After joining the industry for a while, Sean discovered that modern explorers are a profession that gains strength from dangerous things, seeks improvement, and further explores the mystery.
Many explorers did not die during the quest, but died, lost their minds or disappeared due to excessive exploration of mysterious things.
The forces that classical explorers are willing to rely on are extremely limited. A very famous explorer once said: Excessive exploration of the unknown is the primary cause of disaster.
It is precisely because of this conservative concept that former explorers had more respect for mysterious heritage and ancient books.
However, as the mysterious atmosphere becomes stronger and the gods who protect tradition bid farewell to the human world, the exploration mission becomes more and more dangerous, and the rewards are also rising...all this forces the explorers to find ways to obtain stronger power. .
Seekers discover that greater power lies in something more dangerous.
And when you have enough knowledge and are careful enough, you can gain power while controlling risks.
What was once a taboo has become a necessity now, awe has been reduced a lot, and risk control has become the main topic...
These risky moves obviously run counter to the instinct of ordinary people to stay away from taboo things.
So people are becoming more and more afraid of these people wearing masks...
The firelight illuminated Sean's foggy mask, and his mental power had recovered a lot.
His eyes were fixed on the third book.
Sean saw several ridiculously long fingers with many joints stretching out from the darkness around the book and hooking onto the decaying bookshelf, as if something terrifying was about to climb out.
Long black hair poured out from the gap in the bookshelf like a waterfall. The book seemed to have turned into a hole, and a sharp and distant cry came from the hole.
Sean quickly withdrew his gaze...
"The overly eccentric expression shows that I am incompatible with these ancient books," Sean's forehead was already sweating. "If we are incompatible, it will be impossible to conduct special research...
Just like a wild wild dog with various tendencies, if you can't get along with it, it will be difficult to tame it yourself...
"Forcibly selecting an incompatible ancient book..." Sean adjusted his breathing and prepared to continue checking. "The result will be loss of control and destruction, and even something more terrifying than destruction will happen..."
There are some other ancient books on the bookshelf, but after staring at them, there are no terrible signs.
However, there was no flash of inspiration or resonance: “These books don’t belong to me either…”
After checking all the books on the bookshelf, Sean could not find his own book.
He was not anxious, he just hugged his chest, held his chin in one hand, and fell into thinking.
Trying to clear his thoughts, he began to pace around the room.
Under the illumination of the lantern, he found several pottery jars placed in the corners of the room.
Sean frowned: "Were there these jars here before?"
Looking back on his memory, although he didn't deliberately observe this corner, Sean clearly remembered that it was empty before.
Sean immediately understood the meaning and quickly walked to the corner to feel the clay pots the size of vases.
There were several clay pots that gave Sean a vague feeling, and they seemed to be empty.
Sean's attention was focused on a clay pot whose color had almost faded.
He suddenly saw a giant god standing outside the sky emerging from the setting sun.
He spread his hands out as if forming two avenues. Half of his body is full of vitality, as if it is an eternal place that nourishes life. The avenue extending from it is also full of vitality, and everything comes out of it.
The body on the other side is desolate and decaying, containing the aura of destruction. The extended avenue is like a smooth road in the netherworld. The vitality of all things that have experienced the journey of life is slowly absorbed, and the life given to it is returned...
"Creation, giving and absorbing life, the connection of all things..." Sean narrowed his eyes, "This is part of the divine power of the Creator God."
One of the old masters in the ancient times, who later evolved into the image of the creation god of various cultures. Standing outside the infinite abyss, he can never be approached or spied on. He overlooks the world in silence, but everything is... is his language...
This existence that has gradually disappeared from history and is so ancient that almost all civilizations have forgotten it is called Gaynor.
Sean felt this "ancient book", which exuded the terrifying atmosphere of ancient legends - a place full of life filled with poisonous miasma, a place of hopeless destruction filled with death, an infinite abyss that can never be crossed, as if it were boundless. The eternal silent gaze like the starry sky...other than that, there is no hint of threat or rejection.
The pot still vaguely depicts a standing bird, its surface reflecting a restrained light.
I don’t know what kind of crazy sight other people will see when they see this clay pot, but everything Sean perceives is hinting to him: "This is it..." Sean leaned over and picked up this book. clay pot.
As soon as he held it to his side, Sean heard a sound coming from the clay pot, as if he was lightly tapping the inner wall with his nails.
Knock knock knock, knock knock knock…
Sean frowned. He couldn't help but think that there was a little man imprisoned in this vase-sized clay pot, tapping the inner wall with his long nails...
Sean quickly gathered his thoughts: "Ancient books are always a little weird, let alone this special form.
"Don't imagine too much first, so as not to cause more obstacles in the study process in the future..."
With this in mind, Sean held the clay pot in his arms, walked back to the door and knocked on the door: "Pompei, I found my book."
The old man took out the copper key and unlocked the door, then opened the heavy wooden door with a creak.
Sean's eyes narrowed slightly: when he was controlled by the crying students before, Pompeo pretended to be crazy again.
"Something almost stole my body just now..." It's not that Sean can't accept this somewhat dangerous trial, he just feels a little angry about not knowing.
"That is Lures Milton's student." Pompeo said, "This is part of the ritual. If your self falls asleep due to his fusion, I will help you wake it up. Of course, if this happens In this case, the membership will be considered a failure.
"But it looks like you're doing well."
Sean was a little confused. It was impossible for all members of a secret society to be seekers: "Could it be possible for non-searchers to pass such a dangerous ritual?"
“Most book-hunting rituals are symbolic, symbolizing that truth is difficult to obtain amid objective fog and subjective blindness.
“For the test in your ceremony, I have made a little more use of it and used a lot of local materials, so it will be a little more difficult.
"However, candidates for the Candlelight Reading Club will all have strong souls, so this test is not excessive..."
After hearing Pompeo's explanation, Sean's slightly dissatisfied mood dissipated - there was nothing to complain about, after all, he had gained a lot.
Pompey stretched out his hand and motioned to Sean to pass the clay pot to him, and Sean did so.
By the light of the lantern, the old man looked at the clay pot carefully and said: "The name of this ancient book is "The Ancient Scroll of Return", which involves part of the divine power of 'Genor of Creation'... As far as I know, it should be the author of all things. connections and vitality.
"You still need to understand the specific reason for it.
"The reading method of this 'book' is also quite special." Pompeii squinted and looked at the words on the pot that were difficult to read, "I think you will need... Sunset's help.
"With your current soul concentration, it is still quite dangerous to read. I suggest that you start research after your soul concentration has been greatly improved...
"In addition, you don't need to put too much thought into keeping this book..." Pompeii handed the pot back to Sean, "The invisible characteristics will still take effect on it. Whoever steals this book will never find it again.
"Be careful, don't let it see the sunset before you are ready! If it gets out of control, you will regret it!"
Pompeii, who had been giving instructions for a while, shook his head as if he was drunk: "No, time is running out...
"I also wanted to choose a better place to perform the last rites...it was too late."
He turned around, his eyes obviously becoming confused and distracted: "Sean, let's complete the final initiation ceremony here."
The old man's body was shaky and he placed the lantern on the ground.
Sean also did so, his movements and expressions became solemn and solemn along with Pompeii, and he took off the "Unknown Sea" mask.
The old man took off the copper pendant from his chest and hung it around Sean's neck: "Don't wear it unless necessary."
Sean straightened the copper pendant that symbolized candlelight and books, spread his hands as if reading an invisible book, and the old voice echoed in the basement of the old book cemetery:
"We, read.
We read in the sun, we read in the moonlight
If necessary, we will open the book by candlelight...
The ideas passed down by the sages, the history that warns future generations, and the skills that have been passed down for thousands of years.
Engraved on stone pillars, printed in books, hidden in the belly of fish...
And we, read.
There will be a junction between history and the future. At this junction, the wisest thing to do is to read.
Welcoming and sending, learning from the past and understanding the present, let us forget the pain of the world.
Humanity never dies. For thousands of years, we have maintained our immortality only because our thoughts exist in books.
Let this fire continue, let the light of intelligence and reason illuminate the ancient and ignorant night sky...
Friends, listen to me! If you want to step into the light, there is only one way——
Read in the sun, read in the moonlight
If necessary, we will open the book by candlelight...
We, read.
…
As he read to the end, Sean found that the old man's voice began to tremble, and tears flowed from his muddy eyes: "What a pity...Andre, what a pity!
"The teacher didn't protect you well."
Sean held up the clay pot and wanted to ask some more questions while the old man was awake, but he saw——
There were still tears on Pompeii's face, his figure became rickety again, his eyes were distracted, as if he had forgotten where he was.
