Chapter 1188
The Amber Dice
Clang~
As Ruoan dissipated in the flames, Eivass seemed to hear a faint, ethereal chuckle. A crisp clinking sound also echoed from the golden cup in his hand.
He lowered his head slightly and fished out a jewel dice from the cup.
It was carved from a piece of faintly glowing amber, a gift from Ruoan as she departed.
This, of course, was not in accordance with the rules of the Dream Realm.
Because when Eivass summoned an Apostle, he had not requested any items from them.
The fact that the Apostles could obtain the Hourglass’s permission to cross the Wall of Balance and reach the Mortal Realm in a short time was related to this simple contract achieved through ritual. Simply put, actions that affected the Material Realm were best reported in advance to ensure that the work process was traceable.
Ideally, Apostles should only do what mortals pray for, and beyond that, they should not engage in dialogue or interaction, nor bestow gifts. They could not explicitly give mortals prophecies or teachings outside of contracts, nor deceive them. They could not alter a person’s fate on a large scale, nor improperly increase or decrease their power. They could not illegally collect souls, extend lifespans, or spread the secrets of the Dream Realm in the Material Realm.
When those mortals made their requests, whether they were reasonable and compliant was already judged by the Hourglass and its Apostles. If they passed, it meant they were permitted. But if the Apostles then performed their own interpretations, it might not be compliant.
Someone like Merlin, who roamed everywhere and openly interacted with mortals, was a typical example of a rule violation. Ruoan’s act of sending a specialty from the Dream Realm to the Material Realm was also, in fact, a violation.
Clearly, even Ruoan, who had once been the Eternal Pope, did not seem to care much about these rules. After all, the Hourglass had not truly held anyone accountable that many times.
Even Eivass himself had previously found these rules too rigid andHeartless. And they clearly only stopped gentlemen, not scoundrels… Look at the demons; after accepting contracts, they all tried to break them and seize souls, yet the Hourglass’s Apostles never intervened.
And only now did Eivass finally vaguely understand… why the Hourglass had established so many rules to ensure the complete “Separation of Heaven and Earth.”
This act of preventing interaction between the Dream Realm and the Material Realm was essentially to prevent the cross-border spread and cross-infection of the Whisper of the Void. It was entirely necessary and had a clear blocking effect on the infection of the Void. The reason the Hourglass had not intervened much before was simply because the Whisper of the Void had not yet been leaked… But it was conceivable that the rules would become much stricter recently.
He hoped Ruoan would not be punished for this upon her return.
“Indeed, every seemingly inexplicable tradition has a reasonable explanation when it is established…”
Eivass sighed softly.
“What is this?”
At this moment, Isabel’s voice quietly came from behind him. “Who was that just now?”
Eivass turned back and saw Isabel, who had changed into her pajamas, also barefoot, stepping on the pure white cashmere carpet.
For some reason, Eivass suddenly felt like he had been caught in the act.
Isabel stepped on the soft carpet and casually hugged Eivass’s arm.
“You’re awake?”
Eivass replied softly, “That was Highness Ruoan.”
“Elder Ruoan…”
Isabel naturally knew Ruoan Eternal.
She nodded thoughtfully, a joyful smile appearing on her face. “Has her soul awakened from the Origin River…”
That was indeed good news. Although she knew that a soul of that caliber could not be lost in the Origin River, seeing her truly become an Apostle finally put her mind at ease.
Isabel sincerely blessed the Eternal Pope, with whom she had briefly fought side by side.
She curiously looked at the amber dice in Eivass’s cup. “What is this?”
“The blood of the First Sun, the flesh of the Second Sun, the eldest brother of the Third Sun… the departed light sealed in amber.”
Eivass held up the six-sided dice and, as expected, did not see its attributes. “This is made from Light Amber, which is said to be what the amber is collecting. It hardly appears in the Material Realm and can be considered a form of currency… or a specialty of the Dream Realm.”
It’s a pity it’s not very useful, Eivass added inwardly.
“–How beautiful!”
But Isabel let out a cry of surprise.
Her eyes widened, and she leaned closer, carefully cupping the Light Amber dice in her hands.
She peered at the light within the amber, feeling as if she saw fragments of the sun, burning stars, and the nascent world through its cracks…
“Do you like this?”
Eivass watched Isabel, who was staring intently, and smiled, ruffling her hair. “Then I’ll give it to you.”
From a gemological perspective, Light Amber was not particularly beautiful.
Compared to ordinary amber, its color was paler, closer to gold than amber. And because it contained light within, it made the main body of the gem appear duller, more like glass.
Eivass had not expected that Isabel, a proper princess of the kingdom and a top Extraordinary of the Path of Beauty, would find it beautiful.
“Don’t you think it’s a lot like you?”
Isabel held up the dice, looking at Eivass through the cracks from which light emanated. “I think Elder Ruoan giving it to you is for this reason – it’s like solidified sunlight. Bright but not scorching, beautiful but not ostentatious.”
“I actually think I’m quite ostentatious…”
Eivass was somewhat helpless.
While Isabel was admiring the Light Amber with great concentration, Eivass quietly told her the story Ruoan had just recounted.
When Eivass mentioned the new Heavenly Envoy of the Path of Balance, Isabel showed no reaction. But when Eivass mentioned Morgan, she raised an eyebrow. When Eivass said, “The Silver Crown Dragon’s condition is not good,” she finally looked up, put the dice back in her pocket, and looked at him intently.
“…Do you think Madam Morgan would be the kind of person with such devotion, Eivass?”
Isabel asked.
“Certainly not.”
Eivass replied without hesitation.
Although they were both beneficiaries of “Morgan’s Wonderful Dream House,” and had even continued to use this gift until recently… this did not mean they would relax their vigilance towards Morgan because of it.
They both knew that Morgan was by no means a benevolent person. They had simply happened to be within the scope of Morgan’s goodwill.
“I actually think… she might have obtained some information in advance, which is why she chose to ascend to Heavenly Envoy.”
Eivass said slowly. “For example, she knew that the Crown Lord’s mental state was problematic. If the Crown Lord had fallen before she was pulled down, then as the sole Heavenly Envoy, she could have automatically filled the position of Pillar God, after all, the essence of a Heavenly Envoy is ‘Candidate for Pillar God’.”
Since there was no evidence, Eivass had not mentioned this to Ruoan.
Making speculations about others without any basis – and bad ones at that – was somewhat undignified.
But Isabel was not an outsider, and it was fine to share his innermost thoughts with her.
Eivass speculated, “Morgan had always pursued the Crown Lord and failed. Logically, her news should not have been so fast. I knew the bottom of the Origin River was polluted by the Void. Other Apostles should not know this, as the Void is a secret that most Apostles and Heavenly Envoys are not allowed to know.”
“So I think perhaps the Silver Crown Dragon was still rational, which is why it summoned her.”
“Then why didn’t it choose its own Knights?”
Isabel retorted. “Whether it was to inherit the position of Heavenly Envoy, or to complete the Ouroboros Ring Ritual…”
“My guess is… the Silver Crown Dragon wanted to completely rectify this path.”
Eivass immediately replied.
