The cold iron bars of the cell, the melody of the past gradually faded into silence, yet within Alister's chest, a storm still raged. He wiped away his tears with the back of his hand and confessed in a trembling voice.

  "Yes... I am Arthur. I am the Arthur Wellesley you've been looking for."

  Hearing these words, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Agent Marcus's face. He immediately opened the cell door and allowed Alister to step out.

  "Come with me, Mr. Arthur... let's talk somewhere more comfortable."

  Marcus led Alister and the elderly woman, Alice, upstairs to his private office. The office was spacious and modern. Large windows on one wall offered a view of Geneva's night skyline. Alister sat on a long sofa, holding the elderly Alice's hand tightly. Within him, fear mingled with a sense of relief, as if a burden he had carried for many years had finally been lifted.

  Just as Marcus was placing two cups of coffee on the table, the office door suddenly flew open without any warning.

  Both Alister and Marcus turned towards the doorway in alarm. Standing there was someone they hadn't expected.

  It was... the man in the black coat who had saved them.

  But this time, his appearance was completely transformed. He had shed the dusty black coat and was now wearing an impeccably tailored bespoke European suit. The collar and cuffs of the suit gleamed as if adorned with precious gems. His striking golden hair was neatly combed back, giving him the dignified and handsome appearance of a deity.

  His steps were full of confidence, and he entered the room not like a police officer, but like the owner of the place.

  Amazingly, upon seeing the man, Marcus stood up and greeted him with a respectful bow. Then, gesturing towards his own chair, he said.

  "Please... have a seat. I'll consider you a special guest of my grandmother. I knew you would come."

  Alister watched with wide eyes. How was his savior, the man in the black coat, connected to Alice, the grandmother of FBI Agent Marcus? And why was the FBI agent himself treating him with such deference?

  The atmosphere in the room fell suddenly silent, the weight of secrets reaching its peak.

  Though the air in Agent Marcus's office was quiet and still, a turmoil of thoughts raged within Alister's mind. He looked alternately at the golden-haired man sitting elegantly on the sofa and at Agent Marcus, asking in disbelief.

  "Marcus... do you know him?"

  Marcus slowly shook his head. "I don't know him personally, Arthur. But my grandmother knows him well. From the day I joined the FBI until today, when I brought you to this station, everything has been according to the secret instructions of my grandmother and this gentleman."

  Alister turned to look at the elderly Alice sitting beside him. He now noticed the deep secrets hidden within her eyes.

  " what is all this? Please explain it to me," Alister pleaded.

  The elderly Alice, with trembling hands, retrieved a specially wrapped object from her bag. It was an ancient bronze plate, engraved with mysterious symbols—a Sacred Bronze Plate.

  "Arthur... when we met in Paris, I knew you possessed strange powers," the old woman began, gathering her strength. "Back then, I had this bronze plate. It's a part of the 'Second Book' that my family has guarded for generations. I wanted to give it to you. But at that time, you suddenly disappeared. I kept this plate and waited for you my entire life."

  The old woman looked at the golden-haired man and continued. "A few years after you disappeared, I met this gentleman. He came to me and asked about you. Even back then, he looked just as you see him now... young. Now I have become an old woman, but he hasn't changed a single bit. His name is Professor Novem Arcana. He is like you, Arthur—someone who does not die, does not age."

  Alister was so astonished his mouth hung open. Professor Novem Arcana sat calmly on the sofa and offered Alister a smile.

  "Novem Arcana has been searching for you for many years," the old woman continued. "He has always protected me. He was also the one who arranged for my grandson Marcus to join the FBI. That way, if you ever reappeared, we could save you. He has been monitoring newspapers and news agencies all over the world for years. Finally, he found you working at a newspaper office in Geneva under the name Alister."

  Alister stared intently at Professor Novem Arcana. "Are you... like me?"

  Professor Novem Arcana rose from his seat and walked towards Alister. His movements were calm and graceful. "Arthur... you are not the only one who exists outside of time in this world. My search for you is not just to save you, but also to rediscover the origins of us all. Now, you hold the bronze plate given to you by 'Alice' in your hands. This is the key we need."

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Under the modern fluorescent lights of Agent Marcus's office, the small bronze plate given by the elderly Alice glowed with a strange, metallic sheen. As Alister carefully held the plate in both hands, he felt as if the chill of that Parisian night long ago was washing over him again.

  The shape of the plate was not a regular rectangle; its edges were wavy. It was not made of ordinary copper but seemed forged from a highly dense and heavy alloy of nine metals.

  The Upper Part of the Bronze Plate - Power and Secrets

  At the very top of the plate was a masterfully embossed image of a lion. This was no ordinary lion; it was as majestic as the lions found on the edicts of Emperor Ashoka. Its roaring mouth, mane flowing in the wind, and piercing eyes were so lifelike that one might expect a mighty roar to erupt at any moment.

  On either side of this lion image, ten mysterious characters, unreadable in any modern language, were arranged in a circle. These characters resembled the Brahmi script but seemed more ancient, and each symbol appeared to hold some kind of energy, emitting a faint golden glow in the dim light.

  The Lower Part of the Bronze Plate - Nature and Spirit

  At the bottom of the plate was an image of a tiger. Just as the lion represented the sky and authority, this tiger seemed to represent the earth and raw power. The tiger's body was depicted in a coiled stance, poised to pounce.

  Around the tiger image were eleven intricately carved symbols illustrating the connection between the universe and humanity. As Alister touched these images with his fingertips, he mentally traced each one:

  1. Sun and Moon: Positioned at opposite upper corners, they represented the balance of day and night, light and darkness.

  2. Stars: Depicted as small dots beside the moon, symbolizing the infinite universe.

  3. Mountains and Sea: Wavy lines and triangular mountain ranges along the lower edge represented the earth's strength and depth.

  4. Lotus Flower: A symbol of pure consciousness, blooming from the mud.

  5. Snowflake: Carved as tiny, six-pointed petals, signifying purity and coolness.

  6. Stupa: A symbol of spiritual pinnacle and the preservation of Dharma.

  7. A Tree and a Vine: Representing the Tree of Life and the flourishing of knowledge.

  8. A Human Figure: At the center of all these was a figure with hands folded in prayer—this was "The Guardian," destined to preserve this knowledge.

  9. A Bird: An image of a bird in flight symbolized freedom and the carrying of messages.

  "What... what does all this mean?" Alister asked in amazement.

  Professor Novem Arcana slowly exhaled a breath, his gaze fixed on the plate. "This is a map, Arthur, combining the four elements and the principles of the cosmos. Within these images lie the codes of the 'Fourth Book.' The bird you see represents aeronautics, the mountain represents mining, the lotus represents alchemy... all of these are secrets related to metallurgy."

  He continued, "These images will align with the landscapes in the background of the Mona Lisa. That's where the answers we seek lie."

  As Alister looked into the eyes of the tiger and the lion on the plate, he felt a strange sensation—an energy within his own veins seemed to vibrate in resonance with the plate. This was no ordinary piece of metal; it felt like a living entity, connecting the past and the future.

  Under the office lights, the small bronze plate glowed strangely. Alister began to feel a great responsibility settling upon him, linking his past, his future, and these extraordinary people before him. After years of solitude, he now had companions, but the secrets behind these companions remained a fascinating enigma, as deep as they were mysterious.

  Holding the ancient bronze plate given by the elderly Alice in his palm, Alister stared at it intently. The coldness of the metal seeped into his skin.

  "A key, is it?" Alister asked, looking at Novem Arcana. "What does it unlock? Where are we going?"

  Professor Novem Arcana leaned back slightly in the sofa and replied with a steady gaze. "A key is meant to open a safe place, isn't it, Arthur? But in my view, it's more accurate to call this a 'Compass' rather than a 'key.' The symbols on the plate you now hold point the direction we must take."

  Just then, Agent Marcus placed a small silver tray with cups of hot coffee before each of them. Marcus listened respectfully to the conversation between his grandmother and these two extraordinary beings.

  Novem Arcana glanced at Marcus and took out a silver cigarette case from his pocket. "Agent... would you permit me to smoke in this room? I need it to formulate a thought."

  Marcus smiled and nodded. "Of course, Professor. In this room, you are all honored guests."

  Novem Arcana lit a cigarette and slowly blew the smoke into the air. His eyes gazed intently into the darkness outside the window. "Arthur... you must have heard of the painting, the 'Mona Lisa.' Leonardo da Vinci's most famous work. The world is fascinated only by her smile. But what I know is that da Vinci hid certain codes within that painting. These codes point to the location of the 'Fourth Book' from Emperor Ashoka's texts."

  Alister took a sip of coffee and frowned. "Was da Vinci a member of Ashoka's secret society?"

  "Not exactly," Novem Arcana flicked the ash from his cigarette. "But he was someone who came into contact with the generations of 'Guardians.' What we need now is Marcus's help. I want to examine the original records of the Mona Lisa in detail using the FBI's advanced high-resolution scanners. The codes we seek are there, either in the eyes of the painting or in the landscapes behind it."

  Marcus sighed from the sidelines. "Both of your lives are astonishing. Living for centuries, never aging... this is everyone's dream. Isn't it truly a blessing?"

  Novem Arcana gently swirled his coffee cup. A deep, thoughtful expression crossed his face. "A blessing, Marcus? People want long life because they fear death. But living long without aging is, in reality, an 'Eternal Burden.'"

  He looked at Alister and continued. "Watching helplessly, with a heavy heart, as everyone you love ages and dies one by one... seeing eras change while you remain trapped in the past... can you call this a blessing? We are not readers flipping through the pages of history, Marcus. We are words submerged in an endless book. Death, in truth, is a gift given to humanity. The knowledge that everything can end is what gives value to the present life. For us, there is no such end."

  Alister looked closely at the elderly Alice. Novem Arcana's words struck a chord deep within him. He knew that feeling well, watching Alice grow old.

  "We have a duty, Arthur," Novem Arcana stubbed out his cigarette. "These powers, this knowledge, are not for us. They are to save the world from the hands of the greedy. We live long not to seek pleasure, but to preserve the truth. Now... Marcus, when can you get the data on the Mona Lisa?"

  Marcus stood up. "I'll arrange for the data right away. Don't worry. You should have it by tomorrow. The person in charge there is one of my friends. He already knows about him. You can rest assured."