The cat led the way, and Xia De and Sister Devlin, leading their horses, also arrived on the surface of Lake Carlec.
When they first started walking on the lake, the surrounding scenery was very clear. Xia De could clearly see the three rings on Mia's tail not far ahead, and only the smell of damp water could be detected on the lake's surface; but after walking another dozen steps, a water mist rose from nowhere, and the thick fog enveloping them suddenly obscured the lakeside scenery. Even Mia, who was ahead, was only visible by her flexible tail in the dense fog.
In the dense fog, the Ring of Metamorphosis, fish training ring, and vampire ring seemed to be glowing, dispelling some of the mist and making that tail exceptionally clear.
"Where did such a thick fog come from?"
Xia De thought to himself, but like the Sister, he said nothing. The two silently led their horses deeper into the lake. Unknowingly, Mia in front became clearer and clearer, and the surrounding dense fog gradually dispersed.
However, the area around the lake was no longer the countryside scenery of Huntington City's western suburbs, but a winter forest surrounding a lake. It seemed they had traveled through another space-time while walking on the lake, arriving at the mysterious Lake Cherub.
"Look, the Lake Heart Island."
Xia De whispered to Sister Devlin, then sighed:
"Every time I find this place, it's so interesting. If I could come here dozens of times consecutively, it would be enough to publish a fairy tale book."
Mia had already successfully landed on the Island and was excitedly looking around. Before Xia De and Sister Devlin could catch up, a "dangerous" large creature also appeared on the shore of the Lake Heart Island.
It was the wild wolf that was "resurrected" by the power of the relic Swamp Witch when Xia De first saw Lake Cherub but failed to make contact.
He had seen it on his last visit to the Island, and he didn't expect it to still be on the Island.
The wild wolf was very strong in combat among its pack when it was alive, otherwise, it wouldn't have survived to the end under Xia De's pursuit, and its size was definitely a "giant" for Mia.
The wolf appeared in front of Mia. The city cat had never seen such a creature and looked at it curiously. The wild wolf was eager to pounce on the "weak" cat, so the orange cat "howled" at the wolf in a threatening manner:
"Meow~"
The "resurrected" wild wolf immediately ran away with its tail between its legs. By the time Xia De released the reins and quickly came to Mia's side, the wolf had even disappeared into the low bushes on the Island.
"Oh, my Mia, how could you be so bold? If that wolf hadn't been intimidated by me, you would have been in danger today!"
Xia De quickly picked up the cat. The cat looked at him confusedly, then snuggled into Xia De's arms. Behind Xia De, Sister Devlin, who led the two horses ashore, clearly felt that it was the strange cat itself that had scared away the strange wolf.
In short, compared to the previous two visits to the Lake Goddess, this visit was surprisingly smooth.
After putting the two horses on the shore and letting them graze, Xia De and Sister Devlin came to the water's edge in the center of the Lake Heart Island.
A sharply angled, slender giant stone stood in the center of the lake, and the White-robed Lady with a staff was waiting for the two of them beneath the stone.
"Sister, the lake here prohibits abilities like walking on water."
Xia De reminded softly.
Sister Devlin nodded, then respectfully bowed to the White-robed Lady in the center of the lake, and finally lowered her head to "gaze" at the unruffled water of the Lake Heart Island's central lake.
After a moment of hesitation, she bent slightly, reached under the hem of her robe, and took off her brown, ladies' lace-up short fabric boots, placing them on the shore.
With her hands clasped together on her abdomen, Sister Devlin, as if on a pilgrimage, stepped barefoot into the water. To Xia De's surprise, she actually stood on the water's surface, just like the "Lake Goddess."
Sister Devlin walked towards the center of the lake, the trailing hem of her nun's robe leaving arc-shaped ripples on the calm water, but the robe itself did not get wet.
Xia De did not look at Sister Devlin's feet; in this era, directly peeking at a lady's feet was a very impolite act:
"But, can she stand on water just by taking off her shoes?"
He wondered, guessing, but no matter how he thought about it, he knew it wouldn't be that simple.
So he looked up again at Sister Devlin's back. The Sister had already reached the center of the lake. After bowing again to the White-robed Lady with the staff, she turned to "look" at Xia De:
"Xia De, empty your mind, let yourself merge with this world, imagine you are this boundless water itself."
The Sister seemed to have given a direct answer, but in reality, it was like Xia De telling Angelina the conclusion of his paper and asking Angelina to prove it. Sometimes what is important is not the answer, but the process, and Xia De felt that he could not yet reach the realm of the Flame-Holding Nun.
Therefore, he could still only rely on the Red Dragon Power and the Frog's Leap to jump from the shore to the center of the lake.
"Lady Kirube."
After stabilizing himself, Xia De nodded slightly in greeting, and as the White-robed Lady looked at him, he coughed and announced:
"I believe I have completed your first trial, proving my power, wisdom, and charm at the grand wedding banquet in Tobesk."
"Do you have proof?"
The gentle voice asked.
"Yes."
Xia De had already thought of this, reaching into his embrace:
"You see, this pink silk scarf was thrown to me by an Eleventh-Ring Great Witch when she acknowledged my power; this handkerchief was lost to me by a genuine princess when she acknowledged my wisdom; and this silk scarf, yes, it was originally tied around the neck of a seventeen-year-old girl. She gave this silk scarf to me as a gift when she acknowledged my charm."
It didn't feel like anything when he carried them, but now, taking them out in front of Sister Devlin, he suddenly felt a bit awkward.
Fortunately, Sister Devlin usually had an expressionless face, so Xia De didn't have to guess her thoughts.
The White-robed "Lady Kirube" nodded slightly:
"Yes, Xia De Hamilton, you have successfully passed the first trial of the Four Trials."
Xia De smiled:
"Then what is the second trial? I'm already a bit impatient."
"Show me your wisdom, explore the secrets of the past.
Why did Kansas Drake, a retired folklorist professor living in the Old Town of Huntington City, Carson Rick, during the sixth epoch, come to me, what price did he pay, and what wish did he make?"
As she spoke, ripples spread across the calm water beneath their feet. As the clear image of the lake bottom blurred, a scene appeared on the water's surface: Professor Drake sitting on a sofa in his home, drinking tea and reading a newspaper.
He was completely unaware that three "people" were watching him, still wearing a self-contented expression.
"Do I need to answer these three questions?"
"Yes, but what you need to investigate is actually just one thing."
The White-robed Lady said, and the image on the water's surface immediately disappeared.
Xia De nodded:
"Yes, I understand. I will complete this task as soon as possible."
"When you complete the second trial, come find me again, and please prepare a longsword."
She reminded again. Xia De nodded once more, stroking the cat in his arms, knowing that the next time he sought this lake, it would be a new trick.
Mia was looking at the surroundings with curiosity at this moment. Although she disliked unfamiliar environments, since Xia De was still here, she would not be afraid. Her big eyes finally looked at the White-robed Lady, and "Lady Kirube" also saw her.
The "Lake Goddess" nodded slightly, and the cat's gaze then shifted elsewhere. After all, there were many interesting things here.
