Dorothy smoothed her hair and then said to Shad across the table:
"In a sense, the popularity and fame of Gray's Glass Slippers in the Fifth Age is wider and more famous than your first four fairy tales. Therefore, in theory, it should have a more powerful power."
After all, the Fifth Age is the Age of Witches, and the story of the princess dream and the crystal shoes is quite attractive. Of course, it is also for this reason that one-third of the versions of the story that are currently circulating are not about princes and princesses, but about the "friendship" between princesses.
"Besides, you know better than me about the luxury of the witch emperors of the Fifth Era. There was indeed a witch who created crystal shoes in the Fifth Era, and there was indeed a pair of shoes that turned into a relic after the change of eras."
"oh?"
Xia De suddenly became interested:
"What level? What are the specific characteristics?"
"Poet-level (level 5) relic, the princess's crystal shoes. The properties are not very strong, but wearing the shoes can transform you into a princess."
Dorothy described it as best she could:
"You can think of it as a transformation with more gorgeous special effects than the one you just used to open the puzzle. The dress and hair accessories after the transformation are more grand than when Leicia is dressed up. In this outfit, the clothes will not be damaged or polluted by any circumstances, and the illusions you cast will be enhanced. Oh, and wearing those shoes, you can move forward quite steadily on any relatively flat terrain including water, even above the canopy of a lush forest."
This relic sounds useless, but if you think about it carefully, it is actually quite useful:
"What about negative traits?"
"It can only be used by women. If a man uses it, he will turn into a pumpkin. Oh, don't laugh, he will really turn into a dancing pumpkin man."
Although she didn't let Xia De laugh, the writer herself laughed:
"As for the method of containment, just make sure the crystal slippers don't get contaminated. I want to get those shoes. Not only will it help you, but it will also help my Words of Ascension."
"Who has this relic now?"
Shade asked curiously.
"It's not in the hands of the church or the college. I'm still investigating and hope to get it as soon as possible."
That night, Shad did not forget to give Dorothy the information he had obtained from the dead folklorist near the Dark Temple in the Randall River Valley, asking her to help deliver it to Professor Manning for publication.
The writer agreed and asked Shad to do his own thing. She and Leicia would take care of his honorary degree, and Shad only needed to attend the final degree awarding ceremony. On the night after the family female teacher finished teaching, the blushing blonde girl still boldly tried interesting games with Shad.
It was Sunday. After having breakfast with Dorothy at home, Shad arrived at the Randall River Valley early. He had an appointment with Yin Luna to have lunch at noon to bid her farewell, so he wanted to finish his work as soon as possible in the morning.
The Randall River Valley was shrouded in thick fog on Sunday. I don't know if it was Shad's illusion, but when he came to Cherry Leaf Street, he clearly felt that the atmosphere in the city was a bit depressing. Pedestrians on the street hurriedly walked along the wall, and the horse-drawn carriages driving on the street were no longer as cheerful as before.
Nothing major happened in the Randall Valley on Saturday. Shade asked around and found that apart from the recent petrified plague and earthquake, the current situation in the Randall Valley was fine. Therefore, Shade could only attribute his feelings to his inspiration that the entire city and the land were "sick", and the disease of the land affected the people living in it, making the city lifeless.
When Shad found the carriage at the corner and was about to get in, he caught a glimpse of a person in a warm robe coming from the other side of the street. He suddenly recalled the dream he had entered into Luvia on the night of the New Year's Eve.
At the end of the sixth era in the destroyed past life in the dream, in the deserted city of Tobysk, the survivors seemed to be dressed like this, walking timidly and silently in the corners of the abandoned city. When the memory of the doomsday dream overlapped with reality, Shade shuddered suddenly, which made the driver wonder if he had also contracted the so-called plague that was recently prevalent in the city.
Today's mission was to find the old captain that Stone Oxenfort had mentioned, and get back his old letters and photos from him. Shade was curious why he didn't go and get them himself, after all, Oxenfort had provided a very detailed address for the old captain, and all these questions could only be answered after finding the captain.
It is still the winter when the river is frozen, and most of the ships that run inland transport are resting. The crew members either look for other jobs or stay at home. Captain Allen Woody is old and has a small fortune, so he stays in the Randall River Valley during the winter and does not have to work. Although he has his own house in the city, he lives in another residence outside the city most of the time.
Xia De first took a carriage and didn't find him in the city, so he asked the driver to take him to the eastern edge of the Randall Valley City. After getting off the carriage and crossing the earthen wall built in the city-state era before the unification of Carsenrick, the city scenery gradually changed into a rural village that depended on the city.
After passing the village, you will see the Yin'ao River, which skirts the edge of the city. Standing on the other side of the river, you can clearly see the tall windmills turning under the relatively clear sky outside the city.
The mill belonged to the small farm of Captain Alan Woody, the old captain who had saved enough money for his retirement.
Xia De walked across the river directly on the ice. He also met villagers digging holes to fish and a group of children playing in the snow. Out of kindness, Xia De reminded those children not to play on the fragile part of the ice, but unexpectedly, the group of children jumped around Xia De, singing in rural slang, so Xia De didn't say much.
The small farm in the countryside does not have the luxurious buildings and magnificent manors like those of the rich businessmen and nobles. It looks somewhat similar to the dilapidated White River Valley vineyards.
Although the weather was good today, the old captain did not go out. After Xia De stood outside the half-open fence on the dirt road and shouted a few times, the old captain and his old servant came out of the two-story mud house opposite the courtyard:
"Who is it?"
Although he is already 48 years old, Captain Alan Woody still looks like a middle-aged man due to his many years of sea experience. His skin is a little dark due to the sun and wind, but his eyes are bright. When he came to the yard and saw Shade at the door, he asked curiously:
"Who are you looking for, young man?"
"Are you Captain Alan Woody?"
Shade asked, and the sturdy old man nodded in agreement:
"Yes, may I ask who you are..."
"John Watson. I am asked to retrieve something from you."
"Is this a sailor's relic? May I ask whose family sent you here?"
The captain seemed to have misunderstood.
"No, no, it's not a relic. It's a living person who asked me to pick it up. Stone Oxenfurt, a sailor on your ship."
When Shade said this name, the old captain's face changed immediately. He didn't become horrified, but said with disgust:
"Oxenfurt? Young man, I have no ill will towards you, but I don't like that guy. Please go back. I don't have anything of his here."
He stood in the middle of the courtyard. On the left were the stables and the barn where grain was stored, and on the right was the two-story building where servants and helpers lived. The old captain looked normal, but Shad's inspiration reminded him that something was wrong with him, so:
"Thaumatology - Sight."
Shade looked at him suspiciously, and saw some black seaweed and kelp wrapped around his body, swaying in the windless environment. In addition, from the perspective of the demon, there was a black anchor pattern imprinted on the left side of the old captain's forehead.
Then Shad continued:
"I can't go back. If I go back, I'll be in big trouble. I'm not trying to threaten you, but I want to say that I know Stone Oxenfurt and his secrets... You seem to be the same as him... No, there's something different."
The old captain also had traces of being corrupted by the devil, but the degree was far less than that of Stone Oxenfort, and upon closer inspection, it did not seem to be the power of the Stone Mirror Devil Goethe. Goethe's power characteristics had nothing to do with seafood.
The captain frowned slightly:
"You know Stone Oxenfurt?"
He turned to look at his old servant, who nodded and went back to the house, quickly bringing his coat. The captain put on his coat and walked towards Shade at the door:
"Don't be so cocky, young man. If you really want to talk to me about Stone Oxenfurt, why don't you walk with me outside? It's a nice day today."
"sure."
Shade nodded, shook hands with the captain who had already arrived at the door, and then confirmed again that he was not wrong. Captain Woody Allen really had the power of other demons.
Although the snow on the country road near the farm had been cleared, it was still quite muddy. Xia De knew that the old captain said he wanted to go out for a walk just because he didn't want to discuss sensitive topics in his own farm, so he followed the captain to the ridge near the farm, looking at the endless farmland covered with snow, and the cedar forest and mountains in the distance.
"You're not the first one to be sent here. Stone Oxenfurt sends people every year to try to take away his old photos and letters. He even hired thieves to do it, but they always failed."
The conversation started with the past. They did not stand on the ridge all the time, but continued to walk forward along the ridge.
The weather outside the city is really good today, and the view near the farm is also very wide. I breathed in the fresh air and looked at the vast world. In the last days of winter, it is actually quite nice to take a walk like this.