The wings disappeared, and the mist in the lake gradually dispersed. The two of them were now positioned directly beneath the huge black stone in the center of the lake, its surface adorned with golden Ling Runes flickering and changing like flowing water.
The White-robed Lady, holding a staff, bowed respectfully to Xia De:
"The final trial: answer an unanswerable question."
"Isn't that a paradox? How can an unanswerable question be answered?"
Xia De asked curiously, but the White-robed Lady stated the question without hesitation:
"Why am I here?"
"Sorry, what?"
Xia De didn't understand:
"Are you asking me to tell you why you remain in the material world instead of departing with the Ancient God?"
The White-robed Lady looked at Xia De:
"Yes, I am the angel of the Secret Keeper, the custodian of all Knowledge, the mentor who wields the light of wisdom, and the master of water and seas. Why do I remain in the material world?"
"Hmm... do you know yourself?"
"Of course I know, and you must answer this question—why am I here?"
Xia De found this incredible; this trial seemed even more exaggerated than the previous duel.
"Bearer of the Recorder's favor, when you come next, it will be your last time here. Bring the answer, and I will grant you the power you desire."
Looking at the Lady in front of him, who was radiating a soft white light, Xia De frowned and thought for a long time:
"Alright, I will go find the answer."
Even Priest Augustus didn't know the answer to this question, and Xia De believed that among normal people of this era, no one could possibly answer it. Therefore, he either had to find a non-human entity, or search for the answer in the past.
This was the last of the four trials to acquire divinity, and he felt he still had a chance to find the answer. Whether it took a day or two, a month or two, a year or two, the Lake Goddess would always be here, and he would definitely return.
He knew that acquiring divinity was not an easy task.
"Oh, one more thing, you once said that after I complete the first three trials, I could receive a gift or bring a friend. The first time I brought Sister Devlin, the second time was Professor Drake. Since the third trial is complete, what I want is..."
He wanted to say the wise man's stone. The Angel in front of him had already admitted to being the Angel of the Ancient God of knowledge and wisdom, the Secret Keeper, thus meeting the Keeper's requirements.
But before Xia De could finish, the White-robed Lady shook her head slightly:
"You just used the feather of the First Angel, which lowered the difficulty of the trial, so this is all you can receive."
A stone platform rose from the calm water beside them, with Xia De's Night Watchman, which had fallen into the lake, embedded in it. On the platform also lay a rather large gray stone box.
The stone box was a sliding type. When pushed open, it surprisingly contained 19 pairs of pristine white ribs. Pure white light illuminated Xia De's face, and some charred feathers floated in the air as illusory forms with the appearance of the ribs.
【Outsider, you have encountered a Miracle.】
"This is..."
Xia De reached out in surprise, and "She" immediately gave a hint:
【Outsider, you have touched the remains of an Angel.】
【These are sacred bones, remnants from the First Era. They can be added to weapons or made into potions. This is a top-tier material.】
Since he had already triggered an "Ancient Voice" once by contacting Priest Augustus (Chapter 678), he didn't hear an ancient story this time.
"The ribs of a Death Angel."
The White-robed Lady said, and Xia De nodded in astonishment. Although humans in this world, like humans in the Outsider's hometown, both have 12 pairs, a total of 24 ribs, it didn't seem particularly strange for an Angel, being a non-human entity, to have at least 19 pairs of ribs.
"This is my gift this time?"
"Yes, I think you know where to send it."
The White-robed Lady said softly. Xia De hesitated for a moment, carefully closing the lid of the stone box:
"I will return it. Thank you for your generosity."
Then he looked at the silver sword embedded in the stone platform. When the sword fell into the water earlier, Xia De had thought about diving to retrieve it after the fight.
"Hmm?"
He walked around to one side of the stone platform and reached out to pull the sword, but found he couldn't. He glanced at the White-robed Lady, and seeing no reaction from her, he stepped from the water onto the stone platform, arriving before the Night Watchman. He gripped the hilt with both hands, using the Red Dragon Power spell and the relic Impure Dragon Blood to provide strength. The whisper Ling Rune Power further greatly increased his own strength, but he still couldn't pull the sword out.
"Lady, what's going on?"
The Lake Goddess stood in the afternoon sun:
"I have bestowed extra power upon this sword. You need to gain its acknowledgment again to pull it out."
Xia De looked at the sword in front of him with hesitation:
"Silver Moon."
With gentle light emanating from his hands, he stood on the stone platform and solemnly gripped the hilt with both hands. The Silver Moon's radiance shone upon the silver sword's blade. Xia De took a deep breath:
"My heart is as clear as a mirror, and all my actions are just."
The sword's rune, "My heart is clear, my sword slays demons," glowed with a clear yellow light under the Silver Moon's radiance. Xia De slowly applied force, and the sword gradually emerged from the stone platform, inch by inch, until it was fully drawn.
Ripples spread across the calm lake surface. The Night Watchman's light flickered, as if celebrating its return to Xia De's hand. Xia De closed his eyes and sighed slightly. The exquisite swordsmanship used by the Lake Goddess just now flashed before his eyes; the Angel's swordsmanship had also become part of this sword. And upon touching this sword, Xia De also understood that besides resisting evil, remaining untainted, and enhancing spellcasting, the Night Watchman now had another characteristic—
If the sword is plunged into soil, a trickle of water will emerge from the soil.
Although this sounded somewhat useless, for an angel-level relic, any enhancement was invaluable.
"Excuse me, may I take some water from here?"
Xia De asked sheepishly again. The Aiken Ola's Arrow of Knowledge required a special bow or crossbow to fire, but weapon-type relics were always terrifyingly expensive. Therefore, he wanted to collect water for future use, so if he encountered a situation where he needed to use this arrow again, he could always use a water bow to fire it.
The White-robed Lady nodded generously. Xia De then found his water skin toy and dipped it into the water at his feet. As the water gurgled in, a strange mist emerged around them, and by the time Xia De had filled his water skin and straightened up, the mist had already vanished.
"Darn it, I forgot to ask what to prepare for the next visit."
He muttered to himself, but wasn't too worried. As long as he found the answer to the final trial, the Lake Goddess would certainly not prevent him from entering Lake Cherub.
Looking around again, he was now standing beside Professor Drake, holding a sword in his left hand and a water skin in his right. The stone box containing the Angel's remains lay at his feet, leaving an imprint in the muddy ground.
In front of the two of them was Winter Ness Lake. The calm lake surface was empty, as if nothing had just happened.
Professor Drake, in his wheelchair, looked at Xia De in surprise:
"Mr. Watson, weren't you going to duel the Lake Goddess? How did you come out with me?"
"Come out with you?"
Xia De sensed the time and found that the duration of his experience was normal, so it was the Professor who had a period of time cut off. The flow of time in Lake Cherub was clearly controlled by Lady Kirube.
"Also, when I came back just now, the dark clouds in the sky were dispersing. Were there dark clouds when we first entered the lake?"
"Dark clouds? I'm not sure about that, but it's over now."
Xia De said in a relaxed tone, but then thought of the arrow he couldn't shoot, and his mood suddenly soured:
"Let's go back, Professor."
The Professor nodded, not asking about the outcome of the duel. Xia De took out a hemp rope, slung the stone box onto his back, and then prepared to push the Professor's wheelchair back to the lake embankment. The rented carriage was still waiting for them. The carriage charged by the hour, and although Professor Drake was paying, Xia De couldn't waste money casually.
"Go back, go back..."
Professor Drake said dazedly. As Xia De pushed him to turn, he looked back at the Great Lake again. The recent experience gave the old gentleman a sense of unreality:
"Mr. Watson, do you think I'm dreaming right now?"
"Is it a dream?"
He asked in his heart.
【No.】
"Of course it's not a dream."
Xia De replied. The Professor nodded, and Xia De, behind him, couldn't see his expression. It wasn't until the two of them were back by the carriage, and the taciturn coachman was preparing to turn around and head back to the City, that Professor Drake spoke:
"Mr. Watson, I will probably be moving out of this City soon, to Weilandale City, to live with my son."
"That's good."
Xia De and the coachman helped the Professor into the carriage. The coachman was also muttering about the sudden dark clouds.
"Weilandale is the capital of Carson Rick, a big City. But why did you suddenly decide to move?"
Xia De asked, also getting into the carriage.
Professor Drake opened the carriage window, turned his head to look at the scenery outside, and at the Great Lake receding into the distance:
"I just feel there's no need to stay in Huntington anymore."
He clasped his hands together, slowly closed his eyes, and softly said:
"Pursue wisdom, fear Knowledge, reject grace. The story of my life has been wonderful enough."
The Professor paused, and when he opened his eyes again, the eyes that had previously lost their luster, seemingly just waiting for death, seemed to have regained the color of life:
"Perhaps Professor Manning was right, I should get a cat. My two sons and one daughter are all in Weilandale, and my little granddaughter really likes cats. It's been many years since I corresponded with old friends like Manning. This move, I should write to tell them my new address, so we can keep in touch. Oh, Mr. Watson, I'll also give you my new address. If you visit Weilandale in the future, remember to look for me."
"Of course."
Xia De said with a smile. He was very happy that Professor Drake had come to terms with things. Although for the Professor, nothing had changed—he was still the old gentleman with a limp and lost memories—the Professor had let go.
"Before I leave, check my study again."
The Professor suggested again, then pointed out the window, and together with Xia De, they were surprised to see snowflakes falling. The snow seemed to be celebrating Xia De's victory, but also commemorating the departure of an old citizen.
"Of course, but why check?"
Xia De asked curiously, and Professor Drake shook his head:
"Take away all the things I've forgotten, the things whose origins I don't know. Those all belong to you now."
--- Digression ---
PS: Correcting a small detail in the previous text (retcon). Chapter 816 mentioned that the Heaton Seal required the Ling Rune Power of "Miracle" and "inspiration" to learn. Now it's changed to "Miracle," "inspiration," and "whisper" can all learn it, only "blasphemy," which symbolizes the power of the evil god, cannot.
PS2: Asking for votes at the end of the month, votes, votes, votes.
