Alka nodded. He helped the old man back to his counter. After the old man sat down, Alka took a small stool, sat beside him, and unwrapped the archives.
He looked at the information inside, selecting so key points to transcribe.
Watching Alka's serious expression, the old priest said, "The Nafasi Clan from fifty years ago... ah, when I was young, I witnessed their splendor with my own eyes."
"Oh? What were they like?" Alka asked curiously, looking up.
The old priest leaned against the wall, staring at the ceiling, seemingly reminiscing about the past or perhaps sighing with regret.
He said, "At that ti, their clan could be considered the most powerful on this island. They were also followers of the Holy Mother.
"They helped the Church with many matters. I even worked with so of their clan mbers. I must say, their family upbringing was quite comndable.
"It's a pity…"
"What happened?" Alka responded at an opportune mont.
"I rember... it was one night. A fierce storm was brewing around Gemini Island.
"You should know, storms are rare around Gemini Island. That storm was imnse, the largest I've seen in my entire life, even to this day.
"I was resting at the ti when sothing happened. The wails and screams of souls echoed in our ears, unheard by ordinary people.
"But at that ti, all individuals on the island with power at Second Stage or higher could clearly hear it. Those screams pierced the soul."
The old priest still had a look of lingering fear as he spoke.
Alka listened intently, playing the part of a quiet listener and occasionally offering a response.
"Then I went with the Church Knights to investigate. The entire clan... the entire clan was wiped out. They had no external injuries on their bodies. It was as if their souls had been extracted, and all of them were dead.
"Later, I learned that even the clan mbers who were away from the island didn't survive either."
Upon hearing this, Alka asked curiously, "I heard their competitors were responsible, weren't they?"
"Heh," the old priest chuckled. "Those people wouldn't dare do such a thing. We also investigated the clan they had the most significant conflict with at the ti; they simply didn't have the capability to pull this off.
"That's just the official story for the public."
Hearing this, Alka nodded.
"Was their clan very strong at that ti?"
"Of course. Their clan had a full three 'Crowned Ones' and fourteen 'Staff Holders,' making them undoubtedly powerful on Gemini Island and its surrounding areas."
Alka already knew that the so-called 'Crowned Ones' referred to mbers at Sixth Stage and above. Supposedly, one needed to reach this stage to control a [Crown]-level Treasure.
That ans this clan had three mbers at Sixth Stage and fourteen mbers at Fourth to Fifth Stage or higher, Alka mused.
Truly terrifying.
In his current understanding of the world, they could indeed be described as powerful.
While chatting idly, Alka continued to select important information from the archives to transcribe.
After transcribing, checking, and tidying everything up, Alka bid farewell to the old priest.
He returned to the ship.
The others returned shortly thereafter.
They gathered in the captain's cabin and began to share the information they had found.
Simon spoke first. "I found very little. The Nafasi Clan mainly worshiped the Holy Mother. Only a very few clan mbers ever went astray."
Alka nodded upon hearing Simon's words. Then, he shared the information he had gathered.
"According to the Holy Mother Church's archives, the cause of the clan's demise was an unknown form of soul loss. This loss of souls, occurring in a single night, led to the deaths of all clan mbers."
"Clan mbers? How exactly are 'clan mbers' defined in this context?" Jason asked ticulously.
"Yes, that's the interesting part," Alka explained. "It refers to all nominal clan mbers, regardless of any blood relationship between them.
"All employed servants and slaves were rely rendered unconscious.
"And even those who had blood ties to the main lineage but had been formally banished from the clan did not experience this soul loss."
Jason nodded upon hearing this. So, all those nominally considered mbers of the Nafasi Clan could not escape, he reasoned. Thinking about it further, there must have been so form of initiation ritual.
"Based on this," Alka continued, "the Church deduced that it was the effect of a Curse targeting the clan na itself."
"Moreover, the archives contain a questionable speculation: that the clan's leader might have deliberately made a deal with so entity, offering souls as paynt.
"Of course, this is just speculation, with no concrete information to back it up."
Alka now had a more comprehensive understanding of this clan—at least, more than the average person would know. After all, the clan's connection with the Holy Mother Church had been quite close.
Jason then asked Alka, "So, based on the archives, do you believe the treasure actually exists?"
"It most likely exists," Alka replied. "Their deaths were too sudden, and subsequent searches by the Church found no trace of their Treasure Vault.
"Clearly, it's not on Gemini Island. The hypothesis is that it's on one of the other islands in the Gemini archipelago."
After speaking, Alka looked at Jason.
"What about you? Did you find anything?"
"I don't have much detailed information about the clan itself," Jason said, "but I did get a sense of their reputation among the common folk.
"Perhaps due to their faith in the Holy Mother, their reputation among the island's commoners was fairly good, without too many scandals.
"Even when scandals did arise, they mostly involved won—you know how it is. However, I found no evidence of them resorting to coercion or force in such matters."
Alka nodded at this. A clan that worships the Holy Mother would likely maintain a relatively high moral standard, he considered. Otherwise, it would be quite awkward if the Holy Mother didn't respond to their prayers.
After everyone had shared the information they knew, Chadite finally brought out the map she had collected.
This was the crucial piece.
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