Chapter 112: Act 46 – ‘The Nest’ (First Update Today)
It is well known that the formation of Vaunte originates from the god Eshiru of the Crusian people, or rather, the mother of the Erluin people, Martha, who made a pact with the four elven kings to constrain the chaos (also known as the Sea of Chaos beyond the world) and thus formed boundaries based on the six elements.
Within this boundary, the outer layer is the elemental domain, and the inner layer is the infinite land.
The power of the gods that guides the world’s rules reflects on the firmament above the land, creating the sun, moon, and stars, causing life to be born from the waters, flourish upon the earth, be sheltered by the wind, and be bestowed with wisdom by fire, thus leading to the existence of the mortal realm.
However, beyond the one hundred and thirty million rules established by the god Eshiru—The Divine Codex A’thro (Elemental Rules)—the Sea of Chaos does not submit; it also reflects on the firmament and is referred to by cultists as the Third Lunation, by the shepherd population as the Holy Moon or Silver Celestial Serpent, and is described in the Everything Returns Society texts as the Moon of Magic.
Legend has it that the formless and shadowy Moon of Magic gazes down upon the earth during the summer months of the ten-year cycle, book month, and revival month—thus these months are also the peak periods of power for wizards and witches, while simultaneously being the weakest times for elementals—at this moment, the magical tides caused by the Moon of Magic stir up waves in the Sea of Chaos, thus birthing monsters influenced by this magic within the darkness.
These are what people refer to as magical beasts—driven by the magical tides, they attack civilized areas, causing the guardian lands of Eshiru to collapse inward—the territory of civilization also correspondingly shrinks. In the early days of the Chaos Era, the Magical Tide was a dire threat that every civilization had to face, which is precisely the reason for the existence of the Pioneer Knights.
Even in modern times, the war potential accumulated by a nation must be prepared to deal with the decline of civilization.
However, the Magical Tide visits once every ten years, and since the last visitation was just two years ago, the century-old tide is still far off, so the people of this era are not overly worried.
It is only that after the Magical Tide recedes, the nests generating magical beasts do not disappear. They will continue to produce magical beasts formed from magic or mutated beasts year after year, so there are occasional reports of roads being cut off by magical beasts in the areas surrounding large cities.
In Erluin, the task of clearing these magical beasts and nests falls to the guards and the Temple of Fire.
However, not all nests are destroyed. In the long battle against ‘chaos,’ people have learned ways to tame ‘nests’ similarly to how their ancestors discovered the methods of taming wild beasts, allowing the products within them to be utilized for themselves.
Even through long-term study, races such as humans, elves, and dwarves have also explored ways to create similar ‘nests.’
For example, the gargoyle nest in Bud’s territory is a typical example.
(Note: A typical gargoyle nest yields two gargoyles each year; however, constructing and maintaining such a nest requires a large amount of resources. Thus, even a nation relying on ‘nests’ as a war reserve does not have limitless war potential.)
Tamed nests are similar to the mounts of the Dragon Knights in Erluin and the griffins of the Crusian people, as well as the ground dragons, war serpents, or black wolves often seen by people.
Yet, there exists another type of nest, the guardian nest, born from the order established by Martha (Eshiru) or products influenced by the powers of light, darkness, fire, wind, water, or earth.
For instance, the Abyss of Wind in Saint Ausoor, the Celestial Gate of the Church Knight Order, and the Shadow Canyon of Madara.
Of course, these nests are also classified into various tiers.
For example, most hunting dog nests in the Silver Wing Cavalry Corps and the guard camp yield as many as sixteen every year, though sadly, their combat capabilities exceed little beyond that of an ordinary hunting dog.
Moreover, the lifespan of magical beasts declines as the magic comprising their bodies wanes, often being short-lived. Even among the longer-living dragon species, they will vanish within a mere century—compared to true dragon kin, they are worlds apart.
The stone nest mentioned by Brendel is an artificial nest, a product of alchemy, producing stone golems with combat capabilities approximately equivalent to seven or eight adults. This type of nest is rather low-grade, but its popularity is widespread; many noble territories contain such nests, where stone golems, though lacking intelligence, can still serve as soldiers.
Thus, when Antinna saw the Stone Legion necklace, she immediately thought of this. If Brendel intended to construct some stone nests, how much could this necklace save them?
Balthom, on the other hand, considered the indirectly increased output.
Hence, the three of them simultaneously resolved to ‘snatch’ this necklace.
The starting bid quickly emerged; the Stone Legion necklace, of course, wasn’t as precious as the Elemental Revelation scroll, so its price was set at two thousand Tor, with increments of a hundred.
With the intent to secure it, Brendel waited patiently for others to make their moves, reluctant to reveal his own thoughts too early.
The first bidder appeared among the crowd, a young knight holding a bidding paddle. Antinna and Balthom glanced over but kept their composure.
After several rounds of bidding, the price climbed to three thousand, and the number of bidders began to dwindle. Brendel understood that most participants had joined the bidding more out of a sense of participation; many of them weren’t genuinely interested in the necklace.
However, at this moment, competition evolved from a facade of stability to intense rivalry.
The bidding power was quickly seized by some nobles from the third-tier box, and Lohn mentioned a few of these individuals. Most were nobles from outside Bruglas with their own territories.
The price rose to four thousand Tor, which was already considerable for this necklace, and true hunters began entering the fray.
Starting from four thousand four hundred, the third box on the right raised the offer to five thousand.
The room almost fell silent for a moment.
Many people wondered if those nobles had gone mad. Meanwhile, more couldn’t resist the urge to act; this sudden bid led some speculators to realize that this necklace might bring them more profit.
Ripples surged through the crowd again, causing Brendel to feel a bit uneasy. He understood he must use facts to dissuade these speculators, so he had Lohn place a bid.
Six thousand Tor.
Silence again.
Those eager to bid sensed the beginning of a war, carefully retracting their hands.
Seven thousand.
The bidder this time was a certain captain from the White Mane Legion, who was immediately answered back by a noble within the city with a bid of seven thousand five hundred.
Brendel decisively raised the price to eight thousand.
Balthom swallowed hard.
Eight thousand one hundred, the bid from the third box on the right.
Brendel instructed Lohn to raise the offer to eight thousand five hundred, and he did not show any intention of backing down.
Antinna couldn’t help but grip the armrest of her chair behind him, her knuckles turning slightly white.
The dimly lit auction hall fell silent, even the nobles remained quiet. No one was a fool; they would consider whether it was worth it for a Stone Legion necklace.
But Brendel’s considerations were different; his urgency for troops and territory was greater than anyone else’s, and the funds in Antinna’s hands existed for territorial purposes. This also aligned with the consensus previously reached between him, Balthom, and that noble young lady.
The auctioneer struck once with the hammer.
The captain from the White Mane Legion appeared ready for another struggle, yet after a moment of hesitation, ultimately refrained from making a move.
After three hammer strikes, Brendel successfully acquired the necklace as he wished. Lohn’s people had already settled the payment with his funds and brought the item to him.
After glancing around and noting that no one was paying attention to him, he cautiously stored the necklace away. After all, this item required a stone nest to be utilized; for now, it could only serve as an exhibition piece.
Following the Stone Legion necklace, the auction heated up gradually, beginning with several art pieces that caused a scramble among the nobles, followed by two sets of bronze-tier magical armor, which sparked enthusiasm among adventurers, mercenaries, and traveling knights, creating a bustling scene. Ultimately, the two sets of armor were sold for over forty thousand Tor.
Next came a series of alluring items, and Brendel once again acquired a set of so-called magical playing cards. However, he was not interested in the set as a whole; he merely intended to covertly obtain the fate card mixed within the deck.
In fact, at the moment the auctioneer presented the deck, a few cards from his backpack reacted immediately. He exchanged a glance with Charles, and they made a decisive purchase.
This time, he faced no strong competitors, just a few nobles enticed by peculiar trinkets, and ultimately secured the card for two thousand five hundred Tor.
When Brendel drew the fate card from the deck of playing cards, he found it to be a blue card, with the front depicting a group of blue spiders emerging from a whirlwind. The card number was III, and the cost of payment involved the corresponding wind element—
Wind Spider Swarm
(Aisia’s Prophecy III)
Wind 1/X
[Creature—Elemental/Insect, Level 5 Creature]
Pay X to place X blue derivatives (Wind Spiders, Level 5) into the field.
When the Wind Spider Swarm dies, designate a target to burn X points of mana.
‘Born from the whirlpool, returning to the mana vortex—’
As Brendel scanned the description of this card, he couldn’t help but pause slightly. The value of a card that first summons a Level 5 creature made him feel somewhat at a loss, whereas the associated costs and description left him pondering. After a moment, he couldn’t restrain himself and quietly turned to Charles to ask, “What does this mean?”
Charles glanced at the card and smiled slightly.
(PS. Here is the first update today; I’m unsure how many more updates there will be later.) (To be continued. If you want to know what happens next, please log in, more chapters await, support the author, and support authentic reading!)
