https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-861-Lance-and-Sigrid-s-Monastery-Date/12937164/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-863-Sigrid-and-Lance-s-Adventure-Part-1-/12937166/
Chapter 862: The Cat Boss Takes a Dark Turn
Chapter 862: The Cat Boss Takes a Dark Turn
As the sun set, bathing Saint Kreith Monastery in a golden glow, the entire world seemed to bask in tranquility.
The monastery's walls, windows, and towers glowed slightly red in the evening light.
After a long conversation, Lance Sigrid and Violet decided to leave the large gray cat in Violet's hospital room and then depart from the Elsaya Sanctuary Healing Center's grand garden, heading towards the location where Violet believed the Dustless Star might be hidden.
"The meaning of Dustless Star, according to my understanding of ancient Serosian language, is to experience once more, leaving no regrets behind, and moving towards the future. However, for those who can't let go, using the Dustless Star might only increase their obsession. For those who have already moved on, using or not using the Dustless Star doesn't really matter."
Lance and Sigrid walked down the eastern corridor of the monastery, and the view before them suddenly opened up.
They strolled towards the eastern side of the monastery, deep in conversation.
Although the possible location of the Dustless Star was based on Violet's deduction from Hestinos' ancient exploration of Saint Kreith Monastery, they believed Violet's guess would not be far off. After all, Violet was the principal and high priestess of Saint Kreith Monastery and had been familiar with this grand monastery since childhood.
An endless lake lay quietly, embraced by ancient architecture.
"This seems to be the monastery's ancient snow-covered lake," Lance said.
Lance had been at the monastery for quite some time but had only passed by this place from a distance and had never truly visited the lake.
Fed by ancient glacial meltwater, the lake had never frozen over, even in the harshest winters.
The lake's water was clear as a mirror, reflecting the sky's golden hues at dusk, ranging from shallow gold near the shore to deep emerald green in the distance, resembling translucent turquoise.
"It's truly beautiful, even more magnificent than the lake at the Protos Royal Academy of Magic," Sigrid remarked.
Sigrid and Lance walked along the wide path by the lake.
On the south bank was an open space covered with vegetation, glowing softly in the evening light.
Three or five tall, lush spruce trees stood on the lakeshore, with birds occasionally perching on their branches. A few steps further, a row of natural stone monuments stood tall.
"Violet guessed that the Dustless Star was at the bottom of this lake because that day, she saw Hestinos with wet hair, as if he had been in the water. And in the monastery, the only place deep enough to require Hestinos to dive in personally is probably this lake," Sigrid explained.
Lance and Sigrid stood by a large boulder on the shore, gazing at the calm lake surface.
Even they couldn't easily fathom the depth of this magical lake.
"It's quite dangerous to dive in and retrieve the star recklessly," Sigrid analyzed, "as the magic power will interfere, and if we accidentally touch the Dustless Star underwater, we might become trapped in an illusion and drown."
Sigrid tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"But it's fine. Your Bishop has a solution."
She snapped her fingers, and a silver glow blossomed on the lawn, summoning a silvery puppet before them.
The puppet was bathed in an otherworldly silver radiance, as if cloaked in a veil woven from starlight.
"Hey, this is the silvery puppet that stayed with me for protection," Lance recognized the magical puppet.
Although the puppet, formed entirely of silver light, had no facial features, its figure, identical to Sigrid's, exuded an incredibly powerful aura.
When they encountered Askson in Bandra City at the northern border of the Protos Empire, Sigrid had left this summoning to protect Lance while she fought Askson.
[Mindbound Puppet]
[Type: Summoning Card]
[Grade: Pink Sacred]
[Attribute: Psychic/Link]
[Class: 8]
[Effect: Gains 80% of the summoner's base attributes.]
[Note: Controlling this puppet requires skill, talent, effort, and sweat.]
Lance hadn't seen this puppet in a long time, and he finally managed to discern its attributes, which he couldn't identify before.
In theory, this puppet was quite weak for an 8th-tier sacred summoning, as summoned puppets couldn't replicate the summoner's spells and martial skills. For example, the Bone Lord's puppet, although with low attribute replication, could use all the summoner's spells.
However, for Sigrid, this puppet was the most suitable summoning.
The only drawback was that the summoning card's mana consumption was the highest among spell cards, equipment cards, and summoning cards. Additionally, once summoned, it continuously drained mana. Sigrid's mana was not abundant, and in high-pressure situations, it might be more cost-effective to use it for self-buffing and healing spells rather than summoning a puppet.
The silvery puppet stood before Sigrid and Lance, bowing slightly.
"Help me search for a dark-colored meteorite at the bottom of the lake. It will glow at night and emit illusion-attribute magic fluctuations. Also, remember not to disturb the lake's ecosystem; keep it quiet down there."
Sigrid instructed.
"Yes, Bishop," the silvery puppet replied in a mechanical yet powerful voice and headed towards the center of the lake, instantly submerging into the water.
The ripples on the water's surface gradually subsided, restoring the calm as if nothing had happened.
Silence enveloped the area.
"Are we just going to wait here now? If only my beloved poet was this obedient."
Lance and Sigrid exchanged a glance.
"Yes, let's sit on that bench over there for a while."
Sigrid pointed to the stone bench behind them.
"But I feel that with Lan Fu's personality, if she suddenly starts listening to you one day, you should be the one feeling scared." She added.
"Ah, Lan Fu, her effects don't work on me. The most she can do is kick me a couple of times."
Lance laughed and walked towards the bench with Sigrid, both of them sitting down and leaning back leisurely, gazing at the setting sun.
"The sky looks pretty good too."
The lake's surface mirrored the golden glow of the evening sky, blending seamlessly with the heavens.
As dusk deepened, the light dimmed, leaving only a faint glow on the horizon.
In the heart of the lake, a faint light emerged.
At first, it was just a few specks, but gradually, more appeared, like the initial twinkling of stars and flickering fireflies.
Countless silver points of light gathered at the bottom of the lake, flowing, swirling, and eventually weaving into a large net, spreading out across the depths.
"It seems like the Mindbound Puppet won't take long to find it."
Sigrid was certain that this silvery light was the state of the Mindbound Puppet working underwater.
"Anyway, according to the legend, the Dustless Star won't release its illusion until the night sky fully rises and the stars gaze upon it."
Lance relaxed completely, no longer feeling the pressure of work.
"Don't you find it boring to waste time with me like this?"
Sigrid turned her head and asked.
This afternoon was supposed to be their date, but now it had turned into a waiting game as they passed the time watching the sky.
Earlier, during their date in Helrom, they had spent the entire day exploring the city, rarely having such a leisurely time as they were having now.
"If this is considered wasting time, then wasting a lifetime doesn't sound too bad either."
Lance felt the post-work relaxation, and his voice carried a hint of unusual laziness.
"Oh my, Saint, why are you suddenly saying such things?"
Sigrid covered her face with a light laugh and leaned towards him, her shoulder gently touching his.
"It's like we were on the train in the Protos Empire, chatting non-stop. Back then, we weren't even that familiar with each other, but surprisingly, we hit it off so well in conversation."
Lance reminisced about the past.
"Cat Boss used to call us chatterboxes."
Sigrid nodded in agreement.
"Meow, are you talking about me?"
A familiar, youthful voice echoed from behind them, and both turned their heads.
A small black cat was floating towards them at a leisurely pace.
When they left Violet's ward earlier, they had also contacted Cat Boss via communication magic, asking it to come to the lake at Saint Kreith Monastery.
"Why did you call me back, meow?"
Cat Boss floated near the two of them, asking the question.
It had been having a great time playing with Antanas outside the monastery, but Sigrid had suddenly called it back.
Now it found the two of them sitting on the lakeside bench, chatting leisurely, and they had even mentioned it.
"I'm going to show you something fun."
Sigrid hugged Cat Boss and spoke to the little black cat.
The expedition to the northern border of Protos was an adventure they had embarked on together with Cat Boss, and they couldn't revisit the place without him.
"Meow? How fun is it?"
Cat Boss wondered if there was anything more exciting at the monastery that it didn't know about.
Recalling the adventure in the Northern Continent, Cat Boss remembered that after Lance and Sigrid teamed up, they would play with dangerous things every day. The most life-threatening time for it was when it followed the two of them around the Protos Empire.
But now, Saint Kreith Monastery was a safe place, and it didn't fear being tricked into playing something thrilling.
"Very, very fun."
"Where are we going now, meow?"
"Just wait here."
"Wait here, meow?"
"That's right."
The last trace of warm, reddish glow faded into the horizon, and darkness enveloped Saint Kreith Monastery.
A bright full moon silently climbed into the night sky, joining the countless stars and casting a cool, silvery light upon the earth.
The smooth, mirror-like lake surface reflected the moon's radiance, and the ripples of light danced with the starry sky above.
The silver light grew brighter, illuminating the entire lake as if it were daytime.
The light shot straight up from the bottom of the lake, converging into a dazzling pillar of light in mid-air.
"It seems like they've found it."
Lance and Sigrid's faces were lit up, their eyes sparkling with delight.
In the center of the pillar of light, a figure swam upwards at an incredible speed, leaving a trail of frothy, silver-white bubbles in its wake.
"It's the Silvery Puppet, meow."
Cat Boss suddenly turned its attention to the summoned creature that emerged from the water.
During the most dangerous moments, this Mindbound Puppet had given it and Lance a sense of security, and it still vividly remembered the puppet.
The Silvery Puppet's body, which had been glowing, gradually dimmed, eventually turning into specks of stardust that dissipated in the evening breeze.
All that remained was a deep blue mineral clutched tightly in its hand, its surface covered in craters like a meteorite, with sharp edges and cracks emitting a faint blue glow.
"Doesn't it remind you of the Void Gate in the Shadow World?"
Sigrid observed the mineral's appearance and asked Lance and Cat Boss.
"Perhaps its principles are somewhat similar to the Shadow World and the Artificial Shadow World. After all, they are illusions, and they are past illusions."
Lance commented.
The puppet presented the meteorite to the two of them.
Cat Boss gently extended its paw and touched the mineral, feeling a chill that made its body tremble.
"Were you two waiting here just to find this stone? Can it be played with?"
Cat Boss couldn't detect anything special about the stone except for its coldness.
"If Violet's description is correct, it should be the Dustless Star."
Sigrid first placed Cat Boss on her head, then took the deep blue meteorite from the Mindbound Puppet and carefully held it flat in her palm.
It matched Violet's description perfectly.
She gently squeezed it, and the outer shell cracked, revealing a smooth surface like satin, with a mesmerizing starlight glow within.
"Lance, give me your hand."
Sigrid seemed to sense the resonance of the stone's magic under the starlight, similar to when they were in Sweet Town, except that the illusionary power of the Dustless Star wasn't as forceful. Unless they completely relaxed their minds and bodies, they might not enter the illusion.
Lance's long hand covered her palm, hovering over the meteorite.
The two of them, sitting on the lakeside bench, closed their eyes slightly, attempting to resonate with the ancient power slumbering within the stone through the flow of magic in their bodies.
At first, nothing happened.
Even with their eyes tightly shut, darkness prevailed.
Only the gentle lapping of the lake water against the shore could be heard.
However, gradually, the magic within their bodies became increasingly tranquil, and a peculiar sense of weightlessness emerged.
The boundaries of their consciousness blurred, and the real world rapidly receded, replaced by chaos.
A deep rumble sounded in their ears, like a tide ebbing and flowing, sweeping over their nerves.
Their memories surged like a tidal wave, shattering into fragments, and then gradually, the images became coherent and clear.
In a daze, the sense of reality faded, and as they selected a memory node, a dizzying sensation overwhelmed them, almost detaching their spirits from their bodies.
It felt like an eternity had passed, yet it was also just a fleeting moment.
Snow fell on the border, about to cover everything.
When they opened their eyes again, a vast expanse of snow-covered wilderness came into view.
The biting wind carried snowflakes, blurring their vision into a pure white expanse.
"Meow, where are we?"
Cat Boss's voice sounded small and helpless in the howling wind. It realized that the three of them were sitting on a speeding sled.
It shivered involuntarily and quickly burrowed into Lance and Sigrid's arms, its only sources of comfort in this strange world.
Cat Boss raised its head, and the leaden sky seemed to hang low, merging with the horizon. It was difficult to distinguish between sky and land, as large snowflakes fell from above, threatening to engulf the entire world.
Their sled raced across the snow-covered plain, appearing minuscule in the vast expanse of white.
Tiny ice crystals pelted their skin painfully, and the cold seemed to freeze their blood.
"Cat Boss, doesn't this place feel familiar to you?"
Lance skillfully drove the sled, scanning the surroundings. As far as he could see, there was nothing but endless white snow and a distant city-state emerging on the horizon, with no signs of human life or even a single tree.
"Meow?"
Cat Boss tilted its head at a forty-five-degree angle and activated its Thought Universe.
Why had they suddenly arrived in this completely unfamiliar place?
How could they find their way out of this icy wilderness?
Was this reality, a bizarre dream, or an illusion brought about by the gemstone? Countless questions swirled in its mind, but it couldn't find the answers.
However, setting aside these doubts, it recalled Lance's question and the increasingly familiar silhouette of the snowy city-state. A terrifying suspicion began to form in its mind.
"Are we... experiencing the Northern Border Magical Encounter from a year ago?"
Cat Boss asked with a trembling voice, recalling the most terrifying ordeal.
"That's right."
Sigrid confirmed.
"Let me off the sled, meow, meow, meow!"
Cat Boss exclaimed, its tail standing on end.
This wasn't an amusement park ride!
(End of Chapter)
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