When the four people were seated around the bonfire, Xia De did not speak immediately. Instead, he took off his coat in front of the three women and covered the hand holding the Mia cat doll. When he removed his coat, a small orange Mia appeared, hugging Xia De's arm.
The reddish-gold bonfire illuminated Mia's orange and white fur. The house cat, brought into the forest, looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings in a panic, and then let out a "Meow~" at the three Witches by the bonfire as a warning.
The Witches all smiled at the small orange Mia. The charm of cats was just as effective in the fifth epoch, but Mia only liked Xia De.
Xia De gently removed the Mia clutching his arm and placed her on his shoulder. He scratched her chin with his fingers before looking up at the three unfamiliar women.
They were all wearing similar gray robes with hoods. All three women were absolutely pretty in Xia De's aesthetic view, as charming as Miss Jialinna, and they all looked quite young. However, their true ages were certainly not their apparent ages, as high-tier extraordinary individuals have many ways to maintain youth:
"May I ask how I should address you?"
Xia De asked. Under the quiet giant tree, the firewood crackled, and in the firelight, everyone's face was somewhat distorted.
"Moon Witch, a Twelve-Tier Witch."
The Witch on the right said without hesitation. This was the kind of person who looked serious and meticulous at first glance.
"Giant Tree Witch, a Twelve-Tier Witch."
The Witch on the left thought for a moment before speaking, her voice very gentle.
"I am their teacher, a Thirteen-Tier Witch. You can call me 'Teacher,' I like that title. Also, since you are a future man, let's not reveal our true names to each other to avoid unnecessary trouble. We must revere time."
The Witch in the middle said.
Xia De nodded. While the three women were observing him, he was also observing them:
"Thirteen-Tier is..."
"The limit for mortals. Teacher is the strongest Witch."
The Moon Witch said.
"One of them."
The "Teacher" said, giving her student a reproving look with her golden eyes, then asked Xia De:
"Then, future man, you must have a purpose for coming here. What do you want to do?"
"I am here to assist you in completing the ritual of summoning a god—contacting the yaobian gate. Someone asked me to do this."
The two young Witches looked puzzled, while the "Teacher" frowned. The Old God, The Innocent Creator, could instantly discern that Xia De's appearance was related to an Old God, but the Witches were only mortals, and even the strongest of their era could not conceive of an Old God:
"Can you only come here once?"
The "Teacher" asked.
"Three times. This is the first."
"I will give you a list. You return to your era and investigate some information about that deity."
She seemed unwilling to reveal too much information about herself or her preparations for the ritual, and had no intention of sharing their ritual data with Xia De. While Xia De was wary of them, they were also wary of Xia De.
The evidence lay in the fact that they did not ask Xia De the reason for his ability to travel through time, and Xia De also did not ask them the reason for wanting to contact an Old God.
For Xia De, this was simply something that had already happened. If the other party had no intention of building further trust with him, he would not waste time doing anything extra. After all, the past was not absolutely safe.
"I demand a reward from you."
"Alright, what do you need?"
The "Teacher" said.
"I am currently in danger. Upon returning to my time, I must face an evil god. Moreover, that evil god and I have a grudge. I... I have offended him."
The three Witches looked at him with strange expressions. It was a long time before someone spoke:
"Wait a moment."
The "Teacher" instructed her two students to return to the tent again. This time, they brought out three books and handed them to Xia De.
The text was, of course, not the familiar delarion common language, but he could still understand it—
"Small Tricks: Correct Responses When Facing Saints," "Witch's Adventure Guide Three: Beings Best Not Provoked," "Mana Feilianna's Adventure Stories."
"Hmm... The last one is clearly a novel."
Xia De pointed out hesitantly.
"Yes, I wrote it, adapted from my real experiences."
The "Teacher" blinked, and Xia De was startled:
"You also faced an evil god?"
The Witch smiled and nodded:
"Only faced a Saint, and the opponent was not complete. We also had the help of a god on our side. That time... Mr. from the future, I have encountered deities multiple times in my life and have journeyed with Saints. Although this book is a novel, it will be very helpful to you."
Xia De was very pleasantly surprised and lowered his head, wanting to flip through the book, but then the other party spoke again:
"Of course, the Knowledge in books is just Knowledge. If you want to safely escape from an evil god, or even save those you wish to save, you can tell me your current situation, your power, and the relics you possess. We will write a detailed plan for you."
Her tone was gentle, probably not trying to trick Xia De, but Xia De was very hesitant. Although the time span was nearly five thousand years, he still did not want to reveal his information, especially information about divinity.
"You can tell only me; my two students will step aside. If you still don't trust me, then I can tell you about myself as an exchange for me probing your secrets. I am very curious about the forms of power in the Ring術士 system."
"This..."
The history books of Saint Byron's clearly stated that the Witches of the fifth epoch were generally stronger than the Ring術士 of the sixth epoch, stronger on average and with a higher upper limit. And the Witch before him, with two Twelve-Tier students and being a Thirteen-Tier Witch herself, was clearly one of the strongest mortals in both epochs.
After all, a Thirteen Ring Sorcerer might not necessarily be able to face a god, but the other party admitted she had done so.
It was fine to tell her about his Miracles and relics. What Xia De needed to consider was whether he should reveal information about his divinity to allow the other party to formulate a more detailed plan.
His eyes looked at the book in his hand. The bonfire's light illuminated the entire cover of the novel, "Mana Feilianna's Adventure Stories." Xia De stroked Mia with his left hand, his eyes unconsciously scanning the text on the cover. His expression froze, and he suddenly understood why he felt this Thirteen-Tier Witch looked familiar.
His expression became stiff, then he looked up, the firelight illuminating his surprised face:
"You are..."
He pointed to the author's name written on the book, somewhat incoherently.
The "Teacher" looked at the book cover in confusion, her pretty brows furrowed:
"Yes, oh, my name is here. You know me? It's impossible for me to have descendants, and you don't look like a descendant of the Felianna family. So, am I famous in the future, or are my students famous?"
The young Witches chuckled awkwardly, but they also seemed very interested in the answer.
"You are truly Mana..."
Xia De, sitting by the bonfire, truly didn't know what to say.
The "Teacher" looked at his strange expression. Her dazzling golden hair was loosely draped behind her head, but it was exceptionally beautiful. She nodded, the bonfire's light illuminating her face. The branches and leaves of the giant tree swayed with the night wind. Her smooth long hair fluttered behind her, and her golden eyes looked at Xia De. She said softly:
"Yes, my name is Mana Feilianna."