Chapter 79: The Unreadable Journal
His curiosity piqued, Abyss sprang into action. Upon learning about the journal in Baggs’ possession, he immediately decided to seek him out.
Maggie naturally accompanied them. Despite sharing her tragic past and unhappy childhood, she was cheerful, having finally found friends, putting her past sorrows behind her and reverting to her usual chatterbox self.
“Master! Master! Master Belator is looking for you!”
Maggie led them to Baggs’ residence, a small treehouse at the foot of the Sacred Tree.
Baggs was still in his black cat form, sitting on the ground, holding a fruit and licking its juice with surprisingly human-like movements. He looked up upon hearing Maggie’s voice.
“Oh, Maggie, I was looking for you everywhere. Where were you?”
“I was in Master Belator’s treehouse. Master, you couldn’t find me even though I wasn’t hiding? You’re a high-ranking Druid,” Maggie blinked. Clearly, she hadn’t told her master about her injury.
“Ah, I see. As expected of my apprentice, your hiding skills are as impressive as a butterfly blending into a field of flowers,” Baggs praised Maggie haphazardly, then smiled at Abyss and his companions. “Ah, aren’t you going to rest? I actually visited you earlier, in my black cat form, so I might not have been noticeable.”
“We’re fine, not too tired, so we don’t need to rest inside,” Abyss smiled. “I came specifically to see you, Mr. Baggs.”
“Oh, tell me, tell me. Please, sit down,” Baggs patted the floor with his paw, inviting them in. “I’m free now; having someone to chat with is wonderful. Your presence is like a feast for a starving man; I’m deeply touched.”
“Master, why have you been staying in your black cat form lately? Don’t you use your old man form anymore?” Maggie asked curiously before the conversation began.
“Haha, you wouldn’t understand,” Baggs chuckled smugly. “I’ve discovered that women are more drawn to me in my black cat form. These past few days, several young ladies have even held me in their arms. It’s quite enjoyable. Ah, Maggie, you’ve made me digress again. Tell me, what did you tell Master Belator and his companions that made you seek me out?”
“I told them about my mother,” Maggie replied honestly.
Baggs seemed surprised, then glanced at Abyss gratefully. It seemed he understood that Maggie had finally made some friends.
“Yes, Maggie told us about the past. She mentioned a journal her mother left before she died, which is in your possession. I’m curious about this journal and would like to see it,” Abyss said to Baggs.
Baggs raised an eyebrow. “You want to see that unreadable journal? It seems… you’re interested in the mysteries surrounding Miss Agnes?”
“Indeed,” Abyss nodded. “You must have realized that one of the reasons we came to the Druid gathering is to unravel the mystery of Miss Agnes’s death.”
“Yes, I’ve realized that, and I’ve noticed something else as well,” Baggs smiled enigmatically, looking at Abyss while Maggie remained oblivious. “Of course, this is a secret; I’ll keep it for you if necessary.”
Abyss smiled wryly and nodded. Arcaiste and Baggs were Druids who understood Necromancers, especially Baggs, whose close friend had married one. It wasn’t surprising that he had recognized Abyss’s true nature and held no prejudice.
“Honestly, I’m not worried about showing the journal to others; no one can understand it anyway,” Baggs said, chanting a spell towards a wicker chest in the treehouse. A vine sprouted from the chest, retrieving a thin notebook and bringing it to him.
The notebook, seemingly only twenty or thirty pages long, was made of specially treated and cut leaves, a common practice among Druids, minimizing harm to plants. The notebook looked old and worn, bearing the marks of time.
“No one can understand it? What kind of symbols are used?” Abyss curiously took the notebook from the vine and opened it.
Baggs sat on the ground. “This notebook was written by Maggie’s mother in the month before her death. Maggie’s father initially intended to take it, but he decided it would be better preserved at the Druid gathering, so he left it with me. Neither of them said it shouldn’t be shown to others, probably because they knew no one could read it.”
Abyss flipped through the pages, examining the contents. As Maggie had said, it was written in unknown symbols. Their arrangement followed a certain pattern but belonged to no known language system. The handwriting was neat, not random scribbles, but the layout was strange, with some lines missing characters, others containing unusually small or large characters, creating a chaotic, unappealing appearance.
Baggs added, “See? These are the symbols. Maggie’s mother never told us their meaning, only that the right person would be able to understand them.”
Abyss frowned, studying the mysterious characters.
“Wow, what is this? It looks like gibberish, yet it seems to follow some rules,” Leona said, peering over Abyss’s shoulder.
“What was Maggie’s mother’s purpose in leaving this journal?” Flora was equally curious.
Rebecca frowned, analyzing. “I don’t recognize these symbols either. They’re strange. It doesn’t seem meant to be read, more like some kind of ritual…”
“See? It’s too difficult to understand. I’ve tried to decipher them, but I have no idea what language family they belong to, so I haven’t made any progress…”
Abyss suddenly said, “Wait, I think I know how to read this…”
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