Chapter 111: Divine Revelation? No, It's the Whispers of the Dead

In the meeting hall of the City Lord’s manor, the air was so heavy it was suffocating.

The heavy oak doors swung shut, sealing out all noise from the outside world and leaving only the strained, audible breathing of the few people inside. The old City Lord, Carlos, had dismissed all the attendants. After personally serving hot tea to his guests, he retreated into the shadows of a corner, the wrinkles on his face deep enough to trap his sorrow.

Celeste held the warm teacup, her fingertips absorbing the gentle heat of the pottery. She took small, measured sips, but her gaze remained locked on the blond youth in the center of the room.

Prince Alex was pinned firmly to his chair. He looked like a dying fish hauled onto the shore, squirming futilely, his hands gripping the armrests so tightly that his knuckles had turned bone-white. His eyes darted between the patterns on the ceiling, the tassels of the carpet, and his own knees—anywhere but at the people in the room. He especially avoided the elf sitting opposite him, whose mere presence seemed to cause the temperature to plummet.

Selene, Su Wan, and Xia Lian sat on either side of Celeste, their backs ramrod straight, forming a silent, impromptu tribunal.

“Alright, Your Highness.”

Eldara finally spoke, her voice as cold and clear as shattering ice, breaking the oppressive silence.

“There are no outsiders here. You may speak now.”

Alex’s body gave a violent shudder. He jerked his head up, his lips trembling as unintelligible, rasping sounds escaped his throat.

“My patience is limited.”

Eldara’s fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth tabletop. Each sound was a sharp, invisible needle, precisely pricking at the frayed ends of Alex’s nerves.

‘Tsk, tsk. Look at the Captain’s interrogation game,’Celeste marveled silently.’She’s applying just the right amount of pressure. It’s like watching a pro. She’s not even using any abilities, just pure environmental damage from her aura.”Just this vibe check alone is enough to make this useless prince spill everything, right down to what he had for breakfast yesterday.’

“I… I don’t know… what to say…” Alex’s voice was nearly swallowed by the frantic, drum-like thumping of his own heart.

“Is that so?” Eldara’s tone was utterly devoid of emotion. “Then let me rephrase the question.”

She leaned forward slightly, her crimson eyes staring directly into Alex’s, as if she were about to strip his very soul from his body.

“The Great Library of Silvermoon City has a complex internal structure. The Restricted Section is located at its deepest point, with no signs to guide the way,” she stated, her voice a low, dangerous purr. “You—how did you find it? And how did you pass through the barrier?”

This question was a scalpel, slicing through Alex’s final psychological defense with surgical precision.

The color instantly drained from his face, leaving it a waxy, terrified mask.

“I… I was…” he began to ramble incoherently.

“Speak!”

Eldara’s voice suddenly rose. It was just one word, yet it carried the crushing weight of a collapsing mountain.

The shout struck Alex like a physical blow. He was scared out of his wits, his body going completely limp. He slid from the chair like a puppet with its strings cut, collapsing in a boneless heap on the floor. He had completely broken down.

As if his bones had been removed, he lay slumped on the ground and, in a voice bordering on a sleep-talker’s mumble, uttered words that left everyone present dumbfounded.

“It… it was a divine revelation!”

He jerked his head up. The terror on his face was gone, replaced by a strange and fanatical flush.

“I received the guidance of the Muse!”

Celeste nearly spat out the mouthful of tea she had just taken.

‘What? Divine revelation? Muse?’Her brain stalled for a solid second.’Holy shit. I was expecting some grand, world-ending conspiracy, and instead, I get a cult recruitment pitch? Bro, did you read the wrong script? You weren’t here to steal a book; you were here to sell me on your goddess’s extended warranty, weren’t you?’

Selene was also stunned. She leaned toward Celeste’s ear and whispered, “Sis, has he been scared witless? Is he just talking nonsense?”

“Quiet. Let’s hear what else he makes up.” Celeste signaled for her to stay calm, while the internal commentary in her mind was already flowing like a waterfall.

“Divine revelation?” Eldara’s brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. This answer was as unexpected for her as it was for everyone else.

“Yes, a sacred dream!” Alex had found his outlet. He struggled to his feet, spreading his arms with a crazed, intoxicated expression. “On our way to Silvermoon City, I dreamed of a goddess! She wore a veil woven from the night, and her figure was more luminous than the twin moons in the sky! She is the very personification of beauty!”

He ranted, “She told me that the library in Silvermoon City holds a true treasure—not gold or silver, but an art book that allows one to glimpse the ‘ultimate beauty of the world’!”

“She said there were no guards because the contents are ‘taboo’ to the Elves! It was a trial she bestowed upon me!”

He began to pace and gesticulate wildly around the meeting hall, his movements a bizarre, comical ballet of religious fervor.

“Then, she took my hand and led me into that magnificent temple! Oh! Those spiral stairs are the path to truth! Those endless corridors are the labyrinth of wisdom!”

“Finally, she personally taught me how to pass through the barrier and pointed to an inconspicuous corner, telling me that the one pressed under the mundane books was my destiny!”

Alex grew more excited as he spoke, a morbid exhilaration flashing in his eyes.

“I didn’t take it seriously at first! How could a mortal dare to hope for a goddess’s favor? But… but when I arrived in Silvermoon City and saw the Great Library from afar… Oh my god!”

“It was exactly as I had seen in my dream! It was the call of destiny!”

“I understood then! I had to complete this sacred pilgrimage! To witness with my own eyes the ‘ultimate beauty of the world’ she spoke of!”

“I had nothing to lose anyway,” he added, a note of cunning creeping into his manic tone. “If it were truly an important place, it would surely be heavily guarded, and I’d be stopped as soon as I approached. Then I could just say I was lost, and they wouldn’t do anything to me.”

“I slipped inside, moving entirely based on the remembrance the goddess gave me… and… and it was exactly like the dream! I didn’t encounter a single elf along the way. I just… found that sacred place! Passed through the barrier! And saw that holy relic!”

At this point, a boastful flush appeared on Alex’s face, as if he were showing off his status as a chosen one to everyone in the room.

Inside the meeting hall, there was a deathly silence.

The old City Lord, Carlos, closed his eyes in pain, his entire face slumping. Stupid, naive, and utterly beyond help.

Selene’s mouth hung open in a perfect ‘O’. She looked at her sister, then at the prince who was still lost in his glorious reminiscence, her expression practically screaming, ‘This world is so surreal.'”Sis, can you really find treasure in a dream?” she whispered. “If so, I’m going to have a dream tonight too. There’ll definitely be a feast made by you in it.”‘Silly sister, that’s not being chosen by heaven; that’s a heavenly curse,’Celeste sighed internally.’He was used as a pawn in the most textbook way possible, the kind where you happily go to your death for free. That wasn’t a goddess, that was a ghost painting him a pretty picture to lead him straight into a minefield.’

She exchanged a look with Su Wan beside her. The ice mage’s brow was furrowed; she had clearly sensed the strangeness as well.

“That was no dream,” Su Wan’s voice was soft but certain. “His soul has been tampered with.”

“There is an ancient form of mental magic,” she explained, “that can plant an incredibly realistic ‘coordinate’ within the target’s soul, then wrap it in false emotions and manufactured desire.”

“It’s like planting a seed in his mind. This seed tells him where to find what he craves most.”

Celeste nodded and took over the conversation, her voice sharp. “A seed that can handle him precisely to the Restricted Section and even knows the exact hiding spot of Her Majesty’s private art book.”

Her gaze turned to Eldara, her words clear and powerful. “Captain, this person—or rather, the force behind them—knows your Elven internal secrets like the back of their hand.”

Eldara said nothing.

But the chill radiating from her caused the steam from the hot tea on the table to stop rising.

‘Interesting, very interesting,’Celeste thought, feeling like she had just caught the end of a very important thread.’A force proficient in soul magic and intimately familiar with the Elves’ internal secrets… if you narrow it down like that, isn’t the suspect already obvious?’

Eldara spat out a sentence, her voice colder than a winter grave. “In the total war a hundred years ago, those most adept at using such methods were the Undead.”

Only Necromancers, who spent their days trafficking among the souls of the dead, would possess and be so keen on using such strange and malicious methods.

The threads of the situation suddenly became terrifyingly clear.

In Eldara’s crimson eyes, a murderous intent began to boil.

Celeste’s previous suspicion was confirmed. This wasn’t a simple theft; it was a long-premeditated provocation. It was those rats in the gutters, reaching their filthy claws toward Silvermoon City once again after a hundred years, attempting to stir up conflict anew.

But Eldara’s interrogation was not yet over.

Her gaze fixed back onto Alex.

“One last question.” Her voice was extremely low, each word squeezed through her teeth, carrying a bone-chilling cold. “If you had just looked, Her Majesty is broad-minded and might not have pursued your offense.”

Eldara slowly stood up.

Her tall, imposing figure cast a massive shadow, completely enveloping the delusional prince on the floor. The tangible, terrifying pressure instantly extinguished Alex’s newly ignited fervor, leaving only endless cold and fear.

“Why,” Eldara leaned down, her red eyes nearly touching his face, “did you dare to steal it away?”

[Elysian’s Note:

Having a good time with the story?

Every single bit helps immensely:

Thanks a ton for making this journey possible!]