Chapter 2272: Year 4260 of the Fifth Era

Chapter 2272: Chapter 2272: Year 4260 of the Fifth Era

The girls chatted as they walked toward the study. Shard followed beside Lecia, then turned in puzzlement to ask Miss Galina, who was walking with them:

"You don’t have to take exams, do you?"

The Duchess arched an eyebrow:

"Of course not, but there are still some official documents I need to handle. Anyway, your study, like your bedroom, is big enough—can’t you spare me a patch of desk? Tifa isn’t here now, there are some things I have to deal with myself. I’m already starting to miss my dear apprentice."

"Then tonight..."

Luviya tugged on Shard’s sleeve:

"I knew you still wanted to ask. Yesterday was Saturday, it was originally Lecia’s slot but she gave it to me. Tonight I’ll sleep in the guest room."

As she said this, a smile appeared on Her Highness the Red-Haired Princess’s face, so Shard looked again at Miss Galina. The Duchess glanced at Lecia and teased:

"Does Little Lecia need any help?"

Lecia certainly wouldn’t admit defeat:

"Of course not. Tonight is my time, you and the maids can all sleep downstairs. Don’t underestimate me—counting Dorothy and Grace and Helen, I’m a bona fide Chosen One too."

The Duchess just laughed and didn’t object, but in fact, later that night, when she quietly came up to the second floor and pushed open the bedroom door, seeing the scene in the bedroom bathed in moonlight, the panting Lecia did not object to her arrival.

Miss Galina had originally thought that early Monday morning, Luviya—who had really slept in the guest room—would poke fun at her behavior, but Luviya didn’t say anything at all. Early Monday, the atmosphere at No. 6, Saint Delan Square was harmonious and joyful; the Miss Maids were either helping the ladies of the house with their hair and dressing up, or bustling in the kitchen with breakfast.

In the bedroom, Shard heard Lecia telling Luviya that she’d recently noticed her skin seemed to have become much fairer, while Miss Galina, selecting clothes in the dressing room, smiled and suggested that the three of them go visit her private tailor together today to order autumn dresses in advance.

Just then Shard had carried God’s Gift Box up from downstairs. Mia stood inside the box with its lid open, her front paws hooked over the edge of the box, looking at Shard very happily.

But after setting the box down on the coffee table, Shard didn’t touch the gift; instead he took out the Time Key he had bought from Old John last week.

The Time Key, which should have been used on Friday, had been delayed because he wanted to focus on dealing with the Demon. Now that the Demon matter was temporarily resolved, a brand-new Time Expedition ought to set off as well.

"I’m stepping out for a bit and will be back in three seconds."

Shard held the key and spoke to the ladies who were still putting on makeup and changing clothes, but only Lecia responded:

"Be careful... and I hope when you hear this, you aren’t already back."

After that came Luviya’s and Miss Galina’s laughter.

Mia clearly didn’t much like going out, but whenever Shard used the Time Key she always wanted to go out with him. Yet Shard still remembered what happened last time, so even though the cat trotted along on her short legs to the study door, he still wouldn’t take her:

"I haven’t forgotten how you suddenly turned from a toy into a cat and stomped on my head last time."

He crouched down and tried to reason with his cat:

"Oh, Mia, I don’t blame you for stepping on my head, but you can’t just change back and forth whenever you like. This time I absolutely can’t let you come with me. Stay home and wait for breakfast."

"Meow~"

The cat mewed softly, staring at him with big eyes. Shard wasn’t entirely sure the cat understood, so when he stood up ready to insert the key into the keyhole, he turned back to look at her again; she was still standing in the same place:

"Don’t follow me. This time it’s very dangerous, I don’t know what things are like on the other side."

Shard spoke to the cat again. In the room, Luviya shook her head at Lecia with a smile, and Lecia also chuckled as she listened to the conversation outside.

"Meow~"

"May the World Tree shelter me in the flow of Time."

The key slid into the lock, and with a twist of his wrist, click~ the door opened. Beyond the door was thick white fog, dense like cotton wool.

Shard gripped the doorframe and looked back one more time, seeing Mia still in the same place; she even crouched down, looking at him in a most obedient manner.

Shard stressed once more:

"Don’t try to sneak after me when I’m not looking. This door only allows one living being through; don’t touch it."

"Meow~"

"You’re being so good this time, are you..."

"Shard, if you don’t set off now, we won’t save you any breakfast."

Miss Galina’s voice came from the room. Only then did Shard go "Oh~", turn around, and step into the Mist Gate. As for the orange-and-white cat, she remained obediently crouched there, not even blinking as she waited for Shard to come back.

[Outlander, you have stepped into the Time Corridor.]

[A message from the Ancient God, Father of the Infinite Tree:]

[Summer, Year 4260 of the Fifth Era, Eastern Continent, Gravel Golden Sea.]

[Event: Searching for the "Heart of the Oasis".]

[Duration: forty minutes (1/3).]

"Year 4260... From 4791, when I attended that Butterfly God’s banquet in the Worm Cave on the Southern Continent, there are still more than five hundred years to go; and from 3028, when Fiona and I escaped from the City of Eternal Night in the Far North, one thousand seven hundred years have already passed."

These were the two closest time points, and such long spans of time always made one wistful. But this particular point in time also meant that in this expedition Shard was very unlikely to run into any acquaintance.

"The location is a desert, so I hope at least it’s bright this time, and not another stretch of pitch-black where I can’t even see my own hand. A desert... Could it be that because there was too much water last time in the Sea of Darkness, this time there’s no water at all? But what is the Heart of the Oasis? Yet another thing I’ve never heard of."

He stood in the white mist, letting his thoughts wander, while "she" went on:

[You have gained additional information.]

[The silhouette of the Father of the Infinite Tree watches you.]

[The Ancient God of Time grants you a trial.]

[Together with the Deity "Lady Mist", bear witness to three Mirages of the Sand Sea.]

[The Father of the Infinite Tree will grant you a reward: a fragment of true information—Holy White Hall, and an Arcane Technique—Crystal of Truth.]

"Lady Mist... Oh, I remember now, the God of Mist, a Deity with a neutral attitude toward life."

Shard recalled within the fog:

"What did the books say again... Her believers are composed of hermits who live far from civilization. It’s said that if one walks alone in dense fog, there’s a chance of encountering this Deity’s temple. Of course, that was in the Fifth Era, and this Deity departed in the Fifth Era as well."

The God of Mist was not particularly powerful, but by no means some obscure Deity either. Shard did not know much about Her, but at least he was sure She was not an Evil God like the Vampire God.

"The task is to witness mirages, hm... As for the reward this time..."

[Holy White Hall] was a space left behind by the Ancient God, the Dragon of Radiant Light. It was said this space was connected to the old gods, and Shard had heard of all this from Miss Belindel.

The reward itself was very useful to Shard, and given that Tree Father had previously given him information about the [Dark Dungeon] and [Silvermoon Library], he was not surprised in the least.

"Arcane Technique—Crystal of Truth, corresponding to the Whisper [Prejudice] Spirit Rune I just obtained. Tree Father really is considerate—right when I hadn’t yet found an Arcane Technique for this rune, He gives me a matching reward. What will it do, I wonder? From the name, it doesn’t sound like an offensive technique."

Shard pondered in his heart, and then grew curious as to why the Arcane Technique corresponding to "Prejudice" was "Truth":

"Gluttony corresponds to fullness, greed corresponds to cherishing, Sloth to extravagant expenditure, Rage to calm, Pride to praise, and Coldness to passion. Yes, I really should be used to this by now."

He shook his head, then took a step forward through the white mist. The fog slowly parted to either side, and the curious Shard had only just begun to look around when he cried out, clapped a hand over his eyes, and rushed to tear at his clothes:

"Oh! Why is it so bright! Why is it so hot!"

[Weren’t you just complaining that all your Time Expeditions have been too dark?]

"She" asked with a laugh by Shard’s ear.

Once the white mist dispersed, the blazing sun in the sky nearly stabbed Shard’s eyes blind, and the heat billowing up around him made him feel as though he were about to explode.

The world seemed to have become a gigantic steamer basket, and within it Shard had nowhere to hide and nowhere to take shelter. Considering his current physical constitution, even sticking a hand into open flame wouldn’t normally provoke such an intense reaction.

The heat traveled upward through the soles of his shoes, and that also made Shard realize he was standing on sand.

While he rapidly stripped off the excess layers of clothing, he forced his eyes—now slightly adjusted to the harsh light—to take in his surroundings. Sure enough, this was a boundless desert.

There was a faint breeze here, stirring the grit and sand to flow across the surface, but the wind itself was nothing but scorching heat. Wherever his gaze reached, every corner of his vision was carpeted with sand like gold particles.

The heat even made the air itself ripple with violent distortion, and Shard felt that, never mind the forty minutes required by the task, at most he would last ten.

"Galina’s Ice Spell!"

He took a water bottle from his pocket and tried blowing cold air onto it, but the sorcery failed and no frost came out at all. The moment the bottle’s cap was opened and the water inside met the sunlight, it began evaporating at an abnormal speed.

"Maze Lock - Match Girl! Make it snow, now!"

With his Spirit rapidly consumed, the daylight did seem to dim a little, but nothing else happened. ℴ

Shard had known that in such an unstable spatial environment, there was no way he could summon a complete Starry Sky or even a street scene, and his Spirit was insufficient anyway. What he had not expected was that he could not even manage the simplest snowfall.

[Outlander, there are special environmental rules here. All powers that lower temperature or create water, ice, and snow cannot be used.]

"She" continued.

Fortunately, though evaporation was swift here, he could still pour water from the bottle over his own head to cool his brain a little.