Colin nodded to the others.
They walked over to the table, carefully opened the book placed on it, and began to flip through it.
The Priest stood silently beside the table, watching them.
"We can’t take this book with us, can we?" Colin asked as he read.
"That is correct. And you are not permitted to copy it," the Priest replied with a smile. "Of course, you may take some brief, summarized notes."
Hearing this, Colin and Ale quickly took out their notebooks and began to write and sketch.
The content of this book was indeed different from what was in the Great Dome, and it was extremely valuable.
"Why do humans always like to hide their knowledge away? Don’t you find it troublesome? Our War Mistress knows everything, and she never hides it," Kase grumbled, a little dissatisfied.
"Knowledge is very useful, but it is also very dangerous, Mr. Half-Orc." The Priest was still all smiles. "Sometimes, a single sentence can decide the fate of the entire world."
Colin changed the subject. "Your methods for preserving books here are quite good. The condition of this book is much better than the ones in the Great Dome in Thousand Masts City."
"That’s not it. It’s mainly because someone has consulted these books recently."
"Someone has consulted them?" Colin asked.
"A gentleman from Colvin. Every few years, he comes to review the latest information on the Ancient Empire. Seeing as you’re a Field Team from Thousand Masts City, that’s all I can tell you." The Priest shrugged.
Colvin was a nation south of the White Tower.
The region was a commercial empire ruled by several powerful merchant families. To put it simply, it was like a super-sized version of Three Bays City, where everything in the empire served the merchants.
Because the merchants required a stable business environment, the rulers of Colvin preferred to deal with their enemies through methods like assassination, frame-ups, and theft.
In this environment, an organization called the "Shadow Hand" rose quickly.
This organization was their official spy agency, and the professionalism of its members could be said to be second to none in the world.
It was worth noting that some of the founding members of this organization were former members of the Gray Hand who had committed serious crimes and been exiled from Thousand Masts City. It was a perfect match for their skills, one could say.
’So why would people from Colvin want to know about Ora Kaim?’
Colin blinked, banishing the question from his mind.
’He couldn’t manage the affairs of the south, anyway. Worrying about such things was useless.’
Judging by the content alone, the book had many valuable sections.
It was said that whenever a Divine Hall of the Deity of Knowledge somewhere in the world acquired new information, they would use Magic to inform the White Tower. The Priests of the White Tower would then summarize this new knowledge, which was why their records were always the most up-to-date.
Fortunately, Colin had been farsighted enough to bring an extra pen, and he roped in Orelia, who was beside him, to help take notes.
The three of them worked together and, after several hours, had noted down pretty much all the important content from the thick book. Only after confirming that nothing had been missed did Colin and the others return to their room.
The next day, the same Priest came to their room to inform them it was time to give their report.
After winding through the second level of the city walls just as they had the day before, Colin and his group arrived in a spacious room.
The floor of the room was paved with neat marble tiles.
A strange Array was drawn on the floor in the very center, with six long benches placed inside it.
Opposite the benches was a long table, and behind it sat several other Priests, also dressed in white Magic Robes.
These Priests were all human and elderly. Their hair and beards were almost entirely white, their faces were dotted with brown age spots, and each wore a pair of glasses.
"Please, have a seat," said the Priest who had brought them. "That Array is just a simple Lie Detection Magic."
Colin immediately took the lead and sat on one of the benches in the middle of the Array.
"Honored Adventurers, first, the White Tower thanks you for your contributions and sacrifices to this world," said one of the old men behind the long table. "Please briefly describe what abnormalities you encountered, as well as your thoughts."
"First, about a ring we found in an Earthworm Nest..."
Colin didn’t hold back, beginning a simple and clear account of how he found the Silent ring. Kase and the others added details about what they had encountered on their adventure, also mentioning what happened in Snow Deer Valley.
The old men listened while scribbling in their notebooks, occasionally discussing something in low voices before asking Colin and the others questions.
The questions weren’t difficult to answer.
They were mostly things like, "What effects did the ring have?", "How did you feel after obtaining the ring?", and "What was the experience inside the illusion like?"
However, during this simple question-and-answer session, Colin could sense that the Priests did not consider the conversation very important.
To be honest, Colin had mixed feelings.
’Them not taking this seriously was actually a good thing; it probably meant it wouldn’t cause him any major trouble.’
’But if something did happen, he’d have to handle it on his own.’
’It was a bit selfish to think this way, but Colin still felt he should mention this to Edwin more later on, just in case any problems arose.’
About two hours later, one of the old men said, "Thank you for your honest answers. The information you’ve provided will be passed on to the ’Scroll Guardian.’ The world will change because of you."
’Those are some heavy words. They’ve probably said the same thing to the dozen or so other teams,’ Colin grumbled inwardly.
And with that, the debriefing was considered over.
Most of the teams that had completed their reports had already left the White Tower. Colin’s team was the last to be debriefed.
Although they had been delayed for a few days, if they could help several city-states deal with those sinister, plotting enemies, then the small price they paid was definitely worth it.
The next morning, Colin and the others packed their things and went to the entrance of the White Tower, ready to depart.
The weather was beautiful today.
Azure seawater crashed against the reefs at the base of the White Tower, dissolving into white foam.
Above the reefs, the White Tower stood just as it had the past few days, largely unchanged.
The townspeople passing on the main road had grown accustomed to the occasional freaks passing their doorsteps, so no one paid them much mind.
Orelia looked back at the towering White Tower.
She sighed with some emotion. "I can’t believe it’s over so quickly. It feels... too peaceful."
"What did you expect would happen?" Colin asked.
He said that, but he actually felt the same way she did. It felt like something should have gone wrong; everything had gone far too smoothly.