Dorothy Louisa reached out to catch the falling snow in front of her, looking around.
The dense darkness and the door were gone; the air was fresh and cold, and the scent of civilization's fireworks made her tremble all over.
She and the Detective in front of her stood on a snowy winter night street, the snow almost covering their feet, the distinct smell of winter filling their nostrils, while a small figure stood before Xia De.
Barefoot in a pair of slippers, her feet were bruised and purple from the cold, and the patches on her clothes were countless.
A tattered headscarf covered her Golden-haired girl, and she clutched a small basket, shrinking her body... She smiled at Xia De.
She lit the first match; the match extinguished, and five merfolk appeared before them.
Snowflakes surrounded them; even roaring, they could not break free from the ice's restraint.
She lit the second match; the match extinguished, and the five merfolk were enveloped in the match's light.
It was the faint but hope-filled glow of the match.
She lit the third match; the match extinguished, and five black smoke wisps shot out from the merfolk's bodies in the firelight.
Blurred figures in black robes appeared beside the girl, scythes swinging in their hands, and the black smoke dissipated amidst the flying snowflakes.
She lit the fourth match; the match extinguished, and the flames on the merfolk also went out.
This was the last match, and the one containing the story's ending and Xia De's hope.
After the flames, the unharmed Dais family lay on the snow.
Xia De came to the girl with the basket, looking up at the end of the snowy street, where a vast black shadow occupied the sky and the earth, indicating that an evil god from a higher dimension was watching here, watching him.
Her voice appeared in his ear.
“You are being watched by the Old God, God of Drowned in the Deep Sea; you feel blasphemy.”
“The first dead drowned in the deep sea, knowing the deepest secrets of the abyss.
Hating the living, on stormy nights, bringing all living beings to the bottom of the sea, wailing day and night amidst the bells of death.”
“You listened to the story of the Old God, God of Drowned in the Deep Sea; you learned one of the blasphemy of the Old God, God of Drowned in the Deep Sea.”
“You obtained the spell—Underwater Breathing.”
Xia De did not care about the voice in his ear, nor did he care about knowing who this was.
The gaze fell completely on Xia De, Divine Radiance enveloping him like burning golden flames.
At that moment, he felt himself peeping into the abyss at the bottom of the deep sea, where countless hands of rotting corpses in the abyss were pulling him, but he stood there motionless.
The evil god had not come to the material world, merely watching, which was why Xia De had the courage to stand there and look up at Him.
He could not retreat; since he had decided to try and save those he could save, he absolutely could not retreat.
Moments later, without Xia De even having to decide whether to sacrifice his only drop of divinity, the gaze voluntarily receded.
The deity gave up watching here, and the spatial disorientation completely disappeared.
The humans who had been chosen by Him and transformed into fish were saved, and He lost interest in the matters here.
“Xia De, you really... Oh!”
The scenery of the snowy street and the figure of the barefoot girl in slippers rapidly receded amidst the roaring flames that suddenly ignited around them.
The vivid flames passed through Miss Louisa's body, and the sensation of water plants growing on her after being watched by the evil god also disappeared.
The surroundings returned to the alley in the night, back to the night of Tobesk.
The Dais family lay quietly and neatly in the alley, breathing steadily.
But Xia De fell backward, and this time it was Miss Louisa who caught him.
The young Outsider had his eyes tightly closed, his face pale, with almost no rise and fall of his chest visible.
Miss Louisa held her breath for a long time before she reached out a trembling hand with a sad expression to check his breath.
Exhaling a long breath, Xia De had only fainted from exhaustion after casting a Miracle far beyond his own level.
“However, this is my first time witnessing a Mystic Lock.”
Looking at the young Detective's face under the Moonlight, the Golden-haired girl's eyes were red, and she forced a grateful, gentle smile.
Three full moons hung overhead, Silver Moon illuminating here, illuminating Xia De.
He faintly heard distant sounds; an evil god watching the material world, and a Mystic Lock Miracle unfolding in the city—the Orthodox Church could not be unaware.
Now, it was time to leave.
(Mia running...)
Dream, it was that dream again.
Xia De stood on the field ridge, looking up at the enormous Silver Moon above his head; the moon seemed to have descended to a reachable position, but when he stretched out his hand, he could touch nothing.
The Silver Moon's radiance shone on Xia De, and Xia De pondered this:
“Always having this dream, something must be wrong; does this mean...”
Then, he opened his eyes and saw a familiar ceiling; this was the bedroom at Saint Delan Square Six.
“Meow~”
Noticing Xia De waking up, the cat by the pillow joyfully rubbed against the back of his hand.
Xia De wanted to raise his hand to pet Mia, but as soon as he sat up, the pain in his head made him groan softly.
Not only that, but his whole body ached, and lifting an arm made his body tremble, as if he had been hungry for three days and three nights.
“It's... Sunday, seven in the morning.”
He learned the time; the time before he fainted was Saturday night.
In other words, he had only slept for less than ten hours:
“Who brought me back? Oh, Mia, don't touch me, my whole body feels wrong right now.”
Perhaps hearing Xia De's voice, the bedroom door was pushed open at that moment, and Xia De was startled, looking up to see that it was the Golden-haired girl Dorothy Louisa who opened the door.
She was still in the same attire as last night, and seeing Xia De awake, she smiled and waved at him.
“Water...”
He squeezed out a sound from his throat, and Miss Louisa, carrying a tray, walked into the bedroom, placed the tray on the nightstand, and handed him a glass of water.
On the tray were congee, hot sheep's milk, scrambled eggs, an apple, and bread; Xia De had lived here for two weeks and had never seen such a lavish breakfast in the house.
“Meow~”
Mia eyed Miss Louisa covetously; the sheep's milk was her breakfast, but the Golden-haired Writer apparently took it as milk Xia De had ordered for himself.
He took the glass, lightly touched the rim, and the blasphemy of silver Ling Rune glowed on the water's surface.
He carefully sipped some water, assessed his physical condition, and then took a large gulp.
“Oh~”
He groaned again, placing the glass back on the nightstand.
“How do you feel now?”
Miss Louisa asked with concern, sitting on the armchair by the bed.
“My physical condition is fine, the headache is still there, but it's probably nothing serious...”
He picked up the cat, which was eyeing the tray with ulterior motives, and leaned against the headboard, feeling a throbbing pain in his temples.
Xia De still remembered what happened before he fainted; facing the impending exit, the regret in his heart and the emotional impact of the innocent people's plight made him understand the true power bestowed upon him by “the little match girl.”
So he used the story page borrowed from Miss Louisa to complete the inscription of the Enlightenment Ling Rune “the little match girl.”
At the same time, this was Xia De's second Ling Rune.
He was only missing “Miracle” and “whisper” to reach the second ring, and the acquisition of the Miracle Ling Rune depended on his performance during the last entry into the fifth epoch year 1068, which was scheduled for Thursday morning next week.
“That was undoubtedly a Mystic Lock.”
Speaking of this, Miss Louisa's face seemed to glow red; she was a little excited:
“You should know that the purer the Ling Rune it contains, the more Miracles can be developed, such as Silver Moon, Emotion, and so on.
And the more complex and specific the Ling Rune, the fewer corresponding Miracles.
A Ling Rune like “the little match girl,” which is inherently complex and has been given a more specific image by civilization, has almost no possibility of developing Miracles in multiple ways.
But similarly, a Ling Rune with specific and complex meaning can itself be a Miracle.
And last night, when you were inscribing the Ling Rune, you obtained the only Miracle belonging to the Enlightenment Rune “the little match girl.”
That was a Mystic Lock!”
Xia De knew about “Mystic Lock,” this special mystical power; Professor Garcia mentioned it yesterday morning.
Simply put, it is to influence space with the four elements, superimposing a temporarily existing space between reality and illusion above the material world, thereby achieving the purpose of trapping or attacking enemies.
But this is a power that only large rituals or High-Ring Sorcerer can use.
Because of his identity as a fairy tale Writer, and possibly having told the story to a god, Xia De suddenly comprehended this power last night, but unfortunately, his own Ring術士 level was not enough, so he immediately became exhausted and fainted after using it.
If not for a drop of Divine Radiance hidden in his Destiny Ring, which could constantly replenish his elements and Ling, he might have become a vegetable on the spot.
Fortunately, Xia De was not alone last night.
After he fainted, Miss Louisa noticed that a Ring術士 team from the Orthodox Church was approaching, and even a Ten-Ring Sorcerer stationed in this parish came to check the situation.
So she hurriedly covered her tracks and then took Xia De back to Saint Delan Square Six... Actually, there were no tracks to cover, as most of what happened was not in real space.
They didn't need to worry about the Dais family; the Orthodox Church would give them the strictest inspection and protection.
The little girl Sophie Dais was the real reason for the evil god's gaze last night, but having lost her “merfolk” identity, she was no longer important to the deity.
After Miss Louisa escaped with Xia De, she returned directly here.
And because she was worried about Xia De's condition, she did not go back last night but spent the night on the sofa in the living room—she would not sleep in a bed that a middle-aged Detective had slept in.
After being woken up by the hungry cat in the morning, seeing that Xia De was not yet awake, she busied herself making breakfast, and when she came to check on him, she saw that Xia De was already awake.
“Speaking of which, we were quite lucky.
Thank you for your trouble last night, Miss Louisa.
I must have been quite heavy.”
He wanted to get out of bed, but Miss Louisa stopped him, handing the tray to Xia De, seemingly wanting him to eat before getting out of bed.
“You saved me, otherwise I would have been taken to some unknown deep sea, looking like that...”
She showed a look of lingering fear, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and then asked curiously:
“Xia De, by the way, can you still use the power of the Mystic Lock now?”
“I'll try.”
He thought for a moment, summoned a corner of his Destiny Ring, looked back at the dazzling brass-colored Ling Rune of “the little match girl,” and then actively activated the brand-new Miracle.