Chapter 198: 198

“We went to the cargo hold after that, but we didn’t see you there until everyone gathered on the deck . What were you doing when you were alone?” asked Anne .

“Betty brought me to the stern . She told me that she had something to show me . ”

“And what would that be?” asked Zhang Heng .

“A gift . ”

“A gift?”

“She told me that she’s an ancient Celtic god . She also told me that she has the power to control the weather on the ocean! Apparently, I would be granted a portion of her divine powers if I chose to worship her!”

Seth hesitated and took out a seashell from his pocket . Zhang Heng took it from Seth and started to examine it . Judging by its exterior, it was no different than the white shell that he saw on the beach . Suddenly, he received a notification from the system . Zhang Heng instantly knew then that he must be holding a supernatural game item .

[Betty’s Shell (Unidentified)]

After knowing the item’s name, Zhang Heng still couldn’t figure out what its effect was . Seth had mentioned about an ancient Celtic god . Celtic mythology was one of the three major European mythological systems, juxtaposed to Greek and Northern European mythology . In the ancient days, the Celtics were not a single race but rather, a band made up of different ethnicities . According to history, these various groups were bought together by similar cultures and languages . They were also one of the earlier civilizations that had expertise in the use of iron tools . Other than that, most were equipped with the knowledge to build their own houses .

The Seine in eastern France, the upper streams of Loire, the Rhine in southeastern Germany, and the upper stream of the Danube River were the birthplaces of the Celtics . They penetrated Europe and expanded swiftly, forming a tribe . They could be even found across the Alps . During that period, they were known as warriors, merchants, blacksmiths, poets, and artists . It was said that they could be seen modern France, Spain, Portugal, and other European countries .

When the Roman Empire rose, Caesar seized Gaul, the Celtic’s cultural center, and in the process, killed over a million of them . That was the reason why Celtic culture started to disappear across entire Europe . Many of their legendary tales were lost, explaining why Celtic mythology wasn’t as popular as Greek and Northern European mythology .

The only legendary tale of the Celtics that was passed from generation to generation was the story of Arthur, the king, and his sword that was stuck in a stone . Zhang Heng wasn’t familiar with Celtic mythology as well . His father had studied Greek and Northern European mythologies in college, and his mother studied Christian mythology . When he was still a kid, his parents had told him many tales of Greek, Northern European, and Christian mythologies . Hence, Zhang Heng was unfamiliar with the name, Betty, that was mentioned in the poetry book .

“She told you to worship her, right? How are you supposed to do that?”

“I… I have no idea . Supposedly, I would first need to pass a test . She told me to look for the three notebooks before letting me know the next step . ”

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“Hmph! Are you still trying to lie to us?!”

Anne was extremely displeased about Seth’s attempt to tell them another tall tale . In frustration, she pushed her dagger closer to his throat .

“The storm that we faced earlier had something to do with you, right?” asked Anne .

“As the captain of the Jackdaw, I’m willing to put aside all everything that you have done but I need you to be honest with me . You have to tell me what you have done to our ship . You saw what happened to the carrack, right? I don’t think you want to see every single pirate from the Jackdaw disappearing without a trace, right?”

Seth could feel chills running down his spine . This time, he didn’t dare mess with Zhang Heng and Anne anymore .

“According to her instructions, I’m supposed to engrave her Celtic name above the Jackdaw’s mast . Once it is done, the ship will be under her protection . I did ask her about the carrack, and she told me that it was an accident . ”

“An accident?”

“The carrack’s crew was too greedy . All those years, they used her power to summon storms that enabled their ship to sail faster than any other merchant ships . By utilizing the supernatural force, they managed to amass an obscene amount of wealth . However, there was a price to pay for doing something like that . These storms were fueled by their rage . The angrier they were, the more powerful the storms were . In the end, they were lost in a storm that wouldn’t seem to blow away . After knowing that they would be stuck for eternity in a storm of their own making, the sailors sealed all the windows and doors . However, although the entire ship was boarded up, the sound of wind and thunder haunted their ship, and slowly drove the crew to insanity . Having lost all hope, they had were left with no option but to jump overboard . ”

“Last question . How did you contact her? Have you seen her true form?”

“I have no way to contact her . All I can do is to pray to her . It’s up to her if she wants to respond to me or not . She answered my prayers once after we left the carrack . As usual, I only heard her voice, but I have never seen her true form . ”

Sean and Tracy caught up to them once Seth was done explaining . Seeing Seth leaving the house in a mighty rush and being chased down by Zhang Heng and Anne had baffled them . When they saw that Seth was being forced into a corner, they began feeling uncomfortable and worried . Immediately, Zhang Heng glared at Anne, who promptly kept away her dagger .

“Don’t you ever gamble on by ship anymore . I’m willing to forgive you since this is the first time you’re doing this . Your share of the loot will be reduced by half the next time . ”

……

To avoid spreading unnecessary panic amongst the crew, Zhang Heng had no intention of telling them about this supernatural incident . He was also not worried that Seth would tell others about it . Not only did he hide Betty’s seashell from them, but he even engraved her Celtic name on the mast of the Jackdaw . He could have brought grave danger to the pirates on Jackdaw . If he were smart enough, he would never tell a living soul about this . Just like Zhang Heng expected, he admitted to Tracy and Sean that had indeed put the ship and the lives of her crew on the guillotine .

“You look like you don’t completely trust him . Do you think that he lied to you?” asked Anne after the three of them left .

“In this case, the possibility of him lying is slim . However, this doesn’t apply to that deity whatsoever . ”

“Are you talking about Betty?”

“Clearly, she lied to Seth about what happened to the carrack . All those sailors that disappeared did not jump overboard and commit suicide . At least not all of them . The captain quarters that were locked from the inside and the claw marks in the cargo hold make her story a little more than doubtful . ”

“Even ancient gods lie?”

“It all depends on which tribe the ancient god belongs to . ”

Zhang Heng wasn’t familiar with Celtic mythology, but he knew Greek and Northern European mythologies well . Instead of calling them gods, Zhang Heng saw them as regular humans who possessed supernatural powers . Just take a look at Zeus, for instance . A supposed ‘god,’ he used his private parts more than his brain . All these gods did whatever they fancied on Earth and its residents with little care of its consequences .

However, Betty was an exception . It appeared that she was very cautious . Seven people boarded the carrack, but she only chose to whisper to Seth . It could have simply been her nature, or was she, perhaps, trying to hide something from the rest of them?