Chapter 2966

Walking out from that door in the transit station, Xia De, Grace, and Helen returned directly to the snow-flurried woodland. Because only one second had passed, to the witches, it seemed as if Xia De had simply returned immediately after disappearing with Thomas Bennett.

"Are you two alright? How did things go?"

Luvia and Miss Olanode accompanied Emilia as they walked over from the woods. The little elf was draped in a white velvet cloak with a fur collar, the color of which was very similar to that of little Liana.

"Let's go back. Thomas Bennett is in a constant state inside the time transit station; even with Grace and Helen's help, I couldn't win. Even if Emilia went in now, she wouldn't be able to defeat him."

He shook his head regretfully, watching as Sivi and Megan also descended from the sky before announcing:

"The final battle of Vesta Woodland is coming. Thomas Bennett has issued an invitation on behalf of that Ancient One. Saturday night, the first day of the three-day full moon phase, the Paradox Worm army will awaken in this woodland, and he will wait for me and Emilia in the transit station as our first gatekeeper before we challenge that Ancient One."

Luvia was not surprised:

"So, everything that happened today was within that Ancient One's expectations? Let's talk about it back on the ship; this isn't necessarily bad, at least we know the exact date."

The gathered witches shared this view, so Xia De looked at Emilia again and placed his hand on her shoulder:

"There is one more thing. Thomas Bennett told me who the first candidate for time really is, and I don't think he was lying to me. Just as we guessed, the first candidate is indeed the Ancient One transformed from the wreckage of the World Tree; no one in this woodland is more qualified than it.

Emilia, you need to defeat him on Saturday night."

"?"

Xia De felt as if he could see a giant question mark floating above Emilia's head at that moment. He, who had been feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, laughed, and the witches, Luvia, and the Red Butterfly sisters walking beside him all laughed as well.

The only one who didn't laugh was Emilia. She stammered, not knowing what to say, until Xia De took her hand:

"I will go with you, Emilia. Don't worry, I will accompany you as we walk toward the future."

It was everyone's consensus that the Battle of Vesta Woodland was about to begin; after all, the fragile time balance here truly could not hold up any longer. But knowing that the night after next was the day of the final battle still made everyone feel extremely tense.

This news was quickly passed on by the witches to the Church, and subsequently learned by most Ringed Shushi organizations like the Academy. The originally methodical preparations immediately became intense, but perhaps the combined tension of everyone was not as strong as Emilia's.

After dinner that evening, Emilia avoided everyone and came to the deck at the stern of the ship to gaze at Lake Yulun. Because of the several heavy snowfalls in the previous days, the surface of Lake Yulun had already begun to freeze. Consequently, the Alenson River, which partially served as the north-south freight thoroughfare for the central region of the Kassenrick United Kingdom, entered its winter freezing period.

At this time, the steamships docked in the lake could only wait until the spring of the coming year to set sail again. The sun had already set, the starry sky was blocked by dark clouds, and the scenery at this moment was actually not very good.

"Emilia."

But the person who walked to the little elf's side was not Xia De or Angelina, but Luvia.

Hearing the female diviner's voice, Emilia turned around immediately to respond. She had always had a feeling of fear toward Luvia that she couldn't quite put into words, and coupled with the fact that everyone knew Luvia Anate's unique status in the "Hamilton Family," she respected Luvia very much:

"Miss Anate, is there something you need?"

"Why did you suddenly call me Anate?"

There was a smile in the purple eyes, while the little elf was very reserved.

Luvia handed her the cloak she was holding:

"Be careful not to catch a cold. There's nothing in particular I need from you; I just saw you here and wanted to chat. Time really flies, doesn't it? From the beginning of this year when Xia De and Vanessa met little Liana in Randall Valley, then met you, and now, almost a year has passed."

Emilia draped the cloak over herself after thanking her:

"Has it already been a year? At that time, I never imagined the wonderful experiences of this entire year. I... I feel very lucky that little Liana could meet Xia De; otherwise, I can't imagine how I would have crossed paths with everyone here. Each of you is... is someone I look up to. Little Liana is indeed my lucky star."

Luvia understood her thoughts at this moment very well:

"You're very nervous, aren't you? Do you know? Last summer, on the eve of when Xia De and I were preparing to help Iluna obtain the status of the Chosen One, she was just as nervous as you are. At that time, there weren't so many people around us; there were only the three of us hiding in Xia De's house waiting for the day of the final battle with the 'Silver-Eyed One,' and at that time, Xia De was only a First-Tier."

"But we still did it, and that's how the stories that followed came to be."

"Angelina and I have actually always believed that Iluna didn't become strong because she became the Chosen One; she was always that strong and brave."

The sharp-eared little elf whispered. In fact, Luvia also agreed with this view; Iluna's personality was already very mature before she knew her and Xia De, at least very mature relative to elves and princesses:

"So if you can pass this test, you will also be able to become the person you once looked up to. Or rather, you will become the person many others look up to."

At this moment, Emilia Sinod only needed such encouragement. After receiving the 【Elf Sovereignty】 from Xia De's hands, she had already made up her mind. Although she would not shrink back again, a little encouragement could make her steps firmer.

It was just that Luvia coming to find her was not just to encourage her:

"I want to talk to you privately now."

"Can't tell Xia De, right?"

Emilia asked nervously, thinking of the stories of royal mistresses vying for favor in the court secrets the little princess had shared with her.

Luvia laughed:

"You can tell him, I just hope you consider it carefully yourself. I want to talk to you about the Chosen One ritual. Now that the time and place of the ritual are clear, although the steps of the ritual are not particularly clear yet, we will definitely understand them when the time comes."

"The only uncertainty now is the consequence of the ritual, which is also what Xia De is worried about."

"Yes, he is worried that I will really turn into a tree, so he has been persuading me not to think that becoming a tree is a responsibility... Luvia, you want to tell me what I should do, right?"

She was only confused about this point.

"Did Grandma Sinod say anything?"

Emilia gripped the deck railing and pursed her lips, looking at Lake Yulun under the night sky:

"... If I can really turn into a tree and become a new anchor to maintain the stability of the material world after the Tree Father leaves, this is the supreme glory of the tree elves. The entire Moon Creek clan will be proud of me. My name will become a story, a legend, and even a myth in the ears of generations of young elves, and my name will become a choice for more newborns."

Luvia showed an "as expected" expression, and she continued to ask with a smile:

"Then what are your own thoughts?"

Emilia turned to look at her:

"I... don't know. Luvia, Iluna always says that although Xia De has been the one making the decisions, you also correct some of his ideas. So do you think, if at the end of the story of this forest, I really need to become a tree rooted here to save everyone, then should I do so?"

Luvia took her hand and made her look into her eyes:

"I just want to tell you that since you trust Xia De, you must trust him to the end. Do not make decisions rashly, even if you think the decision is correct."

Emilia nodded timidly. Looking into those purple eyes, she found that she was even more afraid. Even when she followed the dragon maids in the Fifth Era to face the sealed Cursed One in the desert, or faced a giant octopus with hundreds of dense eyes in the deep sea, she had never felt this kind of fear.

The talent for time played a small role under this fear, and so she became aware of some fragments of time that came from nowhere. In those chaotic fragments of time, she saw Vesta Woodland completely engulfed in a sea of fire in front of Sister Daifulin, who was expressionless as she took off her eye patch. She saw the Bennett family hanged by an owl on the rafters of the Accordion Hotel, and the final scene was the long-haired Luvia with thirteen rings floating behind her and Iluna holding a sunlight gun facing off above the sea of forest.

She didn't understand what this was, but she suddenly had an idea:

"Xia De said the whole forest is an extension of that Ancient One, so entering the forest is equivalent to being known by the other party. So how about we burn down Vesta Woodland? That would greatly weaken its power, right?"

Luvia laughed again:

"Theoretically speaking, that is the case, but as a tree elf, do you really want to destroy the largest primeval forest in the central part of the Old Continent?"

"I have actually thought about doing this, but it's impossible. If we really burn the forest, the Ancient One would probably appear immediately. This is just a way to lure the other party to appear immediately, and the other party might be furious, so it's better not to do it if we can avoid it."

Emilia nodded gently. Having received Luvia's encouragement, it was as if her last bit of worry had disappeared. Although she was a bit afraid of Luvia, she also instinctively believed that what Luvia said must be correct.

The elf, having put down her worries, gripped the deck railing and continued to look at the vast lake, then asked embarrassedly in a low voice:

"Actually... I told Xia De that after I successfully complete the Chosen One ritual, I want him to grant me one wish... I think I should tell you about this in advance. After all, everyone knows you are the... in the family. Will you think I am... that kind of girl?"