Although she nearly fell unconscious the moment the deity pushed open the door and appeared, Miss Theresa still moved her lips to greet the god.
Shad and Miss Violet, of course, had not forgotten this point. After paying their respects, Shad took out the water skin he carried with him. Due to the special nature of the waters of Lake Cherub, this water could not be turned into toys using [Toy Making]. After his duel with the Cherub, Shad had filled the skin with water; to ensure he had enough, he had brought all the lake water with him
"O God, this is the offering presented to you by the mortals Shad Hamilton, Violet Marshall, and Theresa Schultz. May wisdom be as water, flowing without end."
Unstopping the plug of the water skin, the spell "Water Manipulation" guided the flow to pour out. Standing behind Shad, Miss Violet and Miss Theresa immediately cast their gazes forward. Although Shad had explained the source of this water while climbing the tower, this was still the first time they had seen the offering.
When they were at Lake Cherub, these waters had seemed identical to normal currents. But now, guided by the spell into the shape of a water snake, the liquid shimmered brilliantly upon the oppressive and gloomy Heart-Island, gradually assimilating into the light emanating from the deity and manifesting a holy luster.
Shad only guided the first stream; thereafter, the water was no longer under his control. The deity caused all the water from Lake Cherub to flow out, circling around Him like a holy ribbon.
After a short while, the flowing water contracted inward, branding silver traces upon the deity's robes.
The robes had originally been a blue that was nearly white; the addition of the silver branding did not seem abrupt at all
"Impressive. I knew you would be able to complete the second trial, but I did not expect you to be even more outstanding than I imagined. The water from that place is not something that can be obtained casually."
The deity spoke softly in front of the wooden house. Shad nodded slightly in humility
"It was nothing. God, there is a second offering here."
The deity took all the water from Lake Cherub. Although he had expected this, Shad still felt a pang of heartache. Without the water of Lake Cherub, he would have to procure a special bow or crossbow himself to be qualified to fire the [Arrow of Aikonora's Knowledge] again. While powerful alchemical items could meet the requirements in place of relics, doing so would mean the alchemical bow or crossbow would be instantly ruined after a single shot.
"No, I can't keep thinking about that unshot arrow, otherwise I'll feel Mia crawling on me again."
【How many this time?】
"She" asked with a smile.
Next, Shad offered the clear water soaked in the Water Cube that the witches had obtained; the flow again poured out like a long snake. But this time, the deity did not brand the water onto His robes. Instead, He turned the flow into a sphere, which eventually condensed into a single pearl adorning the hem of the robe
"Spring water imbued by the Water Cube. Although that relic appeared on the island, the fact that you were able to extract water from it is sufficient proof that you are qualified to pass my trials."
The deity paused, looking at the mortals before Him
"Since there are two offerings, you deserve more blessings. Last time I gave you a blessing; this time..."
He looked toward Miss Theresa. The bespectacled witch now had her eyes half-closed, yet she could still feel the deity's gaze, which was more scorching than the midday sun in summer. Her soul trembled under this brief scrutiny, but fortunately, the gaze shifted away almost immediately.
Simultaneously, [The Night Watchman] flew from the witch's hand and landed in the deity's palm. As the hand emitting a soft white light lightly stroked the sword suspended in the air, the blade did not glow; only the runes of "My heart is clear, the sword slays demons" flickered with a tranquil light.
"I shall grant your weapon greater power."
Neither Shad nor Miss Violet spoke. They naturally had no room to refuse a blessing granted by a deity.
"This blessing is effective only for the three of you. Let your blood drip onto the blade and completely soak the runes; this sword will specifically grant you the trait: 'If clean water is drunk before fighting with the sword, stamina will be inexhaustible for a period of time.'"
"Thank you for your generosity," the three said together, though Miss Theresa was a beat slow due to her poor mental state.
The sword touched by the god flew from the deity's side toward the three of them, then plunged into the soil in front of Shad. Shad had no time to ponder the continuity of space-time; his time was running out
"O God, the agreed three trials have reached the end. We crave your wisdom; please inform us of the content of the final trial."
He bowed slightly once more.
"What kind of trial do you crave?"
He did not directly give the content of the test, but instead asked with a smile—a smile that was very gentle.
Shad pursed his lips
"We came seeking wisdom. A trial given by a sage should naturally conclude with wisdom."
He was doing his best to avoid an actual fight. The Witch Emperor, Miss Violet, looked at the back of the man negotiating with the deity, and the desire to not let him leave grew stronger within her.
The deity chuckled and nodded. Behind the strangely shaped glasses, He completely understood what Shad was thinking
"Very well. The final trial: answer a question that a mortal cannot answer."
Shad seemed to have heard this phrasing once before
"Please ask."
He took a step back, standing with the witches once again. The three heard the deity's voice, sounding like an Ancient One describing an even more ancient story
"In the beginning of beginnings, when the world was created, there existed thirteen original deities, whom mortals call the Ancient Gods. The ancient deity who presided over wisdom and knowledge was the mentor to all sentient beings, the Keeper of Secrets who governed those unspeakable mysteries."
Shad listened carefully. Miss Violet lowered her head and bit her lower lip. Miss Theresa closed her eyes, her breathing faint; her mind was touching the secrets of ancient mythology within the deity's narration. If Miss Violet were not protecting her right now, she could lose control at any moment due to mental instability.
"Even the god of wisdom requires powerful assistants. Thus, the Ancient God plucked pure white clouds from the high heavens, gathered immortal roses from the abyss, and obtained clean saltwater from the seabed to create His first angels."
The 【Unstable Sage】 sighed softly, then asked
"The question is: how many Cherubim did that ancient deity create? And where are these angels now?"
Shad was stunned, then felt someone tug at him from behind. He felt a warm breath; someone was speaking in his ear. This made Shad somewhat uneasy, because under normal circumstances, when someone spoke in his ear, he could not feel the scent of perfume or the heat of their breath
"Aren't there five Cherubim? In rituals such as 'Wisdom of Twilight' or 'Spring of Inspiration,' the runes corresponding to the five Cherubim must be written into the ritual array. But... could the answer to this question be so simple?"
Miss Violet's voice was very soft, and the airflow from her speech made Shad's ear itch
"Furthermore, as for where the Cherubim are... can we really answer such a question?"
"Hmm..."
Shad pursed his lips and ignored Miss Violet's voice, as the image of Priest Augustus suddenly leaped to mind
"The Ancient God 【Mentor of Secrets】 created a total of nine Cherubim in the first era."
"Eh?"
The hand of the Witch Emperor tugging at Shad's clothes tightened suddenly, nearly ripping the fabric. But before Shad's clothes suffered a tragic fate, the hand of the frail Miss Theresa rested upon hers
"Trust him," the young witch whispered, her consciousness blurred.
Shad continued his answer
"As for where they are... when the 【Mentor of Secrets】 departed, four Cherubim departed with the Ancient God, while five angels remained in the mortal realm. This is why the bloodline power of the Cherubim persists in the mortal world. I cannot state their more specific locations, but I know that the First Cherub—Cherub—is currently near a human settlement in the center of the Middle Continent, where there are legends of the 'Goddess in the Lake.' He is hidden within a special space, but many mortals have visited him."
The legends of the "Goddess in the Lake" had existed since the Fifth Epoch; Shad had known this during his investigation. He immediately followed up with the requirements for meeting the "Goddess in the Lake," all of which had been summarized by Professor Drake.
The deity nodded slightly
"That is sufficient. Quite unexpected. I originally only required you to state the number of angels who remained and departed; I did not expect you to actually know the location of one of them. This is not knowledge that any mundane being could possess, whether it be the number nine or the whereabouts of the Cherubim."
He did not ask about Shad's source of information, and Shad would not say, "No one understands angels better than Priest Augustus."
Seeing the deity nod in acknowledgment of his answer, Shad breathed a genuine sigh of relief. This was the third time he had used this key; if he had failed to complete the trial and provide an answer this time, he would likely have faced the failure of the first Time Key.
"Thank you, Priest Augustus," he whispered in his heart. Priest Augustus had only mentioned it in passing; he hadn't expected it to play such a significant role.
"Then, does this mean we have completed your trial?" he ventured to ask.
"Yes. According to the original agreement, you may make a wish and seek from me wisdom that does not belong to mortals," the deity smiled gently. A smile also appeared on Shad's face
"It is like this: before we make our wish, may I ask if you know the reason why the five Cherubim remained in the mortal realm?"
He had not forgotten the question from the final trial of the "Goddess in the Lake." Since the clues left by the "Trial of the Goddess in the Lake" had allowed Shad to find the answer to the "Trial of the God," perhaps the latter could in turn help the former.
"I know, but I cannot tell you that answer."
The robed deity remained gentle. Shad pursed his lips; although somewhat disappointed, he could accept this result.
The deity continued
"However, I can tell you another answer. Your sealed power only needs to come into contact with a moon of sufficiently high level to break the seal."
Shad looked up at Him in surprise, but immediately lowered his head again
"I understand. Thank you for your help."
He then turned to Miss Violet, who was still tugging at his clothes
"My lady, it is your turn. The three trials are over. Please, make your wish."
The Witch Emperor did not look very happy. As Shad turned, her golden eyes met his. Shad could clearly see a heartfelt sense of loss in her eyes; it was somewhat similar to the expression Mia wore when she couldn't have a midnight snack.
(End of Chapter)