Otherwise, you can find another savior.

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Her position told her she shouldn't care too much about such things, but as a human being, no matter how much she restrained and suppressed herself, she couldn't avoid gossip that came into her view.

But before Xijian could let go of Chengzi, his ear was grabbed.

Morgan and Scáthach pulled him back with force from both sides, and Shiomi, in pain, could only rub her ears and admit defeat.

What met their gaze was Orange's familiar expression, gentle yet tinged with schadenfreude.

"Hmm... she really is not to be underestimated. That Shiomi Tenkyu..." Skadi's gaze was also quite subtle. "I thought she was someone you knew, which is why I had Slud bring her over. I didn't expect her to be so indecent."

"This is my private matter, it's none of your business, Goddess Skadi." Shiomi's tone also became less assertive, carrying a hint of casual retort.

Skadi said, "Originally, I had to imprison this magician who could use primordial runes because Aozaki Touko refused to cooperate and submit. Now that there is no need for that, I will set you free."

As she spoke, her wand swept lightly through the air, and the previously invisible runes suddenly lit up, detached from Orange, and disappeared.

This is also why Orange doesn't have handcuffs or shackles.

Skadi only needs to use runes to imprison Orange, preventing her from using magic.

"Finally, I can tinker with magic circuits." Orange flexed her wrists. "I never expected to encounter a goddess from mythology and Valkyrie."

"You didn't suffer, did you?" tide Jian asked.

"She wasn't abused, she was just locked up." Orange shook her head.

Shiomi also showed a relieved expression, and turned to Skadi: "I want to thank you again for releasing my old friend. No matter what happens after the trials of Valhalla, this gratitude will not change."

“There’s no need to rush. We need to prepare a little before heading to Valhalla,” Skadi said. “I will allow you to stay in the castle today, and I will take you to Valhalla early tomorrow morning to face the trials left by the great god Odin.”

“Should we let these people stay overnight in the royal city…” Ophelia was slightly uneasy.

“There’s no need to be so afraid. Although Chaldea and the Hidden Ones are enemies, Kadoc, the loser, is currently under confinement at our headquarters.” Shiomi smiled brightly and spoke in a gentle tone, announcing the declaration of war for the future. “You’ll be able to join him soon.”

Then, Ophelia sensed Saber in her spirit form becoming restless, trying to manifest and fight.

However, Siegfried's spirit origin was still severely injured, and Ophelia only needed to control the supply of magic power to suppress Saber's actions and stop Saber's intentions.

“Teacher…” Ophelia was unsure of herself and was also thinking about what she should do.

Even if we contact Kirshtalia and request support, it may not be effective.

The alien apostles were even more uneasy.

“Oh, probably tomorrow, the Chaldea warships will arrive in this area according to the signal track I left.” Shiomi crossed her arms. “I remember you were on good terms with Mash when you were in Chaldea, so why don’t you take this opportunity to meet her? Otherwise, it would be awkward if you were strangers on the ship.”

"..." Ophelia was speechless, and her expression became increasingly tense.

"As for the child you brought," Skadi didn't inquire about the content of Shiomi and Ophelia's conversation, but instead looked at Gerda, who had been standing there nervously awaiting her fate, "it was a mistake that wasn't worth pursuing, so I'll forgive you. It was those Valkyries who lacked flexibility."

Chapter Twenty-Two: Reunion

After this brief but "unexpected" meeting, Shiomi and the others, led by Valkyrie, went to rest in a room on one side of the palace.

Although everyone has their own room, including Gerda, it's far from time to rest.

Apart from Gerda staying in the room, protected by Valkyrie.

Everyone else gathered in Shiomi's room.

But it wasn't a break; it was a meeting to confirm issues related to oranges.

Aozaki Touko is still alive; she didn't even disappear during the human bleaching, but instead appeared in this Lostbelt.

Unlike Chaldea, which possesses the ability to navigate using imaginary numbers, how exactly did she achieve this...?

“First of all, it can be concluded that you are not a human being possessed by a Servant, but a living magician.” The blue light in Morgan’s eyes faded.

She had just approached and, after scrutinizing Aozaki Touko sitting in the chair from all angles with her fairy eyes, reached her first conclusion.

"I saw the report submitted by Chaldea. Inola showed me that you encountered this kind of divine servant in the Seventh Singularity, Mesopotamia. No wonder you think that way."

Orange rummaged in her pocket and pulled out a deflated cigarette pack. Looking at the last cigarette, she hesitated.

He looked up and met tide Jian's gaze. He raised his hand and gestured for Chengzi to make herself at home.

"Well, there's only one left, I'd better save it." Orange put it away with a hint of regret. "Although I'm not entirely clear on the situation outside, from what Miss Famsolone revealed during our conversations, it seems that after the planet's civilization was bleached, a few buildings and humans remained, and they survived for a period of time..."

Shio nodded in affirmation: "It seems she didn't lie to you on purpose. Perhaps she told you the truth so that you would understand that humanity no longer exists, and that you would support the Hidden Ones in order to survive. What we saw during our investigation in the vicinity before entering this Lostbelt is consistent with what you heard."

“Is that so?” Orange nodded.

"But why... are you able to appear in the Lostbelt?" Shiomi asked.

"To be honest, this is a bit of a mystery," Orange said with a wry smile. "In conclusion, it's related to the primordial runes."

Scáthach raised an eyebrow slightly, immediately understanding what Orange was talking about.

Each of the eighteen primordial runes has its own purpose, but the last primordial rune is a special entity whose true secrets are known only to the great god Odin.

Even Scáthach, like many others, did not fully grasp the secret of the last primordial rune.

"The last rune... could it be that our genius puppeteer has already cracked the secret?" Shiomi said half-jokingly.

Before he could finish speaking, Morgan pinched his cheek in dissatisfaction: "So, in my husband's eyes, I'm not the only genius after all."

"Oh dear, this is not the same thing..." Seeing that she couldn't break free, tide could only explain by tilting her body to the side.

"There are no geniuses. They're just losers who couldn't even inherit magic and were defeated by their sister," Orange said self-deprecatingly. "Besides, if even you genuine magicians from the Age of Gods can't solve these mysteries, how could I possibly solve them?"

“Then what exactly is it—” Shiomi asked. Naka

Orange revealed an intrigued expression: "What follows is all my speculation. As a symbol of wisdom sought by the great god Odin, the final primordial runes might be the key to surviving the Ragnarok crisis. When Earth was reduced to a blank sheet of paper, I happened to be in the Norse region rooted in this Lostbelt, and at that time, I simply thought it natural to use the primordial runes that Tianxi taught me to protect myself—"

"But at the critical moment, he inadvertently touched upon the secret of the last primordial rune?"

“It might just be the tip of the iceberg.” Orange shook her head at Scáthach like a humble student. “At least for now, I’m not confident that it was the result I achieved.”

Orange's point of view is very clear: the secret of the last primordial rune allowed her to survive the process of human ethics being purged and the Lostbelt taking root.

But it wasn't something she achieved on her own; rather, it was "luck" that came from a combination of crisis and coincidence.

“Or perhaps, the great god Odin gave you some kind of potential guidance through the primordial runes?” Artoria said. “As the foundation of a magic system independent of the Magic King, it’s not impossible.”

tide Jian immediately clutched her head, feeling utterly bewildered: "If that's really the case, then this great deity is truly a busybody... Where did this parent official come from... no, parent god?"

If he was the so-called savior chosen by Mooncell, and the gods, including Odin, were watching his journey, it would be understandable that Odin might do something in the meantime.

But it actually helped Orange...

It's certainly something to be happy about, but it's also quite absurd.

“According to the tradition of Norse mythology, Odin is both the chief god and, to some extent, the father god,” Orange nodded in agreement.

“That’s not the point…” Shiomi felt powerless, a powerlessness born of joy. He steadied himself slightly and asked again, “But in this case, did you see the planet being reduced to a blank sheet of paper, and the process of the Lostbelt taking root?”

“Unfortunately, I have no memory of the middle part.” Orange shook her head. “I lost consciousness at the moment the meteorite fell. When I woke up, I was already in this Lostbelt. After that, in the process of investigation and survival, I helped that village repair the barrier, and then… you know.”

That's why Orange said it was just her speculation.

Ragnarok is the end of the Norse mythology. Regardless of the intentions of its instigators, the bleaching of humanity is, in itself, another apocalyptic disaster for the people of this planet, no less than the burning of humanity.

The most reasonable inference at present is that the final secret of the primordial rune played a role in protecting one person.

Whether Odin intervened or not remains unknown.

After clearing up some of her doubts, tide Jian escorted Chengzi back to her room next door.

"Anyway, I'm so happy to see you again under these circumstances," Shiomi said to Touko with a smile. "What are your plans for the future? Are you going to explore the blank planets on your own, like you used to travel alone, or will you come with Chaldea?"

"Leaving aside the feasibility of the former for me, even if I insisted on choosing it, you would do everything in your power to stop me, right?" Orange gave a seemingly casual smile as she looked at Shiomi.

"Really? That's good."

Shiomi hugged Orange again, stroking her body with both hands as if she couldn't see, and used her cheek to search for Orange's lips.

Won't they be angry?

Orange understood the meaning of this action; all it took to refuse was to push him away—provided that she intended to refuse.

"I think so..." tide Jian admitted softly.

"Then you'd better pray for good luck."

Orange smiled playfully, met his lips, and fell down with him on the cool, soft bed, warming every corner of each other with their bodies, just like they had done before.

Chapter 23 Valhalla (1)

The following morning, when Aozaki Touko came out of her room, she ran into Shiomi, who was also leaving the room and preparing to head to Valhalla.

He didn't stay overnight in Orange's room last night, not because Orange didn't want to, but because Xijian really couldn't stay in his room.

Judging from the way he yawned, you could tell he probably didn't sleep well last night either.

"Are you alright? In this state, I'm afraid you won't be able to withstand the so-called Valhalla Trials, will you?" Orange caught up with him and asked with concern.

Upon closer inspection, she could see strawberry-shaped marks on the skin of Shio's neck, visible beneath her collar.

It's easy to guess what's going on. Orange felt a little strange; she couldn't say she was jealous, but she wasn't indifferent either. If she were asked to leave a mark as well, she couldn't do it either.

"It's alright, it's alright." tide Jian was a little embarrassed. "If you already knew, you shouldn't have said it. It made me not know how to answer you."

"Hehe, it's the same as before." Orange wasn't surprised and just smiled knowingly.

"Not entirely, right?" Shio raised an eyebrow, reminding him in a slightly ambiguous tone.

"How blatant!" Orange continued to smile.

Yesterday, after a long time, she was with him again, just like before, and she had a feeling that was hard to describe. After all, their breakup back then wasn't explicitly stated, and naturally, as their lives became more distant, they gradually drifted apart.

Overall, it was pleasant, yet somewhat subtle.

Specifically, after such a long time, Shiomi seems to be more skilled than before, allowing her to focus solely on physical pleasure.

"Speaking of which, where are the others who were with you? I didn't see them come out with you," Orange asked.

“They went out before me, and Skadi should be waiting for us now.” tide Jian’s expression gradually became serious. “Are you going out now, and you’re coming along to check on us?”

"Not welcome?" Orange asked. "Even if you can't enter the legendary Valhalla, just taking a look from the side would be a good experience."

“How could that be? I was just saying you can stay here too, and we can meet up when the Chaldea Storm Border arrives,” Shiomi explained.

“Although Chaldea is reliable, I feel it’s safer to stay here,” Orange said. “I can handle a few Valkyries, but if I’m facing Lostbelt Servants, or even the goddess Skadi, it will be too much for me.”

“Compared to the magicians and even fantasy species I’ve dealt with before, this is not even a topic of the same dimension.” Shiomi laughed. “Then come along. I’ll be happier to see you among them when I come out of Valhalla.”

"What a greedy man," Orange nodded with a smile.

“That’s true.” Shiojian readily admitted, and suddenly grabbed Orange’s hand.

Orange asked, slightly puzzled, "What's wrong?"

"A morning greeting." tide Jian took her arm and lowered her head to kiss her.

After a brief stay, the two parted ways.

"Is this a response to what I did in Antarctica?" Orange said.

“Of course.” Xi Jian nodded in agreement. “To you, I still hold the same place in your heart as I do. Although we already confirmed that yesterday.”

“However, I don’t plan to get back together with you.” Chengzi let Xijian pull her hand and walk forward.

“I guessed so.” tide Jian wasn’t surprised. “Even if it’s just for a short time, as long as I can stay somewhere I can keep an eye on things, at least I can feel more at ease.”

“What I mean is, the title ‘ex-girlfriend’ is more interesting than ‘current girlfriend’ or any other relationship.” Orange’s expression brightened.

tide Jian was speechless for a moment, and it took her a while to squeeze out a sentence: "So that's the reason... But it's fine, as long as you're happy."

A series of rhythmic footsteps approached from afar, and the two looked to the side.

Valkyrie Slud, who had appeared earlier, emerged from around the corner in the corridor.

“Guest, the goddess Scáthach Skadi is waiting on the throne. Please follow me,” said Slud.

Although Shiomi and Morgan arrived only a few minutes apart, Skadi sent Valkyrie to urge them on, leaving him somewhat helpless.

So the two quickened their pace, and just before reaching the hall, Orange withdrew her hand to avoid inconveniencing tide Jian.

—Actually, she knew that this action was not very necessary.

“We’re finally here. If everything is ready, let’s set off,” Skadi said. “It’s quite a distance from here to the outlying Valhalla, so we can use magic to teleport there faster.”

“I guessed so.” tide Jian wasn’t surprised. “Compared to that kind of thing, your outfit…”

Skadi was different today than when she met them yesterday; she wasn't wearing that elegant and sexy purple dress, but instead had changed into military uniform.

Of course, when it was described as military uniform, tide Jian felt a strong sense of déjà vu, especially when her master was right next to her.

The combat suit is exactly the same style as Scáthach's, the only difference being the color and details.