"This is a passage from the book "Female Soldiers by the Dawn River"."
The duchess, who was very educated, understood it immediately, or in other words, everyone present, except Shade and the cat, did not understand where the excerpts Dorothy recited came from.
She continued to praise:
"If it weren't for your "Hamilton Detective Stories" Dorothy, Flora's book would probably be the best-selling novel in the entire Old World in 1853. Now, you have surpassed her."
"No no no."
Dorothy shook her head:
"Her books are of great literary value. My books are just popular works. I am still a long way from being a writer like Miss Winslet. Shade, that lady is in Vista City now?"
"
"Yes, do you want me to get a signed photo for you?"
Shade smiled and joked, and Dorothy thought for a moment:
"Based on your conversation just now, are you helping her solve her trouble?"
"We all know that Shade has always been good at helping witches solve problems."
The Duchess teased, and Dorothy nodded understandingly:
"Forget the autographed photos, I thought I should have the opportunity to meet her directly before long. Flora Winslet, I'm really looking forward to it."
Dorothy seemed to admire the witch, but probably because of the first impression, when Shade thought of that lady, the image of a chubby round-faced owl immediately jumped out, and then her human form.
.
[Perhaps it is not because of the first impression, but because her current body is an owl, which is changing people's perception of her to a certain extent. ]
Therefore, the curse on the two ladies must be resolved as soon as possible.
Others can't help much in this matter. Most people have never heard of the "time curse". Even people like Dr. Schneider and Priest Augustus who have heard of it can't come up with a solution.
Of course, Shade did not forget to consult Helen and Grace on relevant issues. The two sisters, who claimed to have lost most of their past memories, also knew about the "time curse", but the solutions they gave were quite vague:
"Of course there is a way to remove this curse. The curse of time comes from destroying time. Sir, haven't you guessed that it requires atonement to remove the curse?"
"How to do it exactly?"
"Well, they have to find a solution themselves. After all, time is very fair."
In short, we still need to investigate the "time traveler" in the Vista Woodland area, but before going out this morning, Shade used this week's time key first.
The key that was supposed to be used on Friday was delayed until Sunday. After breakfast, Carina and Dorothy were sent away. Shade only remembered this when he dug his pockets before going out:
“It feels like it’s been many months since the adventure of the ‘Gravel Sand Sea’ ended.”
Now that Miss Daniste has been found, she is still safe for the time being despite being cursed. This should be regarded as the prelude to a major event in "Music City", so it is appropriate to use the Time Key at this time.
"Meow~"
The cat squatting at his feet meowed obediently, but this was the first time he opened the new key. Shade would definitely not take the cat with him:
"Keep an eye on the house. I'll be right back. If it's safe, I'll take you with me next time."
He walked to the study room on the second floor:
"May the World Tree protect me in infinite time~"
With a click, the door of the study room opened a crack, and behind the door was the very familiar white fog door.
Shade did not walk in immediately, but thought about whether the "time chosen one" this time also had the ability to perform special tasks in the past time like himself.
Then he thought that if the Time Chosen One really had such ability, then he would be able to have companions on his time adventure.
The cat looked at his back, and Shade took a step forward and stepped into the fog door. This long-lost feeling of not having to worry about anything in the real world and only needing to focus on what is about to happen is very missed by outsiders:
"What kind of story will it be this time?"
【Outlander, you have stepped into the "corridor of time".】
[Message from the ancient god "Father of the Infinite Tree":]
[The fifth era, summer 2025, Western Continent, Black Sand Pier. 】
【Event: Farewell.】
【Duration thirty minutes (1/3).】
"The year 2025~ It has been more than two hundred years since I left my hometown, and it has been more than 200 years since Mr. Riddle and I played the game of life with the 'God of Gambling' at the Dreadfort in 1784; it has been 3014 since I first met at a banquet at Night Manor.
Helen and Grace still have a thousand years to live."
He sighed in the white mist because of this string of year numbers, and then cheered up again:
"The name of the event is a bit too simple, so let's continue."
【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:]
【Waiting with mortals for those who are about to leave.】
[The Father of the Infinite Tree will give you a reward: Miracle Spirit Rune-Tree.]
There is only one reward and it is a spiritual rune. Shade is not surprised. In fact, even if there is no reward, he is still willing to explore those past events, not to mention that "tree" is one of the most critical powers of the tree father.
He was surprised that this time there was no message indicating which god he was about to encounter. But thinking about it carefully, he didn't see any information about the god in the prompt when he met Mr. Riddle in the Dreadfort.
:
"The location is the dock, and the mission is to wait for the departing people."
I don't know why, but I suddenly felt a little melancholy.
He patted his face gently to adjust his mood, and then took a step forward. The white mist slowly dispersed like a stage curtain.
First, the sound of rushing water reached my ears, and then I saw a layer of mist floating around in the dim light. The coolness followed, and the sky was dark and gloomy, as if dark clouds were directly pressing on the top of my head. Under my feet was
The beach is made of black gravel. If you move your feet slightly, you can see the clear footprints left by you.
Not far in front of him was the source of the sound of water. The mist did not completely block his sight in the darkness. Shade could vaguely see the horizon in the distance. It was a black ocean or a large black lake, along the beach and
Where the waters meet, you can't see the end of it looking to both sides.
He could not describe the depression and horror of the environment at this moment. There was no wind in the air, and the only sound was the sound of waves. There seemed to be something more terrifying above the dark clouds, and the completely dark beach looked particularly empty.
, and really absorbing Shade’s happy emotions.
The direction he was facing was the water at the end of the black beach, and the place behind him covered by mist looked like a small town. Even with Shade's eyesight, he couldn't see clearly what the small town looked like. He only knew that there were no lights there.
, like the corpse of a giant beast lying on the horizon, but some figures can be vaguely seen shaking in the blurry town.
Fortunately, since he was facing the direction of the water when he arrived, and the name of the location of this mission was "Black Sand Pier", Shade knew that he should head towards the water without having to think about it.
He just observed his surroundings and then set off. As the sound of his shoes contacting and rubbing against the sand surface was mixed into the sound of the waves that made people unconsciously frightened, Shade, who originally felt that he was in a bad mood, became even more depressed.
Suddenly a bad feeling came over me.
He knew that there must be danger every time the tree father asked him to appear, but this time the danger of killing happiness and increasing negative emotions was really different from the past.
He would rather have two sand worms under his feet chasing him than to be in the current situation. Because that state of disappearing happiness and rising sadness and fear does not increase with time, but moves with him.
increases with distance.
"Raglai's Leap!"
The empty black beach does not prohibit spatial abilities, but even "space movement" is still considered movement. If you turn into a group of butterflies and fly forward, you will also be affected by negative emotions. Even the glowing red butterflies that appear here
They all faded into a weird reddish-white color.
He already missed the strong sunlight in the "Golden Sand Sea".
The best way to combat the disappearance of positive emotions and the increase of negative emotions is to try to recall those happy things, because the figures of little Mia and the girls are hidden in his heart, so although the process of moving forward is difficult, Shade still insists on walking.
Go down.
Fortunately, the location where he appeared was not too far from the shore. Two minutes later, Shade saw the light of the bonfire in front of him.
After walking a few hundred steps toward the fire, I could really see the "line" where the black gravel in the mist met the black water, and I also saw the lonely pier trestle on the almost straight "coastline", as well as the entrance to the pier.
Lonely figure beside a lit bonfire.
"With such a long coastline but only one pier, do you only have one companion this time?"
The wooden pier is not particularly big, with three steps extending from the beach to the water, and then there is only one trestle that continues to extend into the black water. The trestle is not particularly long, and there is a wooden boat parked on the side at the moment, with one supporting the boat.
The tall figure holding the oar stood on the boat.
As for looking further toward the water, the mist was indeed very thin, but it was still not enough for Shade to see the end of the black water.
Of course, although there is endless black water here like "Real Death", the water under the dark moon is calm and fog-free. The black water here has one wave after another, and the white fog is misty.
What's more important is that "real death" has the power to completely freeze the soul, and there is only this kind of power there; while this black beach pier is full of negative emotions such as sadness, and the two are completely different.
Shade thought in his mind and quickened his pace, but when he got really close, he discovered that the lonely figure sitting by the bonfire at the entrance of the pier was actually a man.
The bonfire is located on the left side of the rotten wooden steps, on the same side as the ship next to the trestle. The middle-aged man with his head lowered and hugging his legs looked at the dancing flames in front of him with a dull expression. The flames were not strong, but they were enough.
