"Name: Cursed Tudor Emblem
Danger Level: '1'
Appearance: A black iron emblem engraved with a scepter and a hand tightly gripping it.
Sealing Method: Arrange Woffal Bee wax candles on either side of the emblem—41 on the left, 40 on the right.
Description: When unsealed, anyone who steps within ten meters of it will have thoughts of 'war,' 'conquest,' and 'betrayal' forcibly implanted in their mind, causing them to either attack their companions or themselves. The conflict will only cease when death occurs.
Mid- to low-sequence Beyonders who possess it will have their psyche darken rapidly, their actions becoming increasingly chaotic… Holding or wearing it for more than three minutes will make the wielder a captive of the emblem, inevitably leading to falling into madness and losing control.
Usage: In a sealed state, it can be incorporated into rituals to partially utilize the abilities of a Sequence 4 'Earl of the Fallen' from the Lawyer Pathway, including but not limited to:
1. Designating an area where rules can be altered, added, or exploited to create a favorable combat environment.
2. Amplifying the effects or impact of one's Beyonder abilities and mystical items.
3. Twisting a target's speech, actions, intentions, and even the effects of their attacks.
4. Altering the structure and proportions of objects, as well as the precision of attacks.
Precautions:
1. Tudor bloodline descendants must not approach, or they will immediately perish under an unknown curse.
2. Beyonders of the Hunter Pathway with Sauron bloodline can resist most of the emblem's negative effects, but still cannot hold it for more than three minutes.
3. Activating 'Pure White Eye' provides the same resistance as the Sauron bloodline, but it remains unsafe to hold for over three minutes."
Reading through the Pure White Eye's analytical report, Ebner gained further confidence in his previous speculations and pondered:
Judging by how this Sealed Artifact reacts differently to bloodlines, it's highly likely that its original Beyonder characteristic belonged to one of the Sauron entities from the three-in-one evil spirit…
Hmm… The Woffal Bee is a rare species in Intis, likely a Beyonder creature from a particular Pathway. Its wax has a strong fragrance with an 'intoxicating' effect, making it especially popular among noblewomen…
I remember in the original book, when Medici was 'taunting' others, it was mentioned that two of the three-in-one evil spirits—Sauron and Einhorn—were originally women…
So… could the sealing ritual actually be meant to please the evil spirit?
It seems this emblem has been tainted by the high sequence influence of the evil spirit, retaining some spiritual remnants, which is likely the source of its so-called 'curse'…
Piecing this together logically, a Tudor demigod of the Lawyer Pathway must have ventured into the ruin, only to be slain by the three-in-one evil spirit while Sauron was in control, leading to the formation of this Sealed Artifact…
Then, thirty years ago, the descendants of the Tudors—who had changed their name and earned Loen noble titles in the 'Oathbreaker War'—finally acquired the estate built over the ruin and began excavating, ultimately unearthing this emblem…
But how did they remove it? And how did it end up in the hands of this particular Cultivator Pathway transmigrator?
Another problem… The Pond family themselves are Tudor descendants, meaning they should have died instantly upon touching this emblem… In the original story, both heirs of that generation's Pond Viscount mysteriously perished, forcing them to find a successor from a distant branch…
Did they have servants handle it instead? But would they really entrust something so secretive to an outsider?
As his thoughts raced, Ebner turned to Judy, Cullen, and Asenov, saying, "I've inspected the core of this place. While it's stable for now, it's best not to move it carelessly… Let's explore the other two tunnels first and come back for it later."
Such a dangerous artifact wasn't something he even dared to offer up to The Fool for safekeeping. After all, in the original work, the "Mad Priest" had let Medici fall—not just due to the priest's divine nature, but possibly also because of Medici's own actions.
The anomaly at Bansi Port stemmed from the source-quality disaster city; Medici might have long since been secretly corrupted.
If The Fool recklessly divined the source of the emblem's curse, he would almost certainly gaze upon the three-in-one evil spirit…
That alone wasn't a huge issue, but if Source Castle came into contact with the disaster city's aura, the consequences would be unpredictable.
It could be harmless.
It could even be beneficial.
Or… it could be catastrophic.
Considering how wild Klein's experience in Bansi was in the original…I'd rather not give him the chance to satisfy his curiosity.
"Alright." The other three had no objections, and the group soon left the altar, making their way toward the right-side tunnel, where the study and laboratory were located.
"Zen Garden…"
Seeing the plaque at the cave entrance, Ebner's mouth twitched.
This transmigrator really had some taste… Combined with the uncanny familiarity of the plants outside, this place is almost too on-the-nose…
Wait, don't tell me this guy was called Dave…?
While Ebner was lost in thought, Cullen, who had been observing the plaque closely, commented,
"Didn't expect the owner of this place to be a researcher of Roselle's script as well. These characters are quite well-formed, but they're still different from the original writing of the Emperor..." Cullen remarked as he examined the plaque, then pointed at the character for "flower" and added, "When the Emperor wrote this symbol, it was done in one fluid stroke, without such rigid straight lines."
Roselle's handwriting was honestly nothing to admire. The script on this plaque, while looking a bit like a primary school student's neat practice, was at least tidy and elegant—far more aesthetically pleasing than the Emperor's scribbles...
But it does have a bit of a traced-over feel… It really looks like an adult just learning calligraphy... Still better than Roselle!
Ebner mentally complained but outwardly nodded in agreement with Cullen before taking the lead into the Zen Garden, the combined study and laboratory.
The place was already stripped bare. Only a few empty petri dishes remained on the experiment table, while the temperature and light-adjusting devices had lost their function after the barrier was broken.
However, the bookshelf on the other side still contained several books, and on the desk in front of it lay a stack of manuscripts.
Thirty years wasn't enough to cause the paper to decay, and the cave was dry, so aside from a thick layer of dust, the pages were well-preserved with little corrosion.
After carefully examining the area with various detection methods to ensure there were no dangers, they each retrieved books from the shelf and picked up the manuscripts on the desk.
Most of the books were technical references, while the rest consisted of experiment reports, clearly documenting the owner's research.
Meanwhile, the manuscripts on the desk appeared to be a compilation of research findings and mysticism knowledge. The first page bore the title:
"The Book of Nature."
And whether it was the experiment reports or the manuscripts, they all bore the same signature—
A line of elegant Ancient Feysac letters spelling out the name:
"Lamia."
"So, this was Lady Lamia's residence…" Judy murmured in realization upon seeing the name.
"Lady Lamia?" Ebner asked curiously, intrigued by the possibility that this person was a transmigrator—perhaps the only known female transmigrator.
"Lady Lamia was one of my father's teammates back when he was an 'Desolate One', but she later left the church and disappeared… When she reappeared thirty years ago, she returned with a child, only a year or two old, and brought him to the church, saying she had adopted him. However, she had pressing matters to attend to and could not raise him herself, so she entrusted the boy to the church.
"Since my father handled the matter, my mother questioned him about it for a long time. Even after I was born, she would still occasionally bring it up to tease him, so I remember it very clearly…
"Additionally, Lady Lamia donated many of her research findings to the church, including those special seeds that could transform into golden-armored warriors, which I used before."
Judy carefully organized her words before explaining.
So, Lady Closfia gets jealous easily… Ebner mused inwardly before another thought struck him. But… she brought a child to the church… Was he really just adopted and not her own?
Meanwhile, Cullen, who had never heard this story before, voiced his doubts. "Was it really just an adopted child? Did she ever return to take him back?"
"My father personally examined the boy and confirmed that he was not Lady Lamia's biological son… That was the reason why the church ultimately agreed to take him in.
"As for Lady Lamia… she never returned after that."
Judy paused for a moment, recalling the withered plants outside, before adding in a solemn tone, "She likely died somewhere…"
"What happened to the child afterward?" Cullen asked casually while flipping through the experiment records.
Judy remained silent for a few seconds before replying, "Because of a dangerous hybridization experiment, he was nearly put on trial by the church. In the end, thanks to my father's intervention, he was merely expelled instead…"
"Hybridization experiments… expelled from the church?" Ebner's mind clicked, and he blurted out, "That person… wouldn't happen to be Frank Lee, would he?"
"That's right… As expected of a great detective, you managed to deduce it!" Judy praised him with admiration.