Chapter 27: Clues

After spending an evening and a morning at home, Liang En left his house the next day and drove downtown in his car.

Upon comparing the mental image of the map he had from yesterday with the online electronic maps, he was surprised to discover that the pinpoint of light was actually located within the National Library of Ireland.

The National Library of Ireland was situated on Kildare Street in Dublin, a classical-style building constructed from white stone blocks. However, despite its appearance, this building was completed in 1890 and didn't look as ancient as it seemed.

After taking a few glances at the circular hall of the library's main building from the outside, Liang En skirted around a group of tourists taking photos at the entrance and ascended the steps into the library.

Due to his academic background in history, he was fortunate to have acquired a long-term reader's pass through his advisor's application, specifically for his graduation thesis. Therefore, upon entering the library, he headed straight for the reading room marked on the previously mentioned map.

Just as he entered the door to that reading room, Liang En's eyes caught sight of a white glow emitting from a bookshelf in the middle of the room.

As he approached the shelf, he noticed that the source of the glow was an aged-looking book.

However, unlike ordinary books, this one was slightly smaller in size, fitting comfortably within an adult's palm. Despite its size, it was notably thicker than the average book.

"'The Bible'?" Liang En frowned as he read the faded gold title on the obviously worn book cover.

This book was the most widely distributed in the Western world, so it wasn't unusual to find it among a collection of religious texts. Nevertheless, he couldn't fathom why the card had led him to this particular book.

Taking the book off the shelf, Liang En began reading the one of the most read books in human history in the adjacent reading room.

Even though he wasn't particularly religious, in a place like Ireland where religious sentiments ran deep, it was impossible to claim he hadn't read this book. Thus, he swiftly realized that this version of the book was no different from the ones he had encountered before.

If there was any distinction to be made, it was that modern editions of 'The Bible' were typically translated into various languages, whereas this particular copy was written in Latin.

Aside from this, the oddest aspect of the book was that, for reasons unknown, there were black dots beneath some of the letters starting from the first page with text.

Upon seeing these dots, Liang En attempted to connect the letters below the dotted ones from the first page, only to find that every arrangement resulted in a jumble of characters.

"If it's not a content issue, then this book must have some unique aspect." After briefly skimming through the content, Liang En shifted his focus to the book itself.

Swiftly, he discovered a name on the book's title page—Jacques de Brienne. And on the final page of the book, he discerned that it had been printed by the French Church in the year 1804.

If he combined these findings with the worn state of the book and its Latin content, it was conceivable that this book was likely a religious book carried by a noble from the past for personal prayers.

This revelation invigorated Liang En, as compact prayer books like these were often treasured personal possessions. Therefore, if there were truly any secrets to be unveiled, the likelihood of them being hidden within the book could hardly be dismissed.

Upon careful examination, he found that the book didn't have any compartments or other objects hidden within it. However, on the page with the written name, he faintly sensed some irregularities.

"Indeed, this book isn't an ordinary one." Liang En smiled, then examined the marks on this page. Soon, he discovered that the mark contained a number and a French word—confession.

Following the number indicated by the mark led him to a page in the book. There, Liang En saw the main content was Psalms 51:1-12, David's prayer of confession to the divine.

"If the confession on the first page refers to this Psalm—" Realizing the content within, Liang En immediately started recording the letters below the dotted ones starting from this Psalm.

A few minutes later, scattered French words appeared before him: Cork, Michel, Holy Place, 12.

"Rest assured, Mom. I'm just heading to Cork, and it's all on the highway. There's really no danger." An hour later, in a restaurant in Leixport, Liang En quietly reassured his mother on the phone.

"—I understand, I understand. I'll take care of myself, so you don't need to worry. I promise I'll call you to let you know once I've arrived."

After discovering the clue in the library, Liang En immediately pulled out his phone to search for digital maps.

In his view, the words "Cork" and "Michel" found within the book should refer to a place called Michel near Cork, the second-largest city in the southern part of Ireland.

However, oddly enough, after searching on the satellite map app on his phone for a while, he could only locate a forest named Michel around Cork.

Clearly, if this Michel was meant to indicate a specific location, it wasn't reasonable for it to be just a large forest.

Due to the vastness of the search area, it was practically impossible for an ordinary person to pinpoint something if it were hidden within.

While pondering, Liang En unconsciously flipped through the book in front of him. In doing so, the publication date printed on the final page suddenly triggered an idea.

"What if this place called Michel existed in the past but is now gone?"

This wasn't an implausible notion, especially in Ireland. In the mid-19th century, the island experienced a devastating famine that resulted in the deaths of over a million people and the emigration of nearly two million.

Simultaneously, this famine dramatically altered the population distribution in Ireland. Since then, the population of Ireland never rebounded to the levels of its height in the 18th century.

Due to the famine, the struggle for Irish national liberation escalated, leading to a series of uprisings in its aftermath. Eventually, they gained independence from the then-British Empire.

To this day, there are still numerous abandoned, uninhabited villages on the island of Ireland.

Hence, if this book's mention of Michel pointed to an abandoned village, it was indeed unlikely to locate it on a satellite map.

With this in mind, Liang En immediately went to the library's digital reading area to search for old maps. As expected, he found a village named Michel in a map from 1836 depicting Cork and its surrounding areas.

Once he confirmed the destination, Liang En snapped a picture of the screen with his phone. Then, he set off towards the target in his Kodiak.

However, after driving for over an hour and feeling hungry, he realized he had forgotten to inform his family before leaving.

Thus, while eating, he had to spend a significant amount of time explaining to his irate mother why he had stood them up for dinner. Thankfully, after quite a bit of explaining, he managed to earn his mother's forgiveness.

"Done—" After hanging up the phone, Liang En clenched his fist to his chest and then quickly finished his simple lunch in two or three bites. He then continued on his journey.