Although she had danced with Xia De more than once, Iluna still felt a little nervous when their bodies touched. Her colleagues from the Five Gods Church were also at the Fire Worship Festival banquet, so she could only find an area on the outskirts of the bonfire to dance with Xia De.
Like Xia De, who wasn't particularly good at dancing, Iluna's dancing skills weren't high. But they had danced many times before, so now, under the Moonlight, in front of the forest at the edge of the bonfire, they were happier than those within the bright light of the bonfire.
"Luvia asked me to say hello to you."
Xia De whispered, and as he danced, he began to explain that he had confirmed that a mad Phoenix was sealing the passage at the top of the mountain.
In fact, the Five Gods Church had already investigated this, and even before Iluna arrived in Middlesburg, they had sent three Ring術士 teams into the Gap and found the approximate location of the passage at the top of the Gap's mountain.
"The top of Sicar Mountain in the material world is a very pretty mountain lake, but the top of the mountain in the Gap is a terrifying crack. The Five Gods Church has not yet determined where the terrifying crack at the top of the Gap's mountain leads, but the further down you go, the stronger the power of death becomes. There is reason to believe that the Phoenix and the passage are at the bottom of that crack."
Iluna also shared the information she had, then accidentally stepped on Xia De's foot.
"It's fine. So what about the Chosen One? I can only confirm now that the candidates for the death Chosen One are among Priest Augustus, Sister Devlin, and the strange Boy from the Crow Club. Luvia obtained intelligence confirming that the Spiritual Cultivation Order is a branch of the ancient death Five Gods Church, so Sister Devlin is currently the prime suspect."
He added.
Iluna carefully controlled her steps, moving to the music from afar:
"This time, the Five Gods Church's progress is faster than yours and Luvia's. When I arrived in Middlesburg, there were at least four death Chosen One candidates in this City."
"That many?"
Even if the three candidates Xia De provided were correct, there was still one person of unknown identity.
"The Five Gods Church has confirmed the number, but not the specific individuals. I saw fragments of a poem here, which was a handkerchief used by the Witch Emperor. The characteristics described within it are that the true Chosen One will save this City. Moreover, one of the Chosen One's talents, besides the special eyes you discovered, is their near ability to return from death. This is the talent of the first candidate; it's uncertain if subsequent candidates also possess similar abilities."
"I see. Then isn't Priest Augustus a good fit? Oh, so now Priest Augustus and Sister Devlin are almost equally suspicious."
The wind rustled through the treetops, a sound that reminded people that deep Autumn had already arrived.
"But others still cannot be ruled out."
Iluna said softly, embracing Xia De, then added:
"Zaras, Cerces, and the professors from Saint Byron's have also arrived. They also possess some fragments of the poem. Although the parts about death are not as extensive as the Five Gods Church's, there might be clues. I'll tell you after I've examined those fragments."
"Good, that's a good idea. Iluna, when do you have time to go into the mountain with me to touch the statue below the ruined tower? It's not easy to come to Middlesburg; we must establish a landmark."
Only Ring術士 with a “Space” Ling Rune or any official Chosen One can use the Space Labyrinth. But besides Xia De, no matter who it is, they can only establish landmarks by touching statues in different locations, unlike Xia De who can do it by sacrificing white stone crystal.
"When I have time. I just arrived here, and I'm a bit busy."
After a moment of hesitation, Iluna looked up at Xia De. She had the average height of a normal human female in this era, and her slight upward glance allowed her to see the three moons above Xia De's head:
"This time, can we and the Five Gods Church also solve the problem? Just like the Night of Divine Descent in Tobesk and the Darkness Domain incident."
She was a little worried, after all, she was only seventeen years old.
"No problem, absolutely no problem."
Xia De also looked at the girl he was dancing with, and even though he wasn't sure, he still nodded firmly:
"May the Sun and Balance be with you, Iluna."
"And may the Moonlight be with you, Xia De."
Nothing new happened in Middlesburg that night. Xia De and Iluna danced three dances before parting ways. And after dancing with the girls, Xia De finally had time to play rhode cards.
Captain Lades welcomed Xia De warmly. Although there were no stakes, Xia De also got to see the City's card players and interesting special cards here. It wasn't until the fireworks began, almost eleven o'clock, that Xia De left the Fire Worship Festival banquet and went home.
Compared to the lively Middlesburg that night, Tobesk City, the capital, was much calmer. For the residents there, it was just an ordinary night.
It was already midnight when he returned home. Luvia had arranged to meet someone in the black market that night to inquire about a special coin, so she had left early. Therefore, only Mia greeted Xia De.
He placed the scabbard given by Grandma Cassandra and the Night Watchman together, hanging them in his bedroom. After washing up, he went to bed to rest. Tomorrow (Wednesday), he planned to go to Sin Mansion. If all went well, Luvia might be able to pinpoint the first-ranked Chosen One this week.
The Autumn night in Tobesk was so quiet, and in the dimly lit second-floor bedroom, Xia De and the cat slept soundly.
The curtains were tightly closed, but a Gap was left, allowing faint Moonlight to shine in from outside the window. This Moonlight was not strong, but it was so reassuring, so serene.
In the quiet night, at some unknown time, the orange cat curled up by the pillow suddenly twitched, then opened its large amber eyes, looking up in confusion. In the dark environment, the cat's eyes seemed to glow, and its expression at that moment was as if it had encountered a completely incomprehensible problem, just as it didn't understand why Xia De always had to go out.
The small cat stood up from the pillow, but before it could make any move, a new light source suddenly appeared in the room. It was the Night Watchman, which Xia De had hung on the wall as a decoration. The sword was vibrating slightly, while emitting a silver glow.
And at this moment, Xia De, who was looking up at the Moon in his dream, suddenly heard a voice by his ear:
"Perhaps you should wake up."
"Hmm?"
Xia De opened his eyes in the darkness. Perhaps because he had just been observing the huge silver Moon above the wild fields, for a moment he actually thought he could see through the floor above and the higher ceiling, instantly seeing the real night sky.
But in just a blink, this illusion disappeared. He sat up from the bed, surprised to see the sword above the bedside table glowing and humming, and he saw Mia making a "fierce" and threatening expression towards the bedroom door, the cat's fur even a little bristled.
"What's wrong?"
Because he was the only one in the entire house, Xia De did not have the habit of closing the door when he slept. After the Darkness Domain incident ended, he gained the ability to barely see in the dark. Looking at the living room outside the door at this moment, he could only see a thin layer of white mist gradually spreading, its swirling edges even reaching the bedroom doorway.
"What is this now?"
He gently stroked Mia's back to reassure her, then left the bed as quietly as possible and retrieved the long sword. For ease of movement, he didn't put on slippers but walked barefoot on the floor. Noticing that Mia also wanted to follow, he pointed to the bed, signaling the cat not to move.
This very intelligent cat understood Xia De's meaning, so it really lay down on the bed, looking at him pitifully.
Xia De held the long sword in his right hand. The sword continued to emit a faint silver light, while the bright yellow Ling Rune on the blade was even more noticeable:
"What exactly is going on?"
The white mist stopped at the bedroom door and did not enter, but the mist outside the door became thicker and thicker, even more severe than the worst pollution fog during Tobesk Summer.
With the sound of bells and sirens, Xia De's Destiny Ring fully appeared behind him. He took a deep breath at the doorway, inhaling the white mist from outside into his lungs:
"What is this?"
"Mist."
He nodded, holding the long sword, and passed through the door into the living room. The sword in his hand no longer vibrated, but the string of bright yellow Ling Rune on the blade became increasingly brighter.
Xia De narrowed his eyes, looking at his familiar yet unfamiliar living room, then heard wet footsteps coming from the doorway connecting the living room to the stairs. The sound was very similar to the mermaids he had encountered in Coldwater Port, but upon closer inspection, it was different.
Holding the long sword, he faced the living room doorway. As floating green flames appeared in the white mist, a cold, damp wind, as if capable of freezing bone marrow, blew along the ground. The eerie green light grew stronger and stronger, to the point where it dyed the entire mist in front of him a chilling green.
At the same time, a slapping sound appeared from above his head. Xia De looked up and saw a string of red footprints forming on the ceiling above him.
"This had better be a special effect that appears when an evil spirit manifests, due to the spiritual body's power affecting space. If it really dares to stain my ceiling..."
"Meow!"
"Something is behind you."
At the same time as Mia's warning and "her" voice came from behind him, Xia De also felt an icy wind blowing towards his neck. Before his body could react, the long sword in his hand automatically carried his right hand, holding the sword, to turn and thrust backward. The silver light on the blade completely receded, while the bright yellow Ling Rune became exceptionally dazzling at that moment, leaving a trail of light in the air.
The spirit that was bleeding from its seven orifices and seemed to have used space power to move behind Xia De was thus pierced in the head by the sword in Xia De's hand. Xia De didn't even need to attack again; the evil spirit simply disintegrated directly.
