"Captain, I hope you won’t blame me for dragging you into this later. However, this isn’t an opportunity I gave you; it’s one you gave yourself. If you hadn’t quickly pulled yourself together after returning to Tobesk and made a name for yourself in Midshire Fort, even if I wanted to give you the opportunity, it wouldn’t have mattered."

Shard said, raising his glass to clink with Captain Lades.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a peculiar sensation. The man before him, whose fate had gradually changed due to his arrival, might just be one of the traces that Outlanders leave in this world.

"Perhaps when I see Captain Lades transformed into a calamity in the Bygone Era, I will truly understand what I have done in this world."

He drank the low-strength barley wine and, after putting down the glass, noticed Captain Lades looking out the window at the village children playing in the tavern’s stable. He then asked:

"Captain, do you think future history books will record our meeting and conversation here?"

The captain gently shook his head, gazing at the children outside:

"Detective, this is indeed a heavy topic. But don’t, absolutely don’t let this be recorded in history books."

After all, records in history books tend to be too heavy.

Captain Lades remained grateful for the opportunity Shard provided him. Stories about Shard and the Duchess had long spread all over, and since it was a letter brought by Shard, the captain need not worry about bearing the blame or being secretly disposed of later.

The two sat in the tavern for a while longer, chatting about the possible impacts of upcoming events, until around eleven o’clock they finally said their goodbyes and left.

Since Granny Cassandra’s train was arriving at Green Lake City in the afternoon, Shard thought of going back to the city to welcome her, as a sign of respect for the Old Witch. However, while he was looking for a carriage to return to the city at Crossroad Village, he suddenly spotted the Priest and Doctor approaching together.

They were coming from the direction of the city, apparently heading to cross the border to the city on the lake’s opposite shore. After Shard waved to greet them, the Doctor was the first to spot him:

"Detective, are you specifically waiting for us?"

He asked with a smile.

Shard also replied with a smile:

"I am waiting for you, so we can have lunch together at the tavern. Are you planning to go to the other side later?"

The Priest cautiously nodded:

"Yes, I can roughly predict where those three brothers will appear. I asked the Doctor to join because I’m worried I can’t handle them on my own."

Shard replied in surprise:

"If that’s the case, I should come along as well. Come to think of it, the three of us haven’t taken action together yet."

The Priest waved it off:

"You don’t need to come with us now. If you have time, you can come find us tonight. The Doctor and I will first set up the ritual to prevent any accidents later. We will start at six o’clock, no, eight o’clock tonight."

He then took out a notebook and wrote the address for Shard.

Shard tucked it away:

"Will we capture them tonight and obtain the materials you need?"

"That depends on how lucky we are."

The Priest said, but he looked quite confident at least.

After bidding farewell to the Doctor and the Priest, Shard eventually chose to throw on his Crystal Shoes and return home, and then make his way back to Green Lake Hotel. After having lunch with Dorothy, Miss Writer heard that Shard was going to greet the Red Butterfly Sisters in the afternoon, and she requested to accompany him:

"Although this counts as leaving the hotel, as long as you’re with me, even if I get ’lost’ again, I’ll be lost along with you."

As she spoke, she grabbed Shard’s arms and placed them on her chest. Shard found it difficult to refuse such a request.

The train carrying the Old Witch and her group was not delayed and stopped promptly at 2:35 PM at the Green Lake City Train Station. For this era, a train running on time was as inconceivable as a City Hall without corruption.

The Cassandra Auction House is very wealthy, and they booked two train carriages. Besides Shard, Megan and Audrey, who were temporarily unoccupied, also came to greet Granny Cassandra.

The Grand Witch with brown hair was wearing a floral blue dress today, and she used a wide-brimmed hat to cover half of her face.

"Granny, Miss Swift!"

When the train came to a stop and Granny Cassandra was helped out of the train by a young Witch Apprentice, Shard immediately greeted them. Dorothy and Megan, who were speaking behind him, also followed along.

Grace and Helen then appeared at the door, waving and smiling at Shard. The duo traveling by train were wearing black and white dresses according to their own habits. But to accommodate the long sitting periods, their dresses weren’t as elaborate as when in Milestone, instead giving them a more youthful vitality.

They first greeted Shard, then spoke with Dorothy, and finally noticed Megan with brown hair.

Megan had only heard of these two "instructors" of Granny Cassandra. Seeing them now, combined with the night Lecia and Dorothy unexpectedly appeared, she had glimpsed their figures, so even without an introduction by Shard or the Old Witch, she had a vague sense of who they were.

A red jade butterfly pendant that Luviya personally placed around her neck days ago seemed to have some resonance, and as Grace and Helen saw her, they too recognized the special spirit she embodied.

The black-dressed Helen seemingly had something to say but was silenced by her elder sister, so she obediently kept quiet. The group didn’t linger at the train station for pleasantries but boarded the carriages arranged by Megan, heading towards Granny Cassandra’s residence.

It’s worth mentioning that although the Cassandra Auction House has branches all over the Old Continent, the backward Green Lake City is considered a "rural area" without one. Interestingly, there is a branch of the Cassandra Auction House on the opposite lake’s City of Glass, but unfortunately, Granny Cassandra, visiting as a commercial representative from the Draleon Kingdom, couldn’t reside in a neighboring country.

Currently, all places in Green Lake City suitable for dignified occupancy by outsiders are fully booked. Shard wished he could have Granny Cassandra’s group stay at the Green Lake Hotel, but the hotel rooms were insufficient.

Thus, it was Miss Galina, as a Duchess, who found a small manor in the city for the Old Witch. Though not as spacious as her temporary residence at the Rose Manor, its location was excellent, nearly next door to the Rose Manor, making it convenient for residency.

Furniture and servants at the manor were also arranged by Miss Galina, and with Granny Cassandra’s maids, there wasn’t much need for tidying before moving in.

Once the group arrived at the manor, Grace and Helen discreetly tugged at Shard’s sleeve, and hence Shard took a moment to leave the reception room during the chit-chat to meet the sisters, who had split from their indoor chat:

"That Great Witch of Knowledge and Wisdom is truly remarkable. If she lived in our era, perhaps the Church of Twin Gods wouldn’t have taken interest in us. Really impressive; we’ve never seen such a unique dual soul."

Given the sisters’ age and experience, their compliment carried significant weight.

"I’m curious; according to me, Audrey and Megan’s current situation seems more suitable as the first candidate for The Chosen, compared to anything the Edwards Family has. In ancient times, even being revered as ’Saints’ by believers of the Ancient God of Space wouldn’t surprise me. But why, even so, aren’t they appearing as independent The Chosen candidates?"

Shard said this to express his confusion rather than asking the sisters a question. Unexpectedly, Grace glanced at her sister and pulled on Shard’s sleeve again:

"Sir, at the Randall Valley, you should have noticed that the Witch of the Earth, Vanessa Benanis, also has the potential to become The Chosen of the Earth, but she’s not The Chosen."

Shard nodded, and Helen in the black dress quietly said,

"After this, you’ll find that no matter how well-suited the Grand Witches of the Witch Council are to being The Chosen, they certainly aren’t The Chosen... The position of The Chosen of Chaos, however, is uncertain. Though we’ve never been council members, over the years, we’ve had plenty of contact with witches representing the ’Darkness’ line, like Zina, and have learned some inside stories. The uniquely thirteen Grand Witches have a unique legacy mission. It’s their ultimate secret, and they must remember their mission, so they won’t be The Chosen."

"I see..."

Shard suddenly recalled that in the truthful information Tree Father had given him about the Fifth Era, it hinted that two Grand Witches had initiated the Witch War because they believed that other witches had forgotten their responsibilities, deciding to end the Fifth Era (383). 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

But regarding the Witch Council’s ultimate secret, even Grace and Helen knew only a bit, and they just happened to forget what they knew. As for asking the Grand Witches around him, Shard judged he’d likely not get an answer. Only if he truly mastered... if he was trusted by the Witch Council someday, he might learn these matters from the Grand Witch of Time.

"Speaking of the Church of Twin Gods, I met the last two believers of the Order a few days ago. Don’t be so surprised, they’re merely ordinary people now. Though the Order technically still exists, it’s practically defunct, but..."

Shard reached into his pocket and pulled out a red Treasure Bead that, when held up to Sunshine, revealed a Red Butterfly inside. Although he didn’t know what it was, since it was given by those two elderly women to Grace and Helen, he wouldn’t hide it.