Chapter 1136: The Key of Death and the Living Witch

The entire world in the dream seemed to have only the sound of the wind blowing. The earth was broken, and the sky was no longer complete. This doomsday-like scene, even though Luvia had described it, and Xia De had anticipated it before entering the dream, was still terrifying when truly seen. He was very glad that this was in a dream; although the scene looked exceptionally terrifying, he was only simply frightened.

If it were in reality, he could not imagine how chaotic the elements here would be.

He even suspected that living in the unknowable-level relic 【Life and Death Gap】 that was on the verge of losing control would be better than living in this kind of place. But fortunately, this was just a dream after all.

Turning his head to look at the high place of the roof, wanting to find the cat just now, he looked up, only to see the owner of the dream, Luvia Anatt, sitting there holding Little Mia.

The Luvia who appeared at this time looked slightly more mature, and the black long dress she was wearing was covered in dust. The brown hair that was originally shoulder-length was no longer shoulder-length, but long hair that reached almost to her waist.

And looking closely at the cat held by her, he found that the lazy cat licking its paws was still a bit different from Mia. Its eyes were not bright amber, but silver-white like it had an eye disease. A normal cat could not possibly have eyes of this color.

The Luvia in the dream was sitting there blankly at this time, looking at the scene in front of her. Her purple eyes were shedding tears, and that sad appearance made Xia De, who was watching this scene, feel incomparably heartbroken.

He carefully stepped on the tiles and gravel, bending over to walk closer. He had originally thought that "she" in the dream would not notice him, but Luweiya's hoarse voice appeared as her chapped lips parted:

"Xia De, do you understand what this scene signifies?"

Xia De continued to walk upward, and after slipping once, he stood beside the purple-eyed girl sitting high on the roof, looking out with her at the apocalyptic scene before them. Under the dim yellow sky, even the divine radiance on his body seemed incomparably dim. The entire world seemed to have died; the dream was so real:

"The apocalypse, is it?"

Luweiya suddenly lowered her head and began to sob. Even without looking, Xia De could imagine the cat in the dream, which was currently wearing an expression of disgust because its fur had been dampened.

He stared blankly at the scene before him:

"So, why did it become like this? Is it related to the Chosen? Related to the Poem?"

Luweiya shook her head while sobbing:

"I cannot, I cannot tell anyone about the things that happened; I must pay the price."

"Is it the price paid for crossing the torrent of time?"

The purple-eyed girl simply gave a "hmm," then buried her face in Little Mia and continued to cry.

Xia De sighed slightly, then carefully held onto the tiles and sat down beside Luweiya.

Without hesitation, he took the initiative to reach out and wrap his arms around Luweiya's shoulders. The sobbing girl seemed to have been waiting for him to do so, and she leaned into his embrace. Although she looked more mature, she seemed even more fragile than the real Luweiya.

Active contact in a dream implies a deeper understanding, and "she" whispered in Xia De's ear:

【She is indeed the owner of this dream, but she is not the Luweiya Anate you know; she is...】

"Luweiya's 'other self,' that girl with the broken body whom I only occasionally see when Luweiya performs special divination."

Xia De sighed softly in his heart; he had completely understood everything.

She was still sobbing uncontrollably, and only after a long while did she look at everything before them with red eyes alongside Xia De. In this apocalypse, it seemed as if only the two of them remained, gazing at the pitch-black setting sun.

"Can you tell me the 'current' point in time?"

Once Luweiya had calmed down slightly, Xia De asked again, and the sobbing girl trembled as she said:

"I cannot say anything, I cannot, I really cannot..."

Xia De tightened his hold on her, wanting to help Luweiya calm down further. Of course, he could also understand what she was feeling at this moment:

"It's alright, none of this matters; I will investigate it myself. And regardless of what caused the scene before us, I will change it all, Luweiya. You didn't have me by your side before, but now I have appeared. Haven't I been doing quite well all along?"

He said softly, and the girl, still sobbing, wiped away her tears and then gently bit his neck:

"Xia De..."

"I promised her, which means I promised you, that I will change all of this."

"Good, but, no, don't tell her; now, it is, it is not yet the time."

The way she spoke while sobbing was pitiful yet somewhat amusing.

"I won't tell Luweiya, but I think it's impossible for her not to have noticed anything; you are a very clever girl. It is truly incredible, Luweiya, that your secret is actually this, that such a thing could really exist... Carrying all of this must be very hard."

Xia De's hand brushed through her brown hair; the dry texture felt completely different from the wet sensation of just a few hours ago after she had bathed.

The slightly more mature girl leaned against him, shedding tears:

"I also never expected that you could actually know all of this. Thank you for always searching for the truth. And, also."

Every time Luweiya spoke a word, her body would tremble from the sobbing:

"Although I cannot tell the story of the past, if you want to understand all of this, there exists a key, the only key, to return to the 'current' time."

"Return to the present? A time key? What?"

Xia De was startled.

"It is not a normal wooden time key with life force; it is a time key made of black, dead wood. That time key is a dead key."

He looked at the girl he was holding, her face smeared with tears:

"Where in the Sixth Era, where I am, is that only time key leading to the 'present'?"

"In the City of Stonemasons in the south of the Kingdom of Kesenrike, the City of Spring—Randel Valley City. As for the specific location, you must find it yourself. Do not try to divine it; it is useless, you can only rely on yourself. When you see it, you will immediately understand that it is what you are looking for. You do not belong to any era; when you arrive at the 'present,' perhaps, perhaps..."

She buried her face in Xia De's chest. Her dusty face was illuminated by the golden, cracked light on Xia De's body, but this also allowed her to hear Xia De's powerful heartbeat. Although she was still sobbing uncontrollably, Luweiya had calmed down a little. She had never thought that one day, she would truly be able to share all of this with Xia De. This man who should not have existed had truly done it.

Xia De recalled the map of the Old Continent. If he remembered correctly, among the city divisions of Kesenrike, Randel Valley was also a quite important city. It was located in the southwest of the United Kingdom, near the harbor and bordering the valley, with extremely convenient water transportation.

The United Kingdom of Kesenrike used the blooming of the famous local "Randel Flower" in Randel Valley as a sign of the arrival of spring each year, which is why that city was called the "City of Spring." And it was called the "City of Stonemasons" because the stonemasons of Randel Valley were famous throughout the Old Continent.

"I will find that key, and then go to the 'present' to find you and seek the answers of the past."

Xia De promised. The girl curled up in his arms looked up at him with teary eyes, then sobbed and said:

"In the future, do not enter my dreams. This dream has a terrifying influence on any existence. We should not meet often. Xia De, Xia De, hold me, go and explore my secrets... Can you let me feel your passion?"

"What?"

"Do you dislike me like this?"

Her tearful purple eyes seemed about to burst into tears again.

"Oh, what are you saying, Luweiya."

And so, the sobbing girl kissed Xia De's neck and began to unbutton his clothes:

"Please warm my soul, even if, even if it is only a sliver of warmth."

This was the first time he had experienced such a thing in a dream. He wondered if this could be called a "wet dream."

【You have touched a soul cursed by time. You have been cursed.】

【The Father of the Infinite Tree protects you; the time curse is ineffective. As punishment, the next time key is postponed by two weeks from this moment.】

【Outsider, you have touched miracles, whispers, enlightenment, and blasphemy. You have gained insights into time, space, sun, moon, balance, darkness, light, creation, death, knowledge, chaos, earth, and fate.】

【Outsider, you have obtained 'Witch Echo: Luweiya.' Since the Witch is still alive, this echo has special properties, and your low-tier sublimation words are ineffective against it.】

"Hmm? What? Witch Echo?"

Xia De was stunned; he had not expected this. Regardless of the circumstances, leaving an echo meant a formal seat in the council of demigod Witches.

At the same time, a complex mass of occult knowledge flooded into his mind. Unlike the knowledge brought by previous Witch echoes, this knowledge was entirely from the Sixth Era. This filled in the gaps in Xia De's basic studies from when he was a low-tier Shushi and even allowed him to understand the mysteries of contemporary divination more deeply.

"Xia De, please don't stop."

The girl, still crying, said while holding his neck.

"Oh, sorry."

"My, my power is currently only this much. I, I hope this can help you... Continue walking forward, Xia De, my... lover. May the, the, the original silver moon guide the final direction. That door, the Chosen, the apocalypse, the departed gods, you and me... the answers are all at the end of this road."

The cat in the dream turned its back on the two people entangled on the roof under the dim yellow sky. The cat curled its tail and raised its head; the wind and sand blew past its slender whiskers and small ears, and its silver eyes looked toward the black sun, which was reflected in the cat's eyes.

The sky gradually darkened, and that sun, presumably, was about to disappear as well.