The Signature of the Five Hundred and Seventy-Eighth
On the Conquer Sea, in the Montecarlo Archipelago.
In the morning hours, as the night’s fog dissipated, the vast main island of Montecarlo slowly awakened from deep slumber. The residents who had inexplicably fallen asleep amidst the night’s thick fog were now gradually waking up under the sunlight. Throughout the streets and alleys, countless people rubbed their groggy heads and slowly stood up, looking around dazedly and trying to recall the events of the previous night, attempting to understand what had actually happened.
With the entire city awakening from deep sleep, the once-quiet Montecarlo suddenly became bustling. Unlike in Navaha, where people would remain confused for a while after waking, the early risers in Montecarlo immediately began to pay attention to those still asleep, leading to a surge of opportunistic behavior throughout the city. Guards received numerous alarms almost as soon as they woke up, causing chaos to erupt across the city.
As Montecarlo was descending into chaos, inside Junhai Fortress, a tense standoff was taking place. In the spacious hall of Junhai Fortress, at one end of a long table, Vania sat in her nun’s white attire, with several knightly guards standing beside her, all attentively watching ahead. Opposite her, at the other end of the table, sat Edward, draped in a fringed cloak, his expression somber as he stared ahead. Beside him stood only his son, Roland.
“Sir Edward, could you explain the large-scale extraordinary phenomena that occurred last night on Montecarlo? The pervasive fog over the island, the powerful hypnotic waves affecting the entire city, and the Inner Realm large creature flying above Montecarlo—what exactly happened on this island last night?”
Facing Edward across the table, Vania asked earnestly. When the incident occurred last night, Vania and her guard detachment were in a private box at an auction house. As “Lamp,” she and her group noticed the abnormal conditions surrounding them when the fog thickened and began to be vigilant.
The guards began to protect Vania and slowly withdraw from the scene, retreating from the venue to the streets. When the hypnotic waves arrived, although they were briefly hypnotized and fell asleep, due to the presence of a monk from the Holy Father’s path within their ranks, the core members quickly regained consciousness. They thus felt the intense battle of extraordinary beings happening far away on the island and even caught a glimpse of the fantastical giant creatures flying through the mist.
Given that the primary task of the guard detachment was to protect Vania and the holy relics, they did not act rashly upon the sudden incident but remained vigilant on the spot and did not participate in the chaotic event. Only after confirming everything had ended and the surroundings were safe in the morning did they come to Junhai Fortress to confront the lord of Montecarlo and seek to understand the truth of the matter.
In response to Vania’s inquiry, the silent Edward did not speak directly; instead, Roland, standing beside him, politely addressed her.
“Ah… I am very sorry. Last night’s events affected Sister Vania and your companions. This is our oversight as hosts. On behalf of my father, I apologize to all of you.
“The situation last night was as follows: while my father was resting in Junhai Fortress, he suddenly used the extraordinary detection spell of Montecarlo to sense a thief sneaking in. My father sent guards to apprehend the intruder, but found that the thief was extremely skilled and was no ordinary extraordinary being. After various attempts proved ineffective, my father decided to personally confront the thief.”
Roland smoothly and naturally explained to the present Vania and the guards. Hearing Roland’s words, Gaspare frowned slightly and then asked.
“What kind of thief requires Sir Edward’s personal intervention… Could it be that the opponent is a Red Tier?”
“Yes, it was indeed a Red Tier ‘Shadow.’ More precisely, it was a high-ranking member of the evil cult society, the Black Dream Hunter Group, known as a Moth Chaser.” Roland continued responding to Gaspare’s question, and Gaspare responded with a more solemn expression.
“The Black Dream Hunter Group? A Moth Chaser? Could it be the evil dream realm being, the Lepidoptera, whose symbiotic host? So, the creature flying over Montecarlo last night was the Lepidoptera of the Black Dream?
“As far as I know, Moth Chasers are major figures in the Black Dream Hunter Group and rarely show themselves, especially since there has been little news about them since the Navaha incident. Now, such a figure suddenly appears in Montecarlo—what could they possibly want? Do you know their specific identity and title?”
Facing the father and son, Gaspare directly asked with a puzzled expression, and Roland confidently replied.
“Unfortunately, we currently have no information on the specific identity of this Moth Chaser, but we do have some understanding of their purpose. The Moth Chaser came to Montecarlo to steal a piece of collectible from my father’s treasure vault. This collectible is called the Arc Moon Jewel, a rare treasure my father obtained in his youth. At first glance, it seems to have some effect in weakening the influence of ‘Shadows’ on poison recognition, but upon closer examination, it appears to contain some deeper mystery, perhaps serving as a key component in certain rituals.
“My father is not an extraordinary being of the ‘Shadow’ type and cannot decipher its mysteries, but he knows its value and thus stored it in his treasure vault. ‘Lamp’ will study it in detail when conditions permit, but someone must have leaked the information, which attracted the Moth Chaser’s interest last night. Given that they are part of the ‘Shadow’ society, they surely understand the significance of this item. They might be planning some important ritual with it.”
Speaking on behalf of his father, Roland continued to explain to everyone present. Upon hearing the evil cult society intended to perform some significant ritual, the Radiant Church members present immediately became serious. Gaspare sternly asked:
“Where is that item now? Is it still in your possession?”
“Unfortunately, it is gone. The Moth Chaser’s methods were highly skilled. After successfully stealing the item, they immediately fled. Although my father tried to stop them, he couldn’t prevent them from escaping through the Inner Realm.”
Hearing Roland’s words, the guards exchanged glances, seemingly communicating silently to assess the truthfulness of his statement. After a moment of silence, Gaspare continued.
“Mister Roland, Sir Edward, do you have any evidence to support your claims?”
“Our evidence is that you all personally experienced the battle between my father and another powerful extraordinary being and saw the moth escape. I understand that you suspect we might have been involved in some nefarious activity last night, plotting something harmful to the Church and the populace.
“But this morning, you should have seen that Montecarlo suffered no significant damage, and everyone here is unharmed. The influence on this island was from a powerful ‘Shadow’ force we don’t possess. This was an impudent invasion by another society, not something we initiated.”
Facing Gaspare’s words, Roland firmly stated. After hearing this, Gaspare considered for a moment and then asked Vania, who had been silent until then.
“Sister Vania… What do you think…”
“Hmm… Well, I think Mister Roland makes a lot of sense. It seems likely that things happened as he described. We should report this to the Church accordingly.”
After listening to Gaspare, the white-clad nun considered for a moment and said, and he nodded slightly.
“If Sister Vania says so, let’s report it this way for now… Considering the current situation, it does seem like an invasion by the ‘Shadow’ society…”
After hearing Vania’s words, Gaspare said this. Having determined the stance of these church personnel on the matter, Edward, who had been silently sitting in his seat, sighed in relief. With a hoarse voice, he finally spoke.
“Sister Vania’s understanding and consensus with us on this crucial issue brings me great relief. To express my gratitude, I will personally attend your farewell banquet and prepare a small gift for you.”
“Oh, Sir Edward personally seeing me off is an honor for me,” Vania immediately humbly replied. Then Edward continued.
“Hehe… Sister Vania is too modest. Your visit to Montecarlo, this city often seen as corrupt, is truly an honor for me. Sister Vania, you have held a few days of the holy relic exhibition in Montecarlo. You must have heard some unpleasant remarks. As the host, I apologize here for those who spoke ill of you. I will punish those most insidious after this.”
“This… Actually, there’s no need to apologize. The situation in Montecarlo has historical factors, which I understand. Therefore, Sir Edward doesn’t need to punish anyone… Rather than punishing others, I hope Sir Edward can expand the church in Montecarlo a bit. Compared to the scale of Montecarlo, this church is somewhat cramped.”
Listening to Edward’s words, Vania continued speaking, and Edward immediately responded.
“The church issue… I understand. If that’s the case, I will immediately order plans to construct a grand new church in Montecarlo, and everyone will know that this church’s establishment is thanks to you, Sister Vania.”
“Oh… Actually, there’s no need to go to such lengths…”
Facing Edward’s magnanimity, Vania could only smile and respond. Afterwards, Vania and Edward engaged in a brief exchange. Once they settled the details of the farewell banquet, Vania and her group took their leave.
After Vania and her group left, Roland breathed a sigh of relief and turned to Edward.
“Father, Sister Vania is quite reasonable. If they report as we said, the Church shouldn’t have any problems for now.”
“Hmm…”
Hearing Roland’s words, Edward silently nodded. The disturbances in Montecarlo last night would inevitably reach the Church’s notice. At this critical time, the initial report from Vania and her group was extremely important. Their attitude would in many ways determine the Church’s stance on the events of last night. If their report contained anything unfavorable to Edward, he would become very passive in handling matters with the Church later.
Thus, this was why Edward had made every effort to win Vania’s favor during the negotiation, even to the point of seeming obsequious. Fortunately, this white-clad nun, as rumored, was devout to a naive degree and ultimately believed Edward’s fabricated explanation, allowing Edward to feel a slight relief in his heart.
However, this minor relief did little to alleviate the deep unease in Edward’s heart. After a moment of silence, he turned to Roland beside him.
“You may go down now… Prepare for the farewell.”
“Yes.”
Following Edward’s words, Roland respectfully exited the hall. After Roland left, Edward reached into his clothes and, after searching for a while, pulled out a small crystal bottle. He carefully examined it, looking at the transparent bottle.
After a while, Edward forcefully squeezed the crystal bottle, causing it to shatter with a snap. The broken shards cut into his hand, causing bl**d to flow profusely.
“Cursed… Cough, cough, cough…”
Sitting in his chair, Edward, filled with anger, wanted to say something, but his elderly body struggled to breathe due to the sudden rush of emotions. After covering his chest and coughing violently, he managed to catch his breath.
“Phew… Phew… Unexpectedly… This time, I’ve been thoroughly played… Am I really getting old, unable to handle things as well as before?”
Looking at his bleeding hand, Edward gasped. At this moment, he was trying hard to calm his agitated heart and regain composure after losing the Fountain of Eternal Youth.
During this process, Edward also quietly reviewed the events of last night. He had begun to sense something amiss. He started noticing that last night’s events seemed far more complex than they appeared. Underneath the conflict of Red Tier beings, there seemed to be an unseen hand manipulating everything.
‘If that Moth Chaser is indeed the culprit who switched my Fountain of Eternal Youth, why didn’t he leave Montecarlo immediately like Sword Scale did after successfully switching it? I couldn’t find him at all. Sword Scale stored the Fountain of Eternal Youth in the auction house until it was sold, giving him ample time to escape. Why was he still on the island when I looked for him?
‘Suspicious… Suspicious… Is there something I’m missing here? Is that Moth Chaser truly the one who stole my Fountain of Eternal Youth? If not, how do you explain the hypnotic signs on the guild members? If it was him, why didn’t he run immediately? Was he confident in his hiding skills, thinking I couldn’t find him? That’s one possible explanation.
‘If there’s more to this, where is the hidden truth? Is it with Sword Scale? Did he give me the fake Fountain of Eternal Youth from the start? Did he never intend to trade with me? Was he simply trying to corrupt that nun? Or could the mastermind behind this event be neither Sword Scale nor the Moth Chaser but someone else entirely…’
While wiping the bl**d from his hand, Edward rapidly pondered in his mind. Just then, a knock sounded at the side door of the hall.
“Come in.”
Hearing this voice, Edward spoke, and the side door opened, revealing Roland with a somewhat anxious expression.
“What’s the matter?”
Facing Roland, Edward asked, and Roland replied without delay.
“Father, I just received a sealed urgent letter from the local post office. The sender’s name… is Captain bl**d Wave…”
“What…” Hearing Roland’s words, Edward’s eyes widened slightly. Captain bl**d Wave was a title he held during his time in the Abyss Cult, and very few people knew of this title now.
“Let me see.”
With a serious expression, Edward said to Roland, and Roland immediately handed over an envelope, placing it in front of Edward.
Edward took the envelope and checked it with both regular and extraordinary means to ensure it was safe. After confirming there was no danger, he opened it and pulled out a letter, spreading it out in front of him. Then, the standard font typed by a typewriter appeared before Edward’s eyes. After quickly scanning the contents of the letter, Edward’s face froze.
