The magic "seeing magic" cannot be used in the Black Mist Camp, and any reconnaissance magic is prohibited in this camp. But at such a close distance, Shade would not mistake a human soul. The one who returned was indeed a human, not a demon, but the sulfur smell was still very suspicious.
Miss Higgins bent down and rummaged through her backpack by the campfire, taking out the rusty knight's sword that had fallen from the sky after she used the conch's immortal thoughts last time (Chapter 1801). Her backpack was obviously much larger than it looked. Although Shade was puzzled, he also reached into his arms, intending to offer a gift for the lovers' reunion.
The light of the setting sun outside the window gradually dimmed until it disappeared completely. The black fog swept in, submerging the village that had long disappeared. The memory faded, and the terrifying and strange scene of the black fog camp reappeared outside the dilapidated clock tower.
The light from the crackling bonfire stretched the shadows of Shade and the witch, and swayed strangely on the wall. Suddenly, Shade and Miss Higgins stopped what they were doing, because they saw with their own eyes that the blond young man who was hugging Mrs. Miles turned into ashes little by little in her arms.
Shocked, Mrs. Miles looked at the ashes on her arm. She twitched and then fainted. Fortunately, Miss Higgins, who was close by, supported her in time and prevented her from falling on the back of her head. But Miss Higgins's face changed drastically when she was touched by him:
"Oh no, Mrs. Miles is dying!"
The two were not surprised by this result. Even a healthy adult could not survive for long in such a strange place, let alone an old man who was about to die. The huge ups and downs of emotions and the scene of her lost lover turning into ashes in her arms, even if it was not in the "Black Fog Camp", I am afraid that few people could survive it.
"Quick, help me get my backpack! I have some medicine there!"
"It's not that troublesome. If I don't let her die, she will definitely not die—fake immortality!"
His palm touched the old man's forehead, and the magic that Shade had not had the opportunity to use on others for a long time took effect again. The weak breathing and gradually weakened pulse slowly returned to normal. The awake old man opened his eyes in confusion, and then saw Miss Higgins's worried expression and Shade's frowning expression:
"I... I am..."
Although she was awake, it still took her several seconds to remember what had just happened:
"Is it a dream?"
"Please don't think about those things. I have medicine here."
Miss Higgins comforted her softly, waved her hand to pull the backpack, and picked out another bottle of potion from the few remaining. Shade used his own magic, Scindia's Silver Moon Gift, to treat her. Compared with the effect of "Full Food" in treating external injuries, Mrs. Miles needed to recuperate her spirit more at this time.
In the corner, the dark shadow was still watching everything silently, but Xia De suddenly turned his head and looked at it.
The shadow still did not move, nor did it react. Shade just took a look and continued to treat Mrs. Miles. The potion that could be brought here was indeed very effective. Soon, Mrs. Miles, with the help of Miss Higgins, sat back by the campfire and was freed from the state of "false immortality".
But this does not mean that she has fully recovered. For someone of her age, this adventure is really too far.
"What's going on now?"
After dealing with Mrs. Miles's matter, Miss Higgins asked Shade helplessly. Shade had already picked up the golden memory and looked at it:
"The three memories are completely recorded on it. Mr. Richard Jackman really came out just now. This is the effect of the relic. I don't know about this relic. Can its effect only last for a few tens of seconds?"
Miss Higgins immediately shook her head:
"Of course not. The soul summoned by this relic is truly summoned. It will not leave so soon."
"If you think optimistically, this is good news. At least it proves that the soul of that gentleman has not been destroyed. He really still exists. It's just that he can't appear for too long due to some special reasons... Can this relic be used continuously? You don't have to answer it. This is a stupid question. Mrs. Miles's spirit is no longer enough to support her to use the relic again."
Shad shook his head. Now his purpose of coming to this time and space had basically been achieved. Although Mr. Richard Jackman came and went, it also allowed Mrs. Miles to partially fulfill her wish.
But if it ends like this, even Xia De himself doesn't want it to end like this. Since he is going to do it, he should do it to the best of his ability. Besides, it is expected that he will encounter such troubles:
"Ma'am, do you still want to actually meet that gentleman and ask him where he has been all these years?"
He asked the silver-haired old man, who raised his head with difficulty, with a hopeful expression on his tired face:
"Yes, but... is there any way now?"
Her own coins have been used up, and Miss Higgins is obviously unwilling to waste her own existence. Even if she is willing to consume it, the direction guided by the devil has already fulfilled their wishes. They have no other direction. In this situation, no one knows what to do next.
"Do you have any other solution?"
The young witch asked, and Shade nodded:
"Actually, I came here to complete the transaction."
"But I see you're not keen on finding merchandise either."
"Because I only trade with certain people."
Shade said, and walked to the window to look down at the endless black fog camp. Now the black fog could no longer block his sight, but in the dark and lightless environment, even with his dark vision, he couldn't see further:
"I already know where that existence is. Miss Higgins, please be prepared. I don't have much time left. Once I leave this time, I will never come back, so let's solve all the problems at once."
When the young witch, who got along well with Shade, heard that he would never come back, she showed a regretful expression:
"I see. Although I had expected this to happen, I was planning to introduce you to His Majesty... A mysterious man suddenly appears to help a young witch. Even when I was a child, my aunt told me stories that didn't contain such a plot."
She nodded:
"We are leaving now, right? How far is this place from the merchant you are looking for? Madam's body may not be able to hold out for too long."
She was a little embarrassed, but Xia De reassured her:
"We are not going anywhere. Since the devil said there is a way to leave here, then we will stay here. As for the merchant I am looking for, he is right here."
Miss Higgins looked towards the dark figure in the corner, but Shade shook his head.
"It's it and it's not it. I wonder if you have noticed something very interesting. All the black shadows we have seen in this camp so far, although they stand, sit or lie down in different postures, their body shapes are roughly the same."
Miss Higgins thought for a moment and looked at Shade's profile:
"I noticed. Maybe someone who created this camp gave these shadows a unified shape for convenience... Anyway, this couldn't have been created naturally."
"Then have you noticed another thing: the shadows here are not just mechanically repeating the sales process. They also have their own independent judgment and can react differently to our actions."
Miss Higgins frowned:
"It seems so... Could it be that these shadows are really naturally generated, some kind of strange creatures with low consciousness? Or have the Great One endowed them with simple wisdom?"
"It's unlikely. The demon outside the camp is obviously controlled by this camp, so it serves as a guide to explain various things to the people who come here in the fire. I don't believe that it stayed here voluntarily. Do you think demons are very dedicated? It didn't complain at all, and it didn't laugh at the shadows in the camp to vent its dissatisfaction."
Shade said again, and Miss Higgins felt that she understood something:
"So, a great being who looks like a god created this place and arranged demons as guides. All our actions so far are actually under the monitoring of that great being?"
After saying that, he moved closer to Mrs. Miles.
Shade shook his head. The young witch knew much less information than he did, so she could only think of this step. But because Treefather's mission was not to "summon the gods", Shade knew from the beginning that the god of wealth and trade - "Golden Lord" was most likely here.
Moreover, Old John, who runs the pawn shop, said that the demons themselves have no beliefs, but they do have some degree of connection with the "Golden Lord". This once made Shade think that the shadows in the camp were all demons, but the last time he cheated in the card game and turned over the "Impermanence Card", he knew that these shadows were definitely not demons.
Even the evil spirits of the Third Age probably don't understand what impermanence means.
What really confirmed Shade's guess was not only the information he learned from the Old Gods in the church, but also the strange things he encountered along the way. Those shadows were deliberately targeting him, and the fact that the price of the bonfire purchased by Miss Higgins would be transferred to him meant that someone was able to manipulate the most basic rule of this camp - fairness.
In addition, the only magic that is prohibited in the camp is "reconnaissance", and there are no shadows of animals such as horses except human figures. Therefore, the answer is obvious, but it is difficult to imagine:
"I'll invite her out now. Do you want to come and take a look with me? I'm afraid I'll never have the chance to see this scene again. Although it's dangerous, it's also an opportunity. She has always been here, yes, always."