Chapter 2978: The Battle of Vesta Woodland Begins

Being able to obtain extra coins before the decisive battle was the best news. Luweiya asked:

"Xia De, do you need to use them now or save them?"

"Save them for now. Thomas Bennett's problem is hardly a problem, but I'm not sure if we can successfully find the Clockmaker. Besides, there's a series of troublesome matters after we go deep into the forest, so let's keep the coins as a backup."

Luweiya nodded gently, then asked with a smile:

"Did you and Miss Oulannuode do anything other than sleep in the Stargazing Room last night?"

Xia De pretended to be innocent and said:

"Luweiya, is now the time to discuss such things? We should separate public and private matters. How could I have such a mood before the great battle?"

"But how do I feel that this counts as your private matter? Everyone is discussing today that the ancient witch is really bold... Alright, alright, I won't talk about this topic. In any case, be careful tonight. After dealing with the matters in the city, return to the ship for a rest before heading into the forest."

She sighed softly:

"We have experienced so many things, so I won't say things like 'take care' this time. But remember that there are many people waiting for you to come home, so take care... You see, I said it after all."

Xia De understood what she meant, so he gave Luweiya a hug.

Princess Lei Qianya was brought by Grace and Helen at three o'clock that afternoon. Since this morning, the sisters had sensed that the space-time situation in the woodland was spiraling out of control. They were worried that by the time evening arrived, the forest and the outside world would be completely sealed off due to the difference in time flow, so they brought Princess Lei Qianya over in advance.

Although the red-haired princess had always stayed in Tobesk, because of Dorothy, she was actually more familiar with the affairs on the ship than Margaret.

When she boarded the ship, Miss Beiya had just led people to deliver the supplies sent by the Zhengshen Sect to the 【Witch Council】. The most critical part was naturally not the batch of divine weapons and the No. 2 holy water concentrate, but the holy emblem medals that could trigger the divine ritual tonight, allowing the attacks of the Ringed Shushi to penetrate the defense of the Paradox Bugs.

The witches themselves did not believe in the five Zhengshen, so everyone distributed those medals according to their own preferences. Xia De casually took one and tossed it to Princess Lei Qianya. After the red-haired princess caught it, she opened her arms and hugged Xia De, then greeted her sister on the side, before mentioning to Xia De that the "Day of the Red Butterfly" officially began from this moment:

"If this battle ends early, after your post-battle rest time is over, no matter how many people send you invitations, you must remember that it is my and Dorothy's time."

She then kissed Xia De passionately, and only then did she gracefully let Angelina take her to find Dorothy and the Red Butterfly sisters.

Xia De liked this kind of girl in Lei Qianya; she held personal feelings but was always able to handle other matters properly. Thinking carefully, the Red Butterfly Day should have taken place on the last day of last month, and now it was already the eighth day of the Frost Descent Month; delaying it for so long was indeed a slight to them.

At 3:20 PM, the girls on the ship and Xia De had their last drink together in the banquet hall before the great battle. Afterward, the Shining Messenger left a mirror image on Lake Yulun, set sail into the sky, and then vanished into the heavy snow beneath the deep night sky.

At 3:40 PM, the eight Great Mages on the ship held their final pre-battle communication with the other five Great Mages in the council. The Speaker, Isabella, had temporarily halted her work on the seal of the black mausoleum at the southern end of the Old Continent and was standing by on the outskirts of the Vista Woodland, ready to provide support at any time.

After all, they could not commit the council's entire strength into the woodland at once. Now that Vanessa had announced to the others the big news of her advancement to the thirteenth tier, it was most reasonable to have one thirteenth-tier Great Mage both inside and outside the woodland.

At 4:00 PM sharp, the fused Butterfly Wing girl and Sylvia finally abandoned the idea of building portals inside and outside the city; the terrible space-time environment made such an approach quite dangerous. However, the batch of "Return Charms" they had produced was finished. Sylvia had made this type of charm during the Battle of Green Lake, allowing Xia De to return to the inn at any time while operating on Green Island (Chapter 1915).

This time, the "Return Charms" were not only provided with technology by Sylvia and power by the Butterfly Wing girl, but also received support from Miss Elise. Therefore, the charms could allow the girls in the woods to return to the "Shining Messenger" at any time, though the charms were ineffective within the city limits.

At 4:27 PM, Xi Wei, Vanessa, and Megan Audrey officially set off with their people toward the city. The three took away seventy percent of the high-tier sorceresses and one-third of the mid-tier sorceresses on the ship, and of course, nearly seventy percent of the "Return Charms." They would coordinate with the church in the city to determine the Witch Council's resting place and temporary base in the city, and then they would participate in the city defense battle until Xia De and Amelia returned from the "Time Transfer Station."

At 5:00 PM, Xia De and Amelia, having made their final preparations, also said goodbye to the remaining girls on the deck. Of the four "Holy Swords," Xia De took 【Blood Sorrow】, and Amelia held the 【Flute of Time】. Xi Wei and the others who had just departed had already taken the 【Angel's Right Arm】, which dealt with the "Keeper's" immortality, while the 【Night Watcher】 had already been taken by Galina; Xia De was ultimately still uneasy about her acting alone with her people.

There was no need for extra words. After finally confirming that the 【Poetry Cards】 had also been put into his pocket, Xia De waved goodbye to the girls seeing them off on the deck, then held Amelia and jumped toward the sea of forest below.

Luweiya stood under the starry sky for a long time without coming to her senses, until she was tugged by Bella and turned to follow the people remaining on the ship back.

A phantom with flowing long hair flashed across her shadow. The girl with long hair from the past knew what would happen next; she knew everything. Because she had no attachments, she had always been able to handle local incidents the fastest in the past, but for Xia De, who did not want anyone to sacrifice themselves, he would likely not like the ending of the Woodland Battle at all.

The Vista city, which appeared empty due to the city-wide martial law, brought Xia De a slight sense of unfamiliarity. Although most of the windows in the city in the dark night were still lit, that indescribable oppression and the fear permeating the air could not be dispelled by the lights.

The light source at the top of the Golden Music Hall tower kept the deepest alleys from being pitch black, but it was precisely this visibility between total darkness and a little light that best explained where the fear of the night, which sentient life had carried to this day, actually came from.

After entering the city, Xia De and Amelia went straight to the city center and stopped at the entrance of the Accordion Inn, which was still under seal.

The main entrance was plastered with seal strips, and all the windows were boarded up. The once most famous inn in the city had completely declined in a situation no one had expected. Even if it were bought by the witches and reopened later, it would likely never return to its former bustle.

Xia De and Amelia hid in the alley behind the inn. After scaring away the wild cats that were fruitlessly rummaging for food in the trash cans, only they remained here.

The little elf held Xia De's hand, her face somewhat pale, both from excitement and nervousness. They did not exchange many words until 6:00 PM, when, after the ground heaved and vibrated, the boom~ of explosions in the distance arrived belatedly.

The bell tower above the Golden Music Hall began to ring continuously after the continuous explosions in the forest subsided; for the local citizens, this meant the highest level of martial law had officially begun. And for the ring mages who were actively or passively participating in this war, it meant the final story of the Vista Woodland had finally begun.

Dust and smoke diffused above the forest. The seismic waves caused by the bomb explosions were sensed by the city first, followed by the slightly delayed sounds. A buzzing sound came from the deep pit at the explosion site. As the first paradox bug flew out of the deep pit, the academy professors responsible for detonating those rune bombs guided the first batch of awakened bugs to fly away from the city, but more bugs had already opened their eyes underground.

In the small alley in the city, Xia De said softly to Amelia, who was staring blankly at the air in front of her with pursed lips:

"Let's go."

That black invitation letter had already been proven impossible to open again, so Xia De reached out to hold Amelia, and after casting a spell, the two disappeared into the alley together.

Their figures appeared on the third floor inside the inn the next moment. Facing the familiar scene where she had lived for half a month, Amelia appeared somewhat sorrowful. The bustle of the past was long gone; all the doors on both sides of the corridor were wide open, and the mess inside was the last trace left before the witches evacuated.

There were no lights on here, and even the steam pipe heating had stopped. Although this was not a home, just a place to stay for a short time, the elf girl still missed it.

"We have confirmed that the Time Transfer Station is actually located within the remains of the World Tree."

Xia De's voice sounded in the darkness, the two still holding hands:

"Thomas Bennett told me that the entire woodland is actually on top of the remains of the World Tree, which is consistent with the background information I learned about that ancient war.

The Time Transfer Station is actually a tree hole opened with the 'Tree Hole Spell.' Although its form of existence is very different from the Tree Hole Spell we know, since the principle is the same, the method of opening it should have points in common with a normal Tree Hole Spell."

After explaining this, and after the ritual array of the sun, moon, and stars lit up beneath their feet, the 【Staff of Yggdrasil】 appeared in Xia De's hand:

"A tree hole opened by a normal Tree Hole Spell can be opened by poking it with a branch from the tree's own body. Amelia, you also know the origin of the staff in my hand. Next, we need to face Thomas Bennett. Besides himself, as a participant in the Time War, he will definitely bring in assistants at the end."

"Yes, the elf sister has already told me."

Amelia tugged at Xia De's sleeve:

"The upcoming battle will be led by me. After all, the Time War requires a fair one-on-one duel. Xia De, I will not let you down."

"I will intercept any potential assistants for you. Since I didn't let Miss Olanod come along, I will take on her responsibility. Actually, you don't need to worry too much. Of all the battles tonight, this is the only one I know for sure will not fail."

The little elf now had great determination. She took off the crown clipped to her arm and then placed it on her head. The silver crown thus became the brightest light source at this moment, and the emerald green light added a few strands of green hair to her golden long hair.

The two came to the stairs together and walked down. When they reached the second floor, the continuous explosions outside the window and the thin white fog diffusing above the city were already declaring the official start of the city defense battle. The buzzing of insects could not yet be heard clearly in the inn, but seeing the golden spherical shield completely enveloping the city, everyone knew what this meant.

"Amelia."

Xia De raised the staff in his hand forward, and the little elf nodded gently and reached out to grasp it as well.

Although the 【Staff of Yggdrasil】 could only be used by Xia De or Luweiya, at this moment, the black staff and the silver crown resonated. As the two held the staff high, and as it slammed toward the ground like a heavy hammer, the space hidden behind the real inn revealed a doorway amidst the ripples stirred up in the surrounding space:

"Thaumaturgy - Key of the Door!"