"Granny Cassandra learned about the two witches' itinerary from the parliament. This heavy snow swept across the entire western part of the Old Continent, centered on the Pantanal Swamp. Early this morning, the princess and her entourage were forced to land in the small town of Vincent, about 180 miles (about 290km) away from here. They will then change to a carriage and then a train to continue to Huntington City."
The nun sitting on the sofa said, Xia De nodded and looked at the scenery outside the window with concern:
"Only 180 miles left? In normal weather, we'll be there in four or five hours."
"But with this weather, I'm afraid we won't be able to see them until tomorrow."
Sister Defulin said, and then added:
"Also, when evacuating from the steam floating airship, Lakins Prisha disappeared. The local church received an order that he was suspected of being involved in a fire in Tobesk, so he was temporarily arrested. But he left early, and Miss Carina and Miss Sylvia didn't know when he left."
"I'm afraid he will arrive here before the witches."
"He is the Chosen One?"
Xia De turned around at the window:
"Yes, I have some information that I haven't told the Witch Council yet."
He briefly explained the abilities of Lakins Prisha and the power of the ancient angel bloodline:
"Sister Devlin, it seems that the vampire's prophecy has come true. The evil beneath the Pantanal Swamp is about to be released, and it is just waiting for the stars to reach the right position."
"Since this prophecy has been reported to the Prophet Association, I think the church will soon determine the actual date."
Xia De nodded, the gloom in his heart even heavier than last night.
Since there was no need to welcome Princess Margaret and her group trapped in the snowstorm this morning, Shade went to Coldwater Port again. Coldwater Port is located in the northwest of the entire Old World, quite far away from the Pantanal Swamp, so this port city did not snow today, but it was a lively sunny day.
When we arrived at the old lighthouse outside the city, Mr. Edmund was drying his fishing gear. When he saw Shade, he invited him in for a chat, and then said awkwardly:
"The demigod witch you asked the Hermitage to help investigate did find some information."
“As long as there is information.”
Shade nodded immediately. He had too many questions about Miss Chloe:
"What information did you find?"
"Her name."
The old man said.
"What else?"
Shade asked, and Mr. Edmund smiled awkwardly:
"No more. But this way, you can save money. The deposit can be regarded as full payment."
"Um... ... "
Miss Feliana asked Miss Orlanod to leave a message, asking Shade to seek help from the Priory. Shade didn't believe that such an effort to give him a hint would be useless:
"Excuse me, what is Miss Chloe's real name..."
"Chloe Marcus Marquez."
Sir Edmund pronounced the name in the language of the Fifth Age.
"Marquez?"
Xia De frowned slightly and asked again:
"I'm sorry, did she ever change her middle and last name?"
"No, although we can only find out her name, we are very sure that this is her original name, and she has no other names."
Mr. Edmund said with certainty.
"Am I remembering this wrongly?"
If I remember correctly, the name of Mrs. Marquez is...
"Marcus Marquez!"
It can't be a coincidence that the second half of Miss Chloe's full name is the same as Mrs. Marquez's full name.
"Mr. Edmund, was my last description of your appearance correct?"
Xia De asked again, and the old folklorist nodded:
"Yes, it's basically the image you described."
"The man who lost himself in the snowy mountains... the same name... the cowering man never said his name from beginning to end... the gods said that Miss Chloe is taking her last step... the possessed demon I saw for the first time, the black Miss Chloe I saw for the second time... and the incomplete witch remnant... um..."
Xia De felt as if he had guessed the truth, but in this case, the troubles he would face in his last trip to the snowy mountains would probably be more difficult than the last trip of the other time keys.
Because he had a meeting in the afternoon, Shade did not stay with Mr. Edmund for too long. But before leaving, he left a list of ritual materials and entrusted the old man to help purchase them.
"Let me see. The stone heart of the clock stone, the heart of the two-headed red-eyed demon wolf, the tentacles of the sea servant... they are all very troublesome materials. Are you sure you can save enough?"
The old man asked after reading the list, and Xia De nodded cautiously:
"It should be fine. Please purchase it as soon as possible. It would be best if all the materials can be collected within a week or two. I can accept any premium within 10%."
In fact, these were only the main materials needed for the ritual to enhance time perception, and they were the ones that could be purchased at a relatively low price in Coldwater Harbor. For the rest of the materials, Shade planned to ask Granny Cassandra to help him purchase them, after all, what he was looking for were not common things.
When Shad returned to Tobesk in the heavy snow, it was already lunch time. He wrapped himself up, stuffed Mia into his arms, and went out in the violent snow. It took him twice as long as usual to reach the Prophet's Association.
While having lunch with Luvia, Shade told the purple-eyed girl about the source of chaos he found at home last night. Of course, Shade also did not forget to mention the letter paper of Mr. Euclid, the astrologer from a hundred years ago.
She was surprised that Shade had experienced so much in just 24 hours. So after lunch, she went to Saint Teresa Square with Shade, wanting to see the sage-level relic.
Just as Shade thought, even though she was prepared in advance, Luvia was still affected when she saw the relic. She suddenly sobbed, hugged Shade's arm and rested for half an hour before she recovered, but she couldn't tell why she was crying.
Luvia is a fourth-ring fortune-teller, and she was severely affected. Shade decided not to use this relic lightly. Although it can affect the mind of a ring wizard, it would be even more dangerous if the ring wizard lost control.
As for the "Chosen One of the Moon", Luvia and Shade, who had controlled their emotions, agreed. Although they needed to pay attention to who would stay at St. Teresa's Square 6, the focus at the moment was not on this person, but on what was about to happen in the Pantanal Swamp.
"You have to remember, remember who you let sleep here."
The purple-eyed girl, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, looked quite pitiful.
The group study session that afternoon did not take place as scheduled. After resting at home, Xia De and Luvia were planning to leave together, but unexpectedly, Dr. Schneider came to inform them personally that the study session was temporarily cancelled:
"The snow is really too heavy, so you guys should stop running towards me. I just happened to be visiting a patient nearby, so I came to inform you that the study session is cancelled."
The doctor was in the hallway, brushing the snow off his head and shoulders with the help of Shade:
"This snow was really unexpected. I have lived in Tobisk for so long, and the last time I saw such heavy snow was more than ten years ago."
This also shows that the climate in Huntington is much better than that in Tobesk.
"I won't say any more to you. I've just met Louisa, and I still have to go and inform the priest."
The doctor waved to Shad and Luvia who were standing on the stairs:
"Don't forget about exam week. Today is the 21st day of the Sleeping Moon. We will have a meeting next Saturday and will probably know when our group's exam will be."
He waved goodbye to the two of them, then rushed into the heavy snow outside the door again with a bitter face.
Sister Defulin had given the Pantanal Swamp information to Shade, and Shade discussed it with Luvia at home this afternoon. Luvia returned to the Prophet's Association in the evening, while the blonde writer came in the heavy snow.
Tonight, the princess would not use her body, and Shad continued to ask about the fairy tale "Water of Wisdom". He had copied the story from the stone tablet in the mountaintop sacrificial field. That night, when Dorothy asked Shad to study on his own, she personally copied the copy with her own special ink and asked Shad to carry it with him:
"Are you going to do something dangerous again?"
This was the question Dorothy asked Shad before going to bed that night. Shad hesitated as he was about to lock Little Mia in the closet:
"Yes."
"Then be careful."
The blonde girl sitting on the bed stood up and hugged Shade from behind:
"I'm not the only one waiting for you to come back."
(Mi Mia is running...)
It was Sunday, and the rare heavy snow that enveloped the western part of the Old World had already made the news in the Tobesk Morning Post. What Shad was worried about was whether Margaret and her group, who were taking the train to Huntington, would encounter other travel troubles because of the snowstorm.
That morning, he did not use the Time Key of the Fifth Epoch 903 for the last time. Instead, he said goodbye to Dorothy after breakfast and went to Huntington alone. After entering the city from the White River Valley Vineyard in a carriage, he first went to the Snake Heart Hospital to find Sister Defulin.
Although the nun did not leave the city yesterday, she had a special way of contact with Granny Cassandra, so she knew about Miss Carina and Miss Sylvia's itinerary.
The train will certainly be late, but it should arrive this morning.
Huntington is an important transportation hub in the eastern part of the Pantanal where trains cannot pass. The train station is not much smaller than Tobesk.
Shade and the nun came to the "Madam Finney Tea House" near the station early to wait, accompanied by Sister Develin's maid. After all, she was a blind person and could not travel without the help of servants.
Xia De ordered a cup of local honey grape tea in the teahouse, intending to try a new drink, while Sister Defulin ordered a cup of ordinary black tea. Of course, the charges here are not low at all, as evidenced by the porcelain tea sets used for drinking tea.
Sister Defulin did not wear a conspicuous eye patch when she went out, but only covered her eyes with linen. Shade chatted with the nun about his impressions of this southern city and the local legends he had heard. While waiting, they also heard a lot of new things from the guests who arrived here by other trains and wanted to have a cup of tea to warm their bodies.