Death… And Me

Chapter 3341: The Key

ʼWhat is it?ʼ Roan, who had noticed that slight change in Emaniora, asked her with a low voice, using his Divine Energy to guide the sound to her ears only. Divine Senses didnʼt work in this place, so he could only do that.

Emaniora didnʼt expect Roan to notice it, but she spoke anyway. ʼThe Mist Library... Thatʼs related to the thing our group found. Perhaps the authorities are already on it. I might be of no use at all...ʼ

Roanʼs opinion of the woman improved a little bit, considering she didnʼt hide that fact. ʼWe will see it later. Just listen to them.ʼ

”Mist Library?” Rean obviously had never heard about it. ”Judging by the name, does it have anything to do with this White Fog phenomenon? No, first of all, would you mind introducing yourselves?”

”Ah! Right, right...” The man quickly recovered his composure and continued. ”Iʼm Herbert Flintstone, the Head of the Flintstone Clan. I must first apologize. When the guys contacted me about someone with my name and still only in the Void Tempering Realm arriving here, I totally thought you were doing that on purpose. I know it is not the case now.”

”Anyway, leaving that aside, let me answer your question,” Herbert returned to the main topic. ”Please, come with me. You wonʼt mind, will you?”

Rean looked at the others, and they all nodded. The members of the Flintstone were still close to them, and escaping wasnʼt really much of an option. The twins could use their trick, but it was better not to do that now. ”Sure., no problem.”

Herbert just didnʼt want to talk near the entrance of the building, so he brought the twinsʼ group to a more secluded area but still within the range of the constructions raised by the various powers inside the White Fog. ”This is enough. There is no need to worry about anyone hearing us with Divine Sense since Divine Sense doesnʼt work in this place.”

He didnʼt stop there. ”Now, about the mist library. You were right in your assumption that this White Fog is most likely related to it.”

”What is the Mist Library, then?” Rean asked.

”Thatʼs what Iʼm going to explain,” Herbet started.

Turns out that the Mist Library was once considered the reason why the legendary five centurions gained their power and almost conquered the entire Qediya Continent. Not many people knew about that since it was kind of a secret between the big powers of Qediya. Naturally, Foliana also didnʼt know about it.

The story goes that the centurions, who were nobodies before, were traveling in the Olanstel Country, looking for resources as a group. It was a pretty common thing, joining forces to enter uninhabited areas, especially those controlled by Demon Beasts, to try to make some profit.

One certain day, they entered an area with a thick White Fog. At first, they didnʼt think much about it. They were all cultivators, demon beasts, and spirits. They could simply use their Divine Senses to see through the fog, and thatʼs about it. Yet, once they went deep, their Divine Senses simply stopped working.

Their group kept together, and after being lost for years in that fog, they eventually found the so-called Mist Library. Thatʼs where their luck turned around and the reason they became the legendary five centurions.

”From what we found out, the centurions entered the Mist Library, and each one of them was able to obtain a secret. What secret was that? No one knows. All we know is that after they came out, the Mist Library disappeared, and the group transformed. They became genius cultivators and strategists. It is hard to say if they were already like that and the Library just awoke their potential, or if the Library was the thing that provided them with that huge change.”

Rean finally understood the context. ”Alright. So the Starlight Crystals arenʼt the only thing the powers gathering here are interested in. They also think this White Fog is the same Fog from the Mist Library and that the phenomenon in the center is where the Library is located.”

”Thatʼs about correct,” Herbert confirmed. He didnʼt seem to be lying from what Rean and Roan could see.

”Okay, I understand the situation. Still... what does my group have to do with any of this?” Rean finally asked the obvious.

Herbert took a quick look around, and his clan members understood his intentions. They quickly spread, creating a bigger perimeter to make sure no one was there to hear. Since Divine Senses didnʼt work in this place, Herbert could only talk. Only then did Herbert talk. ”This is the part that no one other than our clan knows. To access the Mist Library, a high knowledge of formations is necessary. My clan isnʼt specialized in formations for nothing. It has taken this approach for many years, waiting for this moment.”

Rean didnʼt quite like it, let alone Roan. ”Then why do you even need us? Since you already knew it, you should have prepared the necessary experts for this task. I still canʼt see why you are telling me this.”

”Obviously, there is a reason why I need you,” Herbert spoke, quickly taking out a similar rune to the one Rean helped Sami fix. ”Can you repair this rune on your own?”

Rean grabbed the rune and took a deep look, sending his Divine Sense inside. He couldnʼt spread his Divine Sense, but he still could transfer it into something he was holding with direct contact. After a few moments, he nodded. ”Sure. First of all, it is not truly broken. You just need to change the third Divine Energy conduit path to the second layer instead of the third one it is currently using. This actual configuration is conflicting with the conduits of the third layer, and thatʼs why it would work, but poorly.”

Herbertʼs smile increased even more. ”Thatʼs why I need your help. If the information we have is true, the Mist Library wonʼt accept anyone above the Void Tempering Realm. This Rune I just showed you is not something any of my clan members, at least those in the Void Tempering Realm, can even find what is wrong, let alone specify what needs to be fixed. You could even tell that it wasnʼt truly broken but that it wouldnʼt work properly. So, how about that?”

Roan intervened at that point. ”Do you even know where the Library is?”

”This...” Herbert looked in the direction where the city of Valames previously existed. ”It should be there... but we still havenʼt found a way to get inside.”

Roan nodded, glancing at Emaniora. Perhaps the thing her group found would be the key to that question.