Chapter 2722: Time War

The leading elf nodded:

"Your guess is correct. This key leads to the end of the First Era."

He explained to Xia De:

"This key itself will not cause the serious consequence of time collapse, but it cannot be used by you.

You should understand that for people other than you, using the key is just to observe the stories of the past; but you are favored by time and accepted by all the times you arrive at. Once you open this key, it means that a person from the era after the end of the First Era has entered the First Era."

He actually didn't explain the logic clearly, but Xia De understood:

"You mean the First Era is the normal era, and everything after that is the Doomsday Era. As a person living in the era of 'the arrival of doomsday,' entering the First Era will cause very serious problems?"

"This is just one of the reasons."

Envy Edwards said:

"This matter involves a lot, and even we cannot be sure what consequences will be triggered once you truly appear in the First Era. But please do not use this key, absolutely not."

Xia De felt he understood:

"So you appeared because you want to recover this key?"

"No."

The tall elf immediately denied:

"This belongs to you, and we have no right to interfere. We just hope that you can know the problems caused by using this key and promise not to do so. But others can use this key to observe the era of the world's origin and the era before the end."

"Then can you tell me, in those ruined Sixth Eras, who opened it? Or rather, in those vanished Sixth Eras, no one ever discovered it?"

Xia De asked again. This question involved "Past Lives," and the three were silent for a moment, not because they didn't know, but because they were considering whether to answer.

Finally, the leading tall elf said:

"Since you asked... In the six vanished Sixth Eras, Miss Luvia Fiochi Annat used it four times, Laplace Klein Howard used it once, and once it was destroyed before it was opened."

There seemed to be many stories in this, but this was not the point:

"So as long as I don't use it myself, it doesn't matter if I give it to Luvia?"

Xia De tossed the key to confirm.

"Yes, we will only appear at nodes that seriously endanger the timeline. As long as this key is not used by you, it will not cause such serious consequences no matter who opens it."

So Xia De thought of another question:

"Nodes that seriously endanger the timeline, huh... Since we are talking about past lives, why didn't you appear when Luvia destroyed the Sixth Era timeline? Aren't those nodes important?"

Xia De was really just curious about this question, and the three were silent for a moment before saying:

"We appeared, but we couldn't stop her. She is different from you; she doesn't respect the rules that this world and everyone respects."

This answer was very different from what Xia De thought, "her behavior is also part of time," but it was reasonable to think about it carefully. Based on Xia De's current understanding of the long-haired Luvia's methods, she wouldn't care who wanted to stop her.

Xia De even thought that everyone he knew might have been calculated by Luvia in some Sixth Era.

In short, the Outlander was not the kind of person who wouldn't listen to advice. Since the Time Guardians had made it clear, he didn't think about challenging the stability of time:

"That's good. Although I also want to see that era where everything is normal as rumored, I won't use this key."

He promised, thinking that the key itself was indeed dangerous, so it was more appropriate to hand it to Luvia. Of course, this referred to the long-haired one.

"Thank you for your understanding."

The three said together, but this matter was not over yet. The tall elf explained again:

"The seed you obtained in the secret chamber can be asked about later from the Chosen One of Time; his or her power is enough to grow the gate of the 【Corridor of Time】."

"So, you have actually been peeking at everything in the timeline? You have been watching me just now?"

The elf shook his head:

"No, we don't have that hobby. Actually, the things in the secret chamber you opened were all left by me."

Xia De was slightly surprised, then smiled and thanked him:

"Then thank you... You were once an Elven King of the Second Era?"

The tall elf nodded lightly, but there was still not much expression on his face:

"That's all in the past. Kingship and honor are not worth mentioning for the identity of a Time Guardian. Also, that 【Elven Kingship】 only opens its power to pure-blooded elves. I'm sorry you cannot use it."

"It doesn't matter. I knew it wasn't something I could use just by hearing the name."

Xia De didn't care about this. The crown was clearly prepared for Emilia.

And the guardians still hadn't left, because the most important thing they appeared for this time hadn't been said yet:

"Then the last thing. In accordance with the ancient oracle left by the ancient Tree Father and the great responsibility we bear. When the only remaining time key of the First Era in the material world reappears, the Time War officially begins."

He announced, and seeing Xia De's confusion, he explained again:

"'Time War' is a traditional ritual of our 【World Tree Church】, aimed at selecting Time Guardians like us through the ritual. This is a ritual originating from the First Era, and it can only be opened by Time Guardians."

After the ritual begins, the seven selected people will be granted an exception to use some means to send themselves to the past era that best suits them and is related to them, gain power in that era, and then bring the knowledge, power, and even assistants gained back to the present to compete with other participants until the final winner appears.

Xia De frowned slightly:

"Because this key appeared, you want to select suitable candidates to join you again?"

"No, this is selecting the Chosen One of Time."

The tall elf did not hide this point from Xia De:

"And this is not the Chosen One ritual; this is just a prerequisite for using the Chosen One ritual: having traveled through time and obtained the 'winning right' of the 'Time War.' Only those who meet these two conditions can hold the ritual."

"Now seven candidates for the Chosen One have obtained the qualification for an exception. This time in the Sixth Era, Miss Luvia Fiochi Annat doesn't seem to intend to murder everyone overnight, so this time it will probably be livelier than before."

So the secret chamber in the "Golden Music Hall" hid clues related to the Chosen One ritual; that was what it meant:

"So, by killing everyone through the so-called Time War, can one obtain the qualification?"

Although other Chosen One rituals also required those in front to die before those behind could have the qualification to perform the ritual, those rituals never actively encouraged candidates to kill each other. This style of ritual was completely inconsistent with the style of the Tree Father.

"You misunderstood."

The reticent blood-sucking species shook his head. This question had already touched the core of the rules for this Chosen One ritual, but the Time Guardians were still willing to answer for Xia De:

"The selection ritual is not a killing ritual. As long as the candidates compete one-on-one, if one side wins, the other is eliminated. Time will prove all of this; killing is not a mandatory option."

But the tall elf added:

"But Miss Annat is an exception. Her ranking order is extremely special. Theoretically, she is not recognized as winning, so if she wants to win, she can only kill everyone."

This matter had already been told to Xia De by the long-haired Luvia. Her statement at the time was that she was a candidate, but her candidate ranking was considered the lowest, and unless everyone in front died, it wouldn't be her turn.

The three Time Guardians bowed slightly to Xia De, and then disappeared together.

At the same time, the frozen time flowed again. The high-spirited Owl Lady still wanted to say something, but saw Xia De turn around in the woods to face the direction of the city.

She was wondering what Xia De was doing, when suddenly she heard grand bell sounds coming from afar.

*Dong~ Dong~ Dong~*

The thirteen consecutive bell sounds seemed to ring from the other side of time. The Owl Lady even felt all the feathers on her body trembling in these bell sounds.

The source-less bell sounds ringing from the Golden Music Hall resounded throughout the Vesta Woodland. The wind blew in the woods, and even the stars in the night sky became much dimmer at this moment.

Although she didn't know what this was, the owl on his shoulder was also silent. She could feel a certain ancient and profound power affecting this area, and even her own time curse was undergoing subtle changes because of the continuously ringing bells.

And when the bell sounds ended, footsteps came again. The golden-haired elf walked from the woods to Xia De's side.

Xia De asked softly:

"Did you obtain the qualification for the Time War?"

"No. Having the qualification means a green tree pattern appears on the back of the hand, but I don't have this."

The elf girl said with a smile, and showed her fair hands to Xia De. She seemed to know everything.

In the distant Far North Saint Byron Comprehensive Academy, because there was nothing to do today, Emilia, who had already fallen into a deep sleep in the dormitory holding a unicorn doll, felt green light gradually appearing on the back of her hand.

Vista Woodland, downtown, Nature Church, basement library, a strange Ringed Shushi whom Xia De did not know put down the book "Origin of Tree Seeds," and then noticed patterns appearing on the back of their hand.

In the Vesta Woodland, in the woods, the "Clockmaker," who was standing on a treetop looking at the source of the bell sounds, stretched her right hand toward the night sky, laughing and admiring the glowing green pattern on the back of her hand.

In Dralian, in Tobesk, at No. 6 Saint-Drelan Square, Luvia, who was sitting on the sofa in the living room discussing the house expansion plan with Galina, suddenly frowned, and then looked at the back of her hand.

In Dralian, in Tobesk, at the Yodel Palace, the twin princes in their respective cribs turned over together, and then cried loudly saying they wanted milk, but other than that, nothing happened; after all, they had already given up the qualification.

The bell sounds brought news of time. The war of the eighth Chosen One officially began. ===== CHAPTER 2723 =====