Chapter 261 - 257: I’m Looking Forward to It

Chapter 261: Chapter 257: I’m Looking Forward to It

That poetic phrase from the mysterious person was clearly the key to the family island’s true name. The ancestors must have changed it to Chakus Island simply to mislead people.

Hilbert had always found the name awkward. The pronunciation of their family name was strange enough; even calling it Moon Island would have been more fitting. Now it was clear where the issue lay.

On the island were only four employees from the Balbax Company—two men and two women. They were usually couples from the company who worked on a monthly rotation. Their duties included transporting supplies, keeping the castle, some windmills, and the dock clean, and periodically reporting on the island’s operational status.

A large-scale, comprehensive cleaning was scheduled each year as deemed necessary by the assessment team.

The Balbax Company’s annual expenditure for this was about 250,000 Pound Sterling for employee salaries, and about 100,000 Pound Sterling for repairs, cleaning, and the replacement of some facilities. The Chakus Clan was effectively paying for peace of mind.

Strictly speaking, although the Balbax Company was not publicly listed, the Chakus Clan held a thirty percent stake in it. Moreover, the person in charge of the family island had always been appointed by Corini.

When the yacht reached the dock, the four young men and women were already waiting there.

Su Su looked at the two couples, each standing close together. ’They must be very happy working here,’ she thought.

After brief greetings and a report on the island’s condition, the four led everyone along a stone-paved road, directly to the front of the castle.

Compared to viewing it from afar, only up close could one truly appreciate the castle’s magnificence.

Besides the massive main structure, there were windmills, a lighthouse, and a watchtower set on the surrounding mountain cliffs, as well as separate, sentry-post-style buildings connected by mountain steps.

The Association’s headquarters, the Qingzhen Secret Place, not including the Secret Realm’s extensions, occupied a building of only about a thousand square meters—not small by any means. In contrast, this castle’s specifications suggested a total area of at least tens of thousands of square meters.

From this perspective, the amount of work needed just to keep it basically clean was substantial.

Even Hilbert and Mansa were filled with shock at this moment upon seeing the magnificent castle.

It was hard to imagine the immense manpower and resources required to build such a structure on an isolated island at sea back in ancient times, when technology was far less developed.

Qin Xiaoxia had similar thoughts.

’People from Dawn, aside from some descendants who might fall into decline, are usually not too badly off when they leave the association. The Chakus Clan was undoubtedly one of those who had benefited the most.’

’They used the ancient association’s vast resources to build up a noble house with a distinguished status and assets. This dividend has continued into the modern era without diminishing. It’s about time they contributed something to Dawn.’

He looked toward Corini.

"Mr. Corini, can these four cleaning staff be trusted?"

The four, who had been following behind Corini and occasionally speaking up to explain the island’s condition, were actually full of curiosity, but their good training prevented them from asking questions.

Corini glanced at the four.

"Master Sage, you need not worry. Although they are employees of the Balbax Company, everything from their training to their salary payments is handled by me personally. They can be considered part of the Chakus Family."

Having lived through five generations and served three Barons, even though he no longer resided at Chakus Manor, Corini was the very definition of a perfect English butler.

Qin Xiaoxia looked at the four young people with their upright postures, then at Hilbert and Mansa, before turning his head to look at the castle.

"That’s good, then."

As his voice fell, the sea breeze suddenly seemed to pick up, whipping everyone’s hair into a frenzy.

"It’s time to restore the castle to its true form."

Faint purple Magic Power emanated, and the surrounding sea responded as if with a symphony of waves.

Qin Xiaoxia normally wouldn’t waste Magic Power so casually, but it was necessary to enhance the atmosphere at this moment.

The wind began to HOWL.

The people around them grew unsteady on their feet, their minds captivated. The gale, carrying clouds of sea spray, roared and swirled around them. Astonished faces looked about, discovering that they and the castle seemed to be standing in the eye of a massive tornado.

All around them was a swirling, ever-changing, white expanse of furious wind and mist.

At that moment, the people present felt like survivors in a disaster movie, or protagonists in a fantasy film. The shock in their hearts was beyond words.

This was especially true for the four maintenance workers. Their entire bodies trembled slightly, whether from fear or excitement, it was impossible to tell.

Everyone looked with astonishment at the two people in front of them, standing silently in the storm, their golden and silvery-white hair flying.

RUMBLE~

The castle seemed to tremble slightly. The entire fortress and all its ancillary buildings were instantly enveloped by the vast storm. The howling wind was mixed with the sound of cracking masonry.

Small fragments continuously rose with the wind, and faint glimmers of light could be seen within the storm.

Qin Xiaoxia’s control over his Magic Power was becoming increasingly precise. Even while orchestrating this environmental response, he could use his Magic Power to constrain the airflow, preventing it from overturning or damaging the furniture inside the castle.

As the surrounding wind gradually subsided, the last of the gales, tinged with a deep gray, vanished into the sky.

Su Su’s mouth was slightly agape as she stared at the ancient castle before her. Hilbert and the others stared with wide eyes.

Even Corini had never imagined that besides the interior, the exterior walls also held a secret.

In places that had originally been sealed with brick and stone, the obstructions now peeled away, revealing a slightly recessed, crystalline layer within. It was a colossal symbol made from a mosaic of glazed tiles. This symbol appeared on the main tower of the castle, the surrounding sentry posts, the old windmills, the lighthouse... on every single building.

Under the dual sunlight—shining from the sky and reflected from the sea—it was the resplendent Day of Dawn!

...

Qin Xiaoxia had once wondered about something.

Although the association would sometimes, for the sake of its grand deception, give tours of its Secret Place buildings to various important figures, using stunningly vivid artistic displays to build up its image and project an aura of mystery.

But most of the time, the association’s Secret Places and various buildings were kept secret and unpublicized; it was rare for a symbol to even appear on the outside of a building.

’So who were all these mysterious effects, created by murals and various magical techniques, for? Their own people?’

’And as it turned out, they really were for their own fucking people. As a super-organization that had perfected the art of deception, it was rife with internal psychological suggestion and training.’

’Except for the official members who had been branded with the Dawn Seal, almost everyone else—all the peripheral members, various affiliated forces, and even the lucky bystanders who got to participate a few times—firmly believed from start to finish that they were fighting for the cause of "justice."’

’In other words, the ancient Dawn was so demented that it even deceived itself, achieving a state of perfection that could only be described as method acting on a grand scale.’

’Furthermore, for details regarding high-level deceptions and various plans, the official members rarely, if ever, left behind written records. They might even leave fake case files describing a vague exorcism, with the true story only discernible through the coded language scattered within.’

’The Mentor system also served this purpose to a large extent.’

’For the official members, it was psychological suggestion. For the few peripheral members lucky enough to witness such a scene, this was a genuine "Justice Base."’

’It was very much like the pyramid structure of modern society, where only the small group at the very top is aware of the inside story and controls the resources.’

’Qin Xiaoxia felt that many religions were similar in their beginnings. However, Dawn’s strict implementation of its model ensured that official members always remained in the know, which prevented it from ever becoming a religion.’

’Or perhaps the pride of the old swindlers dictated that they would rather let Dawn perish than allow it to become such a thing.’

’Of course, there was another possibility: that everything was real, and the indoctrination of deception for later generations was also a misdirection. Naturally, this possibility was infinitesimal and full of holes.’

’But thinking this way wasn’t entirely useless. Considering the strange incident in Russia last time and the oddities surrounding the Baron’s family, it was a good way to use self-suggestion to keep himself from getting complacent.’

...

The castle’s grandeur was not limited to its exterior. Upon entering, those familiar with the castle found themselves in a completely different world. The covering layers had been stripped away, revealing a magnificent and historic living tapestry before their eyes.

Sometimes, words are pale and weak. After touring their own castle anew, Hilbert felt his blood boil with passion. Even Mansa and Corini were filled with excitement. The four maintenance workers, though unaware of the full story, felt an ineffable excitement and fervor. Just by looking at the murals, they could imagine themselves being part of the events depicted.

After experiencing so many wonders, the Secret Realm Technique that followed failed to stir much of an emotional ripple within them.

As the sun began to set in the evening, Baru and Otto led more than two hundred core reservists out of the Secret Realm Technique and saw the awe-inspiring "Silent Castle" for the first time.

The timing and angle were perfect. In the light of the setting sun, the glazed tile symbols on the outer walls reflected large and small images of the Day of Dawn onto the ground and the mountain cliffs.

Dawn Silent Moon Island—this was the island’s "true" name.

From this day forward, this would be the main base of the Silent Knights, as well as one of the association’s archival sites for its case files. The excellent overseas environment would also provide other strategic advantages.

As the family that had safeguarded the island for Dawn for four or five hundred years, the Chakus Clan’s sole heir, Hilbert, naturally drew the curiosity of the crowd of Knights and Quasi-Knights.

Baru, with his powerful, bear-like physique, turned to face Hilbert and extended his right hand, revealing the mark upon it.

"Baru Gesenier, Commander of the Silent Knight Order. Welcome back to Dawn. I hope you will join the Silent Knight’s full-phase training camp. It will help you quickly rediscover the feeling of your extraordinary bloodline!"

Hilbert did his best to display the cultured etiquette of his many years of noble upbringing. He straightened his back and extended his own hand with a smile.

"Hilbert Chakus, thank you for the invitation. I will be sure to attend!"

The moment their hands met, the surrounding crowd broke into wide grins, revealing shining teeth.

Hilbert could even feel the more than two hundred benevolent gazes, seemingly pleased to have another future comrade.

To the side, Qin Xiaoxia sat alone on a rock by the mountain’s edge, gazing at the setting sun in the west. The wind carried their conversation to his ears.

The influence of human Spiritual Power on oneself was something he had witnessed more than once. The original Four Knights and, later, the nature of Su Su’s Magic Power were both prominent examples.

This had always been a point of curiosity for him, and one of his main research topics.

’The Chakus Clan’s bloodline power? Perhaps it really was just a jest on my part. But what would happen when Hilbert, who believes in it without a doubt, discovers that he is still no more outstanding than anyone else? Will it be self-doubt, or will he "See Through the Heart" and undergo an unexpected transformation? I’m really looking forward to it!’

At that moment, the Mentor’s mysterious smile, revealed in the afterglow of the sunset, left the not-too-distant Su Su completely stunned.