Chapter 1260: Chapter 1260: The Second Guardian
In the dense white mist, thick like cotton wool, as the view gradually drew closer, that illusory giant tree connecting heaven and earth appeared once more before Shard.
Every time he saw the shadow left by the Father of the Infinite Tree, it signified the end of an adventure. Those people, those stories, would all be buried in the dust and corners of history. Shard, who witnessed each story, was like the countless rings on the giant tree recording history, merely documenting it all.
Every time he saw the shadow left by the Father of the Infinite Tree, there was a completely different feeling. But at least this time, Shard felt a little less melancholy, because he knew that his newly met friends would have relatively good endings.
Sister Perry made achievements before her death, Mr. Lyman successfully married a girl with animal traits and continued his bloodline until the Sixth Era. Although Shard did not know much about Witch Blanchett’s history, a Thirteenth Rank witch, even in the Fifth Era, known as the Witch Era, was an extremely powerful existence, so there was no need to worry too much about her future.
"Walking through history, witnessing the story, yet never changing anything that has happened. What is the meaning of all this, really?"
[Don’t you already have a guess?]
"She" softly murmured, and the inexplicable wind carried "her" laughter to his ears, a breeze that also brushed past the treetops and seemed to sweep through Shard’s heart. Amid the rustling noise, from the transparent tree crown, two emerald green leaves emitting a glimmer spiraled downward toward Shard.
Shard looked up:
"Before witnessing Luviya’s story, I wasn’t clear about all this, but now... perhaps it’s about connection."
He placed both hands together and raised them above his head, letting the overlapping leaves fall into his hands, alongside the pink little flower lying there.
For a moment, Shard felt like he realized something, then understood that "Flowers and Leaves" had given him the insight:
"Father of the Infinite Tree... Earth Mother Goddess... could there be some... hmm... special relationship?"
Although such thoughts might seem like desecration, the twin sister relationship between the "Sage of Silvermoon" and the "Supreme Binder of the Sun" already indicated that besides equal status, the Thirteen Ancient Gods might also have other special relationships.
[Perhaps your guess is correct, but who can really know?]
It is only Shard’s Arcane Technique "Ancient Sound" that can provide stories from the Primal Era, but it’s a pity that there are so few things preserved from those ancient times.
Receiving two brand new [Ever-Youth Leaf]s also meant Shard needed to return to reality, and "she" softly reminded Shard:
[You’re still in a dangerous place upon returning.]
He remained deeply embedded in the black mud that sourced from the Source of Crazy Earth, unable to sink further or climb back to the surface due to his insufficient "weight."
"It’s fine. It’s precisely because of this that I dared to venture there seeking divinity, after all..."
He looked up at the giant tree retreating into the white mist, softly said his farewell and thanks, then voluntarily turned to walk into the depths of the mist—
[Outlander, you’ve returned to the present time.]
[Message from Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":]
[Infinite time shelters you.]
The white mist dissipated, and black mud surged from all directions, trying to wrap around Shard’s body again. Yet those remnants of white mist, as if provoked by the black mud, actually surged out once more.
Shard still did not know what this white mist was, but when the emerald green light turned the entire mist into a formidable fog miasma, Shard clearly understood the immense power of the part of Father of the Infinite Tree’s power that represented "Nature and Trees."
When the emerald green mist touched the black mud, the mud melted like ice and snow, the green mist forming a spherical space that enveloped Shard, with the pervasive green light blossoming on the sphere’s exterior, forming wondrous tree-like flowing runes. The green mist opened up a safe space in the black mud for Shard, representing the utmost power of "Nature," causing Shard’s eyes to emit a ghostly green light.
With the assistance from the most ancient Tree God, he achieved his first "Power of the Earth" material-free spellcasting:
"Power of the Earth—Healing Aura!"
"What happened?!"
Shard plunged into the Black Mud Spring, though not much time had actually passed at this moment. Even considering his descent, it was a matter of merely half a minute.
It seemed as if Shard had sacrificed himself; after he dove into the black mud, the emerald green brilliance imbued with life force shot straight into the night sky from that Black Mud Spring, rendering a major portion of the night sky a bizarre green.
Although Life Force couldn’t heal the "Crazy Earth," when the radiance swept the edges of the black mud, everyone felt their bodies and spirits lighten significantly.
Even though it was still winter, tender sprouts of wild grass unexpectedly started to emerge from the ground of the courtyard not yet covered by the black mud. The swaying green dots of light gradually spread outwards, and faintly, one could almost see the phantom of a giant tree rooted in the "spring eye" gushing with black mud and green light. However, the burst of earth-yellow spiritual energy reminded people once again of what was happening at that moment.
Holding the Soil Holy Grail, in Miss Lathis’s expression which was nearly breaking into tears—she thought Shard had sacrificed himself—Shard’s figure ascended again amidst the mixed lights of the green orb on the ground.
Once out of danger, the protection of the Father of Trees disappeared, and the earth-yellow spiritual energy suppressed the green life force, purifying this dark mire.
Even though Shard had just downed an entire bottle of "Fragrance of Desire" in one gulp, making him feel like he was about to explode from the heat, the consumption of Spirit still far exceeded expectations. This situation was completely beyond what he could handle at the moment; the pollution came from the source of the Randall Valley’s earth, or else it wouldn’t have allowed him to sense divinity, and such a degree of pollution was even more terrifying than that of the Saint Perry Cemetery—which, after all, had been sealed for two eras.
"No way..."
Shard was very self-aware; if he had carried the [Night Watchman] today, he might have had a chance to fight back, but without even a convenient spellcasting medium in hand, he was ready to temporarily retreat.
He was just about to ask the Church to send someone quickly to use a Divine Ritual to control the black mud’s spreading range and give everyone a chance to retreat, but suddenly a voice came from behind. Facing the black mud, someone suddenly speaking was a scene Shard had seen before:
"Young man, hold on, I’m here to help you."
A transparent hand of a spiritual body gently patted Shard on the shoulder, and as Shard stood on the ground, he immediately felt his own Stamina and Spirit recovering faster.
[Outlander, you’ve been affected by the Arcane Technique "Power of the Earth: Spring Arrival," and for the next hour, as long as you stand on the earth, your Spirit and Stamina recovery will be faster.]
This wasn’t the end, as the familiar earth-yellow spiritual energy bubbled up around Shard.
Turning to look, a shower of soil suddenly scattered from the hands of the unknown soul, and then a semi-transparent Holy Grail took shape in the soul’s hands. Although that Holy Grail, by "quality," was far inferior to the physical cup in Shard’s hand, by "quantity," the opponent’s "Power of the Earth: Healing Aura" far surpassed Shard’s spellcasting effects.
The support of this new power offered a possible cure for the land that was previously impossible to purify. However, when Shard looked at the unfamiliar soul’s face, he found that it wasn’t Mr. Thomas Granger from last time. But this face wasn’t unfamiliar either; each time he came to Randall Valley City, he met at the Church of the Forgotten:
"Mr. Lathis?"
Shard hesitantly asked, yet he wasn’t surprised at all. Sister Perry had said before, Randall Valley itself had both Guardians and evil, with the former protecting the peace of this land. Since Mr. Thomas Granger, who disappeared seventy years ago, was one, then ten years ago, the father of Miss Lathis, the late Mr. Lathis, could also likely be one.
The transparent soul nodded slightly but did not speak, nor did he look at Miss Lathis outside. The young lady couldn’t see what was happening here because the combined "Healing Auras" shone too brightly.
As the earth-yellow spiritual energy surged from two sources, the black mud started to recede little by little, but the key was the "Black Mud Spring," originally the position of the fountain.
With Shard’s current power, he wasn’t able to completely eliminate this "spring eye," but evidently, Mr. Lathis could.
The soul suddenly asked:
"Do you not want the True God Church to see you?"
The Church’s teams had already arrived, and it would be a hassle for Shard to leave later.
"Yes."
Shard replied, so Mr. Lathis pressed his hand on Shard’s shoulder again:
"Do not resist."
With a firm push, Shard stumbled forward a step. It was just a single step in distance, but he felt as if he had suddenly traveled several miles.
Looking around again, beneath his feet was a snow-covered path in the dim outskirts, surrounded by sparse Dead Forest. The starry sky hung overhead, and the March light was so delightful to Shard.
In the southeastern night sky, there were still some traces of green shimmering, partly obscured by the distant manor beyond the Dead Forest, clearly the place where Shard had fought just moments ago. Even now, outside the manor, he could still feel the immense Healing Aura permanently healing this land, and having once wielded this power himself, Shard simply couldn’t imagine how vast a Spirit could catalyze such a large-scale sorcery. He even believed that Mr. Lathis was fully capable of directly "sinking" into the bottom of the black mud to touch the great power Shard desired to reach.
He stood there somewhat dazed, understanding that he had arrived at a safe place, yet the doubts only grew more due to tonight’s events:
"Directly emerged... Could it be that the Guardians of Randall Valley are all departed souls?"