Werewolf Hunting Rules.

Chapter 532 The Daughters' Competitive Spirit

The Oracle Cave is a rather famous legend, or rather, a series of legends.

1400 years ago, among the ancestors of the Comaija people, also known as the Tauntons, was a shepherd who was resting under the shade of a tree while herding sheep one day. Suddenly, in a half-dream state, he heard the voice of God revealing the future to him. When he awoke, he found that the tree that had sheltered him had withered and died, and the ground beneath it was dry and cracked, exposing the tree roots that resembled coiled snakes, as well as a cave with no end in sight. The voice of God came from underground.

The shepherd performed a sacrificial ceremony at the cave and often came there to hear divine pronouncements. With the help of the gods' voice, he defeated the sea monster Scylla and the various kingdoms, truly unifying the archipelago.

This shepherd was none other than Issu the Great, the most revered emperor of the Tontonians.

This is also the most famous Oracle Cave incident in the world.

Turning the pages of history further back, there was also a very famous oracle cave within the territory of the First Empire. However, this one was more benevolent, answering questions from all kinds of people. The polytheistic Mensis did not revere it as much as the monotheistic God, but they still built a temple for it. Every day, a large number of citizens lined up to ask for oracles, and several slaves were executed for sneaking into the temple to seek oracles. The story of one of the victims was even adapted into the famous classical tragedy "Diporos".

The recently famous Oracle Cave incident occurred in Tallinn four hundred years ago.

In a city under the jurisdiction of a military governor, a district was struck by a plague. He ordered the infected area to be sealed off in a very short time, but that was not enough. He quickly expanded the lockdown to a third of the city, and the army also sealed off the districts where no infected people had been seen. Then he burned 20,000 people in the locked-down area to death.

This appalling treatment led to his immediate dismissal, transforming him from a high-ranking military governor into a serious criminal.

When the king's messengers and high-ranking clergy sent by the church came to the prison to interrogate him, his defense was based on the information he had received from the Oracle Cave—the plague had already spread outside the initial lockdown zone, but the patients were not showing symptoms for the time being, and if only the seemingly serious patients were treated, the epidemic would continue to spread.

What happened next in the investigation by the Tallinn royal family and the church is unknown; all that is known is that the military governor was acquitted.

Interestingly, none of the three most likely oracle caves to be verified can be found today.

The cave that guided Emperor Ys, including the island on which it was located, was swallowed by the sea in an earthquake; the Oracle Cave of the First Empire stopped issuing oracles one day, so its temple was demolished and it became indistinguishable from other ordinary caves; and the Oracle Cave of Tarlin was buried in ashes in a fire.

Such oracle cave events have been recorded dozens of times throughout history, occurring all over the world, including colonies in the Western Continent. Considering that there may be many more unrecorded instances, it is considered a fairly frequent mysterious phenomenon.

Later mystics believed that the cave contained pagan gods, while others thought that demons stirred up conflict to satisfy their desires, since each appearance of the Oracle Cave indirectly caused a large number of casualties.

Some renowned wizards believe that the Oracle Cave does not exist at all, and that there are only strange noises in the cave.

The "Cave Eerie Sound" is a difficult-to-define entity that constantly emits sounds that listeners crave, drawing them in irresistibly. Furthermore, although it has no physical form, it is an anomalous creature that can be captured and collected.

In Wei'odi, among the monsters released by the Friendship Society, there are two Bishop pieces.

One was a cartographer, and the other was suspected to be the strange sound from the cave, but his death could not be confirmed in the end.

Clayton was wary of such things, but unsure if they were true, given the existence of oracle caves capable of making prophecies. He looked at Mr. Melcher, who seemed quite interested.

"The Oracle Cave has appeared in this city? This is a big event! Do you know where it is?"

Logically speaking, a university professor shouldn't readily believe in such topics, but with one strange event after another occurring from last year to this year, scholars have their own channels to understand the root causes of extraordinary phenomena. With ample groundwork laid, it's not difficult for them to believe in an oracle cave again.

Sensing his curiosity, Mr. Asher breathed a sigh of relief: "Gentlemen, I also managed to obtain this information with great difficulty. Although this Oracle Cave is not as powerful, it can only answer questions and only allows one question per person, but I believe one question is enough."

"Do I need to pay?" Clayton suddenly asked.

Mr. Melcher looked at him in surprise, then at Mr. Yasser in surprise.
The topics discussed were much more intimate than those about guardians.

“It’s strange, all of you have come all of a sudden,” Miss Lant said, sitting on the edge of the bed, her hand nervously twirling an empty teacup.

Mr. Bello and Mr. Melcher's tense demeanor made her feel that something was amiss, and she couldn't help but start to overthink things.

“That’s what surprises are like,” Donna said, leaning against the wardrobe, her face turned to the side so Miss Lant wouldn’t see how serious the situation was from her expression.

“I want to lie down on your bed,” Alice said, sitting on the other side of the bed. Although she was still asking for permission, she had already lay down and reached out to hug Lant’s waist, but Lant gently pushed her away.

"I'm sick, you'd better not touch me."

This remark was superfluous; instead, it reminded Alice and Donna, and now they all swarmed around her to hug her.

The patient was powerless to resist and could only let them decide when to let go.

Donna released Miss Lant and sat down next to the dressing table: "Speaking of which, this is the first time I've met your parents."

Alice let go and lay back down. "This is also my first time meeting Miss Lant's parents." Donna was a little surprised. "I thought you two had known each other for a long time."

Lant shook his head and picked up the empty teacup from the bedding: "It's not easy to see other people's parents. We arrive at school at different times and leave at different times. Sometimes the housekeeper picks me up and drops me off."

Donna didn't see the butler, but she knew he was waiting by the first-floor reception room.

The best service providers only appear when needed—the industry's ideal standard guides servants and butlers to always hide in the background after doing their basic work, only rushing out to help when the opportunity arises. She has never been able to get used to this phenomenon.

"Will the great King of this land still visit his kingdom? Can I go there again?" Thinking of Clayton Bello, Alice turned over and lay on the bed, looking at Donna expectantly.

"He hasn't been there for a while."

Donna avoided revealing the fact that they were no longer going to Wonderland; she didn't want to disappoint Alice.

Then, she turned to look at Lant.

What do you think of my uncle?

Lant didn't understand what she meant, but simply answered truthfully based on his impression: "Mr. Bello looks very dignified."

This wasn't the answer Donna wanted. She had hoped to show off, but now she could only sigh in disappointment.
"I should have asked him to shave before he went out."

“I’ve seen Mr. Bello before without his beard; he looked very handsome,” Alice said earnestly to Lant. “It’s a pity he’s too tall; he would be perfect if he were shorter and thinner. Is he married now?”

"No, I'm having a headache over this right now," Donna said.

“That’s really strange.” Lant slowed down his movements as he fiddled with the teacup.

“When I was sixteen, he started to get anxious to marry me off. He was thirty-five. Based on our age ratio, I was twice as anxious as he was.”

Donna's words made the two close friends laugh so hard they almost fell over, and Lant even burst into a series of coughs.

After they quieted down, she propped her chin on her hand and said, "But to be honest, I'd really like to hear your opinions about him, preferably his shortcomings. I hope I can help him correct these things and make him more popular."

“He’s too tall and strong, and he has a beard,” Alice said bluntly, stating something that couldn’t be changed.

Donna nodded helplessly: "I would also like him to keep his beard, but he told me that he prefers to impress people with his dignified presence rather than with a charming face."

“This shows he’s an ambitious person,” Lant said.

"Stop praising him, I'm getting embarrassed for him." Donna raised her hands and beckoned, "Give me some other opinions."

“Hmm—” Miss Lant pondered. “His physique is a bit strange, it gives me a very contradictory feeling, both robust and well-proportioned.”

She paused and pondered for another ten seconds or so, then suddenly understood.

“Tall people in general do appear tall, but their skulls don’t change much from when they were at normal height, and their joints, such as their wrists and ankles, are only slightly thicker, which makes most tall people look slender. But Mr. Bello is different. His body is like a proportionally enlarged version of the ideal physique of a normal height, so he appears robust among people of the same height.”

"Calling him tall isn't quite accurate; he was actually a gigantic man!"

Donna then remembered that Miss Lant had studied painting for several years and had a certain understanding of human anatomy, so she didn't dare let her continue her analysis and coughed a few times to stop her from speaking.

“You all keep talking about his unchangeable traits. How am I supposed to bring that up with him? Let’s talk about your father instead.”

Alice propped herself up and sighed, "He's never home. Even when I do come home, it's hard to see him. He's always working, either with his students, his colleagues, or on business trips to other cities for academic exchanges. He usually only lets my mom accompany me, thinking that's enough. He doesn't know how much I want to talk to him more."

Donna listened with a sense of empathy and nodded repeatedly.

The most important thing is the company of loved ones. If fathers don't spend more time with their young children now, they will have even fewer opportunities to spend time together in the future.

“It seems I’m quite lucky,” Miss Lant said with a smile. “My father has always had time for me. He teaches me to be a lady, but he’s also willing to take me to experience less ladylike pleasures, like boating and fishing. I even have a set of men’s clothes specifically for going fishing.”

Donna went over and opened the wardrobe, and sure enough, she found a men's suit that matched Miss Lant's size.

Knowing that Mr. Yashir was a good father, her resentment towards him lessened considerably.