Chapter 176 Port Beren
“It seems Miss Mephistopheles’s promotion went smoothly.”
The path of a Transcendent is not always smooth. Even promotion to Stage Two can encounter unforeseen circumstances and accidents, let alone the path of chasing light, which has no other Transcendent to use as a reference.
Although he didn’t expect any surprises, Moria was still happy that Li Wen could complete his promotion safely.
“Somewhat.”
The description of the Candle of Giving Darkness did not seem like an ability that belonged to the Glorious Spectrum Series, so Li Wen did not want to elaborate on this topic, lest the Eldest Son of the Holy See suddenly ask about it, which would be difficult to explain.
Moria nodded slightly and said apologetically, “I must be honest about one thing. My trip to Arthur was to bring the Great Blood back to the Holy See. However, not long ago, the Great Blood was lost from my hands. It is something that absolutely cannot fall into the hands of those with ill intentions, so the matter of returning to Canaan will likely have to be postponed again.”
This was exactly what Li Wen wanted. She did not want to go to Canaan too quickly before obtaining a certain quantity of Original Texts. Although she was not clear how the Eldest Son of the Holy See lost the Great Blood, such things were unimportant. Since Moria mentioned it so solemnly, he probably was not confident in finding it back quickly.
It was even possible that it was permanently lost.
“I plan to go to Port Beren. I heard there is a mage who is best at divination, and perhaps I can get information about the Great Blood from them. Miss Mephistopheles can accompany me, or you can take care of your own affairs first. We will meet at the Grand Cathedral of Arthur’s Royal City. I will arrive there within a month at the latest.”
When he mentioned “your own affairs,” the priest cast a deep glance at Li Wen, implying that Li Wen was looking for the Original Texts of creation. However, for some reason, he did not seem eager to bring up the matter.
Li Wen thought about it. The clue to The Emerald Tablet was already in hand, and she only had to pass through the “damp and narrow mountain path in a dream” described by that mythical existence to reach the Abyss of Dettor. As for other Original Texts, she had no clues for the time being. Speaking of Port Beren, however, she recalled a rumor from her previous life, originating from the Strategy Team. It was said that a powerful mage killed and sealed a Soul Lord in Port Beren, and then a player accidentally broke the seal and took the Soul Lord away.
This matter sounded like a fabricated joke, but it actually happened because the player who took the Soul Lord had tried to join the Strategy Team but failed. What Li Wen cared about was what happened afterward. After the Great Advent, that person lost his player identity and was instead possessed by the seemingly harmless Soul Lord. The resurrected Soul Lord escaped to the Undersea and immediately completed promotion to Stage Eight.
Nothing seemed strange, and perhaps it only served as a warning to people not to trust any Transcendent. However, Li Wen realized that there was a very obvious problem with this story: why could a Soul Lord of the Decayed Lineage, after being killed and resurrected twice, still be promoted to Stage Eight?
Stage Eight was called the insurmountable gap between mortals and gods. Throughout history, those who could be promoted to this stage were either Saints of various religions or crowned kings. They all had to undergo the ritual of anointment or coronation to complete their promotion. It was not without reason that Transcendent of Stage Eight were called Saints, Kings, or Gods walking among mortals, because after being anointed or crowned, they naturally possessed a certain divine power.
But those crowned kings had long perished in the river of history, and the technique of anointing others was now only mastered by the Holy See, which meant that unless the Holy See permitted it, no Saint, that is, a Transcendent of Stage Eight, could be born in the mortal realm. Siswell, the most powerful mage in the Kingdom of Arthur and the master of the Dark Dawn, was stuck at Stage Seven for this very reason, with no way to ascend.
So the question returns to the beginning: how could the Soul Lord be promoted? He was a Transcendent of the Decayed Lineage, and it was impossible for him to be anointed by the Holy See. The ritual of coronation was long lost. How could he be promoted? Not to mention that being resurrected from death would definitely have a great impact on his strength. It was debatable whether possessing a player’s body could even maintain the strength of Stage Seven.
After much thought, Li Wen could only think of one possibility – the Source Text of Lineage.
She was so sure for a reason: The Primordial Codex of Ending recorded the means to achieve ascension without anointment or coronation.
This meant that even if the Soul Lord did not possess the Original Text, he must have controlled clues related to the Original Text.
“I can go with you.”
Li Wen said decisively. She did not intend to let go of any clues related to the Original Texts. Before that unknown player released the Soul Lord, she needed to obtain the Original Text or its clues first.
She hoped it was not too late. She did not know where that player went after taking the Soul Lord.
Moria was somewhat surprised by Li Wen’s decision but did not say much.
The fastest way to get from Leicester to Port Beren was by ship, of course, excluding supernatural means like air travel.
The Bird Association of the White Circle had just experienced an attack by the Truth Society and would have to stay in Leicester to rest for a period of time. Moreover, their itinerary did not pass through Port Beren. Therefore, it was unlikely to hitch a ride on air travel again as they had before.
So Moria’s suggestion was to take a boat. Leicester had countless ships traveling between major ports every quarter. They only needed to pay a not-too-expensive fare to reach Port Beren within half a month. The only problem now was that he had no money.
Of course, Li Wen also had no money. So far, all her expenses had come from others’ pockets. After all, she still had to work hard to find the Original Texts, and she did not intend to waste time on money, which was useful but not particularly useful.
“Why don’t we ask the locals?” the girl suggested. In fact, she hoped to just pilfer enough to cover the ship fare and avoid wasting time on such matters. However, Moria, being a good-natured person, would never agree to such a method, so she did not need to offend him in this regard.
The locals naturally referred to Selwin. This mage was the acting president of Sorcery Anomalies Hand and a noble member of the Lagovin Family. With his influence in Leicester, as long as he nodded, countless people would be willing to bear the ship fare, or even ten or a hundred times the fare.
Li Wen was too lazy to worry about such things and simply pushed them all onto Moria.
