Chapter 2680

As the wet stone tablet landed, the low-whisper elements that weren't strong had already permeated the camp. However, Grace and Helen walked over together and reached out to touch the stone tablet, and the low-whisper elements were suppressed as if sealed.

"Relic derivative, but not a derivative of this lake. This lake is indeed not a relic."

The white-dressed sister Grace said softly, and Helen turned to Xia De:

"Sir, come and take a look. These are characters I don't recognize."

The stone tablet itself didn't know how many years it had experienced under the water. Although the surface was mottled, most of the characters and patterns were still clear. The stone tablet had no base and was inserted into the soil at an angle.

At this time, the side facing away from the campfire was full of characters. Xia De bent down to wipe off the water droplets and silt:

"This is... Fourth Era, year 1080, Temperance... Seal... Unrecognizable... Here."

Below this sentence was a holy emblem pattern. The holy emblem wasn't the common circular shape but shield-shaped, and decorated with thorns. Xia De didn't recognize this, so Grandma Cassandra and Miss Danist, the most learned people present, leaned forward. After discussing it a little, they gave the conclusion:

"This is the holy emblem of the 【God of Ascetics】, also known as the 'God of Temperance', 'God of Thorns', and 'God of Pain'. But be careful, this god is an evil god. He still exists today, but his believers rarely appear, so the Orthodox Church doesn't know much about his cult organization."

Xia De nodded. Evil gods aren't necessarily incapable of doing good things, just like the few who helped him during the Moon Bay War, so what is sealed by an evil god isn't necessarily a bad thing.

He continued to translate the text under the holy emblem:

"Do not enter this place without permission. If you enter this place for unknown reasons, please follow the following rules:

If there is a human body sinking under the water, please record the individual characteristics and exit this area in time. Do not touch the lake surface or attempt to rescue;

If there is a human body floating on the water surface, reality has already left you. This moment is a boundless big dream. Please maintain a clear cognition and wait for rescue. May God bless you;

If there is a human body standing on the water surface, please turn and leave immediately at all costs. Do not communicate, do not look at each other, do not perceive, do not remember."

This was the entire content of this side of the stone tablet. The decorative patterns on the outside weren't characters, so they didn't need translation.

"What was sealed here? If I didn't misunderstand, did a god seal this place?"

Iluna asked softly, and the Red Butterfly sisters said very definitely:

"No matter what was sealed before, that thing definitely isn't there now. This lake is 'empty', and if the seal still existed, this stone tablet should be warning people by the lake, not in the lake."

"The Fourth Era, the era of darkness and chaos, that was really too far away from now... What's on the back?"

The eighteen-year-old red-haired girl asked, so Xia De lifted the stone tablet and flipped it over. But there were no characters on the back, or rather, there was nothing at all; it was a quite smooth stone surface.

Xia De frowned slightly, so Grandma Cassandra reminded him from the side:

"Ancient objects unearthed in the Fourth Era sometimes need blood to solve the puzzle. In that dark and chaotic era, intelligent lives united with tribes as the bond and believed that only common blood was real. People at that time paid great attention to this."

Miss Swift behind her directly cut her palm and pressed her bloody handprint on the stone tablet. So the smooth stone surface glowed slightly, and a moment later, a vivid and exquisite mermaid pattern was etched on the smooth surface of the stone tablet.

The mermaid was bound by several chains. The depiction was extremely detailed, and that beautiful face could even be said to be a bit enchanting.

"So, is the seal here also related to the mermaid race? Or, what is sealed is a mermaid."

Miss Danist, who didn't know the situation, guessed, but found that most people were looking at Xia De. Xia De took a deep breath, watching the light and shadow jump on the tilted stone tablet.

For a moment, he clearly saw the mermaid bound by chains on the stone tablet winking at him.

Splash~

Another sound of a tail slapping came from the lake, causing the cat to meow threateningly again. Luvia's hand rested on Xia De's shoulder, so Xia De stood up from the stone tablet:

"Everyone stay in the camp, I'll go to the lakeside by myself."

"Is it that thing?"

Iluna asked unhappily. She hated that guy who said she was simple.

"It might be, but this time she went a bit too far."

He picked up the cat and handed it to Tifa. The maid looked very worried:

"Are you really going alone?"

"I'll follow Xia De. I'm holding the 【Night Watcher】. Emilia, don't speak. Even if you carry the 【Flute of Time】, it's not enough."

Iluna said, so the blonde elf girl nodded. Xia De then looked around again, watching those people who were watching them:

"Including Grace and Helen, you all wait for us in the camp. After Iluna and I leave the camp, immediately seal the camp from the inside. Unless Little Mia recognizes me and returns, no one is allowed to enter or leave under any circumstances."

Xia De's expression was very serious when he said this, so the Red Butterfly twins who originally wanted to go with them had to nod in agreement.

It was just that before Xia De left the camp with Iluna, he took off the black key hanging on his chest and turned it into the 【Staff of Yggdrasil】. Xia De handed the long staff to Luvia:

"I don't know what happened this time, so help me hold this."

The purple-eyed girl, who didn't know why, took the long staff. She didn't understand what this meant. But looking at Xia De's expression, she didn't ask much:

"Wait a moment, I'll divine one more time before you set off. There are still three coins left."

"If an accident happens, use the coins again."

Xia De nodded to her, then held hands with Iluna and walked out from the camp fence gate.

"Meow~"

The cat meowed and darted out of Tifa's arms, but didn't follow Xia De, instead darting onto Luvia's shoulder and squatting down. This situation was extremely rare.

The purple-eyed fortune-teller also subconsciously reached out to touch it, and then was surprised to find that she felt familiar with this action. But one must know, Little Mia rarely got so close to her.

The night was already very deep. Then everyone cast spells to completely close the camp. Xia De couldn't even easily perceive whether the camp still existed without turning around. The firelight from the camp also disappeared, and only the moonlight, starlight, and the silver torches erected outside the lake shore were still providing light.

The two came to the lakeside together. As Xia De threw the perfume bottle into the lake, the calm lake surface that was emitting starlight suddenly rippled.

In the sound of water, the perfume bottle floated a distance into the lake and then sank directly under the water. Then a huge shadow flashed under the water again, and immediately after a splash, that beautiful woman's head emerged from a position close to the shore.

In an instant, the silver flames on the surrounding torches were all suppressed to the core of the flame, and the starlight in the night sky projected the colors of the starry sky onto her head like a spotlight.

The starlight illuminated that wet cheek, and the light reflected by the black hair made her black hair look particularly textured and even more beautiful.

Iluna didn't speak, just "tsk~" to show her dissatisfaction. Both she and Xia De felt the strangeness of emotions and thoughts at the same time as the other party appeared, but Iluna, who had instinctively disliked this "mermaid", would absolutely not change her attitude just because of her appearance.

"This time, what do you mean again?"

Xia De asked, and the woman's head, looking up at the two on the shore, smiled and asked:

"Really impolite. I thought you would greet me first and then report the progress of debt collection."

The voice was lazy and hoarse, as if just waking up from a beautiful dream:

"I know what you want to ask. Yes, in the Fourth Era, some very capable and very rough guys summoned gods to seal me in this lake. Speaking of which, that was a long time ago. I broke free later, but it's probably because I stayed here for a long time, so this lake has my power."

"Why do I feel that you hate this place, so you cast the most vicious curse on this lake before leaving? Otherwise, this lake didn't become a relic, why did the stone tablet in the lake become a relic derivative instead? Isn't this just proof of your power?"

Iluna asked like this, so the woman's purple eyes looked at her. Iluna stared back with her different-colored eyes without fear. The woman's head in the lake, illuminated by the starlight, laughed, which made Iluna feel even more despised.

"Whether it is or not, what does it matter? But interesting soul, it wasn't I who lured you and the witch here, it was you who broke into the Love Lake... I like this name. Who would hate love, and who would hate happiness?"

A splashing sound came from the water, as if the feet in the lake were shaking gently. Although the lake water reflecting the starry sea was translucent, Xia De and Iluna couldn't see what was under that head, which was quite creepy.

"Although we followed Linda Bennett here, didn't you lure Linda Bennett here? Otherwise, I can't think of a reason for her to come to such a place."

"Of course it wasn't me who lured her."

The woman denied immediately. She didn't pretend to be aggrieved, but smiled and looked up at Xia De:

"If you investigate carefully, you will find that Miss Linda Bennett knew the secret of this lake a long time ago. That bold girl took the lake water here and fed it to the dead apostle York Bront, wanting to gain his eternal love, and she has really succeeded."

"Very interesting, right? The opponent you regard as a strong enemy, that long-lived person who has really escaped death to a certain extent, would actually be successfully drugged by an ordinary girl."