The earth sucks blood. She thought to herself and couldn't help but look up at the night sky. This is undoubtedly the star of her hometown, but her feet are not her hometown. Clumps of reeds grew in the pool of blood, emitting a sour and moist smell. She continued to wait, as if expecting a miracle to happen. However, the constellation Harp said nothing, and the stars did not move at all, only shining a faint light into the dark red soil.
Helen felt dizzy.
The night sky is vast, and the stars are like grains of sand twinkling on the purple-black curtain. She knew that she was not Otto's favorite, but the witch's knowledge still allowed her to peek into the future. There should be a hint in the harp base. Even in Knight's Bay, she could detect the hidden message in the reflection. There was no reason why it couldn't work here...it just couldn't work. The starry sky is just the starry sky.
reflection.
The witch lowered her head and found that she was in a dark lake. The night sky is reflected in the water, with the Harp facing south and the Broken Moon above the morning star. His outline is slender and transparent, shaped like a girl's eyebrows. I haven't been here, and dreams don't pick scenes from my memory.
Suddenly, the lake began to roll. The endless bloody torrent merged into the ocean from the spider web-like land water veins, eventually forming a huge bottomless whirlpool. The curved broken moon expanded as if it was blowing air.
Red Prophecy. Helen noticed immediately. It wasn't what she wanted to see, but it was better than seeing nothing at all. I just made up for the missed opportunity to observe prophetic dreams at Eastman's White Tower. The Red Prophecy has passed, and although the images of the past seen are imaginative, they are not accompanied by crisis. She felt slightly relieved when she realized this.
Then someone woke her up. "Helen." Larson tapped the door gently outside the room, "Can I come in?"
It's not like I'm not wearing any clothes. "I'll wait until I unlock the door." The witch quickly put on her cloak.
As she sat down at the dresser, the latch opened of its own accord. Larsen's eyes fell on the observation ball: "You didn't record it?"
"Do I need to record it too?"
"Just a safety net. You see, if you lose yourself in a dream..."
"...and that won't go wrong. I'm a witch, not an Ironwalker. I remember the experiences in my dreams." Although this advantage is offset by the fact that prophetic dreams are more difficult to access. She pulled out the comb.
After Helen became the Witch of Harp, she only dreamed of her father's death when she was young. At that time, the "New Generation War" had broken out, and her warning was too late... Since then, her research on dream prophecies has yielded no more results. The Seer believed that the Gray Messenger's death had left a shadow on her, but Helen herself had never felt it. Maybe I'm just not good at dreaming.
Helen deleted the image from the crystal. The magic pattern of the ritual gradually extinguished, as if an eyelid was closing. The Eye of Iron is an epoch-making invention, but only a few people can use it. She pushed the observation ball back into place and watched as it began to broadcast the real-time situation of a certain order boundary.
"I know you are special, Helen."
It's only in your eyes. "That's right. Even if I forget, it's just that I need to look through the memory to compare. The record is meaningless." The Harp Witch is indeed a special profession and has nothing to do with me. "You can't mean anything else, right?"
He didn't admit it. "When designing the magic pattern that connects the conscious part, I referred to your meditation." The topic extended to serious matters. "To be honest, before the birth of the ceremony, I considered asking you to be my record-keeper, Helen."
"Consider? Do you have other options?"
"Okay. Not at all."
"I guess so. But you didn't mention it to me."
"The timing is not very clever." Could it be during the graduation ceremony? Helen suppressed her thoughts. "And when I remembered this, the magic pattern had already been designed."
"That's a shame. I wouldn't mind if I had time," she replied. But most of the time I'm not free. Maybe that's not accurate. Helen spent two-thirds of the year traveling around, and the remaining one-third was used to deal with the complicated matters accumulated throughout the year.
As a member of the Destiny Assembly, she must fulfill her obligations, such as being on duty at the observation deck, performing divination on certain specific things, or interpreting ancient documents that require mystery... When the prophet determines that she no longer belongs to the new generation of the Sky Realm. When the time comes, Helen has to go on duty at the order boundary. None of the great astrologers in the tower had nothing to do, and Helen was no exception. Although her trajectory overlapped with Larson's, it didn't last long.
"Any new discoveries?" Her senior brother finally got back to the topic.
"No. This time it's the Red Prophecy."
"Me too. It seems that the aftermath of the long river of fate has not yet subsided."
All we see are ripples. But Helen was at peace and no longer felt anxious. "Where's Grandpa Prophet?" She stretched her fingers. "I want to cause trouble for him. Abroz is too far away from Floating Cloud City, but he wants me to run back and forth twice."
"Every time you call me that, it's like I'm suddenly a generation older." Larson teased, "Young people are always lively and active, but my mentor is so old that he needs to lie in a rocking chair all day long."
"You wouldn't say he was in the rocking chair?"
"Probably. He's been waiting for you to clean up since you came back. We were all surprised. To be honest, Helen, I thought you would say no."
"Either sweep the study or sweep the stairs, smart people will choose the former." While tying the bell, the witch accidentally pulled off a few hairs. "What's more, I don't like Abroz. The sky there is too monotonous. I didn't meet the standards to begin with, so it's just right to come back. Let's go. Are the envoys of the Glorious Council here?"
"Arrived five minutes ago." Larson took the pencil from behind his ear, crossed an item off the list, and then closed the pad. "I asked Sabina to receive it."
"I thought it was Roma coming to see me."
"Sometimes it's better without her. Let's go."
The Holy Council of Radiance sent a strange cardinal. But this is relative to Helen. Larson called him "Bishop of Esscronotrand" and mentioned his noble origin as a descendant of the Knights of Silversong. They seemed to be chatting happily.
But in fact, it's not. Helen looked at the cardinal. He had a tolerant and kind face, a square chin, long eyebrows, and a small scar on his lip. The bridge of his nose is high and long, like the abrupt peaks on the side of the valley, and it is not very symmetrical. When he spoke, the common language became short and powerful, the tone low and urgent, but still with a unique northern accent. Relying on the intuition brought by fate, the witch couldn't help but become vigilant and decided that he was a threat.
But maybe she was wrong sometimes. The agent sent the envoy not to declare war on the tower. This person brought Lucia's blessing, a gift in return to thank the tower for its aid, the friendship sand bottle tradition of the country of quicksand, a glass bottle filled with colored fine sand given to friends by local people, and the representative's seal. Helen had just returned to the City of Floating Clouds from Abroz, and she still didn't know what had happened, but she found that even though the Glorious Council took the initiative to show a friendly face, the tower still kept people outside the conference hall, and did not even allow people to enter the rest area.
Seeing them coming forward, Larson's apprentice Sabina let out a sigh of relief and fled the corridor in panic. In any case, it was too difficult for her to receive the Cardinal. The astrologers in Croita have their own habits, and this young astrologer has always been reluctant to meet clergy. This flaw was so fatal that Larson had decided to use Uriel to train her, but he had not spoken to the other person's mentor to borrow him for the time being.
Helen got into the conference hall, leaving Larson outside to be polite. She soon met the old astrologer "Silver Cross" Oswide, the director of the Department of Affairs, Aloni Sainsbury, and the Blue Envoy Dean Rubin...
...and the White Envoy, the leader of the tower. Unexpectedly, he came earlier than the prophet. The appearance of the White Envoy made the usual casual atmosphere in the conference hall disappear. People sat at the long table, as neatly as a cabinet court in a mortal kingdom. While Helen stretched out her hand to smooth the veil, she looked for the shadow of "Lion" Ronald. It shouldn't be, the first thing I saw in the past was his hair. She was finally sure he wasn't there.
"Another gathering." "Silver Cross" sighed, "What is it for this time? A new prophetic dream?"
"Don't do it." Aironi also expressed his position. "I'm tired of allocating funds to the medical department. These people always find ways to make money and make the bills a mess."
"Prophecy dreams do not necessarily mean war." Helen said, "Qing's prophecy has nothing to do with war."
"You mean a volcanic eruption? I'm not sure which one is worse, Otto."
"It has nothing to do with volcanoes," Dean Rubin said. People call him the "Blue Messenger", certainly not because of the color of his clothes, nor because he plays an important role in the "Blue Prophecy". The prophecy dream is a warning of disaster, not an oracle for Otto to choose his agent.
Despite this, there are still good reasons for his opinion: "The order pressure has passed the early stage, and Knox is about to face a new round of challenges. In my opinion, be prepared before things happen. In the tower, it is Necessary things.”
"Oh. What is it?" asked the old astrologer. He didn't seem to care much, Helen noticed.
But there's a reason for this. "Silver Cross" Osvid is a great astrologer who is second only to the prophet in terms of qualifications. Ever since she was a child, he has always looked old. Now she is worried that the other party's time is running out. According to common sense, when a person reaches his age, he should be unaffected by all the troubles in the world and focus on his life's work. But in fact, if I want to make fair and cruel fate forgiving, then I might as well count on the generosity of the Dragon of Time to ensure that Osvid lives to an era where he can spend his old age in peace.
"Anyway, it's not Abroz's abnormal behavior." She told them, "The gatekeeper is very reliable, and there is no abnormality at the border of order. To be honest, everyone, it's the same without me over there."
"You should use your strengths in the tower, witch. The border of order is too dangerous, and it is not suitable for new generations like you." The director of the Affairs Department pointed out.
"Storm Song" Sainsbury had special people skills and he was friendly with everyone. Although not as close to the prophet as Larson, he was thinking about me. Helen understood this. "The Prophet ordered me to go," she explained. "Maybe it's a test. You know, I haven't answered any papers since I graduated." The rest of the words were all nonsense.
"You reminded me. The Ministry of Education requires the opening of courses related to magic plants, and I haven't dealt with the bill yet." He complained, "Money is needed everywhere!"
"Okay, everyone, please put the bills away for a while." The voice of the prophet from the tower came. Helen saw a rocking chair appear out of thin air and rocking at the end of the long table. "We have countless troubles. The lack of money is not what I'm most worried about. The lack of manpower is." The saint looked around and said, "Where is our distinguished guest? Where is Larsen? Hey, why is he even there? Not here."
"If no one arranges a visit, they should be outside the door now." Old Oswald replied slowly.
The prophet raised his eyebrows: "Outside the door?"
"He came in once a few minutes ago." The Blue Messenger added, "But the Eye of Iron didn't. He was with the witch."
"I'll come in first." Helen shrugged, "You won't ask me to entertain that magician? Am I the escort girl? Ronald Zachary wouldn't even dare to say that!"
"I promise, no one dares to think so. It's just that someone has to entertain the guests." Aironi tried to ease the situation. "It must have been Larson who took the initiative. He can represent us enough."
“Hospitality to guests is the job of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.” Dean Rubin, Ambassador of Youth, emphasized.
"Look, it has nothing to do with me anymore." Helen smiled.
"You can't be rude in front of the envoy! In addition to His Excellency the Eye of Iron, the attitude of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can also represent the tower."
"You still need to say it." Bai Zhizhi said with a chill, "Who do you want to represent?"
"Okay, okay!" the saint said. He forcibly cut off the increasingly heated conversation. "I roughly understand how enthusiastic you are about your work now. In any case, this will be good for the next discussion session. Let us focus on serious matters, okay?" He sighed.
Helen could understand his helplessness. It's not easy for this group of people to get together and maintain order. In the past, Larson would have calmed them down, but now he was too busy.
Prophets carry more weight. His Excellency "Night Qiming" turned his face slightly: "Is it really necessary to ignore him for so long, Lord Commander? Bishop Notland did not do anything to your apprentice."
Foreign Minister Bai Zhizhi was sitting there, but Helen was unwilling to look directly at him unless necessary. But things are different now. She didn't expect that the Cardinal would be turned away by the White Envoy, while most of the Destiny Assembly pretended not to see it. I would do the same thing in my place.
The tower commander didn't show any anger. To be honest, he had no "look" at all, as if he was just a wax figure in attendance. "Whether you want to get in or not," he said nonchalantly, "anyway, the chair is empty."
"Exceptionally empty today, aren't we? God willing, may the absent members of the assembly have chairs."
Helen took the opportunity to ask: "Where are the others?"
"They can't get away," the sage replied. Soon Larsen led the cardinal into the chamber and selected an empty chair for the latter. The conflict was finally over.
She was originally worried about the ensuing discussion, but she didn't expect the situation to be unexpected. Cardinal Isiscronotland understood communication as much as divine magic. This man spoke sincerely and acted cautiously. As soon as he saw the saint, he immediately handed over the seal and bowed down to show respect. The gifts and sand bottles were all neatly displayed on the table in a clear and orderly manner.
When he returned to his position, Helen saw him nodding politely to the people around him. To be honest, as one of the four cardinals of the Glorious Council, this person could have such an attitude, which immediately made even the most demanding Dean Rubin unable to find fault.
The prophet glanced at the messenger's letter and handed it to Larsen. "I know very well why you are here, Lord Notland. You don't have to come in person."
"I know this, my lord," said Asiscroll, "but I must come. Words cannot express sincerity, especially the sincerity of an apology."
"The Oath Keepers Alliance has invented a new gadget." The Director of the Affairs Department mentioned, "It is said to be called video recording? Anyway, it can transmit images in a delayed manner. It's not that we don't welcome you, Sir Notland, but... the tower is different from Other mysterious pivots. We have always contacted mysterious creatures from the outside through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."
"It's always been like this." Qing Zhizhi said.
"The agent originally planned to contact the Lord Commander." Aisikro admitted, "We made an attempt. But I couldn't keep up with the Lord Commander in time." Helen looked at the Qing Envoy's expression. "Magdalena was assassinated by a demon, and the Glorious Council now lacks destiny guidance."
With the Star Gap around, the whereabouts of the White Envoy are a mystery, but Bishop Lucia is very good at talking. Helen observed him, appreciating that it was not easy to see a Cardinal face difficulties.
At this time Larson finished reading the letter: "About this"
"Thank you for not finding it." Bai Zhizhi mocked, "otherwise you wouldn't have a chance to stand here."
No matter what he thought, Bishop Notland at least seemed unaffected by the threat. "I apologize to you, Lord White Envoy. Alexia's behavior was personal, and nothing she did was taught by the goddess. The Holy Inquisition will judge her for her major crimes."
"In addition, it is said that the agent has also shown sincerity." The director of the Affairs Department hinted, "I think as a believer of Lucia, their impartiality is worthy of trust."
"Uriel...the person involved also knew about it. We didn't forgive anyone on his behalf." Larson was finally able to add, "This matter has been in the past for a long time."
They have all been bribed by the Radiant Council, Helen thought. I have nothing to watch next. Development is disappointing. She decided to find out the whole story of the conflict and the essence of the Glorious Council's apology as soon as the meeting was over. There was a saint sitting in the tower, and Lucia's agent was actually impressed by him, and he later sent an envoy to the City of Floating Clouds.
But in the final analysis, they can represent the tower, but they cannot represent the commander. Helen thought. It was his opinion that mattered, otherwise others would have stopped him before he could throw Bishop Notland out of the chamber. I want to see how this guy bribes the commander.
Bai Zhizhi frowned at everyone. "Alexia. Is she still alive?"
He really didn't know, Helen confirmed. The director of the affairs department coughed. Larsen took a deep breath and reached for the water glass. "Silver Cross Star" Old Osvid had a mocking look on his face.
Poor Lord Bishop, he was speechless, looking embarrassed and wary, and he was probably trying to figure out the inner meaning of these words. Helen couldn't help laughing. Of course, we don't want her life. But why should I remind him?
"Alexia once dedicated herself to the goddess." Aisikro said dryly, "The Holy Inquisition has clear rewards and punishments, and besides, everything happens for a reason..." But it is hard to mention the reason.
After the War of the Saints, the Great Alliance of St. Mirende fell apart, and the Alliance of Order became seven mysterious fulcrums. During this period, there were many frictions between the Glorious Parliament and the High Tower, and the conflicts intensified, eventually even involving the change of vassal states. Even Helen had to admit that the Priestess was just a victim of conflict, just like her father, the Gray Messenger. Now she hates the Commander-in-Chief just as I hate the Glorious Council, and both sides have no reason to argue.
The witch thought so until the Cardinal sent by the Glorious Council. After all, we cannot pretend that nothing happened.
"The situation has changed." She did not expect that Aisscronot Rand would be so capable of deceiving his self-esteem. "Order is under threat." He talked eloquently, and he didn't seem to care about being entertained. "Although we all know that demons and their vassals are out of date, the mysterious realm does not have to sacrifice much energy to eliminate stubborn diseases. History has proven that although alliances cannot last long, they are the most efficient and reasonable means of concentrating strength. The agents are both Those who obey the oracles must also be willing to follow the ancient ways.”
"Speaking of demons." Old Osvid raised his eyelids, "Demon hunting is your specialty. Why did you decide to follow the ancient path this year?"
"The association has changed its behavior." Bishop Notland told them, "These rats have started racing on the table. Even the Glorious Council can sneak into the Glimmer Lord, who can guarantee that other mysterious fulcrums are completely reliable? "
Helen looked at him in surprise, and couldn't help but truly feel the sincerity of the other party. The cause of the demon-hunting movement was that Nightingale's whereabouts were exposed, but at the end of the investigation, it was discovered that he was actually a cardinal whose status was second only to Lucia's agent. This is appalling. Even if the demon hunting movement becomes vigorous and many demon associations disappear, it will not change the fact that the Glorious Council is embarrassed.
Using her own scandal as an example, Helen had never seen anyone with such an exaggerated attitude. People are often unwilling to admit their mistakes and think they have damaged their reputation. The Gaia Church's approach is representative, but the attitude of the Glorious Council is different. She couldn't help but look at the Cardinal in a new light.
"The Tower is not just any small workshop." The Green Envoy said with a straight face, "Did you identify the Nightingale among us?"
"The Glorious Council is a warning. I am just giving the necessary reminder." The bishop said, "Of course the agent believes in the astrologers. No nightingale can act recklessly in the tower... This is why the goddess sent me."
"Is this your purpose?"
"The Holy Radiance Council has decided so." The bishop said frankly, "We are here to seek allies. That's all. In fact, we hope to unite more mysterious fulcrums, and the tower is the first choice."
Although this was a compliment, mere words carried no weight, and both the great astrologer and the envoy from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were full of doubts. After all, the existence of the demon society has always been just a problem of scabies, so there is no need to worry about it like this.
"Uniting the forces of order can indeed eradicate the devil's association." said Aironi, the director of the Affairs Department, "but the tower itself is responsible for supervising order, and it is impossible to ignore the fundamentals and shift attention to eradication. We need to guard against sinking positions. Noodle Gavash…”
"Hell Outpost Gavash, where demons are active."
"...There are also hundreds of elemental realms, thousands of small planes, drifting mysterious places, and countless monsters." He insisted, "Besides, mezzanines like the Glitter Pool and the Underground World will also Return! The devil’s trouble is not what we are most worried about right now.”
"In fact," Osvid added, "most of the mysterious land has almost been merged into Knox."
"The Twinkle Pool is coming soon." Bishop Notland said, "The agent sent envoys, and Her Majesty the Queen of the West Tower has already responded."
It turns out that this is the trump card. The Blue Messenger and Aironi looked at each other, "She also supports the Order Alliance?"
"In the end what happened?"
"Did anyone foresee a special future? Dorothea?"
"No." Helen said, "My dreams can't escape the interference of the red prophecy. I can't see anything except the big moon of the Frost Moon."
"I don't have time to look," "Silver Cross" also said.
The mystery begins to unfold. The discussion yielded no results, and Bishop Notland gave no explanation. But his process of selling out is destined to be short-lived, and everyone in the Destiny Assembly is waiting for the answer.
"I support it too." The Tower Prophet spoke.
All noise disappeared. Helen didn't expect her mentor to express his position so quickly. We must discuss. The assembly model is more comprehensive than the dictatorship, and assembly members have their own opinions. Unless there are mystical and prophetic advantages, even a prophet will sometimes be affected by collective opinions in his decision-making. Why is it different this time? Or in front of the envoys of the Glorious Parliament!
"The revival of the alliance is necessary." But the prophet did not intend to open a mystery group, "I have sent Ronald back to the Oath Keepers Alliance. For the sake of their damn names, I believe the Lion will bring good news soon. ." That's why half the rally was absent.
