Chapter 150 Maze Lock
Catching the snowflakes that fell before her, Dorothy Louisa looked around. The intense darkness and the door had vanished, leaving air fresh and icy, the scent of civilization's prosperity nearly causing her to tremble all over.
Together with the detective in front of her, she stood on a snowy winter night street, where the snow was just about to cover the tops of their feet, and the distinctive scent of winter invaded their nostrils. A small figure stood in front of Shard.
Barefoot in a pair of slippers, her feet were blue and purple from the cold, and her clothes were patched beyond count. Wearing a tattered scarf around her golden hair, she huddled her body, holding a little basket... she smiled at Shard.
She lit the first match, the match went out, and five mermaids appeared before them. Surrounded by snowflakes, their roars couldn't break free from the shackles of the ice and snow;
She lit the second match, the match went out, and the five mermaids were surrounded by the glow of the fire. It was the light of the matchstick, faint yet holding hope;
She lit the third match, the match went out, and black smoke billowed from the bodies of the mermaids in the firelight. Blurred figures in black robes appeared beside the girl, scythes swinging in their hands, and the black smoke dissipated amidst the swirling snowflakes.
She lit the fourth match, the match went out, and the flames on the mermaids extinguished as well. This was the last match, the one containing the end of the story and Shard's hope.
After the flame, the unharmed Des family lay on the snowy ground.
Shard approached the girl carrying the basket, and looked towards the end of the snow-covered street, where a vast black shadow occupied the sky and the earth, signifying that an Evil God from a higher dimension was watching over this place, watching over him.
Her voice resonated in his ears.
[You are under the gaze of the Old God "God of the Deep Sea Drowned," and you feel the desecration.]
[The initial deceased drowned in the deep sea, who knows the deepest secrets of the abyss. Abhorring the living, on stormy nights, leading all living beings into the sea depths, wailing day and night within the toll of death's bell.]
[You have heard the tale of the Old God "God of the Deep Sea Drowned," and learned one of its acts of desecration.]
[You have acquired the sorcery—Underwater Breathing.]
Shard paid no heed to the voice in his ear, nor did he care to know exactly who it was.
That gaze was fixed entirely upon Shard, and divine afterglow wrapped around him like burning golden flames. In that moment, he felt as though he peered into the abyss at the bottom of the deep sea, where the hands of countless rotting corpses tugged at him, yet he stood stationary here, unmoved.
The Evil God had not arrived in the material world, merely observing this place, which is why Shard had the courage to stand here and lift his gaze to It.
He could not retreat, having decided to try and save those he could, he must not retreat.
Shortly after, without even needing Shard to decide whether to sacrifice his sole drop of divinity, the gaze voluntarily withdrew.
The deity ceased its watch, and the sense of spatial distortion disappeared entirely. The humans transformed into fish by Its gaze were saved, It lost interest in the matters here.
"Shard, you really... oh!"
The view of the snowy street and the figure of the girl in bare feet and slippers, retreated rapidly amidst the sudden burst of raging flames surrounding them. The bright fire that passed through Miss Louisa's body eradicated the feeling as if seaweed were about to grow on her after being watched by the Evil God.
The surroundings reverted to that alleway in the night, back to the night in Tobesk.
The Des family lay peacefully and neatly in the alleyway, maintaining even breathing. But Shard collapsed backward, this time caught by Miss Louisa.
The young Outlander closed his eyes tightly, his complexion pale, his chest barely showing any signs of rise and fall.
Miss Luisa held her breath, and after a long while, reached out a trembling hand with a sad expression to check his breathing.
Letting out a long sigh, Shaw had only passed out from fatigue due to the execution of an arcane technique far beyond his level.
"Still, it's my first encounter with a Maze Lock."
Looking at the young detective's face under the moonlight, the golden-haired girl's eyes reddened, barely managing a relieved and tender smile.
Three full moons hung overhead, Silvermoon illuminating this place, illuminating Shard. Faintly, he heard a distant voice; the Evil God watching the material world, the unfolding of a magic Maze Lock in town, it was improbable for the True God Church to be unaware.
Now, it was time to leave.
(Mia is running...)
A dream, it was that same dream again.
Shard stood on the ridge of a field, looking up at the huge Silvermoon above him, which seemed so close he could touch it, yet his outstretched hand grasped nothing.
Silvermoon's radiance shone on Shard, and he contemplatively mused:
"Always having this dream, there must be something wrong, does it mean..."
Then, he opened his eyes to see a ceiling that was not unfamiliar; he was in the bedroom at No. 6, Saint Delan Square.
"Meow~" Stay tuned for updates on empire
Feeling Shard wake up, the cat next to the pillow excitedly rubbed against the back of his hand. Shard intended to reach out and pet Mia, but as he attempted to rise, the pain in his head caused him to groan softly.
Not only that, his entire body ached at that moment, and his body would tremble every time he lifted a hand, as if he had been starving for three days and three nights.
"The time is... Sunday morning, seven o'clock."
He had learned the time, and the moment before he lapsed into unconsciousness was Saturday night. In other words, he had only been asleep for less than ten hours:
"Who brought me back? Oh, Mia, don't touch me, I'm all out of sorts right now."
Perhaps having heard Shard's voice, the bedroom door was now pushed open. Shard was startled and looked up to see that it was the blonde girl, Dorothy Louisa, who had opened the door.
She was still dressed in last night's attire and smiled, waving at Shard upon seeing that he was awake.Nôv(el)B\\jnn
"Water..."
He squeezed the words out from his throat. Miss Luisa, carrying a food tray, entered the bedroom, placed the tray on the nightstand, and passed him a cup of water.
On the tray were meat porridge, hot sheep's milk, scrambled eggs, apples, and bread—Shard had been staying here for two weeks and had never seen such a lavish breakfast in the house before.
"Meow~"
Mia watched Miss Luisa closely; the sheep's milk was its breakfast, but the golden-haired writer seemed to have mistaken it as a dairy product ordered by Shard for himself.
He took the cup and lightly tapped on its edge; a desecrating silver light gleamed on the surface of the water. He carefully took a sip, feeling out his physical state, then took a bigger gulp.
"Oh~"
It was then that he moaned again, placing the cup back on the nightstand.
"How do you feel now?"
Miss Luisa asked, sitting on a chair by the bed with concern.
"I'm doing alright physically, the headache is still there, but probably nothing serious..."
He picked up the cat that had ambiguous intentions towards the food tray, leaned on the nightstand, and felt a throbbing pain in his temples.
Shard still remembered what had happened before he passed out, the sense of regret in his heart as he faced the exit, and the touch of innocent sufferers made him realise the true power of "The Little Match Girl" that had been bestowed upon him.
Therefore, he used the story paper borrowed from Miss Luisa to complete the engraving of the "The Little Match Girl" Enlightenment Spirit Rune. Simultaneously, it was Shard's second Spirit Rune.
He was only short of "Miracle" and "Whisper" to reach the Second Ring, and obtaining the Miracle Soul Rune would depend on his performance in the last entry into the year 1068 of the Fifth Era, which would occur next Thursday at dawn.
"That is undoubtedly a Magic Maze Lock."
When the subject arose, Miss Luisa's face seemed to flush with redness, and she became somewhat excited:
"You should know, the purer the Spirit Runes contained within, the more Arcane Techniques can be developed, such as [Silvermoon] [Emotion], among others. And the more complex and specific the Spirit Rune, the fewer the corresponding Arcane Techniques.
A complex Spirit Rune like 'The Little Match Girl', which civilization has endowed with a more concrete image, almost has no potential for developing various Arcane Techniques. However, a complex and specific Spirit Rune like this could itself be an Arcane Technique.
Last night, when you were engraving the Spirit Rune, you acquired the unique Arcane Technique belonging to the 'The Little Match Girl' Enlightenment Spirit Rune. That is the Maze Lock!"
Shard knew about "Maze Lock," a special mystical power, from what Professor Garcia had mentioned yesterday morning.
Simply put, it's an influence on space using the four elements to layer a temporary space that's somewhere between reality and illusion over the material world to trap or attack enemies.
But this power was only to be used by large ceremonies or High Ring Sorcerers. Because of his identity as a fairy tale creator and the suspicion that he had told the story to a deity, Shard had an epiphany about this power last night. Unfortunately, his Circle Sorcerer level was insufficient, which is why he collapsed from exhaustion immediately after the use.
Had his Ring of Fate not contained a drop of Divinity that could constantly replenish his elements and spirit, he might have become a vegetable on the spot.
Fortunately, Shard wasn't acting alone last night.
After he fainted, Miss Luisa sensed that a team of the True God Church's Circle Sorcerers was approaching, and even the Ten-Ring Sorcerer stationed in the district had come to check the situation. She hurriedly covered their tracks and then took Shard back to No. 6, Saint Delan Square... Although there weren't many traces to cover, since most of the events hadn't occurred in real space.
The Des family's issues were no longer their concern, as the True God Church would provide them with the most thorough investigation and protection. The little girl, Sophie Des, was the true reason for the Evil God's attention last night, but having lost her "Merman" identity, she was no longer of importance to the deity.
After escaping with Shard, Miss Luisa went straight back here. Because she was worried about Shard's condition, she didn't leave last night and instead made do on the living room sofa—the middle-aged detective's bed was not for her.
Woken up by the hungry cat in the morning, since Shard hadn't awakened yet, she took the initiative to prepare breakfast and came to check on him, only to find that Shard had already awoken.
"This said, we've been rather lucky, and you've been a great help last night, Miss Luisa. I must have been quite heavy."
He attempted to get out of bed, but Miss Luisa stopped him, handing him the tray seemingly indicating she wanted Shard to have breakfast before getting up.
"You saved me, or else I might have been dragged into the depths of the sea, looking... like that."
She showed a scared expression, played with the lock of hair by her ear and then asked curiously:
"Shard, speaking of which, that Maze Lock power, can you use it now?"
"I'll give it a try."
He thought for a moment, invoked a corner of his Ring of Fate, turned his head to glance at the dazzling brass-colored light of "The Little Match Girl" Spirit Rune, and then actively activated the brand-new Arcane Technique.
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