Chapter 1280: Chapter 1280: The Third Guardian
"But after all, I completed it, without using any tricks or means."
Shard said, the statue fell silent again, then spoke:
"Yes, you completed it. I admit, this surpasses what I could imagine. The Material World may not see an artist capable of crafting such a piece for hundreds or thousands of years. Ordinary craftsmen cannot bestow such beauty and a mysterious sense on a statue. The combination of the two is so wonderful that even if placed in a temple, people would willingly worship it... You passed the test, undoubtedly, and there will never be a better masterpiece than this."
Shard let out a breath, though he was confident in his memories of his hometown, hearing these words finally set his mind at ease. Luviya had no reaction, continuing to gaze in awe at the statue. As for old stonemason Humphrey, at this moment, specks of light again scattered around him; this time he truly was about to leave:
"Being able to see such a piece before departing is truly wonderful. Young man, you’ve done well."
The elderly stonemason said. Shard then drew a black rift with his hand, allowing this soul to directly proceed to its final journey.
"Thank you for your help, may your soul rest forever."
He offered sincere blessings, and the old stonemason shook his head, smiling:
"It’s I who should thank you... Oh, perhaps I should give you a little gift. Before I died, I once discovered a metal medal within a stone while chiseling it, heaven knows how it got there. I hid it in the guild’s warehouse, but before I could sell it, something happened to me. Now it belongs to you."
After sharing the specific hiding place, the old stonemason’s soul completely turned into a stream of light and entered the black rift. The stream gathered on the calm, black water’s surface, reappearing. He turned and waved to Shard and Luviya, the shining soul calmly moving towards the half-submerged Nether Moon along with countless departing souls.
The rift closed again, Shard sighed slightly and asked the statue:
"Now that I’ve passed the test, what can you give me?"
Luviya thought Shard’s words were a bit too direct, but the statue didn’t care:
"The creator of this place left you a power."
From within the stonemason statue, the sound of gears turning was heard. With a click, a small door popped open from the surface of the statue, which had no signs of seams, and inside was a smaller stonemason statue, identical in appearance to the life-sized one.
The small statue was densely covered with glowing golden runes, which exuded the Miracle Element even without looking closely, and beneath it lay a letter and some documents.
Shard took the small statue and handed the documents to Luviya to review, while he looked over the letter himself:
[To the later comers:
Place the statue on your chest and immerse your consciousness in the earth to learn the ’Power of the Earth: Call of the Statue.’ If you’re interested in the power of the earth and wish to uncover the secrets of the Randall Valley, the stonemason statue that tested you can offer the next clue. It will be a long journey of exploration, I will await you at the road’s end. The documents below the letter are a tenth of my shares when the Stonemason Guild was established. I hope it can help you. — Stonemason Fleming]
"Hmm?"
"Shard, these documents are..."
Luviya had already seen the contents of the documents and handed them to Shard in surprise.
"I know, but the original shares of the Stonemason Guild were divided or sold by later inheritors long ago. Whether these original documents are recognized by the current guild is still uncertain."
Shard said, the share documents were not important, he frowned and handed the letter to Luviya as well:
"Take a look at this, the contract we saw in the president’s office shows the guild was established in Common Era Calendar 1037. And that stonemason Fleming who lived about 800 years ago also had the Power of the Earth, so he most likely disappeared and became a Guardian of Randall Valley. Intriguing, what is the mission these souls bear? Passing down the Power of the Earth and guiding the next generation of Guardians. Each will leave one or more clues, waiting for later ones to discover them. This is clearly an older clue, and if pursued..."
He looked up at the stonemason statue:
"I need the next clue, I’m very interested in the secrets of Randall Valley."
Unexpectedly, the stonemason statue refused this time:
"Sorry, you’ve come too late. The chain of clues left by the creator has already broken in this era. If you wish to know the secrets of Randall Valley, you may need to seek answers elsewhere."
"After all, it’s been so many years."
Luviya softly said, while Shard felt a bit disappointed. But he also understood that past Guardians must have left more clues and powers in the city. Besides them, it’s not ruled out that the ’Power of the Earth’ has already appeared in other lineages.
As they spoke, everything before them began to blur. Once the surroundings stabilized, Shard and Luviya were once again on the third floor of the Stonemason Guild, as if everything just now was merely an illusion.
But it was certainly not an illusion; the documents and letters were in Luviya’s hands, and the small statue was in Shard’s hand. Even the broken-arm statue that Shard "carved" still stood in front of him. Besides that, all other things, those densely packed statues, the charcoal furnace, even the works of the old Stonemason and Luviya, had disappeared.
"Remarkable, just how did that space appear independently?"
Luviya sighed, looking up at the ceiling, but no matter what, she couldn’t find the hidden chamber again. Once Shard passed the test, the chamber vanished completely.
"The creation of the chamber wasn’t just the handiwork of Stonemason Fleming. I suspect other Guardians from that time helped him. Otherwise, given his age at disappearing, it wouldn’t make sense for him to have such skill."
Shard replied, suddenly leaping to touch the ceiling, but felt nothing.
Luviya pondered for a moment:
"From this incident, aren’t the secret Guardians of Randall Valley like those who drag people everywhere... um... using the term ’fraudsters’ would be inappropriate, but it’s clear they didn’t clarify that possibly all Guardians are deceased Undead."
"Over the years, they’ve gone undetected by others, maintaining a relatively intact lineage. There must be reasons for this. I’m genuinely curious about how they’ve achieved it."
Shard spoke, pulling out a small handkerchief from his pocket, restoring the canvas toy to its original form, and covering the stone statue with artistic flair:
"Can’t waste this; coincidentally, this weekend is Princess Angelina’s birthday, and I’ve been wondering what gift to give."
Though the Princess received the crown on Monday, it’s now stored with him, so he promised to give another gift.
"Angelina Cavendish? Princess Lecia’s sister?"
Luviya raised her eyebrow, acknowledging Shard’s decision, and then raised the documents in her hand:
"The original shares of the Stonemason Guild, how are you going to handle this?"
"I’ll cash them in myself, though the Guild likely won’t honor it, or they’ll give me a small sum of Krone as compensation. I’m planning to give this to Margaret; the document holds more symbolic significance for her than actual value. If she handles the Guild’s matters and these shares become real, she won’t mistreat me."
"You really know how to leverage others."
Luviya laughed, finding this method suitable, and they turned to descend the stairs, aiming to check the medal the old Stonemason Humphrey mentioned before leaving.
"As for ’Power of the Earth: Call of the Statue,’ although it came freely, I already possess the Healing Aura. Learning a new power won’t enhance my Healing Aura. Summoning-type sorceries or Arcane Techniques are usually useful, but... they don’t suit me. Besides, I want to see if there are other possible candidates."
Shard said, glancing at Luviya, but the purple-eyed girl showed no interest either:
"I already have Power of the Earth: Realm of Abundance. So, who will you give it to? Iluna?"
"Iluna made it clear she doesn’t want the Power of the Earth; she already bears enough responsibility."
"Miss Lathis? Or Miss Benanis?"
Luviya asked again.
"Miss Benanis. After all, she’s Eleven Rings; she can exert more force. Enhancing her combat power will aid our forthcoming actions locally. And if she’s The Chosen One—though I realize the chances are slim—if she truly is, handling affairs in Randall Valley City will be much easier."
Though Luviya repeatedly met Miss Benanis, confirming she’s not a candidate for the "Earth," it doesn’t mean Miss Benanis isn’t a succession candidate in the order. Succession candidates need to be drawn closer to their fate by The Chosen One to become apparent. For instance, Priest Augustus, known to Luviya for years, was only recognized as the successor to "Death" as the Midshire Fort incident nearly concluded.
"I’m afraid it won’t be that simple. I think Mr. Lathis and Mr. Granger have a greater likelihood. They must have relevance to The Chosen."
Luviya gently shook her head, but it was merely speculation.
The process of searching the warehouse for the medal went without any mishap. The old Stonemason had hidden it between the wall and the toolbox alongside wall panels, even covering it with a stone.
Fortunately, over these months, nobody discovered it; thus, Shard merely used sorcery to "Move Object," allowing the metal medal to fly out by itself.
Carsonrick’s officially issued medals typically have their name engraved on the backside. Luviya was unfamiliar with the Southern Nation’s medal system, but Shard had learned some from Margaret, thus recognized it as a "Carsonrick Third-Class Battle Hero Medal."
"Carsonrick Third-Class Battle Hero Medal" is quite a low-tier medal, hence it even lacks a serial number. But the owner had inscribed words on its back. The glimmer at Shard’s fingertip illuminated the text and a somewhat familiar surname:
[Commemorating Frei Osenfort’s lost left index finger.]