Chapter 113: The First Wish

Two of the three wishes were very difficult, but the remaining one happened to fit Xia De's guess about the "Match Girl" today. In fact, thinking of the title of this God who fell in 1068 of the Fifth Era, it was hard not to think of fairy tales.

After considering for a moment, Xia De looked at the owner of this toy store. The young man wearing the ridiculous hat was watching him.

"Time is short. Today, I will satisfy the wish for a story. I will try to tell a fairy tale. The wishes for growth and power, let's do them next time."

"Of course you can. Then from now until you leave, they can temporarily understand the language you use."

The Saint walked out from behind the counter and clapped his hands. Five high stools appeared in the open space in front of the counter. So the two men sat down, and the three children happily climbed onto the chairs, sitting there obediently with their hands on their knees.

This neat and uniform appearance made Xia De think of puppets being manipulated for some reason. Even if the God did not have malice towards mortals, mortals still could not contact the God for a long time.

Everyone looked at Xia De with expectant eyes. Xia De sorted out his thoughts and cleared his throat. He understood what he was going to do:

"Oh, children, I am going to tell a very old story now. The specific era in which this story happened can no longer be verified, but this is absolutely true."

The three children looked at Xia De with bright eyes. Even the girl who looked the most mature was attracted by such an opening.

"It was a cold winter. Snowflakes fell from the sky like knives, and also like goose feathers. It was a street with dim light..."

The Saint waved his hand behind him, and the light in the toy store dimmed suddenly. Darkness surrounded the five people sitting together, and snowflakes fell from the sky. Under the faint moonlight, their surroundings turned into a cold, deserted, and dilapidated street.

Xia De looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowed slightly. There was only a silver moon above his head; the traces of the yellow moon and the red moon were nowhere to be seen.

He pondered in his heart, but the story did not stop. Moreover, seeing the change in the surrounding environment, he doubted whether the "Innocent Creator" saying "no power" was true or false, but the young man smiled at him, letting him continue.

"The girl was barefoot, wearing a pair of slippers. Her feet were frozen blue and purple, and the patches on her clothes were countless. She wrapped her golden hair with a worn headscarf, hunched her body, carried a small basket, and walked on the street."

The three children looked around and indeed saw a girl walking slowly in the snow. They let out an exclamation of "Oh~" at the same time. Xia De paused and continued hesitantly:

"She was extremely tired, extremely hungry, and extremely cold. But she had to sell the matches in the basket before her father allowed her to return home. The girl stopped in front of a brightly lit shop window, looking at the magnificent hall inside the window. It was currently... a festival. Inside the window was a bustling restaurant. Under the decorative tree, there was a fragrant roast chicken on the dining table."

The dilapidated street around the girl suddenly lit up, and the shop window showed her the lives of the rich. The girl's purple-frozen hands held the basket. She stopped in front of the window, her eyes shining as she looked inside.

The children had surprise on their faces, and Xia De suddenly felt a bit unbearable.

"She was extremely cold, huddled by the wall to rest. The snow fell heavier and heavier. The girl took a box of matches from the basket, pulled one out, and struck it in front of her eyes, wanting to warm herself. In that firelight, she saw a warm fireplace, but just as she stretched her feet over, the match went out, and there was only a burnt matchstick in her hand."

The girl on the street struck the match, looking at the firelight, and then the firelight went out. This time, the Saint did not show the part of the illusion that Xia De described. What they saw was only the cold reality.

"She struck another match, and a roast goose jumped out of the plate, with a knife and fork stuck in its back, walking towards her. But the match went out again, and there were only piles of cold snowflakes in front of her."

The children listened carefully to Xia De's story. Only the boy who asked for a "story" looked at him, while the slightly older girl and boy looked at the phantom created by the Saint.

"So, she struck a match for the third time. This time, she was sitting under a beautiful tree, with gift boxes piled under the tree."

The Saint suddenly raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.

"The little girl reached out to the red box closest to her, but the match went out again. So, she struck the match for the fourth time. This time, in the firelight, there appeared the grandmother who loved her, so gentle and kind. She didn't want to let her grandmother leave, so she hurriedly struck the whole box of matches."

The children saw the girl huddled in front strike the match. This time, the part of the "illusion" depicted by Xia De also appeared.

But that was not the kind grandmother described by Xia De. What appeared on the snowy street was a tall figure wearing a black cloak and holding a scythe.

From the cultural customs of this world, this represented death.

Xia De's speaking speed slowed down. He looked suspiciously at the Old God 【Innocent Creator】, who shook his head.

Time was running out, and Xia De brought the story to an end:

"In the firelight of the matches, the grandmother held her in her arms, and they flew away in light and happiness, flying higher and higher, to a place without cold, hunger, or pain."

The black-robed figure reached out and took the girl's hand.

Xia De watched this scene, his tone subconsciously slowing down a bit:

"The next day, the sun rose, shining on her small corpse."

The phantom drifted out from the girl's body, holding the black-robed person's hand, and disappeared together with the illusion of the street.

The warm and bright toy store returned to the five people again. The children were still immersed in the story. Xia De looked at the Old God, who clapped his hands:

"A good story. Although the ending is not so beautiful, for children, such a story is the best."

The boy who asked Xia De for a story also looked at him. He held the toy bear and said timidly:

"Sir, this is really a good story. Does this story have a name?"

"The Little Match Girl."

Saying the name of the fairy tale, Xia De hesitated for a moment and also asked a question:

"Then, what is your name?"

"Sir, my name is Parker Chad."

Xia De nodded and remembered the name. The Saint had already returned behind the counter and said with a smile:

"Children, then through this story, what have you all understood?"

"Power! Must have power to master one's own destiny!"

The girl said loudly on the high stool.

"Growth! Children can't do anything!"

The boy holding the toy sword said.

"Stories, sir, stories don't need meaning, stories don't need preaching, stories just need to go deep into people's hearts."

The youngest boy looked at the Saint, who smiled and shook his head:

"Yes, you are right. Child, you will definitely be able to become an excellent fairy tale writer. This is my blessing to you." ===== CHAPTER 114 =====