Free Web NovelChapter 1998: Chapter 1998: The Essence of Red Butterfly and Angelina’s Spirit Rune
Grace and Helen knew that Shard was going to have dinner at Galina Manor tonight to celebrate Miss Galina’s return to Tobesk. Therefore, after adding a room for Shard, although they spent more than an hour checking that Shard’s bedroom and bed were comfortable, they still bid him farewell at six that afternoon.
The twin girls each held one of Shard’s hands, allowing him to escort them to the basement. And when Shard stood beside the Ancient God Statue, waving goodbye to the sisters, they sweetly smiled and each kissed him on the cheek:
"Sir, we’ll see you tomorrow."
Seeing their smiles, the outlander finally realized that he could never return to the past:
"What kind of person have I become."
Originally intending to say farewell in the basement, Shard ultimately held their hands and escorted them back to Green Island. In passing, he explained to Megan, who was looking at him with a peculiar expression, that he wouldn’t be dining at the Green Lake Hotel as often in the near future.
After all, Tobesk City was the outlander’s home. With matters on the Green Lake side coming to a close, and after dealing with the Edwards family members and Durut Giles’s matters, Shard also wanted to take a temporary rest.
[Don’t forget, you still have a pile of books to read.]
"Yes, yes, no need to remind me... I hope I don’t spend the whole upcoming summer holed up in the study."
With such complaints, he returned to his quiet home and planned to take a bath before Miss Galina’s carriage arrived to pick him up. Grace and Helen never used any perfume, but they naturally carried a peculiar fragrance... the outlander once more repented silently in his heart, then started calculating just how many thousands of years old they were.
[The story that began at the wine party ends by the starlit lakeshore. Entangled, deteriorated emotions transformed into chains binding the Red Butterfly, a tale, yearning, and reincarnation spanning millennia, brewed into the finest Wine of the Red Butterfly. With blood staining the pure white, having taken away the cup from the God of Bygone Days, and tasted that bittersweet flavor, outlander, do you truly understand the favor you’ve gained?]
"This at least is a story I’m satisfied with myself." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
[Outlander, you’ve felt the miracle, enlightenment, and whisper.]
[You completely knew and experienced the story of the relic "Red Butterfly Twins."]
[Outlander, you’ve engraved the Black Iron Whisper Spirit Rune - Red Butterfly.]
[Sorcery - Red Butterfly Incarnation, Red Butterfly Illusion, has ascended to Arcane Technique - Red Butterfly Incarnation, Red Butterfly Illusion. The original spellcasting effects remain unchanged while the intensity of the spellcasting has greatly increased.]
[You’ve absorbed a portion of the relic’s essence - Red Butterfly Twins. Your attraction to butterflies has significantly increased; your attraction to female intelligent beings with the twin attribute has slightly increased; your charm has slightly increased; your psychic resistance has improved; your illusion resistance has slightly improved.]
No Ring of Fate appeared behind Shard because the appearance of the "Red Butterfly" Spirit Rune was not now, but earlier when Shard tasted the bittersweet flavor of the Wine of the Red Butterfly in the snow. She hadn’t spoken then, because Shard had agreed with her that unless it was absolutely necessary, she should not speak in such a setting.
As for having absorbed part of the relic’s essence, Shard wasn’t surprised. When his soul tightly merged with theirs, and without an intermediary buffer like Dorothy and Lecia’s souls, his soul essence was stained with the core power of the relic. Dorothy and Lecia consequently received the [Red Butterfly] Spirit Rune, and Shard, who has a deeper understanding of this rune, would of course have such a harvest as well:
"But as a result, the Enlightenment - Flesh, Whisper - Red Butterfly. I’ve advanced to the Seventh Ring for less than a week and completed half the tasks for the Seventh Ring already?"
She gently laughed in Shard’s ear, and Shard sighed softly, not in distress, but ready. Since he had made the decision, Grace and Helen would indeed become family. Though they were far stronger than he was, in his eyes, they would always be the twin girls huddled at the end of the party table, waiting for him to reach out and help.
"But how will I explain to Luviya and the others? What will they think of me? Relics and humans..."
Despite having just agreed to celebrate Miss Galina’s return without setting an exact meeting time, when Shard finished his bath, the Duchess’s carriage arrived at the door of No. 6, Saint Delan Square.
By the time he arrived at the manor, only the last rays of light from the sunset remained outside. Lecia and Angelina were not in the manor; having just returned to Tobesk City, they both had their own matters to attend to.
When Shard walked into the dining room of the manor, which he hadn’t visited for a long time, and saw the waiting Duchess, Miss Galina was still smiling and talking about an amusing incident:
"Angelina was asleep throughout the journey, so she didn’t know the train was delayed by a full four hours. When it arrived at the station in the early hours, Lecia woke her up to get off the train together, and Angelina, seeing the heavy snow outside, thought she had slept for half a year. If you saw the evening paper, the photo where Lecia was smiling widely as she stood with me, Angelina, and the other members of the delegation, it’s because of that."
Shard did indeed see the photo of them in the newspaper while on his way here:
"The weather’s abnormal. I spoke with the Guardian of the Earth, and he tells me this year is likely to be a Year Without Summer."
The maid helped pull out the chair next to Miss Galina, and Shard took a seat there:
"The entire material world needs to start considering the autumn grain issue in advance. However, the Prophet’s Society should also issue warnings as the abnormal weather signs are too obvious, so food prices will likely surge soon."
The Red-Haired Witch nodded, calling out to Tifa to inform the kitchen to serve the dishes, then she smiled and held Shard’s hand on the table:
"Let’s not talk about this, it’s not easy to return to Tobesk, I don’t want to discuss these depressing topics anymore. Oh, but I must mention Angelina’s matter to you, guess what, today the professors from Zaras Literary Academy are here to hold the ceremony for Angelina, how many core spirit runes does she have?"
She blinked at Shard after speaking:
"Guess correctly, and there’s a reward tonight."
Shard looked at the smile on her face and guessed casually:
"When I awakened, the leader of our group mentioned that core spirit runes are generally three or less, according to academy data, over eighty percent have two. I guess it’s three because Lecia has three core spirit runes... no, no, four."
He corrected himself:
"Judging by your expression, Angelina must not be a typical case."
The beautiful witch nodded with a smile:
"Very good, you guessed right. Yes, four core spirit runes: Enlightenment - [Communication] [Truth] [King] [Chaos].
These are quite excellent spirit runes, and when constructing the Sublimation Incantation, almost each can find a clever pairing. Angelina’s strong inspiration before awakening should relate to [Truth]. As for [Chaos]..." freewebnσvel.cѳm
She pursed her lips slightly, her expression becoming slightly more serious. Shard, however, recalled that Iluna once mentioned dreaming of Angelina standing barefoot at Lake Goddess’s Lake Cherub, saying strange things about The Chosen One of the witches (Chapter 1845).
"You know, the witches of the Witch Council have faith in the Ancient God [Chaos Witch], this lady presides over powers like ’chaos,’ ’unknown,’ ’uncertainty,’ and ’secrecy.’ [Chaos] is an extremely special core spirit rune, and now Angelina joining the council seems almost certain."
She sighed slightly:
"I wonder if this is a good or bad thing. You know it’s a troublesome time now; I don’t oppose Angelina joining the council, but her safety must be noted."
"She is just at the First Ring now; let her build a solid foundation and study slowly. No one is like me, who can walk a path in a year that others take a lifetime."
Shard comforted, and Miss Galina agreed with a nod. Then she bit her lip slightly and bowed her head a little, but her beautiful golden eyes glanced up at him with a meaning that made Shard’s heart race:
"Since you guessed correctly, there’s a reward for you tonight. I suppose, you won’t leave with your cat, will you? Or did you make plans with Megan and still have to go to the Green Lake Hotel?"
"No. I just met with Megan and arranged to visit Edwards’ Old House with her tomorrow to deal with matters of other Edwards family members. Miss Aphrola mentioned that the things the church gave me have arrived, and with the ’Heart of the Undead,’ it would be good to let Durut Giles meet Laster Edwards."
Miss Galina also thought of their matters:
"So, do you really intend to ’resurrect’ Laster Edwards? I mean, to pull her out from death?"
The sound of footsteps and the wheels of a serving cart crossing the floor rang out from the door, Tifa brought the maids back. Shard temporarily paused on this somewhat sensitive topic and turned to say:
"We are only sitting by the dining table, even though the dinner is rich, it feels somewhat lonely."
"Yes, yes, the Tobesk playboy Mr. Hamilton thinks the table should be crowded with girls."
Shard sensed that the young maid with brown hair serving by his side was stifling a laugh for a moment, fortunately, they were all professionally trained, and the Duchess’ loyal Head Maid disciplined them strictly.
"Please do not joke like this, and shouldn’t the verb ’sit’ be used here? Why use the verb ’stack’?"
"It seems Lecia’s Saturday lessons indeed improved your grammar quite a bit."
The witch jesting with Shard teased, then looked at the long dining table:
"You’re right, it does seem empty. Tifa, don’t serve the dishes yet, let’s eat somewhere else."
