On the round table sat three cups of tea, steaming hot. The master and apprentice of the Spirit Tree Pavilion sat together with their guest.
The little witch Schierke drank her tea silently and cautiously, but deep down she was curious about Nidhogg. Until today, her teacher had never mentioned that such a young man would come to visit.
Even her teacher's friend—she had never seen his face. She had only glimpsed a silhouette once and knew nothing more.
Ivalera still seemed relaxed, perched on Schierke's shoulder, swaying her tiny body from side to side and swinging her legs back and forth. She looked quite lively and energetic.
Nidhogg took a sip of tea, set down his cup, and looked around the room. His gaze fell upon the hollowed-out wooden bookshelves filled with books of varying thicknesses—old and new, thick and thin. He seemed to be pondering something.
On the round table also lay the Spirit Tree Pavilion compass, given by the skeleton knight. It shimmered brightly in the sunlight streaming through the latticed window. Now it had been returned to its original owner.
"Won't your friends come and chat with us?" Flora suddenly smiled and spoke, breaking the silence.
Nidhogg was momentarily stunned before realizing Flora might be referring to Melina and Torrent.
He shook his head and replied with a smile, "I can almost express their views. There are indeed differences between them. It's not too late to find them again."
"Is that so?" Flora thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. "I also trust my friend's judgment. But I would still like to ask you to show me your power intuitively."
As she said this, Flora smiled even more warmly. The crow's feet at the corners of her eyes crinkled beautifully. She looked very dignified and intelligent. "Just consider it satisfying the lifelong curiosity of someone who pursues magic."
"No problem." Nidhogg didn't want to be stingy.
He thought about it, but decided not to show his weapons as he had done before with Guts, Godo, and Erica.
Show your power to different people, and match what interests the other party to get the most direct results.
So Nidhogg produced his Spirit Calling Bell before everyone. He shook it gently, and at the sharp chime, an almost pure white figure appeared in the Spirit Tree Pavilion.
It was the Twin Sage Sorcerer Ashes.
He wore the twin mask of the sage's stone. Two faces on the hood—one left, one right—looked out with wise eyes. He was dressed in the magic robe of the Magic Academy and held a glintstone staff. He simply stood there, motionless.
Flora and Schierke, master and apprentice, were clearly surprised and curious as they looked at the sorcerer's spirit ashes.
Ivalera said, "Ah!" Her little hand covered her mouth, but she couldn't hide her surprise. Neither in the astral world nor in this world had she ever seen anything like it.
"He is the soul of the Twin Sage Sorcerer. He came to heed my call and can fight for me for a short time." Nidhogg pointed to the Spirit Calling Bell in his hand. "The magic he uses is glintstone sorcery."
Flora gazed at the soul for a moment, then waved her hand. A puppet flew over from nearby and stood upright on the floor like a person. Then she said to Nidhogg, "Please."
Nidhogg nodded and gave orders to the Twin Sage Sorcerer.
The Twin Sage Sorcerer immediately raised his glintstone staff. The tip of the staff glowed with light, and then a blue column of light shot forth, striking directly and accurately.
CRACK—!
The puppet was pierced by the blue light and exploded into pieces.
"I see. That's 'glintstone.' Very beautiful magic."
Flora's eyes lit up, not at all like someone of her advanced age.
"The path of magic is truly vast and deep. If you live long enough, you will see a path you have never seen before."
Schierke and Ivalera were equally surprised. Their knowledge was far less profound than Flora's. Seeing this new magic, their eyes naturally widened in astonishment.
Nidhogg sighed inwardly: If you knew there was magic like full moon, gravity, lava, origin, etc., and another system called 'incantations,' you would probably be even more excited...
He was suddenly stunned, thinking that Flora before him might sense others' inner thoughts. Perhaps the teasing in his heart at this moment had been heard by her. He couldn't help but look up at Flora.
But Flora's eyes were still fixed on the Twin Sage Sorcerer. She was particularly interested in examining his Twin Stone Mask, Magic Academy Robe, and glintstone staff.
Had she not heard? Or had she heard but pretended not to?
Nidhogg was a little curious. He couldn't help but deliberately shout "Hey, hey, hey" a few times in his heart and boldly utter a few disobedient words. But Flora still didn't react.
It seemed she really didn't hear. Otherwise, that level of concentration would be too astonishing. But why did she suddenly stop listening?
Nidhogg suddenly remembered that after the previous incantation, Melina had suddenly appeared and vanished. Then, while he was drinking tea, Flora had specifically asked about his friends.
If he guessed correctly, they had already secretly communicated with each other. Flora didn't want to be an enemy of her guest, or even a future friend, so she no longer "listened" to Nidhogg's inner thoughts.
Having satisfied the master and apprentice Flora and the goblin Ivalera, after the Twin Sage Sorcerer's soul was dismissed, the conversation at the round table returned to Nidhogg.
"Forgive my presumption." Flora stared at Nidhogg. "May I see your chest? I sense that strange power emanates from there."
"Of course." Nidhogg gently touched his chest, just as he had shown the skeleton knight. The light of the golden brand was revealed.
Flora looked at the exquisite combination of arcs and lines and couldn't help but be astonished.
Because she saw three interwoven golden arcs, corresponding to the concept of the "Trinity" about the essence of the world. But between them was an additional arc that looked different.
The so-called "Trinity" meant that everything in this world intersects with two other worlds.
These two worlds: one is the astral world, commonly referred to as the spirit—the spiritual world. The other is the root of being, the soul—the world of essence.
Schierke didn't see the mystery, but she still perceived some simple surface aspects. At this moment, she couldn't help but look at Flora a little strangely, wanting to know the answer.
Her teacher didn't answer her.
"What is its name?" After a brief moment of astonishment, Flora composed herself and asked.
Nidhogg replied, "The Golden Order. It is an order that emphasizes regression and causality. When strong enough, it can control all the laws of the world, act according to established order and path, and let blessings guide people."
Flora's expression didn't change at all at Nidhogg's mention of "causality." By this point, she already knew that something was neutral—it simply depended on who possessed it and how it was used.
And indeed, Nidhogg then explained:
"The so-called 'regression' means the merging of all things without change. The so-called 'causality' makes everything interconnected. They are two forces and two gravitational forces of the fundamentalism of the Golden Order, guiding everything."
"Is it like mathematics and machinery?" Flora cut to the heart of the matter. "If this order had always existed, I wouldn't have been unaware of it."
"This is not a power of this world. It must come from outside, right? It's incredible, yet also quite frightening."
"The Golden Order can provide all order, but it also restricts any possibility of breaking boundaries. At the same time, due to its precision, even some errors can lead to irreparable disasters."
