Nina is a pirate who rose from the lower and mid-level ranks. Though she often becomes impatient and easily irritated, her experience is undoubtedly rich, making her a reliably dependable person. With a slight pause, she described carefully: "The well was located deep beneath the sea floor. I needed ample buffer time to adjust to the pressure and temperature there, so it took me a long time to reach it. "The well itself wasn't easy to spot, but the remnants of the steel structures were quite noticeable. Once I adapted to the environment, I found them. "They had completely collapsed and rotted away—impossible to imagine what they once looked like. Yet, it was clear they had once been substantial, just now significantly reduced in scale." Nina smiled lightly, her gaze sweeping over the men present. Indeed, true female pirates were different after all... Klein silently remarked to himself. In his view, whether it was the "Admiral of the Stars" Galadriya, the "Admiral of the Ice" Edvenna, or the "Admiral of Illness" Tracie, they weren't truly pure female pirates, as each had originated from a major power or a secretive organization. When they were lower in rank, they either hadn't been at sea, had been serving under prominent figures, doing relatively safe duties, or had been independent adventurers who had barely been exposed to the styles and atmosphere of the mid- and lower-tier pirates. Then she pointed to the remaining patch of black soil covered with honeycomb-like patterns: "Near the steel ruins, I found that well—it's actually quite small. If even this can be called 'huge,' then I must have seen many colossal cannons. 'The drunk adventurers are far more boastful than our pirates!' This is the inner layer soil from the well's depths—I simply cannot imagine how these markings could have formed!" Nina's fingers continuously tapped on the honeycomb spots across the black soil. Originally, Kline had thought these were faint traces left by dense, concentrated impacts of small objects, but upon closer inspection, he began to suspect they were rather patterns of corrosion—residual 'textures' left behind—each spot being shallow, with edges gently spreading irregularly outward. As she handed the black soil to "The Star General" Gardeleia, Nina continued: "The well is truly small—indeed, even if we bring a child from Nars, the child wouldn't be able to fit inside." "It's very deep—I even feel like it has no bottom. Under those conditions, its interior is dark and mysterious, as though something is slowly calling to me, yes, slowly. "I gathered a few stones nearby and tossed them in, but they made no response. In short, the well is completely filled with water." Gadeleia carefully examined the metallic rod and the black soil through the thick glass pane: "Since the well opening is small and humans can't enter directly, we don't need to begin exploring right away—this would be extremely dangerous. "Once I've uncovered the secrets hidden within these two items and determined whether this ancient well holds sufficient value to warrant our risk, we'll return and attempt the exploration then." "All right, Captain!" Nina, damp from the cold wind, shivered and caused the pirates around her to all stare in surprise. Gadeleia adjusted her glasses and said to Nina, "You may have a bottle of Sunia's blood wine today—no limit on the rest." "Long live the captain!" Nina exclaimed with genuine delight. As a human, it was impossible to reach the ancient underwater well... without any desire to explore, Klein summarized Nina's description in his mind. Suddenly, a remarkable thought struck him: Just because humans couldn't enter that underwater well, it didn't mean non-humans couldn't! Many deep-sea fish, though not particularly large, had a good chance of passing through the well's opening. And as the "God of the Sea," wielding his staff, he certainly had the means to command marine life! For now, he wouldn't rush—let's see what insights the "Recluse" lady can glean from these two items. Then, he'd decide whether to embark on an exploration journey upon returning, or perhaps risk encountering some extraordinary peril. With current information still insufficient, such risks could hardly be foreseen. Amid these thoughts, Klein remained composed on the surface. At that moment, however, the "Star General" Gardeleia glanced at him with a rather curious expression, then smoothly returned her gaze without drawing attention. Why did she suddenly look at me? What was she looking at me for? She couldn’t possibly know that I possess the "Staff of the Sea God," capable of commanding marine life—well, she does know, but she knows that the "Card of the Fool" holds the divine staff bequeathed by the sea serpent Cawitua, not the "World"... Unless she sees through the fact that the "World" itself is the "Fool"—but that’s even less likely. Even the "Emblem of the Hangman" still operates at the level of believing the "World" to be a custodian; she hasn’t even grasped that concept yet. "Let’s shift our perspective—consider the 'Star-Commander' instead. She’s someone driven by knowledge, having followed the 'Mystic Queen' and pledged loyalty to the 'Moses Monastery,' navigating the seas for years, experiencing countless events and gaining broad insight. It’s entirely natural that she would recognize the extraordinary ability of the 'Sea God' domain to command marine life. Therefore, upon discovering that humans could no longer pass through the ancient underwater well, wouldn’t she naturally associate that with the staff held by the 'Fool,' and plan to seek his assistance at a later time?" "Let me see if the world has also gathered the relevant intelligence, if it shares similar thoughts?"克莱恩 immediately thought of many things, leveraging the "Clown's" ability to force his expression to remain composed and neutral, with no unusual reactions. While Nina went to collect Sunia's blood wine,克莱恩 adjusted his hat and headed back toward the ship's entrance. Near the doorway, a sudden image flashed into his mind: a room on the upper deck, its windows closed and curtains drawn, with two eyes barely visible behind the fabric, quietly observing the people on deck, particularly Germaine Sparrow. Who? Yet克莱恩 did not pause, his body remained fluid and unstrained, indistinguishable from his earlier movements, as he smoothly entered the ship's cabin. ………… At 3 p.m., bright yet not scorching sunlight fell upon a garden near Storn University. Michelle Deit, now a seasoned associate professor at the age of forty, stood in the doorway, dressed in a formal, long tailcoat with a neat bow tie, patiently awaiting. The previous evening, he had received a letter from a servant of the Hall Earl, the most prominent noble family in East Chester. The letter was written by Lady Audrey Hall, the daughter of a highly influential peer, renowned as the most dazzling gem of Beckland. In her letter, the distinguished lady mentioned that she had heard from the gathering that Mr. Michelle Deit was an exceptional collector, and as a devoted enthusiast of the field, she expressed a strong desire to visit his collection. Michelle Deit had no reason to decline. Soon, a graceful carriage bearing the family crest arrived at the main gate. Two servants, already instructed, opened the outer gate composed of steel railings, guiding the carriage around the garden to the house's entrance. A housekeeper stepped down first, followed by the guards and maids. Then, a hand in white lace gloves extended. With the help of the maids, Audrey gracefully stepped onto the carpet that Michel had laid out in advance. Michel was momentarily stunned, then his eyes brightened, and at that moment, it seemed as though all the colors in the room around him faded. He took two steps forward, removed his hat, and bowed: "Welcome, noble lady. Your visit is a true honor to me and my family." Audrey took off her hat, handed it to a maid, made a few polite remarks, and then followed Michel de Duyt through the living room into the ground-floor gallery. Once there, Michel seemed to finally regain his sense of confidence, beginning at the left edge and pointing to the exhibits as he introduced them: "This is a helmet from the War of the White Roses. Through my long study of it, I have confirmed that its owner was a member of the Sorel family—then still part of the royal house." "The golden helmet is intricately designed, with ornamental elements resembling birds in flight, and the face shield is composed of individual metal scales." "My ancestors earned his first noble title during that war," Audrey responded with genuine interest. She had already adjusted her mental state, preparing as if she were truly visiting. "The defeat in the Twenty-Year War brought years of humiliation to the kingdom, yet it also forged a generation of heroes," Michel added, offering a side remark of praise. The War of the White Roses occurred after the Twenty-Year War, following the breach of alliance, when Roon defeated Intis and regained its strength. Michel continued to present his collection, and Audrey listened intently, occasionally asking questions and engaging in conversation. Finally, Michel pointed to a notebook with a black cover: "This belonged to a knight who served on the island of Sunya during the Twenty-Year War." "The knight's name has faded into the long history, and it is only this notebook that proves he once existed, that he held firm on Sunya Island until the very end. 'This notebook is not only the primary source for studying that period of history, but it also contains certain inconsistencies—the knight exhibits several unusual grammatical habits, which may provide clues to identifying him precisely.' Audrey instinctively believed this notebook was her target, so she leaned in slightly, and indeed, on the black cover, she found faint traces of lines that together formed a rather abstract, majestic dragon." From the tone and subtle expressions conveyed by Associate Professor Michèle, it seemed clear that his interest in the notebook lay primarily in its content, rather than in the notebook itself—he did not particularly treasure it. I have a strong hope of being able to purchase it. Audrey remained calm and made her judgment, tilting her head slightly with a gentle smile toward Michèle Duit: "What specific, less common habits exactly?" "He prefers short, concise sentences," Michèle said, proudly elaborating. Audrey had always been a good listener, smiling attentively and listening intently, which enabled Michèle to share more details. As he continued, she suddenly found that the knight's grammatical habits felt strangely familiar. "Ah," Audrey's eyes flickered, and she quickly recalled the source of that sense of recognition. It was precisely certain grammatical patterns she had studied thoroughly and mastered in the ancient dragon language!