NOVPUBChapter 476: Chapter 416: The Knight’s Handwritten Notes
The archaeologist, having pulled at the sword again, turned her head to look at the girl sitting not far away.
She saw that the girl was watching her with great interest, swinging her legs leisurely as if she was waiting for her to continue her sword-drawing performance.
Seeing that she had stopped moving, the girl spoke up, “Actually, that sword should be much lighter than the table.”
The archaeologist: “…”
So, she had been watching this place from the beginning!
But that’s not the point at all!
The problem was that the sword seemed to be nailed dead onto the platform, immovable no matter how much force she applied.
Certainly, it wasn’t something that could be removed by normal means.
The archaeologist smiled awkwardly yet politely, opened her hands, stepped back from the sword, and then signaled toward the girl with her eyes.
...
Xu Shuo finally stood up from the chair and walked towards the Blood Pool.
As the tip of his foot touched the water’s surface, ripples emanated from the point of contact, as though he were walking on flat ground.
Then, he arrived on the platform that was no more than six square meters in size.
The two stood face to face, separated only by the cross guard of the heavy sword, close enough to be considered at arm’s length.
The archaeologist’s muscular nerves were visibly tense, while the girl opposite her smiled at her warmly and politely.
The girl, now without her dress, lacked the noble pride and dignity of the nobility, but the strange aura she did not attempt to conceal had become even more evident.
It was a malice she couldn’t hide no matter how warmth her smile was!
Xu Shuo glanced at the heavy cross sword in front of him and then crouched down to bring his line of sight level with its height.
Although the Knight’s Sword had been around for many years, it still looked brand new due to proper preservation.
The only thing was it emitted an intense, not-so-righteous smell of blood.
The hilt was dark brown, half as narrow as the broad blade.
The silver blade shone like new, with nearly a quarter of the sword spine embedded in the platform.
The edge was sharp, and the diamond-shaped blood groove sank into the cross guard.
Worth a mention is that there was a triangular metal decoration in the middle of the cross guard, which had a shallow concave surface.
It looked as though something had been inlaid there once.
Xu Shuo withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, stood up, placed his hand on the hilt, and with a gentle lift under the nervous watch of the archaeologist…
“Here.”
He easily pulled out the sword and offered it, palm up, to the stunned archaeologist.
The archaeologist carefully received it.
Once the cross heavy sword was removed, the platform was left with nothing but a pitch-black crack, but curiously, there was a faint circular mark surrounding this linear crack.
If one had to explain it, it was like a keyhole.
And the cross heavy sword was the key that fit into it.
Xu Shuo stood beside the keyhole, his arms crossed, watching the archaeologist across from him study the cross heavy sword.
Then he saw her intuitively disengage the hilt.
The archaeologist raised an eyebrow, subconsciously glancing at the girl opposite who was leisurely at peace.
After seeing no unusual emotion from the other party, she continued to fidget with the cross heavy sword, squeaking the blade, holding the hilt upsidedown and clicking it onto her left palm.
A scroll of yellowish-brown parchment rolled out.
However, before the archaeologist could feel any surprise, a bunch of Blood Vine swept past her hand and snatched the parchment away.
The archaeologist: “!!!”
Her eyes widened as she stared at the girl opposite who had taken the item, wanting to say something but not daring to, ultimately just clenching the hilt in her hand with restrained anger.
Xu Shuo leisurely received the parchment from the Blood Vine.
Perhaps because the time of the cross heavy sword had been sealed away, the parchment that seemed to have been hidden inside for centuries was not damaged much.
The knight had left his swords behind in Prague Castle before departing through the tunnel.
And this was the only thing the knight had left of his own.
When Cerys later rebuilt Prague Castle, she completely preserved that tunnel and placed the knight’s cross heavy sword at its entrance.
That is, the place where the two were now standing.
As for the parchment hidden in the hilt…
Cerys, who would have wanted to enshrine the only thing left by the knight, how could she have even thought about damaging it?
So, she never knew that the knight had hidden something inside the hilt.
But now, Xu Shuo unfolded the parchment, his expression calm, and recognized the text on it, written in a very retro style of fancy script.
—The roses in Prague Castle seem to never wither.
—I once thought they would bloom for a very, very long time, just like the time I have stayed here.
——But time is not truly immutable, and I have always known this, even though I have been firmly trapped in its dusty web.
——Yet I still yearn for distant lands, for there lie the beautiful seas and high mountains.
——I cannot possibly stay here forever.
——For I have taken a vow.
——I vowed to treat the weak kindly, to bravely confront violence, to fight against all wrongs.
——I vowed to battle for the defenseless, to help anyone who seeks my aid, not to harm any woman.
——I vowed to aid my brother knights, to treat my friends with sincerity.
——I vowed to remain true to my love until death.
——I cannot possibly stay here forever.
——But if one day I leave,
——Let there be roses laid upon my coffin.
…
Unlike the heavy cross sword that reeked of blood, the letter exuded a faint scent of roses.
Although it was not the passionate confession that the naive-sweet knight left before departure, and it was so subtle that the entire content was a knight’s declaration, the intention revealed in the letter did provide an answer to Cerys’s feelings.
Xu Shuo was even more surprised to discover that after he had read the letter, the character card slot, which had been moving as slowly as a snail, suddenly leaped forward by a large margin!
It seemed there was still a chance to fill this card up!
At this moment, the archaeologist standing opposite, silent and observing the girl, perked up when she caught a glimpse of the surprise in the other’s eyes.
If the Night Witch had such a reaction, it must be related to the Green Knight!
It seemed this was indeed the “Green’s Handwritten Notes”!
The archaeologist, eager for her mission objective, clenched the hilt of her sword, her mind teeming with thoughts.
She tentatively broke the silence, “This must be the letter, right?
Can I have a look at it?”
Xu Shuo snapped back to reality, looking at her with a smile that was not quite a smile, “I could show you, but why should I?
After all, this is something Alex left for me.”
The archaeologist bit her lip, “Aren’t you interested in that book?
I’ll trade it with you for this.”
“That’s easy to say, but why should I trust you?
I have no understanding of what that thing does, who knows what you might do with it,” Xu Shuo tilted his head inquisitively.
“Hey!
That was the trade we agreed on from the start!” the archaeologist suddenly became anxious.
“Did we?” Xu Shuo looked at her with surprise.
“…”
The archaeologist tried hard to recall, then realized that the girl might not have actually agreed to the trade!
So, was this guy playing her?!
The archaeologist’s grip on her sword’s hilt tightened, a suppressed anger slowly boiling within her.
She said darkly, “Cerys, don’t think for a second that you can truly trap me here, and I assume you wouldn’t want this place destroyed, right?”
Again with the threats!
Xu Shuo rolled up the parchment and glanced at the small motion in her hands.
After a moment, the girl laughed carelessly, “That sword in your hands is the medium for leaving this place; destroy it, and you truly will no longer have any means of escape.”
“…”
The archaeologist’s clenched fingers abruptly relaxed.
“Moreover, this Blood Pool is the power source core of the entire Prague Castle.
Destroy it, and the whole castle would turn to ash in an instant, including everyone inside.”
“…” The archaeologist took two steps back.
“Oh right, I should add, the switch is upstairs.”
“…” The archaeologist subconsciously looked up.
After freezing for two seconds, she then suddenly came to her senses.
Wait a minute!
So why was this person telling her all of this?
Wasn’t it supposed to be her threatening him?!
…
