- In Marvel: I Start by Marrying Scarlett Witch [Complete]
- MWM Chapter 536
As a former mentor of the College of Winterhold, Septimus Signus possessed considerable magical power, so finding him wasn’t particularly difficult.
If he had been an ordinary person, it might have been a challenge to locate him.
“Found him!”
After spending most of the day scanning the northern ice fields, Leo finally detected a notable magical presence.
Compared to the mentors at the College of Winterhold, it was likely to be Septimus Signus.
Descending from the sky, he soon discovered a concealed entrance to a cave deep within the ice fields.
Removing the cover over the cave’s entrance, he descended a wooden ladder and followed an icy passage until he reached a spacious hall.
In the hall below, an old man in mage robes was engrossed in studying a large, ancient Dwemer machine.
When he saw Leo appear, a look of surprise crossed his face.
“Who are you?”
“I’ve heard that you have extensive knowledge of the Elder Scrolls. Do you know their exact locations?”
Leo wasted no time with introductions, directly asking his question.
Septimus, rather than pressing further about Leo’s identity, responded with a smile and a gleam in his eye:
“I do indeed know the location of one of the Elder Scrolls, but if you want me to tell you, you must do something for me first.”
“Tell me what it is, and I’ll consider it,” Leo replied as he descended the stairs to stand before Septimus, choosing not to resort to force but instead engaging with curiosity.
While he could have compelled Septimus to reveal the Elder Scroll’s location or used a soul-reading spell to extract his memories, doing so would have been excessive, especially when he had no real quarrel with him. He was, after all, seeking help. If the request was within his capabilities, he preferred to exchange something of equal value for the information.
“Do you see this massive Dwemer lockbox?”
Septimus pointed excitedly to a giant Dwemer apparatus embedded in the icy wall of the hall.
“According to my research, it may contain the heart of a god. I need you to go to a Dwemer ruin and inscribe this lexicon. It serves as a key to access the lower levels of Blackreach.
Help me complete this task, and you will have your Elder Scroll.”
“The Dwemer ruins… Blackreach’s key… Could the Elder Scroll you speak of be this one?”
Leo raised an eyebrow and produced the Elder Scroll of the Dragon that he had already acquired.
It was clear that Septimus did indeed know the location of an Elder Scroll, but it turned out to be one that Leo had already retrieved.
“How do you have that Elder Scroll? Did you already visit the Tower of Mzark?”
“Correct, and I’m afraid you won’t be able to inscribe your lexicon because the Dwemer mechanism that held the Elder Scroll has been destroyed by me.
But I might have another way to help you open this Dwemer lockbox.”
Leo gazed at the enormous Dwemer lockbox with interest.
While he hadn’t obtained the location of the second Elder Scroll from Septimus, he was now intrigued by the so-called “heart of a god.”
He sensed a strange magical energy emanating from within the Dwemer lockbox.
“If you can help me open the lockbox, I will reward you generously.”
Hearing that Leo might be able to open the Dwemer lockbox, Septimus’s eyes lit up with hope.
The destruction of the lexicon-inscribing Dwemer machine meant that over a decade of his research had been wasted, and the dream of obtaining the divine heart seemed lost.
“No need for a reward; I’m merely curious about what a god’s heart might look like.”
Leo shook his head, then stepped up to the giant Dwemer lockbox. He pressed his hands against it and pushed. To Septimus’s astonishment, Leo’s hands slid smoothly through the Dwemer metal, as if it were made of soft clay.
“Open!”
With a surge of strength, he pried the lockbox open, revealing a passage just wide enough for a person to enter.
Dwemer machines are protected by both magic and mechanical means, making them immune to unlocking spells but susceptible to brute force.
Septimus, expecting Leo to use some clever method to unlock the box, was utterly shocked when he simply tore it open with his bare hands.
This was no ordinary Dwemer mechanism; according to his research, it was the most secure container designed by the Dwemer to hold their most precious treasures.
Compared to standard Dwemer lockboxes, it was like comparing a regular metal box to a high-security bank vault. Without the correct method, even the most powerful mages or warriors would struggle to break through from the outside.
“What kind of monster is this guy?”
He marveled inwardly but quickly rushed inside once the lockbox was opened.
However, instead of finding the fabled heart of a god, there was a thick book titled *Oghma Infinium*.
“Why is it just a book? This can’t be right. I…”
“It seems your research was flawed—there’s no divine heart here,” Leo remarked, stepping into the Dwemer lockbox and eyeing the thick, magically infused tome with a smirk.
If it truly contained a god’s heart, it would radiate immense energy, but even from outside, he hadn’t sensed anything particularly powerful.
It appeared the poor old mage had been misled for over a decade by false information.
But in the next moment, Leo’s expression changed.
Before his eyes, Septimus’s entire body suddenly disintegrated into dust, scattering to the ground. Then, Septimus’s soul was drawn out of the Dwemer lockbox by an invisible force.
Grabbing the *Oghma Infinium*, Leo followed the path of Septimus’s soul back to the hall.
At the entrance, a strange being materialized before him.
With its writhing tentacles and countless eyes, the creature resembled the grotesque and terrifying eldritch beings from his previous world’s stories of Cthulhu.
With a swipe of its tentacle, a rift appeared, swallowing Septimus’s soul. Through the fleeting gap, Leo glimpsed countless black tomes and a multitude of trapped souls floating inside.
“Oh, my new champion, you have obtained the *Oghma Infinium*, a tome containing the knowledge of several eras, as gathered by my most devoted servant, Shalidor.
It has remained hidden from the world for millennia, but now that you have helped my follower Septimus retrieve it, it is yours.”
“You are… the Daedric Prince of Knowledge and Memory, Hermaeus Mora?”
Recognizing the creature’s form and its words, Leo quickly deduced its identity.
(End of chapter)