Chapter 1980: The Hope Diamond and the Witch's Pocket Watch

"I appreciate your attitude. Regarding the apocalypse, it seems the Prophets Society has known for a long time, and the Church of the Five Gods is by no means ignorant. Although the specific timeline and situation remain unclear, the Great Witches of the Fifth Era are already running about investigating it. Beyond that, many others are preparing. Moreover, the *Whisper of the Whispering* and the end of the world... this still requires investigation. But the *Whisper of the Whispering* is absolutely related to this. Pursuing the Chosen remains the most important thing we can do."

Xia De shook his head. This time, he finally managed to stand up by leaning on the back of the chair. Aphra wanted to support him, but Xia De refused:

"What needs to be prepared now is how to face the situation brought about by the increasingly deteriorating world environment, such as this summer's low temperatures, which will cause a significant reduction in grain production in the autumn and winter seasons."

"This is indeed a trouble, but since it has already happened, we can only look forward. As for the end of the world, I agree with Xia De's view. As long as we keep the majority of the thirteen Chosen on our side, no matter what happens in the end, we will not be the weaker party."

Megan also agreed.

"Then, did Miss Feilian say anything else? For example, what you should do in the Sixth Era?"

Miss Aphra asked again. Xia De nodded:

"She told me to unite everyone who can be united, no matter who they are, and she also told me..."

He hesitated for a moment before saying it:

"To gain control of the Witch Council as much as possible."

The previously serious atmosphere was instantly broken, and the four beautiful ladies chuckled:

"Isn't that what you have been doing all along?"

"Miss Feilian also said that the Witch Council shoulders important responsibilities and that keeping the Council united is very important. Looking at it this way, the secrets of the Witch Council are not small either, but I cannot find that Miss Isabella to ask."

He mentioned that Great Witch of Time on purpose, but he still chose not to reveal his meeting with that lady. Matters of the 【Past Life】 involved Luweiya and could not be easily disclosed. Besides, that destroyed time was a secret of the world; Xia De did not know what would happen if he spoke of it.

"Speaking of which, do you know about the 【Hope Diamond】?"

He asked again. The knowledgeable Megan was the first to nod:

"The Unknowable-level relic 【Hope Diamond】. Its appearance is a crystal-clear diamond, about the size of half my palm."

As a woman, Megan's palm was not very large.

"The diamond has a total of 58 facets. It is crystal clear, and even in a completely lightless environment, it will constantly reflect light from an unknown source. The relic has only one characteristic: when people facing a desperate situation look at it, it will show them hope. This does not mean creating illusions; it truly points out a path for people."

But that Miss Adele Isabella had asked Xia De to inquire using "Miser language," a language he didn't even know.

"Even in modern times, one can still see descriptions of this diamond in many ancient stories. Sometimes it is jewelry, sometimes it is a diamond on a crown, sometimes it is a treasure in a dragon's chest, and sometimes it appears in even more bizarre states."

Miss Aphra also said:

"The Unknowable-level relic 【Fate Pedestal】 that the Prophets Society has been searching for recently—it is rumored that if paired with the 【Hope Diamond】, it can predict and divine all the secrets of this world. Of course, that is just hearsay; no one has ever tried pairing these two relics. Xia De, was this also mentioned by Miss Feilian?"

"I suppose so. Then, where is the 【Hope Diamond】 now? Has it been contained, or has it been lost for a long time?"

Megan and Miss Aphra both shook their heads to indicate they didn't know. Miss Miss Jia Lin Na thought for a moment and also shook her head. Instead, Miss Beiya hesitated and said:

"I seem to have heard someone mention this relic a few years ago, but I'm not sure. Give me some time, and I will write a letter to investigate. But this will take some time, at least two or three weeks."

"That's fine. There's no rush, and it doesn't matter if it can't be found."

That Miss Isabella of the 【Past Life】, like the deceased Laplace Howard, both believed that the long-haired Luweiya was not a good person. Xia De did not comment on this. Before he investigated the truth himself, he chose to continue trusting Luweiya, at most thinking more carefully when encountering things.

Feeling the pocket watch in his sleeve, Xia De suddenly asked again:

"Speaking of which, does Miss Isabella, the Great Witch of Time, carry any Unknowable-level relics on her?"

Although this question was very abrupt, it could barely be understood as an extension of the topic of "Unknowable-level relics." The witches all shook their heads:

"Any Unknowable-level relic cannot be carried around casually. No matter how powerful the Speaker is, she would not do such a thing. However, the Speaker does have some low-level relics on her."

Miss Beiya paused:

"Sorry, this involves the Speaker's private information, and we cannot say."

"I understand. I was just curious if that lady has any high-end time-related relics on her?"

"Of course she does. An hourglass that briefly pauses time, an unknown quantity of Time Sand, a 【device】 that briefly reverses her own state... Sorry, I cannot say more."

Xia De smiled again to indicate his understanding:

"However, I noticed you didn't mention a pocket watch. I originally thought that the Witch of Time would definitely have a pocket watch-type relic."

"Such relics are not common. Xia De, you cannot probe any further, otherwise we won't be able to help ourselves from telling you everything... However, Miss Isabella does indeed have a pocket watch she carries with her, but that is her personal item, not a relic."

That was indeed not a relic; Xia De did not feel any whisper elements from the small pocket watch in his sleeve.

After talking to the Great Witches for a while longer, everyone left the Council. Although they were not in the same place now, there would be plenty of time and opportunities to meet and talk whenever they wanted, so there was no need to stay in the Council.

After Megan and Miss Miss Jia Lin Na returned to St. Theresa Square with Xia De, Megan bid Xia De farewell and returned to Green Lake. Miss Miss Jia Lin Na also had other things to do in the city today, but she still made sure Xia De was physically fine and instructed him to rest at home for the day and not go out.

"I actually have one more question I want to confirm."

While preparing to bid farewell to the Duchess in the second-floor living room, Xia De said again:

"Is the name of the Witch Council's Speaker 'Adele'?"

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na nodded, her beautiful golden eyes showing a look of confusion:

"Yes, that is it. I shouldn't have mentioned this to you... Did Megan or Sylvia mention it to you?"

"No one said anything."

Xia De shook his head and let out a long breath:

"Don't worry about my question, and I won't go investigating that lady's identity. I just wanted to confirm one thing... Rest assured, I didn't meet her. When I was in the Council, I had some strange hallucinations. This time was still a bit risky; the power of the Witch Council cannot be touched by me so easily again."

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na looked at him with concern, feeling that Xia De's worries were increasing. What Xia De was thinking about in his heart was that the Adele Isabella he had just seen and the Adele Isabella of the current time were actually not the same person.

The time of the "Past Life" was destroyed, and everything started over. Only the long-haired Luweiya came to the "Present." In other words, among everyone who existed at the time point of the "Past Life," only Luweiya remained the Luweiya of the present. Others were more like branches of the river of time and fate.

Miss Miss Jia Lin Na left, and Xia De took out the item from his sleeve. The cat stood on the back of the sofa, curiously watching the small silver lady's pocket watch, which Xia De held by its chain, reflecting the sunlight as it slowly rotated. The pocket watch was very small. After Xia De pressed the button, the lid flipped open with a crisp "click." He held the pocket watch, looking at the decorations and the appearance of the hands inside. Although this pocket watch was just an ordinary item, it was definitely not something an ordinary person could possess.

"An item of time that shouldn't exist, was actually sent to my hands by her just like that?"

It seems Xia De still underestimated the 【Witch Council】. Neither he nor the 【Poetry Cards】 had such power.

And this pocket watch would surely become a beacon, guiding that lady and Xia De to meet again. But in this way, Xia De would have to carry this pocket watch with him at all times, otherwise, if the other party succeeded and saw the statue of the Ancient God in the basement, that would be too ridiculous.

"But carrying it on me will be recognized by Miss Miss Jia Lin Na and the others... This pocket watch is really beautiful; it is indeed very good as a decoration."

【Do you want to sniff it to remember the scent?】

"She" asked gently. Xia De stared at his own blurred reflection in the pocket watch lid:

"In your heart, what kind of image do I have?"

For the next few days, Xia De became completely idle. Even because he was punished by the Tree Father and unable to use the Time Key for a month, he even left the calculation of the Time Key's time to "Her."

Of course, saying he was idle only meant he didn't have to worry about the Chosen. But in reality, there were still many things he needed to do.

The 【Poetry Cards】 were officially handed over to the 【Witch Council】 for containment the day after Xia De used them. This relic originally belonged to the 【Prophets Society】, but considering that Laplace Howard did not ask Xia De to return it before he died, and Xia De might use it again in the future, it was better to put it in the hands of the witches. The relic was nominally submitted by Megan, with the excuse that she found the cards lying in the woods while cleaning up her island.

This reason was impeccable.

As for the matter of Dorothy and Princess Lei Qianya's butterfly card seal, Xia De did not fall behind either. He rested for a whole day on Wednesday, and on Thursday, he went to Huntington City and bought the "King Chess Piece" mentioned by Miss Sylvia from the owner of the White King Club, a count who did not wish to reveal his name. The chess piece was also successfully sealed by the cards.

The antiques in Princess Lei Qianya's hands did not meet the requirements, so in Tobesk, Xia De went to find Old John. He originally thought there would be antiques meeting the requirements in the pawnshop, but after trying five items in a row, the cards did not react. Old John promised Xia De to help him find similar things again; after all, these were not relics, so the difficulty of finding them was relatively lower. And Old John himself seemed to be busy with other things recently.

Xia De intended to talk to him about the rumors of the Battle of Green Lake, but seeing that Old John was not in high spirits, he didn't say much more. ===== CHAPTER 1981 =====