He is the leader of the Tantric sect in Chagdu.

"Missing—"

Abraham's first reaction was bewilderment; his voice was abruptly cut off after the first two words, followed by a tangible mix of confusion and fear...

The next second, he suddenly raised his head and let out a few heavy, chaotic breaths from deep in his throat, like those of a wild beast. He rushed up to the altar in two steps, leaning half of his body onto the table, his tightly clenched fingers digging deep into Charon's shoulder, his expression almost ferocious.

"Missing..."

His dark pupils trembled violently, and pain burned like fire within him. His whole body shook, and a hoarse sob escaped from his sunken chest, "No, no... only six years have passed. I calculated the time before I came back..."

His eyes began to bloodshot: "Charon, Charon, you lied to me. I heard everything you promised that old man, I know it all, clearly—"

"Gern." The old pastor silenced Abram's accusations with a soft call, then stared intently into Abram's bloodshot eyes.

"May the Lord have mercy."

He sighed deeply, gently covering the hands that were resting on his shoulders, and softly moved them aside. Then he whispered, "I've long imagined this scene, little Gern... Perhaps calling you Abram now will make you feel better. Abram, neither you nor I, nor any of us, wish for misfortune to befall us..."

At this point, Abram could no longer utter a complete rebuttal; he could only sob as he listened to the old pastor's whispers.

"But the Lord's teachings tell us that destiny is the tide woven by the 'Great River,' and we can only follow the traces it leaves on the desert, not chase after the receding tides. The order of the tides and the traces is similar to the way honey flows downstream; it is the answer, not a doubt. Therefore, destiny is the slowest and cruelest river—"

-honey……

Ai remembers that this was a rule.

Charon continued softly, "Just as honey explains: it is as thick as blood, it follows the flow of blood in the veins, and like that flowing in the great river, it is always downward, always forward, always slow, always calm—as steadfast as fate, as sweet as honey, that is it..."

"Fate," "Dense," "Blood and Soul"...

Ai frantically collected keywords and quickly combined them into meaningful information.

It seems that the "honey" that the "Great River" holds is a force closely related to "fate"... Its dense and slow flow symbolizes the great power of fate entangling those who are drowning.

On the other side, Charon removed his hand from Abram's shoulder, sighed, and walked back to the altar: "Lily has drunk the honey, and she has accepted her fate. As for you, Abram... perhaps you should try to let go of everything."

"I see……"

Abram interrupted him, his voice hoarse.

"Let me have some peace and quiet."

After an extreme emotional outburst, one's strength will be completely drained away like a leaking vessel, and the old pastor's words just now seem to have crushed his last hope as well.

The young man with black hair curled up and slumped on the ground, his body trembling on the wooden floor. Only his chest was heaving, as if trying to fill the emptiness in his heart with the surrounding air.

He started by crying very quietly, and Charon, like a loving father, gently patted his shoulder. With each soft whisper of "Perhaps it will feel better to let it out," Abram gradually broke down in tears.

-Hey...why did it suddenly turn into a grandfather-grandson filial piety segment?

What happened to our earlier exchange of insults? Are we going to continue...?

Ai Yi, who was engrossed in watching the show, tilted her head slightly with a strange expression.

He always felt that although Charon's words were always about Abram... his deep red eyes seemed to be pointing at him all the time, his gaze unfathomable and giving people a sense of gloom.

What do you mean? You don't welcome me?

"I probably shouldn't have stayed here just now." Ai smiled sheepishly, touching her neck softly. "Gentlemen from Dunling know that eavesdropping on other people's family affairs is a grave sin, whether intentional or unintentional, and whether these words actually entered my ears... Oh dear! I'm so sorry."

He bowed to the altar and was about to turn and leave when Charon stopped him.

A genuine hint of apology flashed in the old pastor's eyes: "It was our fault that our guest witnessed such an unpleasant side. To deliberately drive you away would have been utterly inappropriate."

"The sky is the eye of God—He eternally watches over Agdius, and I hope He will forgive the noise that is happening here. Sorry..."

Ai shook his head, a little fed up with this nonsensical way of talking. He pondered for a moment, then chuckled and said, "You were apologizing to me just now, right? I don't really like apologies that are just words. As a rather inconsiderate guest, as compensation for your apology, may I ask the Lord for something?"

Old pastor: "?"

Even Charon was surprised that the guest who had been so serious until now would suddenly say such strange things. His expression stiffened for a moment, and he almost lost his composure, but he still managed to keep his composure and said, "The form of the Lord is not in the mortal world. Only his teachings and parables flow from the ends of the sky and enter our spirit. If there is anything tangible from the Lord, then we have nothing."

Perhaps mistaking Ai's strange behavior for greed, Charon tried to get rid of him.

"What if I want something intangible?"

Ai pointed to the book placed in the center of the altar and chuckled, "I'm very interested in the faith of Agdius, but unfortunately, I've only just arrived here... and haven't had time to explore this beautiful village. So, in order to better understand the teachings and pronouncements of God, could I have a look at this book?"

- The kind that's highly unlikely to be repaid.

Even while using Lot's body, his smile still resembled that of a fox: "The stories and knowledge of the Lord... are not tangible things, are they?"

.

Two minutes later, Ai, pulling a distraught Abram along, left the Rusty Village Church, clutching a thick book in her arms.

Behind him, the elegant old priest bowed to him, and Ai returned his innocent smile, then secretly admired Charon's twisted expression hidden in the shadows.

Old man... are you trying to play mind games with me?

They usually just fool the simple villagers; what real skills could they possibly develop? On the other hand, the foxes fight in high-level matches in the Nest City and freeload off the Foundation's labor force.

Ai Yi curled her lip in disdain.

Give that old charlatan from the countryside a workout, let him see the world.

Looking again at Abram beside her, whose eyes were glazed over and whose limbs were limp, Ai sighed: It seems that the temporary teammate she found is useless.

But it doesn't matter, he has already obtained the key item.

Holding the book tightly in her hands, Ai used her insightful skills to confirm its true title once more: although the title on the cover was "The Book of the Lord," in Ai's eyes it was "The Story of the Sky," which was the meaning composed of red liquid.

He had his eye on this thing from the very beginning—he originally planned to go to a place with lots of books and look for it slowly, but he found his target right away. "The Story of the Sky" was the original religious text of the bishop in the village of Rust.

Clearly, this is a "secret manual".

Although he didn't know if he could open the book by reading secrets in the lost history that lacked mystery, he could at least complete one of the main tasks, so even if he had to read it word by word, he still had to finish the book.

"Abram, where do we go next?"

After such a long period of time, the deep sorrow has gradually begun to heal. Although his steps are still unsteady, Abram's complexion has gradually returned to normal. So Ai simply told him, "Let's find a place to talk. You know, I'm not familiar with this place, but I have many questions. Perhaps we can help each other out."

"..."

Abram remained silent for a moment, then slowly opened his palm, revealing a key he was clutching tightly—he seemed to have intended to lighten the mood with a smile, but the expression that appeared on his face the next second was even more unpleasant than crying.

"Let's go to my... old house. Charon gave me the key. It's empty now, no one lives there anymore... I also need to go and pack some things."

Ai wanted to whisper "condolences" in his ear, but she stopped herself. He looked distractedly into the distance. Although he no longer had wide ears, human ears could still twitch slightly.

He frowned slightly: "What was that sound?"

"...Buzz".

What came from the horizon seemed to be... the tolling of bells.

"It is... the Heart of Ys!" Abram seemed to hear the bells coming from a great distance as well, and regained a little strength.

"That is the great bell located at the highest point of Issu. In order to move it to a position higher than the earth, the people of Issu climbed over mountains and ascended the sacred island, placing the bell at the very end of the island. In this way... when it is rung, the sound of the bell can be heard throughout most of the continent of Nieer, becoming an eternal symbol of the glory of Issu."

Zhong...

The ringing of bells usually heralds some kind of change. For example, right now, the seasons are crossing over as the bells are ringing.

The sun, hanging high in the sky, gradually loses its presence, much like the transition from day to dusk. The twilight glow, accompanied by golden-red clouds, spreads to the other side of the sky, adding a more vibrant backdrop to the world.

Sure enough, it wasn't "noon" here.

Ai pondered silently: In the era of noon, the world is frozen in the time when it is about to be noon or has already been noon. There is no season other than daytime, and it is definitely not like what is in front of me... "Conforms to common sense".

The era was earlier than noon, and the scope was smaller.

-very good.

Ai stretched in the dim twilight, and was about to follow Abram home when she saw a snow-white colony at the edge of her vision.

In the evening, the shepherds had returned from grazing their flocks.

A black and white sheepdog traced a graceful arc behind the white sheep, methodically herding the flock... Then, accompanied by the crisp sound of a shepherd's bell, in the cool and tranquil atmosphere, a girl as white as the sheep emerged from behind the flock, accompanied by the "thump-thump" of a shepherd's staff striking the ground.

- Anda.

"Oh, right... Anda, I actually remember that name, but I didn't have a chance to say it before." Abram's soft voice sounded in her ear, bringing Ai back from her reverie. "I remember... she was a shepherd of the church. In the context of Agdeweg, sheep belong to the gods. Anda, she was an orphan, adopted by Charon when she was young. She usually lived in the church and was also a priestess of the Lord, which is why she could shepherd the sheep for the gods."

-Miko.

Ai's gaze was unfocused: "Do you call her 'The Kite Witch'?"

"Tobi Miko?"

Abram was a little confused, and could only shake his head in bewilderment. "I don't know. There's only one church in the village, and one witch... They don't usually distinguish her by any special name, but it's possible that the name changed during the six years I was away. Before I left, she was a very young girl—and she's probably still quite young now."

He suddenly remembered something: "I forgot to mention—Anta, she's a blind woman, she can't see anything."

-Blind girl?

Ai frowned.

Not far away, the gray-green shepherd's robe made Anda look thinner than a withered blade of grass. Her petite body swayed slightly, but her steps were still light, like a newborn lamb learning to walk.

After hesitating for a moment, Ai took a few steps forward and stood right in the path the sheep were sure to take.

Suddenly someone blocked their way, and the timid sheep quickly became agitated. The barking wolf reacted swiftly, herding several lambs that were about to stray back to the flock, then crouching low in front of Ai, baring its sharp teeth.

"Hello…?"

Not knowing how she sensed the changes in her surroundings, Anda stopped almost simultaneously. Her expression was obscured by the hood, but it revealed a sense of bewilderment.

The shepherdess shook her shepherd's bell and cautiously waved in one direction, "Is anyone there?"

"..."

Ignoring the little wolf at his feet and Abram's stunned silence behind him, Ai opened his Insightful Eyes, his thin wings fluttered slightly, and he quickly walked to within two steps of Anda.

Unlike Anda, whom she had met during the day, the shepherd now lacked her former calm and composure. She seemed somewhat uneasy, her hands gripping her staff tightly as if she were cold, with only her slender, pale fingertips peeking out from the ends of her long sleeves.

Although her fingertips were covered in calluses, the girl still took great care of her hand, trimming her knuckles meticulously and leaving no crescent-shaped white tips.

-The little girl is malnourished...

At the risk of being bitten by a dog, Ai lifted her hood.

Her eyes were more beautiful than rubies, a golden-red more radiant than the sun at dusk—and now, Anda was startled by the sudden turn of events, pitifully clutching her hat, her body leaning uncontrollably backward.

With such a large size difference, Ai quickly scooped the petite girl back into her arms, straightened her up, and then immediately let go.

"...Rhodes?"

Perhaps relying on her sense of smell, Anda, who had regained her footing, quickly called out Rhodes's name, speaking weakly like a lost lamb, and softly confirming it.

You guessed wrong.

Out of habit, she reached into her pocket for candy—forgetting that this body's pockets weren't always stocked with candy like her original one… Ay felt a pang of frustration. Even knowing Anda couldn't see, she still sniffed, smiled, and whispered, "We meet again… What a coincidence?"

"It's not a coincidence at all, I've always lived here... As long as you're in this village, you can see me every day."

Anda completely skipped the process of calming down from her anger after being teased, even her feelings of embarrassment and annoyance were skipped—

Once she confirmed that the environment was safe, she quickly regained her composure, her bright eyes blinking like a normal person's, the golden-red pupils reflecting the twilight: "You've arrived at the village safely, welcome! Although the journey wasn't long, please don't forget the shepherd's contribution... Even I would want to be praised."

She tilted her head slightly, speaking in a coquettish tone, yet her voice was gentle, languid, and completely non-aggressive, giving one the feeling of being wrapped in wool: "You can hurry up a bit, good news, I'm looking forward to it right now."

-Hey, is it in such a hurry?

"Your prayers were incredibly effective," Ai said solemnly, unconsciously placing her hand on Anda's head. The warm white hair truly felt as warm as the sun. "It helped us a lot... Thank you so much."

Anda squinted her eyes smugly, her small body leaning against the tall shepherd's staff, swaying gently in the breeze...

Ai imitated her by squinting her eyes and then whispering to herself.

- Anda.

He frowned almost imperceptibly.

.

.

The sun of this era plays the role of a competent celestial body, slowly sinking on the horizon until even dusk is reduced to remnants.

Watching Anda herd the sheep into the church's backyard, this encounter finally came to an end... Abram, who had witnessed the whole thing, leaned close to Ai's ear and gossiped, "You rascal... you've only met her twice, and you've already fallen for her?"

"You like it?" Ai yawned and replied dismissively, "Maybe, maybe, I don't know."

The sun sank behind them, and the two followed the last rays of light on their way home.

"Anda..."

Silently reciting the name, in a corner unseen by Abram, Ai slipped a golden-red feather from between her fingers and examined it in her palm—the end of the feather, which had naturally fallen off, still had some remaining quill, showing that it was something that had truly grown on flesh and blood.

He had secretly taken this from Anda when she fell.

The fox used to secretly pluck Dodo's feathers, and through practice, he became skilled at how to get a feather from a bird without causing pain or being discovered.

"The Winged One...Kite Miko."

He seemed thoughtful, understanding the significance of the insightful feedback transmitted from Anda:

"The Bloodline of the Birds"