Iluna briefly introduced the situation inside the church, and Xia De also elaborated on his journey and what he saw and heard in the Gap and reality:
"Although there are no hostile organizations like Mercury Blood or Blood Spirit School this time, the Gap itself is more terrifying than both combined. We must be cautious from now on; one careless mistake, and Middllesburg could truly become history."
"The Church is fully prepared this time. Ms. Shirley Winster, who was just here, is from the Natural Church."
Iluna didn't use the term "Thorn Nun," but Xia De understood her meaning:
"She is a Nine Ring herself. Although her combat strength isn't strong, in the area where she is, the divine spells and ritual effects belonging to the God of Nature will be enhanced. If it truly comes to the final moment, Ms. Winster will return to reality."
"So, the final battle is in half an hour. After a whole Summer of hard work, it's finally coming to an end."
Xia De nodded, and Iluna also quietly sighed:
"It's finally going to end."
"No, this isn't the end. I'm not talking about future events, but rather, perhaps Joey Barton isn't the most terrifying thing tonight."
Xia De held the Red Butterfly pendant in his hand, which contained the power of the twin gods, but he rarely used it on his journey.
His eyes gazed at the bonfire. Although the Chosen One was indeed difficult to deal with, compared to fighting Darkness, the Gap this time was at least not absolutely insurmountable. He was worried about another matter, another existence:
"I hope my guess is wrong."
Xia De was making final adjustments and preparations in the church in the Gap, while the real world and Sicar Mountain in the Gap were not peaceful either.
Dense fog swept through Middllesburg, rapidly spreading towards the northern plains of the City and the mountainous area on the southern foothills of Sicar Mountain. In the fog-shrouded City, ordinary police officers no longer appeared; only Ring術士 teams from the Church were still moving through. Meanwhile, numerous strange figures gradually emerged from the Gap into reality, advancing towards places where living beings gathered.
If one were to look down from high above the central and eastern Old Continent, centered around Sicar Mountain, the swirling dark clouds almost continuously covered one-sixth of the Old Continent. In Tobesk, in the northwestern Old Continent, although there were also clouds and fog due to air pollution, that was just ordinary smog.
Luvia Annett stood somewhat restlessly by the window of the large Diviner room on the second floor, looking at the mist, worried about Xia De in the distance. The sky was gradually darkening, and the streetlights on Silver Cross Avenue below lit up, making the night of the Northern Pearl so beautiful.
Behind her was a Diviner club composed of local noble young ladies, engaged in interesting activities. Princess Angelina was at the forefront; even after being warned multiple times by Leia, she still enjoyed participating in such games.
To ensure the princess's safety, especially after a recent incident, Luvia was present here.
"Annett, something on your mind?"
President Stan walked over from behind. Luvia turned to look at the noble young ladies, who were laughing as they took turns blindfolding themselves and picking their rhode cards from the Diviner cards spread on the table.
"President Stan, good evening. I was thinking about Sicar Mountain. I recently saw intelligence about the Sicar Mountain area and it reminded me of what happened in Tobesk during the Summer."
"Such worries are normal. The Association headquarters has already sent people there. By my reckoning, the sealing ritual should be starting very soon."
The most excellent Diviner in Tobesk took out his pocket watch and glanced at it:
"Forty more minutes. I hope everything goes smoothly there. If not, we might have an earthquake here, and Middllesburg City..."
He didn't continue, but changed the subject:
"The keeper-level relic, 'The Ancient Rowinston Marriage Contract,' which you applied to borrow from the Sun Church a few days ago, has already arrived at the Association. In addition, the Church helped you purchase a Document-level relic, 'Fanatic's Soul Coin.' Are you considering the Four Ring Ling Rune? Is it related to the undead? Perhaps there's no need to rush. Didn't Saint Byron's cultivation plan suggest that low-Ring術士 should advance one ring every one to two years?"
Mr. Stan asked. As the head of the Prophet Association in this region, he naturally knew about Luvia Annett's identity as a jointly cultivated Letter-based Ring術士.
"It's just that too many things have happened recently, so I'm always a bit worried."
Seeing that the noble girls were still drawing cards and didn't need her to preside over the Diviner, Luvia asked softly, a little embarrassed:
"President Stan, could you please help me with a Diviner?"
"Of course, what do you want to Diviner? Is it related to our Great City Player 1853 champion?"
Mr. Stan joked, but to his surprise, Luvia actually nodded:
"I'd like you to help me Diviner Xia De's safety. He's currently undertaking a very dangerous commission, and I'm very worried about him."
"I think it's fine, but since he's not present, the accuracy of the Diviner won't be high. You should know that."
Luvia, whose bad premonition grew stronger, nodded. President Stan took out his Diviner cards and asked Luvia to randomly select three.
This set of Diviner cards was a Poet Grade relic, belonging to a witch Prophet of the fifth epoch. Like the Diviner's Silver Coin, it could assist in Diviner. This was a gift from the Association headquarters when President Stan took over as the head of the Tobesk region.
Luvia directly chose the first three cards. After checking the card faces, President Stan frowned slightly:
"Mr. Hamilton will encounter a potentially fatal danger in the near future. Oh, don't worry, with the help of a friend, he can turn danger into safety, but then... Hmm?"
He showed Luvia the three cards. The first was a bleeding dagger held in the Darkness, a very dangerous omen. The second was a circle of people holding hands and dancing around a bonfire, which usually represented meeting a helper or receiving rare assistance.
And the third card was surprisingly the Red Butterfly, which Dorothy had drawn two months ago.
"President Stan, what does this mean?"
The middle-aged man was also somewhat puzzled:
"Difficult to interpret. Fate has not told me what future this card portends, but it's not a good sign..."
He put the cards away:
"Annett, fate is interpreted by people, so even if we are Diviner, we cannot blindly believe in interpreted fates. Perhaps Mr. Hamilton will indeed face a danger recently, but since we didn't turn up death, then he must be safe. I've always believed that Mr. Hamilton is a very mysterious person, and his story with the rhode cards certainly won't end here."
President Stan's comfort worked, and Luvia also smiled:
"Yes, Xia De's rhode cards collection journey has just begun."
"You go back and rest. I'll keep an eye on things here."
President Stan said, leaning on the windowsill and looking out at Silver Cross Avenue:
"Say hello to Hamilton Detective for me. I hope he has a good night. Don't forget to pick up 'The Ancient Rowinston Marriage Contract' and that coin. The cost will be deducted from your monthly salary. The relic is in Storage Room No. 2 in the basement. The Keeper on duty today is Grandma Raya. We've borrowed that contract from the Sun Church for a week, which should be enough for your research.
Also, don't try to write the names of living and dead people at the same time; that will break the boundary of life and death (Note)."
Luvia said goodbye and left, which disappointed Angelina, who had heard her name from Leia and wanted to talk to her. The Diviner card in the princess's hand was a shining crown.
President Stan looked at the hazy night sky where the afterglow of the setting sun had not completely faded, recalling the events of the past few months:
"Middllesburg... I truly hope everything can be resolved smoothly."
Thousands of miles away in Tobesk, the latest situation in Mi Fort had not yet been received, but Priest Augustus on the mountain peak of the Gap was very clear about how bad the current situation was.
He, along with other Old Priest, prayed to the idol in the safe house prepared in advance on the mountain peak of the Gap. His keen perception allowed Priest Augustus to know what was happening outside even without looking.
A tide of undead assaulted the mountain peak, undead knights descended from the sky, and huge worm undead emerged from the ground to attack. Not to mention, strange existences that died in the depths of the dense fog ten thousand years ago slammed against the mountain peak, only to be forcefully pushed back by the Thirteen Ring Sorcerer "Shining One" of the Dawn Church, using a ritual and Sublimation Words.
The light and shadow of divine spells and the roars of monsters made it seem as if a legendary battle, only found in the mythical era, was taking place outside the safe house. Dazzling spiritual light occasionally shone through the cracks in the wooden house's door, and the ground tremors had not stopped since the beginning. But the Old Priest here were the most devout believers of the righteous gods in the material world. These things could not disturb their fervent prayers; even if the undead truly appeared in the room, they would not react.
Priest Augustus had heard Xia De talk about the past of the twin gods and the Red Butterfly, so he guessed that the final terrifying undead might be the shattered soul of a sub-space evil entity defeated by the twin gods, who descended as gods in the fifth epoch.
Because the most problematic passage in the Gap was at the mountain peak, the mountain peak suffered the most attacks. Priest Augustus was already prepared to use the power of the angel to stop all of this, even if it meant exposing his identity, should the situation turn bad. Therefore, his solemn prayer at this moment was also due to the heaviness in his heart.
"If sacrificing myself can save all of this, I am willing to be the sacrifice. I just hope that this time, Xia De doesn't come to save me again."
As he thought this, new news arrived from outside. A powerful Ring術士 with a sword appeared in the Natural Church in the Gap, bringing new intelligence about Joey Barton. After the Church verified the intelligence and confirmed its accuracy, they decided to prepare the ritual in advance before the final undead riot.
"A powerful Ring術士 with a sword..."
Because his hearing was too excellent in the Gap, Priest Augustus accidentally overheard this intelligence, and then the figure of that young Detective immediately popped into his head. Without any reason, he was almost certain that the one who appeared in the Natural Church in the Gap was Xia De Hamilton.
"What exactly is Xia De going to do? Could it be that this time, I'm the one who needs to save him?"
