Shad had not made an appointment for this visit, but when the professor heard that a writer from Delarion had come specifically to gather material for a new book, he was more than happy to invite him in and receive him in his study.
Professor Kansas Drake was a frail old gentleman wearing brown-rimmed reading glasses. A red checkered blanket covered his legs, obscuring everything below his waist from Shad's view. Unlike the Delarion people Shad commonly encountered, Professor Drake had the standard appearance of a Southern Old Continenter—a long face, slightly darkened skin, and upturned eyelashes.
Shad entered the study first, followed by a maid pushing Professor Drake inside. He instructed the plump maid, who appeared very reliable in her work, to prepare tea, and then began chatting with Shad.
This was not the first time Shad had disguised himself as a writer from Delarion, so he was able to speak fluently about a profession he did not actually practice. He quickly transitioned the conversation from local folklore to the legend of the "Goddess of the Lake."
"Yes, I have indeed studied this legend. Mr. Watson, you should be aware of the general premise: in a certain lake west of Huntington City, there dwells a goddess who can grant people's wishes."
The old professor solemnly traced the holy symbol of the Church of Nature over his chest; he was a faithful believer in a god of nature.
"Mortals always crave such legends, but most research suggests that perhaps, in ancient times, a solitary woman lived in the lake region west of the city. Local villagers occasionally saw her bathing in the lake or walking through the forest on foggy mornings, which is how the rumors of the Lake Goddess began. As you know, country folk love to exaggerate their experiences, and stories passed by word of mouth become the legends we know today after several eras."
"But is that truly the case?"
Shad asked skeptically. Of course, it wasn't; otherwise, Sister Devlin and Mr. Edmund would have had no reason to recommend that Shad come here.
"That is simply the most widely accepted explanation, and the general view among scholars studying Huntington's local history and folklore."
The professor shrugged and answered Shad in Delarion. Although Professor Drake was a Southerner, he had lived in the North for a long time in his youth, and his Delarion was excellent.
"Then what is your view? Viscount Bernhart, who introduced me, mentioned that you are a scholar with your own unique ideas."
Shad offered a small compliment, and Professor Drake smiled.
"Young people these days certainly have a way with words. I know what you want to learn from me; you aren't the first person to ask me this question. Yes, I do know some things that ordinary people do not, but I cannot tell you directly."
"Do you require Krons? No problem, I am willing to sponsor your research."
Shad set down his teacup and moved to take out his wallet, but the professor shook his head slightly.
"Young man, I will ask you three questions. Your answers will determine whether you can obtain an answer from me."
Shad hadn't expected such a request, but he nodded nonetheless.
"No problem. While I don't boast about my intelligence to others, I should be able to handle just three questions. Professor, please proceed."
A sparrow flew in from outside and perched on the study's windowsill. The professor turned to look at the bird and sighed softly.
"In my view, wisdom is equivalent to wealth, and I want neither your wealth nor your wisdom. Listen carefully, Mr. Watson: if you encountered the Goddess of the Lake and she gave you the chance to make a wish, what would you wish for?"
Shad thought for a moment.
"Aside from wanting material for my book, I've actually been looking for something I lost recently. If I truly encountered that goddess, I would ask her to tell me how to find the lost item. Or, perhaps she could simply give it to me directly," Shad said. His eyes drifted to the sparrow on the windowsill, and he thought of Mia, who had still been asleep when he left home. The cat had probably woken up by now and was "inspecting the territory" at home.
"The second question: if the Goddess of the Lake could grant your wish, but doing so required a price, would you be willing to pay it?"
The disabled professor asked again, his sharp gaze scrutinizing Shad. Shad considered this.
"Would it be an equivalent exchange? Or would I have to pay more?"
"You would not need to pay, but once you obtain what you desire, a certain imperceptible change would have already occurred," old Professor Drake said in a low voice. Shad raised an eyebrow.
"Then I wouldn't make a wish. Although I want to find a certain object, there are other methods I can try. There's no need to necessarily take a risk; after all, I have too many treasures in my life that I am unwilling to give up, Professor. What is the third question?"
"If killing the Goddess of the Lake would allow you to realize your wish without any cost, would you do it?"
The professor asked finally. Shad shook his head.
"While I don't believe the Goddess of the Lake in local rumors is a truly Great One like the True Gods, I imagine it wouldn't be that easy to kill such a legendary creature."
"Assume the opponent does not resist at all."
The professor stared at Shad. Shad continued to shake his head without hesitation.
"Professor Drake, this is a very strange question. But a long time ago, when I was still naive about this world and my own life, I told my friend: murdering others for one's own goals only results in a guilt that one must carry for a lifetime."
This was a conversation Shad had had with Priest Augustus and Doctor Schneider back in the summer.
Professor Drake smiled.
"Very good. You are more rational and kind than most young people I know. I am quite curious about the environment in which you grew up."
He pointed behind him.
"Now, could you pass me that red photo album on the third shelf? Please forgive the request of an old man with limited mobility."
Shad stood up, found the album on the shelf, and handed it to the professor. With a nostalgic expression, the professor flipped it open, pulled out a photograph, and handed it to Shad.
"Mr. Watson, please look at this one."
As the black-and-white photo touched his fingers, a voice immediately sounded in his ear
【You have come into contact with "Whispers".】
This was an extremely faint element of Whispers; without "Her" prompt, Shad might not have noticed it immediately. He was slightly startled but did not show too much surprise, instead looking at the photo itself.
Black-and-white photos were already difficult to discern fine details from, and this one had yellowed due to oxidation. Even though the professor's finger pointed to a specific spot, Shad still couldn't see anything special. It was a landscape photo of a lakeshore, taken at least ten years ago.
He looked very carefully at the yellowed old photo. It was clearly a very normal lakeshore scene, but the more he looked, the more anxious he felt in his heart, as if he were staring at something horrific, yet the photo truly only showed an ordinary lakeshore.
"You feel it, don't you? Staring at it for a long time makes one feel unsettled," the professor said softly, then pointed to the photo again.
"Look behind that tree. There is a human face here."
Shad looked back at the tree skeptically, trying to imagine the shadow behind it as a human face. Unexpectedly, as that mass of black shadow slowly writhed, the Whisper elements in the photo thickened at an incredible speed.
Simultaneously, in the spot Professor Drake had pointed to, within that blurred black shadow, there actually appeared a woman with flowing black hair—since the photo was black and white—and a deathly pale face.
Most of her body was hidden behind the tree; her upper body, exposed from the shoulders up, appeared to be unclothed. As the woman became clearer, the rotting silt on her body also manifested, becoming increasingly realistic and vivid.
She looked at Shad from within the photo, her eyes blinking, the malicious expression on her face completely undisguised.
"A Relic?"
Although the Divine Afterglow still existed, without divinity protecting him, a cold sensation spread from his fingertips into Shad's body along with the curse, only to be suppressed by the Primal Fire flowing within him.
Shad immediately let go of the photo and looked at Professor Drake in surprise, only to find that the other man seemed not to see the woman who had become clearer. Instead, he looked at Shad hesitantly.
"Mr. Watson, what's wrong?"
"The professor can't see it?"
Shad was somewhat confused, but then realized that Professor Drake's spirituality was likely very weak, insufficient to capture the malice of the blurred face in the photo. Shad, with his extremely high spirituality, had captured the malice and thus had been targeted by the curse.
This photo was definitely not the Relic itself; rather, the power of a Relic had been recorded by the photo, thereby spreading the curse. Shad had heard of such items; they could be considered Relic derivatives, though their effects were not strong.
"I saw the woman. Yes, it was very blurred, just an outline," Shad said vaguely. "Is this the Goddess of the Lake?"
"Of course not. This is a photo a local sold to me many years ago. This photo proved to my younger self that there are indeed things in western Huntington that are difficult for normal people to understand. This world is not as simple as it seems."
The professor said, casually tossing the photo onto the table. Sunlight from the window hit the photo, and as the two stopped staring at it, the Whisper elements returned to an extremely low level.
Shad nodded immediately. He now knew that in the western part of Huntington City, there was at least one humanoid curse-type Relic in the form of a long-haired woman. The Relic's grade was at least Sage-level (Grade 2). The curse was still suppressed within his body; once he left the professor's presence, he would have to find a way to resolve it.
"Is that when you transitioned from an ordinary scholar to a folklorist who moonlights in occult research?"
"Yes. I used to think legends were just legends, but later I began trying to study folklore from an occult perspective. Of course, my involvement in that field is superficial, as it is quite dangerous. As for the existence of the Goddess of the Lake, there is actually much more evidence. Young man, you probably don't know that the extent of the Pantanal Great Marsh has been continuously shrinking over the last five hundred years."
"Oh?"
Shad raised an eyebrow and turned to look at the city tourist map hanging on the study wall.
"Are you saying that the location where the Goddess of the Lake appears was previously part of the Pantanal Great Marsh?"
"Yes, I have studied the folklore and legends of the Pantanal region in depth. Oh... those are very strange, evil, and twisted things. I often regret provoking those things in my youth."
The professor shook his head and said to Shad
"But contacting those terrifying materials was not entirely without reward. I am certain that the 'Goddess of the Lake' in local legends truly exists, and she is in a certain lake in the eastern part of Huntington City. The location of that lake is not fixed; according to a certain pattern, only special people can encounter it."
(End of Chapter)