Chapter 2275: God of Mist

Chapter 2275: Chapter 2275: God of Mist

Although he arrived at the altar, Shard still didn’t have the courage to dare to set both feet upon the altar of the Ancient God.

After restoring his human form from the Red Butterfly Group, he placed his left foot on the altar, while his right leg was kneeling on the ground. Slightly tilting his head up, Shard faced the scorching sunlight coming down from the roof, squinting his eyes and maintaining this posture with open arms:

"Oh~ Praise the Sun!"

At this moment, all the ladies in the shaded part of the temple saw the sunlight converging toward Shard, as if being absorbed by him, even diminishing the reflections on the walls.

The black altar emitted a glimmer, yet it couldn’t shine as brilliantly as the dazzling light of Shard on the altar. He seemed to transform into a fireball or even the Sun itself, like the chosen champion under the ancient Sun God from the myths returning once more to the Mortal World.

Lady Knight Miss Nate bowed her head in silent prayer, while the blue-haired Mermaid Girl, frightened by the light and heat, hid behind Old Lady Sianod.

The Old Elf stared dumbfounded at this scene, her long experience allowing her to witness many things. Meanwhile, Miss Mister watched with a smile, her golden eyes reflecting not Shard, but a golden humanoid figure.

In a daze, even Shard, who couldn’t open his eyes under the dazzling Sun, seemed to see a blurry figure in the light turn around and smile at him.

Finally, the sunlight receded from Shard, and he transformed back into the Red Butterfly Group, returning to the ground. However, many of the butterflies’ wings in that group were now distinctly gilded with a golden edge, and when Shard opened his eyes again, there was an additional circle of golden Light Trace in them.

[Outlander, you have received the temporary blessing of the "Desert Sun." You can walk under the sunlight for an extended period, and your Sun Power is temporarily enhanced.]

The blessing’s effect was quite simple and would only last until Shard left the Sand Sea. To gain it again, he would have to climb up the altar and praise the Sun another time.

Moreover, besides what "she" mentioned, the blessing also enhanced the recovery of Spirit and Stamina, though these effects were insignificant compared to "walking under the Sun."

Shard flexed his body, turning his head and shaking his arms, feeling surprisingly good all over.

Before ascending the altar, even within the temple, he felt the air was stuffy, and his upper body, wearing only a thin white shirt, sweated on his back. But after receiving the blessing, although he could still keenly feel the ambient temperature and humidity, he found them comfortable.

The warmth of the Gilded Sand Sea made his whole body feel cozy, and as long as he didn’t leave the temple, the livability here wasn’t bad at all.

When Shard reached his hand into the sunlight again, he only felt a slight sting this time. This indicated that, although Shard would still feel hot under the Sun, he no longer had to worry about being "melted" by it.

So he patted the altar, softly thanked it, and walked towards the four ladies.

The four of them wore different expressions, and it was Old Lady Sianod who first asked:

"What just happened?"

"I received the Sun’s temporary blessing. I can move freely in the desert outside for half an hour without worrying about the Sun harming me."

The Old Elf showed a look of surprise, and the blue-haired Mermaid Girl and the Lady Knight were also pleased.

Ms. Mister, with her healthy, light-brown skin, smiled and said:

"In that case, can we go out now? During one of our recent excursions, we discovered the ruins of a temple complex not far from here. Although there are shaded areas, they’re too cramped and not enclosed, so we didn’t conduct a thorough search at that time."

"Alright, in which direction? And roughly how far is it?"

Shard had a rough idea of what he came to the desert to do, but the four ladies did not give him a direction:

"This desert has the peculiar trait of spatial confusion, so even if we pointed out the way, you wouldn’t find it. Only someone who’s been there before can guide you."

Old Lady Sianod said, looking at the other three:

"Every time we go out, we pair up, and the last time it was up to... the temple ruins over there..."

"It was me."

Miss Mister pointed to herself, and Shard avoided looking at where she pointed. The desert dancer’s attire was very revealing, and her entire outfit’s fabric combined was probably less than that on the wide-brimmed hat witches liked to wear. He hadn’t dared to look closely before, but now he noticed that this lady wasn’t even wearing shoes and stood barefoot directly on the ground.

"And who else?"

The Old Elf asked, a bit confused, so the blue-haired Mermaid Girl checked her notebook:

"And you, Grandma."

"But it’s still daytime now; what will you do?"

Shard raised his doubt, and Miss Mister smiled and shook her head:

"No worries, it’s not far from this temple, and if we walk quickly, we can reach there in fifteen minutes. Besides, we have other ways to extend the time we can endure the direct sunlight."

Using methods like holding up a plank to create a shadow just won’t work; only special constructions like temples can resist sunlight.

After Miss Mister finished speaking, Old Lady Sianod spoke up:

"I have a relic that can allow me to walk outside a bit longer."

She took out a small book from her pocket, and from its pages, she retrieved what was clearly the Ever-Youth Leaf. However, the leaf that should have been lush green had turned somewhat yellowish. Shard had never seen such a phenomenon. His leaf was either consumed or remained green; it seemed that using the leaf to resist the sun would consume the power of the Ever-Youth Leaf itself.

The Mermaid Girl also raised her hand and said:

"I also brought something good before I left. While it can’t help me survive directly under the sun, it should suffice for short activities."

She removed the pearl from her right ear, placed it in her palm, and gently blew on it. The pearl gradually expanded, eventually turning into a transparent spherical glass helmet.

Ordinary person Miss Nate had nothing, so she remained silent.

Miss Mister reached out and picked up Miss Sander’s pearl, then said to Shard:

"Mr. Hamilton, I’ll follow you, and this pearl should be enough.

Old Lady Sianod, please come to welcome us twenty minutes after we set off with your relic, in case we can’t find our way back.

Don’t look at a clock or count down; the chaotic time renders these useless. Trust your intuition, and come to meet us when you feel it’s about time."

The Old Elf actually intended to go out with Shard, but seeing Miss Mister take the initiative on the task, she did not object:

"Alright, children, be careful. Even if you bring nothing back, the two of you must return."

Miss Nate helped the two of them pack supplies they might need, like water bottles and some portable food. After preparing, they didn’t delay and set out immediately.

The three left behind stood at the door, watching them go with worry, as no one knew what they might encounter.

For Shard, returning to the sunlight, though still intense, no longer impeded his normal activities.

He still wore a white shirt with rolled-up sleeves on his upper body. His shoes and socks were off, fearing his shoes’ soles might quickly wear out. Barefoot on the golden sand, he only felt a pleasant warmth.

Squinting to adjust to the dazzling sunlight, he turned to confirm the small temple gradually receding behind them, then looked at the lady accompanying him.

The light brown skin appeared more enchanting under the sun. While Shard could endure this environment, he was still drenched in sweat, yet Ms. Mister’s brown skin showed no signs of perspiration.

Of course, Shard didn’t dare to look too closely at the lady who merely tucked the pearl into her chest, not truly using the relic. Confirming they were far enough from the temple, he slightly nodded and softly said:

"Greetings to you, God of Mist."

Miss Mister looked at him:

"Did the matter of language make you realize it? Hello, Outlander from the mist."

The Time Corridor was filled with white mist, so Shard indeed came from the mist.

As for the deity accompanying him now, Shard speculated that this "desert dancer with light brown skin" should be the Saint Form. This deity was well concealed, and if not for voluntarily exposing their identity, Shard might have guessed for a while longer.

Back during the adventure in the Forest of Thousand Trees with Miss Feliana and Miss Orland, he only knew at the end that the "Tree Witch" was the Old God "Blazar Gate."

The sunlight was so intense that the sand seemed to reflect it. Shard continued walking alongside the "lady," squinting and occasionally blinking to protect his vision.

In fact, he was glad that unlike last time at the Sea of Darkness, the deities were appearing directly, allowing many matters to be clarified from the start:

"My purpose here is to witness the Desert Mirage with you. I don’t know what exactly these illusions are or whether they relate to Old Lady Sianod and her companions’ goals... Wait, could Old Lady Sianod, Miss Sander, and Miss Nate be illusions themselves? Are they your creations, each representing different personalities?"

Based on this hypothesis, Shard quickly made many connections, but the lady with light brown skin laughed, covering her mouth:

"Your imagination is truly rich; I can assure you they all truly exist, as normal mortals with precious souls."

"Then, this time..."

"The illusions indeed relate to the Heart of the Oasis; go help them, and during this process, you will witness those illusions with me. I know you have many questions, but sometimes a little curiosity can help mortals move forward better."