"It's really funny. You were only gone for three seconds, but not only was your body covered in wetness, but there was also a very special perfume smell."
This was the first sentence Shade heard after he walked out of the white mist door, clutching two leaves. Leicia, holding Mia, was still standing in front of the door. Except for a slight change in her expression, everything else was the same as when she said goodbye to Shade.
She twitched her nose and smiled:
"Yes, my sense of smell was not wrong, it was indeed the smell of perfume. Judging from the smell, the owner of the perfume is older, quite confident in himself, and quite wealthy...
She twitched her nose again:
"A high position of power, very powerful."
Xia De didn't know how she could draw so many conclusions based on the smell of perfume. Perhaps the princesses of the royal family were more sensitive in this aspect, but this ability was a little too magical.
“It’s Miss Violet that I mentioned. You know, the Witch Emperor of the Fifth Epoch.”
Leixia curled her lips:
"Shad, it seems that you have experienced a very interesting story in this time adventure... What is that in your hand? No, I'm not talking about the leaf, I'm talking about the ring."
She noticed the hand that Shade was holding, and Shade loosened his palm, letting the golden ring lie in his palm.
Time has left traces on everything. The originally bright and shiny ring now has a sense of history. Miss Violet must have used a secret technique to make the ring less susceptible to corrosion by air, but those mortal methods are nothing compared to the power of time.
The originally shiny gold ring had now turned dark and black, which once again brought melancholy to Xia De.
"You have added another item to your collection. It looks like a ring of authority. Can you give this kind of thing to anyone as a gift?"
Leicia asked curiously, and Xia De nodded, but did not dare to tell her about the forced kiss at the end:
"I helped her realize an important wish, so she gave this to me as a gift."
He handed the ring to Leicia, and the blonde girl let go of the cat and curiously examined the ring. This was a genuine antique from the Fifth Epoch. Although its value could not be compared with Feliana's notes, it was also an extraordinary treasure for the people of the Sixth Epoch.
Out of curiosity, after getting permission from Shade, Resia found ink from the study, put on her ring and buckled it on the ink, and then stamped the seal on the notebook. Seeing that the seal representing the supreme power of the Fifth Epoch Witch Emperor was really printed on the paper, Shade didn't know if it was an illusion, but at that moment, Her Royal Highness's eyes seemed to be burning with a blazing flame:
“That’s really good.”
The blonde girl exclaimed softly, took off the ring, weighed it, and then gave it back to Shad.
Xia De was glad that she didn't say something like "Sooner or later I will forge one myself."
Find the jewelry box and put the precious ring in it, then send it to the hidden room in the basement and place it together with Felianna's notes, the card of the man of the future, the black and white headband and Miss Orlanod's cloak to commemorate the end of the sixth time key.
Miss Violet Marshall, Miss Schultz Theresa, and the six maids whose names were unknown, had already turned into the dust of history at the beginning of Shade's adventure. The stranger who witnessed all this, at this moment, once again felt the loneliness he felt when he was at the downstream of the long river of time and looking back at the upstream.
Of course, he absolutely did not want to see those ladies again in this era, because that would represent more tragedy.
Before returning to the second floor from the basement, Shad took the milk and newspaper from outside the door. Unexpectedly, there was a letter under the newspaper. It was sent by Princess Margaret. She had agreed to come to Shad's place today to talk to him about Sir Prissy during the salon on Wednesday, but because of a meeting, she would come tomorrow. The letter expressed her apology for breaking the appointment.
This doesn't matter to Xia De, it's a rare day of rest.
When I returned to the second floor, Leicia was dressing in the bathroom. When the princess came to the living room, she saw Shade sitting on the sofa holding the night watch.
"What are you going to do?"
Leicia asked, preparing to make breakfast, and Shade tapped the sword:
“I’ve discovered some things in the past.”
Letting Leicia hold the sword for him, Shade used a knife to cut the skin of his finger. Because he was afraid of being too harsh, he only cut the epidermis of his finger, so he had to press hard to make the blood seep out.
Then, he smeared the blood from his thumb on the runes on the sword. The Night Watch needed less blood than Shad thought. After each rune touched the blood, the bright red blood seemed to be absorbed by the silver sword and penetrated into the interior of the sword.
"What is this phenomenon?"
Leicia asked.
Shade grasped the hilt of the sword and swung the Night Watchman a few times, then took a cup and drank a few sips of water:
"After drinking water, use this sword and your stamina will be almost unlimited for a certain period of time."
Because of his extremely strong physique, Shade could not feel the new properties of the sword when he simply swung it. But it was not correct to say that it was "new". In terms of time, the new effects bestowed on the sword by the old gods in the Fifth Epoch were much earlier than the new effects bestowed on the sword by the "Lady of the Lake" in the Sixth Epoch.
"Unlimited stamina?"
The blonde raised her eyebrows, not knowing what she was thinking:
"Is this something you did in the past that caused some great being to grant the sword new powers?"
"Yes, and I believe that the sword had this power when I first saw it stuck in the campfire in the cave on the mountainside of Mount Sikar."
The Night Watch connected Shad and the Witch Emperor. No one can tell whether it was Shad who held the sword first and started the story, or whether the Witch Emperor on the other side of time was destined to wait for Shad because of this sword.
"Are you the one who writes the story of time, or are you just pulled onto the stage to perform those destined stories?"
She touched her hair in the morning light:
"The mystery of time is so fascinating. Your story with the Witch Queen is like an infinite cycle. If Dorothy heard the end of this story, she would definitely write a more interesting story."
She saw the melancholy on Shade's face at the moment and understood his mood at the moment. The blonde girl stood up from the sofa and patted Shade on the shoulder:
"The past is the past. Let's think about the present. For example, what would you like to eat this morning? I want to show you my cooking skills. I have learned a lot of cooking skills from Dorothy."
"I'm never picky about the food that others cook for me. As long as someone cooks for me, I will always be very grateful."
Xia De said very "well-behavedly", and Leicia smiled:
"You can check your two leaves first. Breakfast will be ready in about twenty minutes."
"Ye Zi, check after dinner. I'm going to go out for a while and will be back soon."
Xia De also stood up from the sofa. He did not forget another important thing.
This morning, Tobysk was misty as usual. Of course, it was not natural morning mist, but the urban smog that symbolizes this era.
Mia stayed at home with Leicia, while Shad braved the winter cold and visited No. 21 Yinkem Street in the university district, which is the location of the Apner Library in the city.
Earlier this week, Shad agreed with them to trade a book and the translation of ancient texts for the ancient stone tablet with red jade corners from the library. This was the "compensation" negotiated by Old John from the Apner Library to compensate Shad for the accident he encountered when receiving the goods. Therefore, when Shad went to 21 Yinkem Street with the translated texts on Sunday morning, Mr. Leibert, who received Shad and discussed the transaction with Shad last time, happily handed over the agreed stone tablet to Shad in the reception room with a blazing fireplace.
Because of this friendly transaction and Shade's outstanding attainments in ancient texts, Mr. Leibert even warmly invited Shade to trade with the library in the future. In addition to being able to find them at 21 Yinkem Street, the Black Raven Library two streets away is also their property.
Shad was not surprised by this. What really surprised him was that when he left 21 Yinkum Street and prepared to go home, he actually passed by Sir Prisha, the "Moon of Guidance", on Yinkum Street.
Sir Rickens Prisher was disguised and lowered his head, looking like a middle-aged man who had to go out to work on a winter Sunday morning due to the rent of his apartment and the food rations for his wife and children, but Shad still recognized him.
For this reason, after leaving Yinkem Street, Shade waited for a while and then turned back. Relying on the footprints on the snow, it was determined that Mr. Prisha's destination was also No. 21 Yinkem Street.
“He contacts the Apner Library more often than he contacts the Sexes group locally.”
He muttered to himself, tightened his clothes, and hurried towards home.
Even though Shad was not afraid of catching a cold, he still didn't like to stay outside for too long in such a cold morning. He believed that his clothes must have been stained with a lot of coldness. The evidence was that when he returned home, Mia waited for Shad to stand by the fireplace for a while before coming over to let Shad hug her.
At this time, Lecia had already prepared breakfast and was trying to arrange the bacon and bread beautifully on the plate.
As a princess, there was no way that Resia could cook before she "met" Dorothy. But she did learn the cooking skills from Dorothy. Although her cooking skills were still a little different from those of the real Goldilocks, Shad was very wise not to point this out:
“It tastes great.”
The stranger who didn't like lying said this with a sincere expression. Leisia smiled and sat beside him, watching the man she chose eating the breakfast she made at home, with their pets beside them.
For a moment, the princess thought she had found eternal happiness. But she quickly smiled and shook her head, and picked up the cutlery to prepare for dinner. Although love is sweet, she wants much more than love.