Chapter 347
Room seven was locked. On the adjacent wall, a stone box was embedded. Phoebe opened the stone box, revealing two recessed spaces inside. She placed Percival’s identity seal and a key into the box. Soon, the door to the room opened automatically. Phorhe took the items and walked inside. The room contained a wooden cabinet, and hanging from it was a talisman.
Phoebe activated the aura from Percival’s identity seal and infused it into the talisman. Moments later, the talisman, which was affixed to the cabinet, spontaneously combusted and turned to ash. The wooden cabinet, which was neither locked nor had any gaps, slowly opened on its own. Inside, Phoebe saw only a small, square wooden box; each of its four corners adorned with a talisman. The box also had an ancient lock.
Phoebe carefully picked up the wooden box and sensed a familiar aura; it was indeed Percival’s. She didn’t open it there, but instead took it with her.
As Phoebe exited the yard, the elderly gray-haired man glanced at the wooden box she was holding, and his eyes flickered momentarily. He spoke, emphasizing it: “Once you take that out, once you leave this gate, we won’t have anything to do with it anymore. If you love it, we won’t be responsible.”
Phoebe looked at him deeply, sensing that his words had an underlying meaning. She nodded, “I understand.” With that, she walked out the gate, holding the wooden box.
Moments after Phoebe left, a person approached the main hall of the Horoscope Association and knocked on the door. He spoke at the door, “Sir, Phoebe has the item.”
A voice came from within. “Wait until she leaves Oriar, then retrieve it.”
“Understood,” he responded.
Such situations happened frequently. Along the way, no one attempted to take the wooden box from Phoebe, which was exactly what she had anticipated. If someone tried to steal an item from Phoebe while she was retrieving something stored at the Horoscope Association, word would spread, and no one would dare to store anything there in the future. But if the item were stolen after Phoebe had left Oriar, the situation would be different.
Phoebe returned to her room and locked the door behind her. Once inside, she set up a magic field that prevented anyone from peeking inside. Only then did she approach the box and use another key to unlock the wooden box. She then cut her finger, allowing a drop of blood to fall on each of the four talismans affixed to the corners of the box.
The blood immediately merged into the talismans, and they spontaneously combusted, turning into thin blue smoke. Click! The wooden box made a sound as it opened on its own. Phoebe looked inside and saw two items.
At the top was an emerald clasp, radiating an ancient aura and filled with auspicious energy. The emerald clasp was intricately engraved with complex patterns, and in the center was a vividly detailed miniature Sky Serpent with wings. Phoebe carefully picked up the emerald clasp and examined it. It was undoubtedly a top-tier artifact. However, she had a feeling that it wasn’t just any artifact; it seemed more significant than that.
Below the clasp was an envelope. Phoebe reached for it. The envelope was sealed with a talisman, and as soon as her hand made contact, the talisman spontaneously combusted and vanished. Phoebe knew this was a backup measure left by Percival, a kind of verification talisman. Only by sensing her aura could the letter remain intact. If anyone else had tried to take the letter, the talisman would have burned the entire letter along with itself.
The wooden box that held the items was also rigged with a magic field. Without Phoebe’s blood, it couldn’t be opened. If someone tried to force it open, the box would be destroyed. Thus, even if someone wanted to steal the items Percival had entrusted, they wouldn’t be able to get them.
Phoebe opened the letter, and tears welled up in her eyes. Percival had divined that Phoebe would face life-threatening trials, so he had used a secret technique to give her a slim chance at survival. The technique had worked, but Percival did not know what her chance at survival would be.
Since Phoebe’s birth, she had been cited. To break free from her restraints, she would first have to destroy the old and rebuild herself; and death tribulation was not entirely a bad thing. Fortune and misfortune were intertwined.
At the same time, Percival told Phoebe that the Horoscope Association was not as simple as it appeared to consulters. While it had its right side, it also harbored its share of filth and corruption. Percival warned her not to get too deeply involved and advised her to stay away from Riar. His place was a cage, not a good place.
He also mentioned a few names, telling Phoebe that these individuals were trustworthy. When she saw two of the names, she was taken aback. Percival then spoke of the emerald clasp, explaining that it had been passed down from his ancestors. It was said that the emerald clasp contained a secret, and if the secret were unlocked, it would be a tremendous opportunity for a horoscope master.
However, Percival had never managed to uncover that secret. Someone had discovered it and coveted it, which led to several assassination attempts against him, ultimately leaving him severely injured and in a condition that could not be healed. The fact that Phoebe had obtained the wooden box meant that she had survived the major tribulation and had gained the alalay.
Percival instructed her to keep the emerald clasp safe, leaving behind a clue for unlocking the secret. He emphasized that this could be the opportunity for her to break free from her circumstances and change her fate. The ones plotting against her were incredibly powerful, and Percival urged Phoebe not to confront them head-on. Unless one day Phoebe reached the Ascendance Realm, she would have no hope of standing against them.
Percival advised that if Phoebe could not reach that level, she should go abroad and stay away, as that would be the only way to preserve her life. In the end, Percival mentioned that he had left a house for her in Solara City and provided the address. The relevant documents with her name were stored in the house. He had set up a magic field in the house and advised Phoebe to make adjustments once she moved in. Percival had also stocked the house with many valuable medicinal herbs that had aged well.
Finally, Percival expressed his hope that his only beloved disciple would live a long and safe life. Tears streamed down Phoebe’s face, one after another, as she read the letter. She could not hold back her sobs. The person who had been the kindest to her in this world was Percival. He was the only family Phoebe had ever truly recognized.
At that moment, the letter spontaneously combusted into ashes. Clearly, Percival did not want anyone to see or discover the contents of the letter. So, Mr. Burgess’s injury was the result of a deliberate attack. “I will avenge him,” Phoebe thought to herself.
From the letter, it was clear that Percival had known about the people behind the plot against Phoebe, but he had been unable to write it down, or perhaps say it out loud. However, Percival had inadvertently shared an important piece of information: the person behind it had already reached the Ascendance Realm and was not on the list of trusted individuals Percival had given.
Phoebe threaded the emerald clasp onto a string and hung it around her neck. At that moment, Sienna was once again leaving the Horoscope Association, heading alone to the hotel that Aaron had sent her the details for.