Chapter 1266: Chapter 1266: Moon, Shadow, and Guardian
Luviya said with a smile:
"This Sublimation Incantation is really nice, the association has a keen eye. Although saying so seems a bit arrogant, it feels like it was made just for me."
Shard continued to look at the book, which recorded that the effect of the Sublimation Incantation was "to manipulate and rewrite fate, but at a cost." The same Sublimation Incantation could have subtle differences due to the types of Spirit Runes used in its composition, and the difference in the Core Spirit Rune—Shard’s case didn’t count, as he essentially changed its function. Therefore, the effect of a Sublimation Incantation is usually not described in great detail, but with just this passage, Shard could feel the peculiar nature of this incantation:
"Manipulating fate is not a good thing, I have already learned many lessons from this."
He said with some concern, but as a Diviner, Luviya wasn’t worried about it:
"I’ll help you find a suitable Sublimation Incantation, are you going to use the Core Spirit Rune ’Silvermoon’?"
She flipped through according to the alphabetical index, quickly finding the corresponding page number. The Cult of the Forgotten had only six Sublimation Incantations related to ’Silvermoon’, and after excluding those not suitable for Shard, Luviya finally selected two for him:
"’Crimson Sun Falls, Silvermoon Rises, the Night Descends.’ This Sublimation Incantation requires ’Sun’, ’Silvermoon’, ’Night’, ’Descend’, ’Fall’ and ’Ascend’ with the latter two in a binary choice. This one looks quite good, the effect of the Sublimation Incantation is ’Nightfall’, I recall the Sage of Silvermoon is also the Goddess of the Night."
She said, then read out the next one:
"’The Shadow of Silvermoon, guides the ultimate direction.’
Shard was taken aback:
"What?"
Saying this, he leaned in to look at the book, saying in disbelief:
"It’s truly interesting; at the beginning of the year when I was at Miss Danester’s looking at Saint Byrons’ ’Sublimation Codex’, I heard a Sublimation Incantation quite similar to this—’The First Silvermoon guides the ultimate direction.’ The two are only different in ’First’ and ’Shadow.’
"Similar Sublimation Incantations are extremely rare, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. However, the first Silvermoon... the shadow of Silvermoon... hmm..."
She looked at Shard suspiciously, a powerful inspiration hinting at something. Shard then looked at the origin of the Sublimation Incantation in the book:
"Not a collected Sublimation Incantation, but one gained from drawing the Earth’s memories. Surprisingly, it was obtained only two hundred years ago; let me see the location...right in Randall Valley, in the woodland creek on the eastern outskirts of the city."
"Why, did you set your eyes on this one?"
Luviya asked, and Shard nodded:
"It looks quite good. Yesterday, when I encountered the source of the black mud, I had some feelings about ’Shadow’. But I’ll have to wait until I actually acquire the Spirit Runes to say. I’m just curious about its origin; look, the site where the Order acquired this Sublimation Incantation is not far from Randall Valley Urban Area, just about half an hour’s ride on horseback... It’s quite close to Osenfort Estate."
He thought for a moment:
"I’ll take a look when I have the time, but there’s no rush."
Shard always had his ideas, so Luviya didn’t oppose him. The two continued sharing thoughts about the Inner Ring Sublimation Incantations, and soon they heard Miss Benanis calling Shard’s name at the back of the church:
"Shard, come take a look at this."
The echo of the witch’s slightly somber voice reverberated in the empty church, so Shard and Luviya got up and walked into the corridor behind. After walking through the wall once destroyed by Shard, they followed the intact corridor around the corner, then jumped from the room window, bypassed the collapsed Confession Room, and arrived at the entrance to the basement.
This was also Shard’s starting point upon arriving at Randall Valley.
Everyone was gathered in the basement at the moment, with dozens of summoned Light Orbs floating on the ceiling, providing lighting for the room devoid of any light.
They weren’t gathered in front of the wall bearing the Hidden Space but were standing before the east wall, looking at the chaotic graffiti on the wall.
Shard had noticed these graffiti on his first visit but had never paid any attention to them because they were inherently meaningless:
"Do these graffiti mean a secret code?"
The others made way for Shard to step in front of the wall, while Miss Lathis looked at the wall with a sorrowful gaze:
"When I was a child, playing games with my parents, we devised our own secret code, using abstract Runes to represent language. After my mother unexpectedly passed away when I was nine, my father and I never used this again... The meaning here is—I found it, but I can’t open the door."
Only Miss Benanis, Luviya, and Shard knew what the so-called "door" was.
"Is there more?"
Shard asked, and Miss Lathis nodded, laboriously translating the language she mastered in childhood from the paintings that concealed the secret code:
"Someone must guard this land. I followed the footsteps of the previous guardian and came here, his relic is behind the door, but I cannot touch it... Ciris, my dear child, if you see this..."
Miss Lathis tried hard to control her emotions:
"If you see these messages, do not grieve for me. Forgive me, for leaving this duty to you, because I have a more important responsibility, a new guardian must emerge."
Miss Benanis placed her hand on her shoulder, and Miss Lathis shook her head slightly to indicate she was okay.
"So, Mr. Thomas Granger, who disappeared seventy years ago, left some clues before he died. More than ten years ago, Mr. Lathis found those clues and thus discovered this church, but at the last step, he couldn’t get the box I found?"
Shard concluded.
"It should be so, and among the clues Mr. Lathis found, there should be information about the ’Guardian of the Earth.’"
Miss Benanis also said.
Miss Lathis nodded:
"There are some words here too, please move the glimmer down a bit... My dear Ciris, forgive father’s departure. I do not know how long I can sustain myself, nor do I know how long I can protect this city even if I become a guardian. I leave clues here, if, if you discover this place and the madness of the Earth has started appearing in places beyond Randall Valley, it means, a new guardian must emerge."
The current situation must be the worst scenario Mr. Lathis foresees.
"People’s steps will trample the earth of Randall Valley, bringing its madness to more places.
If things really develop as I anticipated, please send someone to follow my clues and traverse the lands of Randall Valley, just as I am doing now. My daughter, for the Earth, for the World, for everything, a new guardian must emerge. I hope it is not you, but if there is no suitable candidate... I will wait in the Earth... The first step’s clue is where the gaze rests."
Miss Lathis finished reading this with a somewhat sorrowful sigh.
Luviya tugged on Shard’s sleeve:
"So the clue is in..."
The group returned once again to the main hall of the church, and the metal holy emblem had not yet been hung there. Following the gaze direction of the stone statue, Shard used the sorcery "Fossil to Mud" to dissolve the wall tangled with fragile vines, and after fiddling in the mud for a while, he indeed felt a thick bundle of cowhide paper.
Layers of waterproof cowhide paper wrapped the innermost object, and unsurprisingly, the item carefully concealed was a notebook.
Out of respect, the notebook was first handed to Miss Lathis. She skimmed through it, confirmed it was her father’s handwriting, and then passed it to Shard.
"Let me see... Oh, it’s this."
The notebook contained ten pages of content. The initial part mentioned that Mr. Lathis accidentally bought a very old box at a small auction and found letters left by the man who claimed to be "Thomas Granger" in the box.
The letters explained that the land of Randall Valley was gradually heading towards madness, and the half-doubtful Mr. Lathis acted according to the instructions in the letters, eventually confirming everything "Thomas Granger" said was true.
Mr. Lathis hadn’t yet decided whether to take on this responsibility, for a naturally born "Saint" doesn’t just appear casually. But having personally witnessed the "Heart of the Earth," the deepest secret of Randall Valley underground, he changed his mind and decided to pass the previous guardian "Thomas Granger’s" test to become the new Guardian of the Earth.
The subsequent content of the notebook explained how he proved himself through various tests and accidentally got afflicted by the curse of the Earth in the process. Although he ultimately found this church, he failed to enter the hidden wall.
So he left clues on the wall and buried the notebook deep into the wall, spending the last period of his life in the church of the deity he believed in.
"But he succeeded nevertheless."
After Shard meticulously read aloud these contents for more than half an hour, Miss Benanis immediately said:
"So the so-called test doesn’t necessarily mean reaching the end. As long as the previous guardian is satisfied, it’s enough."
"I suspect, the things that can trigger such a ’test’ are not solely those letters father discovered, the guardian left many clues locally, and Shard’s finding of that box also counts as a test-triggering token."
Miss Lathis also said.
"However, it’s intriguing that according to this notebook, the inheritance dealing with earth’s madness from the guardians began appearing locally since the start of this era. But why did they never think about seeking help from the Church during this period? Or rather, why did they strictly guard this secret?"
Luviya was somewhat puzzled, while Shard once again flipped through the front of the notebook.