'Hai Sha Society? So there's a treasure hunting society specializing in plundering the ruins of the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society)? That's really interesting. Are the ruins of the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) that easy to find?'
In the hotel suite, by the dining table near the window, Dorothy thought this to herself as she looked at Beverly's reply. Then, after taking another bite of bread, she picked up her pen and wrote on the """wen hai hang zhi""".
"Are the ruins of the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) that easy to find? There's even a society specifically for plundering them?" Dorothy wrote her question on the paper, and after a while, Beverly's reply appeared again.
"Of course not easy to find. Although the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) has perished, its powerful anti-divination system is still partially operational. The location of anything related to it cannot be pinpointed through divination. Among the ruins of many ancient societies or civilizations, they are the hardest to find. It's very difficult to specifically search for Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins; they are usually discovered by accidental factors."
"Because Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins are the main source of 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) storage items on the market, they are also objects that many treasure hunting societies compete to find. However, very few ruins can be actively found. But this Hai Sha Society is quite different; they seem to possess a method that can consistently locate Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins."
Drinking milk, Dorothy looked at the standard printed font that appeared on the page, a hint of surprise showing between her brows. After finishing the milk in the cup, she picked up her pen and wrote on the page again.
"A method that can consistently find Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins? Doesn't the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) have anti-divination protection? How can they manage to consistently find them? What is this method?"
"What exactly is the Hai Sha Society's method for finding Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins? There are many different theories in the hidden world, which is dominated by treasure hunting societies... But no matter what the theory, it always involves one person, and that is the founder of the Hai Sha Society, Azamu."
Beverly's reply continued to appear before Dorothy, who continued to read with a serious expression.
"Azamu is the founder of the Hai Sha Society. When he was young, he was a well-known independent treasure hunter. It is said that he accidentally plundered a Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruin, and subsequently encountered something. Since then, he seems to have gained the ability to locate Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins. Every three years, he can find a new ruin site to plunder, obtaining a large number of precious 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) storage items from it."
"Relying on excavating Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins, Azamu established his own treasure hunting society and rapidly grew it by recruiting other Extraordinary treasure hunters with generous rewards. In just over a decade, the Hai Sha Society became a considerable treasure hunting society, comparable to many large societies with centuries of history."
Looking at the writing that appeared on the page, the confusion between Dorothy's brows deepened. She picked up her pen and continued writing on the page.
"Discovering a ruin every three years... Can this Azamu's timing for finding ruins be so regular? How exactly does he find the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins?"
Dorothy posed her question on the page, and soon after, Beverly also responded to Dorothy's confusion on the page.
"Regarding what method Azamu used to discover Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins, there were many guesses at first. However, later on, many signs indicated that Azamu likely discovered something in the first Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruin he accidentally stumbled into, something with divination capabilities. By using this item, Azamu seems to be able to bypass the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society)'s anti-divination defenses to some extent and obtain relevant information about the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society). Azamu relies on this item to locate Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins."
"And the use of this item seems to have an interval of about three years, which is why Azamu's plundering of Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) ruins occurs on a three-year cycle."
'An Extraordinary item that can bypass the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society)'s anti-divination system, and it can only be used once every three years? Good heavens, how good must Azamu's luck have been to dig up such a good thing.'
Looking at Beverly's reply on the page, Dorothy thought this in her heart. At this moment, she was clearly tempted by that item, whatever it was, thinking that if she could use it once, would she be able to immediately find the location of the Scarlet rank advancement method?
"So... you mean, if I want to know more about the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society), I should go find that Hai Sha Society, go find that guy named Azamu?"
Dorothy continued writing on the page, but Beverly's next reply was somewhat unexpected.
"No, I didn't intend for you to go to the Hai Sha Society to find Azamu, because Azamu is already dead. He was killed last year due to an internal rebellion within the Hai Sha Society. The Hai Sha Society is very dangerous now, so I don't recommend you interact with them."
"Azamu was killed... and by a rebellion of his subordinates? As the founder of the society, did this guy really not manage his subordinates properly?"
Seeing Beverly's reply, Dorothy wrote with considerable surprise; it was the first time she had heard of such a thing as an internal rebellion within a society.
"The Hai Sha Society was originally built by Azamu over more than a decade, relying on abundant Extraordinary resources and recruiting people from everywhere with heavy rewards. Its foundation is shallow. Although it looks considerable in scale, its strength in inheritance and cohesion cannot compare to some other large societies."
"Azamu relied on the abundant Extraordinary resources plundered from the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) to recruit his subordinates. The entire Hai Sha Society mainly depended on Azamu's ability as a Scarlet rank to hold the fort. According to Azamu's own plan, he needed a considerably long time to integrate these subordinates recruited from various places. However, problems arose precisely during this process."
"The year before last, Azamu made a mistake while robbing a tomb in North Africa and encountered a powerful Undead Prince. Although he successfully escaped at the time, he was afflicted with a curse. Since then, for nearly a year, Azamu has been continuously tormented by the curse, and his strength has been steadily declining."
'An Undead Prince from ancient North Africa? It couldn't be that Grave Sand Prince Hafdar who cursed Neff's whole family, could it? That guy's cursing ability is top-notch; he's been cursing Neff's family for so many years and still hasn't let up.'
'If it really is Hafdar, then it's a bit too strong. This Azamu, being Scarlet, couldn't escape the curse. Could this guy possibly be Golden?'
Looking at Beverly's words in reply, Dorothy thought solemnly in her heart. Thinking that Neff was actually being targeted daily by a Golden Undead like this, she couldn't help but feel a sweat for her.
Dorothy finished her thoughts, then her attention refocused on the """wen hai hang zhi""" before her. At this moment, Beverly's printed text was still being rapidly printed on the pages.
"As I told you before, Azamu's power was built by recruiting people with money and resources, so loyalty has always been an issue. Now that Azamu's own strength has declined due to the curse, those subordinates who gathered for profit will become increasingly difficult to control. Understanding this, Azamu chose to temporarily go into seclusion, on the one hand hiding the fact that his strength had declined due to the curse, and on the other actively seeking a way to lift the curse."
"However, contrary to his wishes, before he could lift the curse, news about his true condition was leaked. After receiving this news, a rebellion quickly occurred within the Hai Sha Society. The second-in-command of the Hai Sha Society, Garib, gathered forces and stormed into Azamu's hiding place. After a fierce battle with him, he killed the weakened Azamu and took over the Hai Sha Society..."
'Rebellion... Unlike large societies like the Eight-Pointed Nest and Ebergrass, which worship hidden gods, receive oracles, have complete ruling systems, and deep traditions, treasure hunting societies are mostly alliances of self-serving individuals gathered for profit. Therefore, mutual betrayal for benefits is commonplace... This Azamu was directly stabbed in the back soon after his strength declined. It seems the situation in treasure hunting societies is even more chaotic than I previously thought...'
Looking at the handwriting before her, Dorothy thought to herself, she had previously discussed the contents of her Grandpa's notes with Naifnis. The notes contained Davis Boyle's views on the Hai Sha Society, and it seemed those views were quite accurate.
"Azamu was killed, which means the Extraordinary item he possessed that could divine the Xing Shu Xiu Shu Hui (Star Numerology Scripture Society) fell into the hands of that fellow named Garib, right? So you want me to go find that Garib?"
Dorothy continued writing in the ""wen hai hang zhi"", and Beverly's response once again surprised her.
"No, that item did not fall into Garib's hands. After Garib killed Azamu, he searched through all his belongings but could not find the item. The main reason he killed Azamu was to get that item, but in the end, he found absolutely nothing."
"Didn't find it? Then where did that thing go?"
A look of confusion appeared in her eyes. Dorothy wrote this in the book-sea navigation record, and soon after, Beverly's explanation appeared before her.
"In the month or so before Azamu died, he had already sensed that something was wrong. He found that he seemed to be under surveillance, so he began to try to confront Garib to save himself. Although Garib managed to stop him every time, and he couldn't successfully escape, he did manage to transfer that most important item out."
"Transferred it out... Didn't you say Azamu was under surveillance for the last month? How could he possibly send the item out?" Dorothy continued to write in confusion, and Beverly continued to respond.
"Of course, under a name that Garib wouldn't suspect. You might not know this, but Azamu had a habit of donating. He often donated ordinary antiques without Extraordinary effects to some well-known large museums, so he was an honorary friend of many city museums."
"When Azamu first discovered he was being watched, he was just preparing a batch of routine donations. So Azamu directly mixed that item into this batch of donations and sent it out, planning to retrieve it after he got out of trouble. Since Garib's people hadn't discovered their surveillance was noticed at the time, and didn't expect Azamu to be so ruthless from the start, directly donating such an important item, they didn't carefully inspect the donations at the time."
'Donated it, good heavens... Do these grave robbers all have the habit of donating things to museums after they become big? I remember Neff's Grandpa also donated quite a few things. But it's true that having this habit here made it unsuspicious when mixing things in.'
Dorothy sighed with emotion as she looked at the story on the page, then she immediately picked up her pen and wrote on it.
"So now that divination tool is actually inside a mundane museum somewhere?"
"Yes, after Garib couldn't find the divination tool, he also realized the donation issue, so he checked the donation status of that batch of artifacts at the time and found that this batch was donated to museums in seven different countries and cities."
"Seven... That many? If I have to find that divination tool, won't it take a long time?"
"You don't need to look, someone has already filtered out most of them for you. Garib, who took over the Hai Sha Society, has already sent people to look in six of those seven museums, but found nothing. Now there is only one left that he hasn't searched, and that divination tool can only be there."
"This last museum is located in Adria, Iweig, and is called the Net Flow Church Museum. It is a museum affiliated with the Church, converted from a Church. This is also the reason why Garib has been slow to look for the item here."
Beverly's words continued to appear before Dorothy's eyes, and Dorothy understood after reading them.
'Ho... This guy directly sent the item to the Church's territory. That's also a bit ruthless. Compared to other mundane museums, it's natural to avoid provoking those run by the Church if possible.'
Dorothy thought this to herself. At this moment, she felt like she had almost seen her next destination, which was Adria, Iweig.
'But it seems my initial destination was Iweig anyway, the shining white pearl's destination was there. It was only after encountering the Ebergrass Church guys midway that all the subsequent things happened. Now it's finally back on track...'
After sighing, Dorothy had a pretty clear picture of the full scope of the information provided by Beverly, but at this moment, she still had some doubts in her heart.
"Thank you for your information, it's very useful to me. But speaking of which, how are you so knowledgeable about the Hai Sha Society's situation? Doesn't leaking such secretive and important information about the Hai Sha Society to me violate your principle of neutrality?"
Dorothy wrote this on the page. In her opinion, the information Beverly provided could be considered damaging to the Hai Sha Society's interests, which clearly did not align with their neutral approach.
"The principle of neutrality... The principle of neutrality is first based on the premise of mutual respect. Now, the actions of the Hai Sha Society, led by Garib, have offended us, so we naturally have no obligation to keep their secrets anymore."
"Garib offended you?" Looking at Beverly's response, Dorothy wrote with some surprise, and the other party immediately explained.
"Yes, you might not know this, but we actually had a relatively close relationship with the Hai Sha Society during Azamu's time. The Hai Sha Society has always been an important customer with whom we trade closely."
"For more than ten years, a large number of 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) storage items and other precious items excavated by Azamu were preferentially sold to us. We provided the most convenient acquisition channel for the Hai Sha Society, and the Hai Sha Society provided us with a stable source of 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment). In order to consolidate this commercial relationship, Azamu even signed a long-term cooperation agreement with us. We do not form alliances with any forces, but we do have many purely commercial agreements."
"During the period when Azamu was cursed and monitored, he tried every possible means to find external help, so he also managed to contact the Craftsmen's Guild, asking us to help him based on our long-term business relationship. It was through him that we learned what changes had occurred in the Hai Sha Society."
Beverly wrote this, and Dorothy, looking at her handwriting, had already roughly guessed the subsequent outcome.
"Azamu asked you for help, but you ignored him?"
"That's natural. Commercial cooperation is commercial cooperation. Helping out would be interfering in others' internal affairs. Although Azamu was very sincere, explained things clearly enough, and was even willing to give us extremely generous compensation, we still chose not to intervene. For us, not interfering in the internal affairs of other societies is one principle, and Garib assuring us that he would continue to inherit the agreement Azamu signed with us after he took over is another. We don't care who is in charge of the Hai Sha Society, as long as he can continue to abide by our agreement, there is no problem."
"However, contrary to expectations, not long after that kid Garib came into power, he went back on his word. He tore up the agreement with us, canceled a batch of goods that were originally planned to be sold to us, and instead sold them to the Dark Gold Society. Later, we learned that Garib had already colluded with the Dark Gold Society. The reason he was able to easily gather forces to overthrow Azamu was due to the Dark Gold Society's support."
"The Dark Gold Society has been coveting our stable 'Qi' (Awakening/Enlightenment) trade with the Hai Sha Society for a long time and wanted to snatch the Hai Sha Society's priority trade rights from our hands, but they couldn't do it through normal means. So, being accustomed to using schemes and tricks, they decided to support the Hai Sha Society's internal turmoil and prop up the person they wanted."