For the rest of the week, Xia De had nothing to do in Middlesburg, so he spent all of Friday and Saturday morning preparing for the sealing ritual.
Sister Devlin provided the entire ritual process. Xia De was to purchase the materials in Coldwater Port, and Old John would help with the alchemical items. The ritual itself, however, would likely have to wait until next week, with the assistance of Dorothy, Luvia, and Doctor Schneider.
While he had time, Xia De, in addition to studying useful spells from the pink book at home, also took Mia to the lighthouse outside Coldwater Port City to visit Mr. Edmund of the Light Guidance Hermit Order who lived there.
Xia De had visited once before to ask Mr. Edmund to help him collect Knowledge about the Old God Grey-Robed Sage. Knowledge from the Hermit Order cost money, but out of familiarity, Mr. Edmund only symbolically charged Xia De for the cost of materials and transportation, totaling 1 pound.
This was a stark contrast to Old John, who also belonged to the Light Guidance Hermit Order.
“Yes, we also know that the third Chosen One is in Middlesburg.”
The sea breeze blew across the sea cliff, and Mia squinted, looking at the sea. During their casual chat, Xia De mentioned Mi Fort. Since he had previously inquired about the Between Life and Death from Mr. Edmund, the old man, who was cooking fish soup, knew that Xia De was spending time in Mi Fort.
Mr. Edmund enjoyed fishing immensely. Xia De even believed that the reason he had not moved into the City but remained there, besides being the local black market, was because fishing was truly convenient there.
“The Hermit Order has already sent people there, but we are not the Church or the Academies; we don’t have the ability or the desire to have the Chosen One join us. Therefore, the Hermit Order just wants to know who will ultimately obtain this qualification.”
The old man stood up from the campfire and handed a bowl of fish soup, sprinkled with special seasoning, to Xia De, who was standing by the sea cliff, gazing at the distant seascape.
Mia, the orange cat at Xia De’s feet, smelled the fish soup and immediately began to squirm restlessly.
“You must be careful in that City lately; who knows when the entire City might disappear.”
The old man also stood beside Xia De, holding a bowl, and warned him. The sound of the waves forced them to speak louder.
“I trust the Five Gods Church very much. Since they were able to prevent the Scarlet Cult from engulfing Coldwater Port, they can also prevent Middlesburg from succumbing to death.”
“This is different. The former was just mortals causing trouble; the latter is a natural phenomenon. The world is collapsing, and abnormal natural phenomena will become more frequent and denser.”
He began to elaborate on the Light Guidance Hermit Order’s views on the apocalypse. Although Xia De didn’t quite believe him, he still chatted a bit more:
“Perhaps the Gap itself is a natural phenomenon, used to Balance life and death.”
“You actually think so?”
The old man asked in surprise, then asked again:
“Although the change of epoch has led to the loss of much data, it is certain that the fifth epoch material world had five main continents. In our era, not counting that strange New World, the current material world only has one main continent, the Old Continent, corresponding to the Central Continent recorded in the fifth epoch. May I ask, young man, where do you think the other four continents went?”
Xia De looked at the distant sea. In autumn, Coldwater Port was bustling with ships; it was the most important seaport on the West Coast:
“...Merged with the current Old Continent?”
“No, no, no. The Old Continent beneath our feet is almost identical to the Central Continent of the fifth epoch; its history and natural environment correspond perfectly. The Three Great Academies will not disclose such information to Letter-based Ring術士, and even the Five Gods Church completely seals off such data. The fact is, the other four continents have most likely collapsed. This is also evidence that the world is heading towards decline.”
However, Xia De believed that it could also be that the wars at the end of the epoch shattered the continental plates, or a terrifying relic tore the land apart. He didn’t want to debate such unanswerable questions, so he changed the topic:
“Speaking of which, Mr. Edmund, do you know about the Original Fire? I encountered fire worship in Mi Fort recently, and I saw this when I was looking through books for information.”
This was the flame controlled by Sister Devlin. To keep it a secret, Xia De had not inquired about this relic with any of his acquaintances. Mr. Edmund had no connection with the nun from Middlesburg and did not know that Xia De knew her, which is why Xia De posed this question.
“Of course I do.”
Looking at the seascape, the old man nodded slightly:
“That flame, symbolizing the power of the world, the First Fire, is said to have been wielded by the thirteen Ancient Gods before the first epoch began, illuminating the endless void.”
This statement immediately elevated the status of the Original Fire even further.
“It was already a relic in a very ancient epoch, and its rating is Unknowable-level...”
But the nun said it was Angel-level.
“The Hermit Order has been searching for it for many, many years, because the prosperity and scale of this flame allow us to estimate how far away the end of the world truly is.”
He seemed able to connect anything to the theory of the apocalypse.
Xia De recalled the flame he had seen; it was very vigorous, with no sign of dimming. Sister Devlin was taking good care of it.
“Is that flame very powerful?”
He asked curiously, taking a sip of the fish soup, which tasted very delicious.
“Very powerful? Oh, young man, you have no idea what that represents.”
Mr. Edmund chuckled:
“Only a few people are qualified to behold the First Fire, and even fewer are qualified to guard that flame. Guarding it is itself an ancient honor. Although the Ring術士 of this era have almost forgotten the history of the past, the First Fire still holds an extraordinary status. It is said that it was divided into several parts, but the Hermit Order believes that in this era, there are still The Watchers who guard it, passed down through generations.”
Perhaps the First Fire being divided into several parts is why it changed from Unknowable-level to Angel-level.
Mr. Edmund thought for a moment:
“Among the churches of the Thirteen Ancient Gods, the modern branches of death, sun, and light all might possess it, but no one knows exactly where. Oh, those crazy women in the Witch Council might also possess the First Fire, and it might even be within the Council itself.”
“It sounds like a truly extraordinary flame.”
Xia De nodded. After finishing the fish soup, he bid farewell to the old man. Today was Saturday, and he had a meeting at the doctor’s place in the afternoon.
Mr. Edmund then packed up the soup bowls and campfire, preparing to go into the City to the dock to pick up goods soon. As the Ring術士 stationed locally for the Light Guidance Hermit Order, he had the task of purchasing materials.
As he extinguished the flame, the old man recalled the records of his predecessors he had seen in his youth:
“At the end of the fourth epoch, the predecessors of the Hermit Order last saw the undivided flame. The scale of the Original Fire was as numerous as the strange occurrences since this Summer. Perhaps, that flame is also about to appear.”
(Mia running...)
It was the middle of the withered leaf month. Although not much time had passed since the Summer exam week, for Letter-based Ring術士 far from the Academies, it was time to consider the Winter exams at the end of the year.
Especially since Dorothy, Luvia, Xia De, and Doctor Schneider all planned to advance to the next grade through the Winter exam week.
No one had mentioned the Winter exams just a while ago, but once others started acting, the Ring術士 in the same group all felt a sense of tension. All four of them borrowed some books from the Academy Library this week. Dorothy, even with her abundant manuscript fees, planned to take an elective course called “Abnormal Fairy Tales (Intermediate Class)” during the Winter.
This course would teach famous fairy tales from different races, and the course requirement for Letter-based Ring術士 was to pass the Academy’s mental stability test. According to Dorothy, the stories involved in this course were themselves terrifying powers that could serve as incantations.
Xia De’s energy had been focused on Middlesburg in recent weeks, so he had no experiences to share. Luvia was busy with nighttime astrology, awaiting the arrival of the Star Sea Whale. Dorothy’s new book’s first edition was about to be printed and published, and she had been busy with the final proofreading with the editorial department these days.
Only Doctor Schneider had a lot of free time recently to “adventure” in this City, and this time he shared his story.
It wasn’t a novel story; everything began two weeks ago when the doctor treated a sixteen-year-old boy with suicidal tendencies. During a week of daily two-hour conversations, the doctor gradually discovered that he seemed to suffer from multiple personality disorder.
But after another week of intensive treatment, the doctor gradually realized something was wrong. Because in his dream, he actually dreamed of the terrifying monster described by the boy and was pursued by it.
So, the doctor, skilled in dream power, killed the monster in his dream and, under the cover of night, snuck into his patient’s home to thoroughly search the house. Then, using a magical potion, he put the patient into a deep sleep, took him to the cemetery on the outskirts, held a ritual, and finally conjured the evil spirit attached to the boy’s body, engaging in a fierce battle with it in the cemetery.
“That was truly not easy.”
Sitting on the sofa and talking about it, the doctor sighed a little:
“That evil spirit was actually the patient’s twin brother. But when they were born, one was alive and one was stillborn. Their souls became entangled, and sixteen years of resentment, coupled with their unknown exposure to the influence of the whisper element, created a terrifying undead.”
“Doctor, the theft at the Wilde family mentioned in Thursday’s news, that wasn’t you, was it?”
The blonde Writer 小姐 suddenly asked with a smile:
“I heard that the Leedweich Field police are treating this as a major oversight in the autumn capital’s public security management.”
“That was also unavoidable.”
The doctor explained, his voice a little softer.
“Then the damage to the public cemetery outside the City on Thursday night, was that also you? The Church transferred this matter to the Association, asking them to investigate whether it involved a Ring術士, but the divination yielded nothing, and it is currently being treated as an ordinary case and transferred back to Leedweich Field.”
Luvia also asked with a smile.
“That was also unavoidable.”
The doctor emphasized again and tried to shift the topic to Xia De to avoid further questioning.
Doctor Bill Schneider was only Middle-Ring, which was already an almost unstoppable powerhouse for ordinary people. Even though it was now the Age of Steam, the civilization created by ordinary people’s hands obscured the brilliance of the extraordinary beings under the dust of history. But the world was still very dangerous for ordinary people who did not interact with the mysterious, and not all Ring術士 were as kind as Doctor Schneider, even if he harbored a demon within him.
