"Come in."
After receiving consent, Chris pushed open the door and walked in, saluting with a military gesture, "City Lord, all the intelligence has been gathered."
"Let's start with the information on 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'," Lucas said as he put down his teacup.
"Yes, City Lord. It's being spread outside that the item being auctioned from 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' is something called the Amos Notes." Chris spoke slowly, explaining that this information had been gathered from several taverns they visited.
"Amos Notes? What's that?" Lucas raised an eyebrow, this was the first time he had heard of this name.
"Master, I know about it." Mina softly said. She had also learned about the Amos Notes under unexpected circumstances.
"Speak, what exactly are these Amos Notes?" Lucas nodded and asked.
"Master, the Amos Notes is a diary kept by Sir Amos, a great knight, who entered the Forbidden Mountains to search for the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'…" Mina gently began to explain the origin of the Amos Notes.
"You mean, this Amos didn't come out until three years after he entered the Forbidden Mountains?" Lucas blinked his eyes, seriously doubting whether the man got lost.
"Yes, Master." Mina nodded affirmatively.
"Do you know how the legend of this 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' came about?" Lucas leaned his chin on his hand and asked, "How did it all start circulating?"
"I don't know," Nicole shook her head. She had been in Sedona City since she was little, and even the legend of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' was something her father told her.
"I know a little," Mina furrowed her brows and lowered her voice, "This is something my mother told me when I was young. She said the miracles of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' had appeared in the mortal world a few times. Many people saw a huge mountain peak appear in the distant sky, with many giant birds flying around it."
"Ah? Really?" Nicole widened her eyes and exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise. "That's just too incredible!"
"..." Lucas furrowed his brow. A mountain peak appearing in the distant sky? Why did that scene seem so familiar? But for some reason, he couldn't recall it at the moment.
"City Lord, I also managed to gather some information about the legend of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'," Chris lowered his voice and said.
"Oh? Go ahead." Lucas waved his hand.
"This is something I heard from a fisherman. He said he once saw the miracle of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' appear near the sea. Similarly, a huge mountain's shadow appeared on the horizon." Chris said in a deep voice.
"A shadow? Could it be…" Lucas's eyes widened as he immediately thought of a possibility— it could be a mirage.
He thought of the mirages that occurred on Earth, which in ancient times were believed to be the locations of immortals, leading many to believe in their existence.
A mirage, also called a Fata Morgana, is a natural phenomenon caused by the refraction and total reflection of light. It's an optical illusion formed by light reflecting off objects and bending through the atmosphere, creating a false image.
Lucas instantly saw through the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom's' true nature. There was no immortal kingdom; it was most likely a mirage formed by the light being refracted over a large mountain in the Forbidden Mountains, which was then twisted into the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' legend.
"Master? What do you mean? Do you know about the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom'?" Mina's eyes narrowed slightly, and she became instantly tense.
She had been with Lucas the longest and was one of the people who understood him the most. For some of Lucas's unusual behavior, such as the sudden appearance of many mysterious things, she never questioned him, but she always kept them in mind. She had once even wondered if Lucas might be from the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom.'
"Hmm? How should I put it?" Lucas was at a loss for words. Was he supposed to explain the principles of light refraction and reflection?
"Master, you don't have to say anything." Nicole suddenly interrupted, pressing her hands together. She spoke softly, "No matter what the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' is, it's none of our business."
She was scared, afraid that Lucas might suddenly disappear. Her thoughts were similar to the cat-eared girl's; after all, Lucas was too mysterious and knew so many different things.
"Stop. Where are you two going with this? The 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' is fake. It doesn't exist."
Lucas rolled his eyes, knowing that the two of them had misunderstood. He said calmly, "No, or rather, that place does exist, but the legend of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' is fake. It's just an ordinary mountain."
"Ah?" Mina was confused, tilting her head and looking at Lucas, her cat ears twitching. Why did this sound so complicated?
"Master, you're saying that the mountain appearing in the sky does exist, but the place of the 'Divine Heavenly Kingdom' is fake?" Nicole frowned and asked.
"Yep, that's exactly it." Lucas praised.
"But then, why would a mountain appear in the sky? Only gods could do that." Nicole said, puzzled.
"Uh…" Lucas opened his mouth, unsure how to explain. If he explained, it would probably raise more questions.
"Master, I believe you." Nicole suddenly said with a soft laugh.
"I believe you too, Master." Mina added, following suit.
"..." Lucas rolled his eyes. Hearing them say they believed him sounded so forced. It was clear they had doubts in their hearts but were holding back from saying anything.
Lucas didn't dwell on it. Since the two of them were so understanding, he was happy to play along and act ignorant. He turned his head to look at the stunned Chris and asked, "So, have you found out about the auction rules?"
"Yes, I've gathered the information." Chris immediately reported.
It turned out that the rules for the Pentos City auction were divided into two parts. One part was that the city lord of Pentos City would provide auction items for the event. The second part was that individuals could also bring their own items to auction. The city lord would provide the venue for this, and as long as one paid a small fee, they could auction off their own items.
However, for the second part, the risk was that the auctioneer had to bear the consequences if fake goods were sold. Every year, some people would bring poor-quality items to auction, which ended up deceiving quite a few people.
"This is really a good rule." Lucas said with a smile at the corner of his mouth. The second part of the rule was perfect for him, as he didn't want to reveal himself too soon.
"Master, what should we do?" Mina asked, flicking her cat tail.
"Don't rush," Lucas shook his head and picked up the piece of paper on the table, beginning to write. He was just perfecting his plan.
Ten minutes later, Lucas handed the paper to Chris and instructed, "Follow the instructions on this paper, and make sure to disguise yourself well."
"Yes!" Chris respectfully took the paper.
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