The invisible staircase was not a straight path, but twisted irregularly as it ascended. Although each section was connected, the staircase's distortion far exceeded Xia De's imagination. They walked quite slowly, the Witches behind him pulling on the hem of his upper garment, carefully watching where his feet landed.
When Xia De tried to mentally reproduce the appearance of this twisted staircase fully revealed, the spirals and turns, completely defying normal human thought, made Xia De groan and nearly stumble. Building this staircase required extremely terrifying Knowledge, and the staircase's shape itself was part of Knowledge.
The first floor of the tower was much higher than it appeared from the outside; the three of them ascended at least twice the height of what looked like one floor from the outside, yet still hadn't seen the second floor.
As they ascended further, the influence of the great one's presence on mortals began to make Miss Teresa unable to bear it. The young Witch did not want to become a burden to her companions, but in the end, she had no choice but to be supported by Miss Violet.
Continuing upwards like this, it was only at the 14-minute mark of Xia De's adventure in this lost time that they finally saw a floating bronze door appear higher up.
Carefully ascending the invisible staircase, when they finally reached the door, both Xia De and Miss Violet breathed a sigh of relief:
"The great one is on the second floor behind the door. I'm opening it now."
Xia De instructed them from behind, and with a gentle push, the door opened. The great one had not set a test for opening the door. Xia De walked through the door without hesitation, then found himself standing on solid ground, a feeling that greatly pleased him. The thought of having to walk that staircase again when leaving made him feel a bit flustered.
“I've memorized the location of all the staircases.”
Xia De's mood immediately improved significantly.
The environment on the second floor inside the tower was very interesting. The first floor was a lake shrouded in mist, while the second floor was a stream bank.
Mist still permeated here, with a bank on one side and a stream on the other. The bank was a pebble beach, and the water flowed from one direction to another. If one looked closely, it was impossible to discern the source of the flowing water.
But neither on the pebble beach nor on the water surface could the trace of the Lake Goddess, the Unstable Sage, be seen.
Miss Violet supported Miss Teresa behind Xia De. The Great Witch looked at the golden marks on Xia De's body, suppressing the urge to touch them:
"Is the great one on the third floor, then?"
"No, it's right here."
Xia De said, then extended his hand:
"I think I know what's going on. The ancient great one of Knowledge who left is related to water, so give me all your theses."
The Witches' two theses were handed to Xia De. Xia De then took out his own thesis and went to the stream bank under the Witches' gaze.
Bending down, he dropped Miss Violet's thesis on the modified fire-resistant potion into the water. It floated away from the bank and gradually sank into the water.
"Miss Violet, congratulations."
Xia De said softly, and the Witch Emperor behind him managed a smile.
Bending down, he dropped the third chapter of Miss Teresa's graduation thesis into the water. It floated away from the bank, but then floated back.
"Hmm, Miss Teresa, I'm afraid your graduation thesis is not up to standard."
The Witch from Success Higher Medical College, supported by her aunt, felt that she was truly out of luck at this moment.
Bending down, he dropped his mathematical thesis into the water. It floated away from the bank, spinning as it submerged.
"Thank you, Miss Sylvia!"
Xia De silently praised in his heart, picked up Miss Teresa's thesis, returned to the Witches' side, and handed the thesis back to her. The young Witch of the Thirteenth Ring took the somewhat damp pages with a troubled expression. Xia De seemed to see Miss Violet smile.
The originally gently flowing stream developed vibrating ripples after Xia De retreated. After a moment, as a vortex appeared on the stream's surface, the great one slowly rose from the vortex.
She stood barefoot in the vortex, dressed in a long purple robe. The Saint still looked like the blonde, black-eyed lady, wearing a pointed hat. The left lens of her glasses was a five-pointed star shape, and the right lens was an equilateral triangle shape.
Both of her hands held two theses, which were the crystallized wisdom of Xia De and Miss Violet.
"O great one~"
The three of them greeted the great one, who, with a smile on her face, spoke from above the stream:
"You have brought your crystallized wisdom and completed the first test."
The two theses transformed into streams of light and disappeared. Xia De and Miss Violet also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"great one, what is our second test?"
Xia De asked softly, but the Saint shook her head slightly:
"My test only requires one crystallization of wisdom, but you have brought two. Before I give you the second test, you deserve an extra reward."
Xia De blinked, understanding that this was an extra reward for exceeding the test's requirements:
"May I ask, what do you wish to give us?"
The Witches were still anticipating the great one to reveal the reward's content, but they didn't expect Xia De to boldly ask directly.
The great one radiated a faint glow, asking him from above the stream, her gentle voice so sacred:
"Before I give you an extra gift, please answer me, what is wisdom like?"
This question did not stump Xia De at all:
"Water. wisdom is formless like water, yet like water, it can shape all things."
Whether it was the great one before him, the Lake Goddess of the sixth epoch, or the tests of the Chosen One, they were all accompanied by water flow when they appeared. Although Xia De had not explored the mysteries within, he immediately found the answer when the great one asked the question.
"Yes, wisdom is like flowing water, ceaseless."
With a long sigh from the great one, three transparent water droplets flew towards the foreheads of the three. No one blocked the water droplets, and as they touched their brows, a cool sensation instantly made all three feel as if they had just awakened from a deep dream. A massive amount of Ling, accompanied by Miracle elements, surged into their bodies and souls. This did not bring Xia De new Ling Runes or spells; he received a blessing.
This was not a temporary blessing like the "Verdant Blessing" given by the Father of Infinite Trees, but a permanent blessing, like the "Gambling God's Blessing."
"The Sage's Blessing. This cannot increase your wisdom, nor can it give you unique talents beyond ordinary people. But when you are lost or tempted, you will be able to awaken more quickly. The Sage never directly gives power; the Sage only gives direction."
This was equivalent to resisting various negative mental states such as "charm, confusion, chaos." Although not complete resistance, being able to unconditionally increase resistance was always very pleasing.
"Thank you for your generosity, great one."
The three thanked her together. Miss Violet was happy to receive the great one's blessing for doing almost nothing; Miss Teresa was somewhat troubled that she hadn't made any contribution; Xia De realized that although the great one had given specific tests, there were rewards for exceeding the trial's requirements.
This made him even more enthusiastic about this time key from Fifth Epoch 5177.
The great one's voice continued:
"Your second test is to offer a sacrifice that satisfies me."
Xia De respectfully asked:
"What kind of sacrifice?"
"Water."
"Are there any requirements?"
"Consider it yourself."
"How to satisfy you?"
"This requires your wisdom."
Xia De took a deep breath, knowing that this time he would need to search in the time and space of the sixth epoch again:
"great one, please give us some time. Also, can you tell us the third test as well?"
The next time would be his third use of this time key. If he learned of the third test when he came next time and it could not be completed immediately, then he would be in big trouble.
"Only after completing the second test can you learn the third test."
The great one said, and seeing that Xia De did not continue to ask, she disappeared into the mist of the stream's surface along with the vortex. The stream returned to calm, leaving only the three of them standing by the bank.
Inside the tower was not a good place to discuss things. The three first left the tower and began discussing only after reaching outside. At this point, it was already the 26th minute of Xia De's arrival here, so it seemed he still couldn't return to the camp with the Witches this time.
"Are there any records in books about what kind of sacrifices the followers of this great one usually offered?"
Miss Teresa was still recovering. Xia De saw Miss Violet recover and immediately asked. The Witch Emperor came to the Lost Lake of the Broken Islands prepared; she must have investigated this great one beforehand.
"Clear lake water, morning dew at dawn, the tears of an infant's first cry."
Miss Violet said. The benevolent great ones of the fifth epoch, like the five righteous great ones of the sixth epoch, never demanded human sacrifices. And if mortals truly wished to offer sacrifices, they only used ordinary, easily obtainable items.
For example, the sacrifices offered under the holy emblem of father peace were often old soldiers' weapons or feathers dropped by white doves; Mr. Dawn, whom Xia De and Priest Augustus worshipped, accepted scriptures copied by mortals at dawn.
Only evil great ones, including but not limited to the Blood Feast Lord and that undignified Vampire Duke, would demand living sacrifices.
Xia De and Miss Violet were talking when they heard Miss Teresa retching again. The Witch Emperor frowned, checking her condition:
"The further one ascends the tower, the stronger the great one's influence on mortals becomes. Teresa stayed on the second floor for too long; next time she cannot come with us."
"No, aunt, since I'm already here, how can I give up?"
Miss Teresa said with a pained expression. Her body was not harmed; the spiritual injury was the key point.
"There will always be a way for your graduation thesis."
Xia De advised, then placed his hand on Miss Teresa's forehead:
"Cindyia's Silver Moon Grace."
This healing ability specialized in mental treatment. Although it could only be used at night, it was very effective for mental injuries. Miss Violet should also have similar power, but she needed to preserve her Ling to prevent the next attack. Moreover, in the eyes of a Great Witch of the Thirteenth Ring, such injuries that could self-heal with time did not require treatment at all.
"It's not about the graduation thesis, nor is it to receive the great one's blessing like this time. Violet His Majesty, how many such opportunities do mortals have?"
Miss Teresa struggled to raise her head. She grabbed Xia De's hand and barely stood upright, feeling the power of the silver light from Xia De's right hand:
"Sir, I am not like you. I am just an ordinary Witch."
Although her spirit was still weak, her eyes were still so powerful.
"Alright then."
Xia De nodded.
"Aren't you going to try to persuade her anymore?"
Miss Violet asked with a smile, looking Xia De up and down:
"I thought you would say that life is more important."
"Life is important, but for some, the pursuit of Knowledge and exploration is even more important. To witness higher scenery, sometimes one does indeed need to pay a price, so I admire those brave and rational climbers. Although Miss Teresa has not yet graduated, she is an adult, and why should I refute the choices she makes for herself?"
Xia De countered, and the bespectacled Witch receiving Xia De's treatment revealed a faint smile. Miss Violet nodded with slight surprise, raising an eyebrow:
"To hear such words from a man is truly unexpected. Oh, this is not sexism, just a summary of life experience. Yes, brave and rational climbers."
She caressed her cheek:
"Girls like her, who don't have my beauty, indeed can only climb higher by pursuing truth and wisdom. Yes, Schultz, next time I will still take you, but you must prepare yourself for not being able to return."
Xia De looked at Miss Teresa's expression again—she had no expression. The Witch Emperor of the fifth epoch, although somewhat different from what Xia De imagined, was, on the whole, indeed not much different from his imagination.
—Outside Story—
PS: In Data Pack 2, a "Constant State" item has been added.
Data Pack 2 aims to record all of Xia De's extraordinary powers. If there are any omissions, please feel free to point them out in the comments.
