Chapter 34: The Fourth Man

Bernadette stared at the silhouettes for a long time, until they became clear as the Dawn approached, outlining an island of no size.

On the island, huge trees of dark green and almost black stand tall, covering the ground and obscuring the peaks.

Although Bernadette wasn't sure that this was the primeval island her father had visited, a "master prophecy" instinct told her that this might well be the place she was after.

As the coastline came into view, she pursed her lips, buried her head, and recited a honorific name:

"A fool who does not belong to this era, a mysterious lord above the gray mist, and a king of yellow and black who rules good fortune......"

Immediately afterwards, the "mysterious queen" Bernadette raised her hand and let the "Dawn" with no crew stop offshore, not near the shore.

At the same time, the sound of piano, violin, cello, flute and other musical instruments sounded in the unmanned cabin, weaving a warm and cheerful tune.

As the music echoes, toast, steak, mashed potatoes, and pan-fried mushrooms on plates leap up and dance back to the oven or in the trash.

Wine bottles, white tablecloths, and other things have also returned to their original positions, either corked themselves, or folded themselves to become neat.

Then, with a flick of her right hand, Bernadette threw out a bright, unrealistic ball of yarn.

The thread rolled into the void, leaving behind a thread that Bernadette followed as she wandered through the spirit realm to the edge of the nameless island.

The "mysterious queen" did not rush to go deeper, looking for the possible existence of the "Black Emperor" mausoleum, and cautiously made her eyes as blue as the sea deep, and briefly lost focus, as if she was peeking at the river of fate.

After a few seconds, Bernadette's eyes returned to normal, and she subconsciously glanced up at the sky.

She felt herself being watched by something.

Of course, this was something she expected, as she took the initiative to recite the honorific name of Mr. "Fool".

Above the gray mist, in the ancient palace, Crane holds the "Fool" card, draped in the "curtain", holding the "Star Staff", and is examining the situation of the island through the prayer point of the "mysterious queen".

In his true vision, the island was shrouded in a faint, distorted black, so that he could not see directly what was going on inside, and could only get Bernadette's perspective.

Even if it wasn't the pristine island discovered by Russell the Great, it's not easy...... Crane nodded imperceptibly, waiting for the "mysterious queen" to explore more.

Bernadette didn't use that thread anymore, because she had a hunch that it would lead her into a dangerous abyss that she couldn't fight.

She pulled out an illusory hat and placed it on her head.

Her captain's figure vanished, disappearing from all traces.

This is also one of the fairy tale magic from the "mysterious reappearance", and the core is a "hat" that can make people invisible.

Bernadette then followed a path carved out by humans into a forest of giant trees.

There was no birdsong, no roar of wild beasts, no crawling insects, it was as peaceful as time had frozen, dead as if there were no living beings.

According to Bernadette's understanding, there should be a lot of transcendent beings who have gone extinct in the outside world, and it would be quite lively normally, but now, she feels that she is walking through an uninhabited cemetery, and every giant tree is a tombstone.

Those extraordinary people with weak minds must have tensed up at this moment, carrying heavy pressure, and were on the verge of losing control, but Bernadette's expression did not change in the slightest, as if she was accustomed to moving forward in danger and strangeness.

After nearly two quarters of an hour, she still didn't see any living creatures, not even feel the presence of the wind.

Suddenly, her eyes widened as the huge trees thinned out in front of her.

Bernadette did not feel a little joyful, but slowed down her pace and raised her hand to the center of her eyebrows.

A pair of eyelash-free, unusually cold, translucent eyes appeared in front of her.

Then, the "peeping eyes" were held by invisible hands and placed on the face of a transparent person.

This is the "invisible servant" that belongs to Bernadette.

The "invisible servant" carried the "eye of voyeurism" and quickly passed through the remaining roads to the open woodland.

In the process, its vision gradually cleared, and it no longer seemed to be affected by the faint black that permeated the air.

Finally, the "invisible servant" reached the edge of the open field, and transmitted the situation there back to Bernadette's vision through the "peeping eye":

Beyond the sparse woods is a large clearing teeming with untold creatures.

Among them were red dragons with flaming skin, treemen with wooden tumors for eyes and cracks for mouths, eight-legged wolves, giants with long limbs, green scales and oily feathers, feathered serpents that looked like hillocks just hanging there, and all sorts of creatures that were a mix of humans and beasts.

At this point, they all face one place, prostrate with their upper bodies or heads, as if they are worshipping some unknown being, and none of them make a sound.

There are even a few humans in there.

One, two, three, four, five...... When Bernadette counted several humanoids, her azure pupils suddenly dilated slightly.

She learns from Gardelia, the "Star General", that the primeval island that her father discovered once had some kind of strange pollution that allowed the dead creatures to return to their origins, no matter where their bodies were.

Among the "knights" who followed Russell the Great, Green was killed first, then William and Pelly, but no one else died in the corresponding event except for the three of them, and at this time, there were a full five people among those extraordinary or mutant creatures.

In addition, Bernadette knew that her father had finally solved the pollution problem and made the pristine island his secret base.

Isn't it the island? The "mysterious queen" examines the five humans one by one through the "voyeuristic eye".

They were all dressed in extravagant Russell-era clothing, with pale faces and shriveled skin, more like living corpses than humans.

Because all five of them were prostrate on the ground, Bernadette could not see their faces for the time being, and could only wait patiently for the "prayer" to end.

After a few minutes, the creatures straightened up at the same time, and the entire primeval forest came to life.

Seizing this opportunity, Bernadette saw the five men and contrasted them with her own memories and the portraits she had mastered:

"Grimm, he's really Grimm, and this is the pristine island......

"This is Uncle William, I remember what he looked like, he used to teach me swordsmanship......

"Uncle Polley......

When the fourth person was recognized, Bernadette's rarely moody face showed an undisguised consternation.

That person is:

Edwards!

In Bernadette's memory, the knight lived until his father's fall, and then the family moved to Lemburg, never dying on the pristine island.

According to the information she received from Edwina, the "Lieutenant General of the Iceberg", Edwards lived to be nearly 100 years old, died very peacefully, and was buried in a cemetery on the outskirts of Lemburg.

Uncle Edwards also returned to the island...... Didn't he not suffer pollution and die because of it...... One thought after another flashed through Bernadette's mind, so much so that the "voyeuristic eyes" on the face of the "invisible servant" kept looking at the human who appeared to be Edwards.

The "gentleman" was old, with all white hair, in line with Adewina Edwards' portraits of her ancestors in their old age, and from her features and silhouettes, Bernadette could also tell what she looked like in her prime.

At that time, Edwards was her equestrian teacher.

Suddenly, the human who appeared to be Edwards turned his head and looked with indifferent eyes at the location of the "invisible servant".

Although Bernadette inherited a lot of Russell the Great's legacy, she was able to come to the present step by step in the mysterious world, relying on more than just items, at this moment, she immediately made a decision, directly let the "Voyeur Eye" disperse, and let the "invisible servant" return to the spirit world.

Immediately afterward, she quietly changed her position in a stealth state.

At the same time, Crane, above the gray mist, tapped the edge of the mottled table, magnifying the probability that Bernadette would not be discovered.

When the human suspected of Edwards withdrew his dull gaze and walked to different places in the primeval forest with the creatures around him, Crane frowned slightly and whispered to himself:

"What's going on?"

He remembered that the Emperor had solved the starry sky pollution on this primeval island during his lifetime, but now, these creatures were still worshipping an unknown being, performing mysterious rituals, close to the earliest description in the diary.

Was it someone in the starry sky who encroached on the place after the fall of the Emperor, or did they worship a symbol left behind by the Emperor? Who are the two extra people who look like Edwards and Benjamin Abraham in a fragment of history? Crane, who was disturbed by the faint black of the island, could not see what he was worshipping for the time being, and could only follow Bernadette's eyes to observe the surroundings.

After a while, Bernadette, who was proficient in prophecy, finally determined that there were no living creatures in the open clearing, and summoned the "invisible servant" once more, giving it the "Eye of Prying".

The "invisible servant" made his way through the sparse and completely empty area of the forest, and carefully arrived at the place where the creatures had worshipped.

There was a boulder with a rudimentary shrine made of dark red wood.

The "invisible servant" made a half-circle and came to the front of the shrine, and found that it was empty, with no statues of gods, no symbols, or other items such as badges.

The creatures of this island seem to worship something that doesn't exist.