Ebner picked up the notebook and, relying on the powerful analytical powers of the White Eye, flipped through a few pages and came to a realization.
"This notebook was written in secret text," he said with certainty.
"Secrets?" Miss Fani repeated in confusion.
"The lettering that forms the words in this notebook is very simple. It doesn't look like mature text that has undergone evolution. Instead, it looks more like a symbol that was temporarily designed… I just did a count. The type of symbol is roughly the same as the number of words in ancient Feysac." Ebner pointed at the words on one of the pages and explained with a smile.
Upon hearing that, Miss Fani leaned over to Ebner and looked in the direction of his finger. She then said thoughtfully, "In other words… each symbol represents one or a few letters in ancient Feysac?"
"That's right!" Ebner nodded, but he shot a glance at Emma. He wasn't surprised to find that the lady had long known that the words in the notebook were in secret.
That's right. How could a Cryptologist not be able to see through such a simple trick? She didn't mention it before because she wanted to help Miss Fani out?
As he thought this, he quickly deciphered the alphabet that represented some of the symbols using the "Poor Election."
Then, he frowned.
This was because the words formed by the deciphered alphabet were actually a series of numbers!
This is the second level's encryption? What extraordinary content is recorded in the notebook… It has to be so confidential?
However, since it's a digit, it probably requires a corresponding "codebook" to complete the translation… I wonder which book the baron used as a "codebook."
At this thought, Ebner sighed and showed his results to the two ladies beside him.
Upon seeing this, Fani said in an exaggerated tone, "Detective Bryan, you're amazing! You managed to crack it in such a short period of time."
Her face was filled with amazement.
Miss Emma felt mixed emotions. She knew that she couldn't decipher the meaning of the cryptic text in such a short period of time, so while feeling depressed, she sighed from the bottom of her heart. "As expected of Backlund's famous Hero Detective!"
After sighing, she also thought of the question that Ebner had previously thought about. She deliberated and said, "Ebner, these combination of numbers might very well represent the words corresponding to the position in a book?"
"That's right. Perhaps it's a book from the study above." Ebner nodded slightly and agreed with what Emma said.
"Ebner…" Miss Fani muttered softly. Then, she took out her pocket watch and looked at it. It was already four o'clock, so she reminded him, "It's almost dawn. We have to rush back to the town hotel as soon as possible. We don't have time to determine which book those numbers correspond to."
"Then let's pack it together. We can slowly search for it when we get back." Emma laughed and said meaningfully.
"How?" Ebner asked in surprise.
Although he didn't count them carefully, there were at least twenty to thirty books in the bookcase in the study. It wasn't easy to move them away. It was the same even if he had the strength of a curly-haired baboon after wearing Hand of Wisdom.
"Leave it to me." Fani puffed out her chest and said confidently.
Seeing that she seemed rather confident, Ebner didn't speak further. After carefully searching the basement with the two ladies, he went up the stairs to the study on the upper floor.
Following that, he learned the reason for Miss Fani's confidence.
One by one, the books were placed into Fani's backpack. It was as if they were placed into a bottomless pit, without any signs of being filled.
This backpack is a mystical item? Could it be the ability of a Secrets Sorcerer to create an interspatial pocket?
Hmm… Probably not. For Low-Sequence Beyonders to use items at the demigod level, the negative effects would probably be staggering… Furthermore, for an item at this level to be in the hands of a Sequence 9, it would only bring her trouble.
But even so, it must be a priceless treasure… Are they that at ease with me? Aren't they afraid that I'll have malicious intentions?
Miss Fani is one thing… But looking at Miss Emma, she seems to be already used to it? Don't they realize the true value of this item?
Just as Ebner was filled with suspicion, Fani had already packed all her books into her backpack. She turned around and smiled. "That's enough. Let's head back to the inn first."
Ebner nodded, but he still said wistfully and warningly, "This is the first time I'm seeing a mystical item that possesses Space."
However, Fani clearly read between the lines. Her eyes softened as she said with a smile, "Thank you for the warning, Detective Bryan. But I believe in your character."
You believe me so easily? Lady, isn't it too easy to gain your trust?
Ebner lampooned, but seeing that she seemed to know her limits, he stopped persuading her.
…
The three of them walked all the way back to the Old John Inn, and Fani and Emma returned to their rooms.
After using her spirituality to seal the room, Fani took off her shirt and trousers, walked into the bathroom, and soaked herself in the bathtub to wash away the dust. Only then did she say to her friend in fear,
This expedition was really dangerous. If I hadn't met Detective Bryan, I probably would've died…
Emma also nodded solemnly and said, "The effects of Bribe in the ruins are truly terrifying. Both of us had picked up that notebook, and our mental state should've been lowered back then… And you were greatly demoted… You even forgot your trump card back then and really closed your eyes to await your death."
At that moment, Fanihad already recovered from the comfort of the bath. As she rubbed the soil on her body with a towel, she said with a smile, "But we were lucky to get to know Detective Bryan as a result."
"Why? Did you really fall in love with him at first sight?" Emma teased with squinted eyes as she lay beside the bathtub.
"It's not love at first sight, but I have a good impression of him. It's true that I'm willing to develop a friendship with him… Don't you think that he's very good at combat, knowledge, and reasoning? Our Beyonder path requires such a powerful companion!" Fani said solemnly as she released the mischievous hand of Aimar.
"So… that's why you used 'backpack' to test his character?" Emma asked with a smile.
"Wasn't that a plan you came up with long ago?" Fani glanced at her friend and mimicked her voice. "When you meet a suitable companion, use it as a test. If the person being tested shows any malicious intent, they will definitely suffer the consequences and be devoured by the backpack."
"I was indeed the one who said it… It's just that your performance was too deliberate. I think Ebner has already seen through it…" Emma sighed.
"I wanted to ask you why you called him Ebner. What did you talk about in the basement?" Fani asked suspiciously.
"'Ebner' was specially permitted by the 'heroic detective' to address me as' Emma, '" she said smugly.
And the only response she got was a handful of water that Fani poured out…
…
After returning to the guest room, Ebner still didn't know that he had become the topic of conversation between the two girls while they laughed.
As the sky was about to brighten, he didn't rest. Instead, he flipped open an obviously old book and began comparing the numbers in his mind in an attempt to decipher the hidden meaning behind the second level.
As for the book, he had specially asked for it before he parted with the two ladies.
However, even when he compared all five books, he didn't find the correct passcodes.
Just now, when I was selecting books from Fane's backpack, I deliberately chose the five most likely books… But none of them were…
"Then, will the codebook really be hidden in the other books in the hands of those two ladies?"
Worried, Ebner subconsciously paced around the room. Suddenly, he swept his gaze across the Hermes relief sculptures on the hotel's wall. His heart skipped a beat as he suddenly had a new idea.
That baron was clearly building a house according to a ritual before sealing himself… Or should I say, a mausoleum!
What he recorded in the notebook with two levels of encryption might very well be related to this matter…
And that ritual is recorded in the Book of Dead!
Could it be that… the real codebook is the Book of Dead?
With this in mind, he casually flipped to a page in the notebook and compared the first line of numbers with the Book of Dead from his memories.
Soon, he figured out the contents of the diary page.
"12th September. I chanced upon an abandoned ancient castle in the middle of Delaire Forest. As the situation was unclear, I didn't approach it and planned to explore it after making preparations.
"14th September. According to my observations, there seems to be a vampire secretly guarding the ancient abandoned castle, but he's only a Sequence 7. It's very easy to enter the ancient castle without his knowledge.
"I decided to head in with her to investigate the moment she arrives."
Looking at the words he had deciphered, Ebner recalled the scene of the baron's black-spotted corpse and felt his scalp tingle.
As he had seen it before, he knew how terrifying the ancient castle in Delaire Forest was!