“Madam, I have no intention of criticizing your purpose; the pursuit of beauty is everyone’s right... I noticed that you understand my native language. Is this also the power of that God?”
“Yes.”
This Witch Emperor seemed quite easy to talk to:
“Where the God of Lakes, 【Uncertain Sage】, appears, people’s wisdom and knowledge will be enhanced, and there will be no communication barriers. Of course, due to the Lost Lake’s thick fog, the enhancement of wisdom is suppressed, so only language comprehension has this effect.”
The appearance of a God always changes some rule within an area. That God of Lakes sounds more like a “God of wisdom.” If the conjecture that the Old God’s power source all comes from the Ancient God is true, then the “God of Lakes’” power undoubtedly comes from the Ancient God 【Guardian Mentor】.
“I think a God will not answer our questions just because we reach their presence.”
Xia De also carefully pointed at the tower:
“The evidence is that you set up a campfire here instead of going directly to the base of the tower. Therefore, the God should also give trials, and only by passing them can we be told those secrets.”
Violet nodded with some surprise:
“Yes, you are wiser than all the foolish men I know.”
This was because Xia De had experienced too many similar things.
“What I want to express is that since there are three portions of wisdom we wish to seek, why don’t we first complete the God’s trial together, and then consider who can obtain that precious opportunity.”
He glanced at Schultz Teresa, the Tenth-Grade student from Cerces, and said softly:
“Violet Marshall, you are the strongest here, you don’t have to worry about us playing tricks.”
This Great Witch of the fifth epoch smiled and gently shook her head:
“But the problem is, why should I cooperate with you? I don’t think you have any value to me. Sir, merely having a special gender is not enough for me to generously share this opportunity with you.”
She was asking Xia De to demonstrate his value.
“I understand.”
Xia De nodded, reached into his pocket, and then, under the Witches’ astonished gaze, “took out” a heavy cloth bag.
The cloth bag was placed on the ground, making the sound of glass bottles clinking together. The maid opened the backpack and found it was indeed full of glass bottles.
She took one out, pulled out the stopper, and handed it to her mistress. Violet poured the liquid into her palm, rubbed it evenly, and then looked up at Xia De:
“holy water No. 4?”
“Yes.”
Xia De said somewhat reservedly:
“This entire backpack is undiluted holy water No. 4 concentrate.”
Xia De had bought these from Priest Augustus. It cost a considerable amount of spiritual power to turn these holy water concentrates into toys.
He thought this would be enough as his “ticket” to participate in this matter, but he didn’t expect Teresa to subtly shake her head at him.
Xia De blinked in confusion, then heard Violet say:
“It is indeed a good thing. I often use holy water No. 4 to cleanse my face. Last time I was attacked, my clumsy maid lost my makeup bag, so now I have a good replenishment.”
She said this while smiling at Xia De.
“Oh, I actually forgot the wealth of the Witch Emperors...”
Xia De sighed inwardly, realizing that the supplies he had prepared for the adventure probably wouldn’t catch her eye. Although history didn't record much about Violet Marshall’s living habits, the Witch Emperors of this era were capable of such extravagant acts as paving roads with gold.
Since ordinary materials were not worth mentioning to her, Xia De thought for a moment and then said:
“I actually have some special powers. Over the years, I have also visited Gods to uncover my own secrets.”
“Special powers? Show me.”
Violet made a gesture of invitation. Teresa, also sitting by the bonfire, looked at Xia De with curiosity.
Xia De nodded, not revealing his Destiny Ring, but the activation of the large-scale Miracle had already begun to rapidly consume spiritual power.
He sat there with a straight face, but for a while, nothing happened. Just as Teresa was puzzled, she saw the Witch Emperor suddenly look up at the sky.
Snow, scattered snowflakes, fell without warning from the thick fog above. The maids, who were repairing the damaged warning ritual, noticed the falling snow around them, curiously reached out to touch the snowflakes, and then quietly glanced at the man by the bonfire.
These snowflakes did not melt even by the bonfire, only melting into transparent water when they fell into Violet’s palm.
“This is...”
Teresa thought for a long time before asking, somewhat incredulously:
“Mystic Lock?”
“Yes, Mystic Lock.”
Violet nodded, continuing to touch the snowflakes with her palm, a smile on her face:
“Teresa, it seems that Saint Byron's Comprehensive College’s higher education level is still good all these years since I graduated. Yes, a Mystic Lock, and a very special composite Mystic Lock. It’s truly rare; for different Mystic Locks to appear on one person is already incredible, and the different Mystic Locks he possesses have almost entirely the same theme, like... different chapters broken down from a single story.”
Now it was Xia De’s turn to be surprised. This was the first time anyone had been able to discern the special nature of his current three Mystic Locks:
“Have you seen similar situations?”
“Of course not, but there are similar records in Saint Byron's Comprehensive College’s Library.”
The Witch nodded, and Xia De asked again:
“Then am I qualified?”
“Yes, you are qualified.”
Violet smiled and clapped her hands, shaking off the snow water from her palms. Although both were complete rulers of a region, unlike Larus III, Leia’s father, whom Xia De had met, Violet could even be said to be quite amiable and approachable:
“What an interesting man... Perhaps you can try to please me. Who knows, I might eventually give you the opportunity to seek wisdom from the God, to see how you managed to break through the Witch’s curse.”
She looked at Xia De with a strange expression, an expression Xia De was very familiar with. When Jialinna first wanted to treat him as a collectible, she had the same look.
Of course, even if Violet gave the opportunity to Xia De, Xia De couldn’t take it.
The Lost Lake, where everyone was currently, like Hope Town and Night Manor, and other eerie areas Xia De had experienced, still had the power of chaotic time.
Although it looked like the group’s quality of life was not bad, in reality, these eight ladies had no idea how long they had been here. The fact that they could still maintain their composure at this point was purely due to the large amount of supplies they carried.
Aside from the terrifying presences that occasionally appeared in the fog, Lake Heart Island itself was not a safe place. On this small Island, which could almost be seen at a glance, a God briefly residing in the material world lived in the black metal tower, while the rest of Lake Heart Island was covered by the ‘Lost Mist’.
Under normal circumstances, once one touched these mists, one would completely lose their direction. One could clearly see the entire Island at a glance, but no matter what, one could not reach the desired destination.
And staying in the fog for too long would also lead to one’s “misting,” a special state of erosion spreading from the skin to the epidermis. As thoughts stagnated and senses became numb, staying here would eventually lead to complete dissolution in the fog.
Violet, Teresa, and the six maids serving the Witch Emperor were able to stay here thanks to the bonfire in front of them. But unlike the flames used by the Founding of Saint Byron's, which contained the power of the sun, the flames before them were essentially the Witch Emperor’s Mystic Lock “Sea of Heart Fire.”
The “Lost Lake” area had significant restrictions on spatial Miracles. Four Ring Xia De could even summon the silver moon with a Mystic Lock in the outside world, but here he could only summon snowflakes like a One Ring. And for a Thirteenth-Order Witch, a Mystic Lock could only become this tiny scale.
Relying on this flame, Witch Emperor Violet Marshall and her six maids first arrived at Lake Heart Island, followed by Teresa, who came for her graduation thesis. That’s why when Xia De appeared, Violet said, “Another one has come.”
“Ladies, have you already seen that God?”
Now that the cooperation had been discussed, Xia De continued to inquire about the current situation.
“Before you came, we were preparing to set off. Although there appears to be no obstacle in front of us, there is only one correct path to reach the God’s tower without losing direction. This path is unstable and constantly changes, and even I need a long time to determine its location.”
Violet said:
“Moreover, to meet a Saint requires thorough preparation. Even if the other party is a benevolent God, the very existence of a God affects us.”
She pointed at her maids:
“Don’t think that I bring so many servants when I go out just to keep my quality of life from declining too much... Although that is part of the reason. In any case, after we leave, someone needs to look after the campfire here to ensure we still have a safe camp to return to. The original plan was for Teresa and me to meet the God together, so, Sir, are you going too? I need to remind you, no matter how miraculous you appear, the God’s power will not fail to affect you just because you are a special man.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Xia De nodded, reaching out and pressing his chest. Without divinity on him, relying only on those faint remnants and the First Fire, he could not stand before a God for a long time. But fortunately, this time there was a Witch Emperor to lead the way. Although Violet Marshall was far inferior to Felianna during the Thousand Tree Forest period, she was stronger than Olanorde, the Library administrator during the Dead Silence Valley period.
All three Witches were Thirteen-Tier, but there were differences between Thirteen-Tier and Thirteen-Tier.
