The god squinted his eyes and smiled as he asked Shade in front of him. His face was full of wrinkles, like an old man walking on the street, asking a boy he met by chance if he wanted some candy.
Xia De turned to look at Miss Orlanod, who nodded carefully and said very respectfully:
"God, I am planning to build a library to help my teacher collect knowledge. Please give me your blessing within the scope of what is allowed."
It was indeed this wish, and Xia De once again felt like he was witnessing history. It was a pity to give up the wish, but now he knew that he had done the right thing.
"This is a great wish, and it's one I can realize."
The kind-looking old man smiled and nodded:
"I admire your determination, and I can see how excellent the library you want to build is. Very good, descendant of the Longleaf Elves, I am willing to bless you."
The "Leaf-Long Elves" are a division of the ancient elven race, mentioned in the elven lore of Shad.
He stretched out his empty hand, and dots of white light were gathering. But he suddenly glanced at Shade and retracted his hand. He casually took back his pipe from the air, smiled and asked:
"If you want to build the library you want, simple blessings may not be enough for you. So, do you want more blessings and power? I can give it to you."
The witch of Zaras was a little surprised, while Miss Orlanod was terrified:
"God, I don't have enough to pay."
God's blessings are never free, and Xia De knows this best.
"What I want is simple. I am the guardian of the library, but I also like to collect stories. Give me some interesting stories... those that have never existed in this world, and should not exist in the past, present, and future."
He took a puff of his pipe and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. In the swirling smoke, Shade seemed to see the illusion of the library of St. Byron's Comprehensive College. Although it was not exactly the same, it was so familiar.
"I originally just wanted to give you a simple blessing, but your determination moved me. Now I give you a chance, mortal, you can choose to give it a try."
The gray-robed god smiled and raised his eyebrows:
"This is a rare opportunity."
"I... ... "
Miss Olanord wanted to speak, but Miss Samuel behind her grabbed her sleeve:
"Think before you speak. You know what the current situation means!"
She adjusted her glasses and spoke quickly, her face flushed with excitement:
"Knowledge that should not exist in the past, present, or future is the most taboo knowledge. Bryony Olanord, since God has made a request of you, then what you can gain after completing the request will definitely exceed your imagination."
"Forbidden knowledge..."
The two witches discussed in low voices, and Shade, who was running out of time, looked at the gray-robed god who was sitting on the pile of old books, like a throne, and the latter looked at him with a smile.
"Please let me answer for her."
Shad pointed at himself.
"are you sure?"
Of course I am sure, because in this world, no one knows more stories that the world has never seen than outsiders.
The two witches behind him couldn't see Shade's expression, but the god could. He stroked his beard, like the wise man in the painting thinking:
"I will only give you this chance once. If you help her, then no matter what, you will never be able to get the knowledge about enhancing time perception and exploring the forbidden secrets from me."
Xia De frowned slightly:
"Do you know? I almost got killed by someone who stabbed me in the heart in the street to help a woman I didn't know find her child. I also turned around and faced the shadow of the evil god in the sky to help a girl I had only met once. I don't want to be a saint who helps anyone, but I never hesitate to help those in need within my ability. What's more, the witch over there is my friend."
"So, what's your funny story?"
The two of them were talking without paying any attention to the witch behind them. This was not their place to interrupt.
"this... ... "
There are actually many options, and Xia De is also happy to share the story of his hometown with the god in front of him. He glanced around casually, then looked at the ice coffin and the red-haired girl with her waist wrapped by his tail, and immediately had an idea in his mind:
"Would you like to listen to an interesting fairy tale? It is indeed a story that should not appear in this world."
The gray-robed sage smiled kindly:
"What's the story?"
"A story about a princess, an eternal sleep, and a kiss."
Xia De said with a smile, and then was startled. The figure of the blonde girl appearing in the study every Saturday for more than a month, and the image of the princess holding the spindle, immediately jumped into his mind.
He took a deep breath. The chaotic time was continuous for Shade. He touched history again:
"Ha, I see. I knew there wouldn't be so many coincidences."
The old man in the pointed hat in front of him smiled in an unpredictable way:
"You seem to understand something."
"Yes, and it seems that you understand it, so... do you want to hear a story?"
Shad made an inviting gesture.
"Of course, sit down and talk. Everyone, sit down."
The old man in the pointed hat blew a puff of smoke into the bonfire, and the smoke made the flames a little hazy:
"Sitting around the campfire and listening to children telling stories is probably what I look forward to the most."
Miss Samuel and Miss Orlanod didn't understand why the atmosphere had become a little strange. They wanted to ask Shade, but Shade just shook his head:
"Sit down, ladies, please sit down and listen to me tell you a story about a princess and a prince. I don't have much time."
The god left the pile of old books, holding a staff in his left hand and a pipe in his right hand, and sat on the ground in front of the campfire. Shade sat on his left, and to the left were Miss Samuel and Miss Orlanod, but the two witches were sitting close to each other.
No one spoke, but looked at the bonfire surrounded by them. The flames flickered because of the smoke from the god, and the light became brighter and brighter until a grand palace setting appeared. It was not Shade who was controlling the flames, but the guardian god of the library who was helping Shade to tell the next story in full.
The scene in the flames became more and more realistic, until the faces of mortals and gods were all red. It covered up the cold and all the troubles. Sitting by the campfire and telling stories about the distant hometown was indeed a pleasant thing.
Xia De squinted his eyes and looked at the bonfire, thinking about the story that connected the past and the future, and its meaning to his life:
"Long ago, in a kingdom far away, a queen gave birth to a princess."
The flames formed the palace, and middle-aged men and women holding babies were showing the "treasures" in their hands to the dense crowd outside the palace.
"The king invited people from all over the country and the twelve witches living in the Mirkwood to come to the feast, but he did not invite the old witch who lived in the Mirkwood."
The picture in the flames was divided into two halves, one half was the beautiful witches in the banquet hall blessing the newborn princess, and the other half was the terrifying witch in the forest brewing medicine.
The flames of the bonfire kept splashing outside, illuminating the four people around the bonfire. Shade's voice was very steady. The gray-robed god squinted his eyes and enjoyed the tobacco in his hand. Miss Samuel frowned and looked at the flames, while Miss Orlanod tilted her head and looked at Shade.
"So, after the twelve witches gave their blessings to the princess, the witch cast a vicious fate curse on her - when the princess turned sixteen, she would touch the spindle and fall into an eternal sleep!"
As Shade raised his voice, the bonfire suddenly burst into flames, shooting straight up into the sky, even engulfing the clear yellow moon summoned by Miss Orlanod. The blazing bonfire not only shot upwards, but also spread in all directions, until it almost drowned the people around the bonfire.
The wind and snow outside could no longer be heard. Feeling the extremely hot temperature in front of them, everyone stared at the scene in the flames.
The flames created a life-size, beautiful young princess who even looked a little like the appearance of desire in front of Shade. She held a candlestick and walked up the attic stairs made of flames. In the flames at the top floor, facing the huge, clear yellow moon, there was a textile machine.
“This is a loom that represents destiny.”
Xia De said softly, and the princess in the flames had already walked to the top floor. In the flickering flames, the princess and the loom were enlarged until they occupied the entire bonfire. The princess holding the oil lamp stretched out her finger and touched the spindle of the loom.
"Just as the witch cursed, the princess fell down, but she did not die, but fell into an eternal sleep."
Xia De paused for a moment, because he was surrounded by white mist. The mist seemed to have seeped out from the bonfire in front of him, and it almost completely enveloped him when he lowered his head.
"This story is to be continued. Sage in gray robe, please allow me to tell it next time."
"Of course, see you next time."
The old man nodded.
The white mist completely enveloped Shade and took him away. At the same time, the god sitting in front of the campfire also disappeared, leaving only the shrine on the pile of old books, as if he had never left.
“It felt like I was witnessing an epic.”
When everything quieted down, Miss Samuel spoke softly, her eyes fixed on the bonfire in front of her, the flickering flames reflected in her glasses:
"Brianne, is he really here to witness our story?"
Miss Orlanod shook her head and waved her hand to control the flames. A lifelike image of Shade appeared in the fire:
"The teacher said that we are the ones who are witnessing his story."
Chapter 724: The unfinished story