The Arcane Technique "Demon Vision" cannot be used in the Black Mist Camp; any reconnaissance arcane techniques are forbidden in this camp. But at such a close distance, Shard would not mistake a person’s soul; the one returning is indeed a human, not a demon, though the sulfuric smell is still very suspicious.

Miss Higgins bent down by the campfire to rummage through her backpack, taking out the rusty Knight Sword that fell from the sky after using the conch "Eternal Longing" last time (Chapter 1801). Her backpack is evidently much larger in capacity than it appears. Though Shard was puzzled, he also reached into his pocket, intending to present a gift for the lovers’ reunion.

The light of the sunset outside the window gradually dimmed until it completely disappeared. Black mist swept in, engulfing the village that had long vanished. Memories dissipated, and the terrifying and eerie scene of the Black Mist Camp reappeared outside the dilapidated Bell Tower.

The crackling light of the campfire lengthened the shadows of Shard and the witch, making them sway eerily on the wall. Suddenly, both Shard and Miss Higgins paused their actions because they witnessed with their own eyes the young blond man embracing Mrs. Miles slowly turning into ashes in her arms.

Shockingly gazing at the ashes on her arms, Mrs. Miles twitched and then fainted, luckily being supported by the closer Miss Higgins, preventing the back of her head from hitting the ground. But Miss Higgins, just by slightly touching, had a drastic change in expression:

"Oh no, Mrs. Miles is not going to make it!"

Neither of them was really surprised by this outcome. Even a healthy adult wouldn’t last long in such a bizarre place, let alone an elderly person already at the end of her life. The massive emotional upheaval, coupled with the scene of her lost lover turning to ashes in her arms, would be unbearable for most, even outside of the "Black Mist Camp".

"Quick, help me get the backpack! I still have medicine there!"

"It’s not that complicated, I won’t let her die, she just won’t die — False Immortality!"

Touching the old woman’s forehead with his palm, the Arcane Technique Shard hadn’t had the chance to use on others for a long time worked again. Her weak breathing and gradually faint pulse slowly returned to normal, and the awakened old woman opened her eyes in confusion, seeing Miss Higgins’ worried expression and Shard’s frowning face:

"I... Where am I...?"

Though she was awake, it still took her a few seconds to recall what had just happened:

"Was it a dream?"

"Please don’t think about those things, I have medicine here."

Miss Higgins comforted softly, gesturing to pull over the backpack and picking out another bottle from the few remaining magic potions. Shard used his arcane technique "Cyndia’s Silvermoon Blessing" for her healing. Compared to the "Satiety Food" for healing external injuries, Mrs. Miles now needed mental care more.

In the corner, that shadow silently watched the proceedings, but Shard suddenly turned to look at it.

The shadow remained motionless and did not react. Shard just glanced at it and continued to heal Mrs. Miles. The magic potion they brought proved to be effective; soon, Mrs. Miles, under Miss Higgins’ support, sat back by the campfire, and she was once again free from the state of "False Immortality".

But this did not mean she was fully restored to health. For someone of her age, this adventure had indeed gone too far.

"What exactly is going on now?"

After dealing with Mrs. Miles’ matter, Miss Higgins asked Shard helplessly. Shard had picked up the book "Golden Memories" to inspect:

"Three complete memories are recorded on it; indeed, Mr. Richard Jackman appeared just now, which is due to the relic’s effect. I don’t understand this relic; does it only sustain for a short few seconds?"

Miss Higgins immediately shook her head:

"Of course not, the spirit called by this relic is truly summoned and won’t leave so quickly."

"Thinking optimistically, this is also good news; at least it proves that the sir’s spirit hasn’t been destroyed, he truly still exists, just unable to appear for long due to some special reasons... Can this relic be used consecutively? You don’t need to answer; that’s a silly question. Mrs. Miles’ spirit is no longer strong enough to sustain her using the relic again."

Shard shook his head. Now that he had basically accomplished his purpose of coming to this time-space, even though Mr. Richard Jackman came and left, it still partly fulfilled Mrs. Miles’ wish.

But if it ended like this, even Shard himself wasn’t satisfied. Since he intended to do it, he wanted to do it well, and encountering such trouble was expected:

"Madam, do you still wish to truly meet the gentleman and ask him where he has been all these years?"

He asked the silver-haired old lady, who struggled to lift her head, her weary face showing hopeful longing:

"Yes, but... is there a way now?"

Her own coins were already exhausted, and Miss Higgins was evidently unwilling to unnecessarily consume her Power of Existence. Even if willing, the demon’s guided direction had already realized her wish, and they had no other directions. In such a situation, no one knew what to do next.

"Do you still have a way?"

The young witch asked, and Shard nodded:

"Actually, I also came here to complete a trade."

"But I see you’re not exactly keen on finding goods."

"Because I only trade with certain people."

Shard said, walking to the window and looking at the almost endless Black Mist Camp below. The black mist could no longer obscure his vision, but the dark and lightless environment meant that even with Dark Vision, he couldn’t see farther:

"That entity, I already know where it is. Miss Higgins, please be prepared. I don’t have much time left. Once we leave this time, we will never come back, so we will solve all the problems in one go."

Hearing Shard say he would never come back, the young witch, who got along quite well with him, showed a look of regret:

"I see, although I had suspected it might be this way, I was planning to introduce you to His Majesty... A magical man suddenly appears to help a young witch, just as in the stories my aunt told me when I was a child."

She nodded:

"Are we leaving now? How far is it to the merchant you’re looking for, the lady’s body might not hold out that long."

She looked a bit troubled, but Shard reassured her:

"We’re not going anywhere. Since the demon said there’s a way to leave from here, we’ll stay here. As for the merchant I’m looking for, it’s right here."

Miss Higgins glanced at the shadow in the corner, but Shard shook his head:

"It’s both it and not it. I don’t know if you noticed something interesting. All the shadows we’ve seen so far in this camp, although their postures differ — standing, sitting, lying — their body shapes are broadly the same."

Miss Higgins thought for a moment, looking at Shard’s side profile:

"I noticed, perhaps an entity that created this camp bestowed a unified form on these shadows for convenience... After all, this place couldn’t have formed naturally."

"Then did you notice something else: the shadows here don’t simply repeat the selling process mechanically. They have their own autonomous judgment and can react differently based on our actions."

Miss Higgins frowned:

"There does seem to be... Could these shadows really have been naturally formed, belonging to some kind of low-consciousness strange life form? Or perhaps The Great One granted them simple wisdom?"

"It’s unlikely. The demon outside the camp is clearly constrained by this place, acting as a guide to explain various matters for those who come here in the fire. I don’t believe it stays here voluntarily. Do you think demons are known for their dedication? It didn’t complain, nor did it mock the shadows in the camp to vent its dissatisfaction."

Shard said again, and Miss Higgins felt she was starting to understand:

"So, some suspected Deity created this place and arranged the demon as a guide. All our actions so far have been under the surveillance of that Great One?"

She moved a bit closer to Mrs. Miles after speaking.

Shard shook his head. The young witch had far less information than he did, so she could only think that far. But because Tree Father’s task wasn’t "God Summoning," Shard knew from the start that the Deity of wealth and trade—the Golden Sovereign—was most likely here.

Moreover, Old John who ran the pawnshop had mentioned that demons themselves don’t have beliefs, but they do have a certain degree of association with this Golden Sovereign. This once led Shard to think all the shadows in the camp were the shadows of demons, but when he cheated in the card game last time and drew the Impermanence Card, he knew these shadows definitely weren’t demons.

Even those Third Era evil spirits probably don’t understand what Impermanence truly represents.

What truly confirmed Shard’s suspicion, besides the information he got from Old God Believers at the church, was the strange events he encountered on the way just now. Those shadows were deliberately targeting him, and the cost of acquiring bonfires for Miss Higgins transferred fatefully to him, meaning someone could manipulate the fundamental rules of fairness in this camp.

Combined with the fact that reconnaissance Arcane Techniques are uniquely prohibited in this camp, and there are no shadows of animals like horses besides human-like shadows, the answer was clear, it was just hard to imagine:

"I will invite It out now. Would you like to come and watch with me? You probably won’t have another chance to see a scene like this. Although it’s dangerous, it’s also an opportunity. It’s always been here, yes, always been."