OBS Chapter 4193 The Call of the Sea
Chapter 4193 The Call of the Sea
Chapter 4193 The Call of the Sea
As noon approached, Mr. Bernhardt invited Shad to have lunch there, but Shad, thinking that Viggo was probably still waiting for him, politely declined the invitation. Shad then tossed the crystal slipper back home and appeared directly in the Lower City, from where it was much closer to Fragrance Mansion.
The witches had returned to their respective cities, and Fragrant Mansion had returned to its usual quiet state. Miss McDonald greeted Shad in the foyer. Lunch wasn't due for another ten minutes, so she first led Shad to the study to see Viggo.
As they went upstairs, the girl with long rose-gold hair lowered her voice and asked Shad:
"Could you try to persuade the teacher later?"
"what happened?"
Miss McDonald leaned closer to Shad and answered:
"Last night, the teacher slept with those two curved-neck bottles in her arms. That doesn't seem normal at all. Miss Rowling and I both tried to persuade her, but she insisted on sleeping with her sister."
Shad wasn't surprised at all; he had seen these symptoms once before in Daniste:
“I can understand Vige’s thinking, but it does sound strange. Did she really stuff the bottles into the blanket, or did she just put both bottles on the pillow?”
"I put it on the pillow."
"That's alright, don't worry, I'll talk to her."
Viggo didn't seem to be free today either. When Shad and Miss McDonald entered the study, she was explaining something to Adelina. Only when she saw Shad arrive did she indicate that Adelina could go change her clothes and prepare for lunch.
"I thought you weren't coming today."
The black-haired witch said with a hint of resentment, then gave Shad a hug. Shad smiled and asked:
"Did Miss Feliana's ointment potion work? How are you feeling today?"
"I feel okay. I don't need to drink your blood wine so often to stop the cough. Cough, cough."
She coughed softly twice as she spoke, then kissed Shad's cheek:
"I need to change my clothes too. Wait for me, I'll be right back."
This actually meant she was going to the restroom, but Shad didn't let her leave immediately:
"Where is your sister? I need to purify her once a day. I have some time before lunch, so I can do today's purification now."
"Look, isn't it right on the desk? Go purify it, she'll like you."
With that, Vige left the study. Shad gave Miss McDonald a reassuring look before going to purify the solution affected by the [Leatherworks Guild].
When Vigo and Agelina returned, the purification for the day was complete. The two curved-neck bottles were placed together on Vigo's impressive desk, and Vigo immediately went to check them.
Standing to the side, Xia De casually remarked:
"Glass bottles are ultimately too fragile. Haven't you thought about replacing them with a different container?"
Wei Ge shook her head:
"This special life solution needs to be stored in a special bottle. I haven't fully mastered my mother's technique yet, so for safety's sake, it's best not to change the container easily."
"Then you should store it carefully under normal circumstances."
"Of course, whenever I'm home, I'll try my best to keep her within my sight. Even when I'm sleeping, I'll put her on the pillow next to me."
Miss McDonald glanced at Shad, who then got to the point:
"Putting a lab flask on your pillow seems a bit...unconventional."
Wei Ge winked:
"What's wrong? I finally found my poor little sister, I must take good care of her."
Adelina understood that Shad wanted to persuade the witch not to do it, but the little princess never expected Shad to say something like this next:
"It's strange. I feel like someone else has taken my place."
Wei Ge didn't immediately understand what Xia De had said, but after a couple of seconds her face flushed red, and she quickly said:
"That's the strange thing you said. I'll put the bottle in another safe place later. Honestly, that's just my sister. Men are so petty. That spot belongs only to you."
She reassured him, and seeing that Xia De's expression was normal and he wasn't really angry, she felt slightly relieved.
"I've heard that your cat sometimes sleeps on your pillow."
Xia De nodded:
“Yes, but Mia never lies on the other pillow next to me. She either curls up next to my pillow or lies on top of my head.”
Wei Ge thought about the scene for a moment, then complained softly:
"I've been saving this spot for you, but when do you want to use it?"
Shad did not shy away from this question:
"We're all looking forward to the day you're fully recovered."
"Oh dear! Is this something you should say to a lady? Let's go to the restaurant; I think lunch is ready."
Wei Ge turned and walked towards the door, and everyone saw that her face turned bright red.
Vige seemed to be in a good mood today, and during lunch she even discussed the aftermath of the [Furry Guild] incident with Shad. Shad also informed Vige of Mr. Bernhardt's investigation, which suggested a potentially more complex relationship between the Delineor royal family and vampires. Vige frowned and thought for a moment:
"When I was a child, I heard stories about the Delinor era from the elders in my family. I think I heard something similar. In fact, there are some folk tales circulating locally that the Delinor royal family was associated with evil creatures. But, aren't these rumors just propaganda tactics by Kasenric after the kingdom's defeat?"
As for her own lineage, Viggo said that Xia De didn't need to investigate:
"In order to treat myself, the council and I have conducted a lot of research on my body, and I am quite sure that I am 100% human, at least more human than you."
Miss McDonald and Adelina were both secretly laughing.
"If you want to know whether the royal family back then really had the power of vampires, you should investigate the girl you rescued from the [Leather Goods Guild]. If the information shared by your vampire friend is true, that would be quite a big news story. This afternoon I'll have my girls contact the church and say that the Evoker wants to investigate."
The church's bloodline testing would take time, so after lunch, he finally opened the briefcase he had received from the library that morning.
This is the reward that "Desire" gave to Shad. Before the incident began, the two agreed on the reward as "information about the guild", "a method to cure Vigo", and "a divine artifact".
Strictly speaking, Xia De had already received all three rewards. Xia De thought the briefcase would contain "after-sales service," that is, further explanation of the artifact's power or further analysis of Vigo's condition, but when Xia De picked up the item wrapped in a roll of red silk from the briefcase, he found a book instead.
"Such a big box and there's only one book in it? What is it?"
Wei Ge asked curiously, having discerned the ancient characters on the book:
"The Call of the Sea? A book of mysticism?"
"It seems so. The text in the book is the common language of the early Fifth Age, and it says..."
Xia De skimmed through the book using "speed reading," a method that only allowed him to get a rough idea of the book's contents and wouldn't allow him to acquire any magical arts or even spirit runes.
"This book recounts ancient legends about the 'ocean,' which tells of a strange ocean existing beyond the material world. This ocean appears in the material world without any apparent pattern. When it appears, qualified people are drawn to the ocean, enter it together, and eventually merge into it, achieving the evolution of life and becoming some kind of higher life form."
Xia De closed the book:
"By reading this book, there is a chance to obtain the [Ocean], [Fusion], and [Evolution] spirit runes and related magical arts."
"This sounds like just an ordinary book of occult knowledge, what does it want with you?"
"It certainly wasn't given away randomly. This legend reminds me of the 'Sea of Origin'."
Wei Ge nodded:
Is the mysterious ocean that appears intermittently in the material world described in this book the same red sea?
"Uncertain, but highly probable. I was going to investigate things related to the 'Sea of Origin' anyway, and the mermaid sent me this book at this time. It's probably trying to give me some hints."
Instead of immediately studying the book in detail, Xia De planned to find time next week to read it together with the materials given to him by Miss Felicia.
However, after finishing the book, he thought of something else that seemed unrelated:
"Wei Ge, have you ever heard of the sea return ceremony?"
Wei Ge nodded:
"Of course I've heard of it. It was a major event that happened in the summer of 1853. Weren't you and Sevier both involved?"
"'Returning by the Sea' is not only a ritual of cultists, but also a local folk song in Lengshuigang. The song is about people who are attracted by the mermaid song and voluntarily enter the sea, never to return."
Vig understood what Xia De meant:
"This is very similar to the ancient story described in the book the mermaid gave you."
"Yes, but when I was conducting research in Coldwater Harbor, I learned that the origin of this folk song was a sacrificial ceremony performed by a small fishing village in Coldwater Harbor at the beginning of this era for the evil god [Lord of the Crimson Spiral] (318). Although it may just be a coincidence, the sea return ceremony is too similar to the legend recorded in this book."
Xia De looked out the window, paused for a moment, and then asked Wei Ge:
"Do you think it's possible that the Sea Return Ritual wasn't actually invented by those cultists themselves? A long, long time ago, members of the Crimson Order witnessed the 'Origin Sea' appearing in the material world, and that's how they created the 'Sea Return Ritual'."
Wei Ge thought for a moment:
"That's a bold conjecture, but it's not without merit. To verify it, you'll need to ask the cult members. But the question is, can you even find them?"