Chapter 1168: Major Event - Randall Valley's Crazy Earth

Xia De waved behind the sofa. Among his pile of spellcasting materials and Relics, a badge with the Duchess's crest, surrounded by a circle of bone-white edges, which could detect witches, flew over:

"I am indeed Miss Galina's person."

He showed the badge to Miss Bernice, who recognized that the crest on it came from the hand of another Great Witch.

"You invited me to meet yesterday, and I was considering that it might cause a misunderstanding, so I temporarily refused. I agreed to meet today because I brought letters from other witches."

That letter also flew over. Xia De handed it to Miss Bernice, then sat back on the side sofa, holding the cat again.

The blonde witch frowned slightly and opened it. The letter paper was only one page and not long. She quickly read all the content. Seeing the signatures and seals of four Great Witches at the very bottom, her confusion became even greater:

"If you could seduce Galina and the immature Sylvia with your beauty, but doesn't Xivi only like women? And Elder Cassandra, the oldest Great Witch, actually... toward an existence like you..."

She handed the letter to Miss Lasers, who was curious on the side, put her puppet on the table, and looked at Xia De very seriously:

"Regardless, it was indeed you who rescued me just now, and you helped me get here, so I won't do anything to you. Now, return to the manor with me. This is not a good place for conversation... Let's be low-key, act quickly, so we don't get discovered by the church."

"What does it have to do with the church?"

Xia De asked while teasing Mia, who had helped a lot just now. Miss Bernice made a very complicated expression:

"Crazy Puppet Theater is a genuine Sage-level Relic. You don't think it can only hold puppet shows, do you?"

"So..."

"Just now you fought with it while riding a cat; probably all the sorcerers in the city could see it."

Miss Bernice, as a Baron of the Kingdom of Karsenrick and the head of the quite famous Golden Dawn Opera Troupe, naturally had her own manor locally. It was also in the city, even not far from Cherry Leaf Street where the "Church of the Forgotten" was located.

After taking a carriage into the manor, the witch's followers appeared. Xia De felt that he had been active in Randall Valley City for more than half a week, and only now did he bump into a witch; this was truly incredible.

The manor's area was not particularly large. After arranging the follow-up processing of the opera house accident, Miss Bernice and Miss Lasers continued their conversation with Xia De in the third-floor study. As for the main content of the conversation, it was Miss Bernice further confirming what exactly "Xia De Hamilton" was. Explaining this specifically was not easy. Fortunately, they had already discussed the rhetoric with the other four Great Witches last night.

He started from his first meeting with the Duchess at the Lucky Southern Cross Club in Tobesk last summer and talked about his story with Miss Galina. He mentioned Miss Aurora and Elder Cassandra very briefly, and since he met Miss Sylvia in Tobesk, he talked about it in great detail.

To prevent the witch in front of him from linking himself to the "God-Awakener," Xia De only mentioned things that happened in Tobesk. But even so, these stories were quite long, so Xia De stayed in the manor for dinner and continued chatting with the witch and Miss Lasers after dinner.

And from Xia De's stories, Miss Bernice also roughly understood Xia De's relationship with the other four Great Witches.

"They are really bold."

After all the stories ended and Miss Bernice had asked about the details she wanted to know, the witch evaluated quite arrogantly while sitting on the sofa. It was already night outside, and the gas street lamps in the manor's courtyard were not very bright. In the distance, one could see the lights outside the manor. On a winter night, the city was not noisy at all.

"Your existence carries the risk of splitting the Council; they couldn't possibly not know this. Since records began, there has never been a man who could make contact with witches. If it weren't for knowing that Elder Cassandra doesn't like to joke, I still wouldn't dare to believe everything you said."

Xia De smiled and nodded, knowing that Miss Bernice had already accepted his existence.

Miss Lasers, sitting beside the Great Witch, winked at him, clearly letting Xia De not care about Miss Bernice's current rhetoric.

"However, since they don't tell other witches about your existence, I naturally won't be the bad person to do so."

The blonde witch said, sighed slightly, and then tilted her head to look at the reflection of the study on the window glass;

"During your activities in Randall Valley, if you need my help, whether it's secular help or other aspects, I am willing to lend a hand, just as a reward for you rescuing me and Siris today. But I want to remind you, although I am an eleventh-ring like Galina, I am not good at fighting. Moreover, recently... my body has had some problems. If you need high-end combat power, I can only provide help within my capabilities."

"However, Golden Dawn is willing to provide help to you, Mr. Hamilton. Vanessa's followers are all locally now. Although there aren't many high-ring ladies, it should be enough to deal with general situations."

Miss Lasers said with a smile. This lady was very friendly to Xia De. Regarding the impact of Xia De's appearance on the Witch Council, she viewed it much more lightly than the witches.

"Actually, I was curious just now. I don't know what exactly is wrong with Miss Bernice? A curse?"

Xia De asked tentatively. The witch shook her head helplessly:

"It doesn't look like a curse, otherwise it would have been dispelled long ago. This is somewhat like a precursor to losing control, but it's not that serious, otherwise I would have sought help from the Council myself. This afternoon, I suddenly felt dizzy, which was why I was affected by that puppet. This is indeed a sign that the problem is moving in a serious direction. I will report to the Speaker tomorrow, hoping to find the cause."

"Actually... I have a very unique perception ability for problems like curses."

Xia De pointed to himself:

"Miss Bernice, do you mind holding my hand?"

The contact with the wrist this afternoon was only ten-plus seconds, and Xia De needed a longer time to perceive.

The witch only hesitated for a moment before agreeing, so Xia De stood up and sat on her left side. Miss Bernice's hand with red nail polish held Xia De's hand, and the hand was very warm.

The three looked at the two hands held together. Miss Lasers was very curious, Miss Bernice hadn't experienced this and blushed slightly, Xia De didn't feel embarrassed, but asked in his heart:

"How is it?"

【Wait a moment.】

After half a minute of silence:

【There is indeed a problem. It's not a curse in the strict sense, it's extremely like the piece of land you purified in Randall Valley.】

"What do you mean?"

【Like that piece of land, her soul has been polluted. The state is very slight, but your spellcasting will probably be ineffective; it only works on land.】

"But that kind of strange phenomenon, isn't it only happening on the land?"

He frowned slightly and let go of the witch's hand. He organized his language and began to explain with a question:

"Miss Bernice, you are the witch representing the 'Earth' seat?"

"Yes."

The blonde witch nodded.

"Have you recently used wonders, rituals, or spells to deeply perceive the land of Randall Valley?"

Miss Bernice nodded again:

"Yes, about half a month ago, I used a large ritual to let my soul listen to the pulse of the earth. Randall Valley is rumored to be the center of the earth. Feeling the earth here can enhance one's connection with the land. This kind of ritual is used by all witches of the earth, and the ritual itself is fine."

"Could it be that Vanessa's soul was contaminated with something unclean during this process?"

Miss Lasers, who also had beautiful blonde hair, immediately thought of the answer, but had another question:

"But many other rituals can have similar effects. The Church of the Sun has many sorcerers who like to use this way to perceive the earth just like Vanessa. I haven't heard of anyone else encountering this kind of trouble."

"This is probably related to my witch identity. The Witch of Earth allows me to perceive the pulse of the earth more deeply than any sorcerer."

The blonde witch said with a grim expression.

Xia De nodded. He had already mastered a lot of information. It seems the problem of the earth is even more serious than imagined:

"I don't know about the ritual, but I know the land of Randall Valley itself has a problem. Miss Lasers, you and I went to deal with that piece of crazy land together; I know how strange that phenomenon is. I think the trouble on Miss Bernice is related to that kind of strange phenomenon. But sorry, my purification spell cannot take effect on humans."

"But half a month ago, that manor outside the city was not within the perception range of my soul resonating with the earth."

The witch clearly thought of more things:

"Could it be that the entire land of Randall Valley has a problem? It's just that the problem of the manor outside the city manifested... If this is true, this problem will probably spread to the entire material world soon."

"The guess should be correct. I encountered a similar problem in Tobesk. It is also crazy earth, just with different external manifestations."

Xia De said. Miss Bernice closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead:

"The problem will probably be very troublesome. I will find out what exactly is going on as soon as possible, hoping it's just some Relic losing control or an evil object breaking free from the seal."

Xia De learned that "Crazy Earth" came from the man in the Emerald Dream. He told the two ladies the information he got in the dream. Miss Bernice's face became even more serious:

"I don't know the man you mentioned, but if the madness of the earth is a natural phenomenon as he said, doesn't this mean that the world itself has a problem? How is this possible?"

Judging from the doomsday theory of the "Light-Guiding Cult" and the information revealed by the "other Luweiya," this is probably correct.

"Vanessa, contact the Council as soon as possible tomorrow to confirm whether this intelligence is correct."

Miss Lasers said softly on the side. Xia De held Mia and looked at them, suddenly discovering that Randall Valley had become involved in a disaster that could cause big trouble.

And at this moment, it had been less than a week since he first set foot on the land of Randall Valley.

"Hamilton, I don't know if you have heard of the Interstice of Life and Death from Galina. Although the accident in Midhillburg was also a problem with the city itself, the greatest destruction caused was only turning the central-eastern region of the Old Continent into ghost moths. But if the earth of Randall Valley—the center of the earth in the mystical sense—has a problem, the entire material world will have trouble."

Miss Bernice said to Xia De. She knew better than Xia De what this meant:

"The information and intelligence you provided are very valuable. I am not a stingy person, make some requests to me."

She said to Xia De very seriously, and what Xia De thought of was naturally the most important thing:

"I am looking for a very special Relic. A black key made of withered wood."

"No problem. Golden Dawn's information channels locally are very sensitive. This is just a small matter. What else do you need?"

The witch continued to ask, and this time Xia De thought of Mr. Granger's silver cube:

"I am very interested in local folklore and urban legends, especially those stories that have been passed down for a long time."

"I'll have someone organize it and give you the documents directly."

Miss Lasers on the side said. She had a very good impression of Xia De:

"This is also just a small matter. Mr. Hamilton, please don't have any scruples. Since Vanessa said she wants to give you some rewards, she is sincerely wanting to thank you. Relics? Precious wonders? Although you can get these from Miss Galina, Vanessa herself also has proud Relics and wonder systems."

She encouraged Xia De, probably misunderstanding his intention, thinking Xia De was embarrassed to make excessive requests.

"Is that so..."

Scratching little Mia's chin with his right hand, while the cat, having eaten its fill, narrowed its eyes and made a comfortable purring sound, Xia De finally said what he needed most to do so far:

"Then, can Miss Bernice sing a song for me? I know the prayer of a wonderful ritual, please turn it into a song. It is a song praising the earth and butterflies."

"Prayer" refers to the poem when the middle-aged witch Bletchet, Sister Perry, and Mr. Lehman called upon the Old God.

He leaned forward slightly and looked at the witch quite excitedly:

"Yes, a song, and I hope you can sing it to me in your best state."

After all, it is related to the task of the Time Key, so naturally, it must be perfect.

"Using this opportunity, just to hear me sing a song?"

The witch was a bit embarrassed by Xia De's eager gaze. Before Miss Lasers could say that this was also a small matter, she reached out to let her not speak:

"No problem, I appreciate your taste, Mr. Hamilton. Galina taking a fancy to you is indeed reasonable."

Saying this, she gave the time and place:

"Today is Friday. Then the day after tomorrow, Sunday night, the Golden Dawn Opera Troupe will perform for the descendants of the Karsenrick royal family at the Wilde Opera House where we left this afternoon. I won't be on stage, but after the performance, I can perform for you alone."

Her golden eyes with a hint of green stared at Xia De:

"Is this okay?"

Although her attitude was a bit strange, this was naturally okay. Although the time Xia De used the Time Key was Sunday morning, if it was only delayed by less than a day, he didn't care:

"Then I'll trouble you."

The witch shook her head slightly:

"I don't know how you came here, but if you still stay in Randall Valley, maybe I will need your help for the next investigation. Singing for you is just a small effort. I allow you to make a wish to me, anytime. But before that, I need to talk to Galina alone..."

After finishing, she hesitated and asked hesitantly:

"You and Galina... to what step has it reached?"

"Oh, Vanessa!"

Miss Lasers blushed and patted her arm, as if blaming her for prying into others' privacy. But it seemed that this lady was also quite curious about the answer to this question.

"Hmm... it's... just... a lover relationship... had some intimate contact... but not the most intimate kind..."

A smile appeared on Miss Bernice's face, and Miss Lasers' face turned slightly red; she also roughly understood.

But regardless, the first contact and acquaintance with the Great Witch of Randall Valley, in Xia De's view, was quite smooth. Of course, this was thanks to that puppet.

"Blood Spirit School, Crazy Earth... although I got a promise of a wish from a witch, there are more things to do."

"Meow~"

The cat meowed lazily, enjoying the comfort of life at this moment.

Although Miss Bernice wanted Xia De to stay a while longer and talk to him about more topics related to witches. But Xia De didn't want to expose more things, so he declined Miss Bernice's invitation, left red wine as a visiting gift, and left the manor with the cat.

It was 7:30 in the evening, and Xia De didn't return home immediately, but went to the "Abundant Earth Hotel" next to the local Seer Association, wanting to talk to Luweiya about the information obtained today.

It was so late, Luweiya was naturally in the hotel room, but when Xia De opened the door with a key and closed the door after entering, the purple-eyed girl immediately "pounced" over:

"Oh, Xia De, what did you do this afternoon?"

She looked at little Mia again:

"What did you and your cat do?"

This way of saying it seemed to have some problems, but Luweiya was more worried about Xia De's safety. After all, the Relic this afternoon had been confirmed to be a Sage-level Relic.

The two sat down in the room, and Xia De briefly explained what happened this afternoon, but focused on more guesses about "Crazy Earth."

"This disaster will definitely affect the whole world, and since the Blood Spirit School has appeared, the Chosen One should also appear."

"The Chosen One of the Earth?"

The purple-eyed girl frowned slightly. Xia De still had two eye coins at this time, but didn't think about what to divine for a while, so he didn't take them out:

"I'll investigate these things, Luweiya, don't get involved for now."

After speaking, he took out the telescopic magic dagger again:

"Come, stab me twice more."

Luweiya, who had originally had a serious face, couldn't help laughing at this moment:

"That wasn't a precognitive dream, don't be nervous. Besides, the Mia in your dream had a thirteen-ring tail, but today it only had one ring."

"Safety first, Destiny don't try to manipulate me!"

Xia De insisted, so she could only stab Xia De twice casually. After dropping the dagger, she said quite worriedly:

"Then take care of everything, Xia De... I will always be by your side." ===== CHAPTER 1169 =====

Xia De insisted, so she could only poke him a couple of times. After dropping the dagger, she said with considerable worry:

"Then be careful with everything, Xia De... I will always be by your side."