Talulah, I'm still a child.

Bella was about to say that you can't just steal it, but she quickly realized that it was unnecessary because Annie sent a message saying that her grandmother was at the door.

"No need to look, I'm right here."

As soon as she finished speaking, the blonde elderly woman, Felin, who was dressed in gorgeous clothes and wearing a single gold-rimmed spectacle, walked in. She looked quite old, but Bella knew that her grandmother had looked the same as she had for over twenty years and hadn't changed at all. She suspected that the woman maintained this appearance simply because she found being an elder interesting.

However, out of respect and fear of the risk of misfortune, Bella still acted very well-behaved and seemed very likable. This was a trick she had learned from Mei Xue, and with it, she was finally able to avoid being teased by her grandmother.

"Grandma, you heard everything."

Although she had spoken very firmly just now, Alice seemed a little reserved at this moment, after all, the old man in front of her was a very important figure in the fairy tale castle.

"Well, Bena, you need to get some rest from playing games late into the night. You don't have Mei Xue's body. As for your problem, Alice... it's about time. Come with me."

Grandma Felin turned and walked out the door, with Alice and Bena following closely behind. Then they suddenly realized something: perhaps Grandma wasn't eavesdropping; she had simply come to see Alice about her work.

"You may be wondering, haha, but I really am just here to see Alice."

Is it because of Mei Xue?

“Yes, Bena, you’re very clever. It was indeed Mei Xue’s request, or rather, it was Mei Xue and that doctor’s request. Although these matters involve some secrets, you two have the right to know them.”

As they walked, the wall lamps on both sides automatically lit up, and the three of them walked side by side toward the garden. The elderly Felin told the two of them a piece of history that was not so long ago.

"That was eight years ago, when Mei Xue came to the fairytale castle for the second time..."

"The second time?"

Bella keenly sensed the key information in those words, but the old man simply smiled and nodded.

"Yes, the second time, but that's not the point. The other time, Mei Xue was with someone else, or more precisely, the woman who called herself a doctor, who brought Mei Xue here."

"They spent the whole afternoon with the godmother, and no one else knows what they talked about, but after that... about three years ago, the godmother woke up once."

"Is it because of that thing?"

Alice and Bena were both clever children; they always managed to connect the dots, which made the old man nod in approval, as if affirming her answer and her quick wit.

"Yes, that was something only my mother could accomplish by herself, and it was only then that I realized it wasn't an object, but..."

The old woman paused deliberately, as if keeping someone in suspense. She reached out and easily pushed open the heavy, ancient door in front of her. Behind the door seemed to be another world, a sea of ​​flowers, with colorful flowers blooming in competition, famous and nameless flowers clustered together. In the center of the sea of ​​flowers was a large lake as clear as a mirror.

More than anything else, Bella and Alice immediately noticed the most eye-catching feature: the enormous flower bed floating in the middle of the lake.

"Let's go, we'll tell you the rest later."

The three continued walking, and every now and then a gust of wind would blow flower petals past their eyes, carrying a fragrance. Living in such a place must be a very pleasant thing.

Reaching the lakeside, the old man took a folded paper boat from his pocket and threw it into the lake. However, the paper boat did not float up as expected; instead, it sank.

"Grandma, you forgot to turn it on..."

"Ah, look at how senile I am, haha."

The old man took out another paper boat, folded it, and threw it into the water. The paper boat quickly turned into a small wooden boat, and the three of them sat on it. An invisible wind propelled them toward the center of the lake.

"Grandma, you still haven't told us what it is."

"Don't worry, my little lamb, it's right in front of you."

Compared to the growing curiosity of Bena and Alice, the old woman remained unhurried. She recalled that afternoon when she had only used her abilities to look at the lovely child out of curiosity, but was almost swallowed by darkness and nothingness. However, Mei Xue's expression was undoubtedly an unfathomable light.

The closer they got, the more nervous Alice and Bella became, but their childlike curiosity also compelled them. What kind of thing could be placed alone in such a garden? This was not just a storage room, nor was it the same as their grandmother's garden. The fragrance that Alice and Bella smelled was exactly the same as the one on their godmother.

Without a doubt, this is the Godmother's garden.

Bella began to wonder about the relationship between Mei Xue and her godmother. If Mei Xue had come here for the second time eight years ago, then he must have had some interaction with the fairy tale castle before. But Bella had been here for more than twenty years... Could the little fox be older than her?

As they drew closer, Bella, Alice, and the other two arrived at the flower bed. When they saw what was inside, their faces showed the same look of surprise as the old man beside them had back then.

"This is...a person!?"

It wasn't a precious item at all, but a person, a Sarkaz, a Sarkaz in a white dress with white hair who looked exceptionally gentle.

Dark red blood stained most of her white dress, and a metal plaque was placed on her body, engraved with ancient Sarkaz. As members of the fairytale castle, Alice and Bena could naturally understand what was written on it.

It reads: Theresa.

Chapter 258, the new main storyline, is finally finished.

I saw it, I heard it—their sighs, their sorrow and anger, all their suffering and wandering… Kal'tsit, does this land that once belonged to the Sarkaz still have a place for them?

I cannot answer you, Theresa, just as I cannot tell you what the world was like before the Sarkaz. Perhaps He… no, He couldn’t either.

"What are you thinking about, Your Highness?"

The leader of the Pardoners looked at Theresis, a man who had been plagued by misfortune for a long time. He was now enjoying this hard-won peace. After confirming that Mei Xue's ability had indeed temporarily stopped targeting her, Theresis finally had a good dream.

"Nothing, just thinking about some things from the past. How are things at The Shard?"

"Everything is normal. Those misfortunes are directly targeting you and the Blood Demon Lord himself. Our plan is progressing smoothly."

"Is that so...that's good."

Deeply weary, even sitting in this position, Theresis scoffed at the power in his hands. He was not the Demon King, but he knew what the Sarkaz truly needed. Most of the Sarkaz had long forgotten who the former masters of this land were; they simply yearned for a place to belong.

But even so, it still requires fighting with the swords and knives in hand.

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but such a method is not enough to sustain us for long. The mere deep pool cannot bear the misfortune that comes from Him, not even a single glance."

"...Just a glance?"

"At least for him, it was no different from the instinctive glance he gave us back then."

The pardoner never bowed his head, not even Theresa had the power to make him bow, let alone Theresis. Yet his protection even made people wonder if this guy was the regent's personal guard.

"So what are your plans?"

“If Princess Theresa were still alive, then there would be no need to worry, because while He is ruthless, He would certainly not do anything to Theresa, and besides... Her remains are in our hands.”

The words fell along with the powerful sword energy, and a few strands of dark golden hair drifted to the ground. The absolutist knew that if he had dared to say the rest of his words, the sword strike would have caused his head to fall to the ground just like those strands of hair.

Compared to Rhodes Island, the Doctor and Kal'tsit, and even Amiya who inherited the power of the Demon King, Mei Xue is a more worrying threat. He doesn't need to take action himself, or even appear in their sights. His every word and action is enough to ruin Theresis's plans.

But at least there's something to be thankful for, because Mei Xue doesn't know how to use his power yet, and he's still not interested in these things, just like before. As long as no one messes with him, he'll be fine.

The Sarkaz are a rather ancient species, but the further up in time Theresis looked, the more lost he felt. He couldn’t see what the beginning of the past was, or what the end of the future would be, so he simply closed his eyes and focused all his attention on the past.

"I will not allow anyone to insult Theresa!"

"...I have overstepped my bounds."

The pardoner said no more and stood quietly beside Theresis, but he knew very well that Theresis's heart was wavering. After all... to be an enemy of Mei Xue was tantamount to fighting against fate itself.

Even if the Sarkaz don't know or haven't heard any related rumors, the ancient memories flowing in their blood will be passed down from generation to generation, and they will remember them one day.

I think of all that hatred, of war, of destruction, and of the fear I felt under the torrent of fate.

However, neither the pardoner nor Therese could have imagined that the fate they feared was now troubling them for something else entirely: suddenly realizing that they seemed to have grown three years older, becoming 17.

This doesn't mean that Mei Xue's height or appearance has changed, but rather that the number 14 on his identity document has somehow changed to 17.

Looking at Mei Xue and Cecilia in front of him, Sakta, who was in charge of the marriage registration, felt that he was living a terrible life. Of course, he could not agree to the two little ones' request. He even unilaterally believed that Mei Xue's documents were forged, even though the seal and ink of Lungmen on them were exactly the same as the real ones.

"So my brother is already 17?"

"No, I remember last time I was 14 years old. Did my older sisters change it for me?"

After much thought, Mei Xue could only think of this possibility. After all, Chen Huijie and Shi Huaiya had processed his ID card. If there was a problem, it was because they made a mistake. Mei Xue had never paid attention to it before, so he only discovered it today.

"Ahem, no matter how old you are, you can't register for marriage."

"Why, Auntie? Didn't you say that all you need to do for a wedding is come here?"

Cecilia's unintentional words caused Sakta, who was in charge of registration, to feel an extraordinary trauma. Oh no, was she already old enough to be an aunt?

"Because you're not old enough, kids. Marriage is a very solemn thing. Do you know what problems might arise after marriage?"

"do not know."

Mei Xue and Cecilia both shook their heads honestly. They had never been married. Mei Xue was practically married, but the little fox was currently single and didn't remember anything from the past.

"After marriage, you have to be independent and both of you have to work together to support the family. If you don't truly love each other, you'll often end up arguing."

The staff members offered earnest advice, while the other people registering covered their mouths and chuckled as they looked at the two adorable little ones. Of course, this included Remian and the others who had arrived. Although they hadn't expected Cecilia to be such a rare person of action, it was clear that the laws of Sarkaz had played their due role.

"But I really like Brother Meixue."

“I also like Cecilia, and I know how to make money.”

The little fox swayed its tail slightly, looking very serious. After all, in its mind, making money was almost equivalent to buying lottery tickets. When it came, Mostima and Exusiai specifically instructed the little fox not to harm the lottery merchants in Laterano.

Besides, Mei Xue isn't short of money right now. Once Miss Doctor gets back her investment shares in Columbia, what she and Mei Xue will get will far exceed what most people can imagine.

"So, Mei Xue, do you really want to marry Cecilia, or do you simply not want to break up with her?"

Mostima walked over to Mei Xue and gently tapped the little fox on the head. Actually, Mostima knew very well that the little fox probably just thought it was fun, and Cecilia didn't understand anything.

"Isn't marriage about staying together forever?"

"That's true, but you'd have to wait at least ten years for Cecilia. Hmm, how about we get married? You'll be 17 by now."

Although they didn't know who tampered with the little fox's ID card, it didn't matter; Mostima was the one who benefited this time. (Swire and Hoshiguma were furious.)

"With Sister Mostima?"

"Of course, I'm your ex-girlfriend, but it's not impossible for me to be your wife now."

"I won't agree to that!"

Seeing Mostima openly deceiving Mei Xue, Exusiai disagreed no matter what and decisively stepped in to interrupt Mostima's little scheme. Meanwhile, Remian was already thinking about whether to find an opportunity to blow up the place to eliminate future troubles.

"Xiao Le, don't ruin the mood like that. I'm just... okay, okay."

Seeing the hesitant expressions on Rainbow Team and Fiameta's faces, as if they were wondering whether to kill him, Mostima decisively chose to back down. Trying to win over Mei Xue in front of so many people was no easy task.

"Instead of making a scene here, we'd be better off buying our things early. His Holiness the Pope has postponed all his meetings this afternoon, just waiting for us to arrive."

"...But I feel like he's just looking for an excuse to be lazy. He's probably eating snacks and playing games right now."

This possibility cannot be ruled out. After all, the Pope often has his unserious moments, and the Lateran people's optimism and liveliness are also evident in him, as everyone knows.

Time flew by, and Mei Xue discovered that her ID card was missing from her pocket. The little fox twitched its ears and looked at Mostima. Seeing the cunning look in Mostima's eyes, it didn't say anything more, assuming that Mostima had her own plans.

(Let's come back another time)

With this in mind, Mostima led Mei Xue out with everyone else. Cecilia was still feeling a little disappointed that she couldn't get married. Felia was both amused and exasperated. If her daughter had registered her marriage before her, she wouldn't know how to tell her husband about it.