"How do you know if you don't try?"
Shade stood in the stable and said:
"Once I have dealt with the demons, I will go to the Heart of the Earth to find you."
"Before that, I'm afraid there will be something else."
The Guardian looked at Shade:
"Even if there are hundreds of souls fighting against the twisting power of the earth, even if the heart of the earth protects me, when you see this clay incarnation, I will probably have fallen into madness."
"Um... ... "
"I tried my best to seal myself underground, but there is a certain possibility that I will break out of the ground and become... some kind of terrifying evil creature."
Shade was not surprised at all:
"Is there a way to reverse it?"
"If the power of the Heart of the Earth can be restored to normal, I can also be restored to normal."
The Guardian said expressionlessly.
"That's impossible. The purpose of the ceremony is to restore the Heart of the Earth to normal."
"Then there is a way to make me temporarily sober—a new soul can become part of the guardian."
Xia De frowned and looked at him:
"You have reserved so many clues, don't you have any suitable candidates now?"
"The demons' hostility towards me over the past hundred years has caused some problems in the inheritance of the guardian. Since Lathers joined several decades ago, there has been no more suitable candidate. But now there are still two..."
"Stone Oxenfurt, and Sirius Lathers, right?"
Xia De told the answer he knew in advance, and the guardian nodded slightly:
"Besides that, a very special girl has recently come from the Northern Kingdom. She can also do it. You have seen her. She is seventeen years old, with long brown hair. It seems that her last name is Bei Yasi. But her fate is more complicated. Like you, she is not suitable to be a guardian. Therefore, if either Ossenfurt or Lathers becomes a part of us, it can temporarily make us sober."
After a pause, add:
"And making Stone Oxenfurt a part of us should be the devil's ultimate plan. It turns out that this is his intention."
"I won't let Miss Lathers die for this reason."
Shade looked at him:
"Absolutely not."
The guardian opened his palm, and a small golden stone, only as big as Shade's fingernail, flew in front of Shade:
"This is a part of the Heart of the Earth that was shattered during the earthquake three hundred years ago. Because it is separated from the main body, it can still remain normal. Unfortunately, it is not big enough, otherwise it would be enough to restore me to normal... Letting Sirius Lathers touch it will allow her to master the power of the earth."
Because it is not the original body of the Heart of the Earth, it does not have the divinity that Shade wants.
"I said, I won't do that."
If Shad really did this, then the only difference between all this and the past Sixth Epoch was that it was him instead of the long-haired Luvia who told Miss Lathers the truth.
"For one person, you're going to give up the whole world?"
The Guardian asked, now retaining the appearance of Mr. Lathers:
"Although I have known you for less than three months, I did not realize that you were such a person."
"Does Mr. Lathers agree with this decision?"
Shade asked back, and the guardian nodded:
“All our opinions are made together. When I say it out loud, it means it is a shared idea.
You have to understand that for the earth, for the world, any sacrifice is necessary. We are a good example, and it is all worth it. The earth is with you and me, and this is the destination of all people. "
"Although what you said makes sense, do you feel that you are no longer normal?"
Shade asked, and before the Guardian could answer, he took two steps towards him, exposing himself completely to the light of the kerosene lamp:
"I told you I wouldn't do that."
"Do you have any special feelings for Sirius Lathers?"
"I mean, I have another way to make you temporarily sober enough to perform the ceremony."
As long as he transforms into a god, it is possible to temporarily wake the guardian up.
The guardian obviously didn't know this. He looked at Shad in silence. The golden pebble was still floating in front of Shad.
Shade asked one last time:
"You have lived for so long, I just don't believe it. Don't you have any other methods?"
The Guardian did not answer:
"I believe you will make the right judgment. Take this stone with you. When you enter the Butterfly Cemetery, it will guide you because of the mutual aggregation characteristics of the Heart of the Earth."
So Shade held the stone in his hand and heard her gentle voice:
Stranger, you have come into contact with a "miracle".
Thaumaturgy - Voice of the Ancients is triggered, and you gain information about the First Age:
The divine creation, the Heart of the Earth, was created by the Mother Earth in the first era as one of the cores to stabilize the world. Even after the destruction of the first era, the power of the Heart of the Earth was seriously lost, but it still has an extraordinary effect on the world. Any behavior that touches the Heart of the Earth must be extremely careful, because it represents contact with the essence of the world.
"When I first met you in the Emerald Dream, I promised to help you purify the earth. I will keep my promise in my own way."
Xia De said seriously:
"I repeat, this is my promise."
The guardian said nothing more, but bowed slightly, and his body turned into soil and merged into the earth beneath his feet.
It seems that you must obtain the divinity of the Heart of the Earth.
"She" said softly. Shade nodded, holding the golden stone in one hand and the empty cup in the other, and walked out of the stable.
"We must be on guard against the evil god's descent. Besides that, I must have a drop of divinity to deal with other emergencies and ensure that I do not lose my combat effectiveness."
He paused and looked at the night sky covered by dark clouds and thick fog:
“This story has come to the last page.”
I don't know if the manor stables have some magical power that can attract all kinds of people. Or maybe, because it is the farthest and most remote building from the manor house, people with secrets like to come here.
In short, when Shad was holding his glass and was about to return to the banquet, waiting for Margaret and Prince William to announce the final reconciliation, hurried footsteps were heard from the other side of the bushes.
"What is it this time?"
Because he judged that the visitor was just an ordinary person, Xia De thought that this should have nothing to do with him. He thought about it and decided not to get involved in other things. Besides, he really didn't have any mood to participate in other stories now.
Two butterflies flew out from his sleeves, dancing gracefully. The interweaving red traces of light turned into an illusion, hiding Shade's figure under the moon.
Xia De continued walking along the path in the bushes, intending to pass by the person who was coming. Unexpectedly, after walking a few steps forward, when the person showed up, it turned out to be Mr. Enriquez, an acquaintance.
He was wearing a black dress suit with a bow tie on his chest, but he looked very anxious. When he arrived at the door of the stable, he did not go in, but looked around, obviously waiting for others.
Didn’t you say you wanted to go back
"She" chuckled and asked Xia De, who was standing still and not walking back. Xia De answered naturally:
"This is not about getting involved in something new. I'm just curious about what Mr. Enriquez is doing and what his relationship with Mrs. Enriquez is like now... After reading the beginning of the story, you can't stop me from reading the end of the story, right? Oh, that's too cruel."
"Her" laughter is still as soothing as the silver moon in the night sky.
Shade didn't have to wait too long before the second and third footsteps came from the other side of the bushes. Soon, a blond lady who looked to be in her forties, wearing a pearl necklace and a ruby ring, and with thick lips, came over with her maid.
Without saying a word, she thrust a letter into Mr. Enriquez’s hands, and he immediately thanked her:
"Thank you for your help, Aunt Louise."
"It's time for your relationship with Maggie to come to an end. You just got married and something like this happened. How can this be?"
The lady was obviously Mr. Enriquez's elder, so her words were a little harsh, but she still cared about Mr. Enriquez:
"Everything you asked me to ask someone in Willendel to investigate is in this letter. I haven't read the letter myself, so I don't know what the result is. After you read it, remember to burn it and then make your own decision."
After that, his tone softened:
"Majila, you are an adult man now. You need to make your own decisions on some things. But no matter what, I will support you. I just hope that you can consider it carefully."
Mr. Enriquez nodded heavily, and the lady returned along the same route with her maid, while Mr. Enriquez entered the stable, apparently wanting to read the letter by the light in the stable.
"Although it is unethical to peek at other people's letters, I am really quite curious."
Xia De said in his heart, and turned into a red butterfly, and flew into the stable through the half-open door before Mr. Enriquez. Then, he stood beside the only kerosene lamp and looked at the strong black horse with curiosity.
Mr. Enriquez, who entered the stable, frowned at first because of the smell, and was startled when he saw someone was already there. But fortunately, he quickly recognized that it was "the kind Mr. Watson" who appeared here, so he breathed a sigh of relief:
"Oh, Mr. Watson, you really scared me. So it was you who was here. I was wondering why there was a light in the stable... What are you doing here?"
"To see the horses. I'm leaving the Randall Valley in a few days. This time I'm going to Tobesk City in Delarian to participate in the spring city riding competition. So I want to see if the horses in the Randall Valley are worth taking to Tobesk."
Shad said something nonsense, then turned and looked at Mr. Enriquez with a smile.