# 1280
Chapter 1281: The Goddess of the Past
"Is it made according to the blueprint I gave you?" Leng Xuan asked.
"Basically, yes, though I made some modifications to certain key details." The short old man replied unhurriedly. "The blueprint you gave me is only suitable for mortal weapons, but this thing is made of Wumu Steel—its hardness is incomparable to ordinary metals. Without modifications, you wouldn't be able to use it at all."
"As long as it works. What about the bullets?"
The short old man reached out and opened the hidden compartment of the black metal box. Seven deeply colored, dim bullets lay neatly inside.
"Only seven?" Leng Xuan frowned.
"Only? Do you know how rare this Red God Stone is? These seven are already my entire fortune!" The short old man widened his eyes, speaking exasperatedly. "Besides, do you think this thing can fire many rounds? I've calculated it for you—although this weapon is made of Wumu Steel, based on your required firing speed and power, it can only withstand seven overloads at most.
Once you use up these seven bullets, this thing will explode. Even if I gave you an eighth round, would you even be able to use it?
Frankly speaking, with such rare and precious materials, if used to forge a divine artifact, it would at least be Chief God-level... Using it to make something that can only be used seven times is absolutely wasteful."
Ignoring the short old man's complaints, Leng Xuan was silent for a moment before closing the hidden compartment.
"I understand."
"Let me make this clear—I don't care what you plan to do with this thing, but absolutely no one can know it was made by me. The moment you walk out that door, the debt I owe you and Si Xiaonan will be cleared. From now on, the entire Dwarven Kingdom has no ties with you." The short old man looked directly into Leng Xuan's eyes and spoke solemnly.
Leng Xuan shouldered the black box that was taller than him, looked at the short old man before him, and bowed:
"I understand... Thank you, God of Smithing, thank the Smithing Temple."
The short old man snorted, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked toward the pillar of fire behind him.
Leng Xuan shouldered the black box, stepped across the barren, scorching earth, and left the Dwarven Kingdom directly.
After climbing over countless mountains, not knowing how much time had passed, he returned to the emerald-green lake. The drifting leaves reflected in the lake's surface caught his eye, and his gaze tightened slightly.
He bent down to examine the symbols Si Xiaonan had left, and his eyes gradually lit up:
"Qiye...?"
...
"Achoo—!"
Lin Qiye suddenly sneezed.
He rubbed his nose and looked up at this desolate, uninhabited valley before him, asking doubtfully:
"Are you sure they live here?"
"Mn." Si Xiaonan nodded. "I came here with Loki before—he wanted to meet the Three Goddesses, but they specifically avoided him. Later, in his rage, he set the entire valley on fire."
"He burned the whole valley? Didn't the Three Goddesses fight back?"
"No... They're not gods skilled in combat to begin with, and no one knows what they're thinking—they're very mysterious."
"Then they might not want to see me either?"
"That's natural. If they don't want to see you, even if you search the entire valley, you won't find them... Don't forget, they are the goddesses who govern fate and time."
Hearing this, Lin Qiye's worry grew even more.
The two walked along the valley, and after some time, had ventured deep into its interior. Apart from the wild beasts and venomous creatures that occasionally darted out of the forest, not a single soul was to be seen.
Just as Lin Qiye was about to sigh in frustration, the sound of crisp splashing came from a river in the distance.
Lin Qiye paused, exchanged a glance with Si Xiaonan, and quickly headed toward where the sound was coming from.
Passing through dense trees, a winding stream came into view. Beside the stream, a short-haired woman in blue clothing, holding a wooden block, was continuously beating the laundry spread on the ground, then placing it back in the stream to rinse.
"There's someone doing laundry in this valley?" Lin Qiye, seeing this scene, asked in astonishment.
"...She's not human." Si Xiaonan stared intently at that figure. "She is the goddess who governs 'the Past' among the Three Goddesses—Urd."
"A goddess?"
Lin Qiye gazed at the woman washing clothes by the stream. No matter how he looked at her, she simply appeared to be an ordinary village woman.
Si Xiaonan opened her mouth, about to say something, when the short-haired woman raised the wooden block in her hand once more and casually struck it against the stone beside her.
Bang—!
The dull sound seemed to pierce through the eardrums and strike directly at Lin Qiye's soul, causing him to shudder. His mind went blank, and in an instant, countless past memories flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern.
Blindness, being adopted by his aunt's family, going to school, meeting Zhao Kongcheng, joining the Night Watch, training camp, founding the [Nightfall] squad...
In what felt like a brief two seconds of daze, it seemed like years had passed for Lin Qiye. He relived in his mind all the history he could remember from the very beginning.
Lin Qiye's body couldn't help but fall backward, collapsing under a patch of green shade. Beside him, Si Xiaonan was the same.
When Lin Qiye came to his senses, his entire back was soaked with sweat, his face deathly pale.
He stared fixedly at the short-haired woman holding the wooden block by the stream.
It was her?
She had seen through him.
As if to confirm Lin Qiye's thoughts, Urd slowly turned her head. Those eyes swept over Si Xiaonan before finally coming to rest on Lin Qiye, and she let out a soft hum of surprise.
Her brow furrowed, and a puzzled expression appeared on her face.
"Your past..."
She gazed at Lin Qiye, pondering intently for a long while, yet her brow only furrowed more tightly. She shook her head, stood up from the ground, and walked over slowly.
Her gaze fell upon the pale-faced Si Xiaonan beside them:
"Agent of the God of Mischief, traitor of Asgard—what exactly do you intend to do, bringing this blasphemy to this place?"
The moment these words were heard, Lin Qiye and Si Xiaonan's pupils contracted sharply.
With a single sentence, Urd had exposed both their identities. Even Lin Qiye's perfect disguise seemed to have had no effect.
"No need for such surprise. When you came here with Loki last time, I already saw through your past and your intentions for remaining in Asgard... As for you—" Urd looked at Si Xiaonan and then Lin Qiye in turn, speaking slowly. "Your disguise is indeed flawless, but your past still exposed your identity."
Lin Qiye had originally planned to use Miles's identity to ask the Three Goddesses for help, but he never expected that the "Past" goddess would see through both of their identities with just one glance—exposing even the rebellion in Si Xiaonan's heart.
However, based on Urd's words, she had already known Si Xiaonan was a mole planted by Loki's side, yet she hadn't warned Loki. Moreover, this time she had actively shown herself before the two of them...
Did this mean they might not care about their identities?
Just as Lin Qiye was lost in thought, another voice drifted out from the dense forest.