An unreal knocking sound rang out, and Lex sat up wearily, saying, "Please come in."
A pair of shining leather shoes passed through the door and stepped onto the guest room floor. Following them, a headless messenger, dressed in a black tailcoat and white gloves, like a butler but without a head, strode in.
He first placed a hand on his chest, bowed slightly to Lex, then took an envelope from his pocket and placed it on the nearby table. He didn't forget to smooth out the envelope, even though there wasn't a single crease on it. After doing all this, the headless messenger stepped back and stood at attention, as if waiting for Lex's instructions.
Lex took the envelope, knowing that Osweld had sent it via the messenger. Normally, he would open and reply to it, but now he just wanted to sleep. So, he nodded to the headless messenger: "Thank you for your trouble. You can go back for now. If I need anything, I'll summon you again."
The perfectly gentlemanly messenger bowed to Lex again, then backed out of the door and disappeared at the entrance.
Lex held the letter, walked to the bed, and without taking off his clothes, threw himself onto the bed. He quickly fell into a deep sleep.
When he woke up, the sunlight streaming through the window had already taken on a reddish hue.
It was evening.
Lex then opened the envelope and began to read.
"My dear Duke, my friend, I must say, your efficiency truly puts one at ease. I didn't expect you to have a report for me so quickly."
"It truly surprises me that Windmill Island believes in a God named 'Astucca'. I wonder if the other Sea Islands I listed earlier also share the same faith."
"This is something you need to investigate to find out. You've done very well. I've already submitted your report. After our specialists evaluate it, a set of numbers will be added to your personal contribution. Rest assured, I guarantee those numbers will be worth your effort."
"Additionally, you wish to obtain information about the 'Death God'. Here, I can only provide some of the intelligence I know. As for more data, I need time to organize and collect it."
"However, I must first tell you that those materials are not free. Although there is a work-related need, a portion of your contribution points will be deducted. I believe you won't object, right?"
Lex almost saw Osweld smiling like a fox when he wrote that sentence!
"The Death God is a relatively well-known God on the South Continent. Organizations such as the Numinous Episcopate and the Eternal Life Society worship this God."
"Speaking of the Death God, one cannot help but mention the Eggers Family. This was once a prominent noble Family on the South Continent. They were originally the Balam Empire's royal Family, controlling the 'Death God' pathway, starting with the 'Corpse Collector' Sequence."
"The ancestors of the Eggers Family were once called 'Death God' and 'Sleeper'. This great individual established the Balam Empire, ruled the South Continent, and was respectfully referred to as the 'Underworld Emperor'."
"I wonder if you are aware of the 'War of the Four Emperors'. We have obtained some information through ancient texts and artifacts unearthed from some ruins. In the War of the Four Emperors, the Underworld Emperor achieved the final victory, but for some unknown reason, he eventually went mad and mysteriously perished."
"This is all I can tell you for now. For more, if you agree to have contribution points deducted, and if your points are sufficient, I will have the messenger deliver the organized materials to you."
At the end of the letter was Osweld's signature.
After reading the letter, Lex casually lit it and threw it into the trash can, watching it turn to ashes.
"Death God, Eggers Family, Numinous Episcopate, War of the Four Emperors, Underworld Emperor!"
Lex digested the information in the letter: "That ancestor of the Eggers Family was once called the Death God. Did he advance to True God, becoming a Sequence 0? Since he had already become a God, why did he go mad, and what caused his demise?"
"Osweld, that old fox, clearly possesses a lot of intelligence but refuses to tell me everything. He's dangled such a bait in front of me; if I want to know more, I can only exchange it for contribution points."
"This way, I'll have no choice but to work hard for him. He's certainly played his cards well."
Lex shook his head: "Never mind, for now, I have no intersection with the Death God or the Numinous Episcopate, so there's no rush to understand. I'll deal with the current matters first. I'll stay one more day today, then I'll have to leave tomorrow."
"I still need to continue writing the legend of Hunter Rayleigh, and by the way, investigate the several Sea Islands Osweld mentioned, as long as I arrive at Oravi Island by mid-next month."
Having made his decision, Lex went into the bathroom, took a shower, changed his clothes, and came to the Flying Fish Bar.
Pushing the door open, the various noisy sounds of the bar rushed out. Lex went to the bar counter, tapped the wooden counter, startling the Bartender behind it.
"Get me something to eat and a glass of beer," Lex casually grabbed some change, about seven or eight soli, and tossed it onto the counter.
The Bartender dared not object, quickly collected the money, and then went to instruct the kitchen to prepare the order.
"Good evening, Mr. Rayleigh."
A familiar voice sounded, and Lex saw someone sitting down in the corner of his eye; it was the Adventurer Green.
As soon as this chatterbox sat down, he opened his mouth and rattled on for a while, then asked, "What are your plans next? I'm going home. After yesterday's events, I realized I'm not suited to be an Adventurer. I'd rather go home and be a farmer."
"I..."
Lex was about to say a few evasive words when Green interrupted him, saying, "Oh, right, you saved my life yesterday, and I must repay you properly. I have some things I'd like to give you, which you might find interesting."
He took out a notebook, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Lex.
Lex originally wanted to say, 'No need,' but still opened it out of curiosity. After opening it, he discovered several manuscripts tucked inside. On them were some square characters—Chinese!
To be precise, this was Roselle's Diary!
So Lex swallowed the words he was about to say.
Green leaned over and whispered, "I knew you'd be interested."
"You know what they are, right?"
"That's right, these are Emperor Roselle's notes. I heard that these symbols themselves contain mysterious power. As long as you find the correct combination, you can obtain extraordinary power!"
"Unfortunately, I've studied them for a long time without any results. So I thought, perhaps in your hands, they could be more useful."
No, these symbols don't have any mysterious power, but they can let me know what the Great Emperor went through, for example...
Lex looked at one of the diary pages, which read:
'July 9th, I just found out today that some witches might have been big, rough men before! This really shatters my worldview.'
'October 26th, I have to admit, their skills in bed are truly amazing. Potion is truly miraculous; it can even change gender characteristics. Hmm, maybe they were women to begin with, maybe... Forget it, don't think about these messed-up things, focus on the present, Roselle!'