Chapter 1249: The Fifth Era, Year 3028 — Eternal Night City

After the truth was uncovered, everyone except the murderer, the victim, and the manservant felt quite satisfied. Xia De bid farewell to Ajelina, took the cat from Miss Miss Difa's arms, and left the place with the young maid; the people spontaneously cleared a path for the two of them.

Once they were back on the temporarily empty corridor, the black-haired girl quietly said to Xia De:

"You did quite well tonight."

"Did I?"

He patted the cat in his arms:

"Mia's contribution was the greatest; otherwise I really wouldn't have known what evidence to present to prove my point. Fortunately, with this matter resolved, His Majesty the King will have to think for a while about how exactly to arrange Ajelina's marriage.

Miss Miss Difa gave a soft laugh and blinked:

"I thought you resolved the case so quickly because you were in a hurry to go back and find Princess Lei Lei Qianya and Miss Lu Yi Sha.

Xia De turned to look at her, and the young maid pressed her lips together and gently reminded him:

"This is the Yodel Palace, knight—you can't do anything improper here."

There was indeed a city there, but the city was oppressively quiet. Liao Kang's perception could only detect the sound of rainwater, yet could hear no trace of any human activity. But the unattended carriages on the street, the illuminated shop signs along the road, the flyers beneath the rain-soaked walls—everywhere the eyes could see the traces of life, as if a second after observing this place, there were still pedestrians walking down the street with umbrellas.

"Night" is an image that has existed since the birth of the world and is bound to continue existing; it also represents half of time and nearly all of darkness. The old god symbolizing "White Night," even among all the old gods, belongs to the category of the extremely powerful.

This time there was no nauseating stench of a worm's den; when the black fog dispersed, the first thing felt was the rain, followed by the notice of a night sky overhead with no stars or moon, and beneath the feet an uneven road paved with rectangular stone bricks, higher in the center and slightly lower at the edges.

This time the punishment truly was a mistake; I had only seen Shadwen's punishment the first time I used the Time Key. And this time, the miracle—【Echo】—also became his High-Ring Sublimation Word. And this time's 【Night】, no matter how you look at it, fits my Ring-Warlock system better; even if it weren't me, for other people "Night" is also a very powerful Shadwen.

"May the World Tree shelter you within time."

"Once this matter is finished, you can properly enjoy this evening, can't you?"

There is no evidence whatsoever that the punishment of the Tree Father is related to the difficulty of the mission, but the generous year-rewards, and the different numbers of year-rewards, all indicate that that mission was quite ordinary.

【Help mortals break through the maze of Eternal Night, and seek the truth behind the curtain.】

"The Fifth Era, 3028... wait, seventy minutes? And that time it was actually seven times?"

Regarding the case, word would likely spread soon, and by then the two young ladies would also return. So, taking advantage of the spare moment, Ling Fu took out the Time Key given to him by the elven girl Emilia on Monday, calculated that the timing was just right to use it now, and thus arrived behind the door.

【The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree gazes upon him.】

【The Father of the Infinite Tree shall grant him the punishment miracle Shadwen—Night.】

Ling Fu asked softly in his heart, muttering in a low voice:

【At a time like this he actually still remembers that matter.】

Ling Fu, who had breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, had not yet had time to say anything before a brand-new sound appeared in his ears:

When he returned to the corridor where the lounge was, holding hands with Miss Miss Difa, she was the one to let go of Xia De first, and finally rose on tiptoe to kiss Xia De's cheek, raising her left arm to wave lightly in farewell. Of course, she didn't forget to take the cat with her—you know Liao Kang still has things to do.

The inside of the door gave a muffled "click~" sound, and the doorway pulled open by Liao Kang was an undulating, endless black fog. He took a deep breath and stepped inside:

Ling Fu turned his head again to look inside the shop, and saw a red-haired girl dressed as a maid holding a menu, standing among the café's tables and chairs. Although the maid outfit was somewhat different in style from that of the Eighth Era, it basically maintained a black-and-white color scheme, paired with large black leather shoes and a black lace hairband. And besides that, the black ribbon tied beneath her neck

was something Ling Fu had never seen before; it was equally beautiful.

And there are not few records about the God of Night in the Seventh Era; the believers of the God of Night mostly maintain secretivism, or rather, this year-reward a group of secretivists. The textual materials about the old god 【Curtain of Eternal Night】 in the Eighth Era mostly come from the descriptions of the Church of the Seven Gods. What Ling Fu can currently think of is only that that god has not yet departed, and that the 【Night Cult】 uses black gauze curtains as its own symbol.

Xia De thus looked left and right, and shared a kiss with the smiling young maid.

"Mm?"

【Event: Whisper of the Curtain of Eternal Night.】

【Outsider, he has stepped into the "Corridor of Time."】

She happened to be standing beneath the gas lamp on the wall bearing the royal family crest, and the bright light made that delicate face appear all the more radiant.

"Miss Fiona Fiona Delage—how could she be there?"

Behind were continuous grey-stone buildings; the sky was drizzling rain, wetting the walls and moistening the soil between the cracks of the bricks beneath one's feet. A faint, damp, earthy smell permeated the air, but the smell was not unpleasant.

The door there was fitted with a spring and would close automatically. And at this moment, the street inside had not yet been completely enveloped by darkness; the night was right outside the door, yet it stubbornly refused to seep in through this door.

【A message from the ancient god "Father of the Infinite Tree"】

"What is this mission?"

Although it was night, there was not no light around; within the windows of the buildings along the street, more or less, there would be some faint firelight. It looked like gas lamps, but there were also the light of candles or kerosene lamps.

【He has obtained additional information.】

He made a judgment in his heart, braved the rain, and, following past experience, raised his head to look at the illuminated shop sign before him. Unfortunately, this time it was not the colorful sign of "Hope Town Toy Shop"; the bizarre, tongue-twisting letters wrote an even more startling content:

Entering the rainy night, the cool environment almost made Liao Kang moan. The extremely strong spiritual oppression brought by the night to Eternal Night City was greatly reduced; the void-like night could not invade there.

Although "Night" has existed since ancient times, the difficulty of obtaining the 【Night】 Shadwen is extremely high. To give a simple example, it is like one of Lu Wei Ya's core Shadwen, 【Fate】. Although it exists, although it is within reach, almost no mortal can truly comprehend it.

"Welcome to the Dragon Manservant Café, may I take your order?"

【Dragon Manservant Café】

But he did not immediately observe the interior of the building, and instead immediately turned his head to look behind him.

【The ancient god of time grants you a trial.】

【Duration: 40 minutes (1/4).】

"I wonder whether the so-called 'Maze of Eternal Night' is truly a maze, or some kind of metaphor."

"It is absolutely a night that can fall into there!"

"Speaking of which, ever since Miss and I came back, I haven't been able to be alone with you... Last time in the room, we were interrupted by Miss."

And the time point of autumn 3028 was only four years after Ling Fu parted ways with the eight witches in the Silent Valley and extended this flower to Miss Felianna. The elven girl Emilia who gave the key said it was a Time Key from around the year 3000; she didn't expect it to actually be that accurate.

But Ling Fu did not care about these things; he stared in shock at the face of the young maid before him, and at the familiar little scaled tail in front of the maid. The last time I saw you, you were wearing thick winter clothes:

It cannot even be said that, among the gods Ling Fu had encountered in past times, apart from the "Shimmering Gate" of the Thousand Trees Forest, none had a higher mystique than that god.

He suddenly moved, rushing through the rain toward the wooden door before him; while worrying that the door in front of him was unlocked, he almost entered the interior of this old but seemingly constantly used building in a "diving" posture.

Even if it were the "White-Black Coffin Shop," "Cultist *** Den," or "Soul-Sucking Ghost Club" before him, Liao Kang would not have been so surprised. But there was no time to think; the night had almost already reached both his sides.

Thinking this in his heart, he made his preparations, and took a step forward into the thick white fog.

Outside was cool and comfortable; the fireplace by the wall gave a reassuring glow. In the not-very-small space were placed a dozen or so white round tables, while on the other side were the counter and shelves holding green plants. Beneath the old walls was warm-yellow wallpaper, hung with dimly colored oil paintings. The mantel clock in the corner spun rapidly in reverse, then suddenly and violently spun forward.

But thinking carefully, no one had ever said Liao Kang's missions were always completed in eight tries. After all, special temporal investigators always finished in one.

"Could it be that you think he's the kind of guy whose brain is blinded by desire?"

The clamorous night suddenly stirred as Ling Fu took one breath. For a moment he thought darkness was rushing in, but then he realized it was the glow of lamps being snuffed out one by one in the distance, as if the night itself had gained a consciousness and was closing in on him from both sides.

【Fifth Era, Autumn of 3028, North Small Continent, Eternal Night City.】

Princess Lei Lei Qianya and Luo Qi had not yet returned from the banquet hall—the proof being that Princess Lei Lei Qianya's maids weren't there either. Ling Fu had wrapped up the case in just seventy minutes, which was less than the hour Princess Lei Lei Qianya had given him.

In this clamorous night there was nothing at all, rather than that hollow emptiness of darkness, and it made Ling Fu directly sense a lethal danger:

A silent fog spread quietly outward, like a great curtain being drawn back; the Seventh Era, year 3028, revealed to Ling Fu a corner of the veil of time.

"Old God—Curtain of Eternal Night? You remember that deity was also called 【Sovereign of Eternal Night】 and… God of the Dark Night?"

That sense of contradiction and contrast greatly amplified the eerie feeling of the current environment. As always, Tree Father would never drop Ling Fu straight into a dangerous place.

--Go take a look