After Professor Garcia left, Xia De continued to slump in the chair with his eyes closed. Several minutes later, he quietly squinted, surveying the silent living room to confirm the other party had truly departed, before sitting upright.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Under the gaslight, his face showed an expression of just waking from a deep dream. That appearance earlier was, of course, feigned. It seemed the deliberate act was correct. In the eyes of the Saint Byron's professors, even just seeing a god's dwelling should not be an easy experience.
He then looked down at the basin. Under the light of the brass gaslight on the living room wall, not a single drop of water remained inside. Only the dry elective course parchment scroll lay quietly within, with no text on its back.
"What was that just now?"
He asked his own mind, while simultaneously taking out the key from his pocket. It was indeed the time key, but its surface was covered in cracks.
"Why can the key be reused? Why did I encounter the Father of Infinite Trees's mission the first time I traveled through time? Why is that God called an Old God? The Old God mentioned the Thirteen original..."
"Outsider, I am you, and what you do not know, I also do not know."
The woman chuckled.
"All the differences I have shown from normal conditions so far come from your uniqueness. That delarion Knowledge was me drawing from the fragmented memories of the previous soul in this body; being able to sense relics up close is a peculiarity of the Outsider's soul. I am you; this is your uniqueness. What you do not know, I also do not know."
The explanation she gave was completely consistent with Xia De's thoughts from earlier in the day.
Xia De listened to the words in his ear, leaned back in the chair, and gazed at the ceiling:
"In this world, I have finally seen a God with my own eyes."
He sighed, and after his mind had fully recovered, he thought of more things:
"Thirteen Old Gods, why have I never heard of such a concept? That Father of Infinite Trees... Thirteen Founding series rhode cards, the last Thirteen Witch Emperors of the fifth epoch, what kind of coincidence is this? The number thirteen must have some special meaning. Does everything originate from the Old Gods?"
"Perhaps you can guess yourself. I think you should already have an idea."
"Yes, but this idea has no evidence..."
He sighed, summarizing tonight's "adventure":
"This time, at least I didn't lose anything."
"You also gained the Miracle, False Immortality."
"But I didn't complete the mission to get the Miracles and Ling Rune rewards."
"You still have two chances."
"I don't understand what 'God's Afterglow' is, as mentioned by that Old God."
"But at least you are still alive, and you have infinite possibilities."
Xia De sat in the chair and laughed:
"Actually, I am very grateful that you can speak in my ear. Although I still don't know exactly what you are, it's nice to have someone always by my side. You don't need to comfort me; I am not such a fragile person. Since I've seen the opportunity to gain power, I won't let it go... God's Afterglow... Perhaps Priest Augustus will have an opinion."
His eyes looked towards the bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. Mia, the orange cat, tired from playing, squeezed out through the crack in the door, though the cat clearly wasn't that narrow.
Her amber eyes looked at Xia De, and with a short-legged run-up, she pounced onto Xia De's knees. After settling down, she didn't feel Xia De stroking her for a long time, so she very discontentedly patted Xia De's leg with her paw.
Xia De then reached out to stroke Mia's soft fur on her back. Her orange fur was exceptionally soft and warm, like holding a small stove.
"Meow~"
She rolled over on Xia De's lap, kicking her four little legs, revealing her white belly to Xia De, and tilting her head to look at Xia De with her big eyes from below. Only then did the Outsider feel completely free from the mental impact of what had just happened:
"Thank you too, Mia. Thank you for liking me so much."
He played with the orange cat with his hand, then looked up at the window covered by thick fabric curtains:
"God."
The Outsider murmured to himself.
(Mia running...)
The next day was Thursday of the fourth week of Sunlight Moon. When collecting the newspaper, milk, and goat milk in the morning, Xia De indeed received a letter from "Taylor & Wanda United Mining Company" in the southern part of the kingdom. Inside was the poetic manuscript page that allowed Xia De to directly contact the Academy, exactly like Dr. Schneider's.
While eating breakfast with Mia, Xia De hesitated for a while. Although Professor Garcia said he could write the report on his behalf, Xia De ultimately wrote another one himself, then included a description of his physical condition, and sent it to the Academy via the poetic manuscript page.
The Academy's reply was also very quick, seeming to be Professor Garcia's own reply, with handwritten flowery letters resembling continuous vines. He instructed Xia De to rest and recuperate. The academic credits and other rewards for this investigator mission would be decided after the History Academy's general meeting.
Such an investigative incident, where he almost encountered a God, elevated the level of the fifth epoch - 1068 time key to Angel-level. Xia De therefore speculated that his actual encounter with a God should be classified as an unknowable level 0.
After dealing with these matters, he quietly said good morning to the woman in his head for the first time, then clipped the poetic manuscript page into the novel "The Silver Knight." The broken key was now locked in his bedroom desk drawer. As for the Miracle False Immortality obtained yesterday, it could only be used in a severely injured state. Xia De was reluctant to harm himself or the cat to the point of severe injury or near death, so he couldn't use it for now.
But at least he gained a new Miracle, and its effect alone suggested it was extraordinary.
He still didn't understand what exactly happened last night and planned to try activating a new time key again after the History Academy's summary of the event, to confirm if last night was an exception.
Although he really wanted to get the mission rewards for the fifth epoch - 1068, the Miracle Chaotic Time Blade and the Ling Rune Echo, the Old God The Innocent Creator said he needed at least the power of "God's Afterglow" to complete the mission.
So, until he understood what "God's Afterglow" was, Xia De would not waste the remaining two chances of the key in his hand.
"Is this again due to the uniqueness of my soul? I won't think about it so much for now. Today's goal is the Prophet Association."
He said while tidying his clothes in front of the full-length mirror, while Mia rolled around and played on the bed behind him.
"Outsider, your soul is very special; this is still a problem caused by your unique characteristics. I am you; there's no need to doubt that."
The murmuring voice said, sounding very pleased. It was the first time Xia De had heard her speak like this; she seemed to be in a good mood, probably because Xia De had said good morning to her.