Chapter 419: Agreement with Vice Admiral Iceberg
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That door was, of course, taken away by Hobert. Since he was looting the place clean, he couldn't possibly leave behind the "Traveler's Door."
Hobert had previously learned the magic circle for arranging the "Traveler's Knife" from Christian. If needed, this "Traveler's Door" could be put to use immediately.
Moreover, this door could change its appearance; it wasn't necessarily limited to being a stone door. A regular wooden door would also work.
Next, Hobert turned his gaze to the corpse of the ancient death god in front of the "Iron Throne." Even in the "Nation of Disorder," the corpse of the death god, with its enormous divine bird form, still emanated the scent of death.
When light was one or two meters away from it, it would turn pale, as if all color had withered away.
Hobert prepared a separate room for it outside the main hall. His spirituality told him that if he injected the power of the "Nation of Disorder" into the corpse of the ancient death god, it wouldn't revive, but something very terrifying would definitely happen.
Hobert decided not to tempt fate.
As for that black hound spirit beast, Hobert currently had no way to manipulate it.
However, he could do the same thing as with "Bull Demon King," injecting the power of the "Nation of Disorder" into the black hound spirit beast's body, making it temporarily obey Hobert's commands.
It could use the powers of the Sequence 3 of the "Death" pathway, and also use the abilities of "Disorder," "Order," "Distortion," and "Prohibition."
However, normally, Hobert couldn't command it.
It could sense the location of the ancient death god's corpse and would spontaneously go to find it. If it encountered an insurmountable obstacle, it would face the direction of the death god's corpse and stop there, unmoving.
Hobert sighed, feeling like he had encountered a stubborn and loyal child. So, he expanded the room holding the ancient death god's corpse and moved the black hound spirit beast inside as well.
After that, Hobert felt a sense of relief. The treasures of Backlund that he knew of had finally been looted clean by him.
Like Amon's mausoleum, although he knew about it, he wasn't familiar with it. The main thing was that he didn't want to get involved with Amon right now, so he never intended to plunder it.
When he left Backlund before, Hobert still felt some regret, wondering how long it would take for Medici's Beyonder characteristics to be buried? He remembered that the Church had directly collapsed that ruin.
He also wondered whose hands the death god's corpse would ultimately fall into? Now, it had all fallen into his, Hobert's, hands, so he could rest assured.
Looking at Rafferty in the underground ruin again, he had finally recovered from the extreme fear he had just experienced. Hobert then used the "Teleportation Statue" to send him back to the surface.
Then he said to him, "You can leave Backlund now."
Next, Hobert withdrew his spirituality and returned to the real world.
Sitting behind his desk, Hobert had Ellen outside instruct the kitchen to make doughnuts. He spread out the stationery and wrote a letter to Azik.
The content of the letter was roughly: "When I and the family members were exploring the room where the ancient death god's corpse was stored again, we found a way to seal the black hound spirit beast and took away the ancient death god's corpse."
"If Mr. Azik still wants to look at the corpse of the ancient death god, you can write me a letter in advance, and I will take you to see it."
While waiting for the doughnuts, the messenger suddenly appeared in the study.
She brought Jessica's package, which contained two failures in Carrie's eyes. Those were weapons that had not had any effect when combining Beyonder materials with weapons.
In the eyes of the "Artisan," both of these weapons were failures.
There was also a letter from Jessica, as well as a forwarded letter from Selena.
Hobert was slightly stunned. He had originally wanted to take the initiative to write a letter to Selena.
"Please wait a moment, I need to reply," Hobert said to the messenger.
Messenger: "Ten minutes for three doughnuts!"
You still have the nerve to say that!
Hobert put his pocket watch on the table: "Start timing now!"
He first replied to Jessica, writing only a few sentences, stating that he had received the package she sent.
Then he replied to Selena. In Selena's letter, she stated that after thinking for so long, she had finally decided to become an Beyonder in the future and asked Hobert to give her this opportunity. However, she hoped to spend a good year with her family and hoped to find Hobert again after graduation.
Hobert's reply to her was also very simple, telling her that he would go to her after the New Year to have a good talk, and told her the way to summon his messenger, as well as the reward for each letter.
Hobert neatly sealed the two letters and stamped them with sealing wax: "It's not even ten minutes yet, let's count it as ten minutes."
Messenger: "Aren't you going to check again?"
"No need, I have confidence," Hobert said with a smile.
At this time, the doughnuts had just come out of the oven. Hobert sent out a total of three letters this time. The messenger waited a few more minutes, and he paid her a total of twelve doughnuts.
Fortunately, the kitchen made more than a dozen at a time. In addition to paying the messenger, Hobert also ate two.
But Hobert was afraid that the news that he liked to eat doughnuts and could eat more than a dozen at a time would spread. The key was that this was the second time today that he had "eaten" more than ten doughnuts.
After finishing all this, Hobert had nothing important to do. He strolled around Jeffrey Town and used "Travel" to take a look at the "Nohar" ship that was going upstream.
The appearance of this ship made people along the way stop to watch.
It had been more than fifty years since a ship of this size had passed through this waterway. Children ran and played along the banks, while more people stopped their work and watched the ship go upstream along the river until the ship's shadow became smaller and smaller.
There's no danger for the time being.
Hobert returned to his study again, still idle.
So, Hobert thought, should he go explore the road first?
He had never been to the Southern Continent. What if it was difficult to cross the Berserk Sea from the spirit world?
Then he thought of the island that had just been discovered at sea, which was said to have Fourth Epoch ruins and many extraordinary creatures.
Some newly discovered islands basically have some extraordinary creatures, but they will soon be hunted down by the pirates who come.
Hobert wasn't interested in those extraordinary creatures, but he was very interested in the Fourth Epoch ruins.
Because he knew the exact location from Alger, he could reach the island by using the "Faceless Necklace" for divination.
The more Hobert thought about it, the more tempted he became, so he changed into a Loen-style outfit. Like the last time he "went on a long trip," he used "Travel" to first come to Conant City on the southern coast of the Northern Continent.
Then he transferred through Bayam, the capital of the Rorsted Archipelago, and finally came to that nameless island.
This was already the southwestern section of the Berserk Sea, very close to the Southern Continent.
Hobert appeared on an uninhabited beach. In the entire Northern Continent, it was winter at this time, but in the Southern Continent it was summer.
The power of nature is still amazing even in this extraordinary world.
At the same time, Hobert found that he was wearing too much. It was perfect to wear summer clothes or spring clothes here, but Hobert's windbreaker had thick sweaters and leather vests inside.
However, he didn't intend to find a deserted place to discard a few pieces of clothing. For the "Mentor of Disorder," the weather would no longer make him feel uncomfortable. If he didn't want to sweat, he wouldn't sweat a drop, and he wouldn't feel hot.
The location of the beach was relatively low. Hobert used the ability of "flying" to fly up, and his eyes passed through the dense trees to see a small mountain range on the island.
Hobert returned to the ground and waited for a while before he could use the "Travel" ability again. This time he used "Travel" to come to the highest peak on the island.
From here, the entire island could be seen at a glance.
This island was divided by a small mountain range running north-south. There was a plain on the east side, all dense forest. The west side was narrower, but there was a place very suitable for a port.
There were ruins there, and the Fourth Epoch ruins should be there.
Hobert also saw several ships and several camps, which should be pirate ships and pirate camps.
So far, no official force has announced that it owns the sovereignty of this island, so naturally no navy or official Beyonders will come here.
Hobert used "Travel" again to come to the west coast of the island, not far from the ruins.
While walking towards the ruins, Hobert also encountered two pirates walking together.
After they saw Hobert, they watched from afar for a while, and one of the pirates said, "Hey! You fool wearing thick clothes!"
Hobert ignored them, but they chased after him, and one of the pirates said, "This is the territory of the 'Skull' Pirate Group. Did you pay taxes for passing through here?"
Hobert glanced at them: "What is your captain's bounty!"
Another pirate puffed out his chest: "As high as 1500 pounds! How about it? Are you scared!"
"Get out of here, my bounty is 30,000 pounds!"
The two pirates laughed: "Sure enough, he's a fool. He doesn't even know how to brag! Are you a pirate general?"
Another pirate simply took out his gun: "Pay the tax first! Your windbreaker is also good..."
Hobert stuck his cane in the sand, broke the other party's gun with his left hand, and twisted the other party's arm with his right hand, adding a "joint" to the other party's arm.
Amid the pirate's screams, he looked aside and kicked the other pirate's calf, breaking it: "Gentlemen, are you satisfied with the tax I paid? Do you want some more?"
The two pirates endured the pain and quickly begged Hobert for mercy.
Hobert smiled, picked up his cane, and continued to the ruins.
As Hobert approached the ruins, he realized just how massive the original structure had been. Judging by its remains, the building had been constructed against the mountain, stretching at least a thousand meters in length and three to four hundred meters in width. Even by modern standards, it would have been a colossal edifice.
Judging from the collapsed walls, it must have been quite tall.
Hobert even suspected that some Beyonder power had been used in the construction of this behemoth. Otherwise, only a steel-reinforced structure could have supported such a building, yet there was little metal to be found in the ruins.
Ahead, he saw a section of wall that hadn't completely collapsed, and standing in front of it were several people.
A young woman was sketching and writing in front of the wall, while several men coldly surveyed the surroundings, acting as her sentries.
They noticed Hobert as well, and several pairs of eyes fixed on him with a chilling gaze.
From a distance, Hobert called out, "I'm a scholar interested in Fourth Epoch relics. I mean no harm, I just want to examine the walls for any clues!"
The men adopted defensive postures, but the woman seemed to say something quietly, and one of the men finally said, "Come on over."
Hobert approached at a leisurely pace. Up close, he saw that she was a beautiful woman with an oval face, a high, straight nose, thin lips, and a pair of clear, light blue eyes like a spring of water.
Despite her brown hair, the sword at her waist, and her beige Western-style jacket, Hobert couldn't help but think of Lin Daiyu from his memories. It was just the shape of her face and her eyes that were similar, but she lacked that fragile, pitiful look. Instead, her brow conveyed a heroic spirit and a captivating charm.
The men, led by a blonde individual, kept a close watch on Hobert.
"Good afternoon, Madam! Good afternoon, everyone!" Hobert greeted politely.
The woman gave a slight nod in response, but the other men completely ignored him.
Hobert didn't press the conversation, but instead turned his attention to the relatively well-preserved wall before him.
The wall's surface was clean, which was what struck Hobert as odd. He reached out and poked the wall. After more than a thousand years, exposed to wind and rain, the wall showed surprisingly little sign of decay!
Walking further, Hobert spotted a faded emblem high up on the wall. After a long look, he finally recognized it: a massive crest carved into the wall, depicting a crown!
"Trunseost!" Hobert blurted out.
The black crown was the emblem of the Trunsoest family.
The woman beside him asked, "You recognize the Trunsoest family crest?"
I know it all too well, Hobert thought with a smile. "I happened to see it in a book. But... why would the Trunsoest family crest be here?"
The Trunsoest Empire's territory was on the Northern Continent, and this sea area was already quite close to the Southern Continent. Could it be that the Night Emperor's power had once reached the Southern Continent?
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," the woman said. "Do you have any ideas?"
Hobert pondered for a moment. "Could this have been a secret base built by the Trunsoest Empire to launch a surprise attack on the Southern Continent?"
"It seems you know a lot about the history of the Fourth Epoch!" The woman extended a hand in self-introduction. "Edwina."
Hobert politely shook her soft hand. "Jeffrey."
Hobert had changed his appearance before setting out, so he wasn't worried about being recognized. Besides, no one on the high seas would care about a traitor from the Loen Kingdom, even if they knew.
After all, there were too many vicious criminals on these seas, and Hobert's little escapade was insignificant in comparison.
After introducing himself, Hobert noticed the expectant looks on the faces of the men around him. He realized he had missed something earlier. After a moment's thought, he finally grasped the key point: "Vice Admiral Iceberg!"
These men just wanted to see Hobert's surprised expression.
Edwina smiled. "Indeed. You can let go of my hand now."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just too surprised," Hobert said with an embarrassed laugh. He hadn't expected "Vice Admiral Iceberg" to be so...un-icy.
"I was hoping someone could discuss this problem with me," Edwina said. "As you said, it's very strange for Trunsoest relics to appear here."
Hobert glanced at the men beside her. Can't they discuss it with you?
However, he was met with angry glares.
Hobert thought, Alright, alright, I get it. You want to, but you don't have enough knowledge. Just looking at your faces, I can tell you dropped out of school early.
"I'd be glad to help," Hobert said politely. "I'm also looking forward to a clash of ideas."
Edwina immediately asked, "Did you attend a grammar school?"
Otherwise, he wouldn't use such precise adjectives.
"I used to study at Backlund University, but unfortunately, I didn't graduate."
"That's excellent," Edwina said. "My subordinates have also discovered another clue. Come this way."
She led Hobert to a corner of the wall, where there was a structural diagram drawn with a sharp object, along with several words in ancient Feysac.
Hobert read haltingly, "Length, sample box, guideline?"
Apart from "length," Hobert didn't know the meaning of the other words. He looked at the simple structural diagram. "This looks a bit like the structure of a fire door on a large ship!"
Just two days ago, he had learned about the prices of large cargo ships in Feynapotter City. The salesperson had explained in detail the advantages of their company's cargo ships, one of which was that their ships had advanced fire doors.
Edwina nodded in satisfaction. "It seems you're quite knowledgeable. That's right, this is a design drawing for a fire door. The words next to it are all technical terms used in shipbuilding."
"If I'm not mistaken, the Trunsoest people built a huge ship here. During the shipbuilding, two engineers discussed the design of the fire door in this corner."
"While discussing, they couldn't help but sketch a few lines and make a simple record in ancient Feysac."
Hobert looked at the surrounding ruins in disbelief. "So, this used to be a massive dockyard."
"I have the same guess," Edwina said, hands clasped behind her back. "According to the size of this dockyard, the ship's length should be close to 2000 meters, with a width of 300 meters! The height would be several tens of meters! Enough to accommodate the population of a small city!"
"The Trunsoest Empire!" Hobert felt a thunderclap in his mind, and many clues connected.
Edwina's eyes flashed with brilliance. "That's right, the treasure of the Trunsoest Empire really exists!"
Hobert, however, had already thought of something else. "Do your subordinates include Beyonders of the 'Sailor' pathway?"
"Vice Admiral Iceberg" was taken aback. "Yes!"
"I happen to know some secret information about the 'Trunsoest Empire'," Hobert said. "But I need to verify it first. Please have a 'Sailor' pathway friend dive deep from the harbor and search outwards along the seabed to see if they can find anything strange."
At the captain's instruction, two "Sailors" took off their hats and jumped into the sea.
Hobert sat on a rock, waiting quietly.
Edwina asked, "You don't seem to be a 'local'."
Hobert smiled. "There don't seem to be any locals on this island anymore."
Of course, he knew that ordinary pirates couldn't glean much information from his clothing, but "Vice Admiral Iceberg," the former "Erudite," should have understood many things.
Hobert changed the subject. "The material of these walls seems very special."
"It's said to be a construction method that existed in the Third and Fourth Epochs," Edwina said candidly, without reservation. "It has now been lost."
"I've found some clues in books. In addition to mixing some spiritual materials into the ingredients, some magic arrays should have been incorporated during construction, while praying to the gods for power."
"With the blessing of the gods, the scale of the building could be larger than we can imagine, and it could stand for hundreds or thousands of years."
Hobert nodded slightly. This construction method was no longer applicable. Praying to the gods for power or blessings, they might only respond after a long time, and the construction period could be greatly delayed.
Things were different in the Third and Fourth Epochs. At that time, the gods were still in their kingdoms, and there were so many angels. There were plenty of objects to pray to.
After waiting for half an hour, the two sailors emerged from the water one after another.
After coming ashore, one of the sailors began to report the underwater situation: "The water in the dockyard is very deep. We explored outwards along the seabed and encountered a cliff after about a few thousand meters!"
The other sailor reported: "That cliff is very peculiar. The rock below is recessed, and looking at it, the base of this island seems to be getting thinner and thinner."
"We searched around the cliff, and the surrounding area is a similar structure. It's like, it's like... the top is a huge cake, and the bottom is just a goblet."
"That's right!" Hobert clapped his hands. "This island was originally on the coast of the Northern Continent and was moved here by the Underworld Emperor."
"Vice Admiral Iceberg's" subordinates were stunned, and then they all showed obvious expressions of disbelief.
Hobert said to Edwina, "During my two explorations, I learned some more detailed information about the 'Trunsoest Empire'. If you agree to two conditions, I'll tell you all the information."
The first mate with the golden hair, Olfers, said, "Captain, don't agree to him. This is clearly a trap."
The other sailors chimed in, "This kid doesn't look like a good person."
"Look, he's wearing so many layers on such a hot day. He must be a madman."
"…"
Edwina waved her hand at her subordinates. "Tell me your conditions, and then I'll decide whether to agree."
Olfers and the others were dejected. They knew that the captain couldn't resist the temptation of 'historical secrets'.
"The first condition is goodwill from 'Iceberg Admiral' and the forces behind her. We may have deeper cooperation in the future."
Edwina nodded. "No problem."
Hobert continued, "The second condition is to help me find the whereabouts of 'Admiral Dusk'. After finding him, we can launch a hunt together, or you can simply provide information.
"As long as your information is accurate enough, and you can treat your ship as my 'forward base', and I hunt down 'Admiral Dusk', I will share a portion of the spoils with you."
Edwina asked, "What is your strength?"
Hobert was slightly stunned, then shamelessly said, "A bounty of 30,000 pounds!"
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