After striking a deal with Cohinem, Alaric obtained what he sought: the coordinates of the few remaining elven enclaves and intelligence about the Western Continent.
Cohinem's knowledge of the Western Continent was indeed limited, but she surprised Alaric with an unexpected revelation.
"You can contact someone on the Western Continent?" Alaric asked, looking at Cohinem with astonishment, caught off guard by her hidden trump card.
This was never mentioned in the original story.
The Western Continent wasn't completely isolated from the outside world. Perhaps it was thousands of years ago, but as time passed and the seals weakened, the barrier between the Western Continent and the outside world had become far less absolute. Otherwise, Bansy Harbor wouldn't have a branch of the City of Calamity.
In fact, the God of Steam and Machinery had been influenced by the Celestial Master's Knowledge Moor.
"It's something the King left behind, a book-like object made of bamboo strips…" Cohinem explained simply. "He called it the bamboo slip. I don't know its exact nature, but I suspect it exists in pairs, with the other half likely on the Western Continent. Saying it can contact the Western Continent isn't entirely accurate, as it's mostly one-way communication. In the beginning, language barriers made it largely ineffective…"
She described how the bamboo slip worked: words carved onto it would sometimes receive a response, but the replies were neither prompt nor reliable, often arriving incomplete, with only fragments of sentences appearing.
"I'm not sure of the situation on the Western Continent, but I suspect the other half of the bamboo slip has passed through many hands and was lost for a long time. After the Fourth Epoch, there were centuries with no responses. It was only in the last two hundred years that someone began replying again," Cohinem said, showing no intent to conceal anything.
Alaric raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Who's been replying recently?"
"I don't know their true identity, only that they call themselves the Celestial Master," Cohinem replied. "They're a highly learned figure, seemingly the leader of a sect, and very curious about the outside world…"
She paused, then added, "They seem particularly interested in Roselle."
"..."
The Celestial Master? The Knowledge Moor's integrator?
Alaric's expression turned peculiar.
Cohinem noticed and asked tentatively, "Do you know them?"
"I know of them," Alaric answered candidly, smiling at her. "If it's the Celestial Master I'm thinking of, they're quite a remarkable figure."
The Celestial Master was, in some ways, Quasi-Demon of Knowledge.
"I suspected as much," Cohinem said, unsurprised. As the former Elf Queen, she was far from ignorant and had likely gleaned something from the Celestial Master's words.
"So, where's the bamboo slip now?" Alaric asked directly, his curiosity about the Celestial Master piqued.
"It's with my true body. I'll have it sent to you," Cohinem replied.
"That straightforward?" Alaric glanced at her.
"It's no longer useful to me," She said matter-of-factly. "Better to give it to you to fulfill its final purpose."
Alaric smiled, not pressing the topic further, and shifted to discussing the elves' affairs.
There weren't many pureblood elves left... mixed-bloods were more common, but true elves were pitifully few.
With Cohinem's assistance, managing them wouldn't be difficult. Or rather, Alaric didn't need to micromanage. By controlling Cohinem and selecting a few elves to nurture, he could ensure they'd serve his purposes when needed.
Of course, Alaric wasn't one to make empty promises. Having agreed to protect the elves, he intended to follow through. He informed the Church of the Lord of Storms that "the elves are now under my protection" and enlisted Tolzna, to watch over the remaining elves.
While Alaric handled the elves, Klein began using Kalvetua's identity to purge and reorganize the Church of the Sea God, rallying the resistance forces across the Five Seas and preparing them for upcoming changes.
With both troublemakers occupied with serious matters, the number of pirate victims across the Five Seas dropped significantly, leaving many pirates overjoyed.
During this time, Cohinem delivered the bamboo slip to Alaric.
"It really does look like some magic scroll…" Alaric remarked, running his fingers over the object, which had an air of antiquity. He smiled, then opened it to find lines of text.
[Celestial Master, this is my final message to you. I will pass the bamboo slip to another.]
This was clearly from Cohinem.
Below was the reply, written in a refined hand.
[No matter, friend. Do you need assistance? May I know the successor's identity?]
Cohinem's response followed:
[I'm fine and need no help. The successor is Jack Jones, a student of a very unique figure. Forgive me for not revealing their significance, but you may learn more through your own conversation with him.]
[I understand. Thank you for informing me.]
The bamboo slip's content ended there, the rest blank.
Alaric knew this didn't mean they'd only exchanged a few lines over thousands of years. The bamboo slip erased previous messages with each new conversation.
After a moment's thought, Alaric picked up a carving knife and wrote:
[Hello, Celestial Master.]
[I'm Jack Jones, a remnant of the Pre-Epoch. My mentor is preparing to face the apocalypse and will soon aid a new Lord of Mysteries to replace the former Lord of Mysteries, allowing the Ancient Sun God to return. Send me fifty to hear the full plan.]
"Done. Hope I get a reply soon," Alaric said, setting down the knife and clapping his hands. He noticed Klein across from him, looking at him with a strange expression.
"What's with that look?" Alaric asked, puzzled, seemingly oblivious to what he'd just done.
***
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