Chapter 3377: Memories Under the Starry Sky

"The key to this connection actually lies in a bond at the level of fate. The Radiant Envoy and my fate have long merged into a single whole; although damage to the ship will not injure me, if one day this vessel suddenly sinks..."

"Do not speak such words. Moreover, even if the ship sinks, I will retrieve it."

Xia De cut her off; the blue-eyed Miss smiled, closed her mouth, and handed the snake shed back.

Soon the maid brought forth the relic specially prepared by the Council for Miss Larson, capable of protecting her at the level of fate. Although it was not an Angel-tier relic, focusing solely on defense, a Sage-tier was sufficient.

The redwood box was opened, and everyone saw the blood-stained white veil. Even Xia De, who knew little about ladies' garments, immediately understood this veil came from a wedding gown.

"How can there be such a strong curse?"

He asked. Civi nodded:

"The curse is part of this relic's power. Although this relic has been in the Council for a long time, we only confirmed all its characteristics when Hilis of the 【Order of the Forgotten】 appeared beside Vanessa:"

"Sage-tier relic - 【The Forgotten Bride】. Upon wearing it, one becomes immune to divination and immune to fate interference. Although it has little effect against fate-selecting relics like the 【Thousand-Faced Mirror of the Divergent Path】, it works very well against relics that can to some extent script fate, such as scripts or spinning wheels."

"The negative trait is that the wearer becomes easily forgotten by others, until they vanish completely. Therefore, after Vanessa brought Hilis, Hilis needed to provide a blessed holy object from the 【Order of the Forgotten】 to resist the negative effects."

"By the way, if during the wearing period the smell of blood on the veil becomes strong, remove it immediately."

The relic was transferred before Miss Larson:

"The Forgotten Ones possess records of this relic's origin. It dates to the late Fourth Epoch: a bride, on her wedding day, killed all the guests and her own husband, then cut off her own head and died by suicide. Thus, in that dark and chaotic era, this veil became an extremely powerful cursed object, but in the Fifth Epoch, it became a relic."

"It originally could curse-kill any wearer, but after becoming a relic, its characteristics changed. This is a rare case among relics. The Chairman believes this is because the resentment attached to the veil holds two different emotions."

Although they were at the dining table, Civi still signaled for Miss Larson to try on this relic immediately.

The white-haired Miss also knew that experimenting now was safest, so she carefully picked up the veil, gently smoothed and folded the parts to restore their natural drape, then distinguished front from back before attempting to wear it on her head.

The blood-stained white veil hung down before her, and everyone at the table strangely felt that Miss Larson, who was clearly still sitting by the table, seemed to be drifting away from them. Although she sat there obediently and somewhat nervously, she also seemed to be heading to a place very, very far away.

"Her presence is diminishing."

Claire said softly, so Miss Elise took out several cards and attempted to divine for her.

Although the Ship Miss also understood divination, her involvement with fate was not deep. But now Miss Larson was right beside her; theoretically, even if the divination was inaccurate, there should still be a result. Yet when Miss Elise finally flipped the cards, she saw three identical cards: "Upright - Death."

"No problem, this counts as a success. Claire, have your apprentice carry this relic with them at all times from now on, and wear it when needed. Simply place a sprig of rosemary inside the veil for daily use, but remember that when not in use at night, store it in a red peachwood container lined with lead plates."

Civi instructed, and only then did the white-haired Miss remove the veil. When asked how it felt, she hesitated and said:

"When I first put it on, I seemed to hear a woman whispering."

"What did she say?"

"She said—【Let Marriage Forget Me】."

After dinner, Claire and Civi still needed to discuss personnel arrangements and the subsequent investigation plan for the island. Previously, manpower was insufficient; now with Civi's support, Claire hoped to conduct a large-scale sweep and search of the entire island to uncover those obvious suspicious points.

Xia De still remembered that tonight Luvia and Dorothy would be making ink at home, so after dinner he prepared to return. Thus the Witches bid farewell to Xia De, and the idle Ship Miss intended to see Xia De off.

But in fact, he could throw a glass slipper and return home directly, so the Ship Miss's intention was naturally to spend a little time alone with Xia De.

They went together to the deck and stood at the end facing the sea. Above was the starry sea hanging high; before them was the boundless ocean; on both sides, one could see snow-capped mountains stretching down to the sea cliffs and Shanfeng at the foot of the mountains.

The Radiant Envoy still maintained its disguised state, but Xia De could see its true form.

The modifications around the year-end festival, besides adding more gun ports and firepower points to the ship and treating the hull timber with special paint to enhance the ship's resistance, had the most critical modification part based on the "Floating City Technology" recorded by ancient Witches: giving the ship the ability to float.

"The Radiant Envoy" could actually fly originally, but that was Miss Elise using her own ability to control the large ship to ascend and fly; the speed was not very fast. Now the ship itself possesses flight ability, and the flying speed has become faster.

According to what Civi just said at the dining table, although the Radiant Envoy's aerial maneuverability now cannot compare to its performance on the water, it is certainly more useful than any other large flying object of this era.

"How did you find the Floating City Technology? I remember Megan and Audrey saying the Council only retained the most basic part of the theoretical technology, right?"

The two stood side by side, blowing in the sea breeze. The blue-eyed Ship Miss playfully blinked:

"When cleaning the cabin, we discovered traces of a large ritual not yet fully set up beneath the floorboards at the bottom of the cabin. That ritual can no longer be replicated, but completing it is still possible."

Xia De understood now. In the Fifth Epoch, Miss Violet had already performed preliminary modifications on this ship; she simply did not finish them, waiting instead for the Sixth Epoch to continue the work.

This was much the same as Chloe's castle not explicitly pointing to Xia De, yet requiring the person who inherited the castle to possess her power.

"Now the modifications regarding maneuverability are preliminarily complete. So, Xia De, do you see any changes in me?"

She spun around on the spot again, letting her skirt unfold like a flower; it was some kind of dance step.

Xia De then observed very seriously:

"Your height seems a bit taller? Did your legs grow longer?"

"About one centimeter."

The Ship Miss gestured at her own waist. Seeing Xia De's gaze indeed follow, she smiled and asked softly:

"Do you want to look more closely?"

"Yes, ahem, I mean your body proportions were already perfect; a one-centimeter change is hard to notice."

"You really know how to talk."

She sighed lightly, then reached out and embraced Xia De. She, born in the Sea of No Light, still remembered Xia De's warm embrace; this made her feel very at ease:

"The ninth story has begun again."

"Yes, it has begun again. Everyone will gather together once more."

"Like you, I very much like that lively feeling... Find time recently to spend more time with Civi."

She suddenly said this. Seeing Xia De look at her in surprise, the Ship Miss smiled and lowered her voice:

"Civi is no fool. Your relationship with Miss Jia Lin Na and the others is clearly more intimate than with her. Even if she is very dull, she should have sensed it within a year. The Witches of this era are somewhat different from the era I was born in, but a Great Witch is a Great Witch. Once she makes up her mind, her action will be very strong. Xia De, you... be prepared."

Xia De blinked his eyes and did not continue this topic:

"Actually, I want to inquire about someone. The Fire-Bearing Nun of the Fifth Epoch—Sister Beren. You know her, right?"

The Ship Miss carefully observed Xia De's expression, then released him and nodded:

"I know her. Although we met few times, we chatted casually. I know the story that happened to you in the 【Graveyard Wasteland】."

She leaned her face closer toward Xia De:

"Unable to accept her departure?"

"No, I just want to know why she did not use this."

Xia De took out the feather of the Angel of Soul-Soothing, and the blue-eyed boat girl shook her head:

"Some fated deaths cannot be reversed even by the power of angels.

Although shortly after your adventure ended, that nun advanced to the Thirteenth Tier and even embarked on an adventure with Your Majesty Violet for a time. But a Thirteenth-Tier witch is merely a mortal, is she not?

At the end of her life, just like those great Fire-Bearing Nuns in history, she burned herself to ashes in the flames, sealing away that dangerous Unknown-Level relic and protecting this world. By the time Your Majesty Violet arrived, it was all over.

But the nuns held fire in life and became part of the flame after death; she is still by your side. I believe she must have said those words to you as well."

Xia De sighed softly:

"It just feels a bit regretful. But if one truly wishes to meet again, it is not impossible, after all, the destination is right there; I can just row the boat over."

The boat girl took his hand:

"Don't think so much. You still need to strive, so that other witches without definite news can come to your side, is that not so?"

Xia De nodded firmly, looking into the boat girl's sapphire eyes at close range, and the two finally kissed under the starry sky.

After Xia De bid her farewell and left by tossing the crystal slipper, his face still flushed, Miss Elise, whose blue dragon tail had already emerged behind her, first lowered her head to tidy the front of her robe that Xia De had disheveled, then raised her head and turned to gaze at the towering snow mountain behind the small town.

Her large tail hung limply on the deck, but the tip of the tail swayed left and right.

She recalled that in the distant Fifth Era, she too had come to the foot of this snow mountain and seen this small town. It was just that that was already thousands of years ago.

(End of this chapter)