Chapter 3366: Angel Feather

"Oh, Priest, stop teasing me. I'm sighing because of the time adventure... it's just that someone has left."

Xia De said this and wanted to sigh again, but to avoid breaking his "five times in three minutes" record, he held it back:

"You keep this book; there are copies at the 【Spirit Cultivation Sect】."

Xia De had brought over the *Scripture of Eternal Sleep*, and of course, he had kept a copy for himself. Now, the book was resting on Priest Ao Gu Si's right side, and the old priest had just finished flipping through it:

"It seems your experience this time was quite spectacular. What, do you need an old man like me to help you work through some psychological issues? That's actually the Doctor's job, but he's still locked up in the church, so it'll have to be me."

Mentioning Doctor Shi Nai De brought a smile to Xia De's face, even though he wasn't in the best of moods, and Priest Ao Gu Si laughed as well. The Doctor was truly just having a run of bad luck this time, but counting the time, he would be released soon.

"Psychological counseling won't be necessary, but I really did encounter quite a lot this time. Sorry to delay your lunch, but please, listen to my story."

The story began with the skull on the temple door, explaining that the Angel of Death was killed by an Ancient God. Then, after his group offered sacrifices, they walked the "Path of the Dead" in reverse. At the end of the road, the deity appeared, shattered the bracelet, and Xia De was grabbed, shaken violently, and tossed into the sky. He shared a coffin with the deity, learned the origin of the bracelet, the responsibilities of the Evil God, and the death of the Angel of Death, followed by departing from death while riding the coffin.

The priest set aside his work, turned on his round stool, and listened intently. After Xia De finished, he sighed just as Xia De had done earlier:

"Regarding the cause of that angel's death, I had only speculated before; I didn't expect to have it confirmed by you. This could be considered a necessary sacrifice. Since it bore the responsibility of declaring the end of the world, then after the Ancient Gods extended the world into the Second Era, it indeed should not have continued to exist."

The old priest was half-sorrowful, half-reflective:

"As for the responsibility of that God of the Grave, this is also the first I've heard of it. I didn't know before that this Great One handled the angel's remains."

He tapped his leg with a clenched right fist:

"The information you obtained this time is more than what I've gathered in ten years of investigation. Indeed, some things cannot be answered in the Sixth Era; to investigate the past, one must go to the past."

Xia De agreed with this view. If he hadn't encountered the 【God of the Grave】, he couldn't imagine where else he could have obtained such hidden history:

"It's just a pity about that thigh bone and foot bone; the deity didn't give them to me directly, though even if they had, I wouldn't have been able to bring them back."

The priest shook his head:

"It doesn't matter. When executing the task force mission before the Year-End Festival, I said that 75% completeness of the remains is sufficient; there's no need for it to be perfectly intact. Before meeting you, I had already obtained a portion of the right thigh bone and several finger bones (Chapter 837), so it doesn't matter if the left thigh bone is missing."

Xia De sat on the stool, holding the cat, his back slightly hunched:

"Alright then. It's just a pity to know the information but still not get the items. Perhaps I can look for followers of that 【God of the Grave】 later, but that deity left in the Fifth Era... since the angel's remains were handled by that deity, perhaps He has the ability to sense the location of the remains."

"Don't think too much about it. One shouldn't be too greedy; the information you brought back is far more important than a few bones. I think that angel was likely willing to be killed by the god; after all, I know it didn't want to watch the world be destroyed either."

Xia De really couldn't help but sigh again:

"The end of the world is coming. Looking at it this way, it seems destined that the angel's remains would eventually be collected by you, Priest, in this era."

The priest shook his head, unwilling to discuss the topic further:

"I will read this *Scripture of Eternal Sleep* you brought in detail; I should gain a lot from it. My skill in preparing holy water has improved again; perhaps later I really can easily produce No. 2 holy water and even more effective Angel Elixirs."

"You also have a copy of that book; you can read it when you have time. Learning more about the soul is never a bad thing."

Xia De agreed, then went on to talk about the nun and the 【Saint of the Grave Bracelet】. When he mentioned departing from death in the coffin earlier, he had already mentioned the bracelet:

"I gave that bracelet to Sister Daifulin, not to you. Priest, don't say I'm biased."

The priest waved his hand dismissively:

"That was your item, and from your story, that bracelet ending up in the hands of the current Flame-Holding Nun is its most fitting conclusion. Time and love—truly the most beautiful, unchanging themes."

Xia De immediately and sternly denied it:

"It's not love, just... a very subtle emotion. The relationship between the Flame-Bearer and the Flame-Holding Nun transcends all mundane relationships."

"Yes, yes, that kind of relationship where one soul helps another bear the flame, and one soul voluntarily serves another—it far exceeds people's definition of ordinary love."

The priest nodded with a smile. Xia De knew he didn't believe him, but he wasn't willing to explain further:

"There is also this feather; I would like you to help me check it."

He took out the feather that was claimed in the scripture to be capable of "limited resurrection." Priest Ao Gu Si took it and examined it carefully, then couldn't help but marvel:

"This is a genuine angel feather, an authentic piece passed down from the Second Era. Unless that Lady of the Lake is willing to be generous to you again, it will be very difficult for you to find anything similar."

He returned the feather to Xia De:

"Yes, your understanding of it is correct. It does possess the ability of 'resurrection from the dead.' In their prime, the Angels of Death found this quite easy to do."

The priest rested his hands on his knees:

"But there are limitations, the one we all know—the soul cannot have reached the end. As long as the soul is still present and the corpse can be repaired, this feather can resurrect a deceased person."

"Of course, although this method can be used on people who have been dead for a long time, I must give a warning: Detective, do not let people who have been dead for a long time return. Absolutely do not. If you want to use this feather, only use it on someone who has just died."

This kind of "resurrection" doesn't violate the basic rules of the world, but it can still be called a miracle. Xia De can only retain life before the soul leaves the body; he cannot achieve resurrection to this extent.

Thinking about it this way, Xia De felt some regret for Margaret's sister. She had been dead for several years; even if her soul hadn't departed after the funeral, according to the priest, it would be best not to use this feather on her.

"Additionally, I suggest you do not treat this feather as some trump card or a last-resort measure. The angels of the Ancient Gods are things that should have left long ago. Even that Lady of the Lake—doesn't she never step a single foot out of that lake, except for appearing during the Chosen One events?"

"Use this feather as soon as possible. If you really let it take effect on a very important occasion, I worry... you will be dragged into some trouble left over from the ancient era. That nun from the Fifth Era made a very correct choice by not rashly using it herself after returning to the world of the living."

The priest continued to warn him. Although he was vague, Xia De could hear that the priest did not approve of such things appearing in the modern era:

"Alright then, I will use it on the first person who appears before me who is worth saving."

Xia De nodded, and as he put away the feather, he added:

"Also, I might need to come to you for help again soon. They are putting on a play on Lu Anda Island, and one of the themes might be related to resurrection. If I find enough clues, I will come to you then."

"No problem. Winter hasn't passed yet, there's nothing going on in the church, and I'm quite free after the Year-End Festival. Actually, yesterday the church detected that a mimic had entered the church; you probably haven't heard about that yet, right? It was my first time seeing a mimic. That thing clearly looked like a normal person, but upon closer observation, it was quite... unique."

The priest shared the story of the mimic with Xia De, treating it as fresh news. After all, he was just an ordinary member of the clergy, not a Ringed Shushi of the church.

Before Xia De left, he purchased a batch of potions from the priest as strategic supplies. Although both the priest and the doctor understood potions and alchemy, the priest was more skilled in potions, while the doctor was more skilled in alchemy.

Coupled with Luweiya, who was skilled in divination, Dorothy, who was an all-rounder and could write reports, and Xia De, who had strong combat power, the five-person team truly covered every aspect.

After bringing the supplies purchased from Priest Ao Gu Si back home, Luweiya was already in the kitchen preparing lunch, waiting for Xia De to return.

"I came back from work just now and saw that neither you nor Little Mia were home, so I knew you must have gone to see Sister Daifulin. Go wash your hands; lunch will be ready in a moment."

She said this very virtuously. When she turned to look at Xia De and saw his expression was normal, she knew his mood had recovered.

However, Xia De went to the basement first, placing the fragment of the nun's eye mask on the shelf as a souvenir of this time travel, alongside the souvenirs from the past. Sixteen time adventures corresponded to sixteen souvenirs, each carrying memories that could never be returned to.

Only after sitting at the dining table with this melancholy feeling did he realize he hadn't told Luweiya about his experience in detail.

The fact that the Evil God actually had no malice toward the group was indeed a good plot twist. Luweiya also learned the complete story of Xia De and Sister Beiya from this. She was actually more concerned about the topic of the "Angel of Death and the End," but after Xia De explained that the angel didn't have the power to push for the end of the world and was merely endowed with fate, Luweiya also sighed for its sacrifice in the Second Era.

(End of Chapter)