Chapter 1008: Saint Byrne Under the Night

Miss Dac Dac Nisi had no special reason for seeking out Xia De this time; she simply wanted to ask about his progress in gathering the spiritual light.

In fact, Xia De had made no progress at all, but at the very least he had already established a connection with Princess Margaret and built a relatively friendly relationship with Sir Prusha at the literary salon.

The thirteen-ring female sorceress was somewhat dissatisfied with Xia De's progress, but she understood his difficulties, so she did not press him too much.

It was Xia De who asked a question, and then received a startling answer:

"Miss Dac Dac Nisi, when I was doing background research, I discovered that Sir Prusha's family is quite ancient. Legend has it that many years ago they were a renowned ring-sorcerer family. I wonder if this is true."

"It is."

The lady on the sofa nodded. Although it was already close to late at night, the library of Saint Byrne tonight was not quiet at all. The Slumbering Moon is the last month of the year. With exam week approaching, the academy's students were seizing the little time they had left this year to supplement their knowledge for the most important end-of-year advancement examination.

The library had even lit more lamps for this purpose. At this moment, the enormous star chart overhead was emitting a soft glow. Above the rows of bookshelves, golden candlesticks floated in an orderly arrangement, holding up candles—it seemed many people would be unable to sleep tonight.

"In fact, many contemporary surnames with long lineages had their own glory in the previous epoch, or even in more ancient eras."

Miss Dac Dac Nisi was not at all surprised by Xia De's question; she appeared somewhat languid:

"When I did background research on Reikins Prusha, I looked into his family's history. Before Reikins Prusha, the last confirmed ring-sorcerer was born about three hundred years ago, but he never joined the Church or the three great academies; he unfortunately died in a relic-out-of-control incident at the second ring."

She waved a finger, and the white porcelain teapot with gold-and-silver decorations inlaid in the shape of an unfurling mandala flower poured red tea for her:

"Going further back, roughly every three or four hundred years, a ring-sorcerer would be born. Although this probability is a bit higher, it's not too exaggerated. And if you trace back to the Fifth Epoch, you'll find a great deal of dubious information. If you're interested, I can tell you about it, but I don't think it will help your mission, and most of those rumors from the previous epoch aren't true anyway."

"If it's convenient, you can tell me about it."

Xia De put on a rather curious expression, and Miss Dac Dac Nisi nodded:

"The knowledge you've come into contact with now already involves heterogenous species like elves, merfolk, and vampires. Although in the present Sixth Epoch these heterogenous beings no longer appear in human society, at least in the early Fifth Epoch, marriages between humans and heterogenous beings were quite common. Legend has it that the Prusha family possesses heterogenous blood—the source being the winged-human race. Yes, the kind with extremely strong curiosity but extremely weak mental endurance."

"Winged-humans..."

"Of course, another theory holds that the Prusha family's miraculous bloodline originates from an even more ancient epoch. They inherited the power of a certain angel, but because so much time has passed, the power of the bloodline has long since vanished... Besides winged-humans and angels, there are even stranger rumors, but I don't think we need to waste time on those stories."

The female sorceress held her teacup and looked at Xia De:

"Because of trade negotiation issues, the delegation led by Margaret Anjou will likely extend its visit to Tobesk, but it will also return to Carson before the Year's End Festival. You need to complete the mission before then."

"One week's time. I'll bring the spiritual light."

Xia De said. Within a week he had to probe Sir Prusha's attitude toward the Chosen One and the Verses, and during this period he absolutely had to make contact with the man, so he had to complete:

"But I need more intelligence. Does Sir Reikins Prusha have any extraordinary talent? In the worst case, I might have to fight him."

"I received word from the High Medical Academy of Serksis—he has quite the talent for studying, and his ring-sorcerer level rises very quickly..."

She paused, glanced at Xia De:

"Of course, he can't compare with a true genius like you. Reikins Prusha is extremely proficient in the power of the Enlightenment Factor, especially powers related to knowledge and books. But I can't learn the more specific ring-sorcerer system—he's only a correspondence student after all, and Serksis itself may not know all of his abilities."

Xia De nodded:

"I also have another finding—Reikins Prusha is very close to the 【Apurna Library】."

He did not directly say the man was an academic spy.

Miss Dac Dac Nisi thought for a moment:

"This involves Serksis's own affairs; we don't need to concern ourselves with it."

It seemed Serksis itself also had suspicions—after all, Saint Byrne could suspect Dorothy, and the High Medical Academy, also one of the three great academies, had no reason not to notice a real academic spy.

"Also, if I obtain the spiritual light and it really can help us crack the secret of that book and find the location of the 【Silver Moon Library】, then how should I come to Saint Byrne?"

Xia De asked again. The projection state would weaken the spiritual light, preventing the true spiritual light from shining upon that secret black book. He still harbored the idea of coming to Saint Byrne in person, to search for the last slate recording knowledge of time amplification.

"If Sir Reikins Prusha's spiritual light really is suitable, I'll personally bring that book to Tobesk."

The thirteen-ring female sorceress said in a relaxed tone. Xia De was stunned for a moment before he reacted:

"What?"

He had never imagined such a possibility.

"You're all in Tobesk, so I might as well go there. Besides, some problems have cropped up again recently in your city, and the academy has already dispatched several professors—I can apply to go as part of the second batch."

Her eyes studied Xia De's expression:

"In autumn, Principal Mr. Pigman also went to a city under Church jurisdiction for some matters. My applying to go and provide support this time shouldn't be a problem either."

"Mm..."

This did sound like a rather good idea, but for Xia De alone it was not a good idea. He wanted to object, but the reasons Miss Dac Dac Nisi gave were simply watertight; he thought for a long time but couldn't figure out how to object.

"In any case, the most important task right now is still gathering the spiritual light."

So the female sorceress said, and Xia De nodded. Even though the slate representing the "Red Moon" had not yet been unsealed, he absolutely could not pause his search for the last slate, which was suspected to be in Saint Byrne. Even if there was no chance to go to Saint Byrne this time, if he truly helped Miss Dac Dac Nisi find the 【Silver Moon Library】, and he proposed once more to help him come to Saint Byrne in person to "experience the atmosphere of the school," this thirteen-ring lady certainly wouldn't refuse.

After finishing these matters, Xia De prepared to take his leave, but after hesitating, he asked:

"Ma'am, I actually have one more question."

Miss Dac Dac Nisi smiled and nodded:

"Is it about your studies? Feel free to ask. Although I'm not in charge of your History Department's courses, I am also a lifelong professor at Saint Byrne."

Xia De shook his head:

"It's not about my studies. It's like this—the other day I bought an old book at the local black market, and it mentioned a name from the Fifth Epoch. I wanted to ask if you know that person."

"What name?"

"Schultz Teresa."

When Xia De discussed this 5177 Year-Key of the Fifth Epoch with Miss Jia Lin Na, he had mentioned this name. At the time, Miss Jia Lin Na was mainly focused on Miss Violet, so she didn't pay much attention to this unremarkable tenth-order witch.

The 5177 adventure was now completely over. Unless something unexpected happened, the extravagant but in certain ways unexpectedly reliable Witch-Emperor Miss Violet, and Miss Teresa, who was working hard on her graduation thesis but was actually strong-willed, would never appear in the Outlander Xia De's life again.

"That name is quite common. Are there any other clues? For instance, the era she lived in, or any great deeds she accomplished."

Miss Dac Dac Nisi asked unhurriedly, and Xia De nodded:

"The owner of this name probably lived at the end of the Fifth Epoch, was a student at the High Medical Academy of Serksis, and was a distant relative of a certain Witch-Emperor."

Miss Dac Dac Nisi furrowed her pretty brows in thought:

"I do have an impression of someone matching your description, but your description is too broad. Serksis was already one of the largest thaumaturgy academies at the end of the Fifth Epoch, and the ring-sorcerers who graduated from it are countless; as for distant relatives of the Witch-Emperors, there are even more—it's like how the 'distant relatives' of contemporary royalty could almost encompass all the nobility."

She waved her hand, and three seconds later, a book with a red cover shot out from a gap in a distant bookshelf with a "whoosh" and landed in her hand. Miss Dac Dac Nisi opened the book, then gave it a gentle push, sending it gliding through the air toward Xia De:

"Schultz Theresa, at the end of the Fifth Era, served for twenty years as the headmaster of the High Medical College of Serksis. Due to the loss of records caused by the shifting of eras, even the High Medical College of Serksis itself cannot clarify this lady's specific life story."

In the pages spread before Xia De, the description of "Schultz Theresa" occupied only half a page on the right side; the sparse text simply outlined the information still available today.

While Xia De read, Miss Dac Dac Nisi continued speaking:

"We no longer know which distant relative of a Witch Emperor she was, but it is said she once received a blessing from the gods and possessed extraordinary wisdom."

"Therefore, she graduated successfully."

Xia De sighed softly in his heart, a smile appearing at the corner of his lips, as he took the book and placed it on the coffee table:

"This should not be the lady whose name I saw; the description I saw... she was merely a girl who followed her aunt, disliked writing papers, and had very ordinary talent."

Xia De hoped that while saying this, no trace of sorrow would appear on his face:

"Then farewell, Miss Dac Dac Nisi... see you in a week."

"See you in a week. I wish you success in your mission; if you need help, contact me anytime. Finding the Silver Moon Library is important to us both."

The sorceress said, watching Xia De rise and vanish from the chair opposite her:

"Schultz Theresa..."

Gazing at the black tea in the white porcelain teacup:

"The demigod who completed the Thirteenth-Tier Secret Art 'Immortal Witch', Schultz Violet Theresa."

She murmured softly, imagining the power of the Great Witches of the previous era.

After finishing the tea, she looked up at the silver-blue astrolabe overhead, which also served to indicate the time:

"It is already this time."

She set down the teacup, summoned a student, and had that elf girl wearing robes ring the great golden bell at the entrance of the Grand Library. The crisp sound of the bell spread throughout the brightly lit library, swept across the castle complexes and spires of Saint Byron covered in silver under the northern night, and reached the vast city shining brilliantly on the northern snowfields, built upon Saint Byron.

Elves playing lyres in the Night Forest, mermaids playing in the half-frozen lakes, winged people frolicking in the snowy sky, blood-drinkers illegally trading pig blood in the narrow alleys of the western steam city, dwarves playing Luo De Pai in a tavern with a distinct medieval fantasy style, humans in academy uniforms sitting on benches by the fountain in the central academy square courting each other, half-dragon maids cleaning at the top of the eastern clock tower, liches shaking test tubes and conducting experiments with necromancy apprentices in the graveyard, centaurs checking the nighttime sleep of chocobos on the northern grasslands, and semi-mechanical fae creatures maintaining steam pipelines in the sewers... countless beings heard this spreading bell sound.

A blizzard raged outside the transparent membrane surrounding the city, and the rolling snow mountains lay like crouching beasts under the night sky. Although the northern scenery was magnificent, the curfew for junior students was approaching; if they did not return to their dormitories in time, points would be deducted. The bell of the Saint Byron Library also served as the rest note marking the arrival of deep night in this academy city. The library administrator was also one of the rulers of this city.

The Saint Byron Comprehensive Academy represented not only the academy itself, but also a home in the far north where alien creatures, humans, and various wondrous life forms coexisted.

The night was deep, the moon shone brightly. Founded by the demigod witch Mana Feliananna, situated on the northern ice sheet, and passed down through two eras, the city welcomed a new, peaceful night amidst the blizzard.

----------Author's Note----------

PS1: The full name of Miss Witch Emperor Violet is Violet Marshall. Foreign middle names usually carry special meanings, such as honoring grandparents or friends. For example, at the end of Harry Potter, the middle names of Harry Potter and Ginny Potter's three children are Sirius, Severus, and Luna respectively.

The appearance of the middle name "Violet" here signifies that Schultz Theresa inherited the mantle and knowledge of the Witch Emperor, thus changing her middle name.

PS2: It was mentioned long ago that the three major academies are vast academy cities centered around the academies, not merely castle academies like Hogwarts.