The operation against the Aurora Order in Backlund had now come to an end, and both Silas and Klein had gained something from it.
Silas had Grazed a Sequence 4 Shaman King, obtained Botis's corrupted Beyonder characteristic along with numerous strange insects, and acquired a Grade 0 Sealed Artifact.
Klein had successfully Grazed Lewis Wien, gaining the Traveler's Door and a share of Botis's insects.
At the same time, he had successfully established contact with the Abraham family. If he found it too difficult to continue advancing along the Seer Pathway, he could still switch to the Apprentice Pathway.
The two had arrived in a hurry and departed just as quickly. By the Tussock River, only Dorian and Fors remained, teacher and student staring at each other.
"Teacher..."
Fors hesitated before speaking.
"You don't need to say anything."
Dorian shook his head.
He had taken in far too much information today. He didn't want to hear anything more.
He took out a suitcase and carefully packed away Lewis's head and Botis's eyeball before straightening up.
"I'm going back."
Dorian looked at Fors with a grave expression. "All of my current addresses and contact information will be abandoned immediately. Until I contact you, don't try to find me."
"Huh?"
Fors's heart jumped. "Teacher, you... you don't want me anymore?"
She had only contacted Temperance to hunt down Lewis because she wanted to make her teacher happy. Had everything that followed somehow resulted in Dorian deciding to sever ties with her?
"That's not it. You did very well."
Dorian shook his head. "But I have a responsibility to the family... Once I've analyzed the situation and thought everything through, I'll contact you again."
Their great enemies had been avenged, there was the faith of The Fool, and then there was the family's curse... Every one of these matters was extremely important.
He had to consider them carefully, discuss them with the other members of the Abraham family, and make a decision together.
"Besides..."
He glanced at Fors. "You still have time to worry about me? The task that lady gave you isn't exactly easy either."
"...Ah!"
Fors froze, then her entire body stiffened.
Oh no, I almost forgot!
Temperance's writing commission, along with the messenger lady's additional high standards... If she couldn't finish it, or if she wrote it badly, they really would come looking for trouble!
"Teacher, you're right."
Fors immediately grew anxious as well and hurriedly said to Dorian, "I really don't have any time to waste... I'll wait for you to contact me."
She had to get back to Backlund and start writing. She needed huge amounts of coffee, tobacco, manuscript paper, and ink!
Teacher and student hurriedly said goodbye on the banks of the Tussock River, each leaving to deal with their own affairs.
The Forsaken Land of the Gods.
The City of Silver, inside the archive room in the middle section of the central round tower.
It was a large, cramped storage chamber, packed with bookshelves that filled nearly every bit of space.
The shelves were piled with all manner of written records: parchment scrolls, monster hides, ordinary books, stone tablets carved with text, battle reports, potion formulas, personnel files, mad and twisted poetry, ancient texts recovered from abandoned ruins...
From ancient to modern, from ordinary to bizarre, everything could be found here.
For the vast majority of the City of Silver's residents, this room was off-limits. Today, however, it had received a new visitor.
"Elder Lovia's file..."
Derrick unrolled a piece of treated hide and struggled to read the writing on it.
In an impoverished environment like the City of Silver, producing paper was practically impossible.
Aside from ancient texts preserved from the past, most modern writing was recorded on specially treated animal hides.
"It's too dark. I can barely see..."
He squinted at the document for quite a while before muttering a complaint.
Although he had received the Chief's permission, the archive keeper wouldn't allow him to take anything out of the room.
He could only read the materials on the spot. On top of that, to prevent fires, the room was illuminated by light produced from the bones of luminescent beasts. It was safe, but extremely dim.
Derrick frowned and stared for another moment before suddenly realizing something and smacking himself on the forehead.
Whoosh!
He raised a hand, and clear golden light bloomed from his palm, illuminating the entire dim room.
He was a Solar High Priest. How could something as simple as a lack of light be giving him trouble?
Derrick couldn't help laughing at himself. He had been so focused on the contents of the file that he'd actually forgotten the abilities of his own Pathway.
"What's going on?"
The archive keeper's nervous voice came from outside the room. He had clearly noticed the light Derrick had created.
"Nothing."
Derrick raised his voice and answered, "I'm just using my own ability for illumination."
After reassuring the keeper, he turned back and, with proper lighting at last, began reading Elder Lovia's file again.
[Name: Lovia Tiffany]
[Gender: Female]
[Date of Birth: Year XX After the Cataclysm]
[Position: Elder of the Six-member Council]
[Risk of Losing Control: Relatively high. Suspected of having a special connection with a hidden existence. (Note: This existence is believed to be hostile toward the existence behind Derrick Berg. Under no circumstances are the two permitted to be alone together.)]
[Family Relations: Parents (deceased); Husband (deceased); Younger sister (healthy, no immediate risk of death, available to carry out the kin-slaying duty at any time)]
Kin-slaying...
Derrick's expression dimmed.
The curse on the City of Silver meant that its residents could not rest peacefully even after death.
Instead, they would transform into terrifying evil spirits. Only by being killed by a blood relative could they truly find peace.
His own parents had died by his hand.
It was precisely the despair of having to kill his own family that had driven him to pray to a True God, accidentally establishing a connection with Mr. Fool.
That's right. I have to save the City of Silver!
At that thought, determination surged within Derrick once more, and he continued reading.
[Confidentiality Clearance: Level 1 (Authorized to access all information except top-secret materials)]
Top-secret?
There were secrets that even an elder of the Six-member Council might not know...
Could it be that only the Chief knew them?
Derrick's thoughts began to wander as he read.
But he quickly caught himself.
No, no, no!
I can't waste the opportunity the Chief gave me. What I need to do is complete Temperance's request and investigate Elder Lovia's past...
He refocused and continued down the page.
Then Derrick's pupils suddenly contracted, surprise spreading across his face.
The next line read:
[Pathway and Sequence: Year XX to Year X, Reader Pathway, Sequence 6, Polymath; Year XX to present, Secrets Suppliant Pathway, Sequence 5, Shepherd]
Elder Lovia... she hadn't advanced through the Secrets Suppliant Pathway from the beginning?
She had actually switched Pathways before becoming a Shepherd?
Derrick found it difficult to believe.
For as long as he could remember, Elder Lovia had always been a mysterious and powerful Shepherd. He had never imagined that she had once been a Beyonder of an entirely different Pathway.
Then why had she switched to the Secrets Suppliant Pathway?
Year XX... What happened that year?
Derrick immediately began searching through the other records.
Besides Lovia's personnel file, numerous other documents had been placed on the table. They included records of her expeditions outside the City, paperwork left behind from various procedures she had completed, and more. Derrick had specifically asked the archive keeper to retrieve all of them.
He quickly found a battle record from that year.
And on the list of expedition members, besides Lovia herself, there was another name that stood out unmistakably.
Her husband's.
۞۞۞۞
~ Support & Read 50+ Advanced Chapters on Patreon
https://p-atreon.com/lost_magus
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)