Chapter 438: The Rite of New Birth
“Sister… which way did she go?” Eivass asked immediately.
The girl, being intelligent, guessed that Eivass was looking for someone.
“She came from over there and went there!” To show her favor towards Eivass, she added, “That beautiful lady got off a carriage! It had brown horses, very tall ones! The carriage was also brown, very similar to the horses’ color.”
“Do you remember any patterns on the carriage?” Eivass pressed.
The girl immediately replied, “There was a rectangular white pattern on the carriage, like a maze!”
—That was Minister of Law Enforcement Carter’s carriage! Eivass realized at once. It was the special emblem of the Carter family. That carriage must have belonged to Allen Carter, the current president of the White Dance Shoe Club! The Minister of Law Enforcement was also a member of the “Chocolate Pie.” With such a high status, the carriage he used for travel naturally had anti-detection functions. Ordinary rituals and tracking would be unable to locate the target.
If a normal retrieval ritual had been performed, Eivass would have failed repeatedly. Only “Avalon’s Eye” could have located the target. But fortunately, today was the Candle-holding Ceremony… Perhaps the Candlemaster was more willing to respond to Eivass’s prayers at this moment, or perhaps Emma’s reckless actions had incurred the displeasure of the Candlemaster or his apostles. Therefore, while Isabel could not be found through the retrieval ritual, the descended apostle had given Eivass a clue—Isabel had left some traces in the spot where she briefly alighted.
The apostle led Eivass to this place, and by sheer coincidence, Eivass ran into the girl from whom he had once bought flowers. If it were just one coincidence, it would be one thing. But now, it was a coincidence nested within a coincidence… It was by chance that Eivass remembered the alley where the Shadow Demon had been summoned, and it was also by chance that he had befriended this girl. If Isabel hadn’t suddenly intended to give her some money, Eivass wouldn’t have been able to find her through the girl; if Eivass hadn’t been familiar with this place, he might have wasted time, causing the girl to be attacked or even killed; if Eivass hadn’t known her before, she probably wouldn’t have given him those hundred white coins, which made him realize Isabel had interacted with her, nor would she have proactively informed Eivass about the carriage.
…Could it be that good deeds are rewarded and evil deeds are punished? Perhaps. Or perhaps this series of coincidences was the intervention of the great beings of the Dream Realm in reality and fate. If even the Ring Heavenly Envoy could interfere with the real world silently, then Pillar Gods could certainly do more. —Perhaps it was the Twin mirrors interfering with reality, which is why everything was so similar to the past! It was also possible that the Candlemaster, whose ceremony was disturbed, was somewhat angry and thus provided assistance to Eivass. …Of course, there was also a possibility. It had nothing to do with any Pillar God or any miracle. It was simply a good outcome from the good deeds of Eivass and Isabel—
Eivass had no time to ponder further. He didn’t want to accept the money and even wanted to give the girl more. However, he worried that the girl might be attacked again, so he simply brought her along on the Gryphon.
This was the girl’s first time riding a Gryphon, and she was trembling in fear. She practically clung to the Gryphon but was afraid of soiling the white Gryphon with her dirtiness.
Philip, feeling the girl trembling on him, gently soothed her, “Good girl, don’t be afraid. You won’t fall off.” To a Gryphon, humans were very cute and worthy creatures to protect, much like how humans viewed cats and dogs. To Philip, this girl was like a frail stray cat, bristling with fear and trembling, curled up and completely unthreatening. Philip didn’t care about getting dirt on himself; his heart was melting.
However, his soothing had little effect. The girl shivered when she heard Philip speak, “The G-Gryphon spoke!” Philip still stood tall and straight on the street, letting out his steady middle-aged man’s voice helplessly, “Yes, I spoke—shall I tell you a joke, little girl?”
“Not now, Philip… Fly this way!” Eivass interrupted him and gave the order directly. Although Isabel was probably not in danger, he still wanted to see her as soon as possible. Only by confirming her safety could he truly relax.
Following the direction the girl pointed, flying the Gryphon at a low altitude, Eivass easily found the carriage that hadn’t gone too far. The curtains of the carriage were tightly drawn; no one inside could be seen from the outside. If the girl hadn’t personally given him directions, Eivass would never have found Isabel!
“That Succubus isn’t here,” Viness, on his shoulder, suddenly spoke in her ethereal voice before Eivass could ask.
“Then stop the carriage!” After receiving confirmation from the Night Demon, Eivass had Viness cut the rope connecting the horse to the carriage. He pulled open the carriage door and saw the elaborately dressed “Yulia” sitting obediently inside, motionless. She hadn’t opened the curtain, or rather, she couldn’t. As Eivass opened the carriage door, the midday sun streamed in, flooding the small, dark carriage. The sunlight spilled onto her shoulders, arms, and clasped hands. The warm winter sunlight seemed to possess a soft, gauzy texture, almost as if it had substance.
The “Yulia,” who was like a still statue, turned her head upon hearing the carriage door open. The moment her eyes met Eivass’s, she froze. Eivass also paused for a moment, maintaining the position of holding the door open.
“Lulu!” Eivass called out subconsciously, suddenly relieved. Isabel’s eyes instantly reddened. She rushed forward—in her haste, she stepped on a slippery patch as she exited the carriage and lost her balance, falling forward. Eivass easily caught her, holding Isabel tightly in his embrace. Isabel wrapped her arms tightly around Eivass’s neck and began to cry with wronged tears. Unlike her previous stifled sobs in Eivass’s arms, at this moment, still in the guise of “Yulia,” Isabel cried loudly and hysterically. It was as if only by doing so could she thoroughly cleanse the fear in her heart.
“I’m here, you don’t need to be afraid anymore.” Eivass didn’t ask Isabel what had happened or what she had done. The moment Isabel started crying, he felt as if he had guessed everything—her cries were like an opera, bringing a sense of premonition with the first notes. Isabel seemed to have gained some kind of improvement from this crisis… The thought flashed through Eivass’s mind. He gently patted Isabel’s back and whispered, “You did your best. Cry if you need to, there’s no need to be ashamed. Because all the Gods will witness the birth of a strong and brave girl today. Look, Isabel. It’s time.”
Eivass said, pointing to the sky, “Lift your head—” At this moment, it was noon. The Candle-holding Ceremony had reached its predetermined climax. An incredibly brilliant golden-red radiance wove into a complex, radiant, and sacred pattern around the sun. They encircled the sun like thorns and dissipated like lightning. All the lights in the entire city instantly lit up simultaneously, becoming even brighter than they were at night. People in the streets and alleys cheered loudly, holding up candles to receive the light. Holy fire ignited from all candles, torches, and lanterns simultaneously. A sacred wave, like an invisible tsunami, erupted from those flames in a form barely visible to the mortal eye.
An incomparably warm power filled Isabel’s heart. Even the mark left by the Succubus in her heart faded considerably—that feeling of slumber, as if trapped in a dream, seemed to be dispersed by the midday sun. The scorching, bright radiance made the winter noon feel as warm as summer. The sick rose from their beds, the cursed opened their eyes, and the breath of the dying stabilized. Old scars turned into new flesh, and fatigue and hidden illnesses were burned away by that light. On January 1st, at noon, for one minute. As the climax of the Candle-holding Ceremony, a Bishop-level, world-scale Illuminate Spell, lasting for one minute, would shine upon the entire world as the sunlight moved. No prayer was needed, nor sacrifice. There were no demands, only pure devotion.
People cheered, cheering meaninglessly in the overflowing radiance. In this great miracle, bathed in light, they celebrated having passed another year, and a new year was officially beginning. —When sixty seconds passed, the entire world seemed to plunge into darkness. Only a faint residual warmth remained on the skin, which people called the Candlemaster’s Kiss. Both humans and elves, as well as beasts and plants, were given a chance for new birth at the Candle-holding Ceremony. Although the brightness only returned to the normal level of a winter noon, the sky seemed to have darkened, as the more sacred light had moved on.
Isabel had already stopped crying. Her eyes became bright again, and the redness around them was gently wiped away by the light; the remaining fear in her heart was also dissolved in the light, and her thoughts became clear and calm again. Like muscles being trained after being destroyed, making them stronger—At this moment, Isabel felt her spirit become so powerful and so full. Perhaps, as Eivass said. This was not a disaster, but the beginning of new life.
Seeing Isabel calm down, Eivass’s lips curled into a slight smile. Eivass embraced Isabel and placed her on the Gryphon, letting her hug the nameless flower girl. Isabel greeted the girl affectionately and enthusiastically, clearly guessing immediately how Eivass had found her.
“Where to now, Eivass?” Philip asked, his tone relaxed again upon seeing Isabel found again. “Shall we go find George first?”
“Take us to the Silver and Tin Hall first, and then please go pick up George.” Eivass thanked him sincerely, “Thank you so much for your trouble, Mr. Philip. Without your help, I would never have been able to find Isabel so easily.” Hearing Eivass’s words, the intelligent Philip immediately guessed something, “Heh… I see. You want Meg to keep an eye on Her Majesty first, right?” Philip still liked calling Lixia “Meg.”
“…Her Majesty?” The flower girl repeated, looking at “Yulia” with near-terror in her eyes. Isabel just smiled, petted the girl’s head, and said nothing for the moment. With the strongest person in Avalon protecting Isabel, Eivass’s intentions were self-evident.
“Yes,” Eivass said in a low voice, “Someone has to pay the price for this.”
