Chapter 1931

That firelight, which spread from the ground cracks to the entire giant tree in just a few breaths, naturally attracted others as well. Except for those fighting on the edge of the island, the Thirteen-Ring sorcerers who were free stopped what they were doing and looked up at the burning giant tree. They inexplicably understood that everything tonight ended with the burning of this tree.

And the burning blood-red giant tree, along with the towering verdant tree that had newly grown behind it, seemed to symbolize something.

"Symbolize what?"

Outside Green Lake Town, looking up at this scene, old Higgins, the curator of the "Apna Library" whose aged face was also reflected red by the firelight, asked. Beside him, Granny Natalie of the "Light-Guiding Ascetic Society" also looked at the president of the Diviner Association, "Mr. Crystal" Adelaida Lenormand, who shook his head with regret:

"It is a real pity that, in the end, I did not get to see Laplace Howard. Actually, the association had many things we wanted to know from him. I wonder how the God-Caller will dispose of him."

The statue symbolizing the Old God of Space and the Time Key symbolizing the Old God of Time, two forces intertwined together. And the "Miracle-Tree's Kiss" they supported happened to come from the Old God 【Yaobian Door】, who also possessed the powers of time and space.

The followers of the Old God had once assisted in sealing this place, and now, the Outsider who inherited part of the Old God's power had fulfilled a similar mission.

In the sea of fire beneath that old lighthouse, an exhausted Xia De retracted the 【Staff of Yggdrasil】, looked at the raging bonfire symbolizing the "Tree's Kiss" seal beneath the Old God statue, and then looked at Sister Delage:

"Nun, you handle the 【Bottle of Doors】 and this sea of fire here; I am going to find that diviner now."

The nun nodded slightly, then watched as Xia De touched the statue and chanted the incantation before disappearing from this place.

In the familiar space filled with white mist, on the only path not covered by the thick fog, was that series of dilapidated wooden signposts.

【Outsider, you have stepped into the "Space Labyrinth."】

【Message from the Old God "Primordial Crack":】

【Existing space signposts: 8.】

"St. Deran Square, beneath the sea cliffs of Coldwater Harbor, the old tower of Mount Sikar, the vineyard of White River Valley, the lighthouse on the island in the center of Pantanal Lake, the Church of the Forsaken, the Night Mausoleum, Green Lake Hotel."

As for the ninth signpost located at the end, it naturally represented the "Green Island Hill Lighthouse."

After establishing the brand-new signpost, Xia De exited from the white mist. Then, without using Sister Delage to part the sea of fire, Xia De summoned his Life Ring and used the "Space-Time" spirit rune to illuminate the direction the Old God statue was pointing, and a hidden passage appeared in the air.

Walking out of that hidden passage, he returned to the basement of the lighthouse. Xia De did not waste time and headed all the way toward the north of the island.

Even though he did not conceal his figure, the ring sorcerers on the island who brushed past him did not see him at all.

He saw the giant tree with a verdant canopy growing beside the lighthouse, saw the burning blood-red tree and the falling fly ash, branches, and leaves; he passed the now completely sealed old Edwards mansion, and also walked through Green Lake Town, where only a few descendants of the townspeople who had been abducted to the island survived.

Finally, Xia De arrived at the forest path, walking back toward that old pier in the opposite direction from when he first came to the island with Megan.

The rain had long since stopped, and a brilliant sea of stars hung upside down overhead. The black vortex in the center of the star sea was now only the size of a palm in Xia De's eyes. And behind Xia De, the burning giant tree almost illuminated everything on the island red. But the fly ash of the giant tree would also nourish Green Island, bestowing brand-new vitality and vigor upon the land.

Next spring, the island, having calmed down again after the catastrophe, would likely welcome a brand-new era of its own.

And as the firelight illuminated Xia De's back, "She" whispered a reminder in his ear:

【Please note, although you can use "Miracle-Zhong Lou Lover" to fuse with those girls who are willing to offer you their true hearts when your own spirit is sufficient, it is not recommended to use it frequently with the same person.】

"Why?"

The falling ashes made the sea of stars seem to turn red as well, and the crackling sound of the burning could not cover up "Her" gentleness:

【The radiance of divinity is too dazzling; their souls cannot withstand that wisp of light that does not belong to mortals, as you can.】

Xia De nodded to show he understood:

"Miracle-Zhong Lou Lover can only be used as a measure for abnormal periods, is that right? I understand..."

He stopped his steps, turned around, and looked at the dazzling red giant tree on the forest path. The firelight reflected in his eyes. Turning right into the forest would lead to the Green Lake Hotel; continuing forward would reach the pier:

"Actually, I had another choice tonight, but I didn't use it."

【Use Miracle-Cinderella to let Iluna Beiyasi transform according to the appearance of the cold and mature Thirteen-Ring Chosen One from the Past-Sixth Era that you saw in your memory?】

"She" really understood Xia De best.

"Yes, but I worry that this would also attract the power of the apocalypse, and I worry even more about letting Iluna bear those memories that do not belong to her... Let me bear all of this. If it is not necessary, I will use the power of 【Miracle-Zhong Lou Lover】 cautiously."

He walked through the forest path and finally caught sight of the pier by the lake. Maintaining the "Tree's Kiss" seal in the sea of fire had wasted some time; it was now approaching three o'clock on Thursday morning.

The rain had stopped, the fog had dissipated, and only scattered red butterflies accompanied by sparks and fly ash blown by the wind were still dancing under the starry sky.

The green great lake had returned to the same normal water color as the outside world. Although those reefs protruding from the water still existed, they no longer appeared so terrifying under the starry sky.

The scenery by the lake was beautiful; one could see the vast starry sky just by looking up. The church ring sorcerers who were clearing out monsters by the lake were the only ones who did not appear in this stretch of water, so no one disturbed Laplace Klein Howard, who sat cross-legged alone at the end of the pier, watching the starry sky by himself.

The sound of Xia De's footsteps arriving here did not disturb the man, who looked very dejected even just from his back. Xia De stood not far behind him, frowning as he looked at this lonely figure. Neither of them spoke first. After a long time, the diviner finally spoke with his back to Xia De:

"The state where Rixia Cavendish and Dorothy Lu Yisha can never meet is not something I can completely solve. But I do know how to stop the trend of their souls gradually merging."

His voice was aged and weary:

"First, they themselves must have enough determination and not want to merge into one; this depends on you. Second, only the power of a god can permanently interfere with this natural phenomenon, but since they are Chosen Ones now, this problem does not need to be considered. Finally..."

From his pocket flew numerous playing cards with Tarot card backs but blank faces. Only the last three cards were not blank:

"The ones before are alchemical cards I researched and created, which can seal living beings and objects to a limited extent. Go find items related to stories that are sufficient to become the enlightening power of a ring sorcerer—the original texts or related items of those fairy tales, legends, fables, and poems. Seal them inside the cards, and then have the writer and the princess use them frequently. Use the enlightening power to slow down the mission bestowed upon them by civilization and the world.

Only a few items of this type can help them, and these cards will tell you which ones can.

In this way, they can also become stronger due to the resonance triggered by the enlightening elements. Although they will have to use these alchemical items frequently throughout their lives, it is already fortunate compared to losing their sense of self."

As for the last three cards that were not blank, one was the Angel-level relic 【Poetry Card】, which could be used to summon heroes of the past to help oneself; one was written in ancient script with the specific usage methods for those alchemical cards; the other had a key pattern on it:

"Before tonight, I destroyed most of my dangerous and blasphemous research data, knowledge, and diaries. The remaining ones, including my divination notes, the production methods for alchemical cards, the research and application of the Philosopher's Stone, as well as a small amount of wealth, potions, and alchemical materials, are all in the old family mansion. Not the real island, but this island. My son Sloth knows where the door is, and the key is the last card in your hand."

His voice grew increasingly hoarse:

"Those materials should be useful to you, or at least useful to the people around you. As for the 【Poetry Card】... the power of time is so fascinating. I think I don't need to remind you of the danger of this relic; you understand it very well yourself."

Xia De looked at the things in his hand with a complex expression. There were many Chosen Ones or other enemies hostile to him, and among them, enemies with complex situations like Joey Barton were not uncommon. But only this diviner with his back to him made the Outsider feel for a moment that the other party was actually not a bad person... Of course, it was only for a moment.

He organized the cards, put them all away, and then asked:

"Can I ask you a question? I saw the ritual array of the sun, moon, and stars, which is similar but different from the patterns on the back of Tarot cards, recorded in your book. So, where does it come from?"

This question was the reason Xia De first stepped onto the land of the Green Lake region.

The diviner shook his head:

"I don't know why you are curious about this. That ritual array was my proudest achievement after I left the Diviner Association. I created the ritual array myself based on the symbols on the back of the Tarot cards, and it condensed most of my achievements in divination, astrology, and ritual studies. Tonight's Edwards Ascension Ritual used it as the ritual core."

"What? How is that possible?"

This sentence almost slipped out, but even though he held it back, Xia De still could not believe this answer.