"It's three seconds, not a second off."
When Shade walked out of the white mist door, Miss Carina's voice immediately reached his ears.
Nothing had changed since he left. The witch was still dangerous, and Tifa was still watching him. Even Mia's pitiful look hadn't changed. The cat probably didn't even blink during those three seconds.
"What did you gain this time? Shade, I'm looking forward to the stories you bring."
Miss Carina asked, holding a cup of tea. This is morning tea, which is used by noble ladies to refresh themselves before breakfast.
"Can I ask you something before breakfast?"
Xia De first hugged the cat that ran over, then asked hesitantly.
"You ask."
He stood at the door:
"Regarding Saint Byrons, have you heard about the library of Saint Byrons Comprehensive College and its connection with the Grey Robe Sage, the Old God
I have learned from the librarian that the underlying ritual structure of the library was provided by the followers of that god. In addition, my friend in Coldwater Harbor also told me that after the departure of the Grey Robe Sage, his followers continued to work for Saint Byrons, and even became a part of Saint Byrons after the collapse of the Sixth Era Cult. "
But judging from this experience, the help that god gave to the library was definitely not as simple as the underlying ritual structure. Otherwise, it would be a shame for the story that Shade brought to the world again.
"Yeah, you want to know something more interesting?"
The red-haired witch put down her teacup, thought for a moment and answered:
"It seems that your experience this time is indeed unexpected. Yes, the connection between the god and Saint Byron is certainly not limited to this. Miss Danister will not tell you more about the god because you only have a low level ring, and your friends in Coldwater Harbor probably don't know the deepest secrets of Saint Byron."
"What?"
"Relics are divided into six levels: poet, scribe, keeper, sage, angel, and unknowable. Among them, every Level 0 relic that is contained is the most powerful weapon for the Ring Warlock Organization, such as the Diesel Sword that appeared on the night of the God's Descent and can temporarily restrict the range of God's activities."
"You mean..."
"The exact number of Level 0 relics contained in the Five Gods Church and the three major thaumaturgical schools has always been a mystery, but the Council happens to know that Saint Byrons has a Level 0 relic related to the Old God Grey Robe Sage."
"It's a pipe!"
Xia De's eyes widened, but Miss Carina shook her head hesitantly:
"What makes you think that? Does the pipe have anything to do with the library? Excessive smoking will only make your head confused."
Shad really wished he could tell this to Father Augustus.
There was a knock on the door, and Tifa walked quickly to the door. It was the maid who came to inform the owners of the manor that they could have breakfast.
Miss Carina stood up, and Shade said again:
"A grey pointed hat? No, no, it should be a long wooden staff."
The witch nodded:
"Yes, a level 0 relic, the Staff of the Old Sage."
Even when he sat at the dining table and began to eat with the maid's service, Xia De was still a little dazed.
A wish, plus one of his stories, brought Saint Byrons a Level 0 relic that had been passed down for thousands of years. The feeling of influencing history and time had never been so abrupt and real, and the voice in his ear reminded Shade when his thoughts were nearing the end:
So, do you regret being so generous half an hour ago
"Of course not... Well... If I knew the result in advance, I would certainly hesitate, but I can't say I regret it."
He looked at the bacon in front of him. It was said that it was shipped from Miss Carina's territory. One meal was worth a month's feeding fee for little Mia.
"It's just a sigh. Relics are relics after all, but those people are long gone."
"She" ignored Xia De's sighs in the autumn morning, and only left a pleasant laugh.
While eating, Xia De briefly recounted his experience a few minutes ago. Miss Carina really thought Xia De's behavior was "generous":
"Shad, even if you are attracted to witches from the past, you shouldn't do this. After all, they are old women who have long gone. If you really like witches, it's not like there aren't any in our time."
She complained to Shade, using the hurtful term "old woman" without hesitation:
"If you can give the Council one more Level 0 relic, I think even the witches wouldn't mind giving you some..."
Tifa coughed, and the witch smiled but didn't say anything else.
Unlike last time when he only needed to prepare daily necessities for the witches, this time Shad needs to find three items related to the power of the sun in his own era. Those items cannot be relics and their power must be strong enough.
Iluna's "Sunshine Gun" brooch is definitely enough, and in order not to waste time, Shade asked the Duchess who knew about this to help collect the other two. The witch readily agreed, but also warned Shade that alchemical items and even materials related to the sun are not rare, but there are not many items containing the power of the sun:
"You can look for it yourself in other ways, but since we only need two pieces, there's no reason why we can't find them."
She seemed very optimistic about this matter.
Shade did not mention the story of the "Sleeping Princess" to Miss Carina, because it was similar to the story of the "Match Girl" that Shade told to the innocent creator and the three children. The puzzle lock corresponding to the "Match Girl" was now almost bound to the thirteen-ring warlock "God Caller".
After a hearty breakfast, Xia De left on the pretext of having something to do.
It was foggy in Tobesk to-day, probably because the steam company was running at full capacity in late autumn.
Instead of going home, he carried the well-fed cat to "Mary Jane's Flower Shop" on Silver Cross Avenue and asked the maid of the little Princess Ajelina to pass on the message requesting a meeting to Leicia in the Yodel Palace.
Today is Sunday, and Lecia doesn't have much to deal with, so she quickly sent a letter with lily perfume, asking Shad to go to the Tobysk Opera House to wait for him tonight.
So Shad spent the whole day in Tobesk, and that night, in the big box on the third floor of the opera house, he met Resia in a long red dress and Ajelina in a blue fluffy princess dress. The latter had a golden ribbon tied in her red hair. Unlike Resia, who looked very girlish, Ajelina's outfit was always very... ... young.
The decoration inside the box was very luxurious, with thick woolen red carpets on the floor and crystal decorations on the gas lamps. As expected, Leicia welcomed Shade with a very passionate kiss.
The sixteen-year-old princess acted as if she was used to it. She even ordered the maids to guard the door and not let anyone in without permission, even if they heard any strange noises.
These maids were the personal servants of the two princesses, and some of them had even met Shad in Coldwater Harbor. Therefore, they had long known that this man, who was rumored to have an unusual relationship with the "Duchess of Saradir" in the market of Tobesk, also had a close relationship with the two princesses.
“The difference engine data I provided half a month ago won my father’s praise.
After my brother Saxe Cavendish was executed, part of the command of the vacant New World Expedition Corps fell into my hands. Although as a princess of the kingdom, I can't go far to the New World, this means that I can finally intervene in the kingdom's military affairs. "
Leicia was very excited, her eyes seemed to be shining as she spoke. She did not tell Shade about this on Saturday night, probably because she wanted to tell Shade in person with her own body.
"Very good, intervening in military affairs..."
It was hard for Shade to imagine what the princess he was holding, or what he wanted to do. But as long as Leicia needed it, he was always ready to help.
"Shade, I'm so lucky to have met you."
She kissed Xia De lightly on the corner of his lips, then asked Xia De to sit down.
The cat held by Shade finally had a chance to "escape" from between the two of them. After swiftly climbing onto the back of the sofa, Mia stood on the back of the sofa and meowed at Shade, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction.
The opera had already begun. The box specially prepared for the royal family had a great view, but no one cared what was being performed. Leicia hadn't seen Shade with her body for a long time, and she wanted to continue to express her feelings with a kiss, but Shade didn't ask the princess out for this:
"Regarding your low-fourth-ring sublimation language "Sleeping Princess", I want to know its specific origin."
"Why do you ask this?"
The words seemed to blame Shade for not understanding romance. Shade smiled shyly and saw the red butterfly pendant hanging around Leicia's waist. The shape of this pendant was much better than the one Shade had originally made at Old John's, but unfortunately, the princess and the writer, whose souls were connected, could only look at each other from a distance.
The souls are clearly closely connected, but they can only look at each other from afar. This is probably the farthest distance.
"The story of The Sleeping Princess originated in the early or middle period of the Fifth Era. This ancient fairy tale is related to the founding of the Zaras Academy of Literature, and the first edition manuscript of the story is in our academy, so my tutor recommended it to me."
This was not surprising, as Miss Olanord gave the manuscript to Miss Samuel in the hope that the Zarathus Society would help in the establishment of St. Byron's.
"It is said that St. Byron also has an early version of the story. The teacher once wrote to St. Byron to borrow it, but unfortunately your librarian refused."
Leicia said, pausing for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly and looking at Xia De who was sitting next to her. She was a very smart girl:
"Xia De, you don't mean to say that there is another spirit rune on your life ring, right?"
"Of course not, at least not now."
Because Xia De had not finished telling the story, but he clearly felt that after returning to this era, the brass aura representing "enlightenment" was increasingly enriching his life ring.
Time inspires civilization, and stories are sublimated in civilization.
Even though the story from the stranger's hometown has not yet been told to the end, Shad can basically be sure that once he returns to the past again and makes himself the one who truly brings the story of the princess, sleep and kiss to this world, he will definitely obtain the enlightenment spirit rune Sleeping Beauty.
Just like the original inspiration - the little match girl.
Chapter 725: Stories and Time