Xia De nodded:
"At the ball in the castle, Cinderella, who arrived in a carriage and stepped on crystal shoes, attracted everyone's attention as soon as she appeared on the stage. Her brown eyes were as deep as the night sky, her golden hair was as smooth as the silver moonlight, and her dark blue evening dress reminded people of the quiet night at that moment. The hem of her skirt was decorated with stars, just like the stars tonight. Cinderella welcomed the prince and danced with him until late at night."
Xia De took a deep breath. These fairy tales were something that outsiders had heard many times when they were in their hometown. But when he really told them himself, under the premise of meeting the requirements, he had new feelings:
"Midnight was approaching, and the prince tried his best to keep Cinderella from staying and dancing, but Cinderella remembered her agreement with the old woman and left in a hurry. So, the prince continued to hold a grand ball the next day. After the stepmother and sisters left, the old woman with the magic wand came again in the dark night - 'I will continue to help you, just as I promised last night.'"
Fiona continued to listen to the story, and did not forget to draw the fourth act. The fourth act was relatively simple, it was a grand ball being held in the castle at night, and Cinderella wearing crystal shoes was dancing with the prince.
In the empty temple, Shade didn't know whether those people who were made into specimens by the gods could hear their own voices. He just hoped that all stories would be as beautiful as this one:
"When the ball was on the third night, Cinderella, who had a secret crush on the prince, forgot the time in the music of the ball. When the clock struck twelve, she hurriedly rushed to the gate of the castle with her skirt lifted. 'Oh, my princess, why are you leaving me again?' - the prince said, and chased after her. Cinderella ran so anxiously that she left her left crystal shoe on the steps. The prince took the crystal shoe and couldn't find Cinderella, so he vowed to let all the girls in the country wear the shoe, and he must find the girl who danced with him and marry her."
Fiona quickly painted the fifth scene, with a prince in a red tuxedo holding a crystal shoe on a winding staircase. Below him, in the dark night, a small figure was running wildly on the hillside, holding up the hem of her skirt.
The Red Dragon Witch's talent for painting is indeed first-class.
"So they searched and searched. When the girls across the country heard that the prince wanted to find his future wife with a pair of shoes, they all tried enthusiastically, but no one's feet could match the crystal shoes. Until one day, the prince's team finally came to Cinderella's home. Cinderella's sisters excitedly tried the shoes, and after finding that they were not suitable, they followed the stepmother's advice and cut off their heels with a sharp knife."
Xia De heard the red dragon girl behind him sighing:
"The prince thought he had finally found his future wife and was about to take her back to the palace when the old woman who kept her promise appeared again. She helped Cinderella as promised, and the birds she called chased the prince chirping, and the prince discovered the blood on the ground. The birds pushed Cinderella out of the kitchen, and the prince ignored the stepmother's obstruction and let Cinderella put on the crystal shoes."
Fiona's fingers left a mark on the last slate. It was a sunny day. On the left side of the courtyard were the prince and his attendants, and on the right side were Cinderella, who was surrounded by birds and shyly put on her crystal shoes, as well as her sisters with injured feet and her stepmother crawling on the ground.
But if you look closely, there is an obviously abnormal shadow behind the willow tree, and hiding in the shadow is an old woman holding a magic wand and smiling.
With the completion of the sixth painting, the story came to an end. Six huge stone slabs slowly rose into the air and came close to the night curtain on the high platform. Fiona held Shad's hand again from behind, but this time she dared to look behind Shad, over his shoulder, and quietly look at the curtain at the highest point of the palace.
Shade explained loudly:
"What I am offering is the story about the night and the promise. Although it is just a fairy tale for children, it can also demonstrate the power of the night. When the midnight bell rings, everything will change with the night. God of the Night, are you willing to accept this story? Are you satisfied with this story?"
There was silence for so long that Xia De even counted down in his mind the time he had left to stay.
This time key can stay for 40 minutes each time. And this last time, except for the conversation with Fiona, the rest of the time was spent on action. Telling the story and drawing the six paintings took nearly half an hour. In other words, Shade now has less than ten minutes left.
The thick darkness filled the night hall, so much so that if it weren't for his "perception of time", Xia De would even think that time was frozen.
When Shade had only five minutes left, he finally heard the answer from the god behind the curtain:
"Although the story of the night is light, it is enough to decorate my palace."
At this moment, Shade and the Red Dragon Girl behind him breathed a sigh of relief at the same time. The six stone slabs also flew to the side wall of the hall and were embedded in their original positions. As the original text of the story of "Cinderella", they were permanently left in the hall of the gods.
Xia De felt that he was only a little bit away from the Enlightenment Spirit Rune.
"God, since you are satisfied with our story, would you be willing to agree to our request and give us a portion of your mortal realm?"
Xia De asked again, and at the same time a doubt arose in his mind.
When he mentioned the offering of the First Era stone tablet, the Night God said "not enough" instead of "no". In other words, the stone tablet was also part of the transaction, but the stone tablet should still be in Saint Byrons in the Sixth Era.
"Yes. But the offering of the slab must be replaced with something else."
The god on high said in the curtain, and Shade still didn't know what the god would look like after he descended. But perhaps, behind the curtain that kept fluttering in the windless room, there was nothing.
"I wonder what you need from us? And, I wonder if you are willing to provide us with a way to leave."
Shade asked cautiously, but since the deal had reached the final step, there shouldn't be any problem.
There was another moment of silence, which resulted in Shade getting closer and closer to leaving.
The voice of the Goddess of Night sounded when Shade had only one and a half minutes left, but the words she said surprised Shade:
"You can leave. I need a court painter."
"What?"
Xia De didn't understand this sentence at first, but then he looked up suddenly:
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!"
Fiona behind him finally realized that the "court painter" was referring to herself, and she suddenly grabbed Shad's shoulder.
Anger had already appeared in Shade's eyes, which were pierced by the golden cracks. He had encountered many things tonight. Although he had defeated the devil at Oxenfort Manor, the process was far from easy and pleasant. Not to mention, he would have to face the Chosen One and another evil god in a while.
"God, before I offered that story, you clearly said 'not enough'. Why, why do you still want to play tricks on us mortals?"
Saying such words is enough to be considered "disrespectful to God", but facing this situation, Xia De couldn't do much.
"Shad..."
The girl behind him panicked and tried to stop him, but Xia De interrupted her forcefully:
"Since the first time I saw you in Evernight City, I promised to take you away from here safely. I will never lie to you."
He looked at the god on high:
"Lord of the Eternal Night, Master of the Night, we are willing to offer you the stories of the ancient gods, and we have also offered you the stories of mortals. Excuse me, can we leave? Will you let us go back as agreed?"
The night sky around him was agitated, but the golden afterglow on Shade's body was getting brighter and brighter. He was waiting for the god's response, but after the other party was silent again, he suddenly understood:
"Wait a minute! You have been silent since just now. Are you trying to delay me?"
The silent god did not speak, but Shad heard laughter like whispers coming from all directions.
He was startled suddenly, and at the same time, "she" beside him whispered:
You have forty seconds!
"I need a court painter, she's excellent, so stay."
There was no emotion in these words, and as soon as the words fell, the thick night sky, along with the voices coming from all directions, suddenly compressed the light around them. The night sky almost became a physical entity, and the light of the moon and the sun, which had been half a meter away from the two of them, suddenly became so dark that it could hardly illuminate Fiona behind Shad.
Fortunately, the afterglow of divinity was still bright, and the God of Night was unable to devour Shade in the state of afterglow of divinity:
"She has to leave!"
The hesitation and worry in his heart only lasted for a second, and Shade had already got the answer. He turned around and hugged Fiona. The red dragon girl saw something wrong in Shade's eyes. She wanted to say something in panic, but Shade once again said what he promised:
"I told you I would get you out safely!"
Thirty seconds!
He gritted his teeth:
"Help me burn my divinity!"
There is only one drop of divinity at present, and once it is used up, it is really gone. But fortunately, there is still a drop of divinity in the Randall River Valley. Although the "rash" behavior at this time will cause more waves in the final chapter of the epic of the Chosen Ones of the Earth in the Sixth Era, Shade will never let Fiona stay here alone and become a court painter.