"So, Priest, when exactly does the Church plan to start that ritual?"
"Next week or the week after, within the withered leaf month. After all, the Gap can't hold on much longer."
The last earthquake had greatly weakened Xia De's Mystic Lock, Kiss of the Tree, and the outbreak of death was indeed not far off.
"Also, I heard an unconfirmed piece of news: the Natural Church has invited a 'Thorn Nun' from the Holy See."
The Priest lowered his voice.
"Thorn Nun?"
This was the most astonishing news of the night, because "Thorn Nun" represented a divine descent vessel cultivated by the Natural Church. They were the purest young women, raised by the Natural Church from a young age. They knew their responsibilities and regarded them as an honor.
In other words, these were fanatical believers with divine descent qualifications, and the Church mobilizing them was a very clear signal.
"The Natural Church wants to..."
Xia De pointed to the sky.
"I don't know anything. It's probably to guard against the worst-case scenario."
Priest Augustus cautiously shook his head, looking at the firelight in front of them with Xia De.
"But, Detective, everyone is very cautious about this matter. Yes, very cautious. I have already seen what will happen once death breaks out and the Day of Final Demise arrives."
The bonfire crackled, and Xia De narrowed his eyes.
"What will happen?"
"It's terrifying. The Black sun descends, and the white mist of the Gap turns into Black mist, enveloping this area. The world of the living and the world of the dead will completely merge, and even time and space will become confused... Everything will fall into an eternal cycle of final demise, and the map of the Old Continent might lose a piece from then on."
Priest Augustus also had his own affairs at this charity banquet, so he didn't chat with Xia De for long before leaving.
After he temporarily bid farewell to Xia De, it was almost half past eight. Clusters of bonfires danced in the college's courtyard. People were gathering in the distance, seemingly for the official start of this grand autumn night banquet. Representatives from the merchant associations sponsoring this Fire Worship Festival banquet and local City Hall officials were speaking.
The atmosphere of the banquet was very good, but Xia De didn't join the crowd to listen to others speak. He estimated that the Witches would arrive soon, so he temporarily gave up the idea of playing rhode cards. Instead, he tidied his clothes and slowly walked towards the entrance of Mi Fort Mechanical College's castle, which faced the courtyard, to first meet up with Grandma Cassandra and Miss Aurora.
Due to their aversion to men, the two Witches would not actively join the banquet. Instead, they planned to use this opportunity to finalize some cooperation agreements with their business partners.
The three met in a private lounge next to the grand hall on the first floor of the east side of the castle. Miss Aurora, whom Xia De hadn't seen for over a month, was still as elegant and pretty as ever. This Witch with curly brown hair was also very happy to see Xia De. After he sat down on the sofa, she instructed her personal maid to pour tea and bring some refreshments from the kitchen.
"I haven't been to Middlesburg for several years either. The autumn here is very nice, especially during the season of falling leaves. I still remember the last time I went hunting in the mountains here, I saw the ground covered with withered leaves and yellow leaves swirling down. It was very picturesque."
The gas lamps in the room were very bright. Miss Aurora's and Grandma Cassandra's servants stood behind their respective Witches. Outside the window was the courtyard with clusters of burning bonfires. Although the room was a bit quiet, one could still feel the atmosphere of the Fire Worship Festival banquet.
Xia De suddenly thought of the Holding-Fire Sister and wondered if the Fire Worship Festival held any special meaning for her.
"Miss Aurora, you already know about the passage on the mountainside, right?"
"I know. You did very well."
She also guessed that Xia De had provided the information to Miss Jialinna.
"Grandma Cassandra and I will go check it tomorrow. You don't need to come with us, but if you want to know the progress, you can come find us the day after tomorrow."
"No problem."
Xia De nodded.
"There's no need for me to go with you for such a dangerous matter. However, since the passage is in the Gap, after you check the cave on the mountainside in reality, how do you plan to enter the Gap? Will you also look for accidentally appearing entrances and then use a ritual to fix them?"
"That's the method of Ring術士s."
Grandma Cassandra shook her head.
"Witches have their own methods. We will first enter the Illusionary Dream Realm, and then directly enter the Gap from there."
The "Illusionary Dream Realm" refers to a strange world where dreams and illusions intertwine, seeming real yet not. However, similar to the Gap, it is not a truly existing world. At the end of the Lakeview Manor night banquet in the Summer, Luvia went to the Illusionary Dream Realm to observe the manor from that perspective and remove the most crucial divine summoning ritual node.
"If possible, I hope you can take me with you when you enter the Illusionary Dream Realm. I have experience going there and can help. Also, I want to go to the Gap again; someone commissioned me to collect some plants."
This was Mr. Corpus's "big business" from Tobesk.
"No problem. Jialinna praised you, and your last entry into the Gap will indeed be helpful to us."
Grandma Cassandra nodded, while Miss Aurora raised an eyebrow. She didn't know what Xia De had done in this City before.
"Also, the scabbard is here. You can take it from me when the banquet is about to end, along with the information on 【Sin Manor】."
The Old Witch had the maid behind her hand Xia De a few pages of paper.
"Location-type relics are generally Sage-level (Level 2) or above, but 【Sin Manor】 is a rare Secret Keeper Level (Level 3) relic. It's more like a trading place; you'll understand when you read the information. 【Sin Manor】 appears randomly in the material world once every 66 years, attracting sinners to enter. But everyone has original sin, so theoretically, any wisdom creature is its target."
Xia De lowered his head to look at the papers.
"Sin Mansion, is it a place to repay one's sins? The depth of one's sins will determine what one encounters inside the relic. The more sins one carries, the easier it is to die inside, but the more sins one carries, the more one can use the stripped sins to exchange for the power of Sin Mansion..."
"As long as you haven't done too many wrong things, 【Sin Manor】 is not dangerous for you. Moreover, entering alone is safer than entering with multiple people, because you cannot accurately know what your companions have done."
Grandma Cassandra explained.
"Is this a relic that appeared in Sicar Mountain?"
Miss Aurora was very curious, twirling a curl of hair by her ear with her right index finger.
"Yes, because the turmoil in the Gap caused elemental chaos in the nearby areas, which has led to a significant increase in the number of relics in the Sicar Mountain area and this City recently."
The Old Witch nodded.
"I will go in alone tomorrow to take a look. If it's just Secret Keeper Level, I think I can handle it."
Xia De put away the information, and Grandma Cassandra and Miss Aurora did not stop him.
Xia De thought for a moment and then asked,
"Speaking of which, Grandma, you mentioned inviting me to your teacher's ritual some time ago, that ritual that occurs once every twenty-two years. I still don't know your teacher's name."
He deliberately asked this in front of Miss Aurora; the Witches should all know this information.
"My teacher's name? She has two commonly used names."
Grandma Cassandra didn't seem surprised by Xia De's question.
"Helen Black and Grace White."
"It really is them..."
Xia De's mouth twitched, and the images of the twin girls immediately appeared before his eyes.
"Also, the bronze jar you were commissioned to find in this castle some time ago was actually arranged by my teacher for me to have you do."
Grandma Cassandra continued,
"My teacher is a lecturer in the history department at this college. She wanted to see you quietly, so she arranged for me to have you come to the college."
The Witches' tasks always had other purposes. Miss Aurora, however, frowned slightly. She wasn't aware of the story between Xia De and the twins; she only knew that Xia De was once again involved with a pretty "young" girl.
"Then, may I have the honor of meeting Miss Black now?"
Xia De asked, and the Old Witch smiled and shook her head.
"My teacher is busy with that crucial ritual, and there can be no mistakes. However, if you want to see her, come with me up the mountain next Monday; the ritual is about to begin."
Xia De said nothing more, only lamenting that after such a long time, he was finally going to see them again.
"They were only 14 years old back then."
"She" reminded him softly.
"I know... What kind of person do you take me for?"
Xia De immediately retorted in his mind,
"I'm just thinking, regardless of whether it was Helen or Grace who commissioned Sparrow Detective back then, since they so coincidentally chose Hamilton Detective Agency, I don't believe she or she hadn't seen me before I 'awakened'."
"So, you want to..."
"I want to know what kind of person the abnormal Xia De of the past was in the eyes of the twins. Although Saint Byron's said there was nothing wrong with the past of this body's original owner, I always feel that the past isn't that simple."
"Is that so?"
She chuckled, as if a gentle breeze brushed past his ear. For some reason, Xia De again recalled the enormous moon disc above the endless wilderness in his dream.
Sacred and beautiful, containing secrets, so captivating.
"Are you talking about the moon, or me?"
Xia De didn't answer, but they both knew the answer.
PS: One more chapter, considered an extra update.
