Chapter 1543: Year 923 of the Fifth Era

"It sounds like Green Lake is indeed very interesting."

At the dinner table that evening, Dorothy was present alongside Xia De. The blonde Miss listened as Xia De recounted the day's experiences, and from the book he retrieved using the miracle 【Silver Moon Library】, she saw the scenery of the Green Lake region:

"Adjacent cities, different fates. If one could add twins separated in childhood who lived different lives in the two cities and met unexpectedly in their old age, that would absolutely be the best material for a story."

The writer said, then added:

"Of course, if it were to be written as a detective novel, then paired with this urban background, a murder case with intricate connections to the nobility of both cities... it would be best if it involved the grudges of the previous generation, plus some illegitimate children and an unwitting incestuous sibling relationship. I think this story would definitely be even more compelling."

"Let's not have a murder case. Because of the upcoming negotiations, the police on both sides are almost ready to rush up and punish anyone they see spitting on the ground. If there were a murder case at this time, the police would probably be the first to collapse."

Xia De said, watching Mia sulking on the tabletop, pawing at the cat-shaped glass ornament he had brought home. This was not simple glass; the cat's tail, eyes, and limbs were painted with yellow oil-based watercolors, while the cat's body remained transparent, giving the ornament more artistic flair.

"You don't actually have to take what Lei Qianya asked you to do too much to heart. I know she values this negotiation highly, but she shouldn't let it delay your own affairs because of it."

Dorothy said again, feeling uncharacteristically dissatisfied with Lei Qianya's actions:

"She shouldn't have dragged you into this kind of matter. We all know you have never liked things related to politics."

"It's fine. Lei Qianya rarely asks me for help; this is just a small matter."

"I can understand her ambition; after all, that has been her ideal since she was a child. But you have already done so much for us, even allowing us to meet and interact with each other; she shouldn't let you..."

Dorothy did not finish the sentence, but she looked like she would definitely have a good talk with Lei Qianya about this later.

That night, Dorothy stayed at No. 6 Saint Teresa Square. However, before going to sleep, when Xia De put Mia into the cat bed in the closet, he found that the cat was still in a sulky mood.

Little Mia had never been in a bad mood for such a long time, to the point that Xia De even thought the cat had eaten something wrong that evening. Just as Xia De was thinking about whether he should induce vomiting for the cat, the writer, who had walked over from the washroom in her pajamas, picked up the cat-shaped ornament Xia De had left on the bedroom desk and threw it directly into the trash can:

"I've heard that pets can feel dissatisfied with the appearance of other pets, but this is the first time I've known that pets can also feel dissatisfied with crafts that resemble their own image."

Little Mia could understand the purpose of the trash can. Seeing that the "glass cat" had been thrown in, she immediately became lively.

Xia De bent down in front of the closet to scratch the cat's chin, smiling as he said:

"That's because Little Mia is much smarter than ordinary pets."

He felt the soft touch, and then Dorothy's arms wrapped around his neck from behind:

"Rest quickly. Aren't you planning to open a brand-new Time Key tomorrow morning?"

"Alright."

The cat, squinting its eyes and accepting the scratching, was then locked in the closet. Xia De turned his head to look at Dorothy's pajamas, and the writer pointed to her legs, blushing slightly:

"I picked out a pair of the 'goods' sent by Miss Sylvia from Wilndale. Try them tonight; they are indeed very beautiful. What do you think?"

She asked shyly. Xia De snapped his fingers, and the gas lamp in the room automatically extinguished:

"Can I make a request?"

"To wear this fabric when taking off other clothes in a while?"

The emerald eyes in the darkness asked Xia De with a smile.

"Besides that, how about putting on those gold-rimmed glasses?"

"Oh, Xia De!"

The kitten could no longer hear the subsequent conversation.

After the pleasant night ended, time arrived at Wednesday of that week. Waking up early, Lei Qianya was using Dorothy's body to make breakfast, while Xia De took out the early Fifth Era Time Key given by Mr. Edmund, intending to start a brand-new time adventure.

Because going to the past only took three seconds, Xia De did not need to say a special goodbye to Lei Qianya. However, the cat released from the closet, seeing Xia De take out the wooden key, clawed at his pant leg, wanting to travel with him. But Xia De himself did not know what kind of story this key would face or whether it was safe, so naturally, he could not rashly take Mia with him.

After much effort, he finally had the blonde Miss in an apron lure the cat away with a sausage. Xia De seized the time to walk toward the bedroom door with the key:

"May the World Tree protect me in the infinite time."

With a 'click', the door swung open, and wisps of white fog drifted out:

"Lei Qianya, see you later!"

Saying this, he stepped into the white fog, leaving only the cat, which was biting a small piece of sausage, staring blankly at the door.

【Outlander, you have stepped into the "Corridor of Time."】

【Message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":】

【Spring, Year 923 of the Fifth Era, Central Continent, Lost Forest.】

【Event: Travelers' Storytelling Gathering.】

【Duration: Thirty minutes (1/3).】

"Year 923?"

At this point in time, 20 years had already passed since Xia De said goodbye to Chloe, who had obtained the power of a demigod witch, in the snow of the Silver Mountains.

"However, just from the event, I still can't tell what I need to do this time. Is it to tell stories? That's what I'm best at. The location is the Lost Forest, another forest; I wonder if it's similar to the 'Forest of a Thousand Trees' from back then."

Of course, it was impossible for him not to encounter gods in the past, so Xia De was also pondering whether he would meet the "God of Stories" or the "God of Travelers" this time. At the same time, he also noticed that the number of uses for the Time Key this time had returned to 3, not 4 like in the Eternal Night City.

【You have obtained additional information.】

【The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree is watching you.】

【The Ancient God of Time gives you a trial.】

【Assist the travelers in ending the story with the "God of Journeys."】

【The Father of the Infinite Tree will give you a reward: Miracle - Enhanced Spatial Perception, a piece of true information - Dragon.】

"Spatial Perception?"

This was not the first time the Tree Father had given Xia De a miracle as a reward, but this was the first time a miracle that Xia De could also learn in reality appeared in the rewards. "Spatial Perception" was similar to Xia De's "Time Perception"; its function was to perceive one's own position on a map while holding one, and while not holding a map, one could vaguely know the surrounding terrain.

This was a quite useful miracle, especially for Ringed Shushi who loved adventure and travel.

"Could it be that the reward is an enhanced version of the miracle I already know? Or, besides the enhanced effect, are there new effects?"

As for the information on "Dragon," there was no surprise. So far, Xia De had already obtained information about "Mermaids," "Elves," and "Vampires." These pieces of information were all very useful; the Tree Father seemed to like giving him information about alien species Xia De had come into contact with.

"Is the god this time the God of Journeys?"

Although this god was not very famous, he was not very obscure either. The god's power was the content of his name; he was the protector of all travelers and also protected those adventurers and bards who loved adventure. According to the Academy's records, the sect of this god, who had been sleeping since the Fifth Era, was not a simple church, but an organization known as the "Travelers' Society."

This organization once grew to cover all five continents in the Fifth Era, providing information and convenience for travelers. Unfortunately, with the departure of the god, the society, which had appeared like a flash in the pan in the early Fifth Era, had long since been buried in the dust of history.

"At least this one is not an evil god like the God of Vampires."

Thinking of this, Xia De felt much more at ease. He composed himself and continued to step forward into the white fog.

Just like a curtain slowly being drawn, as the glowing white fog dissipated, the first thing he perceived was the unique distortion and chaotic feeling of the time and space confusion zone. The surrounding brightness dropped rapidly, but it did not drop completely to the level of darkness.

The white fog did not dissipate completely. Xia De realized belatedly that there had originally been a layer of hazy fog in this place. The cold, damp, and rotten smell in the air almost made Xia De think he had arrived at some graveyard.

In the very thin fog, the surrounding scenery was not difficult to distinguish. He was clearly in a dense forest outdoors. Through the dense tree branches, he could see the night sky overhead, which was completely pitch black, as if covered by black fog.

But the surroundings were not completely dark. On the trunk of every large tree, there were two or three strange glowing green lines. That eerie green light penetrated into the interior of the trunks, but it was enough to barely illuminate the surroundings. With the help of these lights, Xia De discovered that the rotten smell came from the mud on the surrounding ground and the animal corpses nailed to the trees.

Rabbits, wild deer, gray wolves, brown bears, long snakes; Xia De even saw the corpse of a human male in the green light. Further away, it was completely unclear due to the influence of the fog and darkness.

The degree of decay of these corpses varied; the most severe had turned into dried mummies, while the freshest brown bear corpse looked as if it had just died.

There was absolutely no sound in the forest. Although Xia De had only arrived for a few dozen seconds, that sense of oppression and panic was already urging him not to stop.

This was not the first time Xia De had opened a Time Key. He followed his instinct and immediately ran toward the thin fog ahead. And the oppressive darkness around him also surrounded him more urgently as he moved. ===== CHAPTER 1544 =====