She was thinking - she was obviously just a little detective at first, how did she "fall" step by step to this level, and had to accompany a crow to think about these universal truths before having breakfast.
Of course, she understood what Ms. Yusilian meant. She was using this kind of rhetoric - comparison - to make her understand the power of the Outer Gods, and then to once again compare the Goddess's power and the heavy task.
In other words, it is to excuse her and prove that she didn't come back not because she didn't want to, but because she really couldn't get away.
Well... no matter what she thinks, I don't really care about this kind of thing.
After washing and having breakfast, Hitzfeld urged Ashley to go to the Knight Academy.
It shouldn't have been so fast. According to the original plan, Ashley could have stayed at home for four days, but her academic performance was so terrible that Hitzfeld canceled her vacation in anger and told her to go back to school as soon as possible.
The Knights' School also teaches cultural subjects, but why does it feel so different from public schools?
She had been troubled by this problem for the whole morning, so much so that she was absent-minded when Ms. Yusilian was teaching her the content of "Artifact", and was forced to be punished twice by the little crow.
The punishment was simple: she needed to put her finger in the hot tea and wait for a while, and she was not allowed to pull it out until Crow called a stop.
At first Hitzfeld thought she was going to scald herself with hot water - she didn't feel the water was hot enough to be unbearable for her skin.
But she soon discovered that every time she did this, the crows would take the opportunity to come over and beg for water.
“……”Why does it feel like this drop of blood is more childish than I imagined?
"Okay - let's continue talking about "Artifact"."
The crow, who had drunk enough water, was in a good mood and walked back and forth with great pride. "What artifacts have you seen so far? Tell me... Tell me everything that you think looks like an artifact."
Something like a magical artifact...
Hitzfeld listed the God's Blood Ink, the God's Blood Pen, the Book of Howling, the big book in the Gray Mist Temple, the cross sword, the Nature Sphere, and the Apis Cube.
"What kind of artifact is this?" Crow sneered, "Except for the Nature Orb, which is a bit interesting, the rest are just junk!"
"We can't compare with you." Hitzfeld said seriously, "With the conditions we have, it is enough for us to fight for these objects and resolve the hardships through them."
"But they are definitely not divine artifacts." Crow shook his head. "Divine blood... that should be the sealed real blood. According to your description, it was originally buried in the Secret Keeper's manor. Hmm... this may be her arrangement. I won't comment on it. I can't say for sure."
"As for the latter... The Book of Howling is an absolute man-made object. The Gray Mist Temple should refer to the 'Void Prison'. The book inside is itself a part of the prisoner. It is just lying there to atone for its sins... The Cross Sword is a replica, and the Apis Cube is originally a large
The driving core of the floating city."
She does know a lot. Although this knowledge is of no use nowadays, as she said before, it can greatly enrich the horizons of young girls.
This had a great effect on broadening her knowledge system, and Hitzfeld quickly asked what real artifacts there were.
and many more.
She was stunned for a moment, remembering that Ms. Yusilian seemed to have mentioned something called "Inverted Coffin" before, and said that it was this thing that turned her into a female body?
I actually forgot to ask such an important question. My brain is so slow...
Is this the result of overusing your brain these days? Should I consider taking a nap...
"Yes, the Upside-Down Coffin."
When asked about this thing, the crow showed a look of reminiscence.
"It's almost the embodiment of the rules of the anti-world, and it's also the product of all the desperation to achieve miracles... This thing can reverse life and death and virtual reality to a certain extent. Changing your gender is just a side effect."
Doesn't that mean -
Hitzfeld opened his mouth.
Doesn't this mean that I was already dead when I first traveled through time?
According to Ms. Yusilian's description, the Upside-Down Coffin is invisible. Only its owner can see it and give it a specific form. It often disguises itself in the form of a coffin, a jar, or a box, which reminds her of the sealed wooden box placed in the center of the auditorium!
Is that the upside-down coffin?
I touched it...and ended up being sucked into it...?
Is the Upside-Down Coffin the final hidden node of time and space in Hitzfell Manor? And my...she let me pass through the box to save me?
And there is Coldis's transformation... his father's transformation, including the power of the Dead Bone Ice Needles and the black flames that symbolize ice and death, all seem to be influenced by this artifact.
This discovery had a huge impact on the girl. She solved many mysteries that had been bothering her, but she did not feel very happy.
Because this is... too ironic.
A divine weapon that reverses reality, turning death into life and life into death.
Perhaps the nightmare that Coldis showed her was not real. In the real past of Earth, the dead bone ice needles probably did not have the power of "ice".
Just think about it, he is the keeper of the secrets of the Sun Goddess...how could the inheritance of fire manifest as "ice"?
So it's reversed...
Maybe real time and space simply don’t allow... don’t allow examples like me to exist...
I should have been dead, or even dead.
It was my mother who forced me to be revived in this way...
At this moment, Hitzfeld was thinking too much. She felt a tightness in her chest and a pain in her heart. She even leaned on the table and was a little breathless.
Ms. Yusilian did not interfere with her.
The girl pondered, and the crow watched quietly on the table as the color changed.
She believes this is a necessary step.
For her, who is destined to..., even the cruelest truth is better than deception.
So, Hitzfeld took a breath and gradually figured it out.
She looked at the crow and asked a question.
"From the example of Lendis, the Upside-Down Coffin will not directly turn the living into the undead."
"I can't answer your question." The crow said, "I can only infer from the series of changes in your body that it is the Upside-Down Coffin. But I can guarantee this for you alone."
"As for whether other people came through with it, whether they were interfered with, and how serious the interference was, I cannot guarantee you."
"That's enough." Hitzfeld clenched his fists.
"Thank you ma'am."
"You've given me another target."
After adjusting their state as quickly as possible, they started teaching again.
Crow gave more examples, expounding on the history of those once-famous divine artifacts and introducing the corresponding myths, and the girl listened with great interest.
"Back to that crown."
The crow drew a small iron ring on the blackboard with chalk.
"Now you know the power of those four ancient artifacts: the Sword of Victory... the Spear of Destruction... the Pendant of Fortune... and the Crown of Wisdom."
"It's impossible for you to find them now. Most of them are damaged, and even the damaged ones are not here. But we haven't done nothing in the battle with them for many years. Just like you would do research when you encounter a virus, we also have research, such as combining their power with artifacts."
"And this is a more special product among them. Its effect is..."
"Wait a moment, mentor."
The girl interrupted her.
"Where is this thing stored now?"
"It should have been thrown into the palace treasury..." Crow recalled, "Is it called the White Shadow Palace now? There should be a treasury underground. In order to prevent future generations from throwing it away, we also camouflaged it a little. That is, we made it look like a crown from the outside. It's very gorgeous! It looks like a rare treasure... Hmm?"
The more she talked, the more she felt something was wrong, because she found that the girl's emotions became more and more unstable, and the look in her eyes became somewhat complicated.
"What did I say wrong?"
"No, you didn't say anything wrong..." Hitzfeld held his forehead and sighed.
"I just think so."
"It is possible that—"
"We have to move up the date we plan to return to the capital."
Chapter 8: Temptation
When James Lawrence met Count Xiyang again, he was visiting the home of Furong, the chief executive of Blackwood City.
He had not intended to be so rude, but the young earl and detective was adamant and ignored the Larence family's advances towards her. And his adoptive father, old Larence, wanted him to "find out where Prince Wayne is now."
Why does father have to investigate that useless prince?
James didn't understand, he felt that his father was making a big deal out of nothing - in fact, he could more or less guess that the Baron's purpose in asking him to do this was to 'hope that Prince Wayne would win in the selection of future husband', but...how could such a thing be possible?
His Majesty is still alive and she is so young... Even if we want to find a pretext to calm people's hearts, it doesn't have to be Prince Wayne, it has to be Tenize?
So he didn't understand, but the helpless thing was that the baron didn't care what he thought. Now he had almost run through several major cities in Sara, but couldn't find any news. Combined with the appointment of Earl Jiyang and the sudden return of Aisha Continent, he guessed that Prince Wayne was secretly sent by the royal family to Aisha Continent to handle affairs.
Then he had to confirm the news. No matter what, Aisuen Hitzfeld was the source of intelligence he had to fight for on this trip. He had to report the confirmed intelligence to the Baron before anyone else got to know the news.
The reason why the Larence family has been able to stand firm despite several generations of royal changes is not because of their connections or wealth, but because of their political sense of being prepared for danger in times of peace.
Because of this, he was very happy when he heard that the young countess came to him. He thought she was here to visit Furong, and was planning to make up an excuse to create a chance encounter. But when he stood upstairs and watched Furong accompany her into the guest room courtyard where she lived, he remembered that she was a famous detective before she was conferred the title - his whereabouts here were almost exposed.
"I'm curious, how did you know I lived here?"
In the living room, James stared at the girl, ignoring the waiters who brought him steaming cups of Goli tea.
The other person was dressed very formally, with a white lace shirt with dark gold metal buttons on the upper body, an open black dress jacket on the outside, and a waisted black flat long skirt underneath. She was wearing leather shoes instead of boots.
In addition, she also accessorized with a waistcoat, a top hat and a black wooden cane, and with the black eye mask she was already wearing, she looked quite decent - he meant a little more aristocratic.
"You want to establish a relationship with me." Hitzfeld gave him a strange look, "You don't deny this, do you?"
"Sure, but that has nothing to do with where I live—"
"Yes, they are related. You were turned away that day, so you can only find nobles or officials who know me to inquire about the situation. Unfortunately, the officials who know me in Blackwood City have either been sacrificed or transferred. In the short term, you only have two choices, Mr. Forong and Sheriff Rand-An."
"Then why can't I—"
"I came to Fu Rong to inquire about your situation." Hitzfeld leaned back on the sofa, "But when I came in, I noticed the cars parked on the side of the road, and found that the license plate of one car was obviously different from the others."
"Of course, this alone is not enough, but I've been here before, and I know that the cars that are allowed to enter and exit either have special license plates or are equipped with passes. In comparison, your car is a little too obvious."
"..." James' words were stuck in his throat. He spread his hands to try to ease the embarrassment, and finally admitted: "Your observation skills are very good."
He thought the other party would be a little more modest, but Hitzfeld nodded and said, "Are you number 3?"
"......?" James was stunned.
"We first met on the night of the 5th. You probably set out on the 3rd, drove all the way here, and then rushed up the mountain to find me... You were previously in charge of mining management, and your business had nothing to do with this matter. But His Majesty's sudden cancellation of the marriage selection surprised the Baron. He was afraid that there might be some hidden secret targeting the Larence family, so he ordered you to contact me, a key figure who might be related to the return of Elsa Continent. What you really want is to confirm what role Prince Wayne played in this incident."
"Oh...!" James held his head with both hands, his entire upper body straight, "This is simply amazing!"
He didn't understand how this was done. He swore that he hadn't told the girl anything about the mission, and she even knew what day he left! How could this be possible!
"I must ask clearly." He emphasized, "It may be offensive, but I must ask clearly! Otherwise, Count, I may not be able to sleep again tonight."
"It's very simple." Hitzfeld picked up the teacup and shook it, suddenly frowning slightly.
Damn it, she forgot to tell the servants that she didn't like milk.
So she put the teacup down again, pretending to take the other person seriously and continued, "You can tell by looking at the tires of the car."
"tire?"
"The tires on that car are new."
“It’s new, but what does that mean?”
"It means that its tires were badly worn out and it can no longer serve its purpose. I therefore infer that you did not find this car locally, but drove it all the way from Wayne."
"That's true, but I might have changed the tire because we were going up the mountain."
"That's not enough. The security bureau had an operation up the mountain before. During that operation, they widened and reinforced the mountain road. It hasn't rained in the past two days, and the lack of rain means that there will be no debris flow sliding onto the road. This level of wear and tear does not require tire replacement."
James was silent again, because that was indeed the case - he drove all the way here from the 3rd.
"I can infer from this that you must have something particularly urgent." Hitzfeld spread out one hand. "Considering that your last name is Larence, and there is no one of your generation who can compare with you, you are a strong contender for the next head of the family... I don't think that a mere case of stolen jewelry, or to curry favor with me, requires you to rush to see me in such a hurry."
"..."
"You left almost as soon as I landed, right?" She stared at the man opposite her. "You have been keeping an eye on my whereabouts. You are so cautious that you don't even want people to know that you are here, because you would rather endure the pain of driving a long distance than take the comfortable train. You hardly trust anyone in this matter, and yet you came to see me as soon as you arrived in Blackwood City."
"How could I not think so - what does the Larence family actually want from me?"
“…I’m convinced!”
