Mystery: Gray Walker

Chapter 147

"It's not just curiosity."

Mrs. Elliott's gaze was sharp. "I see an unexpected connection in your eyes. Though faint, I've spent most of my life studying symbols and the human heart; I can't be wrong."

Green neither denied nor admitted it, but remained silent. He knew that in front of this astute old lady, too much explanation would only raise suspicion.

Mrs. Elliott looked at him for a moment, then suddenly sighed, as if she had made up her mind.

She turned and walked deeper into the archives to a secluded area with a heavier iron door. That was the "Special Collections Room."

She took out the keychain again and used another, more delicate key to open the door to the special collection room. The space inside was small, containing only a few temperature- and humidity-controlled sealed cabinets and a worktable covered with soft velvet. Above the worktable was a brighter shadowless lamp.

"Wait here."

Mrs. Elliott spoke to Greene, then went alone to a sealed cabinet, fiddled with it for a moment, and took out a flat object wrapped in dark velvet. She carefully placed it on the worktable.

"Only a small part of the restoration work has been completed, and this is the most complete page, which is also considered to potentially contain key information."

Mrs. Elliott untied the velvet, revealing a specially made transparent storage folder underneath. Inside the folder was an old piece of paper, yellowish in color, with torn edges, looking as if it might turn to powder at any moment.

"According to procedure, I shouldn't have shown this to you before the approval process."

Mrs. Elliott's voice was low, "But the symbol brought by Alfred's granddaughter, and your reaction just now—"

I think that perhaps showing it to you might lead to some unexpected discoveries. Remember, you've never seen it before.

Green's heart pounded. He held his breath and moved closer to the worktable with Anaïs.

Under the shadowless lamp, the contents of the old paper were clearly visible.

However, after just one glance, Green was struck dumb, frozen in place, his blood seemingly rushing to his head and then freezing instantly!

The paper was written not in Rune, Old Fussac, or any other mystical symbols he had ever seen, but in Chinese characters!

They are neat, traditional Chinese characters with a distinct personal writing style!

Although the paper was torn, the ink faded, and some of the characters were blurred, Green would never mistake the structure and the strokes! It was the script he had used for over twenty years in his previous life!

Shock overwhelmed him like a tsunami, so much so that it took him several seconds to barely concentrate and decipher the Chinese characters.

Under the shadowless lamp, the contents of the old paper were clearly visible.

However, after just one glance, Green was struck dumb, frozen in place, his blood seemingly rushing to his head and then freezing instantly!

The paper was written not in Rune, Old Fussac, or any other occult symbols he had ever seen, but rather—

Chinese character!

They are neat, traditional Chinese characters with a distinct personal writing style!

Although the paper was torn, the ink faded, and some of the characters were blurred, Green would never mistake the structure and the strokes! It was the script he had used for over twenty years in his previous life!

Shock overwhelmed him like a tsunami, so much so that it took him several seconds to barely concentrate and decipher the Chinese characters. The paper was indeed in poor condition, with a noticeable tear in the center and much missing from the edges, but the remaining pieces could still be pieced together to form a general paragraph.

This does not seem to be a coherent article, but rather more like notes or a summary.

At the very top, written in slightly larger characters:

[The Law of Convergence of Extraordinary Properties (Preliminary Observations and Speculations)]

The following is a breakdown of the notes: "There is an invisible attraction between extraordinary properties, potion recipes, and sealed artifacts that are similar or the same, causing them to draw closer to each other—this phenomenon may be more pronounced at higher sequences, so be wary."

"The characteristics are immortal, but they can be transferred. When a high-ranking individual dies, their characteristics are released and can be reused—but there seems to be a residual risk of a mental imprint," especially for those who died unnatural deaths or possessed strong obsessions.

"Role-playing: It's not just about digesting the potion, but also about anchoring yourself and fighting madness and corruption. Role-playing must align with the core symbolism of the sequence, but you must not lose yourself in the role." —

Upon seeing the words "acting method," Green's pupils constricted sharply. This was one of the core pieces of knowledge passed down within the Church of the Night, which Clarice had just mentioned to him, and it was appearing in Chinese characters on this ancient manuscript predating the Fourth Age?!

His gaze darted downwards. The following content was even more fragmented, but the title was still vaguely discernible:

[Scattered records regarding "Source Matter" and "The Past" (Extremely dangerous! Not to be investigated!)]

"The so-called God may not be the end—above there is still the past, closely connected to the primordial matter."

"The Source Castle," "The Chaos Sea," "The Mother Nest," "The Wilderness of Knowledge," and other nine Source Elementalities are suspected to be manifestations of the world's underlying rules and powers, and also the foundation upon which the ancients depended. "Beware of the Outer Gods! They covet these Source Elementalities, making them the world's greatest enemy—the starry sky is not a peaceful place."

"Source Castle!" "Chaotic Sea!" These terms exploded in Green's mind like thunder.

He instantly thought of the "Fool" brooch, and of Klein Moretti! Could this manuscript be—?!

Further down, the edges of the paper were badly torn, but a name repeatedly circled and written in bold caught the eye:

Emperor Rosell the Great!

[He, like me, is not from this era. His knowledge structure, thought patterns, and inventions bear distinct characteristics, suggesting he may possess some knowledge from the "General Knowledge" pathway, but his core pathway is the "Black Emperor." The "Black Emperor" pathway, Sequence 0 Black Emperor. This pathway, at a high level, possesses extremely strong "resurrection" characteristics, not a typical resurrection of life, but a re-establishment and return based on "order," "rules," and "codes." Its resurrection has stringent prerequisites, requiring specific rituals and being closely related to the concepts of "anchor" (faith, fear, and the mark of domination) and "mausoleum."]

His behavior in his later years underwent a significant shift, becoming radical, paranoid, and attempting to reshape the continent with "legal codes" and "industrial order," seemingly paving the way for the "Black Emperor's" ascension or resurrection. He established the Intis Empire...

The implementation of the Civil Code and large-scale social reforms are all symbols of establishing order and becoming rules.

The resurrection of the "Black Emperor" was not without cost and risk; he may have been interfered with, corrupted, or replaced by other high-ranking beings. His eventual assassination leaves his fate a mystery, but given the nature of this method, his complete demise is questionable. There may be a contingency plan following his resurrection, or remnants of the "Imprint of Order" remaining in the world; we must be wary of his potential return under certain conditions.

His surviving diaries, besides records of technology, politics, and emotions, also contain veiled expressions of confusion about his own state and path, as well as subtle mentions and fears of the possibility of "resurrection." Some passages suggest that he may have been aware of his own situation as part of a "ritual."

This legendary emperor, who ushered in the steam and mechanical age and left behind countless mysteries, is explicitly marked in this manuscript as "not a person of this era"! Moreover, the author of the manuscript seems to have conducted a fairly in-depth observation and analysis of Rosell, and even deciphered part of his diary (in Chinese)!

Green felt a wave of dizziness. The amount of information was overwhelming! Who was the author of this manuscript? He (or she) clearly understood Chinese and possessed extraordinary knowledge of the Extraordinary World, "Source Matter," "The Old Ones," and even Emperor Roselle and the phenomenon of time travelers "not belonging to this era"! The manuscript was dated before the Fourth Age. Could it be that time travelers existed before the Fifth Age, when Emperor Roselle was active, and left behind such a systematic record of observations?!

"Mr. Morris?" Anaïs's worried whisper pulled Green back to reality from his intense mental turmoil.

She noticed that Green was pale, breathing rapidly, and staring intently at the manuscript, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying and unbelievable.

She herself was shocked by the completely unfamiliar text on the manuscript, but was more worried about Green's condition.

Mrs. Elliott stared intently at Green, her gaze sharp as a knife: "You recognize this script, don't you?"

This was not a question, but an almost certain judgment. Green's reaction just now was not merely surprise at seeing unfamiliar ancient characters, but a shock of having his knowledge overturned and his secrets touched.

Green took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He knew that denying it now would be pointless and would only cause him to completely lose Mrs. Elliott's trust and any potential sources of information.

He slowly raised his head to meet Mrs. Elliott's probing gaze, his voice hoarse with excitement and nervousness: "Madam—I—have indeed seen a similar symbol system. In some of my parents'—private notes."

He chose a half-true, half-false explanation, attributing the source to his equally mysteriously disappeared parents. "But I never imagined I'd see it again in such ancient documents. The contents here—if my understanding is correct."

He paused, then pointed to the sections on the "Law of Extraordinary Characteristics" and the "Method of Role-Playing": "These records bear a striking resemblance to our—and some of the oral traditions passed down orally, the admonitions concerning the nature and methods of controlling extraordinary power. And the records concerning Roselle Gustav—" He looked at the name, "even touch upon some—little-known secrets about this emperor."

He did not mention "Source Matter" or "Old Days," as that information was too dangerous and far beyond what he should "understand" at this point.

Mrs. Elliott's eyes became incredibly deep. She remained silent for a long time, so long that the air seemed to freeze.

"Your parents' notes—" she repeated softly, as if weighing something, "Alfred also vaguely mentioned that some researchers, because they came into contact with knowledge they shouldn't have, or possessed keys they shouldn't have," disappeared into the mists of history.

She turned her gaze back to the fragile manuscript: "When the Society acquired this manuscript, the donor left no information. President Holland and several other committee members, including myself, considered it priceless, but also incredibly dangerous. We cannot decipher its text; we can only speculate, from the remaining patterns and a few recognizable symbols similar to those of other ancient civilizations, that it involves extremely high-level secrets. We are not even sure if restoring and attempting to decipher it will attract—unpleasant attention."

She looked at Green, her gaze complex: "Now, someone who can decipher this script has appeared, and seems to have some kind of—fateful connection—to this manuscript. Tell me, young man, what, in your opinion, is the most dangerous message on this page? Or rather, what does it most likely point to?"

This was a direct and weighty test. Mrs. Elliott was testing Green's judgment, and also assessing the risks and benefits he might bring.

Green knew his answer was crucial. He looked again at the tattered page, his gaze sweeping over the shocking Chinese characters, finally settling on the section about "Emperor Roselle" and the phrase "suspected interference or betrayal by a high-ranking being."

He spoke slowly, his voice low and clear: "Madam, I believe the most dangerous thing is not which specific law or name is recorded. Rather—the existence of this manuscript itself, and what it implies: throughout history, there have been more than one observer or recorder, like Emperor Roselle, who did not belong to this era. They seem to know the deep rules of the world, and may even—be attempting to influence or record the trajectory of certain existences."

He looked up and stared directly at Mrs. Elliott: "This manuscript may have been left by one of the observers. And whoever can decipher it may also be drawn into the same field of observation, or—become a new target of observation."

Mrs. Elliott gave Green a long, deep look, and then slowly covered the precious and dangerous manuscript page with the velvet again.

"What happens today is confined to this room."

Her tone was firm and resolute. "Regarding this manuscript, and the fact that you've seen it," she said, "it must not be mentioned to anyone, including President Holland. The matter of approving viewing will be put on hold for now."

She put the manuscript back in the sealed cabinet, locked it, and then turned to face Green and Anaïs.

"Miss Violet, if there are still any similar incomprehensible symbols in your grandfather's manuscript, please continue to organize them and deliver them to me safely. As for you, Mr. Morris—"

She paused for a moment, as if she had made a major decision.

"If you are willing and able to provide more basic comparative information about this writing system to assist the Society in conducting limited and highly controlled follow-up research, perhaps we can establish a very discreet and secretive collaboration. Of course, this will take time, absolute confidentiality, and you will need to prove your reliability and clarity of mind."