"Have you discovered that the humanoid relics of the secret-keeping humans are all quite rational, and their whispering elements are not particularly strong?"
White mist shrouded the islands, and the large lake in the middle of the swamp was illuminated by the fire on the island in the middle of the lake. Black snow swept across the land in the strong wind, and this night was destined to be restless.
A faint firelight came from the top of the lighthouse in the northeast of the island. The man with the black suitcase stood on the top floor of the lighthouse with Shade. Shade frowned slightly:
"Yes, it is very different from those crazy and dangerous relics."
Shad nodded.
"This is because the appearance of almost all secret human relics is related to the five cherubim."
The two of them looked at the island covered by thick fog from the top of the lighthouse. Snowflakes were flying in the fog and fire was flickering everywhere. But this lighthouse was the only one that was so peaceful. The light of the lighthouse rotated automatically behind them as the lens group operated, making two fan-shaped lights rotate around the top of the tower.
“Although my Lord and Secret Keeper has left, He still hopes to spread the secrets of the past and the inherited knowledge to mortals. He still hopes that the light of wisdom and knowledge can still be passed on in civilization in the era when the ancient gods have left, so that the dying flame of civilization can continue for a longer time.
Therefore, the five cherubim took over the duties of God after our Lord, the Secret Keeper, fell asleep. Because angels cannot directly contact mortals, the angels chose us to contact and test mortals. This is the meaning of the Secret Keeper. "
Shade turned his head slightly to look at him, while the man carrying the suitcase and entangled by the whispering element continued to look at the blizzard in front of him:
"I came to this island for the sake of the Chosen One. I asked the question of 'eternal beauty' because the cherubim who guided me near the Great Swamp mentioned that a mortal once asked a similar question to the gods in a tower on a distant island. However, you only need to give the simplest answer."
It lowered its head and drew the holy emblem on its chest. It was the holy emblem of the ancient god:
"The victim who fell from the tower. Do you know? The meaning of knowledge and wisdom does not lie in whether it is powerful, but in whether it is rational and long-lasting. Praise my Lord, the Keeper of Secrets, and may the flame of knowledge and wisdom never go out."
"So that's how it is... It seems that each ancient god made corresponding arrangements when they left."
Xia De sighed softly, and then imitated the Secret Keeper and whispered:
“Praise knowledge and wisdom. May knowledge and wisdom guide the path of civilization forward.”
As he finished speaking, a soft white light suddenly appeared on the side that was originally empty. The keeper bowed slightly towards the light, and Shade raised his empty left hand to block the light, then looked to the left.
The flowing white light mark stood upright in the slightly narrow space surrounding the light source at the top of the lighthouse. As the light mark opened, the lake scenery of the island in the middle of the "Lake of Cherubim" with snow falling at night appeared behind the crack in the light mark.
A gentle voice appeared in front of the angular boulder on the lake:
"Praise my Lord, the Secret Keeper."
The "Lady of the Lake", the first cherubim, stood on the water behind the light crack in a white robe, and looked at Shad with a smile.
The battle on the island in the middle of the Great Swamp Lake has turned into a mess. There are fires, explosions, fighting, and roaring sounds everywhere. But at this moment, the top of the lighthouse is the only one that has not been affected by the battle. Shade is so calm.
"Congratulations, the Recorder's Follower. You have completed all four of my tests. You deserve this power."
Leaving the long staff on the water, the angel raised a golden ball of light with both hands.
Xia De's breathing quickened for a moment. Even though the snow on the island in the middle of the lake blew on his face, he didn't care at all:
“It’s finally done.”
He reached out to touch the ball of light, but suddenly thought of another thing. Not long ago, the "Swamp Witch" helped him and Iluna to find a shortcut, so Shade thought of something related to it:
"Ma'am, there is one more thing."
The man with the suitcase by the wall kept bowing to the Lady of the Lake, while Shade stood on the top floor of the lighthouse and said in a deep voice:
"Are you willing to save a sad soul?"
"Only by completely defeating the evil of Pantanal can part of her soul be freed."
The Lady of the Lake obviously knew what Shad was talking about, so Shad asked a different question, his eyes sparkling at this moment:
"Do you still remember the wild wolf that strayed into the Lake of Cherubim and then lived on the island? It died because of me, and was controlled by the relic because of me. Now that my trial is complete, I wonder if you are willing to help me free its soul?"
The angel smiled, so Shad reached out and drew a black crack on the side.
He heard the sound of animals running, and then the rotten wolf appeared on the surface of the Lake of Cherubim and pounced on Shad.
But it did not hurt Xia De, it just glanced at him and then went into the dark crack. The rotten body was left at Xia De's feet, and the transparent soul crossed the mudflat, stepped on the glittering water surface, and ran towards the dark moon with thousands of souls.
"It and its companions tried to attack me and my horse, so I killed them. But it helped me find you, so I have an obligation to free it. Even if I can't help the Swamp Witch now, at least I can get the wolf to leave."
Xia De breathed a sigh of relief, and saw from the corner of his eye that the fire on the island was spreading everywhere. There were many things running in the fire, but none of them looked like normal humans.
The night is already deep, and with a new divinity, many things that follow will become relatively simple.
He reached out and tried to touch the ball of light, but this time, the angel on the other side of the light stopped him, and his gentle eyes stared at Shade:
"At the end of the Fifth Era, two witches found me."
He paused deliberately, as if observing Xia De's expression at the moment:
"The witches had heard about my location from a man. (Note 1) So it took them many years to finally enter the Lake of Cherubim."
Clenching his hands towards the light source on the top of the tower, Shade knew who the "Lady of the Lake" referred to. He could even imagine the back of the Witch Emperor, accompanied by a guard of honor and her distant niece, walking slowly on the misty water at the end of the Fifth Epoch.
"They wanted to leave a gift for you at the other end of time. But they all knew that a long time would obliterate many things, and even they might have already turned into dust. So, they entrusted the gift to me, hoping that their thoughts could transcend the long time."
The angel said in a very gentle tone:
“Time takes away the stories of the past, and the wise man brings you the thoughts from the other side of time.”
Shade opened his mouth slightly.
"Just like you helped them at that time."
The white-robed angel standing on the water was watching Shade. At this moment, no one cared about what was happening on the island under the lighthouse:
"But if I help them, I must give them a test. This test is not a test of themselves, but a test of you, a test of whether you are as kind as they expected. The appearance of the wolf is not a coincidence. I left it on the island to test you. Now, the gift given to you by the two witches is in my hands, to hold the great power you have gained by completing my trial."
The balls of light in his hands gradually extinguished, leaving only a teardrop-shaped crystal. That crystal was not blue, but golden.
The "Wise Pyroxene" given by the Wise of the Old God Uncertain in the year 5177 of the Fifth Era was left to Shad by the witches in the distant past through the Cherubim of the Lake of Cherubim.
At this moment it is used to hold that drop of divinity.
"Ms. Violet... Miss Theresa..."
The figures of the two witches flashed in Shade's mind, and the golden pyroxene flew towards Shade. The warm power was undoubtedly divinity. Compared with this drop of divinity that he already knew he would obtain, the gift given by the witches was what surprised Shade the most:
"A gift that spans two eras."
The angel smiled and nodded, then looked down at the tower from the lake. At this moment, the spiritual light in the Stonehenge was surging. The time was almost up. Legins Prisha was about to begin his Chosen Ceremony, which was the epic of the fourth Chosen One.
"Perhaps, you can try to stick the witches' gifts on your forehead."
The angel gave a small hint, and Shad, holding the pyroxene, pointed to the glowing figure in the distant Stonehenge:
"Cherubim, that is a mortal who has inherited the power of the Cherubim. Next, he will witness his own destiny and bring disaster to the material world. Wouldn't you like to... take care of it?"
"Everything is your choice. Angels will not interfere with the poems of fate. Moreover, the grinding of a long time has left me with only a weak strength."
The lady with the staff was still standing on the water, but she still gave Shade a final tip:
"The rules of the Recorder's Favored Ones and the Chosen Ones cannot be changed. But knowledge and wisdom are meant to be passed on, not solidified."
The angel's eyes met Shade's, and some tiny traces of light appeared on the surface of Shade's face:
"You mean..."
Iluna mentioned not long ago that there are special features in the rules for the fourth chosen one (Note 2); and the old god Winter Maiden also mentioned not long ago that knowledge and wisdom can be recorded.
"If you wish, and only you can use your own wisdom and knowledge to defeat the official chosen one of knowledge and wisdom in the field of knowledge, you can use... the power of the recorder to accommodate the qualifications of the fourth chosen one and give it to... the right person."
After a moment of silence, Shade blinked, feeling his peace of mind being broken, and chaotic sounds from all over the island flooded into his ears:
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
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