Chapter 1374: Chapter 1374: The Butterfly Family: My Life

“Is the lock that this key corresponds to here? So, the Heart of the Earth is here?”

Shard speculated, but there was no keyhole on this door, so the key was useless. However, there were four hexagonal depressions on the door that looked like stone or gemstone.

“Four stone keys? Why is it always this kind of mechanism?”

Shard muttered.

[Do you prefer five keys?]

“No, no, four is fine.”

He placed Mia temporarily on the ground, then rolled up his sleeves and reached out to press against the door:

“Fossil to Mud!”

The stone under his palm indeed turned to mud, and Shard quickly extended his hand into the stone gate. But in the next moment, a huge force came from the door, and the unprepared Shard was flung out. He flew five or six meters away before falling to the ground, rolling several times before stopping.

“Oh, that’s quite a force~”

“Meow!”

The cat trotted to Shard’s side, seeing him use his mud-covered hand to support himself as he got up, it stepped back and didn’t get close:

“I knew it wasn’t that simple.”

He used his mud-free left hand to pick up the cat and placed it on his shoulder:

“Butterflies and the earth… the key here, we’ll probably need to find the Granger family.”

[You think this is…]

“Mr. Lyman’s tomb is likely here.”

Shard didn’t look at the stone door again. Instead, he called out his own Ring of Fate, letting the spiritual light of the [Space-Time] Spirit Rune shine on the wall. Indeed, the smooth wall to the left of the stone door gradually disappeared under the spiritual light, revealing a hidden passage. Shard breathed a sigh of relief, which meant today’s journey had some gains:

“At least we found the Ancient God Statue.”

“Meow~”

Mia called out, and knowing this cat well, Shard said:

“I know it’s time for dinner. We’ll eat as soon as we’re done exploring here.”

He lit his fingertips with silver moonlight, holding the cat in one hand, and cautiously walked into this very familiar hidden passage. The passage wasn’t long, and they soon reached a circular space at the end. As Shard’s eyes focused on the divine statue in the center of this circular space, the statue began to emit light, illuminating the space.

“No. 6, Saint Delan Square, beneath the Sea Cliff of Coldwater Port, Old Tower in the Valleys of Sicarl Mountain, White Valley Vineyard, Pantanal Lake Lighthouse, Church of the Forgotten, and now here, the seventh place.”

Shard was pleased with such a result, and besides the statue, this circular space wasn’t entirely empty.

Opposite the exit, on a stone sermon platform like one used by priests in a church, lay a heavy book with a red cover. The book itself showed no signs of damage from time, and as Shard approached, he saw the gold-lettered title on the cover:

[The Butterfly Family: My Life.]

“Indeed, this is Mr. Lyman’s burial ground.”

Shard sighed slightly, then opened the book’s cover page, where the deep blue ink seemed to be mixed with gold dust, making the calligraphic letters shimmer—

[Fred House Lyman Memoir.]

Flipping further, the next page was still a few lines on white paper, although the letters were smaller:

[Thanks to Mrs. Blanchett and the Order for their help in building the tomb; thanks to Sister Perry for her ongoing care; thanks to my wife, Lillian, Mira, and Liphany, for their companionship in my life; lastly, thanks to that gentleman, that Deity, and everything. May the Earth be with you and me.]

“Took away three… Sister Perry said, Mr. Lyman died of heart failure at the age of 63… still quite impressive.”

Shard smiled and closed the book, intending to take it back to read slowly. This book was left by Mr. Lyman from the previous era, due to the use of special ink and paper that it survived millennia without damage. It recorded Mr. Lyman’s memoir, and stories related to butterflies. If Shard guessed correctly, reading this book might give him a chance to obtain a Spirit Rune or Arcane Technique.

Picking up the heavy book, he discovered that beneath it on the stone platform was a groove, and within that groove lay a hexagonal crimson gemstone. Shard picked up the gemstone and measured it with his fingers, turning to look towards the exit:

“Got one of the four, the answer is right next to the puzzle, how interesting.”

Regarding the matter of this cemetery, the memoir should have recorded relevant content. As there’s not much going on recently, Shard plans to take it home for a thorough reading.

Of course, before leaving here, Shard didn’t forget to temporarily transform Mia into a toy, then touched the Ancient God Statue, officially establishing the seventh space landmark. After completing these, he contentedly held the book and left the passage behind the rift.

When Shard took a few steps in the cave and then looked back, the rift had disappeared. Surprised, Shard approached the location of the rift again, and as he got closer, it reappeared:

“Seems it’s not a one-time occurrence, so I don’t have to climb to the mountaintop every time.”

Thrilled, Shard carried Mia and the large book, climbing from the cave’s interior to the top once more, arriving at the narrow cliff edge where the Night Shrine was located, just as the last rays of sunset disappeared at the horizon.

Three ladies were standing together at the end of three archways, on the open ground engraved with the symbols of the sun, moon, and stars, saying something. The camp had already been moved here, a bonfire was blazing, and the symbols of the ritual had been placed on the ground, indicating that everything was well prepared.

They soon noticed Shard approaching energetically, but the ladies didn’t immediately inquire about the book Shard was holding. The girl with purple eyes spoke rather worriedly:

“Shard, we let you play by yourself this afternoon, what exactly did you do?”

They all scrutinized Shard, who was covered in dirt and dirty snow, with several noticeable tears on his clothes, mud-covered right hand, boots almost changing color, and a layer of ash on his hair.

Although the way she asked was a bit odd, Shard cheerfully replied:

“This afternoon, I did a lot of things! I fought with a tiger, and I won, then played a game of Roder cards under the tree with a soul… Okay, two games. Afterward, I climbed to the mountaintop to sweep the snow, watched the sunset with Mia, and found the Fragment of Poem Chapter left by the Witch Empress. Finally, I went to the mountain’s base, found the Ancient God’s statue and hidden passage, and also discovered this!”

He showed the book in his hand to the ladies:

“The yield of this outing has been enormous.”

“Really, still like a child.”

Luvia said as she walked toward Shard:

“Change your clothes, and when you return to the city, you must take a good bath… Later, I’ll ride Miss Benanis’s horse.”

Shard was indeed very dirty, but Luvia still pulled his sleeve, leading him toward the camp.

The Blonde Witch then laughed and said:

“We were just discussing what you might do this afternoon. Luvia was confident you’d be playing Roder cards with someone. Even if you couldn’t find someone to play with, you’d play cards with something strange.”

“Looks like Luvia was right.”

Miss Lathis, standing aside, also laughed, and they returned to the campfire together. After Shard took out a new shirt, pants, and boots, they helped him change clothes—the winter clothing was thick, and Shard had other layers inside his pants.

“Actually, I can change clothes myself…”

He muttered softly, but it seemed no one was willing to acknowledge him. Once he had changed clothes, Luvia used a comb to fix Shard’s hair, and Miss Benanis conjured a large amount of water to help Shard wash his hands, before the four of them began dinner.

They sat around the campfire, enjoying the sumptuous meal exchanged with ruby, and listened to Shard recount his afternoon experiences. The Ancient Fairy Tale: Cinderella, the Tombstone Toy, the now non-glowing key, the memoir, and that crimson gemstone were all taken out by Shard. Just when he finished speaking beside the crackling campfire, dinner was about to conclude.

“I’m still very curious about what you know to be so certain there’s a secret nearby, and indeed found so many things.”

Luvia said softly, though without intending to question, as she fiddled with the crimson gemstone:

“So, you think that in the cemetery of Mr. Lyman, who married the three Butterfly Ladies during the Fifth Era, there are other secrets?”

“Yes, Sister Perry said Mr. Lyman left something in the cemetery, which might help me. Also, the secrets here are not just the butterfly cemetery.”

According to Long-Haired Luvia, near the Night Shrine, there is power directly representing the Ancient God, the Earth Mother Goddess.

Shard suspects that the antique key obtained from Earl Granger is meant to be used here. The evidence is that the text used on the stele at the mountaintop is clearly older than Mr. Lyman’s era. Shard suspects the rift existed here originally, but Mr. Lyman transformed part of the area behind the rift into his resting place.

“I still need three more gemstones to open the door, but I think there must be clues in the memoir. I even believe the lock corresponding to the key is deep within the cemetery. Fortunately, I need to wait another one or two weeks to confront and resolve the demon, after which the Guardians will truly reveal themselves; as for the Chosen of the Earth…”

Shard didn’t continue, and Miss Benanis said:

“Are you and Luvia really certain the Guardian is the Chosen of the Earth?”

She was holding the Tombstone Toy, and since it’s related to the Witch Empresses, the Council naturally wants to keep the stele.

Previously, Shard hadn’t revealed the connection between the Chosen One and the Guardians, but the witches had an inkling since Shard’s actions revolved around those Guardians.