After leaving the Raven Club, Shard sent Iluna back to the local Sun Cathedral and then, the melancholic Outlander returned to Tobesk.
He first went to see Old John to custom order alchemical items for the sealing ritual, and chatted with Old Man John about recent news; Tobesk was fairly peaceful of late. It wasn't until the sky darkened that Shard bade farewell to Old Man John, took Mia Cat to dinner, and then at seven in the evening, Luviya arrived.
After informing the girl with purple eyes about Joey Barton, the Truth Society, and "Genesis: Death," she was almost certain that Iluna's view was entirely correct, and that Joey Barton was the prime candidate for the Chosen by Death.
"Why are you so sure?"
Shard was very intrigued.
"Shard, haven't you noticed? Every time the Impermanence Card appears, it signifies that a Chosen One has emerged. You obtained 'Genesis: Balance' from the tree in the Tobesk Underground Ruins, and Iluna just held the ceremony; you took 'Genesis: Darkness' from Queen Diana at Yordle Palace, and Daknis immediately went there to steal the Dark Sword's hilt."
Luviya concluded, and Shard hesitated for a moment, pointing towards the bedroom that once belonged to Detective Sparrow, which he had never used to this day:
"But when I took 'Genesis: Silver Moon' in that master bedroom there, the Chosen One didn't appear. There were two people present then, Detective Sparrow died, and only I remained... Could it be that I am the Chosen One of the Moon?"
Luviya immediately shook her head:
"Anyone could be the Chosen One, just not you. Therefore, using the emergence of the Impermanence Card to deduce the Chosen One is only a rough estimation method, I still need to perform divination to determine the answer."
As she spoke, she picked up the six coins and after thinking it over, she picked out a Blood Coin and handed it to Shard:
"You hold on to this one, still waiting to find the other coins."
So she was left with five coins in her hand, but then she thought it over and picked out the Diviner's Silver Coin. This silver coin was not only given by the church to Iluna, but it was also useful for diviners, as it could be saved for later use.
Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, two Blood Coins, one Dragon Blood Coin, and one Standing Coin were tossed into the air. And as the coins reached their zenith, large patches of rust finally appeared on their surfaces.
As they fell, the signs of corrosion on the surface of the coins became more severe. Before they finally landed, they disintegrated into dust and vanished from sight.
The cat looking upward was very interested in this.
"There's no problem this time."
Luviya opened her eyes, a smile creasing her lips, and a flash of purple light trace flickered in her eyes:
"The Chosen One is Joey Barton."
Shard exhaled deeply:
"That's great, I've been busy all autumn, and this matter is finally coming to an end."
As he said this, he smiled and pulled the cat squatting beside him into his arms, cradling it with his left hand and swiftly stroking its little head with his right. The orange and white cat squinted its eyes and made a purring sound from its throat, seeming quite content.
Luviya was also in good spirits, amused by the scene:
"Shard, don't rush, because we got a lot of information besides the divination, so we got even more from this divination. The three candidates you provided are all candidates for the Chosen One, yes, all of them."
"All of them? So what's the order of succession?"
That was the key point.
Luviya paused, searching for the right words:
"The suspected member of the Truth Society, Joey Barton the Reverse Being, is in first place, Sister Delphine from the Spiritual Practice Order is in second, and our friend, the rather unremarkable Lat August the Cleric from the Dawn Church is in third. Also... according to my divination, you encountered another candidate today who is further down the ranking, but I don't know who that is."
"This time it's this complicated?"
Shard nodded skeptically and then shook his head:
"Let's not consider the later ones; the farther down the order, the weaker the Chosen One's talent. Besides, unless the three above all die, there's no chance for those behind. I really didn't expect it, all three of them."
The current situation was even more complicated than when Ivan Daknis appeared. For Daknis, Shard only needed to figure out how to eliminate him. But for Joey Barton, Shard was still undecided on how to deal with him.
According to the information collected by Sister Delphine, Joey Barton was a very nice person. This was not a false front, it was indeed the case. And yet, there was a very high probability that he was with the Truth Society, or rather, he was funded by the Truth Society.
Luviya had also considered this issue, but she took a more relaxed perspective:
"Shard, try to make contact with Joey Barton again next week, to test him out. If it's certain that he has no potential for cooperation with us, then give up on this Chosen One and have Iluna report directly to the church."
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
The purple-eyed girl nodded solemnly:
"I just want to witness the thirteen Chosen Ones ultimately opening that door. But I won't murder the innocent to achieve it, just like you wouldn't kill someone to obtain the 'Genesis: Death' card. Of course, I would hope that our friend Priest Augustus becomes one of them, but even if not Joey Barton, Shard, would you kill Sister Delphine, who's second in line?"
Shard immediately shook his head,
It wasn't only a matter of morality, but also because the nun was a genuine Eleven Rings and had more than one Angel-Level Relic on her. Shard even believed that not even someone in the Twelve Rings could defeat her.
"So, let's meet with Joey Barton again next week. If he's a good person, we'll try to cooperate with him to some extent, but only within certain limits after all, as he's not a permanent resident of Tobesk. If he's a bad person, we'll report him. Shard, your mission in Midshire Fort is about to be complete."
Luviya leaned back on the sofa quite relaxed:
"Leave the matter to the church, and we won't need to divine the Chosen One Ceremony, chase after anyone, or search for anyone. All we have to do is quietly wait for the completion of the Chosen One Ceremony."
"Is it... over just like that?"
"What else were you expecting?"
The Female Diviner asked, and after thinking for a bit, added:
"Yes, we haven't resolved the issue with the Interstice. But Shard, that's not your responsibility."
The Outlander of course didn't consider solving the Interstice of Life and Death his responsibility; he just believed that it couldn't possibly end so easily.
"Nevertheless, I indeed can take a break for a while."
He said, thinking to himself that he would rest until Monday. On Monday, he had already made an appointment with Granny Cassandra to witness the "teacher's" ceremony.
"By the way, the Detective Agency hasn't had any business for half a month. Also, I plan to deal with the problem on the third floor soon. I need to go to Coldwater Port to buy materials, and I'll have to wait a few days to get the precious metal rings custom ordered from Old Man John. While things in Milestone might be coming to an end, there's still much to be done in the house here in Tobesk."
"The Astronomy College's autumn astrology event is also coming to an end, and the Star Ocean Whale will appear within the next ten to fifteen days, marking the end of autumn's celestial observations with those beings capable of piercing through spatial barriers."
Luviya said, her eyes shifting to the cat held by Shard, and she couldn't help but recall that Joey Barton had been temporarily blinded upon seeing it.
"But this cat... is very normal."
The gas lamp on the wall illuminated the Outlander's home in this world. The purple-eyed girl related to the family head held a teacup, a pondering expression in her eyes as she thought about the past and future. The cat owned by the family head, feeling drowsy from its comfortable life, lay on her lap, its orange fur glistening with a sun-like sheen even under the night's light.
As for Shard, he sat in the middle of the long sofa, head tilted, looking at his reflection in the window and pondering over the impending endgame of Midshire Fort. In a trance, he thought he saw a red butterfly fly past the window from the outside, but when he blinked again, he saw nothing.
[The Fifth Era, 1853, Month of Withered Leaves, deep autumn. Time, ceaseless, leads you to this moment, yet the puzzles remain unsolved. The Vampire Race, Twin Red Butterflies, Fire-Bearing Nuns, and that person chosen by death. Outlander, the tale of Midshire Fort is nearing its conclusion, having spent most of the autumn here, have you penetrated the looming ending? Death trembles; ancient and primordial forces are about to break their chains. As the curtain rises in Mountain City, will you, the spectator below the stage, change the outcome of this impending disaster?]
A whispering voice near his ear nearly made Shard feel "she" was right behind him.
Shard smiled, looking at his own reflection in the window:
"Change? Are you suggesting that I should use divine powers to stop all of this?"
His fingers gently played with Mia's little ears. Mia Cat, resting her head on her fluffy paws, let out a soft meow.
[Outlander, in the story to come, we shall bear witness together. The Primordial Termination may swallow Mountain City, but mortal courage and wisdom may also save everything. Seated beneath that unpredictable stage of fate, will you chase after the elusive Red Butterfly, or follow the guide of the Primordial Flame? Mortals die, everything faces Ultimate Death, and perhaps the answer waiting for you is a tragedy that has transcended years and time.]
"She" chuckled softly, and Shard leaned back on the sofa, lifting his left hand and thumb towards the corner of his mouth:
"Are you suggesting the outcome of Milestone will be grim? No, it's not time to conclude, but I think it won't be long."
His fingers tapped unconsciously on the sofa cushion, and the ticking of a wall clock in the corner, particularly clear at this moment, indicated the relentless passage of time, while Shard could only wait.
"Oh, there's also the matter with the Gadis Library."
Remembering Miss Orland, he seemed to see the Yellow Moon again. Under the gazes of Luviya and Mia Cat, he lifted his right hand slightly, and within his palm, a small illusion of the Yellow Moon hung, floating in its midst.
This wasn't Arcane Technique or Sorcery, just a minor application of moonlight:
"May the Moon bless me."