【I think you should be the only Outsider.】
While Shard was lost in thought, the whispering voice spoke softly in his ear.
"Why?"
【The arrival of an Outsider is the luck of lucks; for one to appear is a miracle in itself. There cannot be a second.】
"Then why did 'The Little Match Girl'..."
【Coincidences do not exist in this world, only the inevitabilities accumulated by necessity. Besides, haven't you already guessed the reason?】
Shard smiled. If there was no second stranger, then the answer was indeed very clear.
Today was Wednesday. Having passed midnight, it had been exactly one week since he last used the Time Key
"It seems I, as an Outsider, am not entirely without possessions."
The woman's pleasant laughter rang in his ear once more.
"Shard, are you listening?"
Only then realizing that Miss Louisa was speaking to him, Shard looked up and said sheepishly
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What did you say?"
"I said, if you don't look after your cat, it's going to leap right out of the basket."
The blonde writer said, rubbing her earlobe.
"Meow~"
Mia let out a "threatening" cry toward Miss Louisa; she had nearly jumped onto the dining table.
After dinner, Shard bid farewell to Miss Louisa. Before leaving, he also inquired about placing advertisements in newspapers. Miss Louisa directly pulled a handful of business cards from her handbag and stuffed them into his hands; they were all for newspapers she had collaborated with
"There will be one that suits you."
Because he was anticipating tonight's events, Shard did not go anywhere else after saying goodbye to the writer. Instead, he carried little Mia and returned directly to St. Delan Square. The use of the Time Key required passing midnight, so from the time he arrived home at six-thirty until midnight, Shard still had nearly six hours to wait.
Of course, he did not waste his time. He continued to help Miss Louisa translate that book, *The Chasing Four Elements: Wind and Fire*, and even carved out time to continue flipping through *The Mad Light-Chaser*.
Calculating the time, he only stood up from his chair in the study with excitement once he confirmed that the Time Key could be used.
Little Mia had originally been lying on the desk, sleeping beside Shard's hand. She was startled awake by Shard's movement, but the cat remained sprawled lazily on the tabletop, merely revealing a pair of eyes to watch him.
"Since the afterglow of divinity has already lit up beside me, it is time to go and see the stories belonging to the past."
Thinking excitedly, he took the cracked key out from the locked drawer.
Leaving all the [Relics] he possessed temporarily on the table, he closed the study door from the inside. Then, gripping the key, he whispered
"May the World Tree protect me through time."
The key was thrust into the keyhole, and after a turn, it emitted a *click* sound once more. He pulled open the study door, and behind it lay the Mist Gate, sealed by thick fog.
The orange cat watched this scene in wonder, but before it could stand up, Shard had already stepped into the Mist Gate
"Mia, see you in three seconds."
As his foot landed, he was surrounded by white mist.
The whispering voice rang in his ear. Once prepared, "the other me" received information from the fallen Ancient God, [Father of the Infinite Tree]
【Outsider, you have stepped into the Corridor of Time.】
【Message from the Ancient God "Father of the Infinite Tree":】
【Autumn, Year 1068 of the Fifth Epoch, South Continent, Hope Town.】
【Event: The fall of the Old God, "The Innocent Creator."】
【Duration: 10 minutes (2/3).】
【You have obtained additional information.】
【The figure of the Father of the Infinite Tree continues to watch you.】
【The trial given by the Ancient God of Time shall continue.】
【Witness His final wish before the Old God "The Innocent Creator" falls.】
【The Ancient God of Time will grant you a reward: Mystery Art—Blade of Distorted Time, Miracle Rune—Echo.】
Aside from the addition of words like "continue" and "prolong," there was only the 2/3 prompt after the duration, but it seemed the time limit this time was still ten minutes.
Because he was mentally prepared, Shard did not ask further. He wanted to step from the white mist into Hope Town without wasting time, but unexpectedly, the woman's voice continued
【Manifest the Fate Ring.】
"Why?"
Though he asked, he still complied. A bell tolled, and a steam whistle accompanied the appearance of steam.
A brass ring rotated behind his back, and as the Fate Ring manifested, Shard actually saw his skin cracking inch by inch, with golden light shining beneath the fissures.
This was a physical state he had seen during the day, but during the day, it was because he was in a dream that his mental and spiritual state had become prominent.
"Why does summoning the Fate Ring here also cause the state of the divinity's afterglow to manifest on my body?" he inquired.
【The knowledge within divinity tells me that the "Corridor of Time" you are currently in is a special space; the power of divinity is more pronounced here,】 the whispering voice said.
Shard held up his hand, looking in disbelief at his nearly shattering skin and the brilliant light beneath
"How interesting. The state of the mental body can resist the invasion from the dream, but what use is it for this state to appear on the physical body?"
【I think that at least this time, you will be able to face Him directly without the protection of that Old God.】
Withdrawing the Fate Ring, he finally took another step into the thick fog. The surrounding mist vanished, and Shard returned to that street that looked like a backward medieval town.
Unlike last time, it was now late at night, and no numb townsfolk could be seen on the streets. Looking out, the entire town stood in the profound, long night; further away seemed to be continuous mountain ranges, like giant beasts crouching in the darkness.
The smell in the air was still pungent, and except for the toy shop in front of him, no house had a light on.
Looking up at the sky, dark clouds obscured the stars and the moon, making it impossible to judge his exact location through star charts.
Shard did not waste time and pushed the door directly into the toy shop.
The inside and outside of the shop were like two different worlds; there was not a single change here. The air was filled with the sweet scent of candy, and the shelves were lined with a dazzling array of toys. A young man wearing a ridiculous clown hat stood behind the counter, startled awake by the ringing of the bell triggered by the door.
He looked up to welcome the guest, but upon seeing the young detective, he did not use his usual rehearsed lines.
The Old God smiled and said
"It seems you have indeed found the afterglow of God?"
"Yes, it certainly wasn't easy," Shard replied.
Aside from himself, he did not believe any mortal had a chance to obtain the "afterglow of God." Completing an Ancient God's task was indeed unimaginably difficult. Moreover, he even suspected that the tasks encountered by other investigators involving the "Father of the Infinite Tree" were absolutely not this difficult.
Shard gazed at the young man. Although there was still a great sense of discomfort, as long as he averted his gaze, it would not affect his normal activities. The other party was right; without the afterglow of God, he wouldn't even have the qualification to converse with a god for a long time. The "afterglow of God" was the first step in performing this task.