Varian stood up from his seat and retrieved the chair into the ghost ship. Even though the ghost ship wasn't working, he was able to store items in it.
"…What are you doing?" Sia asked curiously.
"What else?" Varian replied while he pointed a finger toward Sia's chair. It flew out and entered the ghost ring.
Then, he proceeded to take the tea cups and the pot away.
Sia watched him with a strange gaze. Even though the Varian she knew was a bit narcissistic and confident, he wasn't this shameless.
'I mean, I can understand if it's the chairs. They are useful. But the tables, teapot, and even tea cups?'
Sia grew worried about whether he changed too much over the past year.
"Alright, this is the only thing lef—huh?" As Varian was about to take in the table, he paused abruptly.
"Let me check." Sia stepped forward and said with a serious face. 'It might be something dangerous. Even though I just recovered, it's better for me to handle it.'
Varian looked at her face and read her intentions in an instant.
"No." Refusing her straightly, he fiddled with the table.
It was a silver table in the shape of a star. At a first glance, it seemed normal. But when he was about to put it inside the ghost ship, it shook incessantly.
Upon a quick mental scan, Varian found a small 'hole' under the table.
"…keylock?" Sia raised a brow and scanned the table with her mind sense. But while doing so, she glanced at Varian from time to time.
They were maintaining a distance of ten feet lest the repulsion kicked in.
'I need to talk to him about it. We need to solve the problem…I hate this distance.' She bit her lip and shook her head to focus on the task at hand.
"Where is the key?" Varian muttered.
[Scion, only the librarian can access the key. Only the librarian can control the barrier.] The library spirit's ethereal voice sounded in the room.
"Librarian…how do I become that?" Varian raised a brow.
He felt that it was a rather stupid question. But it'd have been stupider to not ask at all.
[You need to master all the records in the library.]
"…" Varian rolled his eyes. Most of the records were damaged. So, the mission failed before it even began. Even if he tried to master the existing ones, it'd take years.
[But since the librarian had been on indefinite leave, you will be given temporary authority. Once you spend a decade on probation, you will be given full authority.]
A bright light flashed and Varian felt a connection with the library. He could 'see' all the floors, feel the existence of all the records, and at the center of everything, he saw a bright white light—the library spirit.
[If you receive full authority, you'll be promoted to the Celestial Rank.] The library spirit dropped a bombshell.
"I-What?" Varian was as surprised as he was confused. "How can I be promoted by someone else?"
[It isn't impossible. When the empire deems someone worthy enough, raising their rank is a necessity. Librarian is a position that is worthy enough.]
"…Urgh. So, if any human is deemed worthy enough, they can reach Celestial Rank. Is that what you're saying?" Varian asked with a look that said 'Are you kidding me?'
[Human? Is that a new word for devas? Anyway, please note that this requirement to be 'worthy enough' is too high. You are recognized as worthy enough because you entered the sixth floor! The people who entered this floor in the long history of devas wouldn't exceed two digits.]
"…I see." Varian nodded in understanding.
The only reason he was able to enter was that he knew some weird things about devas due to the system.
'Anyway, what's in here...'
He reached for the table and was about to unlock it. It was then he heard Sia questioning the library spirit.
"This worthiness…is it also given to someone who gathers all the artifacts?" Sia asked in a voice filled with tension.
[Y-Yes? The one with all the artifacts is worthy enough. They'd also be raised to the Celestial Rank. After all, they're the—]
"Guardian."
[Guardian.]
Sia said at the same time as the library spirit.
[H-How do you know? Do you work in the ministry of internal defense? No, there has been no message from there for six thousand years.]
The library spirit was confused.
But more confused than it was someone else.
"Sia," Varian called out in a serious voice.
Sia turned to him with a wry smile.
"Tell me."
Sia looked at his burning eyes and sighed. "It's a long story."
Varian took out the chairs and a fresh teapot. He neatly filled brand new tea cups with a rare tea. Sipping from his cup, he said. "I'm listening."
"You…" Sia shook her head and sat down on the chair. Shooting him a quiet glance, she muttered. "You changed."
"I did. I became more handsome." Varian nodded with a serious face.
"?" Sia widened her eyes and then smiled. "No, you didn't. You're still narcissistic."
"And handsome." Varian rubbed his chin with a smirk.
"…Anyway," Sia decisively changed the topic—which was also what Varian intended.
"Shortly after Enigma woke up, she was still adjusting to the powers. So, the enemies she provoked were able to chase her down all the way to the ruins.
Since she can't teleport there, she ended up taking refuge in a strange tower that no one visited.
But unlike what everyone thought, the top room of the tower isn't empty. The air of that room had a few words written in the aura. It can't be seen with normal sight or even the mental senses. You need a really keen sense of aura to grasp it." Sia explained.
"…The words are a secret message?" Varian narrowed his eyes.
"Part of a secret message." Sia nodded and retrieved eight copper plates. With a snap of her finger, the eight plates shot up and floated in front of Varian.
"Enigma visited all the eight ruins to find out the words and copied them. Earth's ruins was last. So, we pieced the whole message only a few days ago."
"So this is why she keeps visiting the ruins every month…?"
"Yes. The biggest reason. To be honest, she isn't very eager about the spaceship." Sia said in a convincing tone. It was as if she wanted to clarify that she didn't intend to leave the solar system.
"I see…" Varian nodded and read the words on the copper plate.
They were in the language of devas. So, he couldn't understand them properly. But instead of asking Sia, he asked someone else.
'Oi, translator system. Help me out.'
[…It is the Divine Path System. Or even Sliver of Order and Chaos.]
'Can you translate this or should I go around publishing stories that you, the union of two slivers, got trapped for ten thousand years by a half-dead tribe?'
[Host, this System doesn't care about its reputation.]
'Fine. Then, I'll go ahead and ask abyssals to spread it around. Once it reaches the other four slivers, they'll laugh their asses off.'
[You're so evil.] The System gave up and flashed a blue screen in front of him.
The deva characters changed into the language Varian knew.
[The holder of six artifacts, tough times are ahead. Save the devas from enemies! Be the Deva Guardian! You will be granted sufficient strength to fend off any enemies! Perform your duties! Glory to Devas!]
Varian's brows furrowed as he realized the implication.
Humans found the six artifacts and they ended up in the hands of the Sovereigns.
If any Sovereign found out about this, then…
"I think a Sovereign is trying to gather all the artifacts." Sia dropped a shocking statement.
