The leaf stayed in front of Xia De's eyes for over a minute before he took it down and put it back into his pocket watch. He now had two leaves in his hand, but he still needed to give one to Dorothy to 'prove his innocence'.
“So that’s it, the Witch Council probably knows, so that’s it.”
He mumbled.
“What’s going on?”
Luvia asked from the side. The two continued along the garden path towards the garden behind the manor.
“Killing a formal Chosen One with your own hands, although you won’t inherit their power, you can obtain a door through certain means—a door leading to the corresponding ancient god’s residual space.”
Xia De said,
“The special white mist space left behind by the ancient god crawling darkness is the Dark Dungeon. To enter such a space, at least three conditions are required: Ling Rune, an artifact, and a 咒文. Besides these, some spaces require finding the exact location of the door, like the one in my basement, and the Witch Council, which requires singing. The Dark Dungeon also has a door with a fixed location that needs to be found. However, special methods can bypass finding the door, the restrictions of Ling Rune, and special artifacts.”
Luvia frowned slightly, wondering what she was thinking.
“There are many methods, but most are impossible to achieve. This includes personally killing a Chosen One to obtain that door to Darkness, which requires quite complex rituals and assistance. But for some reason, the all things are impermanent card seems to inherently possess the characteristic of directly absorbing doors. Now, the door to the Dark Dungeon is right here.”
Xia De shook the card, then frowned again:
“However, wasn’t it Iluna who personally killed Darkness? How did it end up with me?”
“That’s irrelevant, but I didn’t expect the Witches to care about these spaces either.”
“It shouldn’t be a big deal. Jialinna said that the Witch Council just told her to do it if possible, but it wasn’t mandatory.”
“So, can you go in now?”
Luvia pointed at the card, but Xia De shook his head:
“The card only holds that door. I need to select a location and ‘place’ the door there before I can enter the Dark Dungeon. I plan to put the door in my basement. Since there’s a Time Corridor passage on the wall directly opposite the stairs, I’ll put the Dark Dungeon on the wall to the left.”
Xia De summarized the information and looked up at the Moonlight with Luvia in the courtyard:
“The Dark Dungeon’s functions are a bit complex; it’s very dangerous, but also very useful. When we have time, you and Iluna can come to my house, and I’ll explain it to you. But it’s finally over. After experiencing the last event of late summer, I’m truly exhausted.”
Xia De said with a smile.
The two continued to walk through the withered rose bushes. Luvia nodded and took out the youthful immortality leaf from her pocket, wanting to return it to Xia De, but Xia De refused:
“You keep this. I still have plenty of leaves.”
“Xia De, you solved the problem again this time.”
Walking and looking up at the Moonlight, Luvia said in a low voice.
“Why would you think that?”
“You were the one who defeated the Silver-Eyed One, you were the one who found Darkness in Coldwater Port, and you were the one who killed the Chosen One in the Darkness Domain. I couldn’t do anything.”
“How can you say that? If it weren’t for the information and divination you provided, what could Iluna and I have done?”
Xia De asked, looking at her profile, with the manor’s glass conservatory further in the distance. But Luvia shook her head, her expression somewhat sorrowful as she looked at the starry sky:
“Sometimes, I truly feel useless. I’ve clearly made up my mind to achieve a goal, but each time, it’s you who takes the risks.”
“Luvia, you should be happy now. What’s wrong?”
Xia De stopped. In front of them was the grape arbor. For some reason, the grapevines were not severely affected and mostly retained their original appearance under the Moonlight.
“We’ve just completed our second goal, shouldn’t we celebrate properly? Look, the Moonlight is beautiful, and the starry sky is beautiful. Would you like to dance with me under the Moonlight?”
But Luvia just shook her head. The air in the countryside was exceptionally good, and the sea of stars seemed to be directly overhead; the brilliant galaxy was so magnificent.
“Don’t try to comfort me. I’m just wondering what would have happened if I hadn’t reached out to you in the carriage back then.”
“The past cannot be changed; there’s no need to think so much.”
Xia De said, intending to comfort her, but to his surprise, Luvia’s face showed even more sadness:
“It’s okay. I just heard that sentence, ‘the past cannot be changed,’ and for some reason, it made me so sad.”
“The past indeed cannot be changed, which is why we must create the future. Luvia, please look at me honestly and answer this question: What do you think of Ivan Darkness’s death?”
“I am very happy.”
Luvia adjusted her state, and the two looked at each other under the Moonlight. Servants were also working in the distance of the garden, but no one looked their way. There were dimly lit gas lamps along the path, illuminating them along with the hazy Moonlight and starry sky.
“A weight has been lifted from my heart, as if a stone has been removed. Xia De, I don’t know if you can understand, but this feeling is like knowing your death date, but then suddenly realizing it has changed. Yes, I should be happy. Today is a day to be happy; we really did it.”
Luvia’s analogy was a bit strange, and for a moment, Xia De didn’t know how to respond. Before he could speak, those purple eyes looked at him:
“Thank you, Xia De.”
This thank you made the atmosphere even stranger.
“I said I would stay with you until the very end. After midnight tonight, it will be September, the harvest month. The night might be a bit chilly; let’s go back.”
“Okay.”
So the two turned and walked back to the manor house, all the way to Luvia’s temporary guest room. The purple-eyed girl had adjusted her mood well; she also knew she should be happy now:
“Next, it’s the third Chosen One’s turn.”
The room was unlit, with only the open window casting Moonlight indoors. The two stood on the carpet, Luvia facing away from the window and looking at Xia De:
“After we find Human Pus tomorrow, I’ll start preparing the divination.”
“Perhaps you can rest, Luvia. You’ve been really tired lately.”
“But—”
“No ‘buts,’ Luvia. Be careful not to lose control.”
Xia De looked at those purple eyes; her mood had fluctuated greatly tonight:
“Iluna and I are both very worried about you. You seem to be carrying some responsibility, constantly wanting to rush forward, afraid of being overtaken by something behind you. Although you’re unwilling to share your secrets with us, at least let us move forward with you. And now, rest for a while, Luvia, rest for a while.”
Luvia bit her lip.
“Perhaps you’ve noticed that every time I encounter something, a Chosen One appears. This means the most important thing for the stage is the audience. As long as I, the audience, don’t run around, and there are no witnesses, the protagonists, the Chosen Ones, won’t appear.”
Xia De joked,
“I’m going to participate in the Great City Player next. Let’s discuss the next steps after the Great City Player ends.”
The two looked at each other. Xia De was very fascinated by those purple eyes. Although Luvia was extraordinarily charming, her appearance was still not as stunning as the exceptionally charming Witches. However, no one’s eyes had such a strong attraction for Xia De as hers.
Luvia, in turn, saw herself in Xia De’s eyes—a frightened and anxious self. Somehow, she felt a little afraid to look directly at the man in front of her.
She suddenly closed her eyes and took a deep breath:
“Alright then, I’ll rest for a while. The association also has a lot of work that needs me. After the Great City Player ends, we’ll make other plans.”
Xia De finally breathed a sigh of relief:
“Among the three of us, Iluna is responsible for suppressing the Chosen One and combat, you are responsible for divination and providing intelligence, and I am responsible for daily actions. So, there’s no need to blame yourself for not being able to do anything.”
“Mhm.”
She nodded lightly, then opened her arms and hugged Xia De.
Mia, on his shoulder, was forced to jump onto the bed, then looked surprised as the soft bed bounced her up. The bed at home wasn’t this springy.
Xia De also hugged her. Luvia stood with her back to the window, in the Moonlight; Xia De faced the Moonlight but stood in the Darkness that the Moonlight couldn’t illuminate:
“It’s okay. I’ll always be with you. This is something I’ve already promised, until the very end. Witnessing the thirteen Chosen Ones and opening that door that decides everything.”
“Will you regret it? Being forced into all of this because of me.”
“Even without you, I had a premonition.”
Xia De released his embrace of Luvia, and Luvia also let go of Xia De. He placed his hands on the shoulders of the girl in front of him, looking into her eyes; they were so close:
“Even without you, I would certainly be involved in all of this. I am outside of fate, but only outside of my original fate. When I made up my mind, when I first walked out of Saint Delan Square Six, when I opened my trembling hands and leaned against the door, seeing everything in this world, I understood—”
He frowned slightly, his gaze firm and powerful:
“I have already stepped into a new torrent of fate. In this world, this era, this country, I have arrived here. I cannot escape. In the steam era of the Four Elements, Ring術士, and Sublimation Words, my figure is destined to be there, and I am destined to participate in these world-influencing events, because I must do so. Luvia, it’s not me helping you achieve your wish; it’s you who helped me.”
“Helped you with what?”
“Helped me walk this path.”
The Moonlight from outside the window shone on Xia De’s body, and his body actually seemed to be faintly glowing. Luvia looked up at Xia De, with countless words she wanted to say at that moment, but when she opened her mouth, she couldn’t utter a single word.
So, she stood on tiptoe and lightly kissed Xia De on the corner of his mouth.
