Chapter 347 - Adeline's Dedication
L.u.s.t read the words on the Ghost Lady blade aloud. "More than friends, we are sisters of different parents, inseparable in life and beyond."
"It looks like a tribute," Lucien comments as he continues to stroke the sword in his hand.
L.u.s.t mods. "Yes. It is written in the royal language of the oceans. It is just a pretentious way of saying that it is the coded language of the Blue Star, the second world of the Seven Stars."
Lucien makes a thoughtful expression. "It's hard to believe it is a coincidence that this sword is too near where Adeline came to hide. Does the Blue Star have any special connection to her homeworld?"
"All the seven stars have many connections. They are very close together in order to defend themselves against superior races. But in fact, some of them have more significant connections." L.u.s.t starts to explain.
"The Blue Star and Brown Star are very similar in general power, but their special connection comes from the friendship between the royal families of the fox-people and the Blue Star Mermaids clan." She continues.
"The Brown Star fox-people are kind souls who defend nature at any cost, so they easily make friends with other people who respect nature."
"The Mermaids are kind and peaceful beings of the Blue Star, and that is why they are seen as weak and fragile by other peoples. But the fox-people defend the Mermaids, and that's why they get along so well." She ends a quick explanation about the relationship of those peoples.
Lucien looks at the Ghost Lady and thinks out loud. "So this could be a gift from a Mermaid to a fox-woman."
"Or from a fox-woman to a Mermaid. But the first option is more likely because this blade seems to have been made with water energy, the main affinity of the Mermaids." L.u.s.t responds.
He continues to stroke the Ghost Lady's hilt and blade. "Those words... it is obvious that they loved each other very much, but the ending suggests something dangerous."
L.u.s.t nods. "A promise for life and beyond... it is possible that one of them died and the other did not accept the death of her beloved sister, so she tried to immortalize her soul in this sword. But without knowledge and soul power, the result was a cursed sword."
Lucien makes a sorry expression while looking at the Ghost Lady. "Maybe Adeline was her fox-woman and her sister the Mermaid?"
"Maybe..." L.u.s.t thinks about something. "Oh, let's read the diary. I know you were curious about it, but you didn't want to stay so near your mother-in-law, at the risk of seducing her unintentionally."
He makes a 'cant' be helped' expression and then takes the magic bracelet and tosses it to L.u.s.t.
She takes the bracelet and takes the diary out of it. Then she lay her back on Lucien's c.h.e.s.t so they can both read the diary while he continues to stroke the Ghost Lady to make her docile.
With Lucien's incredible reading capability, he can quickly read the diary pages while L.u.s.t decodes the codes.
On the next ten pages after the first one, Adeline only wrote things that happened in her daily life as she joined the fox villages to create a great clan.
She described her interactions with new people, and although everyone thought she was a goddess because of the difference in power, she acted humble with others as she understands that people from inferior worlds don't have abundant resources to become stronger as inheritances of power, knowledge, and treasures like mystic crystals.
Lucien continues to read the diary, but at no point, Adeline talks about her power level. Yet, in the codes hidden between the simple words, she says that due to some limitations caused by injuries she suffered during her escape from the Brow Star, she fears meeting a lot of Mortal Realm enemies.
"She should be on the Earth Realm or peak of the Mortal Realm because even people from Sky and Immortal Realms severely injured can beat hundreds of people from the Mortal Realm." L.u.s.t explains.
"I see." He continues to read Adeline's diary.
Five pages later, they find something interesting in the codes that Adeline wrote.
L.u.s.t reads Adeline's words aloud. "I dreamed about her yesterday."
Lucien and L.u.s.t are curious about who Adeline was talking about, and so she continues to read the words in the diary. "She told me to keep the sword away from them."
They can't help thinking that Adeline's words are about the Ghost Lady, so L.u.s.t keeps reading. "And I'm doing it. I devoted my life to be the guardian of that cursed blade."
"I know they can't bring the two swords together, or our worlds will be lost. I know my duty, and I did it well." L.u.s.t finishes reading that part and stops to reflect.
"Two swords? So is there another cursed blade?" L.u.s.t thinks out loud.
"Perhaps the other sister also died. Adelina was not her but the keeper of one of the swords." Lucien comments.
L.u.s.t nods. "It makes sense, but I never heard of cursed weapons working together. Cursed objects are always untouchable and chaotic."
Lucien looks at Ghost Lady in his hand. The silver blade looks like a baby sleeping comfortably. "Well, if we can do something like that, other people should, too. It doesn't necessarily have to be the same way as ours."
"True." L.u.s.t nods and continues to read Adeline's codes.
"Knowing that it was too dangerous to go to another medium world, I fled to a distant inferior world and sealed the portal with an unstable life crystal, so there is no way for them to follow me through the portal. Also, I hid the blade in a deep lake. That poor soul quickly corrupted the place so the inhabitants of this world will avoid going to such a dark place, even if they are looking for their death."
"What is an unstable life crystal?" Lucien asks.
L.u.s.t quickly explains. "It is a crystal modified by a great alchemist using thousands of other crystals. That is used to create a new..."
She pauses for a second while noticing something, making Lucien curious. Then she smiles and speaks. "A new mine."
Lucien quickly realizes the 'coincidence' and comments. "So that mine of life crystals..."
L.u.s.t nods. "These unstable crystals are, as the name says: unpredictable. They may or may not work, and they can take from a few years to hundreds or thousands of years to work."
"That explains why no one found that mine before." Lucien talks about the life crystals mine in the ocean east of Portgreen.
"And that's because the angels only found out about it recently. They must have been scanning worlds nearby and felt the mine's aura growing." L.u.s.t completes.
"An incredible coincidence indeed. So an ancestor of Anne created that mine to seal the portal and hide you here..." Lucien talks to the Ghost Lady.
"A risky plan." L.u.s.t comments and then explain. "The unstable crystal prevented others from using or tracking that portal, but soon it could become a great mine and draw the attention of powerful people to this world. Someone at some point would find this sword."
Lucien responds. "Adelina wrote that she got hurt while escaping, so maybe she had no choice. The unstable crystal must have been her last option."
"I guess so." L.u.s.t agrees.
He again looks at the silver blade with a thoughtful expression. "It seems that every step we give, we face something incredible in this world. What else should we expect?"
L.u.s.t also makes a thoughtful expression. "There's probably a dark angel following us, but I'm still more concerned with Rose's mother. She is a vampire, and it would be a really improbable coincidence for her to flee to the same world as Adeline in very similar situations."
Lucien can't help but agree with L.u.s.t. Yet, he quickly defends his lover. "Rose would never hide something like that from me, especially something important even if it was a secret of her mother."
"I'm also sure that Rose wouldn't hide anything from you because she loves you very much. But maybe Rose doesn't know her mother's secrets." L.u.s.t responds.
"It's a possibility..." Lucien makes a concerned expression.
Both are silent as they reflect on new discoveries while Lucien continues to stroke the Ghost Lady and give her his demonic energy, which is slowly modifying the weapon in ways that no one could have predicted.
"So..." Lucien pauses before looking at the silver blade again. "Adeline dedicated her life to hide this sword... Maybe it is really dangerous to try to control such a cursed object. Also, we don't know what can happen if the Ghost lady finds her sister. Adelina seemed to be very afraid of that as well as is be her pursuers' goal."
"Yes, there is no way to predict what will happen next. Also, keeping the Ghost Lady can make us a target of Adeline's pursuers if they are still looking for that sword." L.u.s.t agrees.
"But?" Lucien asks.
L.u.s.t smiles as she can't hide her thoughts from Lucien. They are deeply connected to the point that they think as one mind.
"Look at the Ghost Lady in your hand." L.u.s.t points to the sword. "You already have full control over a cursed weapon. In case we find her sister, and the power of the two swords together is much greater, I am still sure that you can control them. Such treasures do not grow in trees, so we must take them when we can. Big rewards come with big risks."
Before Lucien responds, L.u.s.t continues. "Also, if we find Adeline's pursuers, it will be your luck, right? I know you already feel angry at them without even knowing them. I know you want to find out how the Ghost Lady and her sister died, find out who wanted to hurt those fox-ladies, and punish them all just because they get in the way of your wives' ancestors. This is you: someone who doesn't forgive those who do or try to harm your lovers, and their families, even if it happened hundreds or thousands of years ago."
"I really want to punish them..." Lucien smiles.
L.u.s.t smiles too. "So keep the Ghost Lady with you, and after we rescue your mother, reunite your whole family, we go to Brow Star to find out who deserves to be punished."
"Also after recovering your real body." Lucien corrects the plan.
She kisses him. "Sounds perfect to me."
Lucien finishes kissing L.u.s.t and turns the Ghost Lady in the air before looking at the blade. "And you? Do you like this plan?"
L.u.s.t laughs, thinking that Lucien is expecting too much from the cursed sword. "Hahaha... she's still a sw-"
But something incredible happens.
*Boooom* *Splash*
An explosion of water occurs in the lake below them, and a circle of water forms around Lucien, but without getting him wet. Also, he can see many stones shining within that circle, forming a beautiful scene.
"That sounds like a yes to me." Lucien chuckles.
"It certainly is!" L.u.s.t giggles.
The Ghost Lady vibrates excitedly in Lucien's hand, demonstrating her agreement.
At the same time, dozens of miles above the lake, amidst dark clouds, a hooded figure watches the scene.
Then a black feather slowly falls… And there's a drop of transparent liquid on it. Not a water drop.
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