Azure Scepter

Page 91

Trillton paused.

"Of course, the best outcome would be if I successfully persuaded Edith and united the forces of the Southern Duchy, with some mercenaries as support. If things get so bad that we have to rely on mercenaries for internal strife, then we are actually not far from defeat—Lossway's power should not be underestimated."

"Noi, are you alright?" Suddenly, Futia's weak voice came from inside the door.

—Because Fythia's room was large, she did not hear Trier and Noy's conversation; Trier could hear their conversation because his perception had reached an extraordinary level.

“Of course I’m fine, don’t worry!” Noi said, turning around.

"In short, this is roughly the plan," Trier continued in his mind. "You can try to contact Fythia's classmate, who is also an elf, which is rare in this city. Fythia's classmate's husband, Cyrus Schwartz, is a decent mercenary commander. You can use him as a link to contact more mercenaries."

Noi nodded.

"Okay, where shall we meet this afternoon?"

“Regent’s Garden.” Trier glanced at the clock. “It’s best to arrive before three o’clock. We can postpone sending the letter and contacting the mercenaries. Let’s prepare the ceremony materials first.”

After saying it in his mind, Trier walked past Neu and knocked on the door.

"Noy, what are you doing?" Fythia's voice was filled with confusion. "You don't need to knock, do you?"

Noy sighed helplessly, then reluctantly called into the room, "It's Trier."

As Trier entered the inner room, Feudia's pointed ears twitched involuntarily, and she unconsciously revealed a smile.

“I brought a honey cake,” Trier said, taking a Lorraine cheese honey cake from her backpack and placing it on the table.

The honey cake is exquisitely made, with snow-white frosting dotting the golden honey, and the cool cheese exuding an enticing and rich aroma. A few drops of solidified honey encase a bright red cherry like amber.

"How...how did you know that I love honey cake the most?" Futia stammered, a faint blush creeping onto her face.

"I just picked it up on the way," Trier said, not really meaning it. "Don't overthink it."

Fatiya was stunned.

“Just kidding, Edith told me,” Trier laughed. “I’m not like you, saying one thing and meaning another. This cake is for you.”

Noy frowned almost imperceptibly, her eyelashes lowered, and she silently pursed her lips.

Foutia gave a dry laugh.

"I... I'm just... a little embarrassed to express my thoughts directly, that's all."

After a long pause, she added in a barely audible voice, "Thank you for your gift."

Trier did not respond. He took out Yar Island coffee beans from his backpack to make coffee, and then he simply shoved the coffee pot into Noy's hand.

"Give."

"Coffee from Yar Island?" Noi's gloomy expression vanished instantly. She took a deep breath. "It smells so good!"

"Did you prepare this especially for me?" Noi's face lit up with a smile, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Trier was about to answer "no," but before he could speak, Fydia interrupted, "Have some cake, Noy, it's delicious!"

Noi hesitated for a moment, then picked up the fork on the table and started eating the cake with them.

After the three finished eating the cake, they drank coffee together.

“Trill, Granny Lor’s demands are outrageous, they’re too dangerous!” Fythia picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said indignantly, “You were unguarded when you were making your dream prophecy, and such behavior is strictly prohibited in the rules of elven spellcasting!”

“It’s possible she was put forward by Edith to test you,” Noy said quite seriously. “The appearances of naivety and cunning are remarkably consistent.”

“But Noi, you don’t seem naive at all,” Futia said in surprise.

Trier laughed out loud, while Neu quietly took a sip of coffee, seemingly pondering how to respond.

A moment later, Noi glanced at Futia and then smiled.

“My dearest Futiya, during your brief apprenticeship as a mage, did your mother ever tell you anything about prophetic dreams?”

Futia's expression froze, then she shook her head.

“My mother was extremely bad at prophecy magic; she was a master of evocation.”

Trier downed the entire cup of coffee in one gulp, then coughed softly twice.

"Ahem—Are you curious about the knowledge of dream prophecy?"

Time seemed to stand still, and the next moment, Noi and Futia nodded in perfect unison.

P.S.: Sigh, I only managed three updates yesterday. QWQ

Chapter 183 Dream Prophecy

"Ahem—Are you curious about the knowledge of dream prophecy?"

Time seemed to stand still, and the next moment, Noi and Futia nodded in perfect unison.

Noi turned to look at Futia and chuckled, "Didn't your mother dislike divination magic?"

Faudia chuckled dryly, picked up her coffee cup, and took a small sip.

“She’s not interested in divination magic, but I am.”

“My mother’s views were somewhat extreme. She believed that all prophetic spells were ambiguous nonsense, and that those so-called prophecies were nothing more than vague and widely applicable rubbish.”

Fatiha pondered for a moment, then continued.

"She believes that the future is uncertain and therefore cannot be predicted by vague dreams—the real future is in our own hands; it is a constantly evolving process. Our predictions of the future should not rely on unfounded prophecies, but should be based on a rational summary of past experiences and a reasonable understanding of present and future conditions."

"Therefore, she is currently writing 'The History of the Decline and Fall of Human Kingdoms,' hoping to derive precise laws governing social movements by studying the decline of certain human kingdoms, thereby providing beneficial insights for the future of the elves."

"Did your mother not get along well with the stargazers on Suar Island?" Trier asked curiously.

Fythia nodded: "They thought my mother was arrogant and ignorant, while my mother thought they were not only illiterate, but also mentally unstable..."

“What your mother said isn’t wrong; for someone who lacks a systematic and in-depth study of divination magic, what she said can be considered insightful.” Trier poured himself another cup of coffee. “But she overlooked a very important point.”

Fatiya pricked up her ears, while Noi smiled and comfortably sank into the back of his chair.

"Besides being a product of people's deep subjective consciousness, dreams are also a product of the interaction between living beings and the dream world, and the dream world truly exists."

"The dream world is called the dream realm because even ordinary people without any spellcasting ability can glimpse the edge of the dream realm in the depths of their sleep."

"In the dream world, all information exists according to the order of the dream world, so everything there seems chaotic and incomprehensible to ordinary people. There, the sequence of time is disordered, the distinction between cause and effect is not obvious, and the crude associations of sensory images in the mind are more reliable than the logic of rational analysis."

"What about the prophecy in the dream?" Noi asked curiously.

"So-called dream prophecy is when spellcasters use dreams to get closer to the dream world, and then use the inverted and disordered information relationships in the dream world to obtain some information about the future."

Futia thought for a moment, then frowned.

“Trier, many fictional or real tragedies have this plot: prophets foretell a tragic future, but their very act of trying to escape the future leads to the tragedy itself—if that's the case, then isn't the prophecy itself a necessary condition for its fulfillment?”

“Bishop Rosar once said a famous quote: Tragedy is always self-realizing.” Noy covered his mouth with his hand and then yawned. “Fodia, you and Edith are really good friends, with highly similar interests.”

Fythia narrowed her eyes slightly, then immediately retorted, "You know this famous quote, doesn't that prove you also enjoy reading stories?"

Noi froze, her eyes widening in surprise.

"Huiguang, how come your mind has suddenly become so sharp after you were injured?"

"Huh?" Futia blinked. "No...no, um, thank you for the compliment."

"..." Neu was speechless.

Trier coughed twice, bringing the topic back to the present.

“Those stories aren’t entirely unfounded. Because the information in the dream world is extremely chaotic in chronological order, the actions of certain prophets themselves constitute the reason for the fulfillment of the prophecy. But this is only one situation. Another situation is that the prophet is a free and active individual who can disrupt the outcome he has predicted.”

Fythia looked worried and couldn't help but suggest, "Then how can you be sure whether your prophecy is predetermined or not? If you can't tell the difference, then prophecy is ultimately just an ambiguous dream—Trill, please don't take the risk for this. Granny Lor's spellcasting ability is very strong, you really don't need to do this."

“By using the Ekaia Mirror Reversal Method, you can determine which category your prophecy belongs to,” Trier explained with a smile. “Of course, this method is rather complicated.”

In fact, beings with divine nature could also directly know the type of prophecy, but Trier did not reveal this method.

"The Mirror of Aekaya counters magic?" Fyde frowned slightly. "Isn't that just a magical concept?"

“Of course not, that’s a very mature technology,” Trier replied with a smile.

The Mirror of Aekaya is currently only a rough concept, but in future versions, it has become a must-learn spell for all mages of the Prophecy school. In game terms, the spell's effect is extremely simple and straightforward—it grants mages of the Prophecy school an extra daily divination opportunity. Through this daily divination, mages of the Prophecy school can evade fatal attacks and control effects, or make attacks that would otherwise miss hit.

In short, this is an extremely overpowered spell.

After a few more casual words, when the coffee pot was empty and the cake was finished, Noy got up to say goodbye, while Trier found a table, took out paper and pen from his backpack, and started sketching.

At this moment, only Trier and Fythia remained in the room.

Fythia sat by the window, resting her chin on her left hand, tilting her head to observe Trier.

The midday light was very soft, and the moist sea breeze carried a hint of salt. Golden sunlight streamed through the glass, casting a soft halo on Trier's profile.

Bathed in the light, Trier's expression was focused and his gaze sharp; he seemed completely absorbed in sketching.

The pen tip grazed the paper, making a reassuring "swish" sound. Trier's pen strokes were precise and powerful, but his hand holding the pen was as steady as a machine. The pen tip, like a chisel for carving marble, sketched a little girl with a sorrowful face on the white paper in just a few strokes.

Futia blinked; she suddenly felt that the little girl looked somewhat familiar.

Twin ponytails, tear-like scars at the corners of the eyes characteristic of those infected with the plague...

It seems to be the little girl I encountered yesterday afternoon who stole bread and got caught?

She was startled and was about to ask a question, but Trier spoke up first: "Fodia, this little girl is the vessel for the demon lord's descent—I will use this painting as an anchor for my prophecy later."

“Trier, I saw her yesterday, just before Dragon’s Kiss closed the gates,” Futia said softly after a moment’s hesitation.

Trier nodded slightly: "I know. I left a magical eye on that demon worshipper yesterday for surveillance purposes. Please forgive me for not telling you—I intended to use that magical eye to find other hidden demon worshippers."

Fatiya fell silent, her lips moved slightly, and finally she took a deep breath.

“I…I should thank you. If it weren’t for that Arcane Eye, I probably would have been blown to death by the Balrog’s fireball.” She paused for a moment. “Triel, you’ve been taking care of me ever since I woke up in Beaver Town. I’ve always wanted to thank you, but I haven’t had the chance.”

Trier put down his pen and looked intently at Fythia.

It's strange that Fauci would so openly express her feelings.

He was somewhat surprised, then looked up and looked carefully at Futia.

Dust motes danced in the soft light, and in the hazy glow, Fythia's body trembled slightly. Trier caught a glimpse of unease and anticipation in her eyes.

Before anyone knew it, an ambiguous and alluring atmosphere had already arisen.

Trier suddenly felt his heart racing. He reached for his coffee cup, but the coffee inside had already dried up.

“I should also thank you. If it weren’t for you speaking up for me, Hord would probably have stabbed me to death.”

Fythia looked up, and their eyes met. She looked away as if she had been stabbed by a sharp blade, and then slowly raised her eyes again.

The two of them made eye contact again.

Her heart raced, her face flushed, and time seemed to stand still. In an instant, the sounds of the wind, birdsong, and footsteps faded away, and everything around her seemed to disappear and blur. All that remained before her eyes was Trier's face.

"Come on, Futia, you should just say what you think directly," she thought to herself.

Fytia's fair face flushed slightly, and her voice suddenly trembled. She clenched her fist tightly, her fingertips turning white.

“Trier, you know what…” her voice trailed off, until it was almost a whisper, “I, I like you.”

Trier never expected that the proud Fythia would go straight to the point. In an instant, a feeling mixed with joy and panic hit him like a meteorite, causing ripples that caught even the usually composed Trier off guard.

All the memories of his adventures and time spent with Futia flooded back to him. These scattered memories, mixed with surging emotions, surged through his mind, finally settling on the figure he first saw when he woke up in Beaver Town.

A dirty cloak, a pale and tired face, golden hair in the cold light, and fine downy hair around the edges of the face...

The time traveler remained silent for a long time, then nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I know."

As he said this, Trier thought of Noy again, and even vaguely of Edith. He suddenly felt his tongue get tied. He opened his mouth to say something, but Faudia's misty blue eyes seemed to possess some kind of magic, and his past eloquence and plans all turned into a mess.

“I don’t care about your relationship with Noy, really.” Futia’s face was flushed, even her long neck and the tips of her ears were red. She spoke very quickly, like a machine gun, and her voice was very soft, like a light and transparent veil. “Even if Edith is added to the mix, I won’t care.”

After speaking in one breath, her breathing became somewhat heavy. The faint fragrance of the girl's hair wafted over Trier's face with her warm breath, causing a slight itch.

Trier took a deep breath, disgusted with his current emotional entanglement and hesitation, and the next moment, he made a decision.

Since I've already traveled through time, I'll take it all!

With this thought in mind, the time traveler gently grasped Futiya's warm and soft left hand.

“I like you too, Futia.” He gently kissed the back of Futia’s hand. “Thank you.”

"Could you draw me a picture? Just a quick sketch will do." Fythia leaned gently against Trier, her back slightly tense.