Violet Marshall, the Witch Emperor of the late fifth epoch. Xia De had actually met her before this… In fact, just a few minutes after he obtained his current time key from the seal in Sicar Mountain, by touching the handprint on the well that connected to death, Xia De not only gained 【Witch Echo: Violet】 but also saw an illusion of this lady.
And even earlier, when Xia De obtained the 【Night Watchman】 at the Flame Demon’s seal, he had also seen the battle memories left by this lady.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
Xia De greeted her very respectfully, while also observing the Witches around him.
Although the six genuine Witches were acting as maids, they were clearly under the command of this Witch Emperor. And Miss Schultz Teresa, a tenth-grade student from Success Higher Medical College, was, without surprise, likely a Thirteen-Tier Witch.
In fact, students of the Three Great Arcane Academies were allowed to submit their graduation thesis, participate in assessments, and apply for graduation after entering the 9th grade, but they were also allowed to continue their studies. Theoretically, it was even allowed to study until the Thirteenth Ring, but no one would do that.
"A traveler from another land?"
The Witch Emperor looked at him suspiciously, then noticed Xia De reaching out his hand to her.
So, this Thirteen-Tier Witch, like all the Witches Xia De had met in the past, reached out and grabbed his wrist. After a few seconds, she let go and looked at her palm by the light of the bonfire:
"You are a man?"
Her tone was slightly flat, but her expression was definitely not.
"Of course, the Gods have proven this point."
Xia De no longer knew how many times he had said this sentence.
"Relax a little, I'll check."
As she spoke, she waved her hand at Xia De, and as an unfamiliar power emerged, a red light flickered on the surface of his body:
"He really is a man?"
Miss Violet said in surprise, and Xia De understood that this was a power that could identify gender, but it should have been lost in the sixth epoch.
"Teresa, look, using him as a research subject would definitely be enough for you to graduate from Cerces three times. How about you take him, and let me have this opportunity?"
She suddenly smiled and said to her companion, but the young Thirteen-Tier Witch shook her head, which meant refusal.
"Can I gain your trust?"
Xia De asked. The fact that the other party did not immediately try to kill him meant that this contact had been successful.
"Wait a moment, for now, we can only confirm that you are male, but not whether you are human. This is Lost Lake, and no one can guarantee what else might be here."
After speaking, she instructed her maid:
"Bring that sword over."
Soon, a tall, red-haired young maid came over, holding a pure silver scabbard. The scabbard was also inlaid with various colored gems and diamonds, and Xia De was certain that they were truly just simple adornments.
The silver sword was drawn from its scabbard, and its blade glowed with a sacred light, as if reacting to the dense fog covering Lost Lake. The rune "My Heart is Pure, My Sword Smites Demons" emitted a clear yellow light.
This was the Night Watchman, the Night Watchman of the fifth epoch.
As the owner of this longsword in the year 1853 of the sixth epoch, Xia De felt a great deal of emotion seeing it in this distant time. Miss Violet motioned for Xia De to hold the sword, and the maid presented the sword to Xia De with both hands. Xia De gripped the hilt, nostalgically flicked the blade, and then performed a pretty sword flourish in the fog.
As a commemoration of encountering this sword again, he decided that after returning home, he would also wipe his own sword, even though this sword had the attribute of "not being stained by impurity."
"This sword was temporarily 'borrowed' by me; it cannot stay away from that mountain for long. But it seems you are indeed not a strange creature."
The Witch Emperor said with a light laugh, while Miss Teresa, wearing glasses, looked at the sword in Xia De’s hand:
"Sir, from an academic perspective, this sword seems to be more adapted to your power. When His Majesty and I held the sword, it didn't have this kind of reaction."
"This kind of reaction" referred to the sword's light becoming purer, which was a sign of the Night Watchman preparing for battle when encountering evil, and now "evil" seemed to be everywhere.
"Perhaps it's because my nature is kind."
Xia De said casually, and then, as expected, heard "her" soft laughter.
"In that case, Sir, you have gained my initial trust."
Xia De handed the sword back to the maid, and Miss Violet said, then gestured for Xia De to sit down and talk.
Although the Witches of the fifth epoch indulged in extravagance, in the adventurous environment, they only had tents and bonfires. The fire in front of them was so warm, and after Xia De, Miss Violet, and Miss Teresa all sat down, the flames leaped up even higher.
"Sir, why have you come here?"
Miss Teresa asked Xia De. This Witch, who had not yet graduated from the Miracle Academy, spoke with a slightly muffled voice.
Xia De thought for a moment and did not say that he was here to help them:
"I heard there is a wise one here who can answer any question, so I wanted to ask him why I am so special despite being a man."
This reason was immediately believed by the Witches, as the Witches were also very curious about this point.
"After entering the Lost Lake area, all kinds of strange things can indeed be encountered. First, we encountered an invisible attack, then everyone gradually began to lose their memories, and now a man who can touch Witches has appeared. Sir, I don't know where you heard that there is a wise one here, but you have come to the wrong destination. There is only one great one here, a true great one."
Even as a Thirteenth Ring, Miss Violet cautiously gestured for Xia De to notice the obsidian tower in the center of Lake Heart Island. The light of the bonfire made her face appear more three-dimensional:
"The great one, the God of the Lake 【Uncertain Wise One】, inspires the wisdom of mortals through the formless water. According to legend, this great one will appear here once every 500 years in the form of a saint, using the power of Lost Lake. During this time, the great one is willing to answer mortals' questions, but only one question at a time."
She pointed to the several people around, intending to introduce them further, but suddenly closed her mouth. At the same time, the Night Watchman, still held by the maid, suddenly vibrated violently:
"Oh no! Get closer to the fire!"
Miss Violet, wearing a pointed hat, said loudly. The six maids immediately put down all their work and quickly sat around the bonfire. It was clear that none of them wanted to get too close to Xia De, so in the end, Miss Violet and Miss Teresa actually squeezed in beside Xia De.
Everyone fell silent, and most of the maids even closed their eyes and covered their ears.
Xia De knew he should do the same at this moment, but he was too curious about what was happening.
So, amidst the increasingly strong Vibration of the Night Watchman, with a loud boom, a huge, long-haired black limb, resembling a spider's leg, seemingly descended from the sky, breaking through the fog and stepping onto Lake Heart Island.
In the moment, the chaotic four elements almost affected Xia De, whose soul was exceptionally stable. The fog was not dispersed, and the faintly visible long-haired limb could not be fully seen. But even so, Xia De, witnessing this scene, instantly felt as if spiders were crawling all over his body.
At this moment, he even seemed to glimpse a corner of a monstrous, spider-like evil being taller than the peaks of Sicar Mountain. Fortunately, the bonfire's light was enough to stabilize the sanity of the people here, but two maids still trembled all over, as if plunged into complete terror.
The long-haired limb quickly departed, and the chaotic elements returned to normal. But no one dared to speak immediately. After a long wait, Miss Violet finally motioned for her maids to return to work, and the maids still in terror were given water by their companions and treated with magical potions.
"Did you see that? This is Lost Lake. No one can say how many terrifying things are still here."
The Witch Emperor breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Xia De was unaffected except for his slightly pale face, she even praised him:
"You are the bravest man I have ever seen."
"But other men haven't had the chance to see this scene either."
Miss Teresa reminded, adjusting her glasses, and continued the previous topic:
"I am preparing my graduation thesis, so I want to seek wisdom from the great one. Miss Violet wants to seek the secret of immortal, eternal beauty, which is why she came here."
"Not for power?"
Xia De hesitated:
"Someone like you, shouldn't you continue to pursue power?"
"I don't have the talent to achieve demigod status, and besides, isn't eternal and unchanging beauty more important than power?"
This Witch Emperor of the late fifth epoch reached out and touched her fair face. This again reminded Xia De that the Great Witches of the late fifth epoch were definitely different from the Witches of the early and middle periods.
The Witches he had encountered before all had their own inner pursuits, yearning for Knowledge, power, or even the mysteries of the great one. But the Great Witches of this era were generally more... pragmatic.
"I know what you're thinking, but Sir, everyone's pursuits are different."
Miss Violet scoffed:
"I now possess the wealth of an entire nation, the most top-tier power in the material world, and the prettiest girls. All I lack is eternal and unchanging beauty. As for higher power, what if I obtain it? A demigod is not truly a great one after all, and will eventually age. I would rather exchange gold for a merman's elixir of immortality, and treasures to develop the best cosmetic magic potions, than pursue those unrealistic powers."
Xia De was silent for a moment, then looked at Miss Teresa, who again pushed up her glasses, shook her head slightly at Xia De, and then lowered her gaze. Clearly, this young lady did not entirely agree with this view.
