On a rainy autumn day, rain tapped against the window, and a faint sunlight illuminated the second-floor bedroom window of Saint Delan Square Six. Xia De held Luvia and only spoke after a long while:
“Oh, no, it wasn’t us. Mia was just too heavy!”
“Meow?”
The orange cat, struggling out of the bed’s ruins, tilted her head and looked at him.
“Is that so?”
Luvia was amused, but at least she seemed to be in a much better mood:
“I’m really curious what you two did last night. Even being intimate with you, it’s hard for me to imagine a sturdy metal bed breaking like this.”
She gently pushed Xia De away.
“I told you, Mia’s weight was excessive, and this bed was already a bit old.”
Xia De mumbled, bending down to pick up the flustered cat. She had been startled just now.
“How are we going to clean this up? Are you planning to use your lifespan to restore this bed to its state before last night?”
Luvia asked again. Xia De thought for a moment and shook his head:
“No, I plan to move into the master bedroom. The bed there was replaced during the last renovation. I just need to change the room’s decor style and replace that old desk. As for here, let Leia’s maids help with it this afternoon. She even said this morning that the bedroom’s decor style was too old and wanted to help me get some new furniture.”
“You finally decided to move into the master bedroom? That’s great. It seems you’ve completely said goodbye to the former Detective.”
Luvia no longer looked at the broken bed, turning to face the doorway, and suddenly said softly:
“Xia De, is the bed in the master bedroom new now?”
“Yes, during the renovation, only the bed in the second-floor room was replaced, after all, someone died there.”
Xia De nodded, but saw the purple-eyed girl bite her lip:
“Knight, you should be well-rested now, right?”
Xia De paused before realizing:
“Yes.”
So she asked softly:
“Then, would you like to in the master bedroom…”
“Oh! I succeeded! Ha, it really is Saint Delan Square! It really is that ruined tower!”
A familiar voice from downstairs interrupted Luvia’s words. She looked displeased at the doorway and walked out of the bedroom with Xia De.
At this moment, Iluna, who should have been in Middlesburg, came up from downstairs holding the Night Watchman, greeting the two with a very good mood:
“Good morning, Xia De! Good morning, Luvia, I’m so glad to see you both immediately!”
After a few days, the seventeen-year-old girl was still so energetic. She wore a brown fitted women’s short jacket with a white shirt underneath. Her brown long hair was simply tied up and hung behind her, and her eyes looked at the two with great spirit:
“That’s great, you’re both here. I followed Xia De’s location and found that ruined tower in the mountains, and I really succeeded in coming back! Oh, Xia De, I received a letter from Sister Devlin, knowing you were fine, but I was still very worried about you. Why did you do such dangerous things again?”
Spatial movement through ancient god statues requires establishing markers, and apart from Xia De, others cannot obtain markers out of thin air by sacrificing white stone crystal; they can only go to the corresponding locations themselves and touch them. Iluna had touched the statue in Xia De’s basement, thus entering the Space Labyrinth. By touching the statue there again in the deep mountains of Middlesburg, she successfully obtained a second marker.
Iluna then curiously asked Luvia:
“Why are you staring at me? Do I have leaves or bugs on my clothes?”
She lowered her head to check her attire, and the purple-eyed girl forcibly swallowed her annoyance:
“Nothing, please sit down quickly. Are things in Middlesburg finished?”
“The concluding work is considered to be at an end. The Church gave me a day off, and I’ll return to Tobesk by steam airship tomorrow night. Actually, the Mi Fort Diocese wanted to keep me for a while longer, but the Tobesk Diocese sent a letter asking me to return as soon as possible.”
She looked out the window with great interest:
“Oh, is it raining today?”
Then she handed the Night Watchman to Xia De:
“I’ve brought your sword back. When we return to the church later, just say that a mysterious person in a black robe suddenly appeared and took this sword.”
Iluna continued with a smile:
“It’s only been a few weeks since I left Tobesk, but I really miss it here. I hope the weather doesn’t get too cold when I return, I haven’t had time to buy winter clothes yet. Speaking of which, what were you two just talking about?”
Of course, they couldn’t tell the immature seventeen-year-old girl what they had just discussed.
Xia De and Luvia together glossed over the topic, and although Iluna had snuck back to Tobesk during her vacation, she obviously couldn’t stay here for too long.
But since she had returned, she briefly explained the current situation in Middlesburg to Xia De and Luvia.
Just as Luvia had said when Xia De woke up on Friday, the biggest problem now was not the casualties and property damage caused on the night of the great battle in Mi Fort on Wednesday—the numerous earthquakes that night were enough to explain everything. The most difficult thing to explain now was the lush giant tree at the top of Sicar Mountain.
Sicar Mountain is very high, and under normal circumstances, even with very good weather, it’s hard to see the tree at the summit from the City. But Sicar Mountain, which is still under temporary control, will eventually reopen. Citizens going up the mountain will be able to observe that tree as soon as they reach the halfway point.
And obviously, the casualties on Wednesday night could be explained by the earthquake, but an earthquake wouldn’t make a giant tree grow on the mountaintop.
In addition, the sealed Gap is not impossible to enter now; there are still a few locations in the City and mountains where passages can be opened. Currently, the Church has sent two teams into it, confirming that the Gap is still the same as before, except that there are almost no souls to be found inside. It’s not that they don’t exist, but their numbers are extremely scarce.
The Gap is jointly sealed by the Holy Tree Mark and the Kiss of the Tree, and souls that die in the Sicar Mountain area are also difficult to be attracted to the Gap. Therefore, although Between Life and death can still be considered a Level 0 relic, there is almost no possibility of it going out of control.
As a price, the death aura that escaped from the Gap into the City and mountains on Wednesday night will make the probability of hauntings in Middlesburg much higher than in normal areas. The Church has therefore decided to expand the number of Ring術士 teams in the Middlesburg Diocese to better monitor the movements of Between Life and death over the next few hundred years.
“I have good news, I ran into your friend Captain Lades!”
After finishing the follow-up situation of the Mi Fort battle, Iluna sat on the sofa holding a teacup and said to Xia De:
“Captain is fine, nothing happened to him except a broken arm. On Wednesday night, he led his soldiers to complete the mission very well. Although after that dense fog dissipated, they almost forgot what they were fighting against, he will definitely be commended, and he might even be promoted from Captain to Major.”
Xia De was very happy for Captain Lades and hoped that the amulet he gave him truly worked.
“Although the nun from the Spiritual Cultivation Order became a Chosen One, Xia De said that you also inherited part of the power of the death Chosen One. Did you gain anything?”
Luvia asked Iluna, who nodded and showed them her Destiny Ring. As steam and whistle sounds rang out, a brass ring slowly appeared behind her, and four-colored spiritual light illuminated the living room. Iluna turned and pointed behind her:
“I gained a Ling Rune Miracle - 【Eye of death】.”
“Did you gain power similar to ‘Dark Vortex’?”
Xia De asked with great interest. Iluna nodded and showed the bone whistle from her pocket. This was the ancient death god symbol that the Truth Society gave to Joey Barton, and now this bone whistle was covered in cracks:
“This item related to the power of the ancient god, because it came into contact with the power of my ritual, can summon a spiritual horse that can fly for a short time and cross any environment. Unfortunately, this item can only be used three more times.”
She handed the bone whistle to Xia De and Luvia for inspection, then said with a smile:
“Besides that, I can now perceive death more acutely. The eye given by God—”
She glanced at Xia De:
“This eye has become even more powerful. Similar to Sister Devlin, whom Xia De mentioned, I can use this eye to see through the secrets of souls. Besides that, I can see… weaknesses. Yes, on any tangible and intangible entity, I can see their fatal weaknesses and send them to death by attacking those weaknesses.”
“What a pity, it’s not Barton’s ‘Fated death’.”
Xia De said regretfully, while Luvia thought this was already enough:
“The power of that eye is now comparable to most magic eyes, and it has no negative characteristics. Now Iluna can be said to simultaneously possess the powers of Balance, darkness, and death. That’s really good, Iluna, you did very well in Middlesburg.”
Iluna blushed a little:
“It’s mainly Xia De’s credit.”
But Xia De wasn’t concerned about that. He pointed to Iluna’s Destiny Ring:
“Now, are all your Four Ring Ling Runes complete?”
It was clearly just the beginning of autumn. When they retrieved the marriage contract together and obtained the Ling Rune 【Tragedy】, Iluna had just met the conditions for the Three Ring.
“Yes!”
The seventeen-year-old girl looked even happier, putting down her teacup:
“I gained inspiration when fighting the giant dragon on the airship, gained blasphemy and whisper during my time in Middlesburg, and finally the Miracle given by the death Chosen One’s power.”
Iluna’s core Ling Runes were originally three normal ones, which were inspiration - 【Hero】, 【Lucky One】, and 【Thunder】. After becoming a Chosen One of “Balance,” her core Ling Runes gained another Miracle - 【Balance】.
Now, the Sublimation Words connected by Ling Runes—
The 【Hero】 who 【Chases】 【Light】 will eventually 【Break Free】 from the 【Shackles】 of 【Destiny】.
This is a relatively rare Sublimation Words that can be formed in two ways.
Among them, 【Chase】, 【Light】, 【Hero】, and 【Break Free】 must be present, but only one of 【Destiny】 and 【Shackles】 is required. Of course, different combinations will lead to different sublimation rituals, and the final form of the Sublimation Words will also be different. Iluna ultimately chose 【Shackles】.
