“So, what exactly does the ‘Eye of Death’ refer to? Eyes born with a special ability related to death? Or does it mean possessing a Magic Eye? Or perhaps some kind of occult art related to death and eyes?”
At eight o'clock in the evening, in the second-floor living room of Shade's house, Iluna stood by the window looking out with her arms crossed. Luvia sat on the sofa holding a teacup, while Shade sat on a small sofa to one side holding his cat, recounting the matter of the fragmented poem verses.
“It’s hard to say. And while we can use the current fragments to narrow down the search area, the current suspects still can't seem to be ruled out.”
Shade held the cat with one arm and raised a finger with the other
“First, there is Sister Daphne of the Eleventh Ring. She said herself that she can see through the secrets of a soul and send them on their way using only her eyes;
Then there is that little boy I haven't met yet, who is suspected of being a fraud. It is said his eyes can see the specific time and manner of a person's death. If that is true, he also fits the requirements;
Finally, there is our friend Priest Augustus. Although I haven't asked him, I am almost certain that his eyes must also possess power related to death.”
“Doesn't that mean not a single one has been ruled out?”
Iluna turned around and asked while leaning against the wall, while the purple-eyed diviner set down her teacup
“But at least it counts as a very useful clue.”
“How is your coin collection going? Besides the Blood Money and the [Upright Coin] in my hand, how many coins do you have now? Luvia was right this morning; our progress is simply too slow. I bet the Church of the Five Gods is already about to touch upon the true identity of the third Chosen.”
Shade inquired.
“I encountered an accident in the city the day before yesterday. After resolving the issue, I obtained a document-grade relic, the [Dragon Blood Treasure Coin]. I recall that it's a cursed coin rumored to be stained with dragon blood. I also applied for the relic [Diviner's Silver Coin] from the church. Although it is a currency-type relic, its primary function is divination, providing simple guidance.”
Iluna said, taking a small cloth bag from her pocket.
“It's best not to consume that carelessly,” Luvia reminded her.
“In other words, we currently have four coins in total,” Shade summarized. This was far more precarious than when they were searching for the Chosen of Darkness.
“However, regarding yesterday—Sunday evening—what happened with the great earthquake near Mount Sicar?”
At the mention of this, Iluna's expression became serious
“I have already received news from the church; they have opened all the records of Midhill Castle to me. According to the investigation, the earthquake that occurred last night around 6:50 was related to the Unknowable-grade relic [The Gap Between Life and Death] beneath the Sicar Mountain region. The power of death caused instability in the Whisper elements, which in turn impacted the physical world. Based on intelligence comparisons provided by the neutral Ring-caster organization, the [Spiritual Cult], it has been confirmed that this was a precursor to a Death Outbreak. The Whisper elements carried a massive amount of Spirit, impacting the Gap and subsequently affecting the physical world.”
“Were there any other effects besides the earthquake?” Luvia asked.
“Yes. In the near future, many undead will appear locally, having escaped from the Gap to the physical world via this accident. However, due to the constraints of the Gap itself, those undead cannot leave the Sicar Mountain region. Additionally, because the Level 0 relic is nearing a state of loss of control, the balance of the four elements has been severely disrupted, so more relics may appear in the area within a short period.”
This was an effect caused by the enrichment of Whisper elements, falling under advanced research regarding the four elements, and was even related to the *Ether Mechanics* Shade had studied.
“Shade, the Church of the Five Gods has already used a ritual to suppress that earthquake. But be warned: not only will there be more undead and relics, but all undead in the area will become stronger due to the leakage of death power.”
In other words, the undead Shade encountered in the Midhill Castle region for the time being might not be so easily defeated.
“I understand,” Shade nodded.
“There are also some minor, less important effects. All boundaries between life and death across the entire material world were affected last night. This is the true omen; the problem is already very serious. The church gave me notice to pack my bags; I will likely depart this week for the Midhill Castle region.”
Iluna only said this last part
“On one hand, it is for the third Chosen; on the other, they hope to use the power of the ‘Balance’ Chosen to participate in a large-scale divine ritual soon to be held locally to temporarily balance the powers of life and death.”
“That works. Once you reach Midhill Castle, I can take you to touch the statue in the basement of the ruined tower. That way, you'll be able to travel between the two locations at any time,” Shade said.
Luvia then asked, “Iluna, how does the church plan for you to get to Midhill Castle? A week-long train journey? A steam airship? Or using supernatural means to cross space directly?”
The steam airship was the pinnacle of steam industry in this era, a flying transport vehicle jointly developed by the two great kingdoms and the church. Shade had seen photos in books; the appearance perfectly matched his perception of the steam age and steampunk.
Steam airships had not yet been put into commercial use, but the church certainly possessed them.
“Airship. Barring extreme weather, the journey will take about two days,” Iluna said, moving from the window to sit on the sofa. She glanced at Mia, whom Shade was holding; the cat looked completely lazy.
“Not spatial transfer, and not an immediate departure. In other words, things haven't reached the final hour yet.”
Luvia nodded, her purple eyes staring into the air before her as she pondered these issues
“So, did the church tell you anything about the third Chosen?”
“Not for now, but they have revealed that the third Chosen is the key to resolving the upcoming Death Outbreak.”
“See, these two troublesome matters have overlapped,” Shade sighed softly.
“This Sunday, I'll go see that boy who can see death. Then I'll contact Priest Augustus to fish for secrets regarding the eyes. As for Sister Daphne, I'll think of a way; my relationship with that sister is quite good.”
“It seems it's back to only me being useless,” Luvia lamented from the sofa, though she was much more stable now compared to her emotional outburst during the search for the second Chosen.
“Don't say that. We just don't have enough coins. After I meet the boy and then Priest Augustus, you can use two or three coins to divine whether I actually met a Chosen that day, just like the day I met Darkness at the Pink Rose Hotel.”
Shade leaned back against the sofa, thinking again of Miss Black and Miss White, and the images of them in Mr. Pasolo's memories
“Furthermore, the trouble in Midhill Castle is likely not limited to the Chosen and the Gap Between Life and Death.”
“What else is there?” Luvia tilted her head to look at him.
“An old friend. An old friend I knew in times past.”
“Oh?”
Both Iluna and Luvia looked at him. They both knew that the time point of the Time Key differed from the present by an entire epoch.
Luvia hesitated for a moment
“This time, some mysterious witch isn't going to jump out and forcibly kiss you again, is she?”
(End of Chapter)