The severe injuries from burning his divinity should have kept Xia De bedridden for at least half a year before he could walk, but the gratitude from the departing souls completely healed the wounds on his soul and body.
However, mental exhaustion wasn't something a few hours of sleep could fix. Coupled with the physical and mental burden of transforming into a god, Xia De, who had fallen into a deep slumber, didn't even know how he returned to his bedroom.
When he woke up disoriented on his bed, he stared blankly at the familiar ceiling for a moment, then realized he must have missed more than one feeding time for Mia:
"It should be fine; Luvia has a spare key and will definitely help me feed Mia."
The bed was so soft, the quilt so warm. As the initial post-waking disorientation gradually faded, the thought of sleeping in his own house, with even the land beneath his feet belonging to him, filled Xia De with an even greater sense of pleasure:
"I've been on the go for two months, and the story of Middlesburg is finally over. The death Chosen One is Sister Devlin, and Grace and Helen have also achieved their wishes. Not to mention, I did a good deed and allowed those souls who should have departed long ago to leave. This autumn has truly been meaningful."
With this pleasant mood, he reached to his side, but didn't feel his cat.
He propped himself up on the bed, preparing to get up. Because he had been lying down for too long, his body even felt a bit sore. But as the Original Fire flowed through his body, this slight discomfort disappeared instantly:
"It's a new day again."
He waved a hand at the curtains, through which sunlight seeped, and the curtains swished open, revealing the morning scene of Tobesk, the bustling "Northern Pearl," outside the window. The weather today was good; although there was still fog, the morning light of late autumn was still so bright. In the distance, black smoke could be seen rising from chimneys, and the City's steam pipes and metal decorations on rooftops shimmered in the morning light:
"Indeed, compared to the haunted Middlesburg, I prefer Tobesk City."
"Is that because Tobesk holds your most valuable property?"
"She" said with a smile, seemingly in a good mood as well.
Most of the ghosts in Between Life and Death had departed, and the Gap itself was heavily sealed by the "Kiss of the Tree" and "Holy Tree Mark." To accumulate so many undead again would take at least tens of thousands of years. But Middlesburg couldn't return to normal immediately; it might continue to be haunted for hundreds, or even thousands, of years, but the situation wouldn't be particularly severe, merely adding some strange urban legends to the Old Continent.
"This can also be considered a City feature; let the Church worry about those problems."
It was 8:32 AM on Friday. Xia De had slept for nearly thirty hours since falling asleep in the early hours of Thursday. Waking up refreshed, he still had many things to attend to in Middlesburg, such as visiting Sister Devlin, listening to Priest Augustus's story, confirming Iluna's safety, retrieving the night watchman, attending Miss Aurora's banquet, and checking Grace and Helen's health.
However, none of these matters needed to be completed immediately. Xia De wanted to rest at home for a few days. At least, he wanted to get through this weekend.
"Chasing the Chosen One's trail is truly more perilous each time."
He sat on the bed, smiling at the view outside the window. But at least the gains were good. Besides the final confirmation of the third Chosen One's identity, the most important reason, and one of the reasons he chose to go up the mountain on Wednesday night, was—
He turned his head slightly to look at the Red Butterfly pendant on the nightstand by the bed. The two halves of the Red Butterfly were joined together. The whisper element of the sage-level relic brought Xia De such joy for the first time:
"This pendant has always been carried by Grace and Helen, so it probably hasn't been contained. Dorothy and Leia will need to carefully study the containment conditions and characteristics. However, they can finally meet, and although their problems can't be completely resolved, they can at least see each other."
He stretched with a smile, then saw the rhode cards deck next to the Red Butterfly pendant, and the smile on his face grew even brighter:
"If the total points exceed 21 when this card is drawn, choose one card from the used cards and exchange it with this card. The special effect of the chosen card is invalid—【Founding·Death】. Truly good, truly good."
Just as he was about to get out of bed, footsteps came from outside the bedroom. Presumably, someone in the house heard the curtains and knew that the bedridden Detective had woken up.
Xia De turned his head to see Tifa, holding a tray, walking in from outside the door.
The half-opened curtains allowed the morning light to pass through the window, shining on the quilt, and then on the doorway.
Her long black hair hung behind her, a lace-decorated headscarf on her head, a small dark blue bow tied with a ribbon at her collar, and a row of silver buttons below. The elaborate dress had a plain collar, and over the dress was a white apron with ruffles, tied into a dark blue bow at the side of her waist. It wasn't very form-fitting, but both the layered fabric decoration at her chest and the belt inside the apron at her waist accentuated her figure well. The dress almost covered her feet, but the Gap between her low-heeled black leather shoes and the hem of her skirt still showed that she was wearing a pair of white long socks.
Her short black hair was tied behind her ears, and although her makeup was light, it was still exquisite. Her skin was as fair as milk, her small nose slightly upturned, her dark brown eyes sparkling in the morning light, and her reddish-pink lips had clear lines, making Xia De wonder if she had applied lipstick.
Tifa hesitated at the doorway, while Mia, who was following at her feet, darted straight into the room. Miss Maid also looked at Xia De, who was sitting on the bed, bathed in the morning light. The young man smiled at her, and even though she had seen it many times, she still almost dropped the tray in her hand.
That smile made Miss Servite's heart flutter.
"It seems I forgot to remind you."
A voice came from Xia De's ear:
"The gratitude of myriad souls will make living beings more willing to be close to you."
"Xia De, are you awake? How do you feel now?"
Tifa walked in. Mia had already jumped onto the bed, excitedly stepping on the quilt, wanting Xia De to hold her. Xia De noticed that the vampire ring was still on the cat's tail.
"I feel pretty good now. Oh, this breakfast is really hearty, your cooking is excellent."
Xia De said, holding back Mia, who was about to "charge":
"Where's Luvia? Is Miss Jialinna still here?"
He craned his head towards the living room.
"Miss Annette has already gone to work at the Prophet Association. According to the schedule, Miss is probably at Yodel Palace, discussing the tax issues of the past two years with His Majesty."
Tifa said softly, not pulling up a chair to sit down, but standing by the bed with her hands clasped together. Bathed in the sunlight, a gentle smile graced her fair face; she was very happy that Xia De had woken up smoothly:
"Miss worried that you wouldn't have food after waking up, so she left me here. I originally expected you to wake up around noon, but I didn't expect you to wake so early."
Tifa handed the tray to Xia De. Xia De took it and placed it on the quilt on his lap. He usually didn't eat in bed, but since he planned to rest for a while, it was fine to relax occasionally.
He picked up a boiled egg and carefully peeled the shell. As the shell came off, the smooth, fair inside was exposed, even emitting tempting white steam because it had just been cooked.
Mia squatted beside him, eyeing it greedily, but she knew she didn't need to snatch it; Xia De would definitely share it with her.
"This tastes really good."
Xia De praised it again, then asked:
"Since I slept for a whole day, are there any new updates from Middlesburg now?"
"Yes, everything is over. Although many innocent people died that night, the City did not descend into chaos. Two strange deities appeared at the foot of Sicar Mountain. Although we don't know what the great ones were ultimately after, the Battle of Middlesburg was a victory for the living."
"That's great. As for those two deities..."
Xia De glanced at Mia:
"It's difficult for us to guess the intentions of the great ones, but perhaps the pursuits of the gods are not as complex as mortals imagine."
Tifa's eyes curved:
"Perhaps that's truly the case, but fortunately, this matter has nothing to do with us in Tobesk."
"And the Chosen One..."
"The Great Witches of the Council are very happy. Sister Devlin and the Spiritual Cultivation Order are long-time friends of the Council and have maintained a very good relationship with them."
At this point, Tifa couldn't help but smile, looking at the young man carefully peeling an egg on the bed:
"His Excellency the Speaker is very pleased, and so is Miss. With the third section of the whispering chapters concluded, the Council is finally no longer merely a seeker, but has become one of the participants. All of this is thanks to you."
"No, no, this has little to do with me."
Xia De quickly denied it, but Tifa shook her head, then bent slightly by the bed and placed a finger on Xia De's lips:
"You don't have to belittle yourself. Miss Aurora privately relayed to Miss what Sister Devlin said: thanks to your help, Iluna Bayas was able to defeat Joey Barton. Joey Barton himself also said the same."
Xia De did not deny it again, and Tifa withdrew her finger.
Xia De's eyes remained fixed on the egg in his hand, hoping to peel it perfectly. He inhaled slightly, and besides the smell of the egg and breakfast, he could also smell Tifa's perfume.
"When Miss and Miss Annette opened the Death Door for you, the three of us gained new Ling Runes, all of the purest death. Miss was happy about this, as she had been stuck at the Eleventh Ring for a long time, and this gain means she still has the possibility of further advancement."
Tifa continued.
Xia De nodded:
"Then what about you? How far are you from the next ring?"
"It should be soon, thanks for your help."
The black-haired Miss Maid said softly.
"How did I help you? You helped me, otherwise I'd still be roasting in death, waiting for the door to open. Maybe I'd be playing rhode cards with my friends in death, otherwise just waiting would be too boring."
Xia De said with a laugh, and Tifa also pursed her lips and smiled, making her dimples even more pronounced on her face.
Then, the Miss Maid lightly flicked her hair, turned to look outside the door as if to confirm there was no third person in the house, and then turned back to Xia De. Her lips curved up, and her eyes seemed to sparkle:
"Perhaps Miss and I should both thank you."
On the bed, Xia De had already peeled a perfectly round and soft egg, and was admiring its flawless roundness in the morning light. The cat looked up at the egg in the morning light, eager to pounce:
"No need to thank me. But next time, I don't want to do anything so dangerous again. You can't imagine what a mess Mi Fort was on Wednesday night. I saw more undead that night than living people I've seen all year."
Tifa pursed her lips and asked softly:
"Then, do you need me to help you relax your mind?"
"Hmm? What?"
Xia De's gaze shifted from the egg, and he looked up at the black-haired girl by the bed in surprise. Her face flushed, she leaned over without consulting Xia De, took the perfectly peeled egg, placed it on the tray, and then picked up the tray and placed it on the nightstand.
"Hmm..."
Xia De didn't quite understand what the Miss Maid intended to do.
Tifa stood by the bed, smiling with her hands behind her back, her fingers slightly curled behind her. With a soft thud, the bedroom door closed; with a swish, the curtains closed again, leaving only a streak of light on the center line of the bed and Tifa's body.
Her face slightly flushed, she looked down at Xia De on the bed, then reached for the buttons beneath her collar. The buttons reflected the morning light streaming through the curtain Gap. She unbuttoned the first three, revealing her fair neck, her skin even reflecting the light.
She suddenly stopped, then turned to pick up the hot egg. Turning back to Xia De, her fair face came closer and closer. Her rosy cheeks had shallow dimples, and her black eyes held a shy and alluring expression.
The egg was placed into her unbuttoned collar.
"Xia De."
Her voice trembled slightly from the heat.
Her slender fingers continued to unbutton the fourth button before Xia De's eyes:
"Do you need me to serve you your meal?"
Her voice was very soft, and white light cut across the midline of her face. In the morning light, her nose was very pretty, but her large eyes were even prettier.
"I..."
"Miss allows me to do some things. Before, I wouldn't cross that line, but I'm not just Miss's subordinate either."
She slowly approached Xia De until he could even see his reflection in Tifa's beautiful eyes:
"Knight, I am the Duke's servant, sent to temporarily serve you because of your bravery. Although I admire your strength and courage, I am not a maid who has affairs with guests. I still need to go see the Duke later, and I don't want my master to suspect us of doing bad things, so dining time is only ten minutes."
Tifa said very serious words, but her tone carried a smile. She stood by the bed and reached out to embrace Xia De's head:
"Be careful, this egg is very hot."
"I..."
Xia De didn't quite understand why this was suddenly happening, and he suspected he was still asleep.
"This is reality."
Mia meowed unhappily, not knowing why she wasn't eating.
And Tifa bit her lip lightly, carefully reminding him:
"Knight, please be gentle when dining."
