Chapter 2394: Sacrifice and Fossil

Chapter 2394: Chapter 2394: Sacrifice and Fossil

Her hands once again touched the falling giant corpse, the burning pain still there, and that layer of water膜 did not provide much help. Yet Miss Sander still forced herself not to pull her hands back, fighting with all her strength to push upward. Even if she couldn’t stop the Stone Gate from falling, she thought that slowing its descent even a little would be good enough.

But she couldn’t even do that. The sealing methods of an ancient Witch of the Earth were not something a single Mermaid could contend with.

And this repeated attempt wasted a bit of Time, letting the Stone Gate descend to half its height. When she finally gave up trying and once again knelt down to look inside, the four people behind the gate were drawing ever closer, but Miss Sander could see clearly—they absolutely would not make it in Time.

"Give it up."

The worry and tension on her lovely face grew ever more intense, a voice in her heart speaking to her. Yet all the experiences she’d had with Old Lady Sianod, Miss Nate, and the mysterious Miss Mister surged back into her mind at once.

She thought of being saved by Old Lady Sianod, thought of Miss Nate silently taking care of all sorts of trivial tasks, thought of everyone—including that mysterious Mr. Hamilton—who had all tried to exchange their own Sacrifice for the eventual discovery of that "Heart of the Oasis."

And at this moment, the completed Compass was entirely in the satchel tossed behind her. Even if she ignored what was happening beyond the gate, it would not affect her obtaining that precious Treasure.

"If I leave now, nothing will happen to me."

A new thought rose up again, but she turned to look back at the lonely desert beyond the "mouth," lit by the Moon. Clearly knowing that leaving now would cost her nothing at all, she still didn’t do it, because of that surge of heat welling up in her chest.

"I really am a fool."

She turned quickly, grabbed that satchel, took out the blood-red Philosopher’s Stone, then picked up the Petrified Longsword Miss Nate had tossed to her just now, and swiftly dropped to one knee beneath the gate.

Her right hand gripped the Philosopher’s Stone and, together with her shoulder, braced the Stone Gate. Her left hand seized that Sword and raised it before her.

Crack~

The irresistible downward force of the Stone Gate directly crushed her arm bones and shoulder, and so the Philosopher’s Stone fused into the mangled Flesh at her shoulder.

Spurt!

The blue-haired girl, spitting blood, glanced one last time at the surprised few within the gate. Though she herself did not know why she had made such a choice, though the fear and terror in her heart had already surged up, she still forced herself to speak the Spell Words from her mouth—the spell Miss Nate had mentioned when she described the story:

"Power of the Earth: Blessing All Things!"

Has inherited the Power of Divine Arts or possesses a corresponding Stone Statue—conditions met;

High Level alchemical materials for shaping Life—conditions met;

Faith in the Ancient God—conditions met;

Earth Stepping—conditions not met. But because of the Special State of this Worm body—conditions met.

Crack~ Crack~

This sound was no longer Miss Sander’s bones being crushed, but the Stone Gate’s contact point with her body spreading across her whole form in a pattern of Petrification, blocking the descending door panels, making the Stone Gate emit a groan as if it could no longer bear the burden.

Centered on her feet, at that instant, surging Golden Miracle Elements shot skyward, almost setting the entire giant Worm ablaze.

The Earth responded to the Mermaid’s Sacrifice. The Miracle that originally could not be realized was awakened through her offering.

Shard even felt an intense loss of weight at that moment. The Golden Spiritual Light forced his eyes closed; he felt as if his whole being were walking the void in that instant.

[Outlander, you have perceived a "Miracle."]

[Outlander, you have gained insight into "Sacrifice," "Earth," and "Hero."]

When that blinding Spiritual Light like the Sun finally vanished, and Mia, drawn by the Glimmer, poked her head out, they looked forward again: the falling Stone Gate was jammed at two-thirds of the way down and no longer moved. Beneath that gate, the Mermaid Girl, left hand clutching the Stone Sword, eyes wide as she stared ahead, was kneeling on one knee as a Stone Statue, her expression completely frozen in release and relief.

"The Miracle she realized is to keep the Sealing effect unchanged while this gate remains open. It seems the Power of Divine Arts is still not enough to completely annihilate this Worm’s Corpse. Of course, it might also be that her soul was not strong enough."

While Shard, Old Lady Sianod, and Miss Nate were too shocked to speak, Miss Mister spoke softly. But rather than voicing her own view, Shard felt that this Saint was more like explaining the situation to the three of them.

The Stone Gate no longer fell, which meant they no longer needed to rush forward. Everything seemed to be over; when the four of them, supporting one another, came to the Stone Gate, they only needed to bend down to pass beneath it.

But no one did so. Miss Sander’s face was turned toward the interior of the Worm’s body. Once they left this place, they would never see her again.

No one spoke. Everything seemed to be over, yet under the oppressive atmosphere, not a single person felt happy.

"I was the one who told Miss Sander about that Divine Arts information."

Miss Nate, holding the helmet, spoke, while Shard went down on one knee before that stone statue, his right hand touching her left arm.

The petrified longsword of that ancient knight, clutched in her hand, was carefully taken out by Shard. After inheriting the "Power of the Earth: Blessing All Things" and becoming the ritual materials for this spellcasting, this sword was already on the verge of shattering, no longer capable of bearing any further task.

"I can feel it; her soul is still inside the shell, just like that ancient knight we encountered last time."

Shard spoke softly and then stood up, his expression very grave. This time they really had been saved by Miss Sander, and up to this very moment, Shard still did not even know where she truly came from.

It was as if Old Lady Sianod knew what Shard was thinking; her face, now even more aged than before, carried a sorrowful look:

"In fact, I know about her. I rescued her from the Sand Sea, before any of you had reached that Temple. She told me her story. Leah Sander is indeed her real name, but she did not come here seeking a birthday gift for her father—she came seeking a birthday gift for her mother."

Her voice caught for a moment:

"Things are not that simple. She was born into a vast Mermaid settlement. The old king of the clan has grown feeble, and at this birthday, the one who brings the most precious treasure will become the next king.

Aside from her identity as a Witch, she held no advantage among her many sisters. But if she fails to become king, those elder sisters of hers who are also Witches will execute her directly... After all, she is one of the very few Witches within the Royal Family."

Old Lady Sianod did not continue, but Shard and Miss Nate both understood what she meant.

Miss Sander had always seemed so optimistic, and so warm toward everyone she met. Yet beneath that surface, she too had her own story and her own troubles.

"Let’s go out first. With the Miracle she summoned, we can come back in at any time."

Miss Mister said, and Shard nodded. The group then bent down one after another and crawled out from beneath that Stone Gate.

Moonlight illuminated the boundless Sand Sea; the sand that had given off a golden glimmer during the "daytime" phase now was sheathed in a layer of silvery light.

This gigantic Worm had indeed moved just now. The evidence lay not only in the huge ravine trailing away behind it into the distance, but also in the fact that less than twenty steps ahead of that enormous human head, there now stood a sight everyone knew all too well—the Sun Shrine.

Circling around only to end up back where they started, Shard was momentarily stunned. He took out some golden ornaments and antiques again and tossed them onto the ground, creating a new campsite between the Worm’s massive head and the Temple.

No one suggested going back into the Temple for the time being; the four of them once more sat down beside the bonfire.

After a stretch of silence, Old Lady Sianod finally picked up the bag that held the Compass Fragments. She quickly assembled them into a complete Compass, then stood up with it and walked into the Sun Shrine behind them.

Very soon, a vast breath of Life surged out from the Temple. Green glimmer spilled from the windows and doorway, and when that glimmer finally drew back, Old Lady Sianod came out holding a green heart-shaped crystal Shard had never seen before, yet knew at a glance what it was. After placing it by the fire, she sat down again.

The fact that the "Heart of the Oasis" was actually right inside the "Sun Shrine" where they were, did not surprise anyone; it was as if they all felt this was only natural.

And Shard, Miss Nate, and Old Lady Sianod felt no joy at having found the "Heart of the Oasis"; none of them even had the urge to go and inspect what exactly this "Heart of the Oasis"—for which so many had sacrificed themselves, and which had almost buried them in the desert as well—really was.

They all silently watched the flames in front of them. Amid the crackling, Shard suddenly spoke, turning to Miss Mister:

"Do you still have a way to bring Miss Sander back?"

He could only send away petrified souls, with no means at all to reverse this Special State. Besides, this was an offering to the "Earth"; only a Deity could resolve such trouble.

If Miss Mister had no way either, then although it was irrational, Shard had already decided to burn a drop of Divinity here and, using the Maze Lock of the "Matchstick Girl," make a wish. Though the decisive battle at Moon Bay was imminent, since someone had helped him, he would absolutely not allow Miss Sander to remain here forever. If Miss Sander were truly dead, he would have given up—but her soul still lingered; things were not over yet.

The face of the God of Mist looked ever more beautiful in the dancing firelight:

"Of course there is a way."

The other three immediately turned their gazes to her:

"What way?"

"Have you not noticed? Aside from the abnormal glimmer, and the abnormal Space and Time traits, this desert also brings to Foreigners a series of Illusionary Realms that hover between truth and falsehood."

Her light-brown skin gleamed even more in the firelight of the Darkness:

"Whether these illusions are true or false, they are like lights in the Mist—unless you draw near, no one can tell."

Shard’s pupils contracted slightly:

"You mean, to use the power of Illusionary Realms and turn false into true?"