Chapter 2371: Time Flute

Chapter 2371: Chapter 2371: Time Flute

The summer night’s breeze was slightly chilly, with starlight and moonlight illuminating the peaceful countryside. Under the large tree at the crossroads, because of Shard’s gaze, the Elf girl blushed:

"Okay, I know... I’m just a bit scared, but I want to be like those legendary heroes and like you, to accomplish some great deeds.

It’s not the fame I’m after, and I know that accomplishing great deeds often requires sacrifice, but I aspire to become such a person myself, someone who can make other people’s lives better."

"Then embrace that expectation and wait for fate to present you with the right opportunity. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a chance to defeat demons again; sometimes becoming a hero is simple, even if it’s just saving a child from a fire."

Shard said, and Emilia nodded with her lips pursed, then looked up at the starlit treetop with some relief:

"Angelina was right, Shard, you’re really good at comforting others... You’re so kind. Even if the future is dark, I will remember your words; this is... the light you’ve given me."

This praise made Shard a bit embarrassed, and after thinking for a moment, he earnestly said:

"Don’t let others become your light, Emilia, remember—"

He coughed gently, then spoke in a somewhat awkward yet elegant non-human language:

"No matter what darkness lies ahead, always believe in your own light, for that is the purest power we humans possess despite not being ordinary (Elf Language)."

The Elf girl looked at him curiously, and saw that Shard also raised his head to gaze at the starry sky:

"Those were words my teacher once told me long, long ago. (Chapter 381)

"Is it Miss Danester?"

"No, it’s... Miss Feliana, Miss Mana Feliana."

Mentioning that name, the image of the Blonde Witch, beautiful as a violet and wearing a pointed hat, flashed before Shard’s eyes.

"Wow~"

The cute, youthfully exuberant ears exclaimed, nodding but suppressing her curiosity not to ask further:

"This sentence is really great; although I’m not human but an Elf, I’ll remember it too."

The little Elf clenched her fist, feeling a warmth in her heart, but she saw Shard looking at her:

"Look behind you."

"What?"

Emilia turned to look behind, and the thick Steam Mist had already emerged. Not very strong, but extremely perceptible Enlightenment Element gathered towards the Ring of Fate emerging from the mist as Emilia watched.

The whistle and bell sounded, with the brass-colored Spiritual Light not dazzling but absolutely clear. Moments later, Emilia’s last Spirit Rune of the Five Rings, Enlightenment - [Light of the Self], was inscribed on the Ring of Fate.

Emilia had mentioned she had already gained her first Spirit Rune of the Words of Inner Ring Ascension, meaning she was already preparing to advance to the Six Rings. By Elf standards, even as an underage Elf, she could be considered a "genius" among her peers.

"Back at my home, because of the [Chain of Malicious Curse Letters], I gained Whisper - [Fear] (Chapter 2117), and now I have obtained this. The summer hasn’t ended yet, and I’ve already gained two Spirit Runes. The adventure stories are true; the more dangerous the place, the greater the rewards."

She withdrew her gaze from behind, letting the Ring of Fate conceal itself again. A joyful smile spread across her face, probably thinking of writing home to report the good news.

Shard also felt happy for her, and as for Emilia gaining a Spirit Rune just from a sentence, he was not surprised at all.

Perhaps the Elf girl had accumulated insights long ago, only lacking the final realization. Furthermore, she is, after all, a candidate for "Brightness," even if her rank is low, gaining a Spirit Rune related to "Light" before the Moon Bay story concludes was still quite normal.

But seeing her Ring of Fate earlier, Shard remembered another matter:

"I’ve always wanted to ask, do you only have Spirit Runes related to Space, not Time?"

The previously excited Emilia nodded shyly:

"Mother once said that according to the bloodline I inherited, I would most likely awaken Time Talent before adulthood. Before enrolling, I hoped, like most of my ancestors, to enter the History Academy, but unfortunately, it didn’t work out, so I joined the Chemistry Academy, taking care of Little Liana and others."

Finishing his words, he murmured and said:

"I look forward to joining the History Academy because our ancestors have left a wealth of course notes and exam materials, which will make studying easier."

"Yes, that’s indeed a pity. The exam subjects at the History Academy are quite challenging, you know. This summer, I took advanced-level exams, not only taking subjects from two different years, but Miss Danester even included two subjects from the Academy of Library Management... Originally, it was agreed that I could take those two as elective courses."

Discussing college life and complaining about exams made the conversation increasingly light-hearted.

After wrapping up the conversation, the two shared a silent understanding and stood under the tree, gazing at the vast starlit sky. It was still considered midsummer, and this slightly chilly summer’s star ocean was as magnificent as in previous years.

Emilia had spent over fifty such seasons, but she found this year particularly enjoyable. The Outlander was experiencing such a season for the second time in this world, and he cherished the memories.

The agreed-upon time to meet the delivery person was eight o’clock in the evening. The person appeared on the rural dirt road facing Shard and Emilia at seven fifty-three.

He wore a cloak, and the rest of his attire was fairly normal. Since he didn’t deliberately hide his appearance, Shard could see that he was a pureblood Elf. Judging by his appearance, the Elf gentleman looked around forty, but in reality, he was probably over a hundred years old.

The unfamiliar elf seemed to be a relative of Emilia’s. Emilia happily wanted to call out a greeting but closed her mouth obediently after receiving a glance from the elf.

The elf didn’t say much; with a glance of mutual acknowledgment with Shard, he untied the long, wrapped package on his back and handed it forward. Naturally, he didn’t hand it to Emilia but to Shard.

It was unclear what methods the elves used, as one couldn’t feel any whisper element on the cloth. Only when Shard grasped it did he sense the surging power.

The elf silently nodded again to Emilia, handed her a letter, waved goodbye to the two, and then turned to retrace his steps, with the total interaction time not exceeding two minutes.

"That was efficient indeed."

Shard praised, seeing Emilia anxiously opening her letter beside him. He lowered his head to look at the item in his hand. After removing the binding rope, the sword wrapped inside became visible.

This sword felt more "substantial" than any relic sword Shard had encountered. He initially thought the sword named [Time Flute] would resemble a pointer, but its shape was actually quite regular. Emilia described it as wooden, but it appeared metallic. White metal wrapped around the black central part of the blade, and the black sword body had tree patterns, with several green gems embedded along the patterns.

He attempted to hold the sword hilt, and the voice of "Her" beside him laughed and said:

[Outlander, you’ve touched an item from the First Era, triggering the arcane technique: Ancient Sound:]

[The World Tree once supported the world during the First Era, organizing the threads of time. Back then, the elves harvested leaves and fallen branches from the World Tree to glimpse stories on the other side of the river of time. Since then, the power of time has deeply permeated their bloodline, and this has not changed even today.]

"You’re saying, Emilia awakening the Time Talent is truly just a matter of time?"

"She" merely chuckled, prompting Shard to swing the [Time Flute], and indeed the sound of a melodious flute resonated in harmony with Shard’s sword swing rhythm, without disrupting his movements in combat.

The length of [Time Flute] was roughly equal to [Night Watchman], but with a thicker blade, it was heavier as well. The sword hilt was wrapped with a black non-slip cloth band, and the common guard had Elf embellishments and vine patterns.

Apart from white wrapping black and green gems adorning the black, the sword actually carried densely inscribed sanctified prayers, which were Elvish prayers from ancient times. These engravings were difficult for Shard’s naked eye to distinguish; "Her" perception was needed to decipher them.

And the only phrase not in ancient Elvish, seemingly from an even older language era, stated:

[The Wind of Time blows the flute.]

The sense of age and ancientness from this long sword surpassed any Shard had seen to date. This ancient Angel-Level long sword carried with it an aura so profound that just by looking at it, he seemed able to perceive the flow of time with his spirit.

After attempting a few more swings, Shard guided his inner spirit into the relic in his hand. He didn’t even need Emilia’s guidance to realize that to unleash the sword’s functions of "Time Slow" and "Time Pause", or even "Accelerate Time", he simply needed to use his spirit to activate different green gemstones and parts of the prayers correctly.

However, the sword’s "Time Pause" trait was not like "Adel’s Time Stasis", which merely halted an individual’s time; instead, it paused time within a region except for the sword bearer.

Yet accordingly, "She" advised Shard not to attempt this:

[Huge consumption, roughly equivalent to unleashing your Maze Lock with full force.]

Shard wasn’t intending to attempt those traits immediately; he simply wanted to try enhancing his "time" power with this sword. After all, that’s precisely why he wanted it.

He had quite a number of time-based arcane techniques, and with a measure of "mischievousness", he glanced at Emilia, who was reading a letter from home.