Chapter 2602: Revisit the Hermits

And the one who went out with him this day was Miss Daniste. This was not because the owl lady was worried that the rain would wet her feathers, but because Miss Daniste accompanied him when he met the hermits last time, and the red-haired young lady was also thinking about whether there was more news about her teacher in the hermit group.

Thus, the witch stayed behind to prepare the materials for the potion - Warmth. This potion was not complicated to prepare, and it would probably reach the final step tonight.

And little Mia naturally wouldn't be taken out by Xia De, so she was temporarily taken care of by Miss Winslet. It seems that the cat likes the owl lady very much, which is different from the liking for Tifa... Xia De felt that little Mia might have regarded the great witch of death as a kind.

Of course, in order not to hurt the owl lady's self-esteem, Xia De didn't say his thoughts.

Bidding farewell to the ladies in the hotel, Xia De and Miss Daniste took a carriage out of the city, and then walked to the Xiaomige Village in the forest.

Because it was raining, both of them were holding umbrellas. Xia De chatted with her about the plan after that while in the city, and it was not until they walked into the forest together that Xia De asked about the elves.

"Night Song Elf? Yes, there are indeed such elf clans in the academy. There are quite a few such students in the Library Management Academy, but what are you looking for them for?"

Elves mostly maintain the tradition of matrilineal clans, so Miss Daniste also used female personal pronouns.

"I want to ask about some things about the Fifth Era."

"I see, it's your time adventure again, right? I guess the potion formula you gave Fulora is also a harvest from your adventure."

The red-haired young lady asked with a smile:

"However, the Night Song elf clan is widely distributed now, and the one in the academy doesn't know everything. What exactly do you want to ask?"

"In the Fifth Era, did the Night Song elves live together? If not, in what area of the Old Continent do they live now? Oh, I just need to know the result before next Monday."

Miss Daniste was holding an umbrella and walking side by side with him on the small path in the forest:

"This question is very simple. You know that I also have elf blood. Although I didn't deal with my relatives much before, I have also studied elf history. In the Fifth Era, elves of the same clan lived together. Even if they lived scattered, they were scattered within a certain area, like the relationship between towns and villages."

Xia De found that he was not as surprised as he imagined:

"Vista Woodland?"

"Yes, at that time, Creekwood Town didn't exist, and the area of the forest was far larger than it is now. In this ancient forest, not only Night Song elves lived, but also many strange or secret exotic groups.

Also because of the antiquity and density of this forest at that time, it was able to retain many ancient ruins until now. Did you not take courses in the School of Political Economy? If you have time, you can actually pick one or two courses to learn. Anyway, you don't care about tuition fees now."

She teased, and Xia De raised his umbrella slightly, allowing himself to look at the gloomy forest in the rain:

"That black mist with suspected power of the Angel of Death attacked Miss McConaughey in this area back then... So now, is it still here?"

This rain had changed from light rain to heavy rain by the time Xia De and Miss Daniste reached Xiaomige Village. Although both were carrying umbrellas and wearing waterproof long boots, they still stepped into puddles and broke into the village tavern together.

The red-haired young lady seemed to think this was very interesting. When Xia De was at the counter soaked in wine stains, handing the token for meeting the hermits to the tavern owner, she stood alone under the rain-shielding eaves at the tavern door, looking up at the rain beads falling in strings in the gray sky with her hands behind her back.

Xia De felt that this scene was even more worthy of being recorded as an oil painting than his throwing of the moonlight ring.

Xia De's entire left shoulder was soaked because he had to block the rain blowing from the side for Miss Daniste just now. But he didn't want to use sorcery in the village, so he just wiped his hair with a towel and didn't care about the clothes.

Miss Daniste didn't use a new towel, but took the towel Xia De had used to wipe her hair and face, and then thoughtfully went to help Xia De wipe his left arm, but the wet towel actually didn't have much effect on the wet clothes.

Monday morning was originally a time for farming, and although it was raining, there were not many villagers running to the tavern to rest. Because there were not many guests, the tavern owner asked for Xia De's coat and helped dry it with a wooden stick on the fireplace in the tavern.

So Xia De could only sit near the fireplace wearing a white shirt, and the red-haired young lady sat next to him.

After waiting for more than half an hour, when the only guest other than the two of them left the tavern, Mr. Bell Van Buren, the hermit Xia De met last time, finally pushed open the tavern door.

He stood his black umbrella at the door and walked toward the two. Xia De put down the map in his hand. He had just confirmed that when using "Enhanced Spatial Perception" and "Undying Fire Seal" while holding a map, little Mia's position was displayed directly on the map in his eyes.

He was talking to the red-haired young lady about that sorcery when the hermit came in, so he handed out Old John's letter after the hermit sat opposite:

"This is our mutual friend."

Mr. Van Buren wiped his hands clean before opening the letter. He read the letter very seriously, and then looked up and asked Xia De:

"Mr. Watson, what do you want to get from us?"

"Remember my question last time? About the tree hole."

He smiled:

"A week has passed since we met last time. I very coincidentally found a tree hole in the city that can be used to travel through time, so I want to ask you hermits for advice on related issues."

The man in his forties looked at him:

"Did you use it?"

"No, I am a cautious person. And, I can't think of what I need to do in the past."

Xia De said, so the hermit who had just sat down stood up again:

"Please wait for me for a while, two, I will be back soon."

Thus, Xia De and Miss Daniste continued to discuss that sorcery, and later even had lunch together. By the time the tavern owner even cleared the table, and Xia De had put on his dry coat again, Mr. Van Buren finally came over with an old hermit of the Eleventh Ring.

This was not the hermit they met last time. After the two sat down, Mr. Van Buren introduced:

"This is Mr. Meloni, the secret keeper of this generation of the hermit group. It is better for him to handle matters regarding time travel. I'm sorry I said I didn't know anything last time, that was necessary caution."

The old hermit, who looked like Father Augustus, was holding Old John's letter:

"If I hadn't received his letter some time ago, I really wouldn't believe that the 【Light-Guiding Hermit Order】, which is more conservative than us, would actually cooperate with outsiders."

The letter said that John Watson was not a member of the Hermit Order.

"I just happen to know a few gentlemen of the Hermit Order."

Xia De put his hands together and placed them on the table:

"I won't say much about pleasantries. Mr. Meloni, Mr. Van Buren, since I found you for the second time with a letter, you probably guessed that I already know a lot of things."

He looked at the two in turn:

"Since the Sixth Era, the 【Forest Hermit Group】 has been helping those ordinary people who traveled through time due to 'tree hole accidents' and guiding them not to abuse the power of tree holes. Very coincidentally, when I found the tree hole in the city, I met an old man you helped in the 1800s.

Don't worry, I didn't make things difficult for him, and that tree hole was also handed over to me voluntarily. He said that time has closed the loop."

Mr. Van Buren didn't speak, and Mr. Meloni sighed:

"No one gave us such responsibility, this is just to maintain the tranquility of this forest... You said it yourself, we usually don't help ring-mages. Past lessons show that this will bring big trouble."

Prada Og, the elder of the hermit group in the snow in 1802, also said so. He was able to recognize the power of the flower crown because he had elf blood, and naturally trusted Xia De. Of course, this also had to do with the stunning unicorn transformation of "Animal Friends."

But obviously this trick wouldn't work here.

"Can't this letter work?"

"... People recognized by Old John, we naturally won't doubt. What do you want to know?"

But it seems that without the flower crown and unicorn, Old John's face and the holy emblem returned by Xia De were equally useful.

"I want to know some basic knowledge about time travel. Of course, before that, please allow me to ask a question first: the old man you helped once said that using tree holes for time travel will lead to being cursed, so can this curse really not be broken?"

Xia De believed that the two hermits could definitely guess something through this question, but at least they didn't show it.

"It cannot be broken, but some methods can delay the power of the curse. Elves have an ancient potion, but we don't know the formula; a few relics can suppress the power of the curse. If you need it, we can list it for you, and also..."

The hermit paused, but this was not to create any drama:

"Traveling through time and being cursed is because time travelers destroyed the stability of time. Some people are just involved in accidents, but more people really have regrets in their hearts. Mr. Watson, are you sure that the friend you want to break the curse for will absolutely not use the power of the tree hole again in the future?"

Under the table, the red-haired young lady had already grabbed Xia De's hand. She didn't let Xia De speak, and opened her mouth herself:

"He wants to break the curse for me, you don't need to test this.

If I can really meet my elder in the past, even if the man beside me stops me, I will definitely use the tree hole again!" ===== CHAPTER 2603 =====

If I could really see that elder of mine in the past, even if the man beside me tried to stop me, I would definitely use the tree hole again!"