Chapter 595: Awakening Inquiry
In a hidden corner of Tivyán, there existed an ordinary room—an unremarkable single bedroom that was not very large, decorated in a commonplace manner. The walls were lined with wallpaper, and elegant wooden flooring covered the ground. Heavy curtains were drawn shut, blocking out the sunlight from outside. Only a faint glow shone through the fabric, spilling from the edges and bringing a little light to the dim room.
In the center of the room, against the wall, stood a simple single bed. On that bed, a man in his fifties, whose hair was graying at the temples, lay fast asleep, breathing regularly, appearing to be in good health.
After an unknown number of minutes had passed, the elderly man on the bed began to twitch his eyes slightly before slowly opening them. As he awakened, he furrowed his brow, then slowly sat up in bed, pressing his hand against his forehead. He first extended his hand to look at it in front of him, then blankly gazed around.
“I… am I still alive? Where is this…?”
Looking at his unfamiliar surroundings through blurred vision, John couldn’t help but murmur softly. Just then, a voice responded to his question.
“You are in a safe place; here, you need not worry about anyone causing you harm, Professor Macchison.”
Upon hearing this unfamiliar voice, John immediately turned his head towards its source. He then saw a shadowy figure sitting in the corner of the room. Just as he squinted in an attempt to see the figure more clearly, the figure spoke again.
“Your glasses are on the right side of your pillow.”
Listening to the figure’s hint, John froze for a moment, then reached out to feel for them. He quickly found his familiar glasses and, after putting the thick glasses back on, the world in front of him became clear again. Turning his gaze back towards the source of the voice, he saw a man dressed in a trench coat and a bowler hat, with a hooked nose and deep-set eyes, smiling as he looked at John sitting on the bed.
“Who are you? Did you save me? I remember being trapped in a carriage and falling into the river… I should have drowned…”
“One could say… ‘we’ saved you. In fact, more than once. If it weren’t for us, Professor Macchison, you probably would have perished at the port before even falling into the river.”
Facing John’s confusion, the man named Ed continued to speak in an unflinching manner. After hearing Ed’s words, John was momentarily taken aback, then suddenly recalled something and spoke up.
“At the port… those… those strange moving writings were you? Were you the ones reminding me?”
“Of course! We had been preparing for your arrival for quite some time.” Ed continued, maintaining a relaxed expression as he spoke to John. After hearing this, John pondered for a moment before continuing.
“Thank you… but I would like to ask, why go through so much trouble to help me? We have never met before, have we?”
“The reasons for saving you and those who want to k*ll you are rather similar; both stemmed from certain things you know. By the way, Professor Macchison, you should be aware of why you are being targeted, right?” Ed asked calmly, looking at John, who sat on the bed. After absorbing Ed’s words, John fell silent, deep in thought, before finally speaking again.
“Those who want to k*ll me… should be the same group as those who killed my friend Richard… or rather, those from Barret’s circle. Our secret research… may indeed be the reason for the danger to my life…”
With his head slightly bowed, John spoke these words, and when mentioning Barret, a hint of loneliness crept into his voice. Observing John’s demeanor, Ed slightly retracted his smile and continued.
“It seems you have some awareness of your situation, Professor Macchison. That being said, our conversation should be simpler. Perhaps you could introduce yourself, explain how you got involved with the secrets and Barret, so we can get to know you better.”
“Mutual introduction… should be a two-way affair, right? Sir, I know nothing about you… or rather, you all.” In response to Ed’s question, John did not answer immediately but cautiously shifted the conversation, wanting to know more about the other party before discussing his own circumstances. However, it was clear that the other party was not willing to accept his suggestion.
“As for me… I’m merely an ordinary ‘detective.’ In pursuit of some truth, I explore the unknown secrets with like-minded individuals. These secrets involve the content you studied with Duke Barret and those who want your life. This is why we saved you; the secrets you know are the rewards we wish to claim from you…”
Ed provided a brief and straightforward introduction of himself. Listening to Ed’s words, John understood that the other party was unwilling to divulge more information, and being the passive party, he chose not to negotiate further, responding resignedly.
“A detective, huh… Alright, since you’ve said it like that, I suppose I should talk about myself.” After a slight sigh, John fell silent for a moment, then picked up a cup of water prepared on the bedside table and took a drink. Setting the cup down, he organized his thoughts and began to speak.
“I am John Macchison. As you can see, I am currently a professor at the Royal Sacred Crown University. In my youth, I was also a graduate of Crown University. During my student days, I briefly encountered a secret society founded among the Crown University students, the Secret Knowledge Society, where I first caught a glimpse of the unknown…
“After graduation, I became an archaeologist, traveling through Prit and various parts of the world, verifying ‘surface history’ while continuously attempting to engage with ‘deep history,’ which is often shunned by historians. Ultimately, under some fortunate circumstances, I came in contact with a secret society called the ‘Hand of Dust’ in Tivyán. Upon joining, I officially began delving into the secrets…”
“Hand of Dust? Sounds like it’s from Northern Ufeiga?”
“Yes, it’s a secret society that, although it has a base in Tivyán, originally comes from Northern Ufeiga. Its founder was a looter named ‘Dust Wielder’ Sobaruk, who mingled with larger treasure-hunting societies in ruins and tombs across Northern Ufeiga and the world for years. He looted graves and treasures. However, unlike other treasure hunters, he was not just focused on the treasures within tombs; he also paid attention to the secret knowledge recorded therein, even disregarding the taboos of his society to interpret them.
“It seems the long-term intake of poison recognition had an effect, as Sobaruk gradually became more interested in the knowledge of secret history than treasures, ultimately leading him to detach from the treasure-hunting society and establish the Hand of Dust. His goal was to recruit like-minded individuals to decode the hidden history within ruins. After I came into contact with the branch set up by the Hand of Dust in Tivyán, I officially stepped into the realm of secrets, where I learned how to safely research the hidden histories.”
Recalling his journey, John shared his story with Ed, who listened attentively. After a moment of contemplation, Ed spoke again.
“So… you actually had your own hidden backing in Tivyán? That Hand of Dust branch?”
“No, it’s long gone. A few years ago, the Wolf bl**d Association conducted their so-called ‘Red Offering Hunt’ in many places, wiping out a large number of medium-sized societies aligned with the ‘Cup,’ and even some auxiliary ‘Cup’ societies suffered as a result. Tivyán was one of the severely affected regions; the Hand of Dust, which followed the path of Body Reliance of the auxiliary ‘Cup,’ was also impacted. My branch in Tivyán was completely wiped out. I was fortunate to escape, as I was just an apprentice without wealth to interest that pack of beasts… they had no interest in me.”
John replied to Ed. Upon hearing John’s words, Ed nodded thoughtfully, his expression slightly more serious.
“The Wolf bl**d Association… I never expected their appetite to be this vast, not even sparing the auxiliary ‘Cup’…” Ed murmured, and after contemplating some more, he turned his attention back to John and asked.
“So… have you tried to re-establish contact with other Hand of Dust bases afterward?”
“No, I didn’t. My status in the Tivyán branch wasn’t high, so I wasn’t privy to the information of other bases. Plus, after witnessing the brutality of those beasts, I became fearful of encountering them again. Thus, I lost the desire to join another society to avoid being affected again. After that, I focused on teaching at Crown University while conducting my own research until I met Richard.” John continued to recount his experiences, while Ed quietly sat in his chair, listening intently.
“I met Richard—who is also Barret—at the Crown University library. At that time, I didn’t know he was a duke. He often borrowed a lot of history books and I also enjoyed spending time in the library reading. We often found ourselves looking for the same books, thus getting to know each other better. Later, we even discovered our mutual interest in secret history, indicating we were not just ordinary historians.
“Since severing ties with the society, I had been conducting research alone until I found Richard. Finally, I rediscovered a like-minded companion. We began to closely exchange our insights and even collaboratively engage in research. Richard quickly became my partner in studying secret history. Eventually, he shared an important research topic he had been working on, inviting me to participate.”
“Your topic… is the secret history of the Wind King’s Rebellion, isn’t it?” Ed interjected as he listened to John. Startled by Ed’s words, John glanced at him before continuing.
“Yes, precisely five hundred years ago—an era of Prit’s history that has been concealed by the church and the current royal family. This was a topic Richard had been working on all along, and when he finally shared it with me, I was grateful for his selflessness, thus I devoted myself fully to assisting him. Throughout last year, our experiences revolved almost entirely around this subject, and we achieved many results.
“Until early this year, Richard did not meet me as planned to share our findings. I wrote him a letter, using the methods we had communicated during our library exchanges, but received no response. It wasn’t until I saw the news in the paper about Duke Barret’s assassination that I realized the duke’s photo looked exactly like Richard…”
With a touch of sadness, John spoke to Ed. After listening to him, Ed let out a slight sigh and continued.
“After seeing your research partner was killed, you realized the danger?”
“Yes… Richard’s d*ath reminded me of those who had previously fallen to the hands of the Wolf bl**d Association. Although I am uncertain of the exact cause of Richard’s d*ath, or who intended to harm him, I still felt a sense of crisis and decided to lay low for a while. So I proactively applied to participate in today’s wandering study organized by the department, using the student trip as an excuse to take students out for a while. I thought I could hide for half a year and return when things cooled down… but unexpectedly…”
Shaking his head, John spoke in a somber tone, seemingly lamenting life’s unpredictability. Meanwhile, Ed, after hearing John’s words, fell silent for a moment before speaking.
“We found the message you left for Barret in the Crown University library.”
“Ah? You actually found that note? d*mn… I left in such a hurry, I forgot about it. After confirming Richard’s d*ath, I should have retrieved it…” John responded, furrowing his brow upon realizing what Ed said. Being a scholar, he had a much lower awareness of counter-surveillance than a member of a secret society.
“Heh… you should be grateful you left that note; otherwise, who knows what would have happened to you today, Professor Macchison.” Ed added a slight smile as he said this, before quickly steering the conversation in a different direction.
“In your message, we learned you found some ‘temple.’ Could you elaborate on that?”
“The temple… that…” As John considered Ed’s question, he hesitated, unsure how to respond. Sensing his discomfort, Ed, as if understanding something, continued.
“Rest assured, I have implemented strong poison recognition defenses, so feel free to speak. If I can’t handle it, I’ll stop you.”
“Poison recognition? Well then…” After hearing Ed’s words, John silently nodded. Then, after seemingly gathering his thoughts, he continued.
“The temple I mentioned was one of the divine abodes ordered to be searched by Jeffrey, the Blackhen King, during the Wind King’s Rebellion. During this conflict, King Jeffrey followed the advice of his ‘Divine Messenger Witch’ and engaged in warfare against the Holy Order while mobilizing vast manpower to seek out the ruins of the Night Sky Empress, who once ruled Prit.
“King Jeffrey believed that the Night Sky Empress had, in her distant past, grown disappointed with the people of Prit and had abandoned them for far-off lands. If he could reclaim all the lost temples and sacred sites of the Night Sky Empress in Prit and hold a ceremony of repentance there, he could win her favor once again, causing her to return and bless her warriors in their struggle against the Holy Order, banishing the faith of the Other Gods from the islands of Prit and achieving unparalleled greatness.”
