CHAPTER 1385: CHAPTER 1385: DEMON AND CAPTAIN

Dorothy tidied her hair and said to Shard across the table:

"The popularity and recognition of ’Grey’s Crystal Shoes’ in the Fifth Era, in some sense, surpasses your previous four fairy tales, and theoretically speaking, it should possess greater power."

After all, the Fifth Era was the Era of the Witches, and stories of princess dreams and crystal shoes are quite captivating. Of course, for this reason, one-third of the stories circulating now are about the ’friendship’ between a princess and a princess, not a prince and a princess.

"Moreover, the luxury of the Witch Empresses of the Fifth Era, you know better than I do. There indeed was a witch who crafted a pair of crystal shoes in the Fifth Era, and indeed, such a pair of shoes transformed into a relic as the era changed."

"Oh?"

Shard’s interest was piqued:

"What level? What are the specific traits?"

"Poet-Level (Level 5) relic, the Princess’s Crystal Shoes. The traits aren’t very strong; wearing those shoes allows one to transform into a princess’s attire."

Dorothy did her best to describe:

"You can see it as a more glamorous effect than your maze lock earlier, and the gown and accessories after the transformation are more elaborate than when Lecia is most dressed up. In this attire, clothes won’t be damaged or stained for any reason, and one’s illusion techniques are enhanced. Oh, and, wearing those shoes allows for smooth walking on any relatively flat terrain with water, even over lush forest canopies."

This relic seems useless at first, but on closer thought, it does have some utility:

"What about the negative traits?"

"It can only be used by women, and men will turn into pumpkins. Oh, don’t laugh, they really will turn into dancing pumpkin people."

Although she told Shard not to laugh, Miss Writer herself couldn’t help but laugh:

"As for the containment method, just ensure the crystal shoes don’t get polluted. I want to acquire those shoes; this could help you and also be beneficial for my Sublimation Incantation."

"Whose hands is this relic in now?"

Shard asked curiously.

"Not in the hands of the church and the academy. I am still investigating, hoping to get them soon."

That night, Shard did not forget to pass on information he obtained from the deceased folklore scholar near the Night Shrine in Randall Valley to Dorothy, asking her to help send it to Professor Manning for publication assistance.

Miss Writer agreed and told Shard to mind his own affairs, as she and Lecia would take care of his honorary degree matter. Shard only needed to attend the final degree awarding ceremony. And on that evening after the family tutor’s lesson finished, a story with blushed cheeks and golden hair and blue eyes boldly tried interesting games with Shard.

Time came to Sunday, and after having breakfast at home with Dorothy in the morning, Shard arrived early at Randall Valley. He had arranged to have lunch with Iluna for her farewell today, so he wanted to get everything done in the morning.

Sunday in Randall Valley was shrouded in heavy fog, and whether it was Shard’s illusion or not, he noticeably felt a certain oppressive atmosphere upon reaching Cherry Leaf Avenue. People on the street hurriedly clung to the walls, and the cheerful carriages that used to wander the street were absent.

Nothing big happened in Randall Valley on Saturday; as Shard inquired around, he found that apart from the recent Petrified Plague and earthquake, the situation in Randall Valley was still alright. Hence, Shard could only attribute his feelings to his inspiration catching a "sickness" of the entire city and the land, which had affected the inhabitants, causing the city to feel lifeless.

When Shard found a carriage at the street corner and was about to board, he glimpsed someone in a warm cloak turning from the other side of the street, fleetingly recalling the dream of Luviya entered on the night of the Year-End Festival.

At the end of the [Bygone Era: Sixth Era] in the dream, the survivors in the abandoned Tobesk City seemed to be dressed the same way, moving silently and cautiously in the corners of the abandoned city. When the memories of the apocalypse dream overlapped with reality, Shard shivered suddenly, causing the driver to momentarily believe he might have caught the so-called epidemic spreading in the city.

The task today is to find the old captain that Ston Osenfort mentioned, and to retrieve the old letters and photographs from him. Shard was curious as to why he didn’t fetch them himself, especially since the old captain’s residence was provided in detail by Osenfort. All these questions had to be resolved once he found the captain.

It’s still the winter river freeze period, so many inland transport vessels are at rest, and the sailors either find other work or stay idle at home. Captain Allen Woody, being quite old and with some family wealth, stays in Randall Valley during winter and does not need to work. Although he owns a house in the city, he mostly resides in another house outside the city.

Shard first took a carriage and failed to find him in the city, so he asked the driver to take him to the eastern edge of Randall Valley City. After disembarking, passing the dirt city walls built during the city-state era before Carsonrick’s unification, the city’s landscape gradually turned into rural villages attached to the city’s existence.

Beyond the villages lies the river surface of Iff River skirting the city’s edge. Standing across the river, the tall windmill of Captain Allen Woody’s small farm is clearly visible rotating under the relatively clear sky outside the city.

The windmill belongs to Captain Allen Woody’s small farm; the old captain had saved enough money for his retirement.

Shard walked directly across the frozen river, encountering villagers ice-fishing and a group of children playing in the snow. Kindly, Shard reminded the children not to play in fragile ice areas, but unexpectedly, those children sang rural slang songs and bounced around Shard, so Shard said nothing more.

The rural farm doesn’t have the luxurious buildings and grand estates of wealthy merchants and nobles; it looks somewhat similar to the run-down White Valley Vineyard.

Although the weather is nice today, the old captain hasn’t gone out. Shard stood on the dirt road, outside the half-opened fence gate, and shouted a few times before the old captain, along with his old servant, came out of a two-story soil house across the yard:

"Who is it?"

Despite being 48 years old, the years of sailing experience make Captain Allen Woody look robust, like a middle-aged man. His skin is somewhat dark from the wind and sun, but his eyes are keen. Upon seeing Shard at the gate, he curiously asked:

"Young man, who are you looking for?"

"Are you Captain Allen Woody?"

Shard asked, and the sturdy old man nodded in agreement:

"Yes, may I ask who you are..."

"John Watson. I’ve been asked to retrieve something from you for someone else."

"Is it a sailor’s relic? May I ask who sent you, a family member?"

The captain seemed to have misunderstood.

"No, no, it’s not a relic. A living person sent me to retrieve something. Ston Osenfort, he used to be a sailor on your ship."

When Shard mentioned this name, the old captain’s expression changed instantly. It wasn’t fear but rather a look of disgust as he said:

"Osenfort? Young man, I have no ill will toward you, but I have no good feelings for that guy. Please go back; I don’t have anything of his here."

He stood in the middle of the yard; the stable and grain storage barn were on the left, while the two-story building where the servant and helpers lived was on the right. The old captain appeared normal, but Shard’s intuition told him something was off, so:

"Arcane Technique - Demon Sight."

Shard suspiciously eyed him, seeing some black seaweed and kelp entangled around him, swaying in the windless environment. Besides that, in the perspective of the demon sight, there was a black anchor emblem branded slightly to the left of the old captain’s forehead.

So Shard continued:

"I can’t go back; if I do, I’ll be in big trouble. I’m not trying to threaten you, but rather to say that I know Ston Osenfort, and I know his secrets... You seem to be like him... no, a little different."

The old captain also had traces of demonic corruption on him. But it was far less severe than Ston Osenfort’s, and upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem to be Stone Mirror Demon: Goethe’s power. Goethe’s power characteristics have nothing to do with sea products.

The captain frowned slightly:

"You know Ston Osenfort?"

He turned to look at his old servant, who nodded and went back into the house, quickly bringing out a coat. The captain donned the coat and walked towards Shard at the gate:

"Young man, don’t be too arrogant. If you really want to talk about Ston Osenfort with me, how about taking a walk with me outside? The weather is really nice today."

"Of course."

Shard nodded, shaking hands with the captain who had come to the gate, and confirmed once again that he wasn’t mistaken. Indeed, Captain Woody Allen had another demonic force on him.

The snow on the countryside path near the farm had been cleared, but it was still quite muddy to walk on. Shard knew very well that when the old captain suggested taking a walk, he probably just didn’t want to discuss sensitive topics in his own farm, so he followed the captain to the ridges near the farm, looking out at the endless snow-covered fields and the distant cedar forests and mountains in the distance.

"You’re not the first to be sent. Every year Ston Osenfort sends people to try and retrieve his old photos and letters. He’s even hired thieves for this, but they’ve all failed."

The conversation started with events from the past, and they didn’t continue standing on the ridges; instead, they kept walking along the ridges.

The weather outside the city was really very nice today. The view near the farm was also vast and open. Breathing the fresh air deeply, looking at the vast world, taking such a walk at the end of winter was, in fact, quite nice.