversation to this point, Lanmere finally mentioned the true purpose of his appearance this time.
“Do you know that recently, a certain type of playing card has become quite popular in the Ashless Lands?” Lanmere asked tentatively. “I heard it was called Noel Cards, and immediately thought of you.”
Siles: “…”
He could not help but fall into a subtle silence.
Lanmere noticed Siles’s expression and said, “As expected, this matter is related to you; I guessed right. Were these playing cards invented by you?”
Barnett, on the side, cast a curious glance over.
Siles shook his head, and in the end, still explained, “No, they were not. The inventor of the playing cards is currently nowhere to be found. As for the factory that printed these cards, you should have heard of it as well—it is the printing plant of the Gillini family.”
Barnett let out an exclamation and said, “Gillini! Professor Noel, if you still remember the eight-petaled rose paper I gave you, those sheets came from Gillini’s factory.”
Siles thought to himself, Indeed.
He then turned to say, “The inventor of the playing cards placed an order with the Gillini printing plant, took the first proofing deck of playing cards, and subsequently vanished. Alva—as you know, Mr. Lanmere, the young man who traveled with us—
“He carried a deck of playing cards with him for entertainment when bored. The earliest gameplay leaned toward collecting cards that met specific conditions. I felt that kind of gameplay was somewhat dull, so I proposed a battling gameplay style.
“This is likely the popular way to play in the Ashless Lands at present. As far as I know, the Gillini family didn’t pay any special attention to this deck of cards, and Alva himself is more inclined toward promoting it heavily rather than restricting copyright.
“If you wish to cooperate with them, you can go directly to the Gillini family to conduct the relevant commercial talks.”
Lanmere listened attentively to Siles’s words throughout, and only after Siles finished speaking did he say, “Then, what about you?”
Siles couldn’t help but be taken aback, saying in some surprise, “Me?”
“Yes, such a battling gameplay was created by you, so what are your thoughts?” Lanmere asked very patiently and gently.
Only then did Siles realize that although card battling of this sort was commonplace for him, coming from Earth, for the people of the Fisher World, it was a brand-new, highly creative way to play.
He could entirely turn a profit from this, even though he had never thought that way, nor had he even realized it.
Siles said almost without thinking, “I do not own such gameplay. I merely… one should say, I merely proposed an idea, and subsequently my companions and I expanded this ‘idea’ into an actual gameplay system together.
“Do you intend to vigorously promote this card game style?”
Lanmere said, “Indeed so. However, I must ultimately ask for your opinion. After all, I am deeply grateful for your prior help.”
…The implicit meaning being that if it were anyone else, Lanmere probably wouldn’t have bothered to ask? Siles thought to himself. A merchant, as expected.
He then said, “Of course there is no problem. As for specific cooperation details, you can discuss them with the Gillini side.”
Regarding the matter of the Fate Cards, when the four of them were still in the Ashless Lands, they had already made a decision. After all, those were the playing cards brought by Alva, so all future commercial affairs would be left to the Gillini family behind Alva to decide.
Of course, Alva had always said that a portion of the final profits would be distributed to them.
Lanmere nodded in satisfaction. “That is for the best.”
Barnett asked with some curiosity from the side, “So, what kind of gameplay is it exactly?”
As noon approached, the three of them had lunch together right there. During the meal, Siles and Lanmere explained the card gameplay to Barnett together. Barnett seemed quite interested and said, “It looks like I’ll have to ask the Gillini family for a deck of playing cards to try out.”
Siles said, “They should be drawing new card faces right now.” He had heard Alva mention this matter. “The previous card faces were relatively simple and didn’t quite suit the battling gameplay. They want to write the values and abilities of the cards directly on the card faces.”
Lanmere said with great interest, “That is indeed a good idea.” He added thoughtfully, “Perhaps we can promote this gameplay inside Lamifa City first.”
Barnett also mentioned some of his own ideas with great interest.
This was the domain of business, so Siles did not participate in their dialogue.
As the meal neared its end, Lanmere suddenly let out a sigh. He said, “It sounds like a business with great prospects, I just hope the old men in the city won’t get in the way.”
“Why so?”
“I don’t participate in gambling businesses—I must make that clear to you first,” Lanmere established his stance beforehand. “However, even for entertainment activities that don’t involve money, there are quite a few elderly nobles who can’t stand them.
“They want the younger generation to continue living this rigid, dull life—studying dutifully and following in their old footsteps. Families of painters continue to paint, families of politicians continue to enter politics… Can you understand my meaning?
“These old nobles want to control the lives and thoughts of their family descendants, just like what they have been doing their entire lives in the past. Yet the concepts of the younger generation are drifting farther and farther away from them. The conflict between the two sides has always existed.
“And if I want to promote this card game, ordinary residents are actually the ones I least need to worry about. What I worry about are these unlikable old nobles who are always cutting off people’s financial paths.
“They will probably feel that this kind of entertainment activity corrupts the ‘pure intelligence’ of the young people in their families. Ha, without considering how their own utterly decayed concepts could possibly educate young people who keep up with the trends of the times.”
Lanmere’s final words sounded somewhat extreme, likely the result of long-accumulated resentment.
However, Siles could understand his thoughts to a certain extent—think of Dorothea Grant, think of that boy walking endlessly in the gallery within deep-sea dreams, Emil Harrison.
He couldn’t help but think that from various angles, after four hundred years of long development, the people of the Age of Mist had arrived at a crossroads. They needed to make a choice, and the right to make that choice was always held in the hands of every individual.
After the meal, the three bade farewell to one another.
Barnett said, “Your paper will be published next week. When that time comes, I will send the journal to your place in advance. You have probably heard the name of that journal—it is Literary Review.”
Siles realized and said, “I do know it. That is quite an excellent academic journal.”
Barnett smiled and said, “Compared to the returns brought by your previous novel, I have merely provided very minor assistance. In short, congratulations on the publication of your paper, and looking forward to your major work next year!”
The Revenge of the Rose was currently still bringing a continuous stream of revenue to Siles, and it had already expanded outward. Siles believed that this novel would ultimately bring him around five thousand Duke coins in revenue.
…Er, from a certain perspective, this was also thanks to the tireless promotion by that group of Old God followers.
These thoughts turned in Siles’s mind, after which he smiled slightly and expressed his gratitude for Barnett’s goodwill.
Before leaving, he suddenly remembered another matter and said, “By the way, Mr. Lanmere. I know you were previously engaged in the Stardust business. I would like to ask if you know the location of any other Stardust veins? Even abandoned Stardust veins would do.”
Lanmere was somewhat surprised to hear this question. After a pause, he looked at Siles meaningfully, likely assuming that Siles understood certain special aspects of Stardust—which was indeed the case.
However, Lanmere could probably never guess what Siles actually knew.
“I can try to inquire on your behalf,” Lanmere said. “However, you probably shouldn’t hold too much hope. Almost all merchants keep such matters strictly secret. Of course, if you have a way, you can also start with the Church of the Past; they know far more over there than we do.”
Siles nodded in understanding and thanked Lanmere.
After bidding farewell to the two merchants, Siles headed to 18 Housewell Street. His focus gradually centered on today’s meeting, because barring any accidents, Eric Collens would bring the relevant materials regarding the Darrow family today.
Brewer Darrow died in early August, and it was already late November now. Nearly four months had passed, yet this case still showed no progress. This was also something that made Siles feel slightly discouraged.
However, they still had to do their best.
Because he hadn’t eaten lunch at 18 Housewell Street today, it was nearly one in the afternoon by the time Siles arrived. His companions were already seated, gazing solemnly at the large pile of materials before them.
It was divided into two stacks in total; the stack on the left appeared relatively neater, while the stack on the right was utterly chaotic and unorganized.
“Good afternoon,” Siles said. “These are…”
“The relevant materials on the Darrow family,” Angela said softly.
Even Darrell, who was usually the most lively, was staring at the paper before him with a very stern expression at this moment, appearing somewhat lost in thought.
Eric maintained silence throughout.
Madame Fuller clapped her hands and said, “Alright, everyone, don’t be so downcast. The departed are gone; what we need to do is investigate this matter thoroughly.”
They all nodded, agreeing with this statement. Subsequently, the atmosphere in the room finally lightened a bit.
Madame Fuller first said to Siles, “Congratulations, Professor. That topic summary of yours will be published next week. Even if it is only aimed at internal members of the History Society, it is still an extraordinary achievement belonging to you.”
Siles was taken aback, only then realizing that Madame Fuller was referring to his “Replicating the Self” ritual. The First Corridor where Madame Fuller worked was originally responsible for handling these administrative internal affairs, and therefore simultaneously responsible for publishing these research outcomes.
Siles realized with some surprise that through a series of coincidences, his two research achievements—one at Lamifa University and the other at the History Society—were actually published in the very same week.
He couldn’t help but say, “This indeed counts as good news.” He paused, then shared the matter of his academic paper with the others as well.
Angela expressed sincere admiration: “You are truly amazing.”
Siles couldn’t help but smile at her somewhat childish compliment.
After a brief moment of relaxation, they began organizing and reading the large pile of materials before them.
These materials were actually divided into two categories: one was the investigation conducted by the Second Corridor of the History Society after the incident occurred, where Siles saw the sign-off of Clarissa Bernie, a Revelator, at the end of quite a few files.
The other category consisted of copies of internal materials from the Darrow family. Eric gave a special introduction regarding this.
The Darrow family was a noble family with a long heritage that had now fallen into decay, and therefore its family library possessed a very rich collection of books. When the Second Corridor investigated, they merely gathered a portion of materials that should be useful and copied them down.
“So there are still a lot of materials that no one has ever looked at?” Darrell couldn’t resist asking. “Is the Second Corridor not worried about missing some important clue?”
Eric said helplessly, “Indeed so, but… to be frank, that is indeed an extremely vast library, so the Second Corridor didn’t have that much time to investigate item by item either.”
Darrell froze for a moment, coming to an understanding.
“So where are those materials stored now?” Siles couldn’t help asking.
“Barring any accidents, they should be sealed away somewhere by the History Society,” Eric said. “I heard that if such a noble family meets with trouble, their inheritance is temporarily kept by the bank?”
Madame Fuller and Angela both nodded.
Madame Fuller even added, “Until someone with right of inheritance appears, it will be handed over to the heir by the bank or another estate proxy. If decades pass with no one inheriting it, it will be auctioned off or donated.
“These clauses will be explicitly listed in the noble’s will. Of course, situations that can truly trigger these clauses… are also few and far between.”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help shaking her head.
Eric then said, “Yes, I’ve heard the same. However, because the Darrow family matter involved Old God followers, those family collections and archives were sealed away separately.
“These ones I brought over are some contents compiled after organization. They are relatively rough, but they can give us a general understanding of this incident.”
They all nodded, then continued reading, occasionally exchanging a sentence or two with each other to share the information they had read.
Siles casually picked up an investigation report to browse. It was an investigation and organization of the Darrow family library.
“…
“The Darrow family’s library is located in the basement of the manor, an underground space of roughly one hundred square meters, housing a total of approximately 1,000 books, as well as an uncounted quantity of independent archives, documents, manuscripts, and so forth.
“According to investigation, the Darrow family arrived in the Duchy of Konst four hundred years ago. They assisted the Duchy of Konst at that time in overcoming difficulties, thereby earning the appreciation of the Grand Duke of that era and being granted a title of nobility.
“However, over the long course of time, no offspring of outstanding talent appeared in the family, and the family gradually fell into decay, so that it can no longer be called a qualified noble family today. Nevertheless, its library still holds readable value.
“Based on information provided by a certain Revelator inside the Society, I searched the relevant archives of the library, but found no records related to ‘believers meeting the gods face to face.’ It is uncertain whether someone took it away or if there are other possibilities. This matter remains in doubt.
“The majority of the collection is not in the language of the Duchy of Konst, which aligns with the origins of the Darrow family. After textual research and comparison, the text of these books corresponds to the writing near Kansas City of the Sardinian Empire during the Age of Silence; hence, it can be tentatively determined that the Darrow family originated from the former Kansas City.
“Apart from the aforementioned books in Kansas text, the remaining books were all collected after the Darrow family appeared in Konst. No valuable clues could be uncovered from them.
“Outside of books, relevant materials including archives, documents, and manuscripts also present this issue. Efforts are currently underway to contact individuals capable of reading Kansas text.
“Among them exist some materials in Konst text, but after reading, I found their content basically irrelevant to this case, consisting of family history records and daily accounts of certain family members.
“The sole piece that might be related to this incident is a section of dialogue recorded in a manuscript.
“The manuscript mentions that a certain author was extremely interested in a record of conversation between a certain ancestor of the Darrow family and a poet, and therefore borrowed this record of conversation from the owner of this manuscript, who was someone from the Darrow family. And that conversation took place precisely in Kansas City during the Age of Silence.
“I suspect this matter might be related to the past experiences of the Darrow family and could provide some relevant, even older information. However, we have been unable to find clues in the archives related to Konst text.
“Considering that this matter occurred in the first century of the Age of Mist, when the Darrow family had likely not yet broken free from the influence of Kansas, perhaps members of the family learned both the Konst language and the Kansas language simultaneously.
“Therefore, the materials borrowed by this author were very likely translated orally by someone in the family. Being unable to find a translation in Konst text is also entirely reasonable.
“This record of conversation should be hidden within the portion in Kansas text. This matter awaits investigation.
“In addition, regarding Brewer Darrow’s mysterious fiancée: We attempted to search for their marriage contract or wedding documentation in the library or other places, but found no relevant materials whatsoever.
“The above is the investigation report regarding the collection and archives of the Darrow family.
“Clarissa Bernie. August 29, Year 400.
…”
This investigation report did not make any contribution to the investigation of the Darrow family incident, but Siles’s gaze froze on one sentence within it.
“Record of conversation”?
…A noble ancestor of the Darrow family, and… and Aldous Gershwin, a record of conversation with that wandering poet? Then the person who borrowed the record of conversation was also precisely the author of The Poet’s Fate, Archibald Jon?
Siles realized this coincidence with immense astonishment.
He knew that the Darrow family had only arrived in the Duchy of Konst four hundred years ago; he also knew that The Poet’s Fate mentioned that family having migrated from Kansas City, which was why they preserved the record of conversation between their ancestor and the wandering poet.
However, he had completely failed to expect that these two families were actually one and the same! It happened to be Brewer Darrow’s family!
Such a coincidence made Siles unable to help exclaiming in wonder.
The others asked him what was going on, and Siles shared the discovery he had made. In addition, he asked Eric, “Is it possible to obtain that record of conversation?”
Eric thought for a bit, then shook his head regretfully and said, “I’m afraid I cannot obtain those sealed materials. Perhaps Revelators holding higher positions within the History Society would have a way?”
Siles’s heart stirred, and he immediately thought of Carroll. He pondered for a moment, then said, “I understand. This record of conversation is extremely useful for my topic; perhaps I should think of a way to obtain it.”
Darrell stroked his chin, asking with some curiosity, “Which topic?”
Siles froze.
Angela burst out laughing right away: “Professor, you have far too many topics!”
Siles: “…”
Was it because he wanted to be this busy? Thinking about it now, the days of writing novels on Earth were practically like being a lazy slug in comparison.
The rest of the group burst into laughter as well.
At this moment, Madame Fuller suddenly said, “Look at this report.”
She placed that report in the middle of the table.
Madame Fuller said, “This is the investigation report from when the Revelators of the Second Corridor went to the Darrow family’s manor after the case occurred to conduct an investigation… equivalent to the primary scene investigation report.”
Siles read through it generally, and then acutely noticed a problem: “They did not investigate the trash can.”
“Yes,” Madame Fuller said softly. “However, they indeed investigated the surrounding situation, and also questioned neighbors regarding relevant clues and issues… Why did they overlook the trash can?”
Siles sank into thought for a moment, then asked, “Has any of you seen the police investigation report?”
“I have it here,” Eric said. “It’s about the same as the Second Corridor’s investigation; similarly, no attention was paid to the trash can.”
They looked at each other.
Angela said softly, “Could there… be a problem with this?”
A case investigation naturally required investigative personnel to thoroughly examine the situation near the crime scene, and whether it was the police or the Second Corridor, they had indeed accomplished that. However, they had happened to overlook the most obvious feature near the crime scene: the trash can.
Yet, why was it that when the private detective came to investigate later, he was instead able to notice the situation with the trash can?
Siles thought to himself, Is it a problem with Detective Jon?
However, Detective Jon’s character card attribute was specialized in Psychology; how did he manage to discover a clue that other Revelators had failed to notice?
A possibility passed slowly and hesitantly through Siles’s mind: Could it be that the attributes of these character cards were not the same as what he held in his memory?
Perhaps this mysterious detective had simply used some method to temporarily boost his attributes? Borrowing the power of a Revelator? This was not impossible, but why had the Revelators of the Second Corridor failed to discover the contents inside the trash can?
They discussed this peculiar situation for a while, and almost everyone felt that there was a problem with that trash can, or perhaps with the things inside it.
“Speaking of which,” Angela said, “then we’ll have to rely on you, Professor.”
“I understand,” Siles said in a low voice. “I will try to contact that detective.”
Madame Fuller said gently, “However, don’t wear yourself out either, Professor. I feel you are always rushing between various affairs. Not long ago you just returned from the Ashless Lands, and now you have plunged into the countless affairs of Lamifa City once again.”
Siles nodded, thanking them for their kindness.
They continued reading through these files and materials. Their understanding of the full picture of the incident grew clearer, but they also understood why the Second Corridor was unable to continue investigating this case.
Carroll had previously performed the ritual [Dead Man’s Words] on the deceased Brewer. From this ritual, it could be seen that the destruction of the Darrow family was related to Old God followers, and also related to his fiancée.
However, no matter how they tried, they were unable to find this fiancée or any individuals associated with her. People had indeed claimed to have seen this fiancée—at their engagement ceremony.
Yet, other than confirming that this fiancée indeed existed, that did not bring about any breakthrough progress either.
In order to find this mysterious fiancée, all kinds of extraordinary and non-extraordinary powers or methods had been utilized, yet they were consistently unable to locate that woman—even when they expanded the scope of their search to the entire Duchy of Konst.
What if those masterminds behind the scenes had fled to the Ashless Lands?
Then the investigative personnel would be even more powerless.
They finished reading through roughly all the archives, after which Madame Fuller shook her head: “It seems that no more clues can be obtained from the official side—oh right, except for that record of conversation the Professor mentioned. Perhaps there will be certain records regarding the Darrow family’s past on it.”
“Furthermore, even now, there is no clue proving whether that group of Old God followers has truly left Lamifa City,” Eric said. “It is truly unsettling enough.”
A group of people was consistently stirring up trouble in the shadows. Such things seemed to have become the norm in this world.
They couldn’t help shaking their heads and sighing.
The time approached evening—reading the materials had consumed a considerable amount of their time—and they bade farewell to one another before leaving 18 Housewell Street.
Originally, Siles had wanted to go to the History Society’s salon to meet with Carroll and bring up the matter of that record of conversation. However, when he stepped into the room of the Dawn Revelation Society, the room was already completely empty; the Knight, the Noblewoman, and the Newsboy had likely all left.
This afternoon, the Dealer had not participated in their dialogue either. However, this was not unusual. Their meetings were very relaxed, and occasionally others would fail to appear as well.
However, missing today meant Siles could only wait until next week to explain his request to Carroll.
He went to the Fern house to have dinner, and incidentally sought Mrs. Fern’s advice to pick out a suitable hair rope ornament. It was a tiny ship’s wheel, possessing a subtle harmony with Chendo’s necklace, which could hang at one end of the hair rope.
He hadn’t met with Chendo today—firstly, Chendo had his own affairs to attend to, and secondly, he had told Chendo about the Darrow family matter and wasn’t sure when he would finish, so he had told Chendo not to wait for him.
After returning to the dormitory, Siles had a rare moment of free time. He then pulled out the weaving materials for the hair rope from his drawer, and incidentally braided that ornament onto it.
Overall, this hair rope was similar to the kind of elastic hair tie on Earth, but Siles felt he hadn’t braided it very well. At any rate, it was handmade… hopefully Chendo wouldn’t dislike it. He thought.
Sometimes Siles felt that his fingers were truly clumsy when it came to weaving. Perhaps he shouldn’t attempt this kind of gift next time. He thought with a bit of a headache.
He spent some time trying his best to tidy up this ugly hair rope as much as possible. He had chosen a coarse, dark green rope material, a color quite close to Chendo’s eye color, only slightly deeper. He hoped to complete it by Monday.
These past few days he had been wearing the necklace Chendo had given him, occasionally feeling a subtle, fluffy emotion. He always used “fluffy” to describe this affection, perhaps because Chendo himself gave him that exact feeling as well.
After thinking for a moment, Siles couldn’t help smiling slightly. The time approached seven o’clock, so he didn’t continue weaving, but went to take a shower and wash up instead.
The fire stove indeed brought him quite a bit of comfort during this winter, and if Chendo hadn’t insisted, Siles himself might not have accepted “open flame heating” so easily.
After showering, Siles sat down at his writing desk, then pulled a book from the bookshelf. He sat at the desk, carefully consumed the potion, and put on the chest pin of [Tranquil Heart], as well as [Akamara’s Eyeglass Frame].
Only after these preparations were completed did he finally open the ancient-looking book before him.
The Life of a Man Named Conan Fremont, Volume Two. This was the book he intended to read tonight.
