Chapter 2183: Holy Sword

Chapter 2183: Chapter 2183: Holy Sword

"Meow?"

The cat, unexpectedly mentioned, lifted its head on the coffee table and glanced at her. The Elf Girl was still sobbing:

"It’s just too wonderful here. Just spending a single summer here would make me happy for many years. I clearly didn’t do anything wrong, so why does it have to be like this? Is this the retribution for me sneaking out of the Academy before?"

Angelina handed that letter to Shard. Shard quickly skimmed through it; the letter indeed did not say that Emilia and her group had to return to the Academy immediately. For now it only told them to leave "this dangerous city infested with Cultists" first, and then wait for other arrangements.

But no matter what, Emilia’s "1854 Tobesk City trip" came to an end today. An Elf’s long lifespan meant she would live through a very long future, yet this one and a half weeks would probably remain forever etched in her mind... Thinking of it like that, Shard felt sad for her as well.

The Academy’s arrangements were of course impossible to refuse, and even Emilia herself knew that this was for her own safety. So although she was reluctant, she could only accept it.

The luggage in the second-floor side bedroom had to be packed again. Lecia still had other matters to attend to that morning, but Angelina volunteered to stay and help. While Angelina and Emilia were packing, Shard went to Coldwater Port to meet Mr. Edmund. He planned to be back within an hour, and then fulfill his promise to take Emilia around the city properly.

On that Thursday morning, a light rain was falling over Coldwater Port, so the coachmen willing to take Shard out of the city all demanded an extra ten percent fare. Holding an umbrella, Shard arrived at the old Lighthouse on the Sea Cliff, only to find that the old man who guarded the tower was not inside drinking tea out of the rain, but standing on the very edge of the cliff, holding a monocular telescope and gazing into the depths of the Ocean.

"Good morning, Mr. Edmund."

Shard took the initiative to greet him. The old man recognized Shard’s voice, and without turning his head said:

"Good morning. Wait a moment."

So Shard came up beside him and looked out over the sea as well. Perhaps because of that hazy drizzle, a thin mist seemed to have risen from the distant Ocean. The slowly rolling vapors were hazy and strange. The Outlander, who had never lived in a Coastal city, found it very curious, but he didn’t sense anything unusual about the rain and mist over the sea.

After waiting for more than ten minutes, Mr. Edmund finally lowered the telescope. He hesitated for a moment, then actually handed it to Shard:

"Have a look."

That brass-colored, extendable telescope was an Alchemical Product, and its elemental traces were very strong:

"Which Direction should I look?"

"Toward the depths of the Ocean. Look at that mist."

Closing his left eye, Shard raised the telescope to his right. The previously distant scenery was suddenly drawn close before him. He could see almost every detail of the rolling mist very clearly. But Shard knew Mr. Edmund certainly hadn’t asked him to admire the view, so he focused even more intently on the details within the vapors, and his brow gradually furrowed:

"Wait, is there an island deep within the mist? As far as I remember, there shouldn’t be any island that large in the near waters off Coldwater Port, right?"

He lowered the telescope, and the old Folklore Scholar nodded in satisfaction:

"Good, you can indeed see it. Yes, there is certainly no such island off Coldwater Port. That island is, for now, only a Phantom. You’ve been through so many things in the Green Lake Region; I think you should know what this implies."

Shard answered hesitantly:

"The Space on the other side of normal Space in the Material World?"

"Exactly. After the Green Lake incident, although thanks to the efforts of the Chosen of Balance, the Chosen of Space, and the God Summoner, the originally expanding Space instability disaster has been temporarily halted, the overall trend of Space in this World drifting toward instability has not been completely Twisted back. Some things that could not be observed before are now accelerating their return to our World, and that island is one of them... Dragon Island."

"What?"

Shard stared at Mr. Edmund in surprise, and the old man motioned for him to go back inside the Lighthouse to talk.

Compared to the rainy and somewhat chilly outdoors, the inside of the Lighthouse, separated by an iron door, was warm and comfortable, with a faint fragrance of tea in the air. After Shard sat down, Mr. Edmund prepared hot tea as he continued:

"According to ancient Legend, Dragons did not vanish, but received the protection of the Ocean Gods, journeyed into the deep sea, and settled there. Back when the New World was discovered, the True God Church once believed that it was the last island where the vanished Dragons had settled. But now, so many years have passed since the New World was found, and no one has discovered Dragons there."

White steam rose from the teacup as hot water was poured in. Shard thanked him and lifted the cup:

"So, the Dragons that began gradually disappearing at the start of the Fifth Era actually hid themselves away in strange Spaces similar to Green Island? And now, because of the series of events at Green Lake, they’re preparing to return?"

"I can’t say for sure whether they will truly return, but the barrier between that island and reality is definitely thinning."

Mr. Edmund also cradled his cup and took a sip:

"This tea really is quite good... Let the Church worry about Dragon Island; they’re probably more anxious than we are. But with the Chosen of Light about to appear, and Dragon Island just happening to return because of what happened at Green Lake—tell me, is this a coincidence of Fate, or Fate’s design?"

Shard was taken aback as well. Because of his existence, the affair at Green Lake had been resolved in a relatively complete way, and only thus did Dragon Island reveal itself at precisely this moment. He just didn’t know, in all those past times when he did not exist, in what era Dragon Island had appeared...

"Right, so the order in which The Chosen appear is different."

He understood that in his heart, then raised his brows and asked:

"You just said the Chosen of Light?"

Mr. Edmund answered with a smile:

"I bet you’re in Moon Bay right now, aren’t you?"

"Yes, and I’ve run into a bit of trouble."

Shard spoke honestly, and the old man also nodded:

"The Guiding Light Hermitage also holds part of a Fragment of Poem Chapter. Although it can’t compare with the Church of the Five Gods and the Three Major Academies, this time the piece of information we have points directly at Moon Bay. The Church and the Academy probably don’t know this: the power possessed by the Chosen of Light can directly control Dragons. Or rather, once the Chosen of Light appears, the Dragons are willing to obey his or her or its commands. Although it’s impossible to directly become the so‑called ’Dragon King’, the Dragons won’t mind stepping in to help at the right time."

Shard pressed his lips together:

"That’s quite an incredible piece of news. It means that this time The Chosen One not only has powerful strength of their own, but also an entire powerful race behind them..."

"Whether those Dragons are still powerful now is not certain. They are indeed stronger than ordinary Humans, and Ancient Dragons can rival Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers, but don’t forget this is the Sixth Era. Humans grew weaker because of the changing Eras. Up to now in the Sixth Era, aside from the God Summoner who is rumored to have touched the Demigod realm, there hasn’t been a single Demigod. So on what basis are Dragons still as strong as they were in ancient times?"

Mr. Edmund posed the question, and Shard also expressed his understanding:

"That makes sense. But if all the Dragons return, even if their strength has relatively weakened, they’d still be a considerable force. So, the Dragon Feast Cult this time wants not only to seize The Chosen One’s power, but also this? Oh, I’ve come this time to ask you about an ancient legend. Do you know the ’Sword of Light’?"

Mr. Edmund first frowned, then, incredulous, set down his teacup:

"Is this Chosen One Ceremony actually about drawing that sword?"

Shard was not surprised at all; instead he was delighted:

"So you do know it."

"That explains it—why the Dragons are willing to help the Chosen of Light. With that sword, of course they can’t resist."

The old Folklore Scholar laughed:

"The answer is simpler than I thought. I was thinking the Dragons revere Mortals who inherit Ancient God Power—turns out they’re being threatened... Don’t worry, I won’t spread that information."

"Actually, even if it gets out, it’s fine. Looking at the situation of the six previous Chosen Ones, knowing about the Chosen One Ceremony basically doesn’t help at all, it might even end up helping someone else."

Shard waved his hand carelessly, and Mr. Edmund agreed with that:

"True enough. Then let’s get back to the main topic. I do know about the ’Sword of Light’, but I don’t know much. After all, that’s a story passed down from the beginning of the Second Era. Even I can’t be sure whether that sword truly exists. How much do you know now?"

"Its origin, and that it can restrain Dragons; it’s suspected to be the legendary ’Dragon Sword’."

"Then what you probably don’t know is the mode in which that sword exists. To be specific, the ’Sword of Light’ is not a single fixed sword."

Mr. Edmund spoke with certainty. Seeing Shard frown, he knew Shard hadn’t understood:

"The ’Sword of Light’ is a powerful Weapon forged by an Ancient God. Because of its special nature, in theory, from the moment that sword was born, any sword forged in the Material World that is related to justice and Light is an extension of the Sword of Light’s power. I call those swords Holy Swords. It sounds unbelievable, but it’s merely a connection in Mysticism. Therefore, no one knows where the true body of the Sword of Light is, yet those powerful Holy Swords can, through certain special methods, become the ’Sword of Light’."

"So if we can’t find the actual ’Sword of Light’, we can use other swords to summon it... Which swords meet the requirements?"

The old gentleman immediately shook his head:

"All I know is the story; I don’t know the specific details. But I’m almost certain that the Evil Fiend‑bane Night Watchman in the God Summoner’s hand must meet the criteria. I can hardly think of anything that fits better than it."

"So, if he knows the specific ritual or conditions, the God Summoner can draw out the Sword of Light through Night Watchman?"

Shard asked again, and Mr. Edmund thought for a moment before nodding:

"In theory, yes. But it’s easy for us to say; actually doing it would be very difficult. I would very much like to see a legendary Weapon left behind by an Ancient God. The Dragon Sword must be even stronger than Night Watchman. Even if that sword isn’t a Relic, its Power would surely be able to easily rival Unclassified Level sword‑type Relics, wouldn’t it?"