Black Sail
Chapter 88: LXXXVIII. Eternal District

Chapter 88: LXXXVIII. Eternal District

Aran Border.

Imperial City, Eternal Cathedral Library.

A great building of outstanding cultural achievements, it is one of the libraries with the largest collection of books in the entire world.

It seemed to be protected by a True God, for it was said that when the blood of the Silver Dragon irrigated the Imperial City, not a single drop of crimson tainted the area of the Eternal Sect.

The Eternal Great Library was a massive architectural complex spanning thousands of acres, a miraculous marvel forged by the ghostly precision of the pioneers.

Inside the library.

Huge spired stained glass windows shimmered with blessings, the veiled sunlight sprinkled grains of golden radiance, dust shrouded the place, with its magnificent ceiling frescoes vaulting skyward, and arc-shaped bookcases as tall as buildings lining wall after wall, forming a maze-like complexity, requiring an energy-driven platform to reach the higher shelves.

The combination of insurmountable meditation and the solemn sanctity of the hall came together, hallowed, peaceful, muted by the silent passage of years.

This place prohibited idle visitors.

Only clergy were permitted entry.

Even Sharon, as a High Order Clergy, was limited in where she could go; some books with forbidden knowledge were deep within the library.

But those areas were heavily guarded and set with multiple checkpoints, which she couldn’t access.

To her surprise, this time the revelation of the Dragon Lord occurred without any publicity, even under a state of strict secrecy.

For every revelation was a piece of major news to publicize, the influence of every miracle needed to be maximized, yet this time it was unusually kept confined, not only unknown to outsiders but also to lower clergy.

The Priest she followed had been kind to her but revealed only hints; a certain follower, resurrected from the dead, his physical condition completely returned to how it was at twenty years of age, all chronic illnesses eradicated, restored to a peak state, to contribute to the Church Court.

Most importantly,

He also brought with him what was called the "Dragon Lord’s True Prophecy" back to the Sect headquarters, the Imperial City Cathedral.

As for the content of the prophecy, Sharon had no way of knowing, and perhaps even the priests did not.

Sharon was genuinely curious. She understood that there were extraordinary powers in this world, but... not that extraordinary.

Arcane could even be called a science, a refutable objective truth in the world.

And other esoteric Magic Techniques or the laws practiced by adventurers or Knights, though completely without historical verification, existing in countless systems, were not too exaggerated and still within the realm of comprehension and endurance.

Even the medical science on the Western Continent was exactly the same as in her original world.

Sharon herself had studied some arcane over the years, able to release the simplest of small fireballs, but only with a fire source present.

Unlike Liszt’s bunch of rascally friends, one of them named Fen had a significant background, a former member of the Warlock Council’s Tower Alliance and even more terrifyingly, a former member of the Magic Energy Industrial Committee—these seven words were well-known.

She also quietly followed the affairs of the Black Sail Pirate Group, anonymously hiring adventurers from the East Shore of Beima Duchy to gather information.

As long as it was legitimate, anonymous commissioning was possible through the adventurer’s guild platform.

But no matter how mysterious Magic Techniques could be, perhaps allowing some to perform unbelievable feats, resurrection from the dead, time reversal—these were utterly impossible.

Sharon searched through all the documents in the library, trying to find a similar miraculous revelation, but found nothing; however, the books did record even more outrageous events.

For example, the Dragon Lord would occasionally grant revelations, instructing the faithful to slay blasphemers, thus causing the Heavenly Spheres to intersect, dimensions to collide.

This was recorded in the Ancient Era, quite vague.

"Ahh..." Sharon sighed deeply; it seemed it was not something someone of her level could encounter.

Over the years, she too had been searching everywhere for her old classmates. Apart from the recently emerged William and his accomplices, she had only learned of Liszt and a senior who was mingling with an adventure group in Lostra. She didn’t know how the others were doing.

Sharon had an ominous premonition, frequently haunted by strange dreams of the underground research facility. She always thought she had awoken, merely having dreamt of a different world, until Liszt turned to ashes.

She believed it had been long enough, and it was time to do something about it.

As a woman on her own, she was none too keen on places like the East Sea Domain.

Perhaps she should tell Liszt everything she had discovered.

Sharon suspected that someone as foolish as William was simply thrust into the limelight. After all, many of their classmates were still here, and pinning their names to that traitor’s position was a great sin indeed.

It was a disservice to those friends who had died at the hands of magicians or were torn to shreds while fleeing.

The Church Court’s influence was terrifying; even the current Emperor stepped aside in deference, and although it seemed a stretch, newspapers reported that trains only ran with the Dragon Lord’s Blessing.

The current Pope was rumored to have the power to regulate time and space. Sharon wasn’t sure if this was true; such high-ranking figures were beyond her experience, perhaps the stuff of exaggeration.

With just a slight effort, Sharon had obtained all the records of the steam train, hoping to find traces of any classmates in the minutiae.

Sure enough, William was just a pawn thrust forward, while the others did not wish to be shamed by coming forward.

These were the geniuses of their school, each with multiple degrees, types who could join NASA or the defense departments straight after graduation—top-tier talent.

Sharon felt it was time.

She decided to entrust the adventurer’s guild to deliver her letter to Heaven Port, to communicate her present situation, news of her classmates, her views on the current state of affairs, and her plans moving forward to Liszt.

This job wouldn’t come cheap.

Sharon could definitely be considered high-income, with her salary as a High Order Clergy at one hundred and fifteen silver coins a month, and the various benefits provided by the Church Court ensured she wanted for nothing—pure profit.

Converted to North American purchasing power, she was nearly on par with a listed company’s senior executive.

Previously, hiring adventurers to gather information didn’t cost much—a few silver coins would suffice. However, sending a letter meant accounting for the adventurers’ travel costs by ship to and from Heaven Port, as well as considering the dangers of the place, significantly increasing the cost.

She knew that Liszt was in Heaven Port and had opened an inn.

She might have to spend several months of salary just to send this one letter.

That scumbag Liszt insisted on staying in such a godforsaken place, which was frustrating, but there was no help for it.

Although the senior in Lostra belonged to an Honorable-level Adventure Group, he was just a member and couldn’t provide much assistance; maintaining contact was enough.

Instead, Liszt had become a sort of local kingpin in the East Sea Domain, capable of doing much more. There might be an opportunity to capture William and those classmates later, the pirate way for sure—kidnapping—and she’d be ready to lend a hand.

Sharon had had enough of this damned place and had to find a way to get home. That magician surely knew a way. What was needed was concerted effort from all the classmates to climb to an exalted position in this world.

Once resolved, she acted.

She left the library and went back to her residence in the Church Court District.

The influence of the Church Court was simply too overwhelming, even ensuring the existence of districts with such stunningly beautiful and clean public facilities, incredibly fresh and warm, filled with birds’ songs and fragrances as if a piece of Heaven had descended to Earth, true Heaven Port, that was no exaggeration.

The Church District, a place for clergy and their families to live, was also open to non-clergy followers to purchase property at terrifyingly high prices. Outsiders wishing to live there or open a storefront needed extremely solid connections.

Sharon returned to her residence, a sixth-floor apartment in the Church District for single followers, complete with kitchen, bathroom, living room, and bedroom—

not exactly luxurious, but certainly refined.

She prepared her paper and pen. Although she could send the letter anonymously, for safety’s sake, it was still better to write in English—safer for both her and Liszt.

Liszt, that guy who had studied in North America for so long, while his spoken language was riddled with ubiquitous ’F’ bombs, hardly a proper word in his mouth, and his speech often abstract to the extreme, talking about mobile games or mysterious techniques with obscure meanings, could still recognize the words just fine.

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