Chapter 143: Fate Trajectory Rewriting - Historical Echo Projection

Chapter 143: Chapter 143: Fate Trajectory Rewriting - Historical Echo Projection

She wiped the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, feeling a bit mentally exhausted.

"It’s almost sorted out."

The young maiden looked at the clearly dimmed light on the crystal’s surface and encouraged herself.

’I’ll work on it again after dinner tonight, and this node can be completely dealt with.’

According to the mission Scroll issued by the Guild, there were probably two more similar small nodes in this area waiting to be cleared.

Just as she was about to stand up and stretch her body.

Her small nose suddenly twitched, sniffing intently. A rich, fragrant aroma had drifted into her nostrils on the evening breeze.

She turned her head, following the scent.

She saw Lance sitting by the warm campfire, holding a sharpened, thick branch skewering a huge leg of wild boar meat.

The ingredient had been personally delivered by a reckless Iron-skinned Wild Boar that had run right into Lance’s hands just a moment ago.

The thick leg of meat, evenly roasted over the flames, had already been cooked to an enticing golden brown.

Rich fat rendered by the heat trickled out, dripping down the plump muscle fibers onto the coals below, making a pleasant SIZZLE.

Lance had just sprinkled a handful of crushed salt and spices on top, and the mixed aroma of meat and seasoning instantly made Cecilia’s mouth water.

The maiden gulped and eagerly drew closer.

She squatted by the fire, resting her chin in her hands, her eyes glued to the roasted meat. She looked just like a well-behaved puppy begging for a treat.

Seeing the maiden’s adorable, gluttonous expression, Lance couldn’t help but let out a soft chuckle.

He picked up a clean, sharp dagger and skillfully sliced off several of the most tender and succulent pieces of leg meat.

He then placed them on a clean wooden platter and passed the roasted meat to Cecilia.

"Be careful, it’s hot."

"Thank you, Senior."

Cecilia eagerly took the meat and, ignoring the heat, took a huge bite.

"So delicious!"

The juices exploded in her mouth. The Half-Elf Maiden’s eyes instantly lit up, curving into two beautiful crescents of happiness.

For the one who did the cooking, Cecilia’s unreserved, hearty eating was the highest praise for Lance’s culinary skills.

Just as the two were about to finish their sumptuous dinner.

A bright, round moon had silently climbed over the tall crowns of the trees, bathing the entire woodland in silvery moonlight.

Tonight was the night of the full moon.

Lance looked up at the night sky, and his keen eyes noticed a faint point of fluorescence suddenly drift up from the depths of the sea of flowers before them.

It was followed by a second, then a third...

It was as if some mysterious ritual had been awakened by the moonlight.

Hundreds, then thousands of golden motes of light broke free from the flowerbeds on the ground, rising gracefully into the air.

Their faint yet dense light intertwined, like a brilliant river of stars fallen to the mortal realm, clearly reflecting in both their eyes.

"Wow! It’s so beautiful."

Cecilia stopped chewing, unable to hold back a gasp of admiration.

"When the midsummer full moon casts its frosted gleam, the fireflies of stardust..."

Lance softly recited the line from the poem.

’So this was the breathtaking scenery that the Legendary Witch had witnessed with her own eyes all those years ago.’

Cecilia curiously extended a pale finger, and a faintly glowing firefly slowly landed on its tip.

The little insect flickered twice, then vibrated its transparent Wings and flew back into the dark night sky.

Neither of them spoke again, simply sitting quietly by the fire, lost in the rare and beautiful sight.

Cecilia hugged her knees, resting her small chin gently upon them.

"I wish time could just stop forever in this moment."

The maiden’s voice was very soft, as if she were afraid of disturbing the fireflies dancing all around them.

"What’s wrong? You don’t want to go back to White River City?"

Lance turned his head to look at her soft profile, illuminated by the firelight, and asked quietly.

Cecilia nodded her head with great force.

"This has truly been the most relaxing week of my life."

She turned her head, her gaze falling upon Lance’s calm face.

"I don’t have to live up to the heavy expectations of my elders."

"Just by being here, I can feel a freedom I’ve never known before. I can truly be myself."

The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a sweet, heartfelt smile.

"Thank you, Senior."

Lance returned a gentle smile but didn’t say anything.

’In his heart, he didn’t actually feel he’d done anything particularly amazing. On the contrary, because of his stupid system’s special passive Trait, this innocent girl before him had suffered a lot of indescribable hardships for no reason.’

The summer night’s breeze rustled through the dark woods, kicking up a few dry, fallen leaves and gently brushing past the hems of their clothes.

The two of them sat there in silence, letting the cool wind pass through the tips of their hair.

As time went on, the light in the mid-air began to dissipate.

The sky full of fireflies followed the surging currents of the wind, gradually disappearing into the dense shadows of the distant trees.

Even the most dreamlike scenery has its limits.

Cecilia pushed herself up from the soft grass with both hands. She stretched her arms high into the air, arching her back to relieve the stiffness from sitting for so long.

"You should get some rest, then. I’ll keep watch tonight."

’Huh?! Sleep?’

Cecilia’s face flushed crimson.

’It was as if many embarrassing, blush-inducing images were flooding uncontrollably into her mind.’

’The thought of sleeping so close to Senior... isn’t that... isn’t that the same as sleeping together?’

The maiden’s heart began to pound like a frantic rabbit in her chest, and her whole body felt hot.

’How could she possibly calm down enough to sleep now!’

"Senior, I... I’m going to go finish sorting out the last few channels of that node!"

To hide her inner turmoil, Cecilia hastily made an excuse and fled like a startled fawn.

She returned to the dark purple Crystal Cluster.

’Don’t think about it, don’t think about it...’

She took a deep breath to calm herself. This was also a way to give herself time to accept the idea; after all, she couldn’t just squat here all night.

She once again mobilized her Spiritual Power to channel the remaining Magic Power radiation points.

As wisps of the peripheral Chaos Ether were sorted into an orderly structure, the purple surrounding the core began to dissipate.

The Crystal Cluster’s innermost transparent core was finally fully exposed to Cecilia’s Perception.

But the moment Cecilia got a clear look at this core, she instinctively felt that something was wrong.

"This..."

The maiden’s pupils contracted sharply.

"Why do these patterns look so much like an artificially carved trigger Technique..."

"This is bad!"

By the time Cecilia realized the danger and tried to forcibly sever her spiritual connection to stop the process, it was already too late.

Once the deeply hidden Technique lost its outer shell of Chaos Ether, the crystal core instantly erupted with a piercing, pale red light.

That light transformed into a straight, red stream that shot directly into the dark sky.

And at the same time.

Almost all the hidden Magic Power radiation points throughout Copper Creek Forest, as if they had received some command, began to frantically emit the same pale red light.

These countless red lights converged and overlapped in mid-air, rapidly weaving a gigantic net of light above Cecilia that covered the entire sky.

Back at the camp, Lance was already on his feet.

The leisurely expression on his face had completely vanished.

"So, it’s finally starting?"

He had actually been patiently waiting for this moment to arrive.

Along with the strange phenomenon in the sky.

A few lines of glaring red warning text popped up on Lance’s retina from the system.

[Dun... Dungeon...]

[Large-Scale Composite Ritual Technique: Fate Trajectory Tampering · Historical Echo Projection]