Unexpectedly, Old Ed didn't respond to him.
Elias waited in his mind for a full thirty seconds.
He could clearly feel that the mental channel between himself and the bracelet hadn't been severed.
Is the old geezer playing dead?
Before he could delve any deeper—
“No!”
In reality, Ophelia, wrapped in her blanket, suddenly spoke.
She lifted her head stubbornly, her beautiful eyes fixed on Elias.
“That definitely wasn't a dream!”
Outside, the thunder rumbled, making the window panes buzz and rattle.
Ophelia’s body trembled slightly, but her tone was exceptionally firm.
“That’s why I once had a dream.”
She bit her pale lip.
“It was to come to Moon Bay personally once I grew up and investigate the truth of the ghost ships.”
“To expose those things hidden in the mist to the world.”
Elias looked at her with a blank expression.
Investigating the indescribable in this mad world?
That’s not a dream.
That’s a death wish.
“Back then, my brother wasn't even born yet.”
Ophelia’s voice lowered, carrying a hint of bitter reminiscence.
“I told everyone around me about it.”
“But the adults were all just like you.”
She shot Elias a glance, her eyes filled with a sense of being wronged.
“They thought I was crazy, or that I was making up stories to get attention.”
“They didn't believe me.”
Elias scoffed internally.
Not believing you was for your own good.
If they had actually believed your nonsense and gone to Moon Bay to see ghost ships, the grass on their graves would have been mowed eight times over by now.
“That’s why I’m afraid of thunder.”
Ophelia buried her face in her knees, her voice muffled.
“Because the sound of thunder always reminds me of the thick fog that night, and that feeling of being isolated and helpless because no one believed me.”
“Later, when my brother grew up...”
“Whenever it was a thunderous or rainy night, he would run to my room to keep me company.”
At this point, Ophelia’s voice choked up completely.
“Until three years ago, when he disappeared...”
“Even though he’s been gone for three whole years, I’m still not quite used to it.”
It was a cliché, yet incredibly real, tragic story.
An ordinary girl pushed to her wits' end.
Had it been any other gentleman on the streets of Landon, he would have likely pulled her into a sympathetic embrace by now, taking the opportunity to show off his broad shoulders and sense of security.
But who was Elias?
He was a transcendent carrying a high-risk containment object, ready to risk his life against evil god spawn at any moment.
“You can sleep on the sofa.”
“If you can't overcome this.”
Elias stood up, looking down at the “stray cat” huddled in the blanket.
“Then to be honest, your investigation will only get harder from here.”
“Because the waters of Wayland Shipping are deep.”
“Very deep.”
Deep enough to hide not just capitalists who would ruin lives without blinking, but also cultists with hearts full of malice.
“What you’re going to face isn't just the security department of Wayland Capital.”
A security department would, at most, take your life.
There were things that would take far more than just your life.
Elias didn't say another word.
He turned, his long legs carrying him straight toward the inner bedroom of the luxury suite.
When he reached the bedroom door...
Elias placed his hand on the doorknob, his movements pausing slightly.
He turned his head, his profile receding into the shadows.
“Ophelia.”
“You’re a good girl. Don’t go and die.”
With that.
Click.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing it behind him without hesitation.
He shut out all the sight and weakness from the outside.
In the living room.
Ophelia stared blankly at the closed solid wood door.
The sound of the lock turning was like a hammer striking her heart.
She didn't feel angry, nor did she feel insulted.
On the contrary.
She felt that this man was right.
She didn't know what was wrong with her.
Back when she worked for the Landon Post...
With her outstanding looks, many self-proclaimed young gallants would take the initiative to strike up conversations with her.
Not to mention the neighbors living near her home who tried every trick in the book to win her favor.
They would send flowers, write sappy love poems, and swear up and down that they would protect her.
But from the bottom of her heart, her impression of those people was just a strong sense of unreliability.
Like the gaudy, tasteless cakes in a shop window.
But here.
This factory owner who called himself “Bruce.”
Not only was he not warm toward her, but his attitude from beginning to end was one of cold indifference.
And yet, she truly felt that he was incredibly reliable.
“If you can't overcome fear, the investigation will only get harder.”
Ophelia chewed on those words repeatedly.
The things Bruce said now felt like a sudden epiphany to her.
He was right!
If she couldn't even endure a mere roll of thunder...
If she didn't have a strong enough heart...
How could she ever investigate the cause of her brother’s death?
The truth only beckoned to those brave enough to keep their eyes open in the dark.
Ophelia took a deep breath.
She wrapped the wool blanket tighter around herself and buried her head deep into her knees.
This time.
She no longer trembled because of the thunder outside.
In the darkness, she forced her eyes wide open, staring intently at the patterns on the coffee table.
She was adapting to the fear.
...
Back with Elias, separated by a single wall.
At this moment, he was standing before the full-length mirror in the bedroom. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he persistently called out to the old man who was playing dead in his mind.
“Old man?”
“Old Ed?”
“Give me a sign if you’re still kicking!”
“Stop playing dead, I know you can hear me!”
However.
For some reason, the old man gave no response.
The sea of consciousness was eerily quiet.
It was as if it had truly become a silent tomb.
“Dammit.”
Elias rubbed his brow irritably.
He had no choice but to give up for now.
He double-locked the bedroom door.
For safety’s sake, he even laid a simple spiritual warning thread across the door gap.
Then, he shed his clothes, which were heavy with exhaustion, and slipped into the luxurious bathroom adjacent to the bedroom.
He submerged his entire body into the ceramic bathtub decorated with gold-rimmed patterns.
It was a good thing he had booked this luxury suite.
Otherwise, if it had been a standard room...
Given Ophelia’s display just now...
He wouldn't have known how to deal with it.
Steam rose as the warm water enveloped his tired body, slightly alleviating the stinging pain deep within his soul.
Elias lay in the tub, letting out a long sigh of relief.
He admitted to himself that he had never been good at dealing with women.
Especially the kind who made a scene and carried a heavy past and obsession.
So, faced with Ophelia’s midnight door-knocking for comfort, he really had no way to handle her.
Aside from using the coldest words to jolt her awake, he didn't know what else he could do.
And really, where was her sense of boundaries!
They had known each other for less than a few hours!
Besides, as he had told Old Ed before...
He didn't want to easily drag an ordinary person into this.
The supernatural world was a bottomless pool of black mud; once you were stained by it, you could never wash it off.
Just like at home in Hope County.
Even if he lived every day in secret, hiding himself like a thief...
He didn't want to bring Arthur and Charlotte into this world of transcendent madness.
He only hoped they could be an ordinary policeman and an ordinary girl.
Living out their lives in peace and stability.
However.
Fate always loved to play cruel jokes.
Unfortunately.
When it came to his sister, Charlotte, he was already powerless to change things.
Just as he was lying in the warm water, his mind filled with these headache-inducing thoughts, a subtle arcane ripple came from the shadows of the bathroom.
It was a spiritual frequency unique to the Seventh Agency.
Ms. Cecil’s reply had arrived.
A black cat slipped silently through a tiny crack.
It leaped gracefully onto the tray table over the tub, a letter sealed with special wax held in its mouth.
The black cat dropped the letter and dissipated.
Elias dried his hands, casually pulled a bath towel over his shoulders, and tore open the envelope.
The handwriting on the paper was elegant yet sharp.
The very first paragraph addressed the issue he cared about most.
A brief profile of the Octowin.
【It is highly likely to be a giant ironclad ship independently built by a secret shipyard under Wayland Military Industries.】
【The ship was originally delivered on schedule to the Royal Navy of Velen last year to serve as the flagship for coastal defense.】
【It is equipped with many advanced weapons that have yet to be made public, combining steam power with high-level alchemy.】
As Elias read these lines, his pupils contracted slightly.
A Royal Navy ironclad?
This is a strategic asset of the state!
【This time, it is unknown what underhanded methods Wayland Capital used to persuade the military high command to cooperate.】
【They allowed this war machine, which should have been on standby in a naval port, to sail into the waters of Moon Bay under the guise of a scientific expedition.】
【As for the specific details and exactly what level of weaponry is on board, our headquarters will need to conduct a follow-up investigation.】
Elias put down the letter and let out a cold laugh.
Wayland Capital’s reach was truly beyond belief.
They could even borrow the flagship of the Royal Navy to act as their private muscle.
What did that mean?
It meant they were determined to get the Fifth Element.
Even to the point of using military force.
This Plan B was certainly simple and crude.
Just going to level everything with shells, are we?
Elias rubbed his throbbing temples and continued reading.
The latter half of the letter concerned the situation regarding Charlotte, which he had specifically asked about in his previous message.
According to Ms. Cecil’s letter...
Charlotte had officially joined the Hope County branch of the Seventh Agency.
Furthermore, as a student of Ms. Cecil herself, she was undergoing basic training in mysticism.
At the end of the letter, Ms. Cecil gave her personal word.
【Rest assured, I guarantee that I will not let Charlotte perform any field missions that are too dangerous.】
Seeing this, the weight that had been hanging over Elias’s heart finally halfway lifted.
In fact.
This was within his expectations.
Staying with the Seventh Agency under Ms. Cecil’s watch was better than running around outside and being targeted by cultists.
“What are you doing?”
Just as Elias was about to dispose of the letter.
In his mind.
Old Ed’s familiar voice finally came back online.
The old man’s voice sounded a bit groggy.
As if he had just woken up.
“Singing,” Elias replied irritably.
“What?”
“You actually need to sleep?”
“I wasn't sleeping!” Old Ed immediately protested loudly.
Elias scoffed, exposing his lie without mercy.
“Bullshit!”
“Back in the living room, when that girl was talking about ghost ships, how many times did I call you?”
“You didn't even give me an echo!”
“Hiss—”
When Old Ed heard the words “ghost ships,” it was as if he had been burned by something, and he suddenly let out another sharp intake of breath.
“See? Out again!”
Rate on N.U.
