OBS Chapter 3673 Visiting the People of Destiny
Chapter 3673 Visiting the People of Destiny
Chapter 3673 Visiting the People of Destiny
"This is the Cliff of the Saints."
Standing on the edge of the cliff, looking at the sea of clouds after the snow had stopped, Shad admitted that the scenery was quite beautiful, but compared to a name like "Saint's Cliff," he didn't feel anything special about it.
He looked down at the cliff below, hesitated for a moment, then leaped down and flew back three seconds later.
During his freefall, he saw a white mist barrier below, just like the starting point of the "Path of Atonement." If he continued falling, he would, unsurprisingly, leave this area.
But it has only been less than half an hour since he entered this place:
"When it's time to leave, jump down from here."
There was no more area worth exploring on the mountaintop platform, so Shad returned to the ruins below and began his exploration, looking at the broken walls and rubble everywhere.
Searching for traces of snow, examining broken walls and pillars, Shad then determined that apart from the temple, there were truly no intact buildings left here, not even relatively intact ones.
So if the final ceremony is held in an open-air sacrificial site covered by snow, things are not troublesome; but if the ceremony is really held in the so-called "circular hall", then the candidates will probably have to prepare stones in advance and repair the building before doing the next thing.
However, Xia De was never able to find "Upper Spring". Even though the ruins were covered by snow, it was impossible for him not to notice the frozen water in such a limited area. But the fact is that he really couldn't find that area.
However, Shad did not come away empty-handed during his search. He found a snake slough under the snow – these things really do come everywhere. Then, while examining a stone pillar, he unexpectedly found a document-level relic, the Lucky Coin, near the bottom of the pillar, which was buried in snow.
This is a coin that brings good luck for 24 hours when flipping a number, and great luck for 30 seconds when flipping a non-number side. Shad once bought the same relic on the Time Wheel City black market.
On the northern edge of the ruins, he discovered what appeared to be a cemetery, with a few tombstones lying on the snow. The inscriptions on the tombstones had been mostly worn away, and out of respect, he did not excavate there.
At the edge of the cemetery, which is also the northern edge of the entire ruins, Shad saw a perfectly intact stone tablet. The tablet looked very new, and upon closer inspection, he discovered that it was inscribed with script from the Fifth Age.
"A message from the witches?"
He wasn't wrong, but this wasn't a stone tablet left by any witch Shad knew. The witch had left her name and the era she lived in—probably eight hundred years after Miss Feliana founded Saint Byron.
The stone tablet stands tall under the blue sky and white clouds. Xia De seems to be able to see a strange but graceful witch standing here with her back to the ruins, looking at the scenery outside the cliff, and then raising her hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.
The inscription on the stone tablet was not extensive. Apart from the witch emperor's感慨 that she had actually found this place, she also said that she was the great witch with the seat of destiny in the council, and that although this place was dilapidated, it still bore other missions.
As proof to those who come after her that she really was here, she also said that she would leave a gift at the bottom of the stone tablet for the first person to discover the place.
"So, does that mean no one has come since then?"
Shad muttered to himself. He had originally thought he would be able to see the fragments of the poem, but the era in which this witch emperor lived was far from the end of the Fifth Age, and obviously the "Whispering Poems" had not yet appeared in that era.
However, since the other party said they had left a gift, Xia De did not hesitate to try to find it.
He guessed it might be another ring or an arc, after all, he had already come into contact with two rings since he arrived here; but he wouldn't mind if it was a powerful relic or an alchemical item with special functions, since ancient witches usually had good things in their possession.
But when he actually dug up a small box, no bigger than the palm of his hand, he found only a note inside, and it was written in Carsenrik language—
I took the Myriad Manifestations Card left behind by the Witch Emperor. I left something else at the bottom of the box as a gift for those who come after. This ruin is of great importance; do not reveal its secrets to anyone.
—Chanel Rhodes
Shad looked bewildered, while "she" smiled gently in his ear. Shad stared at the empty box for a moment, then closed it again.
"So this is where I found the [Origin of Knowledge]."
Since the other party arrived before him and took the items, Xia De couldn't complain. Besides, the [Foundation Knowledge] had come full circle and was now in his pocket in this era; the playing cards had ultimately ended up in the hands of the outsider.
"I thought I was the first person to find this place in this era, but it seems I was too arrogant."
However, the fact that the legendary Chairman Rhodes had also been here surprised Shad. It seemed that, as the note stated, he hadn't left any information for the Prophet's Association. He had clearly discovered something here, but the events of that time were too ancient to be easily verified.
"However, this also answers one of my questions, namely the origin of [Origin of Knowledge]."
Of the nine cards of the Myriad Impermanence cards I currently hold, only the origins of Silver Moon, Earth, and Light are unknown.
"Balance" comes from Saint Gina Angela Serwell, the Old God [Creator of Innocence], in the underground ruins of Tobesk; "Darkness" was acquired by Chloe in the snowy mountains during the Fifth Age and by the Ice Harvesters in the far north glaciers during the Sixth Age.
"Death" was obtained by Joy Barton in the winter of 1849 in the sixth era from the bronze-colored skeleton in the ancient ruins outside the settlement of Uml in the southern New World; "Knowledge" was left there by the witch of the fifth era, later taken back to the Society of Prophets for safekeeping, and came into the hands of Shad in the winter of 1853.
"Space" was once in the possession of the witch Arela Andriana in the Fifth Age. After the events of the Lost Forest, it was retrieved by Shad from the mimicry in the Green Lake region in the Sixth Age.
"In the story of the Lost Forest, it seems that Miss Andriana, in the form of a unicorn, used the power of [Impermanence of All Things - Space] to lead us in the story to Mr. Ring's temple located at the top of the snow mountain (Chapter 1709). Is this a coincidence?"
"Time" is passed down through the Bennets, the stationmasters of the "Time Transfer Station," but its true origin is Professor Wood, the remnant of the World Tree.
Besides these six cards, "Silver Moon" was left to Shad by the deceased Detective Sparrow; "Earth" was stolen by Shad after completing a series of commissions from Stone Ossenfort; and although "Light" was given by the coroner, Mr. Albert, it was actually one of the three legendary cards scattered throughout the Moon Bay region, the exact origin of which Mr. Albert did not know.
"If you have time, you can go to the Death and ask Stone Oxenfort where he got the Earth Card. It couldn't have been given to him by the Stone Mirror Demon-Goethe, could it? Or you could ask Mrs. Hera Oxenfort."
As for "Fate" which Shad has yet to obtain, the luckiest mortal, Mr. Riddle, once possessed it and left the card with the Prophet's Association. The card's provenance is very clear.
Aren't you curious about the origins of that silver moon?
"She" asked gently.
"I promised that I would not bother Detective Sparrow again."
Xia answered in his mind, actually still wondering if he could deduce the possible ways in which other cards might appear from the origins of the cards he had already acquired.
Now that he had "obtained" the Witch Emperor's gift, Shad put down the box and continued digging, soon unearthing a new one. The new metal box was smaller than the one that held the cards, and inside was a golden button with an ouroboros symbol on it.
This is an ordinary item that looks very similar to the badges worn by diviners in the Prophet's Association, but it is actually a certificate that the association rarely issues:
“Luvia mentioned this to me—it’s a button that’s given to people who have helped the association or made significant contributions to it. Showing it allows them to have their fortune told at the association for free for life.”
The association hasn't issued anything like this in the last few centuries, and historically, those who have obtained such "certificates" have mostly been powerful ring sorcerers.
This item might be valuable to others, but it has little value to Shad.
Although he had to pay money to the Tobesk branch when he went to Luvia for a fortune telling, his status as the "Big City Player" champion allowed him to enjoy a significant discount from the association. Eighty percent of that discounted amount would ultimately go into Luvia's pocket through performance-based rewards.
Aside from Luvia, Shad had no need to consult any other diviners in the association. Luvia would perform divinations for Shad outside the association without charging him extra—except for occasional small requests during nighttime activities.
Of course, the most important thing is that this "certificate" can only be used for free divination, not to obtain the Rhodes Cards for free. The association's divination and Rhodes Card services are separate.
"The items left behind by President Rhodes are quite significant, but he clearly didn't anticipate who would be the next to arrive here."
Xia De was filled with emotion, but he still accepted the button as a souvenir.
He then wondered if he should follow the example of the witch and Guild Master Rhodes and leave something here as well. But after checking his pockets, he didn't find anything of enough value, so he could only leave behind a "star dewdrop".
The solidified starlight can be stored for a long time, but the ultimate purpose of this ruin is to welcome the Chosen One ritual, awaiting the appearance of a mortal who can inherit the power of the ancient gods. Now that the ritual is about to begin, and the ruin's mission is over, it is unlikely that any next generation will come here again.