Even Miss Violet was unwilling to stay in the Lost Lake area for too long, as she was also affected by the place.
Therefore, once it was confirmed that Xia De also wanted to follow along, she called out to Miss Teresa, who wore glasses and looked very calm, and they got up, ready to depart.
From the bonfire on Lake Heart Island to the tower, the measured straight-line distance was no more than 100 meters, but due to spatial distortion and special phenomena caused by the mist, the actual distance between them was about 500 meters.
Based on preliminary probes, the greatest danger of this journey was losing the correct direction; there should be no enemies in the fog.
However, to be safe, Miss Violet reminded her two companions to prepare for battle and even temporarily handed the Night Watchman to Xia De.
After all, he couldn't possibly run off with a sword, and from Miss Violet's attitude, this weapon was nothing to her.
In short, after hanging the relics, the Seeker's Compass and the Lucky Iron Cross, on her waist, Miss Violet held a ball of fire in her hand and led Xia De and Miss Teresa into the mist.
Leaving the bonfire's range, the surrounding temperature dropped rapidly.
It was not quiet around them; strange, sharp noises intermittently sounded from all directions, making one uneasy.
In the oppressive environment, malicious gazes seemed to lurk everywhere, but even Xia De, with his “other self,” could not discern what was watching the three of them.
No one spoke during the journey through the mist; the entire process was incredibly oppressive.
The power of the Witch Emperor, Thirteen-Tier, protected them in the form of an invisible barrier, but even so, although the three of them reached the bottom of the dark metal tower without incident, by the time they arrived at their destination, everyone was panting heavily, more exhausted than if they had endured a difficult battle.
Around the tower where the great one resided, there were no materialized boundaries like fences.
When they crossed a certain invisible “boundary,” the surrounding mist instantly dissipated, and their vision completely returned to normal.
But this also meant that the Witches and Xia De had finally arrived near the great one.
The great one's very existence demonstrated Its immense power.
In addition to the dissipation of the mist, the evidence also lay in the fact that they were merely standing at the outer edge of the tower; even if they closed their eyes and plugged their ears, they could still feel what kind of great one existed within the tower.
The Outsider had met with great ones multiple times in this world, but each time, he couldn't help but sigh that mortals were truly fragile and insignificant compared to these high-dimensional existences.
“We’re finally here…”
Miss Violet, wearing a pointed hat, recovered the fastest and was now looking at the tower with a serious expression.
Miss Teresa, a Ten-Tier Witch, silently lowered her head, resisting the powerful mental pressure that the great one's existence itself exerted on mortals.
They could all feel that the surrounding air was unusually humid, yet there was no discernible water mist in the air; this was the most basic influence of the God of Lakes on the environment.
Fortunately, this great one was a benevolent great one, and the invisible water mist in the air seemed to have a healing effect on the mind; walking in the water mist was more comfortable than being caressed by a spring breeze.
Xia De knew he had no divinity at this time, so he stood behind Miss Violet and observed the black tower.
The tower was divided into three tiers, and the saint was undoubtedly on the first tier at this moment.
“Be careful, stand behind me.”
She said softly, carefully straightening her clothes; although the great one did not care about this, mortals had to show their respect.
“Get ready, and follow me to meet the great one.
Be extremely careful; if you find yourself unable to bear it, do not hesitate, turn around and leave immediately.”
Xia De had nothing to prepare, while Miss Teresa took out a black runestone necklace and hung it around her neck.
The runestone had white depressions forming the ancient rune meaning “believer”:
“The Demon-tier relic, Proof of Faith, when worn and continuously praising the great one in one's heart, can slightly resist the mental impact of the great one's existence itself.
It has almost no effect when facing evil great ones but can play some role when facing benevolent great ones.”
She said softly.
After confirming that her companions were ready, Miss Violet repeatedly breathed to adjust her mood, and then, as if going to her death, she reached out and pushed open the black iron door in front of her, walking in first.
Inside and outside the tower, it was as if two completely isolated and disconnected spaces.
After pushing open the door, the interior was indeed the size and height of the tower's first tier, but the internal space was a tranquil lake with white mist floating above it.
The water surface had not even a ripple, as smooth as a mirror.
In the center of the tower's first tier, which was also the center of that small lake, a desk was placed, and behind the desk sat a lady.
On the desk was also a golden candelabrum with three golden candles of varying heights; the strange candlelight illuminated the surface of the thick, heavy, and luxurious brown wooden desk.
And the lady, appearing to be in her forties and wearing a pointed hat like Miss Violet, was the great one waiting there.
Besides the candelabrum, there were also several stacked books and some small bottles on the desk in front of the great one.
But looking closely, they seemed like illusions in the water mist, not real at all.
Xia De slightly breathed a sigh of relief; this was not the great one's true form, but a saint who had descended by means of a vessel.
The saint's appearance was that of a golden-haired, black-eyed lady, and in addition to her pointed hat, her glasses were also very peculiar.
The left lens was in the shape of a pentagram, and the right lens was in the shape of an equilateral triangle.
None of the three dared to look directly at the great one.
The Great Witch even quietly took off her hat and handed it behind her; Miss Teresa neatly took it and then threw it out the door.
Xia De, meanwhile, inserted the suddenly quiet Night Watchman into the muddy ground at the doorway; he would not bring a weapon to meet the great one.
The great one was right in front of them, its humanoid body occupying the position of a “person,” but in actual perception, it was even larger and more terrifying than the entire eerie Lost Lake.
Miss Violet dared not even contemplate what form the existence before her truly took; she could only slightly empty her mind to maintain her clarity.
She stepped formally into the tower, her feet standing on the surface of the water, ripples spreading outwards, and respectfully bowed inside.
Compared to the other Witches Xia De had met, apart from Miss Felianna, Miss Violet was undoubtedly the calmest when facing the great one.
Compared to the Thirteen-Tier Great Witch, Miss Teresa's performance was more in line with Xia De's understanding.
She walked into the tower almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Xia De, standing on the water's surface.
But even with the protection of a special relic, Miss Teresa, in the next moment, almost without transition, swayed and nearly fell onto the water's surface, fortunately being caught in time by Xia De next to her.
She wanted to thank him but found that on the man's hand supporting her, dense, fiery red cracks were spreading across his entire body.
Looking up again, the fiery red embers had already covered his entire body, and fiery red specks of light on his clothes even drifted into the tower with the wind blowing from outside the tower's door, only disappearing after touching Miss Violet's hair.
The Great Witch standing in front of the two also seemed to sense something and turned around, surprised to see Xia De's current appearance.
After a moment of stunned, she couldn't recognize what it was.
“I'm fine.”
Xia De said softly, steadily supporting Miss Teresa.
Compared to the two Witches, his current condition was still good.
Although the mental pressure became stronger after entering the tower's interior, he could barely maintain it as long as the great one had no ill intent:
“Miss Violet, let's begin.”
“You look even better than I do.”
The Great Witch mumbled, suppressing her questions about Xia De in her heart, and turned again to respectfully bow to the saint illuminated by the golden candelabrum in the center of the water, while the latter continued to smile at them.
“Greetings, Formless and Shapeless Water, Guardian of Lakes and the Water of Wisdom.”
She said respectfully, then softly inquired:
“Please give us a trial, and bestow upon us that wisdom which mortals cannot touch.”
“If you wish to touch wisdom, please come closer.”
As the saint's gentle words, the light from the golden candelabrum on the desk intensified.
The dense mist dissipated somewhat, and the candelabrum's light illuminated three chairs by the desk.
Xia De noticed that Miss Teresa, whom he was supporting, immediately turned pale, but she did not give up:
“Everything is for the graduation thesis!”
She said softly, her tone so firm that Xia De almost laughed in this serious setting.
Miss Violet didn't hesitate, walking towards the desk in the center of the water, choosing the chair on the left.
She had expected Xia De and Miss Teresa to be a bit slower, but Xia De was almost right behind her.
After pulling out the remaining two chairs, Miss Teresa naturally didn't choose the central one, so Xia De sat in the very center.
“wisdom is the wisdom of the wise.
Show me the wisdom you possess, and then you can gain My wisdom.”
After the three sat down, the smiling saint said softly.
Her voice was so gentle, like a gently flowing stream.
Xia De clearly felt that even though there were three people present, the great one was definitely speaking to him.
Miss Teresa dared not speak at all at this moment; if she weren't holding Xia De's arm, she would even be somewhat unsteady, and she was trembling violently, at such a high frequency that even Xia De began to shake.
The Thirteen-Tier Witch Emperor pursed her lips, trying to organize her words.
But Xia De was really running out of time, so the Outsider, with rich experience in communicating with great ones, spoke up and asked:
“Hello, great one of the lake.”
“Hello, Chosen One of the Recorder.”
This was a new title for Xia De, and Miss Violet, with her head lowered, looked at Xia De in surprise, only to find Xia De looking up at the great one behind the desk, and while bleeding from all seven orifices, he asked quite familiarly:
“Oh great one, please tell us, how shall we demonstrate our wisdom?”
“You need to complete three trials to exchange for My wisdom.”
The saint said in a gentle tone, dealing with such a benevolent great one was much better than fighting with that blood-sucking great one.
“Please, what kind of trials are they?”
Xia De asked again; if it weren't for the blood currently flowing onto his front and knees, Miss Violet would even think he was chatting with an acquaintance:
“So, he actually helped me?”
The small water surface was shrouded in mist, and the desk on the water surface was surprisingly well-suited to this atmosphere.
The great one behind the desk had a gentle expression, and although the three people in front of the desk were gradually decaying physically, under the influence of the great one's power, their minds were exceptionally calm, their souls serene as if they were about to melt into the amorphous water beneath their feet.
Miss Violet temporarily put aside her suspicions about Xia De and heard the answer with him:
“The first trial is to bring Me the crystallization of your wisdom.”
---Author's Note---
PS: The Chapter Fragment mentions that the Chosen One has five trials; don't confuse them.
