NOVPUBEven though the little Vivian responsible for cooking has returned, Aiwass still thoughtfully took the birdcage and went home.
Since Mrs. Maya said she usually did the cooking, Aiwass just tentatively believed her... There was no need to dispute that particular truth. Otherwise, if Mrs. Maya got annoyed, it would be impolite.
However, because Aiwass’s dormitory was still under maintenance, he took the book directly back to the Hall of Silver and Tin.
Even though a Codex Book is very dangerous and, in principle, should be treated like firearms, daggers and other weapons that are not allowed in the Hall of Silver and Tin, Aiwass’s identity was now different from before. After explaining the situation, he was still able to bring the book inside.
There were no classes that afternoon, and the Elvish Language course had already finished the week before.
So, Aiwass casually grabbed some snacks to fill his stomach and then began to eagerly flip through the "Morning Crow Scripture."
Maybe it was because of the birdcage, or perhaps because it had a high degree of recognition towards Aiwass... It might also simply be playing dead, ready to escape. In any case, as Aiwass read the book, it didn’t turn into a flying crow, but obediently maintained its form as a book.
As Aiwass perused with concentration, Lily suddenly smelled a strange odor.
It was like the smell of burning wood, or as if something had been scorched.
Upon closer inspection, she discovered that smoke was coming from Aiwass’s head.
This startled Lily. She approached him uneasily and found that Aiwass was unharmed.
His head, like a smoldering torch, was emitting a large amount of visible white smoke through the gaps in his hair. His body was radiating waves of heat, and Lily felt scorchingly hot just being within two meters of him.
It was like standing next to a fireplace, being baked by fire until it was hard to keep her eyes open.
...But conversely, it was quite warm.
"Is there something you need?" Explore more adventures at freewebnovel
While still flipping through the Codex Book, Aiwass casually asked.
"...Huh?"
Lily was somewhat astonished, "You can talk?"
"I am at least at the third energy level now; my willpower is still quite stable," Aiwass answered without lifting his head. "Of course, it’s also possible that I haven’t come to the key plot yet. There’s a chance I might fall into an illusion after a while, though."
"...Then, I’ll prepare some water for you. Remember to drink if you’re thirsty."
Lily poured a cup of honey water and placed it behind Aiwass.
For some reason, she felt very sleepy... Maybe it was because the advance ceremony last night had taken a lot out of her, or perhaps because she had talked with Isabel until late and basically hadn’t slept enough.
It might also be because the steamy heat rising from Aiwass was making her drowsy.
And so, under the enveloping waves of heat emanating from Aiwass, Lily curled up into a ball and fell into a deep sleep on the small bed next to the desk.
Aiwass raised his head and glanced sideways. He noticed that Lily had almost instantly fallen asleep—a surprisingly fast and deep slumber for a personal maid who hardly had a peaceful sleep.
—According to her Path of Adaptation’s sensing ability, usually when Lily slept, all Aiwass had to do was stare at her for a while, and Lily would open her eyes on her own, asking Aiwass if there was anything he needed.
Perhaps it was the effect of "The Spider’s Silk Continuations", which transformed her into the spider on the web.
She became so sensitive that she could sense someone’s gaze even in her sleep!
Lily could even faintly feel who was watching her and the emotions of that person at that moment.
And now, Lily had advanced once more on the Path of Love. Logically, her sensory abilities should have become stronger… yet at this moment, Lily’s sense of perception seemed blurred, completely unresponsive to Aiwass’s gaze.
…Is this the power of the "Morning Crow Scripture"?
Aiwass, pensive, turned back to continue reading.
The "Morning Crow Scripture" talked about secrets related to the "Path of Devotion’s" Dawn Celestial Marshal—secrets concerning the Sun of this world. It mentioned the ownership of the Sun and the rituals the ancient people performed to worship the true Sun.
—This book spoke of the legends about the Sun.
The "Morning Crow Scripture" proposed that there were three Suns in this world. The first Sun had fallen before life began, never to rise again; the second Sun was killed and shattered by worship and language, becoming the countless stars in the silent night; the third Sun was born from a three-legged crow, a child of the Eternal Self and its own offspring.
The Eternal Self is typically a lonely and supremely beautiful goddess, but occasionally during a lunar eclipse, she would transform into a male.
In an era when only the Moon hung eternally in the sky, an eclipse symbolized utter darkness. And the Eternal Self, in that mirror-like night sky, saw the past and future selves. He fell in love with himself, and eventually gave birth to the "Morning Crow".
Persuaded by the Hourglass, the Morning Crow ignited itself, turning into the third Sun.
Since then, the Sun and Moon began their endless cycle. Day and night rotated like an hourglass, and time started to elapse.
After the birth of the Sun, light shone upon the earth. The Eternal Self could no longer see that pure, flawless darkness. She could no longer see her lover, her other self. Therefore, she danced forever sadly on the abode of the Moon, never meeting the Sun that her son had become.
His act of burning himself to become the Sun made him the Dawn Celestial Marshal. He did not enter the Dream Realm… or rather, he also ignited himself in the Dream Realm. The Dawn Celestial Marshal, burning in both worlds, achieved a balance of strength, rotating forever like an eternal hourglass.
To this day, the celestial crow of the Material Realm still slumbers at the center of the Sun, its body burning fiercely, radiating an almost eternal light and heat, supplying a constant source of life force to the entire world.
And sometimes, He dreams. In His dreams, He turns into a three-legged crow and flies in the Material Realm. Wherever He passes by, the Moon does not come, and the eternal daylight is extraordinarily intense, eventually leading to severe droughts. At those times, warriors shoot down the three-legged crows—once it falls, the day and night of that region will proceed to rotate again.
Aiwass didn’t know whether the content recorded in this book was true or false.
—But undoubtedly, what was described was precisely the calamity triggered when Superior Phantoms descended.
Just as the Shadowy Celestial Marshal turned Avalon into a realm where plants cannot grow and humans turn into Undead upon death, such domain effects that simply could change the world upon their birth are precisely the authority held by the Celestial Marshals.
…Does this mean that the "Morning Crow", even without being pulled down by the Ring of Ouroboros ceremony, would occasionally descend on its own?
An unstable Celestial Marshal indeed…
Aiwass sighed.
When he had read two-thirds of the book, his vision suddenly began to blur with hallucinations—a brief illusion of a golden-red three-legged crow flying across the sky.
It was not the actual Sun but enveloped in a Sun-like heat, radiating the earth.
The next moment, Aiwass saw it slowly flying towards him… closer and closer…
When the Sun, like a burning meteor, crashed into Aiwass, he cried out in agony, his flesh splitting open, and golden red flames suddenly burst forth from his body!
