Chapter 567

Perhaps it was because I used up all my luck last night, but the lesson between Xia De and Dorothy on Saturday evening was temporarily cancelled. Dorothy was called home by her father, Professor Lu Yisha, to discuss the *Hamilton Detective Stories* collection, which could be considered Professor Lu Yisha's recognition of her daughter.

As for Lei Qianya, she could not come to see Xia De without her father noticing, so they took a break this Saturday. The Princess could also use this time to think about how to help Xia De obtain the 【Sleep】 Spirit Rune.

This time, Her Highness the Princess and the female writer had sworn that they would definitely help Xia De.

On Sunday morning, Xia De went to the Tobesk train station again to bid farewell to Captain Lades, who was heading to the border.

As an officer, the Captain did not have to sit in the second-class carriage like the other soldiers heading to the border. On the platform, the Captain, dressed in his Royal Army uniform, held Xia De's hand amidst the bustling crowd and thanked him once again. He thanked Xia De for saving him from his despondency and thanked him for everything he had done.

For Captain Lades, who was approaching middle age, this train station could be considered an important node that changed his life. After being captured and returning to Tobesk in low spirits, he had assisted Xia De in capturing the child traffickers outside the station, and today, he would set off from here once again.

He looked at his colleagues bidding farewell to their loved ones, the station porters, and the crowds seeing them off, feeling quite emotional for a moment.

"However, I still don't know where the Wind-Rising Path actually is."

Xia De asked.

The train whistle blew; it was about to depart. The citizens who had come to the station to see off their friends and family were saying their final goodbyes to the soldiers about to leave. The surroundings were very noisy, and Xia De also had a final handshake with the Captain.

The "Wind-Rising Path" was the area where the Captain's unit was stationed, which could be considered the true border line. But such a small place would not be marked on a map, so Xia De only knew that it was in the northern foothills of the Sikar Mountains.

The Captain picked up his black suitcase, preparing to enter the carriage. Soldiers who had already boarded poked their heads out of the windows, either waving or kissing the pretty girls who had come to see them off passionately.

"The Wind-Rising Path, eh? Do you know the mountain city of Midhillburg?"

The Captain asked with a smile. Amidst the surrounding noise and the sound of the whistle, his voice was not very clear.

White steam mist emerged from beneath the steam locomotive, blurring the sight between Xia De and the Captain. Xia De nodded:

"Of course I know it."

"The Wind-Rising Path is not far from Midhillburg. To be precise, we also serve as part of the Midhillburg city defense force."

He waved at Xia De with a smile. Following the harsh sounds of metal twisting, gears turning, and pistons pushing and pulling, the metal carriage door closed, completely cutting off Xia De from Captain Lades.

The gushing steam made the platform, crowded with people seeing them off, exceptionally humid and hot. Amidst the sounds of goodbyes and blessings, and the huge roaring sound and the bell of the departing train, white steam was sprayed toward the hazy, misty sky. The metal wheels began to move slowly and firmly, and the connecting rods and potential energy drove the carriage to move slowly.

The rumbling sound grew louder and louder, and the whistle sound went away with the carriage. The wind brushed past Xia De until the tracks were finally empty. In the distance, one could still vaguely see white pigeons being released; that was the Church of War and Peace seeing off the soldiers. The Church of Peace was keen on such activities.

A few pigeons that had not flown far returned to the platform after the people seeing them off gradually dispersed, pecking at food on the ground. Xia De also put his hands in his pockets, preparing to go home. He also planned to go to Coldwater Harbor in the afternoon to see if he had acquired any coins, and then visit Mr. Edmund, who guarded the lighthouse, to chat about legends from various parts of the Old Continent, preparing for the next drop of divinity.

"However, Captain Lades also went to Midhillburg."

He thought to himself:

"Priest Ao Gu Si, Miss Lu Yi Sha, also went there... Hmm... Is this some kind of hint?"

Sunday afternoon at Coldwater Harbor yielded nothing; acquiring currency-type relics was not simple. And although Mr. Edmund could produce all kinds of strange and bizarre legends, the quantity was simply too large, and Xia De could not tell which one might be related to divinity.

Instead, this old gentleman from the Ringed Shushi was very interested in the rumors of Miss Feilian appearing in the Tobesk area, and kept asking Xia De for relevant information:

"When I saw the letter sent by Old John, I even suspected he hadn't woken up yet."

The old man said with a chuckle, looking at the distant seascape from the very top of the lighthouse with Xia De. The arrival of autumn seemed not to have had much impact on this ocean. After the Coldwater Harbor shadow incident ended, although there were more merman attacks by the seaside, the city itself had become much more peaceful.

"When I went to Old John to buy ritual materials, he didn't ask me about that."

"You correspondence-based Ringed Shushi in Tobesk will be the first to be suspected by the Academy and the Church. John just doesn't want to get into trouble. However, Miss Mana Feilian, a witch of the Fifth Era, actually appearing in the contemporary era... Although too much data has been lost, leaving us unable to explore the mysteries of the extraordinary system of the Fifth Era, people of the previous era were actually able to travel toward future events?"

The old man touched his chin, while Xia De held the cat that he had finally brought to the seaside to breathe fresh air.

"Could it be that the witch found a way to reverse the relic 【Time Key】?"

Mr. Edmund said suspiciously.

"Do you think this matter is related to the Time Key?"

Xia De smiled.

"Yes, this is also the mainstream view at present. The Whispering Chapter, Feilian, the Time Key, what exactly is the relationship between them?"

Mr. Edmund said, and in some respects, this view was actually not wrong.

After returning home from Coldwater Harbor, Xia De did not go out again, but focused on waiting for the midnight hour to open the brand-new key of the Fifth Era 3014.

Although the waiting time for the key actually arrived on Saturday evening, Xia De still decided to wait until midnight. This was not only to pursue a sense of ritual, but also because he wanted to complete the key's task and just happen to get the weekly gift in the gift box.

After all, even if most of those gifts were useless, drawing gifts itself was one of the few pleasures for an outsider in this era.

【You on Friday night...】

"One of them."

In the laughter in his ears, he added.

On the grandfather clock in the corner of the living room, the three hands moved toward the top at the same time. The lights were on in the second-floor living room of No. 6 St. Theresa Square. Xia De, who was sitting on the sofa holding a book, put down the potion textbook in his hand, which disturbed Little Mia, who was sleeping on the sofa leaning against his leg.

And when the sleepy cat stood up, Xia De had already taken the key gifted for free by Miss Miss Jia Lin Na and arrived in front of the bedroom door:

"Will I meet Miss Feilian this time?"

Before reciting the incantation, he thought in his heart.

【Then what do you think?】

"Shouldn't have such good luck, right?"

Xia De aimed the key at the keyhole and silently counted three numbers in his heart. The grandfather clock in the corner struck the first chime of midnight.

"May the World Tree protect me in time."

Because he didn't know what the location of this adventure was, Xia De still didn't plan to bring the useless Mia cat. If this time it was still a dangerous place like the Castle of Terror, he was worried that as soon as he stepped out of the white fog, that cat would be scared to death.

"Meow~"

The small cat lay on the sofa; in fact, it had no intention of leaving home with Xia De. It stared with big eyes as Xia De inserted the key into the keyhole and then entered the white fog behind the door.

The cat yawned and squirmed on the sofa to find a more comfortable place. It had seen Xia De walk into that strange white fog door many times, so it was not curious. It was just very curious why every time Xia De returned from that door, he was in a very sorrowful state.

The cat was never sorrowful.

【Outsider, you have stepped into the "Corridor of Time".】

【Message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":】

【Spring, 3014, Fifth Era, Eastern Continent, Night Manor.】

【Event: Banquet of the God of Vampires.】

【Duration: 30 minutes (13).】

"After the Southern Continent-Hope Town, Western Continent-Forest of a Thousand Trees, Northern Continent-Castle of Terror, finally arrived at the Eastern Continent."

Xia De in the white fog was not surprised by this, but he still frowned, because that "God of Vampires" seemed to have another very well-known name:

"Met an acquaintance this time... I mean, a familiar god?"

【You have obtained additional information.】

【The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree is watching you.】

【The Ancient God of Time gives you a test.】

【Participate in the banquet of "Blood Duke Lao Ai" with mortals until the banquet ends.】

【The Father of the Infinite Tree will give you a reward: Sorcery-Silent Moonlight, a piece of real information-Elf.】

"I can understand that time and space are inseparable, but is it a bit too exaggerated for the Ancient God of Time to give me a moon sorcery? Also, the goal this time is to participate in the god's banquet and let the banquet end. Before the three thirty-minute periods end, if the banquet fails to terminate, does it mean my mission failed?"

Xia De thought to himself, and he had no thoughts about the "real information," just treating it as expanding his knowledge.

And the most critical part of the above information was "Blood Duke Lao Ai." Xia De's first curse 【Echo of Blood】 in the strict sense was obtained because he touched the statue of this ancient god.

Therefore, after selling the information about the statue to Miss Miss Jia Lin Na, Xia De had also looked up information about this god, so he was not as ignorant as the previous few times.

Blood Duke Lao Ai, also known as the "Protector of the Alien-Vampire Species" or the "God of Vampires." This was an evil god, and there was clear evidence that this god had not left even at the point in time when the outsider existed in the Sixth Era. But unlike the 【Lord of the Blood Banquet】, who was also an evil god, this God of Vampires was not that evil.

This was somewhat similar to the difference between a "serial killer" and a "common murderer." Although this metaphor was not appropriate, at least even if one really encountered "Blood Duke Lao Ai" in the material world, one would not necessarily die.