Saturday night was Xia De and Leia's date. After Xia De woke up from his "coma," Luvia mentioned that Dorothy seemed to have made some preparations for this evening. However, unfortunately, Dorothy's "special period," which began on Tuesday, had still not ended by Saturday night.
After the study session on Saturday afternoon, when Her Royal Highness's soul exchange entered Writer's body and saw Dorothy's message in the notebook, her expression at that time was very unpleasant.
Of course, although her physical condition during the "special period" did not allow her to eat overly cold food, it would at least not affect their normal date. Although it was no longer snowing, the winter cold and the snow on the ground made both Xia De and Leia, who was using Golden-haired girl's body, unwilling to go out.
That evening, the two of them sat on the clean carpet in front of the fireplace, each holding textbooks for the exam at the end of next month. The firelight illuminated their faces, and a lazy cat was curled up in front of the fireplace.
Although the two of them did not talk much throughout the evening, Xia De could tell that, at least before going to bed, Leia was quite satisfied with the night.
"When I have time, I'm going to paint 'Xia De and Dorothy in front of the fireplace' as an oil painting, frame it, and hang it in my own bedroom. My oil painting skills are quite good, and I'm sure I can finish it before the end of the year."
Leia said to Xia De before going to sleep. She was wearing pajamas, and in front of Xia De, she somewhat regretfully temporarily placed the youthful immortality leaf in the study drawer. Her emerald eyes drooped slightly as she looked at Xia De:
"What a pity."
Xia De knew what this meant, and Mia, for the first time in a long time, was able to rest on the bed in the bedroom on Saturday night. This was a privilege this cat had not enjoyed for a long time since the first Red Butterfly Day.
Because they went to bed very early on Saturday night, not only did Xia De, who was preparing for his last adventure of Fifth Epoch 5177, wake up very early, but Leia also woke up very early.
When Golden-haired girl opened her eyes, the familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling reminded her that she was at Saint Delan Square Six. When she got up, she found that Xia De, who had been on the other side of the bed, was already gone, but the sound of brushing teeth from the bathroom indicated that he had not yet left.
On the four-poster bed, not only was there a sleepy Leia, but also a drowsy cat on the outer side of Xia De's soft pillow. It was startled awake by Leia's movement.
The cat, awake in the early morning, had drooping eyelids, making it appear dumber than usual, completely lacking its usual cleverness. It remained in a prone position, looking left and right, and only stood up after confirming that Xia De was not beside it. Its rear end slightly raised, its two furry front paws stretched forward, and its hind paws stretched backward, performing a stretch. After stretching, Mia immediately became energetic.
It ignored Leia on the bed and deftly jumped off. After Bypass the bed, Leia only saw the cat's figure flash past the bedroom door, and heard sounds indicating it had gone to the bathroom to find Xia De.
Her Royal Highness glanced at the pillow, made sure no hair had fallen out, and then slowly got out of bed. Because there were steam pipes for heating and the fireplace fire had not gone out, the temperature in the house was still acceptable. She adjusted her pajamas, touched her chest to compare the differences between the two bodies, and after confirming that Dorothy was still the same recently, she then, in a good mood, stepped into her slippers and went to the bedside to pull open the curtains.
"Oh, a silver-white City."
The fog was not heavy this morning. Saint Delan Square at six o'clock was covered in snow, but there was already a clear set of footprints on the snow. It seemed to have snowed again last night. Leia remembered that when she came back yesterday evening, the snow in the square had clearly been cleared once already.
As the core district of Tobesk City, the Northern Pearl, the City Hall sends people to clear the snow from Saint Delan Square when it snows, which is also part of the City's public services. Of course, only a few places in the City receive such treatment, so the high land and housing prices in Saint Delan Square are understandable.
However, the snow in front of the doors of Saint Delan Square residents needs to be cleared by the residents themselves, or by hiring someone to do it. Although it doesn't matter if it's not cleared, living in such a civilized district, if the snow in front of the neighbors' houses is all cleared, and only your own house remains the same, then you will be looked down upon by your neighbors.
"Today, I'll send someone to help Xia De clear the snow."
Looking at the snow scene of the winter morning outside the window, Her Royal Highness thought to herself. Her hand toyed with the golden hair hanging in front of her right shoulder, admiring Dorothy's hair quality. Her eyes unconsciously caught the blurred indoor reflection on the glass again, saw the large bed, and felt a slight annoyance.
Xia De, as in the previous few weeks, planned to complete the time key adventure first and then return for breakfast. When Leia walked out of the bedroom, she saw Xia De packing books into toys in a box, and then turning the black suitcase into a toy to put away.
Casting another spell on "toys" required consuming more spirit, but Xia De was still repeating his actions.
"Why are you carrying so many books?"
Leia asked curiously, picking up the cat at Xia De's feet to prevent it from disturbing the busy Detective.
"Today is my last time using this key. Because I'm not sure what the final test will be, I need to bring extra things. Special items and relics that are not mission objectives cannot be brought back to the past with me, so I can only bring as many books as possible."
Xia De said, turning the last suitcase into a toy as well.
He picked up the glass bottle on the coffee table and drank all the No. 4 holy water in it to replenish his consumed spirit. Although drinking a large amount of holy water in a short time would severely weaken its effect, this was his first drink today.
Leia, on the other hand, held the cat with some annoyance, watching Xia De prepare to leave. After Red Butterfly Day, Xia De had of course also tried to turn her and Dorothy into toys using the Miracle 【Toy Making】 with a bedsheet, and naturally, it had failed.
Leia still remembered that when Dorothy and Luvia discussed this privately, the female Diviner had indeed let out a sigh of relief. Her Royal Highness understood Luvia's thoughts, but she still hoped that she and Dorothy could prove their feelings through 【Toy Making】.
"Meow~"
The cat in her arms let out a soft meow, as if it had thought of something.
"Are you taking Mia?"
Leia asked.
"No, no, it's still too dangerous there, and you see, this cat doesn't want to go with me either."
Xia De said, waving at Mia. The clever cat meowed at him, showing no intention of breaking free from Leia's grasp.
"You see, it really doesn't want to move. Oh, let me think, water bottle, books, holy water, all packed."
Taking out the time key with its surface covered in cracks, he waved at Leia:
"Wish me luck, Leia, I hope everything goes smoothly this time."
"Yes, my Knight, good luck."
Leia walked over and kissed Xia De's cheek. Xia De smiled and touched his cheek:
"May the World Tree bless me in time."
He inserted the key into the side bedroom door lock.
Click~
The key turned, and behind the opened door was the familiar white mist door.
For Leia, Xia De's adventure only lasted three seconds, so Xia De didn't say goodbye again and walked straight in.
"Her" familiar reminder came from his ear:
"Outsider, you have entered the Time Corridor."
"Message from the ancient god 'Father of Infinite Trees':"
"Fifth Epoch 5177 spring, Broken Islands, Lost Lake."
"Event: The Witch Seeking Eternal Beauty."
"Duration thirty minutes (3/3)."
"You have gained extra information."
"The figure of the Father of Infinite Trees continues to watch you."
"The ancient god of time's trial for you will continue."
"Help mortals visit gods and learn the secret of eternal beauty."
"The Father of Infinite Trees will grant you rewards: Ritual - moonlight water, Ritual - Sunlight Fire."
"Speaking of which, I haven't had time to get the next key yet. Where should I get the time key this time?"
He stepped into the white mist, then continued forward. The curtain of white mist drew back, revealing the scene of the lakeside jungle in the night before Xia De.
The temperature in the house was pleasant, even a little dry and hot, but now the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped. Xia De took a deep breath, allowing the diffusing calming mist to be inhaled into his lungs, which could calm his abnormally active mind after just waking up:
"This is the last time I will meet Miss Violet and Miss Teresa."
He looked out at Lake Heart Island from the dim lakeside, and felt a hint of melancholy at this thought. He experienced periods of past time, seeking and witnessing those lost stories, but at the same time, he was also brushing past friends. Everyone in the fifth epoch, whether witches or ordinary people, were certainly people who had already passed away for Xia De, who lived in and moved forward in the sixth epoch 1853.
It was already fortunate that he could see the middle-aged witch and the old man in leather armor on Sicar Mountain, but many more friends he had brushed past in the past would probably never be seen again. The story of the Red Butterfly Twins even reminded Xia De that it was a better ending for his fifth epoch friends to rest in their own time than to meet him again across long stretches of time.
Feeling a little melancholy, Xia De attributed it to his active mind after waking up early in the morning. Strange noises were already coming from the eerie dense forest behind him. Xia De did not stop, stepping directly onto the lake surface.
When the swirling mist blurred his retreating figure, a swarm of scarlet Red Butterfly flew into the distance through the mist.
Lost Lake was much larger than Lake Cherub in Huntington City. Xia De, moving silently across the water, endured the extremely cold air currents rushing up from his feet to his entire body, slowly approaching Lake Heart Island.
