Chapter 1334: Chapter 1334: Earth, Darkness, and Time
Seeing that it was already late, Shard and Miss Benanis also gave up the idea of looking for the so-called "Gold Mine," returning instead to the cave, and climbing back up to the narrow platform where the Night Shrine was located.
Since it was expected to be quite late before they could return to the city, Miss Benanis used Arcane Technique to send a message to Miss Lathis, and then she and Shard set up camp on the cliff to have a meal.
After Shard sacrificed the ruby, the kitchen service by the Red Dragon Maid was left for one last use, which he decided not to save and used directly. So, despite the crude environment, this dinner was quite nice.
The sunset initially cast light on the sides of their faces but soon disappeared beneath the distant forest. As the night fully set in, and stars hung in the sky like an ocean, with the three moons striving to shine their light through the clouds, the glow of the campfire illuminated their faces.
Shard intended to wait a bit longer, planning to take action later in the deep night. Miss Benanis, looking at the flames, suddenly asked:
"Speaking of which, I also bought some of the fabrics that Sylvia made."
She glanced at Shard, quite certain that Shard understood exactly what she meant.
Shard did indeed understand. As "she" chuckled softly, he tried asking:
"Then afterward... might I have the chance to appreciate your... appearance in that fabric?"
The Witch avoided Shard’s gaze, flicking aside the strands of hair by her ear:
"Mm."
When she nodded lightly, the blush on her face seemed either a result of the campfire’s glow or perhaps just an illusion.
[I told you, she’s the purest witch you know.]
"She" chuckled softly in Shard’s ear, while Shard sat on a stone, casually stirring the firewood in the campfire with a stick, looking up at the three moons faintly visible through the overcast sky:
"When we’re searching for the remnants of power at the Night Shrine, you have to help out."
[I am always with you.]
"She" blessed softly.
"I feel that something incredible is going to happen tonight... what could it be?"
The two chatted idly until about seven in the evening, when they noticed the clouds overhead drifting away from the moon, and only then did Shard stand up and signal to Miss Benanis that they could begin.
Their campfire was set up at the mouth of the cave, very close to the first archway. In the chilling night, the remnants of the archway barely touched by the edge of the campfire’s glow showed no special characteristics.
The two then held torches, passing back through the three archways to the somewhat abrupt empty space at the end of the Night Shrine.
Moonlight spilled onto the ground, and at that moment, Shard’s eyes finally caught faint light traces on the ground, although the traces were not very obvious, and Miss Benanis couldn’t see them at all.
"This shows there is indeed still some power from the Ancient God here, we just haven’t activated it."
The Witch speculated, and so Shard stood at the center of the ending space, opened his arms to face the starry sky, and summoned his Ring of Fate. The three moons resonated with the Spirit Rune of Three Moons on the ring, and this time, even the Witch saw specks of light rising from the flat ground, ascending past Shard’s head into the high sky.
"This is still not enough."
Miss Benanis said with a fair degree of experience, and after careful consideration, she indicated that Shard should retreat back to the campfire, the starting point of the shrine:
"Maintain the presence of the Ring of Fate, and pass through the three archways again. By the way, do you know any Arcane Techniques related to the Ancient God of the Moon and Night?"
"I used to. The best choice would be [Silent Moonlight], which suppresses the surrounding light and enhances the recovery of spirit and stamina. But this technique has vanished."
Actually, it was given to Miss Orland in exchange for the [Yellow Moon] Spirit Rune.
"But... wait a moment, I do have another one!"
Shard gestured beside him, and the ethereal starlit hue of a translucent bookshelf appeared once more:
"Silvermoon Library, the Recorder’s authority corresponding to the Moon Goddess."
The two of them returned to the campfire. This time the Witch did not walk alongside Shard but rather stayed a little behind him.
Shard held a torch aloft, and behind him, the mysterious Brass Ring slowly rotated. He controlled the bookshelf to move along with him, and as Shard stepped forward, more and more bookshelves appeared.
"Say something quickly,"
the Witch reminded.
So Shard came to the first archway, stepped forward to pass through:
"Praise the Recorder of the world, let the world live forever."
Stepping through the second archway:
"Praise the Primal Moon, may Silver Moon always shine upon me."
Finally, passing through the ancient third stone archway:
"Praise the night, praise everything within the silent nightscape."
The witch behind Shard, satisfied, watched as the ruins of the three archways glowed faintly. The starry sky seemed to flicker for a moment, and then, to her amazement, the moonlight completed the missing parts of the archways, outlining the ancient runes and murals that once existed.
At this moment, Shard had already reached the center of the clearing at the end of the three archways. The ground beneath his feet was glowing on its own, yet the change Shard anticipated did not occur. He looked somewhat cluelessly at the witch standing not far away, and Miss Benanis prompted:
"Do you have any other way to manifest the power of the Ancient God?"
Shard thought for a moment, and this time, he threw out the [Impermanence: Silver Moon]:
"I have crossed the three archways, entering the realm high in the night. I will praise You, and You will protect me."
Although he couldn’t control this card, it indeed directly represented one of the thirteen Ancient Gods, the Sage of Silvermoon.
The card floated down in front of Shard, caught by the night wind, but nothing extraordinary happened. Just as Shard thought his idea was wrong, the card touched the ground.
Just like a drop of water falling into a pool, streams of light instantly spread from beneath Shard’s feet to the surroundings. The spread of energy completely swept the dust off the platform. Lines of gold and silver interwove, sketching a strange circular pattern made up of the Sun, Moon, and stars at Shard’s feet, with lines connecting the patterns and flowers dotting the surroundings.
It was like a star map, or the base formation of some mysterious ritual, but Shard immediately recognized it as the back design of a Roder Card, only the "Moon" pattern was larger and more distinct than the others.
The surrounding night became even deeper at this moment. Shard remembered what he needed to do, and took out the jar of Sand of Time he bought from Old John. Holding it in his hand, he softly said:
"Praise the Goddess of the Night. Please bestow upon me the night, immerse this sand of time."
The chilly night wind blew from the distance towards the cliff, carrying sand like flowing water across Shard’s side. The night was asserting its power, a profound night even older than the night in the City of Eternal Night.
When the wind passed, the yellow sand dust, originally with a silver sheen inside the jar, was now covered with deep black, as if shadows were imprisoned in that small bottle.
[Outlander, you have touched a miracle. You have gained insight into "the night."]
"It worked!"
Shard felt his joy was beyond words, but it wasn’t over yet, because at this moment, he heard a voice that belonged neither to him nor Miss Benanis.
Though the voice was faint, it was strangely familiar to Shard. He looked around in surprise but saw no familiar figures:
"Did I hear wrong? What’s going on?"
[The earth of Randall Valley is imprinted with the oldest memories, as the center of the Earth, this land retains more memories. This location is extremely unique.]
"I know, so..."
[The story that once unfolded in this Night Shrine, deeply etched into the depths of the earth, is being reactivated by the manifestation of the power of the Ancient Gods.]
"Is it the memory of the earth again? Do I still need to use the power of the Earth to peep into it?"
He recalled the event at the Moon Worship Ruins near Osenfort Estate, when he witnessed the memories and acquired the Miracle Soul Rune, half a week ago.
[No, the power of the night has already manifested. Cross the veil of the night and witness the story that happened under another night.]
Though Shard didn’t fully understand, he nodded:
"So what should I do?"
[Pray, pray to the Earth, the Moon, and Time.]
"Three Ancient Gods..."
Shard thought, gesturing Miss Benanis not to approach. He cleared his throat, standing in the Sun, Moon, and stars’ glowing pattern on the ground, underneath the most distinct Moon pattern, and looking up at the Moon, he said:
"Praise the Earth Mother Goddess, may You show me the memories of this land! Praise the Sage of Silvermoon, please tell me the stories that happened in Your Spirit Temple! Praise the Father of the Infinite Tree, may You bless me to peep into the Secrets of Time once more!"
As the words fell, the cold moonlight illuminated Shard, an ochre air current rising from his feet. The moonlight and the Earth’s spiritual energy merged before Shard. He waited for a moment, then knowingly took out an [Ever-Youth Leaf] from his pocket.
He tossed the leaf into the glow, leaving only two Ever-Youth Leaves in his possession. The originally beautiful silver-gold intertwined light turned into a deep, nightfall-like black with the addition of the green leaf. The flowing light gradually expanded until a black, substantial curtain formed in front of Shard.
"This feels familiar, if only Fiona were here... but today is Sunday, and later... oh, please hold on, I need to go watch a memory."
He turned to speak to Miss Benanis, and the witch asked with some concern:
"Do you know what you’re doing? I remember, you only wanted to find the power to infuse the Sand of Time. What’s going on? Ciris and the others didn’t find the memory of the Earth like this."
"Rest assured, I’ll be back soon. They used the Old God’s Divine Arts, while I’m using... the power of the Ancient God."
Shard said confidently, bending down to pick up the [Genesis: Silver Moon] to prevent it from being blown away, then attempted to step into the night curtain. His body seemed to pass through a layer of cold water, realizing he was still standing on the cliff’s clearing, with the night and starry sky before him, only now there were two people present.
Long-haired Luviya stood at the cliff’s edge with her hands behind her back, gazing at the starry sky; Miss Lathis sat on the ground with her hands supporting, extending her legs over the cliff’s edge. Both turned their backs to Shard, but they were very close.
The night sky was completely cloudless, as if the two girls were standing within the star-studded sky.
Shard tilted his head slightly, momentarily unable to comprehend what situation he was in.