novelonline Chapter 3655 Talent and Zhang Yi by the Fire
Chapter 3655 Talent and Zhang Yi by the Fire
Chapter 3655 Talent and Memories by the Fire
The underwater tunnel that Shad and his group walked through on Friday connects the normal world with that astral fragment, and the boundary between reality and the starry sky is located behind the tomb, so the tomb still exists today.
Elder Harald and the others planned to find some free time to visit the underground tomb together, at least to pay their respects to the ancestors buried there.
Claire, on the other hand, set her sights on the starlight ore located behind the tomb. She and Vanessa both knew the value of those ores. Although they couldn't compare to the "star fragments" left behind after the Fallen Star Beast's main body perished, they were still extraordinary materials rarely seen in the current era.
Since the mine was located behind the ancestral tombs, Claire assumed it belonged to the Fatu people.
Of course, mining those veins isn't the thing to do right now; the most important thing today is Stella's ceremony.
When Shad and Miss Asperger arrived in town, Claire and the others were just about to head up the mountain, so the ceremony certainly wouldn't be held in town.
Besides Claire, Stella, Elder Harald, and Elder Ursa, several priestesses from the town and Claire's followers also accompanied them. After Shad and the three ladies from the choir joined the procession, Shad noticed that Flora was also in the group with Miss Bell.
“Xiwei and the others all have their own things to do. I didn’t have anything to deal with for the time being, so I came to help out. I also consider it a trip to the mountains to gather inspiration.”
This is how the artist explained it.
The ceremony must take place in a cold pool in the snow-capped mountains. This cold pool is not a lower or middle spring, but a natural pool formed naturally in the snow-capped mountains.
Each time a similar ceremony is held, the corresponding cold pool cannot be used for a second ceremony within a hundred years. Fortunately, Mount Fatumunster is large enough, and the Fatumun people do not need to hold ceremonies for so many people.
This time, Claire chose a cold pool for her apprentice, located high up on the mountainside. She quietly told Shad:
"The higher the location of the cold pool, the better the effect of the ritual."
"Claire, have you ever performed this ceremony?"
Flora asked curiously, while Miss Bell, wearing a thick white velvet hat, followed behind her. The pale-faced girl wasn't actually afraid of the cold at all, or rather, she was more afraid of the heat.
As Shad looked at her, he thought to himself that if nothing else was going to happen today, he could keep his promise from last year and play a few rounds of Rhodes with her in the afternoon.
“I don’t need this kind of ritual to enhance my talent.”
The platinum-blonde-haired witch spoke with a hint of pride, while Flora simply smiled and remained silent. Shad, on the other hand, looked at Stella and the other girls carrying a large pile of ritual supplies:
"I thought you would bring little Leona and Ellie along too, they could help carry some things."
“Shad, don’t treat unicorns like horses for hauling goods. Those cute and beautiful creatures aren’t responsible for that.”
Claire then told Shad that Ellie and little Leona were resting in the unicorn's den today, and Ellie was also very exhausted after the big battle on Friday.
The stone harp was also brought out, carried by Stella, to be used to test its effectiveness after the ceremony. Shad noticed the harp seemed to have shrunk a little, and Claire patted Stella's shoulder with a touch of pride:
"When Stella touched the violin on Saturday morning, a lot of stone chips fell off the surface of the violin with a soft rustling sound."
Miss Asperger then smiled and said:
"This means she's very close to meeting the requirements for using the violin. It seems Friday's adventure has been quite fruitful for Larson."
Seeing that everyone was talking about her, the white-haired girl softly explained to Xia De:
"When facing the Falling Star Beast on Friday, I felt that I was able to mobilize some of the power of the 'Frozen Punishment Brand'."
"Hmm, is it the effect of the pink fragrance?"
Shad asked with some concern, not wanting anyone to be associated with the mermaid, but thankfully Stella quickly shook her head:
"No, it's that I've figured some things out on my own."
She clenched her right fist and placed it on her left chest, but because she was wearing thick gloves, it looked quite amusing.
"I had always seen the power of ice as eternal loneliness and indifference, but after witnessing the various stories on the island, I realized during the great battle on Friday that perhaps the power that suits me is not the unyielding ice, but the dancing snowflakes."
She was a little embarrassed to look at Xia De:
“The beautiful memories and warm feelings of the past melted the chill in my heart, and with the power of the sun that I already possessed, the unmelting ice was finally transformed into dancing snow, which is why I was able to mobilize that power.”
"That's why I said Stella has always been very talented, but she's too young and lacks life experience, which makes it difficult for her to understand some simple things."
Claire continued to praise her apprentice, but in reality, Claire's application of ice and snow power leaned more towards "ice." However, she wouldn't let the power affect her; the Great Witch of the Sun Seat always had a warm heart, and like Mia and Iluna, who wielded the power of the sun, she could actively radiate warmth.
In this respect, her talent far surpasses that of her apprentices.
"We also brought that stone slab."
As Claire spoke, she handed the only thing she had with her to Shad, a stone slab found in the secret chamber of the tomb.
The star fell three times on Friday. The first time, it was completely blocked by Stella. The second time, it was intercepted by Emilia for a few seconds. The third time was a continuation of the second. The star entered the material world and was then shattered by Iluna's shot.
The first time, Stella unleashed her power, and the stone tablet flew to her. Yesterday, when Shad was away, Claire also took the tablet to consult the elders, but no one knew what it was.
The stone slab remained unchanged, still with circles carved on one side and letters left by ancient fatuists on the other.
"This should not be a divine artifact related to my lord."
This was Miss Asperger's judgment, while Shad guessed:
"Could this be a ring of fate connected to ice and snow?"
Others had similar thoughts, but the stone slab couldn't be opened now. Even if it truly contained destiny, it was clear that destiny hadn't yet reached its moment to manifest.
After leaving the town, the group braved the blizzard and flew towards the heights of the snow-capped mountains. This time, Stella didn't need anyone's assistance to fly; after the events of Act IV, she had gained new powers, and flying with the help of snowflakes was just one of them.
Even Miss Belle doesn't need anyone's assistance to fly. Although her shapeshifting skills are not as refined as Flora's, she can still easily transform into a bird.
The problem was that the blizzard was too strong. The gray dove that Miss Bell had transformed into was almost blown away by the gale. So Shad, who was closest to her, grabbed the dove and stuffed it into his arms.
Flora, who was originally in human form and was following Shad, transformed into a white owl upon seeing him do this, and then crashed into Shad's arms.
Claire, standing to the side, felt that her colleague was quite naive, but she was also a little envious.
At 10 a.m., the group arrived at their destination amidst the wind and snow. There are some very strange cold pools in the Fatumunst Snow Mountain that do not freeze over, so they can be easily spotted in the snow.
Everyone set up camp nearby before proceeding with the ceremony preparations. Stella was going to jump into the icy pool and stay there for a long time; the two elders estimated that everyone wouldn't be able to return until the afternoon.
Shad was unaware of the specifics of the ritual, so while the others prepared for it, he did nothing more than try out the new spell he had obtained from Violet the Witch's Echoes, the Veil of the Lost, to conceal the camp's location.
While everyone else was busy, he focused intently on building the bonfire; the flames burning brightly in the snow really lifted everyone's spirits. Miss Asperger didn't actually help with the ceremony preparations; after all, she was just a guest attending.
So, taking advantage of the fact that no one else was around, she sat down next to Xia De. This time, it wasn't about discussing important matters:
"What exactly is your relationship with Daniste now?"
She didn't think she was trying to pry into her friend's privacy; she was just showing concern for her old friend. Shad looked up to make sure no one was listening before speaking softly:
"It's the kind of relationship you're thinking of."
Is it a more traditional apprenticeship relationship, or a more purely emotional one?
She tried not to appear too curious, and it took Xia De a moment to understand the difference between the two statements.
“In matters of the heart, Daniste did not abuse her power.”
Miss Elsa Asperger then raised an eyebrow at Shad:
"So, you actually took the initiative? How did you do that? No, don't answer me. If you tell me, Daniste will come after me. I've known her since she was studying at St. Byron's. I know her too well."
Shad wanted to explain the relationship between the two, but suddenly realized something:
“Miss Asperger, so you also know Ms. Helena Carter, right?”
"Of course, the 'Moon Sorcerer' was the first 13th-ring sorcerer I came into contact with."
She wasn't surprised that Xia De knew the name:
"However, Ms. Carter disappeared many years ago, and Denise has been looking for her ever since. She said she had made some progress before the end of last year, but so many years have passed. I hope she won't be too disappointed when the time comes."
She was subtly expressing her lack of hope, so Shad asked again:
"Could you tell me about that lady? I know a little about her, but not much."
His knowledge of Ms. Carter, aside from their time-traveling encounter in Vista Grove, largely came from Danister. Now, he wanted to learn more about the dark-haired woman from another perspective.
Miss Asperger thought for a moment and did not refuse Shad, but she asked Shad to promise not to let what she said reach Daniste's ears.
"I promise you, with the moon and my cat."