Chapter 61 The little gray-haired boy chewed on a flower petal provocatively.
Above the sky, Little Gray watched as Xia's figure completely vanished, his voice tinged with undisguised sorrow, and he whispered:
"At that moment, Xia might still not have survived."
Xia Die slowly closed her eyes, as if sensing the atmosphere deep within the tree garden. She shook her head, rejecting Little Gray's words:
"I... still don't want to think about that possibility."
"Perhaps they simply couldn't move the fire, but managed to escape... that's it."
Little Gray took a deep breath, perked up, nodded, and said:
"We need to go to the Throne of Enlightenment."
Just as the group was discussing in hushed tones, the tightly closed door next to them suddenly creaked and turned.
It actually opened slowly!
Mimi's eyes lit up, and she let out a cheerful shout, quickly reminding everyone:
"Hey, the door can be opened now!"
"So that message was actually a door lock!"
Looking at the open door, Xia Die knew it must be Xia's doing, and couldn't help but say with a sigh:
"Alchemy is just so... incredible."
The group exchanged glances and stepped inside.
Continuing deeper into the tree-hole-like passage, they discovered that countless books were piled up on both sides of the passage.
This must be the place where the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden stores knowledge.
Along the way, a faint, ethereal voice suddenly came from all directions.
The voice was all too familiar; it was the whisper of the Titans: "The gods favor this fertile land, and it flourishes like fire..."
Mimi was startled by the sudden sound, and her voice became shrill:
"W-What was that sound?"
After passing through a long passage, the group entered an enormous space.
In the very center of the space, there was a stone platform that resembled an altar.
On the stone platform, a bright red object, shaped like a heart, lay quietly.
Mimi looked around curiously and muttered softly, "Hmm..."
"There seems to be no one here... Was that singing just an illusion?"
Xia Die gently shook her head and said with certainty, "No, it's not a hallucination, I heard it too."
"There might be someone nearby, we don't know if they're friend or foe... everyone be careful."
As soon as the words were spoken, the ethereal singing voice rang out again: "The twelve constellations are like eyes, giants raise their cups in toast..."
Mimi's ears drooped in fright, her little tail tucked tightly behind her, her face full of worry: "Here we go again!"
"This sound is from..."
"...I can't figure it out, the echo in this library is too loud!"
Seeing this, Little Gray quickly patted Mimi's shoulder and comforted her:
"Don't be afraid, I have experience catching ghosts!"
Mimi's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the little gray-haired boy.
"How come you've done this before...?"
Little Gray Fur stood with his hands on his hips, a smug smile playing on his lips, looking completely confident.
Just then, Xia Die's gaze locked onto a direction, and she said in a deep voice, "Found it."
Little Grayfur followed Xia Die's gaze and immediately saw the huge red heart on the altar. He couldn't help but ask in confusion:
"heart?"
Mimi, still looking worried and scared, shook her head vigorously and said:
How can the heart speak?
"And since it's not even lit, people think there must be some supernatural force at work..."
Xia Die quickly shook her head, pointed to a more distant place, and corrected her:
"No, it's in a place even further away..."
Following the direction Xia Die pointed, the group finally found the source of the sound.
It was a statue, resembling an old man in a long robe, sitting cross-legged in meditation...
A statue of an old man who can sing.
The little gray-haired boy walked up curiously, reached out and gently tapped the statue, wanting to see if he could get any reaction.
Just then, a cheerful voice suddenly came from behind Little Gray Hair:
"Alas... even so, the stubborn rock cannot speak."
Little Gray Fur suddenly turned around.
A phantom figure stood silently not far away.
The figure was entirely dark gold, as if it had been carved from withered old trees.
Her eyes were closed, and she had horns like branches growing from her head. Her long robe was like a withered leaf, carrying a sense of vicissitude.
Mimi was startled by the sudden appearance of the figure and exclaimed:
"Wow—who—?"
The figure that suddenly appeared before him chuckled softly as he watched Mimi jump in fright.
"Hehe...this little rabbit is so lively, and it has a familiar scent."
Looking at the elegant, ghost-like older sister in front of him, the little gray-haired boy couldn't help but mutter to himself:
"This ghost is actually quite good-looking."
The woman, her eyes closed and her body covered in branches, spoke slowly, her tone gentle:
"What a silver-tongued child... I am honored by the compliment."
Seeing the other person's strange appearance, Xia Die immediately took a step back warily and said in a low voice:
"…Who are you?"
"Keep your distance and identify yourself, or you will bear the consequences."
The woman turned her face to Xia Die, and her voice slowly rang out: "The aura of Cenatos (the Titan of Death)... I recognize you."
"The goddess of death in Aidiria is renowned."
Xia Die's expression became more cautious, and her tone turned colder:
"Since you understand, then stop challenging the authority of 'death'—answer my question."
The woman looked at Xia Die as if she had heard a funny joke, like an elder looking at a mischievous junior:
"Hehe, all bared teeth and claws...so cute."
Then she revealed her identity to everyone: "Call me Calypso, and on behalf of the Seven Sages and the Lotus Food School, I extend my greetings to you all."
Although this person seemed dangerous, Calypso not only answered many of Xia Die's questions, but also revealed that he was the one who saved Na Ke Xia.
These words temporarily won Xia Die's approval, and she agreed to travel with her.
Then, Calypso turned his gaze to a waterwheel beneath a door in the distance and slowly said:
"By simply turning the waterwheel, one can climb the steps..."
As she spoke, her gaze returned to the enormous heart at the very center of the library, and she added:
"The answer lies in awakening this heart!"
It turns out that for the giant tree of the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden, water is its lifeblood.
If the waterwheel over there cannot turn, the blood inside the giant tree cannot flow, and its heart will naturally stop beating.
Then, with the combined efforts of Little Gray Fur, Little Butterfly, and Mimi, they successfully woke up the waterwheel.
They rode in a waterwheel and headed towards the upper level of the tree garden.
After arriving at the upper level, they quickly reunited with Tian, whom they had separated from earlier.
After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at their destination.
Finally, I can have an audience with the Titan of Reason, Sersis!
However, after arriving here, Xia Die's expression suddenly changed.
She discovered that the Divine Butterfly used to pay homage to the Titans had disappeared!
Tian was a little confused. She tilted her head and looked at Xia Die, asking in bewilderment, "What exactly is this 'Gentleman's Butterfly'?"
"Is it a very powerful gatekeeper monster?"
Xia Die gently shook her head and patiently explained:
"No, how should I put it... consider it an insurance policy for the Titan Seed."
"This butterfly was formed from the remaining divine consciousness of the Titan of Meneta Romance, and it bears the responsibility of guarding the flame."
"It is said that only by proving to them that they possess 'pure and selfless love' in their hearts can they pass the butterfly's test, awaken the great tree to clear the way, and meet Ceres."
Tian nodded as if she understood, then asked again, "Then... how do we prove it?"
Upon hearing the words "romance" and "pure love," Mimi immediately raised her hand excitedly and said:
"Is it enough to just say 'I love you' to Titan?"
"That Mimi is very good at it!"
Xia Die lowered her head helplessly and said apologetically:
"I'm sorry, I don't know either… After all, this is a secret known to only a very few people in the entire Tree Garden and even Onpharos."
She changed the subject, looked at Tian, and asked:
"Compared to this—Lord Tian, did the golden thread show any reaction to its surroundings?"
Tian felt it carefully, then shook his head and said, "Hmm, no."
"That thing, which we don't know what it is, seems to be further ahead, higher up."
Mimi immediately looked worried and whispered, "Oh no... but this is a dead end?"
Xia Die's gaze fell on the intertwined branches and twigs in front of her.
And those almost transparent little butterflies floating gently among the branches and leaves, she murmured:
"Perhaps we can try again... will the vanished butterflies respond to the 'Golden Bough Oath' again?"
"If it is truly a mythical token, it should be effective."
Little Grey nodded, carefully plucked a petal from the "Golden Branch Oath," held it in both hands, and respectfully presented it to the transparent butterflies.
But the butterflies remained completely still.
Seeing that the butterflies didn't react, Little Gray suddenly had a brilliant idea.
She put one hand on her hip and stuffed the flower petal in her hand directly into her mouth.
With an extremely provocative expression on his face, he chewed the flower petal forcefully.
In Little Gray's mind, competitiveness is the nature of life.
Butterflies are no exception—
The act of plundering a shared "prey" is bound to awaken this primal instinct deep within our genes.
Xia Die was completely stunned by Xiao Hui Mao's actions.
She slowly turned her head, staring speechlessly at the little gray-haired boy: "...?"
The little gray-haired creature, like a little squirrel, chewed the flower petals in its mouth a few more times.
However, it wasn't long before she lowered her head and showed a disappointed expression.
Clearly, the butterflies rejected her "duel invitation."
Then, she turned to look at Xia Die and asked in a serious tone:
"Do we need to use some kind of magical incantation?"
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(End of chapter)