Chapter 1906

Now that quite some time had passed since the fifteen-minute mark, he had to pick up the pace. Fortunately, the influence of this strange island on him was no longer significant, and the monsters here would not actively attack him. Covering the distance in ten minutes at full speed should not be a problem.

Crossing half the island might seem troublesome to an ordinary person, but in reality, when Xia De arrived at the location of the mansion that had disappeared south of the town from the Green Lake Hotel entrance, only seven minutes had passed.

Butterflies fluttering in the rain turned into Xia De's likeness, continuing to move toward the hills. Sure enough, the closer he got to the old Edwards mansion, the lighter the rain became and the thicker the fog grew.

This was the only road from the town to the mansion. Countless things seemed to be spying on him from the fog, but he arrived smoothly at the front of the old Edwards mansion.

In reality and in dreams, Xia De had come here countless times. Looking at the mansion from the outside, all the windows were lit, and one could see figures moving inside through the windows—some like servants of the house, others like guests who had come for the banquet.

No one was here to welcome Xia De, but the gate to the courtyard outside the house was not locked.

Xia De reached out to push the door open and walk in, but suddenly heard a voice behind him:

"Have you decided whether to make a choice?"

Turning around, he saw a lady in a green robe appearing out of nowhere. She had beautiful emerald eyes, though the color was slightly deeper than those of the blonde writer. In her hand, she held a glowing green twig, and around her neck hung the holy emblem of the "Church of Nature"—two overlapping leaves.

"Are you... Miss Maria, the Nightmare Witch of the Church of Nature?"

Xia De had learned about this Thirteenth-Tier female mage since the Pantanal incident. Although she didn't look old, appearing similar in age to Miss Aurora and Miss Benanice, she was actually among the older generation of Thirteenth-Tier Ring Mages currently in the Five Gods Church.

"I have projected myself here through a dream; this is not my physical body."

The lady with emerald eyes said to Xia De in Derarion. Although Xia De had encountered her many times, this was their first close-range conversation.

"Hello, is there something you need? I'm in a hurry to attend the banquet."

He pointed toward the lit mansion:

"If you are looking for that Balanced Chosen One, you can go to the south of the island; she should be over there."

The Thirteenth-Tier female mage shook her head slightly:

"God-Caller, I am waiting for you here."

Xia De was somewhat surprised but nodded:

"May I ask what the matter is? Who are you representing in speaking to me?"

"God-Caller, so far, this is the appearance of the Sixth Chosen One. You have been involved, to varying degrees, in who the previous five Chosen Ones were. You are choosing the Chosen One."

"No, I am not."

Xia De shook his head, but the lady in the fog did not refute him:

"I am waiting for you here in the hope that you can tell us who you intend to make the Chosen One this time. The activation of the Edwards Ascension Ritual is almost impossible to stop. Even if you are once again ahead of everyone else, it is likely very difficult to prevent the ritual from starting. But you still have a chance to kill the traitor of the Diviner Association mid-ritual, or you can choose to be his enemy after he completes it. So this time, who will you choose?"

"Certainly not this traitor from the Diviner Association."

He said firmly:

"If I can stop it, I will stop him, and then let the second candidate hold the ritual; that is the best result I can think of. If I cannot stop it, even if he truly becomes the Chosen One, I will kill him. If he dies, the second candidate will be unable to hold the ritual. To stabilize space, I will have the third candidate hold it. She is one of my people, so there will definitely be no problem."

The Thirteenth-Tier female mage nodded slightly:

"This is also the result the Church hopes to see. God-Caller, after the Battle of Randall Valley, the Church of the Sun, in accordance with the oracle, will not overly investigate your identity, and the Five Gods Church has no intention of being your enemy. For so long, you have been helping the Church. After the Battle of Green Lake, the Church hopes to give you a gift."

Xia De frowned slightly:

"Actually, you could just tell me what the Church wants you to say to me."

"Laplace Klein Howard possesses some information. I do not mean the data on human alchemy, nor even the data on the Edwards Ascension Ritual. He once excessively explored the truth of the 'Whispering Poetry,' and also attempted to know the mysteries of time, peeking into the past and future—things that should not be known at the present time."

The "Nightmare Witch" Maria said softly:

"That information must still be in his hands. We will not stop you from obtaining and knowing it; that is your right. The Church only hopes that it is enough for you alone to know those things, and that you do not overly investigate the truth or falsehood, nor continue to research along the path of Laplace Klein Howard."

"The Church knows exactly what he researched... No, wait, the Diviner Association?"

The female mage nodded:

"The Diviner Association and the Five Gods Church are in a cooperative relationship, and we do not have the authority to completely interfere with their research. This time, in order to oppose Laplace Klein Howard, the Diviner Association finally revealed some forbidden topics they had researched during the era when Laplace Klein Howard was active."

"That's fine. I can just look at it myself and not spread that knowledge around. Or if there is a chance, I will destroy all his research materials... But what can I get?"

Xia De asked, and the female mage countered:

"May I ask, what do you need?"

Even though there were many choices left for him, Xia De blurted out without thinking:

"First, the Philosopher's Stone. Second, I want a Heart of the Living Dead."

The "Heart of the Living Dead" was something Xia De had long wanted to get his hands on again, as a safeguard in case an accident occurred tonight without a means of remedy. As for the "Philosopher's Stone," he was surprised by his own choice when it slipped out, but after thinking about it, the "Philosopher's Stone" was indeed quite good, so he didn't change his answer.

Miss Maria nodded slightly:

"No problem. In addition to the gift originally prepared for you, these two items will be presented to you through appropriate channels after the Battle of Green Lake. The Philosopher's Stone will be provided by our Church of Nature; this is in gratitude for your perfect resolution of the Evil Object in the Pantanal."

Her figure was already unstable, but she still reached out to Xia De:

"God-Caller, I have a portion of power here that I can temporarily bestow upon you, hoping it will help you oppose the Diviner."

Their hands clasped together, and as the female mage's figure turned into green light spots in the fog, those light spots flew toward Xia De's right arm, leaving a leaf-shaped brand on the surface of his skin.

【No problem, it's just pure power.】

Xia De nodded and pushed the door open to enter the courtyard of the old Edwards mansion.

As if time had reversed, everything in the old mansion's courtyard looked as if it had been in use just yesterday. The trees were lush, the ropes and seats of the swings swayed in the rain, the well was not covered by stone slabs, and flowers were still blooming in the flowerbeds by the fence.

Arriving at the front door of the house, Xia De knocked, and the door opened automatically before him.

Cheerful dance music drifted out, and the bright lights made Xia De, who had walked out of the dark night, feel somewhat uncomfortable. The people moving about in the house, dressed in festive attire, had the heartbeats and vitality of living people, but in Xia De's eyes, they still moved like ghosts in almost every corner of the house.