Whispering Poems

Chapter 3873 Crimson Fall and Twilight

“Mr. Watson, at least this time no one really died.”

"Yes, but that doesn't mean the ending is good this time."

Xia De finished the rose tea in his cup:
"It's hard to imagine what he'll do next. He's done his best, and no one could have done better than him, but there really is no way forward. If he continues on, he'll only become less and less able to distinguish between reality and illusion, until one day he steps into that devil's vicious trap, and then that devil will finally be free again."

The demonologist nodded slowly:
"Yes, that is indeed the most logical development of the story, but what happens next is another story."

He had been telling a story with his arms clasped together on the table and his back slightly hunched, but now he sat up straight.
"Mr. Watson, I'm going back to the Drowned Hotel. Would you like to come with me?"

Shad glanced at the roses around him:

“I still have some things to take care of in Kyle Todd, so I'll leave it to Mr. Asmon this time. This story is fascinating, but how much longer will this demonic tale last? Or perhaps, this story never even has an ending?”

Both the cat and the dog looked at Shad, and Sean Asmon replied:

"There is indeed no true ending, but there is a chapter that can be called the ending."

How many more stories are there before the ending?

“Mr. Watson, don’t be in such a hurry. A story is like a journey; it’s more interesting to take it one step at a time.”

Shad nodded slightly, but as Mr. Asmon stood up, he asked again:

"Mr. Asmon, since neither the young man in the story nor I, outside the story, can figure out the truth of this story, what about you? As the narrator of this story, can you distinguish between truth and falsehood?"

The demonologist, who had stood up, looked down at Shad, who had not yet stood up:
"I only tell stories; truth and falsehood are meaningless to me."

The two parted ways at the manor gate. Mr. Asmon refused the carriage sent by the manor's old butler, whistling in a strange tone, followed by cats and dogs, and soon disappeared at the end of the street.

So, have you reached a conclusion?

"She" asked gently at that moment, and Xia De answered in his heart:
"The answer already exists, but I still can't be sure."

He turned and walked in the opposite direction; he still had many things to deal with that afternoon.

Upon returning to the Radiant Messenger, the Prophet's Association delivered the information on "card magic." The information filled an entire box, so he didn't examine it immediately, intending to review it thoroughly after returning to Topsk.

Just as Shad returned to the ship, the ship's maid told him that Iluna had also arrived. And when Shad met Iluna and Luvia in Luvia's room, he clearly heard the girls talking about the "command cards."

"What are you talking about?"

He asked casually, and then saw Iluna look wary. Luvia smiled and waved her hand:
"It's nothing. There are just some things I didn't understand on the night of the Battle of Fate, so I asked Iluna about them. Iluna got something very interesting and wanted to give it to me, but I said that since she found it, it belongs to her."

Shad didn't ask any further questions and sat down on the short sofa. Matilda served them tea and snacks before leaving with the maids.

Shad placed the cat he had just brought out of his cabin on his lap, and looking at Luvia and Iluna, he felt a sense of nostalgia reminiscent of when his adventure team consisted of only three people:

"Iluna also gained something this time, didn't she?"

"Of course, haven't you also gained something from fate? Look."

As Iluna spoke, she showed everyone the red lightning dancing on her fingertips:
"Now, without the Ring of Fate, I can use this red lightning on my own. Golden lightning is the color of sunlight, while red lightning is the power to sever fate."

Iluna introduced Shad and Luvia:
"Simply put, some special beings have a special destiny that they 'should not die at this time' or 'should not be defeated by anyone other than a certain person,' but my red lightning can defeat such beings. Moreover, the stronger the opponent is in the face of destiny, the stronger the effect of my red lightning."

"Is it also possible to forcibly kill candidates or those selected?"

Luvia then asked, and Iluna hesitated and shook her head:

"We can only be sure once we encounter it. However, red lightning is not a superior replacement for golden lightning. Gold and red each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and their biases are different, but both are very useful powers."

Shad interpreted the power of this red lightning as meaning that any being in front of Iluna would reveal its "life value," and there was no target that could not be attacked. Moreover, the more special the opponent, the stronger Iluna became.

It seems that Iluna indeed gains something unique in each Chosen One ritual. In this respect, even Shad cannot compare to her.

"Then it was my turn. I gained the power of falling, and thus learned some things from the past. In the Tower of All Things, I also gained the power of the stars, and the Handbook of Destiny underwent a great change."

Shad did not hide his gains from Iluna and told her about his changes.

Hearing Xia De describe his vague memories of the spring of 1853, the eighteen-year-old girl was quite surprised:

"Do you need me to go to Mount Karas with you?"

Luvia asked the same question, and Shad didn't change his answer:

"No need for now, this trip can be just me and Daniste."

Luvia also gained something from this battle of destiny; now, the destiny of "Nobility" has been returned to her completely. It wasn't that Shad deliberately didn't want to break this ring of destiny, but rather that "Nobility" was Luvia's own unique attribute, making the ring impossible to break.

Shad even suspected that "nobility" was not only Luvia's reward for passing through the Tower of All Things, but also proof that she had walked the path of a demigod during a certain Sixth Era.

"The destiny of 'nobility' was something I obtained in a dream, and after the War of Destiny, it became my power. This power is not manifested in magic or spells, but rather makes my divination more accurate, as if destiny itself is willingly showing me what I want to know."

Iluna was very happy about this:

"So, with the [Stadium of Fate] and [Ouroboros Eye - Right Eye], your divination skills should be on par with Chairman Le Norman's, right?"

"It's not that exaggerated yet."

Luvia smiled and shook her head, but then couldn't help but complain:

"That snake was truly hateful; it actually swallowed the left eye of an unknowable relic. If that left eye could have been preserved, it would certainly have played a much greater role."

After the snake swallowed its left eye, it was slain by the "Sword of Destiny." The power of the unknowable relic then attached itself to the [Ring of Doomsday] and ultimately returned to the snow mountain. This can be considered a clean disposal of an unknowable relic. Although Luvia thought it was wasteful, everyone actually thought it was a good thing.

"I heard that you returned the right eye of that divine artifact to the Fatu people?"

Shad also asked, and Luvia nodded:

“That originally belonged to the Fatu people, and Bella and I both understand that. Claire didn’t expect us to return the artifact; she promised on behalf of the Fatu people that it could be used whenever needed.”

She reached out and picked up the teacup:

"The fate of the Fool may have shattered, but it also granted me some power. However, I haven't yet understood this power; it seems to be something like manipulating time. I'll study it later. As for the Destruction I obtained during the Apocalypse War..."

She extended her left hand, making a similar gesture to when Iluna displayed the red lightning. However, what appeared in Luvia's palm was not lightning, but a dim, yellowish light that all three of them were already familiar with.

Iluna's eyes widened:

"The power of the apocalypse?"

Shad then bent down and placed his right hand over Luvia's left hand, then said with certainty:

"That's right, it's that kind of power."

He wasn't as surprised as Iluna, after all, the long-haired and short-haired Luvia were the same person. The long-haired Luvia could use the power of the apocalypse when summoned, so it wasn't surprising that the short-haired Luvia also possessed this power.

Are there any side effects when using it?

This was what Xia De was more concerned about. Seeing that Xia De didn't doubt her or have any bad thoughts because of the appearance of this power, the purple-eyed girl was somewhat relieved:
“It doesn’t harm me, but ‘the other me’ says that this power can be used in times of crisis, but should be avoided under normal circumstances. Every appearance of the doomsday power will accelerate the world toward its end.”

Iluna nodded immediately:
"Yes, we should avoid using this kind of force if possible. But after all, the safety of life is more important."

Luvia dispersed the light in her hand and smiled at Iluna, saying:

"Understood. However, I rarely enter the front lines like this time, so this power probably won't be of much use."

"Don't say that. Let me check your body when I have time. The appearance of this power is abnormal after all."

Shad spoke with feigned seriousness, but when his purple eyes met Shad's, the latter understood his meaning. The fortune teller winked at Shad, accepting the invitation, while Iluna continued to recount the events following the great battle.

This story of the chosen ones brought tremendous advancements to all three. While this seemed like a good thing, it only increased the outsider's anxiety. He didn't show his worry, after all, the great battle was over, and he shouldn't spoil the mood.

"With only four chosen ones remaining, what kind of enemies await behind the Doomsday Serpent?"

Sometimes you overthink things. Now that the big battle is over, you should relax and rest.

Even "she" offered such words of comfort, but Xia De knew he couldn't stop:
"There are still so many things waiting for me to deal with. Although I don't intend to carry the whole world on my shoulders, I know that some things can only be solved by myself."

PS: The illustration in this chapter is from "Crimson Thunder Iluna".