“I never thought the story of 【Kiss of the Tree】 had this meaning; this is bad news.”
Dorothy clutched her forehead, looking quite helpless, then looked up at the glowing rune:
“When I had you choose 【Kiss of the Tree】 to learn, I hoped you would obtain a Ling Rune related to 【Nature】, not the story itself. 【Kiss of the Tree】 only understands its own meaning, which isn't exactly concrete or complex, but the problem is that this Ling Rune points to a specific story. Xia De, it will be very difficult for you to find the Miracle corresponding to 【Kiss of the Tree】.”
This was indeed a problem. Even without checking, Xia De could imagine how rare such a Ling Rune was. He even suspected that no one else could obtain this Ling Rune besides him.
“I want to try my luck at the Black Raven Library first, then have Leia inquire through Zaras Academy, since they specialize in curses and Miracles. My relationship with the Library administrator, Miss Daniste, is also good, so I can also look for it at Saint Byron's.”
“No, you shouldn't inquire at the Academy Library; that will arouse suspicion. I will inquire, after all, I am a Ring術士 whose main focus is the Enlightenment Element.”
Dorothy said, offering Xia De advice:
“There probably isn't a Miracle that directly corresponds to 【Kiss of the Tree】, but perhaps there are other Ling Runes related to this story that you can learn... However, our lessons will have to change topics again. This time, let's aim for the 【Sleep】 Ling Rune. After all, you already have two at the second ring, and the Ling Runes needed for 【Echo Vibration Sleep Power of Time and Space】 also need to be scheduled.”
Princess Leia’s low-ring Sublimation Words were related to the sleeping princess, so they should be very good at this.
“Why don't I have your luck? You have a fated connection with fairy tales, and each ring can correspond to a story.”
The Golden-haired girl muttered softly, then tilted her head and smiled at Xia De, not knowing what she was thinking.
Compared to the other things that happened yesterday, 【Kiss of the Tree】 was actually not a big deal. After all, even if the Ling Rune didn't have a corresponding Miracle, it didn't matter at all; this didn't affect Xia De's power.
Although Dorothy couldn't fully listen to Xia De's stories of gods and gods, she provided the parchment she bought at the Opera House last time, and with ink mixed with deep-sea whale blood, she let Xia De use the dream pen of joy as stationery to write down the story.
In this way, Dorothy could slowly decipher the story Xia De wrote, just as she studied those obscure and twisted stories. And when Xia De finished writing the last letter, he suddenly thought that perhaps those stories that carried power were originally written this way.
After handing a youthful immortality leaf to Dorothy, and then leaving the metamorphosis ring for her to play with the cat, Xia De went into the basement and set off again.
Coldwater Port on Monday was still raining. Compared to Tobesk, the port City had more rain in the Summer.
He still climbed out of the Sea soaking wet, but this time he didn't go to the Golden Rose Inn. Leia had already arranged a carriage, waiting for Xia De in an alley near the pier, and the carriage took him directly to Sophia's Great House.
“Leia, is it the sixth epoch now?”
This was the first question Xia De asked when he saw Leia in the study after washing up.
“Of course, otherwise, what time would it be now... Oh, Xia De, did you lose control?”
The princess sat behind the desk, her reaction exactly like Dorothy's. Outside, the rain was pattering, and the slightly spacious study was a bit cold.
“Of course, I didn't lose control. I'm perfectly fine.”
Xia De shook his head.
A maid brought a chair from behind, and Xia De sat down by the desk.
“Oh, Leia, I've been thinking about an interesting question recently. Saint Byron's is in the far north, Success Higher Medical College is at the bottom of the Sea, so where is Zaras Academy?”
He asked as he sat down. The reason he didn't ask Dorothy directly was because this was the princess's secret.
“I certainly can't tell you the exact location; I've signed a confidentiality agreement. But I can tell you the general location, it’s here.”
She pointed up at the sky.
“In the clouds?”
“Of course not.”
“A floating City?”
“You guessed that, I didn't say it.”
The red-haired girl smiled.
Xia De knew the answer, so he didn't ask any more questions. He sighed at the unusual locations of the Three Great Academies, then thought for a moment and took out his water-soaked pocket watch from his pocket. The pocket watch now held two leaves. Xia De handed one of them to the princess, who, of course, knew what it was. She put down the teacup she had just picked up and looked at Xia De in surprise:
“Dorothy told me you traveled through time again. But are you sure you want to lend this to me, and not to Dorothy?”
She picked up the leaf, twirling the stem to make it spin in front of her eyes.
“I got two this time, and I already gave her the other one this morning.”
Xia De said, then saw a copy of the Steam Bird Daily next to the princess's hand. It seemed that even in Coldwater Port, Leia was still concerned about Dorothy's serialized novel.
“She already has it...”
The red-haired girl muttered softly, then put the leaf aside.
“Oh, I also have another gift for you. This is a gift to thank you for helping me search for the pirate ship survivors.”
Xia De took another item from his pocket and placed it on the desk—a ruby earring. It wasn't a fake gem from a souvenir shop; it was a real gem. The earring used pure gold to secure the beautiful rhombic gem, and it looked very pretty.
Xia De had taken this out of the gift box in the early morning. When he found it was a ruby, he was truly surprised, after all, last week it was just an apple. His first reaction was to sell it for money, but then he felt it would be too regrettable to sell such a pretty gem.
“This is... Oh, is this a real gem? Xia De, where did you get this? Are you sure you want to give this to me? If it were at an auction, this could sell for several thousand pounds.”
Leia frowned slightly. She knew Xia De's financial situation.
“This didn't cost anything. I just need to help others wash a few clothes for free this week.”
Xia De shook his head. He certainly understood that it was valuable, but compared to the cost Leia incurred helping him find people in Coldwater Port, it was nothing. Since it was free, giving it to Her Royal Highness the princess could not only thank her but also stabilize their relationship. And more importantly:
“The Mermaid earring I gave you last time was bought from a souvenir shop; it was just a fake gem. Look, I see you're still wearing it now, and that doesn't suit your status at all, so I got you a real gem.”
He yawned. He really didn't Sleep well yesterday.
Because of his yawn, he didn't see the corners of Her Royal Highness the princess's mouth curl up.
The third step of the Sea Return ritual, which is the appearance of the red ocean, was expected to occur this Tuesday or Wednesday. Although this was not summoning an evil god, merely a ritual to inundate the City, Xia De was still concerned about Leia's safety, which was why he lent her the leaf.
And during the half-week Xia De returned to Tobesk and struggled for fifteen credits in the City, many things happened here as well.
Through the intelligence obtained at the Merman stronghold in Kezem Alley, the Church launched a City-wide search and gradually realized that the evil god's dependents, who had existed in the City's shadows since Coldwater Port was established, had already infiltrated every aspect of this City without anyone knowing.
Even if the Church was determined to eradicate them, the situation remained grim. Because the number of Mermaids was simply too vast, not just a few scattered ones, but entire swaths hidden throughout Coldwater Port.