From the Ship of Fools to Earl of Wugang

Rebecca got up and left the third floor. She went into the study and saw Thomas cleaning the bookshelves.

"Miss." Thomas gave a slight bow as Rebecca entered. "Your favorite strawberry tart is ready, if you would like—"

"I'm not hungry," Rebecca interrupted him.

Thomas paused for a moment. "So, black tea?"

"No need," Rebecca said, walking up to him. "I found some interesting facts on Mr. Black's computer."

Observing that Thomas remained unfazed, Rebecca continued:

"The cached logs on that computer recorded a BBS called 'The Alchemist's Cauldron,' which discussed topics related to insomnia reports in the newspapers and the so-called infiltration of the lower spiritual realm. There were also some lists that you would probably call 'materials.'"

Rebecca stared at the silent old butler: "And the study—I've always had doubts about the variety of my father's books, and his private research records that he never made public, not to mention that I remember many of the books here gradually disappeared while my father was still here—Thomas, I need an explanation."

The old butler finally spoke up: "Miss Rebecca, Mr. Black does indeed have his own private affairs."

"That statement may be true, but it doesn't answer my question."

"I don't quite understand; some things aren't as you imagine—"

Rebecca's voice suddenly turned cold: "Enough, I've had enough of leaving without saying goodbye. I just want a reasonable explanation."

Rebecca's gaze passed over Thomas and landed on the familiar doors at the end of the corridor.

She grew up in this house and knows every detail of it like the back of her hand.

But now she suddenly realized that she had never really understood the house.

The ill-timed collection of books, Thomas's clever avoidance, her adoptive father's vague experiences... all the things she had intentionally or unintentionally ignored came together in the same instant.

First her father, then Blake, and even her carefully maintained daily life over the past two decades may all be submerged in the same deep water.

Rebecca felt a belated anger, the kind of anger that comes from being blindfolded while being gently led through mountains and valleys.

"Thomas, I know you probably think this is all for my own good. But I need the truth right now, immediately."

The old butler solemnly lowered his eyes, and a long silence spread down the corridor.

The wind blowing across the lake outside the window stirred a window that wasn't completely closed, and a soft creaking sound echoed repeatedly.

"You've grown up, Miss Rebecca," the old butler finally said after a long silence. "And I've always hoped this day would never come."

Thomas asked her to sit down and then began to tell the story: "It all started with the Master's expedition to the North years ago."

Robert Young was a geologist sponsored by a museum in his youth and obtained an honorary teaching position at a university.

At that time, due to his work, in addition to having a deep understanding of the ancient strata that he was interested in, he also frequently came into contact with some lost relics and folk legends.

With his professional expertise, he gradually built up a reputation and wealth in the industry, until that undisclosed private expedition in the North.

The team was originally there to investigate an ancient sacrificial site exposed after a glacier retreated, a place local herders called "the place where rams sleep."

Thomas described it as: "It is a place that should not be touched lightly, preserving ancient relics related to Dionysus. Feasts, ecstasy, and symbols of death and resurrection."

Rebecca could tell that behind his calm tone lay a deep and old fear.

That expedition changed Robert Young's life.

The team entered the site before the heavy snow blocked the mountain pass, where they discovered a large number of fragmented murals, ritual objects, and a lost ritual framework.

They initially thought it was some kind of ancient harvest worship until someone reconstructed a small part of the process based on a misunderstanding.

"They received the gift of Dionysus without knowing it, and paid the price for the rest of their lives," Thomas whispered.

The contract brought both wonder and price to the survivors—nearly half died in ecstasy, and most of the remaining people lost their minds and were left forever in the ruins.

Robert Young was among the few survivors, and thus glimpsed a path to "abundance".

But he soon realized that this gift would lead him down a difficult path.

"After the master returned, he quickly divorced her because he didn't want to involve the lady. Just as you were about to graduate from university, he turned himself into a wine merchant."

Thomas's voice sounded particularly heavy in the room.

"To the outside world, he was nominally employed by various wineries and was constantly traveling. In reality, those reasons were merely respectable cover-ups."

Rebecca's eyes were vacant as she thought of the postcards her father had sent from afar.

"How is Father doing now?"

Thomas's lips moved slightly: "The last time I received a letter from him was six months ago, and he was doing well then."

Rebecca continued, "Where is he?"

"I don't know the exact location," Thomas said. "The letter went through several transfers, and the origin points north."

Rebecca crossed her arms in front of her: "So, why did Father and you keep this from me?"

"Because knowing itself is a connection," Thomas replied slowly.

"Miss, ordinary people would think that danger comes from swords. But in that world, danger sometimes comes from dreams, desires, or even a word that is correctly understood."

Rebecca frowned. "Are you saying this knowledge itself is dangerous?"

"Yes." Thomas replied without hesitation.

As the study quieted down, Rebecca suddenly remembered the cache fragments she had just seen on the computer.

After a long pause, Thomas broke the silence: "Miss, the master hopes you can have a normal life."

"Complete your studies, have your own friends, career and hobbies, and treat him as a reasonably respectable wine merchant."

"That sounds very thoughtful."

"Yes," Thomas admitted in a low voice. "There are many things to deal with when the master leaves: the survivors, the ruins from back then, the influence of the contract on him... Wine is the most respectable part of it."

Rebecca nodded and then asked, "Where did Mr. Black go?"

"I don't know," Thomas said, "but judging from the way he left, he probably thought staying would endanger the house."

"Just like my father."

Thomas didn't speak. Rebecca suddenly felt it was absurd, which even dampened some of her anger.

Why do these men always feel that the danger outside the door will disappear when they close the door?

“I don’t accept that. Ignorance won’t make me safer.” Rebecca stood up. “I need to know what else is hidden in this house. Besides, I have the ability to choose.”

Thomas looked at her and finally said, "There's no point in continuing to hide it."

The old butler picked up a thick copy of the Wine Yearbook from the bookshelf, tore off a page, and threw it into the fireplace.

Rebecca saw the paper spontaneously combust without a flame, a faint clicking sound came from deep within the bookshelf, and then a hidden compartment embedded in the wall was revealed through the wooden wainscoting next to the fireplace.

"The master left behind several arrangements before he left," Thomas said. "One of them was for the current situation."

He took a book from the hidden compartment and placed it on the table: "As arranged by the master, if one day you irrevocably discover the truth, then I can give this to you."

Rebecca picked up the book, titled "Pittia's Meditations," and noticed its light material; the lake-blue silk binding seemed to be made of papyrus.

The butler explained, "This is the path that the master has prepared for you; it is called the 'Path of the Prophet'."