Chapter 134: What the Hell Did I Just Hear?!
Gawain hadn’t yet figured out how to begin studying the shard of the Eternal Stone Tablet, but regarding that cultist wearing the mithril ring, he felt it was necessary to reach out to the agent from the Mithril Treasury.
After all, she had promised that as a major client of the Mithril Treasury, he could consult her anytime—why not take advantage of that?
Besides, developing his domain might benefit from the Treasury’s support. Gawain wasn’t about to pass up any potential help.
He rubbed the mithril ring on his finger, then, following the instructions Melita had given him, infused it with magical energy. As his mind pulsed with power, he sensed a delicate enchantment activating within the ring. The metal warmed slightly, and a faint magical aura began to radiate from it.
Watching the ring glow softly, he couldn’t help but wonder: how exactly does this thing work?
He wasn’t sure if electromagnetic waves could be used for communication in this world—probably not—but magical communication was definitely a thing. It was an ancient, mysterious art that allowed otherwise closed magical circles to exchange information externally. Though limited in function, the original spell models were lost to time, making the technique a “black box” of sorts. The spell’s casting level was as high as fourth tier—too advanced even for Hetty without auxiliary runes or circles.
Magical communication was affected by many factors: the caster’s skill, the quality of materials, ambient magical interference, even the time of day could influence range and clarity. The most powerful device was the “Eye of the Stars” artifact atop the Celestial Sanctuary, which allowed the floating city to send messages across the entire Silver Empire. But how it worked exactly? Even the Silver Elves themselves didn’t fully understand.
Gawain suspected that this kind of long-distance magical messaging was tied to the very nature of the world’s “mana environment.” Yet the spell and circle models remained a mystery, passed down from ancient times. People knew how to use them but not why they worked. After centuries of copying without understanding, the original “blueprint” was probably lost forever.
And yet this tiny mithril ring possessed that very communication ability. The Mithril Treasury’s technology must be something else…
Lost in thought, Gawain suddenly felt the ring vibrate. A slightly distorted young female voice came through: “This is Melita Bernia. Duke Gawain Cecil, I’m glad to receive your message. Looks like you’re finally putting the Mithril Treasury to use.”
The ring even had vibration alerts? Gawain blinked, bringing the ring to his lips. “I want to ask you something.”
“As a premium client of the Mithril Treasury, all consultation services are free. What would you like to know?”
“When you select major clients… do you have any screening criteria?”
“Screening criteria?” Melita sounded momentarily surprised, then answered, “Of course. Becoming a major client isn’t easy, but it involves a complex approval process. Explaining it in detail would take some time…”
Gawain cut her off. “No need for details. I just want to know—could a cultist become one of your major clients?”
“A cultist? That depends on what kind of cultist,” Melita replied calmly. “Sometimes cultists pay even more generously than kings. As businesspeople, we always welcome generous clients…”
“The Cult of the End of All Things.”
Melita’s voice faltered, then after a brief pause she said firmly, “The Cult of the End of All Things is excluded! We don’t do business with them!”
Gawain was surprised. “Why not?”
“They’re the craziest bunch among all cultists. Their ideology makes cooperation impossible—they want to destroy everything, including other heretical sects, their business partners, even the gods and their own deity. We don’t want to deal with lunatics like that. In fact, only two or three equally insane dark cults interact with them—like the Stormborn, who dwell in the sea proclaiming the world will one day be consumed by infinite distortion, and the Dreamers, who see everything in their dreams. Their mindset is closest to the Cult of the End of All Things, sharing a strong self-destructive streak, so they get along. But no sane person would want to deal with those maniacs.”
After the rapid-fire explanation, Melita added, “Of course, it’s possible that peripheral members of the Cult of the End of All Things maintain secret business ties with the Mithril Treasury. After all, they’re a living organization that needs to operate and grow. But they could never become major clients—the strict vetting process would expose them.”
“But I have a mithril ring that signifies major client status, taken from a cultist of the End of All Things.”
“That…” Melita seemed about to say it was impossible, but then realized it might be true. She corrected herself, “Have you verified the ring’s authenticity? The design isn’t unique; it could be a forgery…”
“The material is identical to the real thing. A fake would be too costly to produce. As for the inner workings… it has identity recognition, which I can’t verify,” Gawain said, fiddling with the cultist’s ring. “Is it possible the cultist stole it from someone else?”
“If the ring is genuine, it couldn’t have been stolen,” Melita’s tone grew serious. “The mithril ring was designed with theft in mind. It has identity recognition that locks its functions if removed from the original owner. If a thief tried to impersonate the owner at a Treasury agent’s office, the agent could immediately detect the ring’s status through arcane means. In short, stolen rings are useless. And a magically locked ring that disables itself after theft? No self-respecting cultist would carry that around.”
Gawain rubbed the ring thoughtfully. “So, there really is a cultist from the End of All Things among your major clients.”
“Or the reverse might be true… a prominent figure has fallen to that cult,” Melita’s voice turned grave. “Duke Cecil, I will personally come to verify this with you. Expect me within a few days.”
Knowing the Mithril Treasury’s reach, Gawain casually asked, “You know how to find me, right?”
Melita’s voice held a hint of amusement. “Of course—as your dedicated agent, I’ve been keeping an eye on your movements.”
Gawain shivered involuntarily. Why did that sound so creepy?
Having confirmed that the “My Little Pony” lady would come in person, Gawain decided not to discuss too much over magical communication. After a few polite words, he ended the transmission.
The ring immediately emitted Melita’s shocked exclamation: “You’re going to die again?!”
Gawain: “…I meant end the transmission!”
After cutting the connection, Gawain’s tense forehead veins slowly relaxed. He exhaled and carefully stored the cultist’s mithril ring, then turned his gaze to the shard of the Eternal Stone Tablet on the table.
He still hadn’t dared to establish any mental link with the “tablet.” Though he knew it wouldn’t cause physical harm—after all, so many believers thrived in this world—he couldn’t say if his mind would be affected.
Since Veronica’s last visit, Gawain had grown even more wary of the gods here, especially after seeing the “Sandy Priestess” who appeared perfectly normal to others but looked like a holographic light effect to him. That only deepened his doubts about his own unique perception.
He knew he was a traveler from another world. His body was native to this one, but his soul was not. Perhaps that difference made the priestess appear as a projection to him. Did that mean his “vision” could see things ordinary people couldn’t?
And the power of the Eternal Stone Tablet might act directly on the soul. Would his special soul be at risk?
Lost in these thoughts, he absentmindedly flipped the palm-sized metal tablet over. Suddenly, his eyes caught the irregularly embedded crystals on the back.
Those crystals, combined with the grooves on the metal, formed a complex pattern. At first, Gawain thought it was some kind of magic circle, but on closer inspection, the lines didn’t match any known runes or circles.
His attention shifted entirely to the mysterious crystals.
They looked strangely familiar.
After a long moment, he suddenly remembered something and hurriedly fetched several crystals—one intact, several broken—that he had brought from the capital. The mysterious crystals that had helped him reconnect with the satellite.
Comparing them carefully, he confirmed one thing: the small crystals embedded in the back of the Eternal Stone Tablet were identical in material and appearance to the mysterious crystals Gawain Cecil had left behind years ago!
Shock and confusion flooded him. The Eternal Stone Tablet was connected to these crystals? And these crystals had helped him reestablish contact with the satellite… so was the tablet linked to those satellites?
He pondered this, absentmindedly handling the crystals and the tablet. Unnoticed, the tiny crystals embedded in the tablet began to glow faintly.
Gawain noticed the light and instinctively tried to move the crystals and tablet away. But before he could act, a sudden dizziness froze him in place.
His limbs felt numb and sluggish; his senses seemed to drift away. It was as if his mind was being pulled from his body. Though he could still see and hear his surroundings, the sights and sounds felt alien, as if they didn’t belong to him.
His consciousness first floated upward, then sank endlessly, immersing him in a strange, ethereal state. Faint whispers began to grow clearer in his mind…
Finally, he “heard” strange, fragmented messages echoing in his head:
“…Elimination squad… regroup, report results…”
“Confirmed: Flame God shows no life signs. Annihilation bomb deployed. Over.”
“…Observed… Collapse of the Holy Light Dome. Holy Light God deceased. Awaiting orders. Over.”
“…Observed… Arcane Sanctuary disintegrating. Arcane and Magic Goddess escaped. Sixth Hunting Legion deployed…”
“Storm God deceased… Beginning destruction of Storm Sanctuary. Over.”
“Eighth Heavy Bomber Fleet arrived at coordinates… Commencing bombardment of Shadow God’s realm. Over.”
“…Bombing fleet… dismantling the Dead God’s Sanctuary… Observed… Pale Barrier collapsing…”
“…Confirmed Death God deceased. Proceeding to War God’s domain. Over.”
“…Nature God deceased. Over.”
A chaotic roar and a dizzying whirl hit him all at once, yanking Gawain out of his “immersed state.” Sweat poured down his face as he snapped back to reality, utterly baffled and filled with a creeping sense of horror—
What the hell did I just hear?!
Wha… what the hell did I just hear?!
(End of chapter)