Chapter 238: Act 5 – Letter (5) (First Update, Double Request for Monthly Votes)
Brendel stood up and walked to Funiya’s side, placing his hand on the young girl’s small shoulder and gently patting it as he spoke softly, “Funiya is a sensible child.” He lifted his head and looked at the tall Druid Elder. “I regard Funiya as my sister, and thus I entrusted her to you out of respect for her wishes. As for whether she can become one of the People of the Forest (another term for Druids in Vaunte), I do not care; however, I require you to ensure her safety,” he paused, his tone becoming more serious, “This can be done, right?”
Andrew nodded, “No need to say more, Lord.”
“Thank you, Brother Brendel,” Funiya replied sweetly, clasping her hands on her clothes and looking up adorably.
Brendel smiled slightly and patted her forehead. The girl’s earnestness and sensibility were naturally charming wherever she went, but Brendel was not particularly concerned about the idea of allying Druids with him that she mentioned. It was clear that Andrew was initially unwilling, but since there was now a connection through Valhalla, the alliance was somewhat inevitable.
He turned back to the noble maiden and said, “Antinna, please take Funiya and prepare the things needed for the journey.”
“Eh?” The noble girl glanced at Andrew as if just coming out of her thoughts. She looked at Brendel with confusion, “Me?”
“Of course,” Brendel replied, “Although Funiya is just a child, she is still a girl. Naturally, only you girls would know what things she should bring. Otherwise, we would have to let Romaine handle it—” The young man smiled and changed the topic, “But are you comfortable leaving Funiya with her?”
Antinna thought of Merchant Miss’s carefree demeanor and feared that having her help prepare Funiya’s gear might result in the young girl’s small backpack being stuffed full of her favorite glass marbles—each of which she had painstakingly bought from wandering merchants back in Buche. She couldn’t help but sigh, “But… can Xi do it instead?”
“She’s not as attentive as you are,” Brendel replied.
Antinna glanced at him, feeling inexplicably pleased. However, upon seeing the look in Brendel’s eyes, she understood there might be more matters at hand. After thinking for a moment, she asked directly, “Is there anything else you need, Lord?”
“Send word to Crenshia to come see me,” Brendel replied.
Only then did Antinna nod, walking over to take Funiya’s small hand, leading the girl, who kept looking back, out of the room and closing the door behind them. Once they were gone, only Andrew and the other two remained in the room with Brendel and the elf girl, who stood beside Brendel, her head bowed as she clutched a ledger.
“Does the Lord have any further instructions?” Andrew asked, looking at the young man who seemed ambitious in his eyes. It was clear to this worldly Druid Elder that Brendel dismissing Funiya was not simply to prepare her belongings. “We are Druids, we don’t speak in circles; the Lord can speak plainly.”
“I am busy, so I will not be accompanying you on your journey from here on out,” Brendel responded. “There are indeed some things I need to discuss with you, as I know that you regard your alliance with me as somewhat unnecessary—”
“Lord.” Red, standing behind Andrew, frowned and interrupted him. But he immediately saw Brendel wave a hand at him.
“Let me finish.” Brendel said, “I am aware of the Druids’ attitude towards the Black Forest, and I also understand your agreement with Nia very well. This is your tradition; however, I have something to tell you—chaotic powers are very strong.”
“You are a member of Everything Returns Society?” Andrew’s gaze turned cold, “Silver Sky Serpent? The Tree Shepherd, or should I say Goat-Faced Cultist?”
“I thought you would place the Tree Shepherd first,” the Druid Elder snorted coldly.
“Neither,” Brendel shook his head. “What you mentioned happens to be my enemies.”
“But the enemy’s enemy is not necessarily a friend.”
“Indeed,” the young lord interjected without much thought, “But you and I both know that this era is nearing its end; the Month of Magic will soon arrive—last time, the ebbing of magical tides marked the end of the Age of Chaos. What will happen this time? Nobody knows. In such an environment, attempting to suppress the growth of the Black Forest is akin to a wild goose chase.”
“So what of it?”
“I understand the Black Forest far better than you do.”
Andrew crossed his arms, watching this young man with extreme skepticism. They were people who had dealt with the Black Forest their entire lives, yet now a stranger was telling them that he knew it better. That feeling was even more ridiculous than boasting in front of an expert; it was simply an unfounded arrogance.
Brendel merely smiled: “You do not need to believe me. Recall that before the Age of Chaos, the area of Vaunte was less than a quarter of what it is today. Who opened up such vast territory and transformed the thorn-ridden Black Forest into today’s civilized land?”
Andrew’s expression became somewhat proud, “It was the Druids.”
Brendel shook his head again. “To be precise, it was the ancient Druids of the World Ring. After the Tower of Babel fell, the Dark Dragon scattered the Druids into the wilderness, leading to the splitting of the World Ring, which became today’s Tree Shepherds and the orthodox Druid faction.” He paused, “I shouldn’t even have to explain this, right?”
“Indeed, the Lord is quite knowledgeable.”
“No, it’s merely that we share this understanding,” Brendel sighed deliberately, “Since the fall of the Tower of Babel, there has been a rift between the ancient and modern magical systems. Both Druids and Wizards are seeking the legacies of the ancients, but coincidentally, I know a member of the Dragon Clan and happen to have some knowledge of Druidic teachings.”
“You understand ancient magic?” Andrew’s expression sharpened as he realized that the only known descendants of the ancients were the Dragon Clan. The dragons were also the only beings capable of comprehending ancient string magic today. While Druidic spells were a more mysterious runic magic, mysterious knowledge often shares common ground. Moreover, since Brendel said so, it surely implied something deeper.
If he could not understand any further, he would be a true fool.
“Auis eaam rs,” Brendel pronounced the incantation almost syllable by syllable. “Have you heard of the Seed of Life?” He looked up and asked, “You should understand the meaning of what I just said.”
The expressions of the three Druids changed immediately. The Seed of Life that Brendel spoke of referred to the sapling of the Elven Tree. The Tree Shepherds often transformed this into Golden Magic Trees, but the Seed of Life was the only tree species discovered that could effectively transform the Black Forest. However, such seeds were already scarce; besides artificial cultivation, one could only seek the ancient legacies in ruins.
After all, that was originally an ancient legacy.
They realized that the incantation Brendel recited was a transformation spell. The core rune ‘Eaam’ represented the Earth, which could likely be related to the ‘Language of Nature’ within ancient Druid magic, rumored to completely purify an expanse of Black Forest, saving it from the erosion of magical power. However, that spell had not existed in this world for over a thousand years, and if there weren’t slight records in ancient tomes, it was likely that the three of them could only recognize that part of the incantation had some connection to Druidic spells.
Andrew looked at Brendel with a complex expression, “The Language of Nature?”
Brendel nodded.
“Do you know this spell? Are you a Druid?”
Brendel shook his head. In truth, he was not unfamiliar with it since the incantation was inscribed on ancient stone tablets. By the end of the game, almost every player would know about it to some extent. However, simply knowing it did not mean one could use it, because the only support for this incantation came from those ancient tablets. The later Wizards’ Wars had also been ignited for this reason. Simply put, it was a gimmick—appearing beautiful yet utterly worthless.
But it was enough to grab the attention of these Druids.
As expected, Andrew furrowed his brow, “What does that mean?”
“Simply put, I have the same interest in the Black Forest,” Brendel replied, “However, the strength of order is matched by the strength of resistance that comes from chaos, so fighting alone is not the perfect solution.” As he spoke, he picked up a candle from the table, “Druids tend to solve problems from the perspective of the laws of the world and nature, but the Forest Goddess has actually pointed you toward another path.”
“What path?” Andrew asked.
Brendel carefully trimmed an offshoot from the candlewick with scissors before lighting it. He lifted his head and said, “That is to harness human power.” He explained, “Since the Age of Chaos began, besides the limited traditional mode of ‘Church-Pioneer Knights,’ civilization has rarely expanded the range of its protective territories. Yet due to land scarcity and the encroaching of magical power, wars have increasingly broken out within civilization—”
He paused, switching topics, “However, I plan to develop a new model to end all of this, even if it’s just an attempt,” the young lord smiled slightly, “but I am quite confident. I just don’t know if you are interested.”
Andrew lowered his head, thinking for a moment, “Lord, you may as well speak directly.”
“What I mean is,” Brendel said, picking up an envelope from the table, he slightly tilted the candle to let hot wax drip onto the envelope. “Transform Erluin into a vibrant country that is constantly expanding—”
The three Druids collectively gasped. Andrew had anticipated Brendel’s ambition, but he had not expected it to be so grand. The young man’s goals were far beyond just being a local lord; he aimed to change this ancient kingdom. They could even hear that his ambitions went even further.
An expansionist Erluin.
This young man wanted to personally establish an empire.
Grand ambitions could be a good thing for some, but they stirred deep unease in Andrew. He warily glanced at Brendel. “Expansion brings bloodshed and war, which contradicts our beliefs,” he whispered, trying to avoid offending him, “Therefore, Lord, if you intend to use this to entice us to join you, you have it wrong.”
“War is unavoidable,” Brendel replied evenly as he steadied the candle, removing the Queen Wind ring. “However, for me, war is a means of self-defense. Because you may have misunderstood the meaning of this expansion—”
“Wait, are you saying…?” Andrew interrupted him incredulously.
Brendel nodded seriously, “What I mean by expansion targets the wilderness.” He pressed the Queen Wind ring against the wax, then lifted it, “By leveraging national power, we will expand into the wilderness.”
(PS: Two updates today. (To be continued. To see what happens next, please log in for more chapters, support the author, and support official reading!))
