"Ms. Asperger."
The two members of the Winter Order saluted hurriedly, and Shade and Luvia also greeted the Thirteenth Ring Warlock respectfully.
Ms. Elsa Asberg was still wearing the dark blue dress she wore when they met last time, but the decoration on the hem of the dress had been changed from sparkling broken gemstones to simple white lace. She smiled and said to Shade:
"Nice to meet you again, Mr. Hamilton. The remains of the Nameless One have now successfully entered the Far North and will probably reach St. Byrons in a few days. I met your teacher again a few days ago, and she was full of praise for you."
Shad then remembered that he had not reported the progress of the investigation in the Green Lake area to Miss Danister for more than a week.
"Good morning, ma'am, this time I want to..."
"Yes, I already know. The item is very old and very valuable. I personally cannot easily decide the ownership of the cult's property, even if you are Danister's student. Fortunately, the item is very special. It is stored in a container sealed with ancient secrets. From the outside, we can only see that there is a card inside. The predecessors have tried many methods but failed to open it. The information handed down by the cult says that anyone who wants to get the card can get it as long as they can open the seal. The cult is just keeping it for safekeeping."
"So what are the requirements to open the seal?"
Xia De asked curiously, and the thirteen-ring sorceress showed a meaningful expression:
"A key, a key that looks like a card. But no one knows what kind of card it is. Mr. Hamilton, since you are so concerned, I think you should have the answer."
"I see..."
Shade has understood that if this is the case, he must complete the Time Key of the Lost Forest in 923 of the Fifth Age in order to obtain the gift of the Fifth Age.
"Ms. Asberg, I think I do know what the key is. I am going to St. Byrons tonight to meet Miss Danister. Could you please take the item to the college library?"
Shad then asked, not worrying about the other party questioning why he had the key. He believed that Miss Danister would give a reason, and the librarian was very nice to him.
So the lady in the dark blue dress nodded:
"Of course, I also want to know what that card is."
She took a step back, and the body turned into snowflakes and disappeared. Then, Mr. Hammer and Ms. Ferrer, who came to visit, also said goodbye and left. They obviously had other things to do in Tobesk, so they did not stay in Shade for long.
When Shade went to the door to see off the visiting guests and returned upstairs, Luvia reminded him:
"If you really get that Vientiane card, you will have seven Vientiane cards in your hand. Silver Moon, Balance, Darkness, Death, Knowledge, Earth, plus Space, which officially exceeds half of the thirteen cards."
"It's not certain yet. Maybe the so-called card is not what I'm looking for. Everything is unpredictable. Can it really be that simple?"
Xia De asked back, and the purple-eyed girl smiled:
"I was worried that if it wasn't, you would be disappointed. It seems that you have indeed understood the meaning of impermanence. Very good, very good, my judgment of people is really accurate."
Although he didn't care whether it was really his goal, Shade couldn't wait to pick up the time key. It was still early, and Luvia was not in a hurry to go to work at the Prophet's Association, so she decided to wait until Shade came back before leaving, so that she could also listen to his experience.
As for Xiaomia, the last time she followed Shade to the Lost Forest, it apparently didn't feel bored, and this time she meowed and wanted to follow.
And since there weren't any major problems last time...
Really
Shad recalled the wish-granting demon he encountered on the ship, seeing Detective Sparrow again in death, the distress in the desert, and finally the excitement of almost melting into the sun's rays in the sandstorm.
"At least there are no safety threats."
And this time there were alchemical items given by Yin Luna that could be used, so Xia De still brought the cat, who rarely had the desire to go out on his own initiative.
Seeing Mia being turned into a toy by Shade, Luvia was very envious, but also very confused as to why she didn't trust Shade as much as this cat.
"Well Luvia, see you in three seconds."
He packed his things and came to the bedroom door with the cracked key, his heart filled with excitement and anxiety:
"I don't know if I can really meet Chloe Yin again this time, and I don't know what the meaning of the seven-day journey will be at the end... May the World Tree protect me in the infinite time."
Click!
Behind the door was cotton-wool-like silk, and he stepped inside.
Luvia watched Shade disappear, counting in her mind:
"Three, two, one."
So the door downstairs was opened with the key.
Stranger, you have stepped into the "Corridor of Time".
Message from the ancient god "Father of the Infinite Tree":
Spring of the 923rd year of the Fifth Era, Central Continent, Lost Forest.
Event: Travelers' storytelling session.
Duration: fifty minutes (3/3).
You get additional information.
The figure of the Infinite Tree Father continues to watch over you.
The tests given to you by the Ancient God of Time will continue.
Assist travelers to conclude their story with the "God of Journey".
The Father of the Infinite Tree will give you rewards: Thaumaturgy-Strong Spatial Perception, a True Message-Dragon.
Endless white fog enveloped the surroundings, and the familiar environment made Xia De feel very at ease for some reason:
"Not half an hour, but fifty minutes?"
Although the change in time surprised him, this was not the first time this had happened. He had even used the last key five times. Without too much worry, Shade took a step forward and entered the forest in the dark night with white mist and a foul smell in the air.
The Lost Forest, the final destination of the lost. In the sixth era, the place had never been heard of, but now in the fifth era, the high-level witches seemed to be able to find information. Shade was puzzled by this, but it was not the first time that such a place appeared, so he did not think deeply about it.
He continued running forward, ignoring the darkness and malice chasing him from behind. The various corpses nailed to the trees stretched out their arms or claws, as if they knew that this was the last time Shade would appear, trying to keep him, but the cold silver moonlight attached to their bodies still protected the strangers as it had in the past.
Darkness and malice were getting closer and closer, and Shade's steps were getting more and more hurried. Just before the danger was about to happen, the warm light of the campfire appeared in the forest in front of him.
After pushing aside the grass and crossing the vines, Shade once again came to the simple camp consisting of a bonfire and a tent. The old knight Zafir Yellen had chosen to leave with his long-dead relatives during his last trip. Therefore, the only people waiting for Shade to reappear by the bonfire were the witch Aleila Andriana, the black-dressed maid Clara, and the bard Mr. Dika Enriques who called himself a baron.
Although the sound of boots stepping on the ground was slight, it still made the witch who was frowning and looking at the fire in front of her raise her head. For Shade, it was a week, but for the people around the campfire, it was a long time.
Seeing that it was the strange man who came back, the witch immediately stood up with the help of the ground and smiled:
"You finally showed up again."
"It seems that you have to wait a little longer this time."
This time the mental states of the three were obviously worse than last time. It was not obvious in the brown-haired high-level witch in front of them, but looking at the maid in black skirt who was getting up - she had just awakened to become a witch last time, and the bard who was still holding the lute played by the god, both of them had gloomy faces, and they both looked like they were severely sleep deprived and had directly come into contact with the relics.
The maid in the black dress clasped her hands together and hung them in front of her chest, nodding and greeting Shade. The last bard to stand up spoke:
"It's nice to see you again sir."
"I'm glad to see you again, too."
As he said this, he restored the toy cat in his pocket. Mia looked around immediately after she recovered, snuggling in Shade's arms and showing great interest in everything around her.
I don’t know if it was Xia De’s illusion, but when the cat appeared, the mental state of everyone present seemed to be better. This cat really has magical powers.
The four of them moved to the open space beside the tent and campfire and sat down in a circle, but they still kept the place for the god and the old knight who had left.
"Did anything happen here again while I was away this time? Or did you encounter lost souls like last time?"
Shade asked curiously, stroking Little Mia's back with his right hand. The cat purred softly, its large amber eyes looking ahead of Shade—because the god had not yet walked out of the tent, so it looked directly at the campfire.
The strange firelight made the cat very happy. It liked fire and heat, light and power. Of course, it liked Shade even more.
"At first, it was still some lost souls who came here. We knew that we couldn't change the fact that they were dead, so we just let them rest here and watched them leave. But later, some strange things came. At first I thought they were the souls of alien creatures that I didn't recognize, but then a shadowless person in a black robe and holding a sickle appeared and took those strange things away..."
The witch pursed her lips and tried to describe what she saw and heard in more detail:
"The man without a shadow was very similar to the boatman who took us across the river. When he appeared, it was as if all the joy and emotions in the world were gone. Even though the bonfire was still burning, death and coldness still made us at a loss. After he took away those strange souls, it took me a long time to recover. I used the potion I brought with me to help my maid and the bard over there recover their health... That was..."
It can be seen that even if the other party is just mentioned, the uncontrollable fear immediately emerges:
"I've heard other witches from the Zaras Academy mention the messenger of the ancient god of death, the soul catcher who pulls the dead souls, and the living dead souls walking in the world."
When she said that, Shade understood that it was a combination of Ms. Marilyn Handel and Joeyne Patton that strengthened the final version.
“When I play this piano, everyone’s spirit can be soothed.”
The bard held his lute and whispered:
"It was a terrible feeling, as if I had stepped into death. I even saw my long-dead grandmother waving at me. I thought I was a strong person..."