Chapter 816

Xia De didn't ask how much strength Grace and Helen still had, but happily told them that the red butterfly pendant really helped his two friends.

He described the state of Lei Lei Qianya and Duo Luo Qian in more detail, described the scene when the two girls met that night, and then mentioned the state where their souls already had signs of partial fusion.

But even for the Red Butterfly twins, they were helpless about this:

"Sir, if the great being we believe in hadn't left yet, your friends could become God's Chosen. This is a true two-in-one; my sister and I couldn't do such a harmonious fusion of souls for so many years."

Helen said with some regret.

The twin girls experienced the complete time from the Fifth Era to the Sixth Era, even if their strength was gone, their knowledge and experience were still very valuable wealth. But it was a pity that the change of eras also caused them to lose part of their memories, and the price of 【Sleeping Princess】 sealed the few remaining memories about the change of eras.

But except for those memories related to hidden history, their knowledge did not disappear completely. Xia De could ask them about relics, antiques, and even the customs of the Fifth Era, which could be considered the greatest help they could provide to Xia De

"Mr., are you leaving in a while?"

As she spoke, listening to the sound of the rain, Grace suddenly asked.

Xia De thought for a moment and nodded:

"Yes, I plan to see Miss Miss Feilian this afternoon; I have already entrusted Madame to deliver a letter. I will visit Miss Fuluola in the evening; now that the matter of the Chosen One is over, she will likely leave Mid-Hill Fort soon."

Grace hesitated for a moment, first glancing at her sister, then whispering:

"Could you... stay here with us for a while longer?"

"Of course, Madame Cassandra also said we should eat lunch together. Besides, it is raining now, and I have nowhere else to go. Speaking of which, did you know that it rained all day in Toby yesterday? It really is late autumn; I can almost feel the chill of early winter."

Xia De said with a smile.

Grace bit her lip, and Helen, knowing what her sister was thinking, then said:

"My sister means to ask if you could stay here and talk with us all day today... perhaps even until very late would be fine."

Xia De was taken aback and shook his head apologetically:

"Young ladies, I still have many things to handle. And, although Toby is thousands of miles away from here, for me, it is only an hour or so of mountain travel. We will have plenty of time to chat in the future; once you have recovered, I can even invite you to my home. But for now, what you need to do is get some good rest."

"Mr., what we meant was..."

Helen looked at her sister, somewhat at a loss, and Grace, wearing white pajamas, continued:

"You have done so much for us, from the last Era until now, yet we have no way to repay you."

"I was never doing this for you to repay me from the very beginning."

Xia De emphasized again, standing up at the same time:

"I need to go talk to Madame Cassandra about the Witch Council; the witches should be overjoyed. Then, I will see you at lunch, young ladies. Don't worry, I won't leave until after lunch."

"Mr., wait a moment!"

Helen struggled to reach out toward the other bed, finally clasping Grace's hand. Dense swarms of red butterflies flew out from nowhere, blocking Xia De's view like a curtain.

When those butterflies disappeared, only one person remained on the two four-poster beds, the one on the left. It was a girl in her twenties with blue eyes and black hair, her white pajamas decorated with black butterfly embroidery. Because Helen and Grace looked almost exactly the same, this was what they looked like grown up:

"Now... do you still have to go?"

The girl asked Xia De with a slight blush. Xia De thought for a moment, walked to the bedside, and amidst her shy and somewhat fearful expression, helped her tuck in the quilt:

"If you like 'The Hamilton Detective Story Collection' so much, the novel compiling the serialized chapters will be released this Wednesday, the 30th of the Month of Withered Leaves. I will bring you a new copy signed by the author on Wednesday."

He tucked in the corners of the quilt for the girl on the bed:

"Then I will see you when we have lunch in a while."

Although the girl on the bed was somewhat disappointed, she still said:

"Then Mr., see you in a while... next time, could you talk to me about the story of you and the other pair of twins? The story of the three of you must be very interesting, right?"

"Of course."

Xia De nodded, and as she smiled, he turned and walked out of the room.

【Do you really not understand what they mean, or are you pretending not to?】

"Her" voice appeared amidst the sound of raindrops tapping against the glass.

"How could I not understand?"

Xia De replied in his heart, following the maid at the door to see Madame Cassandra again:

"But they are different from Lei Lei Qianya and Duo Luo Qian. In my eyes, they have always been the little girls at the banquet. I don't have many shared experiences or emotional foundations with them, and their feelings toward me are likely mostly reverence and gratitude. Whereas Lei Lei Qianya and Duo Luo Qian have been through many, many stories with me and understand exactly what they want... besides, given their current physical form, do you think I am a scumbag?"

"Her" was chuckling:

【So, although the records of the Sin Mansion consider you to have the great sin of promiscuity, at least you are a very principled kind of promiscuous?】

"If you could remove the modifier and leave only 'very principled,' I would probably be happier."

【Then, what if you have more stories in the future?】

"That is a matter for the future."

Xia De said with a smile in his heart, following the maid down the corridor and away.

Having been through so much, this could be considered a good ending for Grace and Helen. A hundred years from now, if Xia De has not died but successfully walked the path of the twelve-fold sublimation of divinity, he would be willing to help them truly break free from the shackles of fate. Of course, just as he said, that is all for the future.

There was still much to do in Mid-Hill Fort today. After seeing Madame Cassandra again, Xia De discussed the physical condition of Helen and Grace with her, and only then did they talk about Miss Miss Feilian.

The cooperation between the 【Witch Council】 and this Chosen One of Death would be negotiated by the Council's chairwoman, that thirteenth-tier witch, with Miss Miss Feilian. The specific negotiations would conclude by the weekend. Although Madame Cassandra did not know the very detailed specifics, she knew that the 【Spirit Cultivation Sect】 and the 【Witch Council】 would become much closer in the future.

That thirteenth-ring Great Witch did not know what conditions she offered, but she actually succeeded in persuading Miss Miss Feilian to stand on the side of the 【Witch Council】 in the "Whispering Poetry Chapter." That is to say, even if the Council and the Orthodox Church were to come into conflict over the matter of the Chosen One in the future, Miss Miss Feilian would help the Council.

Lunch was delivered by "Gaudis Restaurant," a high-end restaurant in Mid-Hill Fort opposite the Cassandra Auction House. There was a dining room on the third floor of the auction house. Sitting around the table were Xia De, Madame Cassandra, Grace, and Helen, while the witch's apprentice, Miss Shi Laiqi, acted as a servant. She was not unhappy; instead, she felt this was a sign that Madame Cassandra trusted her more.

The atmosphere at the dining table was very harmonious, and when the final dessert, candied yam, was served, the old witch had her apprentice bring over a brass-colored box. The six sides of the box had patterns representing six types of punishments: burning, stabbing, tongue-pulling, drowning, burying alive, and castration.

After the box was opened, an extremely beautiful silver cross pendant lay on the red velvet lining. The cross itself and the chain were both silver, and the cross featured a pattern of a coiled long snake, with the snake's head adorned with a ruby that seemed to glow.

And the tail end of the long arm of the cross was an extremely sharp cone shape, with some dark, blackish marks on it that resembled bloodstains. After Xia De blinked, he confirmed that they were indeed bloodstains:

"A Relic?"

"Yes."

The old witch nodded, letting Miss Shi Laiqi place the box in front of Xia De:

Lei Lei Qianya turned to look at Xia De, her gaze sharp as she looked at him:

The old witch closed her eyes and drew what was likely the holy emblem of the Ancient God 【Chaos Witch】 on her chest:

"Once you do this, there is no turning back. It means the corruption of the soul and will even attract those evil spirits and demons. In reality, this so-called positive trait is inherently a negative trait. Furthermore, hanging it around your neck for a long time will inevitably cause your own blasphemous elements to spiral out of control. Whether for a thirteenth-ring or a first-ring, this effect cannot be exempted by any means."

"Is this for me?"

"Hamilton of Lei Lei Jiede, do you really think my thoughts are normal?"

"Yes. You once said you were looking for a Relic that could absorb energy, spirits, or other tangible or intangible entities and pass them on to the user. Originally, I wanted to hand it directly to the Orthodox Church; it is too dangerous. But I think it is just right for you."

Xia De carefully took the cross out of the box, and the originally faint whispering elements immediately became thick; it seemed the box itself was a containment measure. This art-like cross pendant seemed to be made of pure silver. On the reverse side of the face where the coiled snake's head was, there was an inscription on the cross:

【Divine Word: The wise are fearless.】

"Mr., just take it; consider it our thanks for helping us."

Grace said, and Helen added:

"Yes, Mr. Since you did not accept our special reward just now, then take this; consider it a small repayment."

Madame Cassandra revealed a kind smile:

"He refused? Ladies, that is truly a pity, but that is what a knight is, isn't it?"

Miss Rita Shi Laiqi, who was holding a bottle of red wine, first looked at Xia De with suspicion, then in shock, wanting to ask but not daring to.