“It really was three seconds, not a single second more.”
As Xia De stepped out of the white misty door, Miss Jialinna’s voice immediately reached his ears.
Compared to when he left, nothing had changed here; the Great Witch still maintained her dangerous aura, and Tifa was still watching him. Even Mia’s pitiful gaze hadn’t changed; the cat likely hadn’t even blinked in those three seconds.
“What did you gain this time? Xia De, I’m looking forward to the story you bring.”
Miss Jialinna asked, holding a teacup. This was morning tea, used by noble ladies to refresh themselves before breakfast.
“Before breakfast, may I ask something first?”
Xia De first hugged the cat that ran to him, then asked hesitantly.
“Ask away.”
He stood at the door:
“Regarding Saint Byron's, have you heard about the connection between Saint Byron's Comprehensive College’s Library and the Old God Grey-Robed Sage?
I’ve already learned from the librarian that the Library’s underlying ritual structure was provided by that God’s followers. Also, my friend in Coldwater Port told me that after the Grey-Robed Sage left, his followers continued to work for Saint Byron's, and after the cult collapsed in the sixth epoch, they even directly became part of Saint Byron's.”
But from this experience, the help that God provided to the Library was definitely not as simple as just the underlying ritual structure. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worthy of the story Xia De brought to this world again.
“Yes, do you want to know something more interesting?”
The red-haired Great Witch put down her teacup and replied after some thought:
“It seems your experience this time was indeed unexpected. Yes, that God’s connection with Saint Byron's is certainly not limited to this. Miss Daniste wouldn’t tell you more about the God because you are only a Low-Ring Arcanist, and your friend in Coldwater Port probably doesn't know Saint Byron's deepest secret.”
“What?”
“relic levels are divided into six grades: Poet, Scribe, Keeper, Sage, Angel, and Unknowable. Among them, every contained level 0 relic is the most powerful weapon for Arcanist organizations, just like the 【Sword of Diesel】 that appeared on the Night of Godfall, which can temporarily restrict a God’s range of activity.”
“You mean...”
“The exact number of level 0 relics contained by the Five Gods Church and the Three Great Arcane Academies has always been a mystery, but the Council happens to know that Saint Byron's possesses a level 0 relic related to the Old God Grey-Robed Sage.”
“It’s the pipe!”
Xia De’s eyes widened, but Miss Jialinna shook her head hesitantly:
“Why would you think that? Is the pipe related to the Library? Excessive smoking only muddles the mind.”
Xia De really wished he could tell Priest Augustus this.
A knock sounded, and Tifa quickly walked to the door; it was the maid informing the manor’s owners that breakfast was ready.
Miss Jialinna stood up, and Xia De said again:
“A grey pointed hat? No, no, it should be a wooden long staff.”
The Great Witch nodded:
“Yes, a level 0 relic, the 【Staff of the Old Sage】.”
Even sitting at the dining table, being served by the maid while eating, Xia De was still somewhat dazed.
One wish, plus one of his stories, brought a level 0 relic, passed down for thousands of years, to Saint Byron's. The feeling of influencing history and time had never been so abrupt and real, and the voice in his ear only reminded him as Xia De’s thoughts neared their end:
“So, do you regret being so generous half an hour ago now?”
“Of course not... If I had known this result in advance, I would of course hesitate, but I wouldn't say I regret it.”
He looked at the bacon in front of him, which was said to have been transported from Miss Jialinna’s territory. One meal alone was worth Mia’s monthly feeding cost.
“I’m just sighing that relics will always be relics, but those people have long since departed.”
“She” paid no attention to Xia De’s long sigh on the autumn morning, only leaving behind a pleasant laugh.
While eating, Xia De briefly recounted his experience from a few tens of minutes ago. Miss Jialinna indeed thought Xia De’s actions were truly “generous”:
“Xia De, even if you were taken with a Great Witch from the past, you shouldn’t have done that. After all, they are old women who have long since departed. If you really like Witches, our era isn’t without them.”
She complained to Xia De, using the hurtful term “old women” without any reservation:
“If you could add another level 0 relic to the Council, I think even the Great Witches wouldn’t mind giving you some...”
Tifa coughed, and the Great Witch, with a smile on her face, did not continue.
Unlike last time, when he only needed to prepare daily necessities for the Witches, this time Xia De needed to find three items related to the power of the sun in his own era, and those items could not be relics, and their power had to be sufficiently strong.
Iluna’s “Sunlight Gun” brooch was certainly enough, and to save time, Xia De entrusted the Duchess, who knew about this matter, to help collect the other two. The Great Witch readily agreed but also warned Xia De that while alchemical items and even materials related to the sun were not rare, items containing the power of the sun were not numerous:
“You should also search through other channels, but since only two are needed, there’s no reason we can’t find them.”
She seemed very optimistic about this matter.
Xia De did not mention the final story of the “sleeping princess” to Miss Jialinna, as this matter seemed somewhat similar to Xia De telling the story of the “match girl” to The Innocent Creator and the three children. And the Mystic Lock corresponding to the “match girl” is now almost tied to the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer “Summoner.”
After a hearty breakfast, Xia De excused himself, saying he had something to do, and left.
Tobesk was misty today, probably due to the full operation of the steam company in late autumn.
He did not go home but, carrying the well-fed cat, came to the “Mary Jane Flower Shop” on Silver Cross Avenue and had Princess Angelina’s maid send a request for a meeting to Leia in Yodel Palace.
Today was Sunday, and Leia didn’t have much to deal with, so a letter scented with lily perfume quickly arrived, telling Xia De to wait at the Tobesk Grand Opera House tonight.
So Xia De spent the entire day in Tobesk, and that evening, in a large box on the third floor of the Opera House, he saw Leia in a long red dress, and Angelina in a blue fluffy princess dress. The latter’s red hair was tied with a golden ribbon, and unlike the very girlish Leia, Angelina’s attire was always very... childish.
The decorations inside the box were very luxurious, with thick wool red carpets on the floor, and even the gas lamps were adorned with crystals. As expected, Leia welcomed Xia De with a very passionate kiss.
The sixteen-year-old young princess looked unperturbed, and she instructed the maids to guard the door, not allowing anyone to enter without permission, even if they heard strange sounds.
These maids were the personal servants of the two princesses, and some had even seen Xia De in Coldwater Port, so they already knew about this man, who, according to Tobesk City rumors, had an unusual relationship with the “Duchess of Saladill,” and also maintained close relations with the two princesses.
“The calculating machine data from half a month ago earned me my father’s praise.
After my brother Sachs Cavendish was executed, part of the command of the New World expeditionary army, which had been vacant, fell into my hands. Although as a princess of the kingdom, I cannot go far to the New World, this means that I finally have a place to interfere in the kingdom’s military.”
Leia was very excited, her eyes seemed to sparkle as she spoke. She didn’t tell Xia De about this on Saturday night, probably because she wanted to tell him in person, with her own body.
“Very good, interfering in the military...”
Xia De found it hard to imagine what the princess he was holding, or rather, who was holding him, wanted to do. But as long as Leia needed him, he could provide help at any time.
“Xia De, meeting you is truly my good fortune.”
She gently kissed Xia De’s lips, then motioned for Xia De to sit down.
The cat, held by Xia De, finally had a chance to “escape” from between the two of them. After agilely climbing onto the back of the sofa, Mia stood on the sofa back, meowing at Xia De, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction.
The opera had already begun, and the box specially prepared for the royal family had a very good view, but no one paid attention to what was being performed. Leia hadn’t seen Xia De in person for a long time and wanted to continue expressing her feelings with kisses, but Xia De had not invited the Princess out for this:
“Regarding your Low-Four Ring Sublimation Words, ‘sleeping princess,’ I want to know its specific origin.”
“Why ask about that?”
Her words held a hint of blaming Xia De for being insensitive. Xia De smiled awkwardly and saw the Red Butterfly pendant hanging from Leia’s waist. This one’s design was much better than the one Xia De originally made at Old John’s, but unfortunately, it could still only allow the princess and the Writer, whose souls were connected, to look at each other from afar.
Their souls were intimately intertwined, yet they could only gaze at each other from a distance; perhaps this was the greatest distance.
“The story of ‘sleeping princess’ originated in the early or middle part of the fifth epoch. This ancient fairy tale is related to the founding of Zaras Academy, and the original manuscript of the story is in our academy, which is why my mentor recommended it to me.”
This was not unexpected; Miss Olanorde giving the manuscript to Miss Samuel should have been to help the Zaras Society establish itself in Saint Byron's.
“It is said that Saint Byron's also has a copy of the early version of the story. My teacher once wrote to Saint Byron's to borrow it, but unfortunately, your librarian refused.”
Leia said, pausing for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly as she looked at Xia De sitting beside her. She was a very intelligent girl:
“Xia De, you’re not going to say that you’ve gained another Ling Rune on your Destiny Ring, are you?”
“Of course not, at least not yet.”
Because Xia De hadn’t finished telling the story, but he clearly felt that after returning to this era, the brass aura representing “inspiration” was increasingly concentrating on his Destiny Ring.
Time gives inspiration to civilization, and stories are sublimated within civilization.
Even if the story from the Outsider’s homeland had not yet reached its conclusion, Xia De could basically confirm that once he returned to the past again and truly became the one who brought the story of the princess, slumber, and kiss to this world, he would definitely gain the Enlightenment Ling Rune 【Sleeping Beauty】.
Just like the original inspiration - 【the little match girl】.
PS: This volume is almost finished. You can count how many cards Xia De currently holds.
