The most important task today is to use the new tree hole to determine the true origin and story of the jet-black dragon beast. But before breakfast, Luvia found Shade and told him the good news:
"Although Bella won't be able to come to Vista Grove until tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, I relied on myself to perform a very effective divination on the eggshell we brought back yesterday. I can now confirm that the egg was laid.
It’s been 227 years.”
"So early?"
Shade was very surprised:
"The tree hole corresponds to the years 1479 and 308. I thought that the egg's birth time could only be traced back to 308. Speaking of which, can it be determined by divination that the creature in the egg was born from a hybrid of a black dragon and something else?
?”
"Shad, divination is not omnipotent. However, Granny Cassandra has done a lot of research on alien creatures. Let's see if she can get any results."
Shade planned to have breakfast and then set off to the past with Flora. At the breakfast table, Luvia shared her divination results. The old witch promised to give her research conclusions as soon as possible, but she noticed another
Thing:
"No matter where the other bloodline of the dragon beast comes from, the black dragon bloodline can be determined. In other words, at least in 227 years in the early sixth era, a black dragon appeared in the Vesta Woodland area. Don't you feel it?
, does this matter seem familiar?"
As the old witch spoke, she looked at Miss Daniste, who had come to have breakfast with her. The red-haired girl was a distant relative of her. Now that she was eighteen years old, she naturally regarded Granny Cassandra as her own.
of elders:
“The thirteen-ring sorcerer ‘Sword of the Sky’ who was hired by the candidate of the Natural Church left a local legend because he drove away a pure-blooded black dragon at the beginning of the Sixth Era.
Although the early Sixth Age was different from today, it should not be a coincidence that two black dragons flew into this forest in succession."
Xiwei then asked:
"Miss Denister, can you contact the Church of Nature through St. Byrons? Ask the paladin about the black dragon back then."
The red-haired girl nodded slightly:
"I'll do this after dinner. In addition, you can send someone to the forest to find the [Hermit Group in the Forest] to get some information. The church seemed to have inquired about various local legends from them. The Hermit Group might have
I also understand this.”
So after breakfast, everyone went their separate ways. Luvia conducted a divination for Flora and made sure that this time adventure would not be too dangerous before letting Shade set off.
"I will protect Shade!"
Miss Owl said and flew onto Shade's shoulder. Before little Mia stretched out her claws at her, Shade turned both the cat and the owl into toys.
He waved goodbye to Luvia and put the key against the "door" symbol on the wooden board.
[Outlander, you have opened a "twisted tree hole". 】
[Tips from the Father of the Infinite Tree:]
[Using the normal time key to open the door will connect the following three times: 1479, the sixth era of the current world; 308 years of the sixth era of the current world.]
[Note, any life other than you who uses this channel will be cursed by time. 】
[Note that you can enter the past one hundred and twenty minutes through the abnormal channel here, and you must return through this channel after the time is over. 】
[Note, after using the key to open the door here twice, the passage will completely collapse. 】
This information was consistent with the information Shade obtained yesterday when he confirmed the corresponding time in the tree hole, so he immediately recited a prayer and turned the key in his hand.
Click!
"Um?"
There was no white mist or scene change around him. Shade blinked his eyes for the first second, and then he saw the leaf patterns around the wooden board in his hand light up as if they were charged with energy.
The miraculous element suddenly emerged at this moment, and Shade, who had a bad premonition in his heart, was ejected with a huge explosion before he could react.
There is a mute ceremony on the entire third floor, so there is no need to worry about the sound being heard by people downstairs. Sylvia and Miss Bell, who are also on the third floor and have not gone out, can still hear the sound.
When the two rushed into the door, they saw Luvia reaching out to pull up Shad who had fallen to the ground. Other than that, there was nothing unusual in the room.
"I'm fine."
Shade clutched his chest and said to the girls at the door. After taking a few breaths, he felt that the pain caused by the repulsive force just now disappeared.
Before they asked, he explained:
"That key is the key to the Ash River Valley that I am using. There will be no problem, so there is something wrong with the tree hole."
At this time, the time key and the wooden board were lying on the floor, showing no signs of damage. Regardless of Luvia's objection, he picked up the wooden board with faded leaf patterns and held it in his hands.
He closed his eyes and felt it, and then said to the worried girls behind him:
"If my feelings are correct, the sixth tree hole we obtained has been locked up."
The so-called "locking up" was considered by Shade to be the way in which the "Twisted Tree Hole" was contained and processed.
Among the two methods of dealing with tree holes that he currently knows, the method provided by the elves that requires the use of [Philosopher's Stone] and [Sands of Time] is expensive, but it can permanently destroy the twisted tree hole with one sword, and it can even provide
[Eternal Youth Leaf], so it is the safest;
As for the divine sealing ceremony that the Church of Dawn found within the Holy See under Shade's reminder, although Shade had not seen it with his own eyes, according to the information shared by the church, the essence of the ceremony was to solidify and activate time, that is, "
Block the hole."
Although using the church's method will not physically make the "tree hole" itself disappear, the mark of the righteous god "Mr. Dawn" will be permanently left on the sealed tree hole, unless a powerful blasphemous element can be used to remove the miraculous magic.
power, otherwise the church's seal would be basically foolproof.
As for the nature of the sixth tree hole this time, it is more like "blocking" than "destroy" or "blocking". The circle of green tree patterns around the wooden board as the carrier of the "tree hole" is a symbol of "lock".
But before being activated, it showed no trace of any elements at all.
And Shade only realized after using it once that the "lock" itself is charged by the power of activating the tree hole. When the tree hole is not opened, the lock has no effect, and once the tree hole is opened, the lock will not work.
It will be opened immediately.
"This is a simple but very effective containment method. Although it is not as safe as the elves' method and the church's method, I bet that this method requires the least amount of manpower and material resources."
Shade finally came to a conclusion, so Sylvia asked:
"Since it's a lock, your 'door key' should be able to unlock it, right?"
"certainly."
Shade nodded but did not try. Luvia told Shade what he was thinking:
"But since this tree hole has been successfully contained, is it still necessary to forcibly destroy it for time travel?"
Shade has long thought that there must be more than one way to seal the tree hole in the material world, and this tree hole also confirmed this. Although he has not tried it, except for specialized targeted thaumaturgy techniques such as "Door Key",
In addition, there should be more than one way to unlock this "lock".
But once the "lock" is unlocked, I'm afraid the "lock" will be completely ineffective. And since this tree hole is sealed, even if it is not a symbol of the instability of time, there must be a reason for being sealed.
Therefore, if it was not necessary, Shade did not want to rashly destroy a tree hole that had been treated without knowing anything.
Therefore, the originally planned two-hour "trip to the past" was temporarily cancelled. The cats and owls that had just been turned into toys were also changed back. Miss Owl saw that Luvia and Sylvia were by her side.
I even thought that Shade had come back.
"Can you tell which god this seal's power comes from?"
After understanding Shade's analysis, Flora asked again, and Shade nodded affirmatively:
"Of course I am sure, this is the power of the tree father!"
But not exploring time does not mean that Shade cannot carry out other activities. Since the tree hole stored in the basement of the Jindel family is so special, it also shows that the secret of the Jindel family is probably not just the dragon blood.
.
Although the descendant of the family is now just an ignorant noblewoman who had an affair with a maid, and even the Jindel family's ancestral home has been turned into ruins, at least Shade listened to Professor Uke Wood talking about that house yesterday.
An orchard once invested by the Jindel family.
Even today, with the large-scale expansion of the city, the orchard is still located deep in the forest. It is for this reason that although the Jindel family has built an orchard farm there similar to a small village for workers to live in the early days, but after investment
After it failed, no one else wanted to take over.
In other words, it is now in a state of devastation.
"Why do I feel like I've been exploring such deserted places in Vista Grove lately?"
After thinking about the plan, they were ready to go. Flora still planned to follow Shade. Although she was in a cursed state, she was still a high-level witch in human form.
In addition to Flora, since there is currently no shortage of manpower, Sylvia also proposed to travel together, taking three girls from the high ring and six girls from the middle ring with her into the forest.
"Speaking of which, why has Shade been calling you Sylvia since breakfast today? Didn't he always use honorifics to call you before?"
When entering the forest from the dock of Lake Ulen, she saw Shade shaking his chocobo feathers to summon mounts for everyone, so Flora, who had not bumped into Agelina last night, curiously asked her friend.