NOVPUBChapter 787 -787: The Sun and the Moon
The size of the “Nameless Ritual Book” tablet was comparable to that of the “Jaeger Scroll,” which recorded the mysteries of death, and the “Text with Threads,” which documented the history of the First Era. Both sides of the tablet bore the huge emblem of the Sun Pattern. However, unlike the typical Sun Pattern, the center of this one featured a smiling face. This wasn’t comical but rather made the tablet appear even more ancient and primal.
One side of the tablet bore inscriptions, placed directly beneath the Sun Pattern, as though carved impulsively with a sharp object, and the message roughly translated to:
“May the sun never set.”
Since the “Nameless Ritual Book” was also an artifact of the First Era, it naturally triggered Shard’s Arcane Technique, “Ancient Sound.” This time, the information related to the sun:
“The people of the First Era believed that the sun was one of the incarnations of the deity ‘Supreme Sun.’ On the longest day of summer each year, they conducted rituals to worship the sun, with a chance to directly receive the deity’s gaze. The ancient Sun God, along with the Sage of Silvermoon, were twin sisters, both in opposition to the Creator of Dusk. Followers of the exalted sun could also borrow the mighty power of Silvermoon.”
“Hmm?” asked Shard, “The Ancient God that represents the sun is a feminine figure? And she’s twin deities with the Sage of Silvermoon?”
The Outlander, well-versed in many mythological systems, was at first puzzled, but then felt that this made sense. However, he had never heard of any discord among the initial thirteen Ancient Gods.
And if considering what was currently known, all the powers of the True Gods, Old Gods, and Evil Gods, originated from the thirteen departed Ancient Gods, then those twin deities might…
“No way!”
Shard reacted quickly:
“The Twin Gods who aided Grace and Helen, their essence is duality, which is not like the sun and moon, but rather similar to the dual-head statue of the Ancient God of space, ‘Primordial Rift.’ The power of the Old God ‘Twin Gods’ actually comes from the Ancient God of space. Grace and Helen should really be seeking Old Gods that inherited dual powers like the sun and moon… Yes, they did find the right gods, but those were not the best choices!”
But this gave rise to greater confusion:
“The True God ‘Sun and Earth God,’ Lantern Bearer, inherited the power of the sun. Iluna and I have heard the doctrines of the Sun Church, but they contain no reference to any twins. Perhaps the divine authority concerning twins wasn’t inherited… Speaking of which, by whom was the power of the Moon God inherited then…?”
Holding Mia, Shard realized that despite the brevity of the “Ancient Sound,” the information it provided was more useful than that of the previous two books. To fully resolve the issues of Lecia and Dorothy, it seemed necessary to search for the Old Gods that inherited the powers of the sun and the moon. For now, however, since they were unfindable, relying on the power of Red Butterfly could suffice.
Although his thoughts were extensive, they actually only occupied his mind for a few seconds.
Shard handed the tablet to Miss Samuel for inspection, who after glancing over it, returned it to Shard. This book was not opened, and the tablet itself had little significance. True knowledge wasn’t allowed to be accessed by those detached from the time of the First Era.
“Now there’s a critical issue,”
said Shard, sitting beside the campfire without immediately attempting to open the door of the shrine. He gazed across the fire into the black night falling with Crimson Snow, a scene more dreadful than any celestial event he had witnessed:
“Miss Samuel, after exchanging this tablet for the third wish, you will pray to the deity to help you escape. But with Miss Orland and Miss Fiona Drago in a deep coma, do you, alone, have the means to carry both of them out?”
“Are you suggesting that the deity won’t directly transport us outside?”
Miss Samuel asked anxiously.
“Given the nature of the first two wishes, the deity does not seem to encourage choices that deviate from knowledge and the library. Perhaps He can teleport you, but maybe He’ll just create a temporarily safe path.”
Said Shard, while the Witch slightly shook her head:
“My condition hasn’t fully recovered yet; without the ‘Silent Moonlight’ you provided to Briony, it’s getting worse. However, If I could rest awhile and regain some strength, maybe I could lead them through the path created by the deity. Someone is waiting outside, and I only need to go a short distance.”
“There’s no time for rest now. My task was to witness the destruction of the Gadis Library. I believe that as soon as we hand over the third book to the Great One, this library will immediately collapse, and you probably need to leave right away.”
Miss Samuel thought for a moment and gave a disappointing answer:
“With the weather outside falling with Crimson Snow, even without carrying the two of them, I wouldn’t be able to leave.”
The situation was indeed getting worse. Shard gave up on seeking from the deity the Secrets of Time, and yet, the witches remained in a dilemma. But for now, they could only first meet the deity; perhaps their fears were unwarranted, and the old man with the staff might agree to directly send the witches away from the Valley of Dead Silence.
“Of course not, this incarnation only remains in the shrine. I can realize most wishes related to books, but other matters are beyond my capabilities,”
said the Sage in gray robes, sitting on a pile of old books, a staff in his left hand and a pipe in his right:
“And you are right, once you hand the ‘Nameless Ritual Book’ over to me, there’s no longer any need for this library to exist. It was supposed to be destroyed, only preserved because it held the knowledge of the First Era. Now that the mission is complete, there is no longer any necessity for its existence.”
“Then, could your wisdom guide them out of here?”
Shard asked again and the Guardian of the Library nodded:
“One wish can only save one person. I suggest curing the descendant of the Longleaf Elf, allowing her to recover to her optimal state. After your story ends, give her the staff in my hand to partially fulfill her second wish. With this staff, even if they don’t make a wish to open a path to leave, they both still have a high probability of surviving,”
That indeed sounded like a good idea, and the Old Sage’s staff entering Miss Briony Orlando’s hands also corresponded with what Shard had learned about in the Sixth Era:
“Two people leaving? What about Miss Fiona Drago?”
Shard pointed to the ice coffin beside the wall where a girl with crimson hair was wrapped around her large tail, still sleeping:
“We cannot leave her here alone.”
The deity took a puff from his pipe and suggested:
“They could try to take her with them, but that would reduce the survival probability for all three of them.”
“Wait, you must know what will happen. For you, this isn’t about probability, it’s about certainty.”
The Old Sage laughed and shook his head:
“You could use your last wish to ask about the survival probability for all three if you do this. But if you ask this question, there won’t be an extra wish to restore the health of the witch with Longleaf Elf lineage.”
Looking at it from the perspective of the Sixth Era, in a time before Saint Byrons was established, it was certain that Miss Briony Orlando and Miss Fiona Drago wouldn’t die easily. But Shard could only see the outcomes of history; he could not see the processes, so he absolutely wouldn’t dare to let the witches take risks just because he knew they wouldn’t die here.
Not considering the future outcome and speaking only from the current situation, the best course of action now would be to use the last wish to wake up Miss Briony Orlando, allowing the Thirteenth Rank Witch to carry a Divine Artifact and leave with Miss Samuel. Although this would sacrifice the Red Dragon Witch, it at least ensured the safety of the other two.
What Miss Samuel thought—Shard wasn’t sure, but he certainly couldn’t abandon anyone here.
“We must find a way to awaken Fiona Drago outside the bounds of the wishes. Only with her awakened and following Miss Briony Orlando, who bears the Divine Artifact, will there be a possibility of survival.”
Thinking this over, Shard looked again at Miss Samuel:
“What do you think?”
“As long as it’s not all three of us leaving together, I, the only one awake now, would definitely be blamed by Miss Feliana and the Academy. So, to avoid taking responsibility, I will not express any opinion now, and leave the decision to you,” Miss Samuel said pragmatically.
Shard nodded with the cat in his arms, feeling Mia wriggling against his chest.
With his current power and that of Miss Samuel, it was certain they could not wake the witch with the Red Dragon Bloodline. But the power yet to be acquired, the power from his homeland’s fairy tales, could potentially have that capability.
The Little Match Girl had truly granted Shard the Maze Lock with the capability to fulfill four wishes. If Sleeping Beauty could allow Shard to awaken the sleeping girl with a kiss, then the current dilemma would be resolved.
However, Shard wasn’t sure whether he would acquire the Maze Lock after finishing the story.
“The Little Match Girl as well as the Kiss of the Tree appeared in moments of intense emotion…the former was due to compassion for the girl, and the latter was the courage to ignite a gleam amidst the darkness…”
Shard was not a man unaccustomed to summing up experiences, but the Maze Lock, a High Ring Sorcery, was ultimately not something he, a Low Ring Sorcerer, should dabble in.
“I think I understand. Still, it’s worth a try. However, Miss Danester mentioned that the school’s second headmistress, Miss Drago, also had a Sleeping Princess Spirit Talisman. If that’s the case…”
Having thought of a plan, Shard then addressed the gray-robed Old Sage:
“Please restore Miss Briony Orlando’s health. That is our third wish.”
“No problem, that’s an easy one,”
The gray-robed deity smiled, reached into the air next to him, and pulled out a book with a green cover. With a gentle wave of the book towards Miss Orland, her eyelashes fluttered, and then she opened her eyes.
Shard and Miss Samuel both breathed a sigh of relief.
