Chapter 4 Miss Clayton

Chapter 4 Miss Clayton

Celes Noel hitched a ride.

The lady introduced herself as Angela Clayton, so Celes addressed her as Miss Clayton.

Miss Clayton came from an illustrious background, but she didn't reveal much about her family. She had come to this place on the recommendation of a friend, but she was vague about the identity of that friend and didn’t provide any details.

Soon, the person Miss Clayton was waiting for appeared.

He was a tall man in his early thirties with an ordinary appearance. The most striking features about him were his elaborate robes and his radiant smile.

"Welcome, my lady!" he said to Miss Clayton. Then, noticing Celes, he asked, "And who is this?"

"Celes Noel," Celes introduced himself politely. "I'm here for the same reason as Miss Clayton."

He took out the business card he had received from Morton.

The man glanced at it and nodded, smiling. "Welcome, Mr. Noel and Miss Clayton. My name is Carol Hausman. You can call me Carol."

Carol was an outgoing and cheerful man. He was an officer of the Historical Society and also a subordinate of Joseph Morton. Moreover...

"I am also a guide to some of the Revelators," Carol said mysteriously.

Miss Clayton maintained an air of excitement and nervousness as she followed Carol up the spiral staircase.

Noticing the numerous items Celes carried, Carol led him first to an empty room on the second floor to store them. Then, he led both of them to the top floor.

Celes noticed the building's antiquity and grandeur. The deep brown luster of the floors carried a sense of age, as if each step required caution.

Stepping onto such floors and heading to the top floor of the Historical Society made Miss Clayton look almost overwhelmed.

Celes, however, remained unperturbed.

He guessed that Revelators were the "extraordinary powers" of this world, which wasn't surprising. But could one obtain such power simply with a business card?

This implied that the extraordinary powers in this world were semi-public and backed by official authority?

Celes couldn't help feeling slightly troubled.

What troubled him even more was his realization that he had obtained the business card because he mentioned studying the literature of the Silent Age at the antique bookstore, which prompted Grenfell to give him the card.

However, the study of the Silent Age literature at Lamifa University wasn't a rare field.

The original body had studied this field for years without receiving an invitation to extraordinary powers; yet, he immediately got one upon arriving? This seemed unusual.

Was it related to his transmigration?

Or...

Celes suddenly recalled the judgment he made before discovering the antique bookstore.

He thought, was it because his investigative judgment succeeded that he was able to find the old bookstore? In other words, ordinary people couldn't discover its existence?

Indeed, the original body lived in that neighborhood for over a month without ever finding the antique bookstore. Given his professional interest, he should have stumbled upon it.

But there was no memory of Grenfell's Antique Bookstore in his mind.

...So, did the extraordinary powers of this world have certain thresholds and prerequisites?

On the way to the top floor of the Historical Society, countless questions and associations flooded Celes' mind. However, the moment they stepped into the top floor, he set these thoughts aside.

They arrived at a door at the end of a corridor lined with burgundy velvet carpet.

There was a mysterious symbol on the door, resembling an eye but drawn with only a few lines.

Celes found it familiar and looked closely, realizing it was the symbol of Antinium, the god of the past and history.

In myths and the doctrines of the Church of the Past, Antinium is the recorder and witness of all past events, knowing everything that has happened and seeing through the mists of history. Thus, His symbol is an eye, specifically a left eye.

Seeing this symbol here confirmed for Celes that the Historical Society indeed had ties to the Church of the Past.

Carol stopped at the door and smiled mysteriously. "Next—ladies and gentlemen, don't blink."

He pushed the door open.

A serene blue light emanated from within. The scene inside was more mundane than Celes had imagined, yet still exceeded his expectations. Miss Clayton let out a gasp.

For they had expected just another room behind the door, but instead, they found a vast space. There were halls, corridors, high ceilings, countless doors, and people in robes walking around.

Carol observed their expressions and saw that both Celes and Miss Clayton were astonished. The former's reaction was subtle, while the latter's was exaggerated, but they both saw the space behind the door.

Thus, Carol smiled genuinely. "Welcome, the... uh, I don't know how manyth Revelator. Congratulations on becoming a Revelator."

Miss Clayton couldn't help but ask skeptically, "Is that all it takes to become a Revelator?"

"Oh, only Revelators can see this scene," Carol said, leading them into the space behind the door. A faint blue light still surrounded them. "Ordinary people would simply overlook it, thinking it’s just a regular archive room."

Miss Clayton finally understood. She hurriedly asked, pointing at the high ceiling, "Why does this place exist?" It didn't resemble the original building.

"It was done by the vice president. I don't understand it myself. Probably some profound ritual," Carol said. "By the way, the Historical Society is indeed a gathering place for Revelators. Ordinary affairs are handled by the president, while Revelator-related matters are handled by the vice president."

Miss Clayton nodded, still confused. "Ritual? What kind of ritual?"

Carol shrugged, with a hint of playful teasing. "That's the mystery of being a Revelator. Don't worry, look how calm Mr. Noel is!"

Miss Clayton immediately turned to Celes and saw his calm and composed expression. Feeling embarrassed, she cleared her throat and tried to maintain a composed demeanor.

Carol laughed at the lady's expression, his cheerful laughter free of any gloom. He said, "Alright, alright, we're here."

They had already made their way through the crowd, which occasionally cast curious glances but mostly went about their own business. Their steps halted in front of a room in the corridor. As expected, the door still bore the symbol of Antinium's eye.

But beneath the eye was a string of numbers: 666.

"Oh... it's this number," Carol muttered. "No big deal, just a coincidence. At least it's easy to remember."

Carol reached out first and gripped the doorknob. Then, under his guidance, Miss Clayton and Celes each took a turn holding it. Afterward, Carol held the doorknob again, seemingly focusing for a moment.

Then he smiled. "Great! Exactly six people! Alright, you two are the last newcomers today. Let's go."

He pushed the door open and walked in, followed by Miss Clayton and Celes.

Inside was a room similar to a parlor, with a quiet fireplace and tall bookshelves lined against the walls, filled with books. The windows were bright and clean, and four people were already seated on the sofa in the center of the room, sipping tea, nibbling on snacks, or reading books.

It must be said that this lively and comfortable scene immediately gave Celes some favorable impressions of the so-called "Revelators."

It didn't seem like a particularly evil or mysterious supernatural power.

Noticing the three newcomers, the four people already in the room looked up.

Celes glanced over and saw three men and one woman. Among the men, there was a middle-aged man with tattered clothes and an anxious look, a young boy with bright, lively eyes, and a young man with a blank expression who seemed somewhat impatient.

The woman was an elderly lady with gray hair and a kind face.

Carol led Miss Clayton and Celes to sit down and had them introduce themselves to each other. Then he quickly got to the point.

"Today, you gather here, which means that from now on, you will form a team. You will learn together, advance and retreat together, help each other, and communicate with each other until you become qualified and mature Revelators, capable of standing on your own."

Celes listened, thinking that the learning and growth of supernaturals in this world seemed to be similar to a study support group.

What would be the criteria for this "until becoming" process? Combat skills? Ability to handle emergencies? Psychological resilience?

Celes found himself drifting into thoughts about the background and settings of web novels from his past life. He still didn't know what the powers in this world were like.

While Celes was lost in thought, Carol continued his explanation: "I am your guide on the path of being a Revelator. I will provide you with knowledge, opportunities for growth, and space, and help you master the abilities of a Revelator safely."

As he spoke, he pulled out a small object from his pocket.

It looked like a small notebook, and when Carol placed it on the coffee table in front of them, it suddenly expanded into a very thick and ancient-looking book under everyone's gaze.

It was at least fifty centimeters wide and long, and its thickness was equivalent to two hands stacked vertically. It was an enormous volume, and no one knew how Carol managed to shrink it into such a small notebook to carry around.

While everyone else stared in amazement, Carol wore his usual smile. He said, "This is the knowledge you need to master—thoroughly."

The six new Revelators exchanged glances, all showing hesitant expressions.

Carol said, "A Revelator is someone who uses potions and time tracks to draw strength from the past, gain revelations, and ultimately reproduce such power."