There were two more pages in the book, describing how the item circulated among transcendents during the Fourth Epoch.
The Fourth Epoch was an era of darkness and turmoil; dark creatures occupied the vast majority of the material world's land, and cannibalistic tribes roamed the earth. Intelligent races could only survive by assisting one another, which led to relatively good relations between humans, elves, dwarves, fey, and dragons in the early Fifth Epoch, directly resulting in the emergence of multi-racial hybrids.
For instance, Miss Fiona Drago, whom Shad had encountered in the ruins of the Cadis Library in the Silent Valley, clearly possessed both human and red dragon bloodlines.
The powerful relic [Source of Chaos] also had many stories from the Fourth Epoch, and the *Book of the Fool* revealed those tragic and terrifying pasts to Shad. As Shad flipped through them hurriedly, he realized that these stories, written in an ancient language, were themselves a form of strange power.
Unfortunately, even the author of the *Book of the Fool* could not have predicted in the Fourth Epoch exactly where an outsider in the winter of 1853 of the Sixth Epoch would find this relic.
"This book doesn't abruptly display unnecessary content. It seems the 'Yellow Moon' the bard requested refers to the Sage-level relic [Source of Chaos]. Miss Daneste also mentioned this relic yesterday," Shad thought to himself.
Closing the book, he said to Sir Prisha with a somewhat embarrassed expression
"The knowledge this book gave me is the formula for the potion—the Love Potion—and the learning method for the奇术 (Oddity/Strange Art)—the [Love Charm]. This highly immoral art allows the caster to unconditionally gain the favor of the opposite sex for a certain period. The learning requirements include spirit runes such as [Reproduction], [Red Moon], [**], and [Love]."
He revealed a portion of the contents of the *Pink Book*. Sir Prisha did not doubt him; instead, he said with a smile
"Perhaps the *Book of the Fool* believes you are currently troubled by emotional issues and are in need of this."
"Yes, yes."
Shad gave a half-truthful response with a sense of helplessness
"Let's not mention Margaret."
"Oh, Detective, I didn't mention Her Highness's name."
The smile on the knight's face grew more pronounced. Seeing Shad's flustered expression, he stopped teasing him and instead said, "Based on the records, only a few people can obtain the most useful knowledge directly from this book. Mr. Hamilton, your wisdom has indeed been recognized by this book."
"I have no such wisdom; I've simply seen more things than most people," Shad said modestly. Sir Prisha assumed Shad was referring to his extensive knowledge as a Ring-wielder, unaware that this was a metaphor for being an outsider.
"Sir Prisha, what did you see just now?" Shad asked with feigned curiosity, testing the waters.
The knight hesitated. Considering that Shad had proactively shared the knowledge he had seen, he finally spoke
"Some secrets about this world, things like knowledge and wisdom."
He spoke vaguely, but this content seemed to be exactly the conditions required for the Chosen One ritual that Luvia had divined. However, judging by Sir Prisha's disappointed look earlier, the knowledge the *Book of the Fool* gave him was likely insufficient.
"Knowledge and wisdom, huh," Shad sighed softly, steering the conversation in the direction he wanted: "Speaking of which, mortals are truly amazing. Relying on the inheritance of knowledge and sparks of wisdom, our civilization has been able to advance to this point."
Sir Prisha nodded. He didn't mind discussing his understanding of wisdom and knowledge with Shad
"It is indeed amazing; it is the great achievement of mortals. I believe the gods favor us, who are like ants, precisely because they value the miracles created by our knowledge and wisdom."
"But knowledge always has weight, and we can only bear a tiny bit of it," Shad said, rubbing his fingers. Sir Prisha laughed
"I love knowledge, and I love books. For me, even if pursuing knowledge comes with a price, I am willing to pay it until I reach a point where I can no longer move forward."
"I met an old professor a while ago who pursued knowledge and wisdom with that same attitude," Shad mentioned Professor Drake again. "But it's a pity; when he truly touched the knowledge and wisdom he craved, he became afraid."
As the carriage turned a street corner, the knight frowned slightly
"Sorry, what do you mean by 'afraid'?"
"He craved the knowledge and wisdom he did not possess, but when he truly realized what he had obtained, he was terrified that the truth of the world was so horrific."
Shad shook his head, recalling Professor Drake's words
"We live on a peaceful little island called Ignorance, surrounded by an endless black ocean, and we were never meant to set sail. A pitch-black grave lies before me, and I wish to sleep here eternally, listening to the wind and waves—that is what the professor said. In the end, he paid with his talent, his memories, and parts of his limbs to permanently abandon that knowledge."
Shad had no objections to Professor Drake's choice. After all, during their last meeting, the professor had said he had no regrets in life and would be utterly at peace as he entered eternal slumber.
However, a mocking expression appeared on Sir Prisha's face
"Mr. Hamilton, I have no intention of pointing fingers at your friend, nor do I intend to criticize the life someone chooses for themselves. But that professor was perhaps a bit too cowardly?"
Though he sat opposite Shad, he looked as if he were opening his arms to the sea
"Even if the world is like a black ocean and we live on a peaceful little island called Ignorance, we must still set sail. To explore, to witness, to crave, to seek knowledge. If one only seeks a peaceful slumber without seeing those unknown landscapes with their own eyes, then why live at all?"
Shad understood this perspective
"The old professor only became afraid because he learned of the dangers of transcendent knowledge. After all, once an accident occurs, the disasters triggered by that knowledge and wisdom would affect others as well."
Shad said with a smile
"There are many people with the courage to break through the Island of Ignorance to explore the dangerous black ocean, but people must always worry whether their actions will draw the dangerous and eerie monsters living in that black ocean toward the peaceful island."
For a fleeting moment, Shad seemed to see a sarcastic smile on Sir Prisha's face, though he wasn't sure if he had misseen.
[You did not missee.]
"Mr. Hamilton, the process of seeking knowledge is always dangerous, but one cannot let that stop them from moving forward."
"Therefore, we must maintain the right measure. Balance—yes, balance the weights between danger and the pursuit of knowledge," Shad said. Sir Prisha nodded, but he had lost interest in talking with Shad.
Shad could feel that he and this gentleman from the United Kingdom of Carsonrick were not the same kind of person. They were both brave in their pursuit of knowledge, but Sir Prisha was perhaps a bit too reckless.
The carriage first dropped Shad off at St. Delan Square and then carried Sir Prisha away.
Shad had no other plans for the day, so he spent his time reading in the study and checking his accounts for the past year. Since it was the end of the year, he needed to manage his finances to prevent any errors when the Kingdom Tax Bureau conducted an audit.
After lunch, while Mia was napping on the study windowsill, Shad took out the *Book of the Fool* to check the data on the Sage-level relic [Source of Chaos]. However, the sound of a doorbell came from downstairs, so Shad got up to open the door.
Hearing the sound of Shad walking away, the napping cat jumped from the windowsill to the floor, then from the floor to a chair, and finally onto the desk.
"Meow?"
It noticed the book Shad had left open on the desk and looked down. On the originally blank pages, vast amounts of text and illustrations immediately appeared.
With large amber eyes full of confusion, Mia stepped back a few paces to see the full view of the page. It stared intently at the things it couldn't understand, and then the book automatically flipped to the next page. The following pages were also densely packed with text and images. The cat continued to stare closely and nodded slightly, as if it truly understood the content.
"Doctor?"
The person appearing downstairs at Shad's house was Doctor Schneider. Seeing Shad invite him upstairs, the doctor waved his hand
"I have other things to do and will be leaving shortly. Last Tuesday, you commissioned me to peer into the desires of Lygins Prisha. It has been exactly one week, so I've come to tell you the situation."
He spoke to Shad right there in the foyer
"He is a very strange man, very strange. As per your request, I did not make close contact with him, nor did I enter his dreams; I only observed from a distance. Speaking of which, I should thank you for the invitation letters; I've attended quite a few high-end banquets this week. In short, Lygins Prisha's desire is greater than anyone's. Not just compared to ordinary people, but even compared to Ring-wielders, his desire is far too strong."
Seeing Shad frown, the doctor added
"Don't worry, it's not some illicit desire; it's a desire for knowledge. A very frenzied desire for knowledge, a longing for new information, a longing for wisdom. That intensity of desire is so potent that I didn't even need to use transcendent powers; I could feel it directly with my own eyes."
He pointed to his eyes
"I dare say, with such powerful desire, as long as he does not die, he will surely achieve something extraordinary."
Shad asked with some concern
"Regardless of what kind of desire it is, being too strong can't be a good thing, can it?"
"But it's not necessarily a bad thing. The key lies in whether Sir Lygins Prisha can keep his desires under control," the doctor evaluated cautiously.
(End of Chapter)