The golden-yellow Moonlight appeared above the bonfire again, and Xia De reached out to pull Olanorde up. She looked around and then whispered, "It's good to see you, Xia De, as soon as I open my eyes. However, have you recently undergone an elven ritual? Why do you have such a strong natural aura? When I opened my eyes just now, I almost thought I was back in the place where I lived as a child."
When Felianna met Olanorde, the latter was a flower girl on the street. So, this lady's past story must have been equally exciting.
Xia De vaguely brushed off the topic, while Miss Samuel told Olanorde what had happened after she fainted.
With only thirteen minutes left, Xia De laboriously pushed the ice coffin next to the bonfire. After Miss Samuel finished explaining the current situation, he said to the two Witches, "Please believe me, I will do my best to awaken Drago. If it really doesn't work, I will use other means to get you out."
If the Mystic Lock failed, Xia De planned to complete the Three-Ring to Four Ring advancement ritual in the current fifth epoch. According to past experience, for a short period after advancement, due to the divine nature infecting his soul, he would be able to exert power comparable to a divine overflow state. With this slight power, he would try his best to escort the Witches out until the thirty minutes ended and he was forced to return to his own time.
"What I can do in the Thousand Tree Forest, I can also do here," Xia De said, not forgetting to remind them, "After you leave, remember to say hello to Teacher Felianna for me. I hope I will have a chance to see her again next time. Miss Samuel, please help me record this story; I will take the story as a spellcasting material."
Of course, bringing a manuscript back to the sixth epoch from this point in time cannot be considered the first draft of the story. After all, only time can give civilization the inspiration for stories; time travel cannot be used to cheat.
Miss Samuel immediately nodded. Although she did not find all the Knowledge she wanted in the Library during this trip, hearing Xia De's story made the journey worthwhile. Olanorde was a little melancholic; after this separation, no one could say for sure if there would be a chance to meet again.
"Sage, let the story continue."
"No, please do not call me 'Sage'," the gray-robed God gently reminded, stroking his beard with his free right hand, his slightly shining eyes looking at Xia De with deep meaning, "Especially you, do not use that title."
He stepped down from the pile of old books and sat on the ground by the bonfire. He then pulled out a pipe from the air and exhaled smoke into the flames.
Mixed with a faint scent of high-grade tobacco, the flames shot upwards. The fire vividly formed a Half-elf-sized princess, with her eyes tightly closed on a face resembling "desire," and a spindle also made of flames beside her.
The God extended his right hand and then pressed it down slightly. The light radiating from the bonfire quickly dimmed. Until, the entire dilapidated entrance hall of the Library was only illuminated by the bonfire and a very small area around it.
The four people by the bonfire all sat on the edge of light and shadow. Outside the entrance hall, the wind howled, and red snow flew. It was extremely dark all around, and everyone was staring at the flames.
"I like this kind of atmosphere, sitting around a bonfire with young children listening to new stories. There's nothing better than this."
The God inserted his long staff into the cracks of the floor tiles beside him, and a Vicissitudes and deep voice, also came from Xia De's mouth at this moment.
Mia, the only one who didn't understand what was happening, thought the lights had been turned off. She squinted her eyes and snuggled on Xia De's lap, sleeping soundly.
"The princess, finally, on her eighteenth birthday, touched the loom of Destiny in the attic. With just a slight prick from the spindle, she fell to the ground, falling into an eternal slumber."
As Xia De spoke, the flames formed vines, appearing from both sides of the Half-elf-sized princess, then covering her body until only her head remained.
"But, the curse of Destiny also had a way to be lifted. The kind Witches who had been invited to the birthday party came to the sleeping princess's side."
The flames reorganized with a crackling sound, once again forming the appearance of a massive kingdom castle. The firelight illuminated everyone by the bonfire, and flames danced in their eyes. People were gathered at the top of the castle's spire, and among them, the most meticulously outlined by the flames were the images of twelve Witches.
They wore robes with star patterns and large pointed hats, and some even held a cat that looked very much like Mia.
"The twelve Witches once again bestowed blessings upon the princess—"
Xia De cleared his throat, and the Witches in the flames raised their hands, sparks sprinkling down:
"No matter how long, no matter when, no matter what happens in the future, kind and beautiful princess, we bless you."
Xia De also extended his hand towards the bonfire. From his cracked fingertips, specks of golden firelight drifted towards the princess in the bonfire.
Gu Huang
Miss Samuel looked at the golden embers, blinking her eyes suspiciously. Olanorde kept her gaze on the bonfire, the dancing firelight forming large shadows on her face.
"The Witches blessed in unison: One day, a prince from a distant land, an Outsider, will arrive and awaken you with a true love's kiss. At that time, the frozen kingdom will see the light of day again, and the castle among the weeds will regain its vitality."
The perspective in the flames rose, and the flames meticulously depicted the entire kingdom's territory. The God by the bonfire once again exhaled a puff of smoke into the flames. The smoke enveloped the fiery kingdom above, lingering for a long time, as if symbolizing the clouds of decay and demise that had already covered the kingdom.
Beneath the smoke, the subtle changes in the tiny kingdom symbolized the passage of time.
"That's a good story."
The God holding the pipe commented, his shining eyes looking at Xia De:
"But, this is unreasonable. Although fairy tales shouldn't pursue reasonableness, is it not too hasty that a true love's kiss alone can save a princess cursed by a Witch?"
Xia De nodded. He knew this was the benevolent God giving him a hint, and he also understood what kind of story would come next:
"Who knows how many days, how many months, how many years passed. When wild grass had long covered the castle, when the kingdom had already fallen into decline, when the sleeping princess had long become the story of 'sleeping princess' spread throughout the world, a dusty foreign prince, an Outsider, arrived at the hall where the birthday banquet was once held."
In the flames, a young man with his back to the outside of the bonfire was swinging his sword at the vines:
"He cut through thorns and thistles, and finally in the damaged attic of the castle, he saw the princess in the ice coffin."
Above the flames, an ice coffin almost identical to the one by the bonfire appeared, except the princess in the ice coffin did not have a large tail.
"Oh, what a beautiful princess!" the Outsider exclaimed.
Although the Witches, Xia De, and the God were sitting dispersed around the bonfire, no matter who it was, they could only see the prince's back.
"The prince decided to save the princess sleeping in the ice coffin, decided to save this dying kingdom. He reached out to the sleeping maiden..."
Xia De felt this statement was a bit strange, as if the prince in the story had a peculiar preference, but fortunately, this plot was not the focus.
A swirl appeared in the flames, and within that fiery vortex, an old witch, also formed by flames, appeared.
"The witch arrived at the last moment; she wanted to stop the prince's actions. But the righteous and determined prince, with the treasure sword in his hand, defeated the witch and her servants."
The figure in the flames, holding a treasure sword that resembled a silver Moonlight Greatsword, fought agilely with the witch.
"Justice triumphed over evil, but the witch laughed heartily: Oh, foolish man, how can you save the sleeping princess without paying a price?"
Xia De paused. His recent experiences made him think of many things:
"What should leave cannot stay. She has fallen into the deepest eternal slumber. To save her, are you willing to pay a price you cannot bear?"
He recited the witch's lines, and the witch in the flames disappeared accordingly. The prince then approached the ice coffin again and picked up the princess.
"Yes, awakening the sleeping princess requires love and a price. But the Outsider was determined to do so, for the girl in his arms and for this kingdom."
The sound of steam and whistles appeared behind Xia De. In the thick steam mist, the Three-Ring Arcanist's Destiny Ring appeared. The rapidly rotating Destiny Ring was enriching brass-colored Enlightenment Elements.
That spiritual light vaguely echoed the bonfire's glow. Miss Samuel turned to observe Xia De's Destiny Ring, Olanorde stared at the princess in the bonfire, the God smiled, looking at everything before him, and Mia, awakened by the noise, looked at the firelight.
"The prince kissed the princess, and with that kiss, the princess opened her eyes. The wild grass and withered vines receded, the frozen kingdom regained its vitality, all things revived, and this land once again welcomed prosperity and flourishing. And the prince who bestowed the true love's kiss, his golden hair turned silver, and he never touched his treasure sword again for the rest of his life."
The embracing princess and prince separated, and then the flames formed an archway. The princess and prince, dressed in grand attire, held their wedding amidst the cheers of the people formed by flames.
"This is a story of love and sacrifice. Even if Destiny casts a curse, when a selfless sacrificer steps forward, true love will save everything."
Xia De's gradually softening words brought the story to an end, and behind him, the Destiny Ring had stopped spinning at some point, and Enlightenment - 【sleeping princess】 quietly appeared.
Time gives stories inspiration, and civilization gives stories power. Spanning five thousand years and two epochs, Xia De, standing on this end of time, obtained the power of a fairy tale, integrated with civilization, at the other end of time.
