Whispering Poems

Chapter 3551 The Ocean's Invitation (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)

Chapter 3551 The Ocean's Invitation (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)

Mr. Davis looked inquisitively at the huge book spread out beside Shad, but asked nothing:

"It seems my guess was correct. The elders of the Order were not entirely unaware of the Chosen Ones ceremony."

He was satisfied with the result, and only then did he mention the hand-carved wooden chess piece, which wasn't even painted and looked rather rough in its workmanship:

"As for the last one, I also don't know its specific effects. I know it doesn't even have any elements, but it will most likely be able to help you—this is a chess piece that my Lord made by hand from the wood on the tree-man he possessed during his last divine descent."

Shad stared intently at the chess pieces, while Mr. Davis remarked with considerable emotion:

"God didn't say what this chess piece was for; He simply left it for us to give to the right person at the right time. I originally thought it would be used during the Battle of Vistalin, and I even carried it with me when we moved camp, but unfortunately, we didn't need it."

But now I know that if there's one best time for this piece to come into play, it's probably this moment.

Now Shad understood why Mr. Davis had said that appraising these items was blasphemy:

"I understand. I will take good care of this chess piece. Thank you again, and thank you again to Lady Luck."

Of the three items, the Holy Bell is used to fight cultists, the dice are used to play a role at the end, and the chess piece with an unclear meaning might be effective when facing an evil god.

The help from the Hermits of the Forest was truly multifaceted, even better than Shad had anticipated before his visit. Of course, this was also because his reputation within the Hermits had reached its peak during the Vesta Grove incident last year, and his reputation as the "Caller of Gods" was quite renowned.

Otherwise, Shad wouldn't have even seen those three items; at most, he would have received a few "lucky charms" or something similar. Before leaving, he actually bought a few charms, intending to distribute them to the girls around him. Although Luvia and Bella could also make these kinds of charms, the effects of the prophets' charms don't coexist; only the highest effect is used. In contrast, the effects of simple divine charms and the prophets' charms can coexist.

Before Shad left, Mr. Davis gave him a warning:

“You just said that something might be sealed by an ancient god beneath Mount Ptummonster, so please be careful. Although the Order’s heritage doesn’t mention this, our scriptures mention a terrifying destiny sealed in the material world, something that mortals must never touch.”

It was noon when Shad returned home from Vistalin, and he had lunch with the cat. Before lunch, Shad also found a new letter on the doormat, delivered by the maids on Galina's orders. The Duchess said she would be coming over that evening.

After having eaten lunch, the cat continued its afternoon nap at home, while Shad went to Fatummst Island alone. Megan and Audrey were officially arriving today, and Shad had to go and welcome the two sisters.

When he arrived in Kyle Todd, Megan and Audrey hadn't arrived yet, and Claire and Matilda were both out. Rita, however, was in town. Winnie, the maid of the Ice Castle, had purchased some supplies for castle repairs and was waiting in town to receive them—the castle had a considerable stockpile of precious metals, surplus materials from previous experiments, enough to cover the maid's expenses.

"Miss Reinhardt said as she left after lunch that someone had sent a letter from the city that morning, inviting you to meet at the Drowned Tavern at the Time Wheel City docks."

The flaxen-haired girl said, handing the letter to Shad. It was actually just a note with messy handwriting, saying that she wanted to meet "Mr. Watson" at the tavern at any time that afternoon.

The "Drowning Ghost Tavern" was where Shad first met Major Rades. At the time, Shad was surprised that superstitious sailors would be willing to go to such a place for entertainment.

He suspected that the note was sent by Major Raders, who not only knew his address on Victoria Street but also what was going on in the town:

"Is his nightmare still going on?"

But Shad was familiar with the major's handwriting, and the handwriting on this note clearly didn't belong to him. However, since he had nothing to do in the afternoon, and the meeting place was a crowded place like a pub, Shad eventually went to keep the appointment.

It was too far from the town, so after saying goodbye to Rita, Shad left the glass slipper at home and went to Sylvia's tower, from where he reached Victoria Street. He then boarded a carriage and traveled through the city, soon arriving at the bustling dock district of Timewheel City.

The tavern was as lively as ever in the afternoon, with sailors from all over the world and dockworkers, and even a few tables of guests dressed in naval uniforms.

Of course, the Dela Rionians and the Carsenrikians wouldn't sit at the next table.

This tavern had no second floor, no private rooms, and no area suitable for discreet conversation. The person who arranged to meet Shad said he was sitting in the deepest corner of the tavern, so Shad walked through the different customers playing cards, drinking, and telling dirty jokes, and finally saw a strange person sitting at the table in the far corner.

The other person sat there alone, a wooden wine cup in front of him. Apart from that, only a kerosene lamp provided illumination on the table.

The man appeared to be in his thirties, with a sallow complexion and a thin build; he was not someone Xia De recognized. In fact, as Xia De approached, he instinctively sensed that the man's life force was extremely weak.

When the other person noticed Xia De, he looked up and smiled. Xia De could tell from the other person's eyes and expression that he was a person suffering from a serious illness.

The stranger gestured for Shad to sit down and asked somewhat listlessly:

Thank you for coming. What would you like to drink?

Shade shook his head. When he sat down, he noticed that the other person's glass contained only water.

"I'll skip the pleasantries. Who are you? Do you need something from me?"

The other party shook their head:

"I don't need to introduce myself; this will be the last time you see me."

He pointed to his heart:

"My heart disease is incurable with current medical treatments, and I probably don't have many days left to live. This meeting with you is private, so please rest assured that no one will know about it afterward."

Xia De became even more puzzled:

"You still haven't said what it is."

“I want to clarify something. I belong to the [Cult of the Drowned], yes, the one you are familiar with. Although I am not a ring sorcerer, I am a very devout believer. This heart disease is a hereditary disease in my family. If it weren't for the ring sorcerers of the Drowned Cult helping me maintain my health, I probably wouldn't be alive to this age.”

Shad frowned, but said nothing, and the stranger across the table continued:

“I know why those cultists you're talking about helped me: to have a base in Time Wheel City. Yes, this is it. I'm the owner of this tavern. Let's forget about the name of the tavern; it's irrelevant to our topic today.”

He coughed laboriously a few times, clearly indicating that he had other ailments besides his heart condition:

"I'm just an ordinary person. I don't actually know who you are or what you've done, but I can tell you're an upright person. Please listen to me. Last night, I dreamt I fell into the deep sea, and in that abyss never illuminated by the sun, I heard an echo coming from the ocean's deeper depths. That voice told me to write a note inviting you to come, and then to tell you—"

His eyes suddenly became lifeless, as if he were dreaming with his eyes open:

"The water ghosts and fishmen that appeared on the coastline yesterday were not the work of the followers of the sea gods. A demonic spirit that had gained demonic power captured followers of the sea gods operating in the Falling Star Bay area, devoured their souls, and gained their power. It then manipulated numerous water ghosts and fishmen like puppets."

After he finished speaking, he returned to normal, but then coughed heavily a few times:

"This is the voice from the deep sea that I heard in my dream. That's all I wanted to say. Thank you again for accepting the invitation. Really, how about a few drinks? I'm the owner of this tavern, and I have great confidence in the drinks I serve."

Xia De stared silently at his face for a long while before gently shaking his head:

"I rarely drink."

After a pause:

"Is your child also working for cult members?"

The man smiled shyly:

"He wasn't willing to stay on this small island, so he went to study in Willendale two years ago. I doubt he'll come back after graduation. Young people these days don't want to stay in small places. He's still young, and his heart condition hasn't manifested yet. He's chosen his own path in the future, and that's his own business. Children will always find their own way. My father and I are different."

As for the future of this tavern, the gentlemen of the [Drowning Order] will buy it and find someone else to run it. However, they probably won't be able to return to this island for the time being, so before I die, I'll ask my distant nephew to temporarily manage it.”

Shade nodded and extended his hand to him. The man thought Shade was saying goodbye, so he also extended his hand and shook Shade's hand. Unexpectedly, Shade did not let go immediately, and after a while, he spoke:

"I don't know what methods those cultists used, but your heart has already started to decay, and now it relies entirely on external forces to keep pumping blood. Modern medicine really can't cure this kind of disease. Doctors generally believe that surgically opening the heart is unthinkable because the heart keeps beating, and once it's operated on, there will be severe blood loss that is extremely difficult to control."

However, I've heard that in big cities like Willendale and Tobesco, doctors have begun exploring this dangerous surgery. Although there haven't been any successful cases yet, and animal trials haven't been very successful, since your son is in Willendale, have him keep an eye on it. Perhaps forty or fifty years from now, in the 1900s, a treatment for hereditary heart diseases will be available.”

P.S.: Requesting votes at the beginning of the month!