He stuffed the gift box from God into the backpack he made, and carried it from the abandoned tower to the city at the foot of the mountain. The Cassandra Auction House in the city center was still so lively in late autumn. And Shade also met Granny Cassandra and Sister Defulin in the reception room on the top floor of the auction house.
The nun will also accompany to witness the ceremony. In addition to the three people, because Grandma Cassandra's teacher does not want too many people to know the details of the ceremony, only Grandma Cassandra's young apprentice will follow up the mountain.
The apprentice, Miss Rita Swift, was a young girl who looked about the same age as Ajelina, with a thin build and long, flaxen, slightly curly hair.
She responded to Shade's greeting very reservedly, but she was not suspicious of the existence of a man like Shade. Perhaps Mother-in-law Cassandra had mentioned this to the young apprentice.
Before leaving, Grandma Cassandra expressed her doubts about the box that Shad was carrying, and Shad gave a vague explanation:
"This is a box used to seal evil beasts."
"I thought it was the angel-level relic, the Golden Holy Wardrobe. I remember that relic was clearly in the Holy See of the Church of Creation."
The old witch was in a good mood today and even made a joke.
The ceremony on Monday was already planned, so no extra preparation was needed before going up the mountain. Miss Aurora was not there, and Granny Cassandra did not want anyone from the Witch Council to see the ceremony. Miss Helen Black, who was going to participate in the ceremony, was not there either. When Shade asked about her whereabouts, the old witch smiled and said that she had gone up the mountain.
The carriage that had been prepared long ago stopped at the main entrance of Cassandra's auction house. It was just right for four people to sit in the same carriage.
However, just as the carriage started moving, Sister Defulin claimed that she had forgotten some important items at the auction house and asked the carriage to drop her off. She would then rush to the ceremony venue on the top of the mountain by herself.
"Would someone like Sister Defulin also forget to take things?"
Shad found this very funny. In his eyes, Sister Devlin was a reliable person who would never make mistakes.
The carriage then carried the three people forward, but just as they left the core area of the city and entered the western area of the city, Granny Cassandra stopped the carriage again and said rather uncomfortably:
"Just now, I saw an old friend outside. I must meet him."
As the old witch spoke, she actually left the carriage and claimed that she would go to the ceremony site on the top of the mountain alone in a while.
"Which one is Cassandra's mother-in-law's friend?"
After the carriage started again, Shade curiously asked the old witch's young apprentice, Miss Rita Swift. The latter blushed and seemed to be uncomfortable talking to Shade, so Shade did not ask any more questions.
It felt strange to be in the same carriage with a strange girl, especially when she was unwilling to talk. But fortunately, this strange feeling did not last long. When the auction house's carriage took the two to the west of the city near the mountains, young Miss Swift suddenly spoke:
"Oh, I actually forgot what my mother-in-law told me!"
She hurriedly called for the carriage to stop, and then stammered to Shade with an apologetic tone:
"My teacher asked me to go to Middlesbrough Railway Station to pick up a batch of goods last night. I accidentally forgot about it last night. Now..."
"It doesn't matter. Let the carriage go now. It's not far from the train station."
Xia De said very understandingly.
"But, that batch of goods...can't be known to others."
Xia De looked at her suspiciously, then nodded:
"That's okay. I'll get off here and wait for you. You can pick me up later."
The young girl with flaxen curly hair bit her lip and lowered her head to avoid looking into Shade's eyes:
"Sir, why don't you go into the mountains first, and I'll catch up with you later. If we go back here from Middlesbrough Railway Station, it's like going in a circle, but if we go straight into the mountains to catch up, it will be faster."
After saying that, he blushed and said apologetically:
"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault, please forgive me for the trouble I caused."
Since the other party said so, Xia De could only agree.
So he jumped off the carriage, carrying the box and sword, and after explaining his route into the mountains to Miss Swift in the window, he set out alone towards the entrance of Mount Sikar.
It was very close to the entrance to the mountain, so Xia De chose to walk the rest of the way to prevent the carriage from catching up with him. In order to make the journey more interesting, Xia De let the cat out of the box.
Of course, Mia would never climb the mountain by herself, so she squatted on Shad's shoulder.
Although the four of them went into the mountain together, in the end, he and Mia had to go up the mountain alone, but thinking that he would see the twins whom he had not seen for a long time in a while, Xia De would not complain.
In late autumn, the Xikar Mountains were already covered in golden yellow, and the road leading into the mountains was also covered with fallen leaves. The crisp sound of his shoes stepping on the leaves made him feel very happy, and the suggestion of a passing freight truck asking Shade if he wanted to hitchhike also made him feel very good:
"Thank you for your kindness, but I'm still waiting for someone."
He pointed in the direction of the mountain and watched the carriage loaded with grain leave.
Further north from Midhill Castle at the northern foot of the Sikar Mountains is the vast Lansild Plain in the northern part of the Old World, which is rich in grain. Further south from the southern foot of the Sikar Mountains is still the range of the Rommel Mountains. Although there are scattered towns, the supply of grain is not so easy. Therefore, the farmers in Midhill often transport grain across the Windy Trail checkpoint in the autumn to the countries in the south.
The witch's apprentice claimed that they would catch up soon, but until eleven o'clock in the morning, Shad did not see the carriage again, nor did he see Sister Devlin and Grandma Cassandra who had come down the mountain earlier.
He had already surpassed the height of the abandoned tower in the mountain and was heading towards higher places on Mount Xikar.
The mountain road that allowed carriages to pass only extended to the Fengqi Trail on the mountainside, while the ceremony was held at the top of the mountain. At Xia De's current speed, he would be able to reach the Fengqi Trail around 4 pm. In order to be able to go home tonight, he hoped that his other three companions could catch up as soon as possible.
"Can someone help me?"
While thinking, he heard a voice for help, not on the mountain road that allowed carriages to pass, but in the dense forest on one side. Although it was not a wise choice to rashly enter the forest, the voice seemed to be not far away, so Shade hesitated for a moment and left the mountain road.
Pushing aside the trees and walking in the dense forest, I heard the sound of gurgling water not far away, and a few steps forward, the view suddenly opened up. It was a mountain stream, and there was a very low dam a few dozen meters upstream, which made the stream form a small waterfall nearby.
There was a shallow beach of gravel and pebbles beside the stream, and the midday sun shone directly on the surface of the stream. After walking out of the dark forest and facing the sparkling water, Xia De even had to raise his arms to block the dazzling water light.
The autumn wind blew across the stream, bringing a little coolness.
Although Mount Xikar has turned golden, the trees on both sides of the mountain stream are still as lush as in midsummer. The tall treetops stretch from the dense forest to the top of the mountain stream and converge above the mountain stream. The sparse branches allow the midday sun to shine through the stream, casting patches of mottled shadows.
The shadows swayed slightly in the wind. Squinting his eyes, Xia De listened to the sound of the gurgling stream and saw a young girl in a black skirt with a red butterfly pendant around her waist, sitting on a large rock in the stream.
She supported herself with her arms and pressed them against the stone surface. Her bare white feet slid in the clear mountain stream, leaving scratches in the silky water.
The stream was so shallow that you could even see the rocks and small fish below.
Xia De was stunned, and the girl covered in mottled leaf shadows also looked at the young man walking out of the forest.
The gurgling stream seems to flow in the heart; the shadows of the trees sway, but cannot shake the eyes that look into each other's eyes; the low chirping of insects seems to be sighing for this scene; the sunlight is slightly intoxicating, and Xia De will surely remember this scene for many years.
"Sir, can you help me please?"
Her body shape is that of a girl in her twenties, but she looks like she is only fifteen or sixteen years old.
She had long black hair and beautiful blue eyes. Her skin was fair and her appearance was no less beautiful than any other girl Shade had seen. She wore a black coat over her black dress, probably to protect her from the cold wind in the mountains. She looked about half a head shorter than Shade.
I don’t know if it was a coincidence, but the dappled sunlight just happened to shine on her feet, and her skin was so white that it seemed to be reflective.
"I left my shoes and socks by the water. Can you help me get them? The water is very cold."
Xia De stood there in a daze, feeling the wind, listening to the water, and even for a moment, he suddenly felt that history and himself were overlapping.
After a long while, he slowly nodded:
"Okay, I'll just..."
"No, please carry me to the shore. It will be difficult to get down the mountain if my shoes are soaked with water."
The girl in the black dress continued, looking at Xia De with a smile on her face. Xia De retracted his stunned expression and showed a nostalgic and relieved expression:
"Okay, wait a moment then. I'll be right there..."
"Please don't keep me waiting too long... It's been too long."
Shade put down the sword in his hand and the gift box of God behind him, and stuffed the sleepy-looking cat into them to prevent it from getting lost in the forest or being taken away by the big bad wolf.
Then, he took off his shoes and socks and rolled up his trouser legs. He waded into the water, and the slightly cold stream water made him shiver. Although he had the spell to walk on water, he did not show it at the moment.
"Should I hold you in my arms or carry you on my back?"
Xia De asked while standing beside the big rock in the stream. The girl in the black dress thought for a moment and said in a low voice:
"Please carry me on your back, sir. Do you want me to introduce myself? I am a sophomore in the History Department of the Mechanics Institute at Fort Midhill."
She said, and Shad turned around, let the girl in the black dress lie on his back, and carried her to the shore.
Stranger, you feel the "whisper".
"I know."
He sighed softly in his heart.
Chapter 727: Mountain Stream Girl