The "altar" that Risek refers to is located at the bottom of the temple. The tall statue of Nessus on the main hall has its pedestal sunk to the ground, and the downward extension is still nearly one and a half people tall, and the symbol of Nesses in the shape of an hourglass is engraved on it. In front of the pedestal, a huge disc could barely accommodate a dragon coiled on it, and the fine runes looked like some kind of unique pattern, carved layer by layer on the edge of the disc, the hollowed-out part in the center revealed another layer below, and the marble with gray moire was polished smooth as a mirror, vaguely reflecting the circles of runes carved above their heads......

Ed looked up and down, and the dizziness grew.

In ancient times, people would offer sacrifices to the gods on the altar, incense, flowers, livestock...... In the darkest of times, living people also became a kind of sacrifice. But in recent centuries, people's beliefs in the gods have changed so much that the "altar" has ceased to exist in almost all shrines, or only a little symbolic decoration remains. It was the first time Ed had seen such a huge, ornate, solemn altar as before.

The altar was not finished, and nearly half of the runes were only superficially carved on it, and were not carved. Most of them were runes, and Ed didn't even know them—though he hadn't learned much about them.

Even the ones he barely recognized, Ed couldn't be sure what they meant. Those mysterious symbols, although most of them are from the ancient elves, have undergone too many transformations, and different arrangements will have completely different meanings and uses, which have always been Ed's biggest headaches.

"You ...... Is it really going to be sacrificed here?" he asked a groggy question.

"Of course. Risek replied without hesitation. "Too many people are used to asking for something from the gods and not wanting to give anything...... God's mercy is priceless, but we should at least be grateful for it. ”

“...... So what are you going to offer?" Ed asked. His gaze restlessly fell on a pile of silver-gray sand beside the unfinished altar. He didn't know what it was for, but it always felt familiar......

Risek looked at him. His blue eyes were a little gray in them, and he usually seemed calm and peaceful, but at the moment they were extremely sharp, and his burning gaze seemed to be able to see Ed's soul through his flesh.

After a moment of silence, he gave Ed a vaguely intimidating answer—

"Everything. ”.

Immediately after returning to his room, Ed collapsed on the bed, but could not fall asleep for a moment. Countless shattered images were stirred up in his mind. Dangling frantically, piecing together something complete or meaningful. He felt like boiling magma in his skull, gurgling and bubbling. What little sanity he had left burned into wisps of green smoke, and he couldn't think of anything, and he didn't want to think about anything.

The window was still open, and the cold wind blowing in occasionally brought him a moment of coolness. But it also made his blood burn hotter and hotter. He squirmed and slipped into the covers. Suddenly hot and cold, shivering for a while, more and more clearly felt as if a soldering iron was pressed on the back of his head, and the unbearable burning pain made him want to scream, but he couldn't make a sound.

In a trance, he felt like he was in hell...... His blurred vision gradually became clearer, and he was shocked to find countless sinful souls around him struggling and wailing in the flames, their distorted bodies scorched and shattered, and little by little turned to ashes. Stacked into a high gray-white wall, stretching endlessly in all directions......

This is not where he should be...... He may have done many things wrong. But no matter what, he wasn't going to go to hell!, and he was still the Sage of the Water God—Ed thought in a panic, realizing that he seemed to be dreaming.

He hadn't dreamed in a long time...... But it's better than being stuck in a nightmare that you can't wake up from.

The flames of the dream danced wildly in the windless darkness, and Ed looked around in a hurry, catching a glimpse of a faint starlight in the cracks of the flames.

Without thinking, he ran towards that glimmer of light. Before he knew it, the scorching heat around him slowly receded like a tide, and the gentle darkness replaced the devouring firelight, enveloping him softly like velvet.

His steps grew more and more relaxed, and he staggered upwards as if he were floating straight into the night sky.

He looked up lazily, and the sky was beautiful...... But it doesn't seem to be true, it's like some gems nailed to the black velvet, and there is no real night sky, as if you can see the end of the sky all the way through, and as if you can never see through the depth, even the stars are motionless, as if they have forgotten how to twinkle...... Like something cold, dead.

-- If the sky is not real, then the world is not real.

The moment doubts rose from the bottom of my heart, my body suddenly became extremely heavy.

Ed staggered, his eyes wide in dazedness. The faint light of the fire was as dazzling as a lightning bolt in the night in his eyes at this moment.

Tears flowed uncontrollably, and he finally woke up with desperately blinking his stinging eyes...... Maybe not.

He stared at everything in front of him in a daze, wondering for a moment if he had jumped from one dream to another—otherwise, how could he be standing in front of that great altar again?...... Or did he just stand here and never go back to his room?

But there was no one else around. There was no Risek, no Yachem, just him, alone in the empty underground temple, facing the intricately carved but daunting discs.

He staggered back a few steps, and it took him a few moments to make sure he was really awake...... But he had no idea how he got here.

He stared down at his feet, one with boots on one and the other bare, and the chill of the ground penetrated the soles of his feet, making him shiver several times...... But his head no longer seemed to be as painful as it had been before, and it was almost cracking.

He twisted his toes and stood there in disbelief, his mind still confused. He often had strange dreams, but never had a problem with sleepwalking...... Except for the one time in the limestone fort.

But he was pretty sure it wasn't some divine revelation. Even in his dreams, he could feel the difference, like ...... The difference between a summoning and a temptation.

He cautiously retreated to the wall, trying to calm himself down. Because when you stand farther away, you can see the whole altar more clearly.

There are more than two layers of discs—there seems to be a base pressed under the two layers of stone slabs, but the edges are pitted and look extremely rough...... It's like something left over from ancient times after a long time.

Ed felt he should lean over and look closer, but instinctively didn't want to get closer.

The inanimate altar now looks rather ill-intentioned...... If Risek had known that he had used such words to describe the great altar, I wonder if he would have called him a "friend".

On his left was the passage back to the ground, and he hesitated for a moment, then walked lightly up the steps and gently pulled the door.

The door made a soft noise and shook, but it didn't open...... It's locked.

- So how the hell did he get in?!

Ed stared at the closed wooden door, another knot in his head that he couldn't untie.

A low voice came from outside the door, a tone of confusion that made Ed feel ominous.

Sure enough, a moment later, the sound of unlocking reached his ears clearly...... The guards outside the door apparently heard him trying to open the door.

Ed broke out in a cold sweat and stepped back in a panic, almost rolling down the stairs - how was he going to explain that he was barefoot in the middle of the night in a place where the only exit was locked and guarded?! If this was God's guidance, would they believe it?......

In a panic, a cold hand suddenly reached out from behind him, covering his mouth accurately, and the other hand quickly twisted his right hand behind him and dragged it back hard.

A secret door opened and closed silently. Before he could resist, darkness replaced light. In the silence, Ed heard a low warning in his ear:

"Quiet. ”

Ed froze, barely able to believe his ears.

The hand covering his mouth was removed, and the other hand only loosely grasped his wrist. Ed obediently kept quiet, but his heart began to beat uncontrollably.

I don't know how long it took before he dared to speak, and asked in a low voice:

“...... Rosa?"

A familiar chuckle came from the darkness, and Rosa patted his arm, took his hand instead, and led him forward.

Ed cautiously followed, unable to contain the ecstasy in his heart, and the corners of his mouth cracked almost all the way to his ears.

They had been enemies - when he was in the ice field a year ago, it wasn't Beye's dark eyes, not Cethana's invincible twin swords, but Rosa's shallow, incomprehensible smile on her lips.

Even now they weren't friends, but Ed knew she could be trusted. Even as a mercenary, Rosa Latus has her own rules. Although she and Cesyana followed Borena and left without being heard from...... Ed's heart moved, and he vaguely guessed the reason why Rosa was here.

A little light began to peek through the darkness, allowing Ed to dimly see Rosa's shadow. She wore a long dress instead of the neat leather armor that Ed remembered, and her short hair was wrapped in a headscarf, and she looked like an ordinary Anktann woman.

Rosa stopped around a corner, looked to the other side where the fire was shining through, and smiled back at Ed.

"Ed Singh. She whispered, "You can always surprise people." ”.

(To be continued......)