“Doctor, 17 seconds left.”
Xia De reminded him again, but he was already relieved. He held his sword, watching the Flame Demon's body gradually disappear on the distant platform, while the flames on the Doctor grew stronger and stronger.
Finally, with 10 seconds remaining before the Doctor had to step through that door again, the Flame Demon on the central platform of the large cave in the mountain belly completely vanished.
The Doctor shook his right hand, which had returned to normal, and the flames on him gradually extinguished. He smiled and turned to look at Xia De, only to see Xia De looking at his back with a surprised expression.
Doctor Schneider only felt something fast-flying pass by his face, then he saw a black stone with crimson cracks on its surface, actually charging towards Xia De's heart.
Xia De instinctively swung the longsword in his hand forward, chopping. At this moment, he felt as if the sword was guiding his hand, accurately piercing the black stone.
The stone was impaled on the sword, and the crimson, flame-like cracks on its surface flickered a few times before becoming completely still.
“This is the Flame Demon's heart. Yes, it's the Flame Demon itself, not an Evil Spirit Demon. I didn't expect a mimicked Flame Demon to have such an organ. Wait a moment…”
The Doctor reached out and touched the stone, which was still radiating residual heat:
“Pure Flame Demon heart, no other power. Put it in the bottle from the briefcase, the one I labeled. Oh, not enough time.”
The Doctor patted Xia De's shoulder, then jogged into the half-open door.
Clang! With the disappearance of the wooden door with a metal base, the metal key fell onto the stone platform. At the same time, as the Doctor left, the two fireballs he had summoned for illumination also vanished.
The entire mountain cave returned to darkness, leaving only the bright yellow rune 【Heartless Clarity, Sword Slashes Demons】 on Xia De's longsword, glowing faintly in the darkness:
“Moonlight!”
Holding the sword in his left hand, Moonlight lit up at Xia De's right fingertip. He squinted at the longsword in his hand, then bent down to pick up the key. After putting the impaled demon heart into the bottle the Doctor had prepared beforehand, he slowly walked towards the edge of the stone platform.
Standing on the wooden plank in front of the broken bridge, he looked past the central stone platform towards the stone platform hidden in the deep darkness on the other side of the mountain belly. When the Flame Demon's flames illuminated the entire mountain belly just now, Xia De vaguely saw what seemed to be a stone monument standing on the stone platform on the other side of the mountain belly.
After a moment of hesitation, he raised his right hand high, extending his right index finger:
“Moonlight!”
Standing at the edge of the stone platform, with an abyss below his feet, brilliant Moonlight erupted from his fingertips. The instantaneous light made the mountain belly seem to turn into daytime, even dyeing the longsword in his hand with Moonlight. This dazzling Moonlight had no significant effect on the caster himself, so Xia De saw the full appearance of the stone monument.
It was too far away for him to clearly see a single letter, but at least he saw the base of the stone monument and its shape. The Knowledge from 【Witch Echoes · Felianna】 immediately matched it; the style of the stone monument opposite was clearly from the end of the fifth epoch. Moreover, from its format, it was made by a spell that only a High-Rank Witch could use.
“It seems the illusion I saw when I was holding the sword earlier was real. The Witch Emperor of the fifth epoch, Violet Marshall, left a stone monument here. And hundreds of years ago, Doctor Alfred's ancestor, that High-Ring Sorcerer, did not explore it after coming here, but merely left it to seal the Flame Demon. Yes, it seems highly likely that the corresponding location in the Gap is that mountain-waist seal!”
Xia De extinguished the silver light on his fingertip, tidied up the briefcase, and after erasing the ritual traces, he left the place, carrying the case in one hand and the longsword in the other.
(Mia is running)
“Come, Detective, for friendship and today's victory, let's toast!”
In Tobesk East District, the first and second floors of Schneider Psychological Clinic were already dark, but the bedroom on the third floor was still lit. Under the bright, pleasant gaslight, Xia De and Doctor Schneider each held a glass goblet, toasting by the window in celebration.
The time was nine-thirty that night. The key on the wooden door by the wall had returned to its original place, the briefcase was open on the bedroom desk, and bottles and jars glittered under the gaslight. The longsword was wrapped in a bedsheet by Xia De and leaned against the wall near the door.
“Doctor, congratulations.”
The two clinked glasses, and the middle-aged Doctor could barely suppress the smile on his face:
“Even smoother than I expected, truly excellent. This is already the seventh demon I've devoured.”
In his right eye, a terrifying crimson light flashed, but this was just the Doctor demonstrating this extraordinary power to Xia De:
“Besides that, I've also learned two additional Miracles related to the Flame Demon and obtained a brand new Ling Rune.”
Xia De raised his glass again in celebration:
“It's a pity, Doctor, you haven't yet held the Hexacle advancement ceremony. The current Ling Rune can only be considered PentaCircle.”
“No, no, I deliberately controlled the digestion process of the Flame Demon's power. I think if all goes well, after the ceremony at the end of this month when the yellow moon is full, I might be able to get one or two more Ling Runes.”
Both were in excellent spirits, so they chose to stand by the open window, chatting in the night breeze.
Xia De took a sip of the red wine, which the Doctor claimed was exceptionally rare, and squinted at the night view of Tobesk:
“Doctor, are you sure devouring such a strange thing won't make you lose control?”
“My emotions might fluctuate in the next few days, but at least for now, I won't lose control.”
The Doctor said, the smile on his face fading slightly:
“Don't worry about me, I've made all the preparations. At least, I absolutely won't lose control before successfully rescuing the souls of Mr. Sheriff Tim and Shana Aya.”
Xia De nodded:
“It's still safer, so tomorrow morning, you go to my house. There's a door in my basement that can help you suppress your emotions.”
He was referring to the door leading to the Dark Dungeon. Because this door was obtained by killing a Chosen One, the use of the dungeon was not limited to Ring Sorcerers who possessed the “dark” Ling Rune. Entering the dungeon through the trapdoor representing oneself allows one to converse or even fight with the “self” in the darkness, thereby reversing loss of control.
According to Iluna, the Churches of Light and Darkness, which is the Papacy of the Dawn Church, also found a door that could enter the Dark Dungeon, so the probability of Ring Sorcerers from the Dawn Church losing control is lower than that of other churches.
“Okay.”
The Doctor nodded without asking further and then said:
“However, I can't identify that sword you got. You can go to Old John for an appraisal; he's absolutely reliable. Or, go to the Academy for an appraisal. I remember your relationship with Miss Daniste, the librarian, is quite good. She even gave you a highly practical academic task.”
“Yes, but I don't think I'll go to the Academy for an appraisal.”
Xia De looked back at the sword by the wall:
“Once the Academy knows I have this, I won't be able to run around with it. Moreover, I received a message from within the sword that it can be key to solving the Gap problem. It shouldn't belong to me forever.”
“You decide for yourself.”
“And that Flame Demon's heart…”
Xia De brought that up again.
“All the spoils are yours.”
The Doctor shook his head indifferently. Although Xia De found the location, strictly speaking, the Flame Demon's heart was the Doctor's spoil of war:
“If this heart were perfectly intact, it would be quite valuable, probably enough for you to buy your neighbor's house as well.”
This analogy fully conveys the value of a “flawless Flame Demon heart.”
“Unfortunately, too much of its power was absorbed by me. Now it's almost an empty shell. Such a thing has never appeared on the market. If I were to estimate its current value, it shouldn't exceed five thousand pounds.”
“That's already very valuable. Who can earn so much money at once? Oh, if it could sell for a high price, I even thought about learning that expensive Miracle the Priest gave me.”
Xia De said with a smile, then asked:
“But why did the heart attack me at that time? I thought it was an Evil Spirit Demon trying to possess me.”
“Impossible. You were wearing the Demon Hunter Seal at the time, and the Evil Spirit Demon's soul had already been extracted and crushed by me.”
The Doctor shook his head:
“Let's not talk about that. In short, tonight was a huge gain. But I must remind you, Detective, don't go to Middesburg often. Because of the power I possess, I am very sensitive to whisper element and blasphemy elements. Aside from the Night of God's Descent in Tobesk, I have never felt such elemental chaos anywhere as I did in Mi Fort.”
“So what do you feel about Middesburg now? Have you discovered anything?”
Xia De asked curiously. The Doctor held his wine glass and thought:
“The last calm before a volcanic eruption.”
“Volcano, huh…”
Xia De sighed, drank the red wine in his glass, and looked at the night sky of Tobesk East District with the Doctor. The lights from the distant buildings twinkled like stars, and the chimneys further away were still spewing black smoke into the night sky.
The night in a large City was exceptionally quiet, especially in such a prosperous area. One could only hear the barking of dogs in the alley and the rhythmic sound of carriages crushing the cobblestone streets as they approached from outside the block.
“But this way, I surprisingly have both a warrior who killed a dragon and a hero who slaughtered demons by my side.”
He murmured softly.
“Killed a dragon? Where did a dragon come from? Are there still dragons in Middesburg? I can't handle that.”
The Doctor asked curiously, picking up the wine bottle from the small round table nearby to pour wine for Xia De, then smiling and pointing to himself:
“Besides, I can't be considered a hero.”
