Lounge area in the living room on the ground floor.

Chen Lun sat on the sofa and waited quietly.

It was morning, and from time to time you could see well-dressed guests coming to the door. Most of them were men, either directly inside the club or, like Chen Lun, waiting in the lounge area.

Chen Lun casually looked at the surrounding environment and found that the atmosphere of this fighting club was very well done.

The walls are covered with paintings of bullfighting, fighting, wrestling, and cold-armed fighting, as well as the emblems, shields, and flags of some historically famous fighting families.

What made Chen Lun more interested was the several long swords placed crosswise, as well as a row of cold weapons standing in the corner.

It can be seen that this club is keen on hand-to-hand combat and cold weapon fighting, and it is a circle of gentlemen who are modest on the surface, but eager for blood and battle in their hearts.

"Hey, friend, do you want one?"

At this time, a hearty male voice came from the side.

Chen Lun turned his head to look and saw a middle-aged man, looking over with a smile, spreading out a box of cigars in his hand, and signaling to himself.

"No, thank you."

Chen Lun responded with a polite smile.

"Oh, that's a pity, it's a high-end ...... from the Fossil City Tobacco Bureau."

The man raised an eyebrow, took out one and sniffed it.

"You don't seem to be a member of the club, I haven't seen you before...... Is it to come and see today? Or have you already made a decision?

Let me tell you a secret, the owner of this club, Mr. Charles, is a master of swordsmanship...... In addition to regularly hosting martial arts matches, he occasionally teaches his members high-end sword skills. ”

The man seemed to be very talkative, talking in his mouth, and skillfully cut the cigar with scissors in his hands, and then struck the match with a snort.

After waiting for the match to burn well for a second or two, he was relieved to bring the flame closer to the cigar.

"This is to make sure the cigars don't smell weird, hey, it's a little bit of my personal experience......"

The man took a puff on his cigar, as if suddenly realizing that he hadn't introduced himself yet, and held out his hand.

"Haha, my name is Siebert, an unemployed vagrant, what about Your Excellency?"

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Siebert."

Chen Lun shook hands with him with a smile and said casually:

"Jack, running a winery."

He looked at the easy-going man, Siebert.

The other party will never be an unemployed vagrant, judging by his dress and conversation, most of them are nobles.

I have to say that this guy should be thirty or forty years old, but he has a clean beard. Coupled with the appearance and temperament of three points handsome and seven points of yuppies, there is a unique charm.

"Oh, winery! If you have the chance, be sure to try Mr. Jack's wine! ”

Siebert laughed.

At this moment, the waitress from before walked over.

"Mr. Jack, please come here."

She bowed respectfully and stretched out her hand.

"Mr. Charles is waiting in the reception room."

"I'm sorry for you."

Chen Lun got up and straightened his black hat.

He then turned to Siebert on the couch and said goodbye to him.

"Oh, Mr. Jack, go ahead and get busy...... I'll have a sword lesson to take in a moment, it's a premium service in the club, so you should try it out if you have the chance. ”

Siebert frowned, and if he didn't listen carefully to what he said, he thought he was going to a private room to choose his favorite technician.

Chen Lun followed the hostess upstairs and stopped in front of a room at the end of the corner on the third floor.

"Mr. Charles is inside."

The waitress whispered, raising her hand.

Immediately, she bowed slightly and turned to leave.

Tuk Tuk ......

Chen Lun knocked on the door.

"Come in, Mr. Jack."

A calm middle-aged male voice came from inside.

Chen Lun pushed the door in.

What catches your eye is a spacious room with a tall bookcase on the left and right sides. In the middle is a sofa and a coffee table, and the window is open on one side, which is open for ventilation, and the whole room is full of light.

A middle-aged man in a burgundy dress with a black bow tie on his chest is sitting on a sofa and looking at an old book.

When the door opened, he looked up and saw Chen Lun coming in, so he put down the book in his hand and stood up to greet him.

"First meeting, Mr. Jack."

Charles shook hands with Chen Lun and immediately motioned for him to sit down casually.

"Hello, Mr. Charles."

Chen Lun sat on the sofa and glanced at the old books on the coffee table. The text on it is very thin and not very clear, but there are several black and white pictures that appear to be screenshots of the archaeological team's photographs.

The photograph shows several tall statues with blurred faces and tall figures.

"Mr. Jack is also interested in ancient history?"

Charles spoke softly.

Chen Lun looked up at him and found that this middle-aged man was a little unique, with a fresh yellow orchid in the chest pocket of his burgundy dress.

"Yes, Mr. Charles, I think many unknowns are hidden in the lost past."

Chen Lun said with a smile.

Charles nodded silently, as if agreeing with him.

"This book records an archaeological operation many years ago, a professor from a major city university led a team to excavate seven giant statues in an ancient ruin, which seem to be the statues of the gods more than 3,000 years ago......"

He picked up the old book, flipped it over, and handed it to Chen Lun.

"Look, isn't it amazing?"

Chen Lun took a closer look and found that the seven statues on the picture were not quite the same as he imagined.

The three deities, who show their feminine appearance, are all young and not old. This is a little different from what Chen Lun saw on the oil painting of "The Dinner of the Seven Gods".

'Missing Moonlight Mother-in-law......'

Chen Lun frowned slightly, looked carefully, and saw a vague moon pattern at the base of a certain statue.

But he found that the statue was indeed a young woman.

'The gods of the moon's path...... Is it the same person? Has there been a change in the past 3,000 years? ’

Chen Lun guessed.

In his impression, whether in his past life or in this life, the deity at the end of the moon's path is the image of the moonlight mother-in-law, an amiable old woman.

In other words, the so-called image of the gods is mostly speculated by mortals...... Because no one has seen them at all? ’

Chen Lun pondered for a moment, and then found a suspicious place on the pictures of the old books.

His eyes froze.

On the base pattern of the seven statues, I didn't see anything belonging to the [Earth Faction] at all!

The only different statue is a simple circle pattern on its base, as if it were a starting point, a period, and a ring.

Looking upwards, the image of this statue is an emaciated old man, sitting quietly, unremarkable, not at all like a great being.

"I'm sure you can see that, Mr. Jack...... This was one of the seven righteous gods in the past, but it was later replaced by the god of the earth, the 'mud man'. ”

Charles said softly.

He slowly closed the old book, and in a flash, the book disappeared.

"Do you know where that archaeological team went? They all died, and the seven excavated statues were once again buried by the collapsed ruins......

This is a truth that should not be known to the world, and those who know it will be cursed to die. The record in this old book should not exist, and if it appears in this world again, it will disintegrate into powder and disappear completely from this world......

Are you afraid of the curse, Mr. Jack. ”

Charles looked at Chen Lun calmly and said slowly.

[You have read the truth of history and are cursed by the earth!] [Poison of History LV1]! 】

【Poison of History LV1 (Curse)】

Curse Description: For knowing a history you shouldn't know, you will be punished by the earth.

Cursed Effect: Every once in a while, you will be run by the "wheel of history" and threatened by "the same history".

'The Curse of History......'

Chen Lun stared at the club owner in front of him.

From the moment he entered the door and sat down, he faintly felt that the other party was not simple.

With the old books shown by the other party, the words spoken, and the subsequent performance, it can be determined that he has a mysterious origin, and is not an ordinary club owner.

But from the perceptual feedback, it is known that Charles is indeed an ordinary person, not an extraordinary person...... In that case, he shouldn't have been so knowledgeable about the occult realm.

"Knowledge itself is a curse, Mr. Charles, and it makes people sane, and sanity is the most terrible poison in the world......"

Chen Lun replied expressionlessly.

"I'm not afraid of curses, I'm just worried that I'll end up dying in a meaningless corner because of my ignorance."

Charles gave him a deep look, then a meaningful smile.

[Biles Wolf's favorability towards you has increased! ] Currently friendly! 】

Chen Lun's pupils shrank.

The club owner named Charles in front of him turned out to be ......

"Black Knight" Biles!

A side story character in the open beta 1.0 version, [Moon Faction Sequence 5 - Black Knight], the "former Purple Moonlight Squad Captain" who was hunted down by the Church of the Sun, the Church of the Moon, and the Shelter.

The Purple Moonlight is the Church of the Moon's elite Transcendental troops, usually stationed in large city-states as one of the most powerful Transcendent squads in the Empire.

'Why is he here?!' ’

Chen Lun was extremely surprised.

It stands to reason that Biles' story mission should not take place until a few months after the open beta in another state city......

[Trigger B-rank Hidden Mission: Test of the Black Knight!] 】

Description: For some reason, the Black Knight Byers was drawn to Amber City, and then became curious about you and decided to put you to the test.

If the test passes, it will affect his next planned deployment, and maybe you will be involved. If you fail the test, you too will die a tragic death under the curse of history.

Rewards: 10,000 XP, 20 Gold Pounds, Byers' Opinion, and [Moon Faction Sequence 8] Extraordinary Knowledge*1

Chen Lun read the task prompt, thought about it for a while, and finally chose to accept.

This is a strong man standing at the end of the middle sequence, only one step away from the Sage. If you can gain his friendship, then in the future, whether it is for yourself or the team, it will be an important help.

In addition, I still know the plot of "Black Knight" Biles, and it can be said that I have the advantage in hand.

As for the threat of the curse......

It just so happens that it can be solved with Noah's affairs.

'This curse doesn't weigh a lot, but after all, it's only LV1...... Just looking at its description, it's somewhat difficult to understand. ’

Chen Lun thought to himself.

'What is the rolling of the wheels of history, the threat of the same history, ......? ’