"This is my friend Sister Develine."
Shad needs to complete four tests of the Lady of the Lake to gain divinity, so his affairs are temporarily closed. But the "Lady of the Lake" promised that after Shad completes the first three tests, he can get a gift or let his friends ask some questions, so Shad now introduces Sister Defulin.
The nun nodded again. Her temperament was somewhat similar to that of the lady in white robe holding a staff in front of her.
Sister Develin did not intend to speak for herself, so Shade made her request on her behalf:
"Ma'am, Sister Defulin is the nun who looks after the Primordial Flame. She wants to gather the split Primordial Flame together again so that the flame of civilization can last forever. We have obtained some clues. The split of the Primordial Flame seems to be related to your legend. Therefore, we want to know where those split flames are now."
After Shade finished speaking, Sister Defulin raised her hands and a thin red flame appeared. This not only attracted the attention of Shade and the lady in white robes, but also Mia, who was looking around, looked over with wide eyes.
This was the first time it saw the flame.
"Yes, the split of the First Flame was indeed related to me, but I cannot tell you what happened at that time."
The lady in white robe said softly:
"Someone has made a wish. I will not use your wish to destroy other people's wishes. But I can tell you the whereabouts of one of the flames of the split First Flame."
"Thank you for your generosity."
The nun said softly.
"In the center of the Pantanal swamp, there is a small island in the middle of the lake that is always covered with clouds. A wisp of the first flame is on the top of the old lighthouse in the center of the island."
The "Lady of the Lake" gave a clue, and Shad knew the location she pointed out. The interior of the Pantanal Swamp is full of wetlands and lakes. The central lake is located on the boundary between the two countries, and the islands on it belong to the disputed area between De La Rio and Carsenrick.
Around 700 of the Sixth Era, the island was bought by a nobleman at the time, but something happened later and all the living people stationed on the island died. To this day, although the island is disputed, neither Draerion nor Carsenrick has stationed anyone on the island.
The reason is simple. No matter which direction you start from, it is quite difficult to cross half of the Great Swamp area and go deep into the swamp lake island. Even if a troop can be stationed there, the supply problem is difficult to solve. In addition, there are miasma and poisonous insects, as well as strange things inside the Great Swamp. Therefore, although the lake island is very famous, it is at least an uninhabited area now.
"But you must know that the flame of the First Fire was placed there to stabilize the balance of the Pantanal. If you want to take it, be prepared."
The lady in white robes reminded her, and the nun nodded slightly:
"I see."
This means that the flame may have a "sealing" effect. But this does not mean that the nun cannot touch it. Many methods, such as Shade's Kiss of the Mystery Tree, can also achieve the same sealing effect. Once the First Flame is collected by the nun, the remaining First Flame on Shade will become stronger.
“Are you willing to be an agent of wisdom?”
While Shad was thinking about it, the lady in white robe holding a staff suddenly spoke to Sister Defulin.
Shad looked at the two of them in surprise, and then realized that Sister Defulyn seemed to have been favored by the "Lady of the Lake", a treatment he had never had.
Perhaps what Miss Pavo said the night before by Lake Schluch was right, his wisdom was not enough to compare with the top heroes of this era.
Or, you have already been chosen by someone else.
"I'm sorry, but I've decided to spend my life looking after the First Flame."
Sister Defulin shook her head and refused. Her long silver-gray hair swayed slightly as she shook her head. She had become the chosen one of death because she wanted to earn Shade's favor and let him touch the First Flame. Of course, she would not add new responsibilities to herself for no reason.
“It’s such a shame.”
The lady in white robes said softly, then looked at Shade:
"Then go and complete your second test, and explore what happened in the past. I will be waiting here for you, waiting for you to complete the final test. May wisdom bless you, Shad Hamilton, and knowledge be with you."
The scenery of the island in the middle of the Lake of Cherubim gradually became blurred, and everything around it faded like an oil painting splashed with water, and then was colored again.
When they came to their senses, Sister Shade and Sister Defulin were still standing on the path by the lake, and the two horses lowered their heads, looking for edible weeds by the lake. The lake in the distance was so calm that there were no ripples. In a few weeks, this place would freeze over and be covered with heavy snow. Winter had really arrived.
The nun's boots were next to her feet. Shad looked down at the boots and then noticed Sister Develyn "looking" at him. She whispered "sorry" and turned around:
"Sister, the exploration of the Pantanal Swamp still needs to be solved by the Spiritual Cult and the Witch Council."
Shade said as he looked at the lake in the distance. Sister Defulin said behind him:
"This is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive task. I will also try it out with the church."
This kind of large-scale investigation far away from human settlements is not Xia De's strong point. Besides, Xia De has a lot of things on his hands, so he can only wait for the results. But it's okay, after all, he can't solve all the problems he encounters.
And so, the second test of the "Lady of the Lake" trial officially began.
Shade took the reins and sent Sister Defulin back to the White River Valley Vineyard, then took Little Mia home and had lunch in Tobesk. After lunch, he put the cat at home, and then returned to Huntington alone to visit Kansas Drake, a retired folklore professor living in the old western city.
The sky in Huntington was gloomy today, so the old professor with limited mobility did not go out. When Shad rang the bell on the gate at two o'clock in the afternoon, the fat maid quickly opened the door for him.
Professor Drake, still sitting in a wheelchair, greeted Shade in his study. He seemed to have anticipated Shade's arrival, but when Shade said that he had seen the Lady of the Lake, the professor's hand holding the teacup trembled:
"so... ... "
The professor looked at Shad with anticipation and anxiety, sitting there with his back hunched, like a prisoner waiting for sentencing in the court.
"The lady told me that if I wanted to find what I had lost, I had to pass her test."
"Yes, there is definitely a price to pay."
The professor immediately said that he was looking forward to getting an answer, but he was also afraid of getting one. Both Xia De and the professor understood that the professor had most likely given up his lost memories voluntarily, and that recovering them at this time might not necessarily give him the result he wanted.
"The test I have to go through is to find out why you went looking for the Lady of the Lake, what wish you made, and what price you paid."
Omitting the fact that he had companions with him at the time, Shad briefly described his experience this morning and described that when he saw Professor Drake on the water, he was reading a news in the newspaper that the Huntington Wine Association was recruiting members to participate in the winter wine expo.
"this... ... "
The professor was shocked. He believed what Xia De said, but he didn't expect this result:
"I didn't expect that our experiences would be intertwined. But I really don't remember anything about what happened back then."
He took a sharp breath:
"I wish I could still remember it. This is the only regret I have in my life. What happened back then?"
"In fact, the trial itself contains information. First of all, you set out to find the Lady of the Lake because of something you encountered, not just for academic research. Otherwise, my trial would be meaningless."
Xia De analyzed that this is to infer the answer from the question itself, and outsiders are very good at this.
Professor Drake nodded immediately. Although this retired old man was physically disabled, his mind was still sharp:
"Yes, that's right. Moreover, it should be an event related to the supernatural and the occult, otherwise there would be no need for it to be a test."
"Considering your profession, perhaps something terrible happened to you while you were doing folklore research."
Xia De said that considering that the professor's private collection before retirement included relic derivatives such as the "Swamp Witch" photo, the old professor must have been exposed to more than one danger in his career.
"Did you retire immediately after the accident?"
Shade asked. Professor Drake's brows wrinkled together. He held the teacup and sighed:
"Yes, I was about to retire at that time. After my legs became like this, I was indeed depressed for a while. The school did not treat me unfairly and kept paying me while I was recovering. Four months after the accident, I took the initiative to apply for early retirement, and then I lived on my pension and the money my son sent me."
“Where are all the research materials you collected before retirement now?”
Professor Drake knew what Shade meant:
"Most of them are left in the school. They are the school's assets. But the information should be fine. Nothing has happened to the school over the years. I can write to ask about it later. A small part is in my home. If you are interested, you can look for it in my study."
The professor is old and knows that he will not live for many years, so he is unusually obsessed with finding out the truth of what happened.
"What were you studying at school before you set out to find the Lady of the Lake?"
Xia De asked again, but the old professor couldn't recall anything from that long ago.
"So did anything else of note happen in Huntington that year?"
Xia De wanted to start from this aspect again, but the professor still shook his head:
"That happened more than ten years ago. Although I have a good memory, I never doubted the purpose of my trip, so I didn't pay attention to what happened back then... Now that I think about it, maybe I didn't just lose the memory of going to the Lake of Cherubim."
Xia De also agreed with this point, but it was precisely because of this loss of memory that he now had no clues.
Fortunately, after finding the right idea, Professor Shad and Drake spent an entire afternoon looking for clues in the professor's old materials, and finally got some results.
These gains can be simply summarized into three things: a diary, letters, and a tattered book.