Chapter 389: God of Luck
Ebner had been leaning over the headboard, craning his neck to read the notes held by the gray-green-eyed woman. Just as he made out words like "elves" and "temple," Auston Rieveldt, the Governor of Oravi, pushed the door open and walked in.
The gray-green-eyed woman quickly closed the notebook, tucking it into her book and placing it on the bed.
Ebner couldn't bring himself to pry it open. Even under "Psychology Invisibility," such an act would undoubtedly draw suspicion.
The governor climbed into bed and began embracing and kissing the woman. Moments later, as he moved to go further and remove her nightgown, the gray-green-eyed woman stopped him.
"Leticia, let's not stop this time... Although Amyrius just killed the mood, I have some leads on the matter you asked me to investigate," the governor said, smiling, assuming her hesitation was because of his earlier departure. He leaned in to whisper intimately in her ear.
Leticia? That name sounds familiar... Gray-green eyes, skin weathered by the elements... and that name...
Could she be the adventurer and archaeologist Leticia Dorila from the original work? The one who excavated the Book of Calamity from the Symeem Island ruins, only to be corrupted and meet a tragic end?
And now, she's involved with Auston Rieveldt...
Wait, an adventurer and archaeologist... And if I recall correctly, she's also a Beyonder from the "Moses Ascetic Order." Could she actually be the investigator hired by the governor's faction?
While Ebner speculated about the woman's identity and background, Leticia didn't react as Auston anticipated. Instead of playing coy, she batted his hand away and asked, "Did you find any news about my nephew so quickly?"
Her expression turned serious as she added, "In fact, after you left, I compared the information you had your men gather with some records from our organization. I've made some discoveries about that ruin."
Hearing her speak so earnestly, Ebner, who had been preparing to retreat to a corner of the room, instead moved closer to eavesdrop on their conversation.
Seeing Leticia switch to serious matters, Auston gave up his immediate intentions. He casually grabbed a bottle of red wine from the bedside table, poured himself a glass, and took a sip before saying, "Amyrius summoned me to deal with a sudden arms smuggling case... I can't share the details, but your nephew played a part in resolving it."
"Terrance? With his personality, he contributed to resolving an arms smuggling case?" Leticia's face was full of skepticism.
"To be precise, the adventuring team he's joined ambushed a pirate crew and discovered a cache of weapons on their ship. This exposed a smuggling chain involving Feysac arms being sold to Eastern Bairan natives. The operation dealt a significant blow to Feysac, one they can't even openly acknowledge," Auston explained with a smile.
So Terrance is Leticia's nephew… That makes sense—they both have gray-green eyes. Though Terrance's striking blue hair seems to be absent in her. Perhaps that trait comes from Terrance's mother?
Could his mother's volatile temperament be elven-like? Did she discipline him harshly, leading to his extreme self-consciousness?
As Ebner's thoughts wandered further, Leticia's voice drew him back: "Where is Terrance now?"
"In Daville. The leader of his adventuring team is known as 'Lady Dragonmight.' She's been making quite a name for herself recently," Auston replied, taking another sip of wine.
"I've heard of her... Thank you for telling me this," Leticia said thoughtfully.
"Do you want me to send someone to bring your nephew back?" Auston asked.
"No need... Since he's joined an adventuring team, let him gain some experience there. It'll help him grow," Leticia said, shaking her head. Changing the subject, she picked up the notebook from the bed and said, "I've figured out what kind of ruin it is."
"Oh?" Auston asked with interest.
"Based on our organization's records, I'm confident it's the Elves' Trial Temple," Leticia said, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
Ancient ruins often contained precious knowledge. As a Beyonder on the "Mystery Pryer" pathway, Leticia was both pursued by and in pursuit of knowledge.
"A Trial Temple?" Auston pondered the term for a moment before saying, "I feel like I've heard of it somewhere before..."
"You probably read about it in the history books on Sonia Island. There was once a Trial Temple there as well," Leticia said with a smile. She elaborated, "After the Cataclysm, the remaining elves attempted to restore the prestige of the Elven Court on Sonia Island. They replicated many of their grand structures from their golden age, including Trial Temples.
"Unfortunately, these imitations were hollow and eventually destroyed in the 'Twenty Years' War.' Now, only ruins remain."
Sonia Island, the largest island in the area and the namesake of the Sonia Sea, was akin to a small continent. It had once been the elves' last refuge after the Cataclysm. Over time, however, various challenges led to their decline. Today, sightings of elves were rare, but their existence hadn't vanished entirely.
At the end of the Fourth Epoch, the Ruen Kingdom occupied Sonia Island. But during the "Twenty Years' War," a period that saw the rise of the infamous Baron Conva, Ruen suffered a crushing defeat, ceding the island to the Feysac Empire over 700 years ago.
As Ebner recalled these details about Sonia Island, he listened intently to Leticia's explanation. He didn't know much about this topic, but it was evident that the Moses Ascetic Order, as an ancient secret organization, held a wealth of hidden knowledge.
"The Trial Temple here should be one that existed during the Elven Court's prime," Leticia continued. "Our records suggest it was once overseen by the subordinate deity 'Lady Luck' under the Elven King. That might explain why the adventurers you sent kept meeting with accidents."
Leticia flipped to a specific page in her book and handed it to Auston.
Ebner, unable to resist, contorted himself into an awkward position to peer between the two of them.
"'Lady Luck oversees the temple and sets three trials. Those who pass may glimpse clues about their fate.
"'The three trials are courage, willpower, and strength.'"
Reading this, Auston curled his lip. "'Lady Luck'? I think she should be called 'Lady Misfortune' or 'Lady Bad Luck'! Those adventurers suffered terribly!"
"That's because they intruded on the temple at the wrong time and place. Naturally, they were punished with misfortune," Leticia replied with a smile.
Hearing this, Ebner nodded subconsciously. That so-called 'Lady Luck' is likely a Sequence 3 Angel of the Monster pathway, possibly a "Seer" or even a "Prophet." They would have been capable of predicting a challenger's future and offering some fateful guidance. It makes sense that such a figure was entrusted with overseeing the temple.
The Monster pathway's Sequence 4 is "Misfortun Mage," and Sequence 3 is "Chaoswalker." This aligns with the misfortunes faced by the adventurers and the chaotic fate described by Ricciardo.
Leticia's guess is highly plausible…
In the original story, did she perhaps gain clues about the Book of Calamity through this trial? According to what "Sun" shared at the Tarot Club, the Queen of Calamities vanished alongside Lady Luck before the final battle… If that's true, it doesn't seem like Lady Luck was offering opportunities—it was more like leading people into misfortune…
And everyone linked to that ruin ended up unlucky… Leticia and her companions faced tragedy, Admiral Amyrius Rieveldt's future misfortunes included needing Klein as a stand-in, leading to catastrophe. Governor Auston Rieveldt had his schemes exposed, earning warnings from unspeakable organizations and attacks from political enemies, losing his governorship…
Even the island itself doesn't seem to have good fortune. It's where the "Probability Dice" will end up, and if that Uniqueness causes trouble, few on the island will survive…
Ebner withdrew his head deftly to avoid drawing attention as these thoughts raced through his mind.
---
Wednesday Morning
In the unchanging, majestic ancient palace, Klein, seated in the Fool's seat, picked up the bookmark depicting Emperor Roselle.
After pondering for a moment, he uttered in Old Feysac:
"Bernadette."
(End of Chapter)
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