Chapter 437: Act 189 – The Final Moment (Part 5)
The forest was very quiet. As Brendel pushed aside the overgrown vines to move through the woods, he heard almost no sounds, and even birds were rare to see flying overhead.
Looking ahead in the direction he was traveling, beyond the layers of overlapping leaves lay a broad basin in the distance. The dense forest, like a dazzling jade, lay nestled among the mountains, with the terrain gradually sinking towards the center, forming an inward dip.
Focusing further, at the very center of the basin stood a magnificent large tree, its roots spreading outwards, creating undulating shapes like mountain ranges, with the nearest one extending to less than a mile in this direction.
Andisha and her companions must have already arrived there. He dared not follow too closely, as the Withered Lord was half-Druid and had many advantages in any forest.
He led the two women along a small path—a faint trail hinted at the existence of this path long ago, though it had long since been lost to time. Yet the fragments of carved stones scattered among the thick forest silently told tales of the past.
Brendel looked up, and all that remained were the dense aerial roots hanging down from the towering ancient trees surrounding him, along with the thick underbrush at his feet. Gray-green plants clung to the pale stones on either side of the path, and only occasionally could one see traces resembling writing on the flat surfaces of the stones through the gaps between those roots.
But they had long since eroded beyond recognition.
If Brendel guessed correctly, those inscriptions should belong to the People of Silver. Certainly, they were not ancient Elvish or Wizarding scripts; the ancient tribe that lived in Valhalla must have been lost to the river of history long ago, leaving no words to indicate who they were.
However, Brendel suspected that this tribe of the People of Silver might have had an inseparable relationship with the Sons of the Forest, and their legacies could still be found throughout Erluin in the present Southlands.
But for some reason, even the Silver Elves provided no accounts of Valhalla’s past. In fact, the Silver Elves and Valhalla almost shared a common origin; Brendel had asked the Silver Elf Princess, but the answers he received did not exceed what he already knew.
Medisa had said that the era of Valhalla must be much older than that of the Silver Elves. The three major silver bloodlines—the Silver Elves, Mist Elves, and Moon Elves—along with their shared Elven Court, Yalvheim, emerged during the age dominated by the Duskgazer Dragon after the World Tree’s splitting.
And Valhalla had already become a legend long before the history of the War of Dusk. In present-day Vaunte, the Duskgazer Dragon had become an elusive symbol; most common people knew of this great demon but also knew it was dead.
The stories that transpired in that myth—
Only the monks of the Temple and the players knew some details about the forces of Chaos. However, compared to what they had to confront, they were merely cultists acting in the name of Dusk.
Let alone the War of Heavens, as documented in the Holy Covenant, or the War against the Dark Saints—it was all distant history.
Not to mention those legends existing concurrently with the Duskgazer Dragon, like Valhalla, or the Azure Knights and the Epic of the Azure, which had long since become songs and tales recited by bards.
“If I’m not mistaken, those are words, right?”
Faina softly asked from behind him. Since she no longer dared to return alone, she conveniently attached herself to Brendel. She seemed to have realized that although Brendel was not like the other noble youths who were overly submissive to her, and often found ways to tease her, he at least would not truly harm her.
“Can’t you read it yourself?” Brendel replied somewhat sharply.
“But I remember it’s been fifty-three years since Erluin last opened up the wilderness, under Baron Luman of the Vieiro family, who was also the last Pioneer Knight of Erluin. The books say that south of Rendener was the true Black Forest, an unclaimed land where no civilization ever existed…”
She paused, and her eyes sparkled with excitement. “But if these are indeed words and prove that civilization once existed here, then the Loop of Trade Winds must be a once-flourishing land rather than a natural Black Forest. Isn’t that a mistake in the books?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I got an excellent grade in the Imperial Chronicles subject and even received praise from Master Von Hain!” The young noblewoman replied, slightly flustered by Brendel’s gaze.
“It’s that Dwarf master who claims to interpret the ‘Epic of the Azure’?” Brendel asked.
“He does interpret part of it, but although Master Von Hain is a Dwarf, he has joined the Empire’s nationality,” Faina said proudly, lifting her chin unconsciously to show her identity tag.
“But doesn’t he know that the Druids lived in the Black Forest five hundred years before the Erluin people? What do you mean by saying south of Rendener is an unclaimed land?” Brendel mocked.
“Hey! That—doesn’t count! The Druids have no need for land!”
“Right! Do the Crusian dare to use that as an excuse to drive all the Druids from their borders? Wouldn’t that expand the Empire’s territory even further? How delightful!”
“You–you—”
What truly annoyed Brendel was that Faina had spoken as if the Imperial Chronicles included the history of Erluin, which explained why this young lady knew so much about Erluin’s past.
The people of the Empire had never viewed Erluin as an independent nation. He understood very well that among the nobles of the Cruz Empire, especially those with imperialist views, Erluin was considered more like an overseas territory of the Empire.
Such arrogance was unbearable for every player from Erluin.
Of course, Brendel was not the kind of person to clash with a little girl who knew nothing. He merely stepped on the little tail that the young lady had just raised to prevent her from becoming too self-satisfied. Then the young lord turned back, gazing at the lush green forest.
The small path through the forest did not exist in isolation—
Paths were meant to connect the other parts of the ‘city’ that once existed in this forest, though Brendel did not know where this road led. However, they soon recognized this fact after not walking for long.
After parting the thick underbrush, the path led them to a set of ruins abandoned in the woods. The first things that caught their eyes were the towering structures built of rocks, surrounded by a quiet greenery, standing silently in the clear space.
But just as Brendel emerged from a thicket, he felt Funiya tugging at his hand.
He immediately sensed the danger and crouched down, whispering, “What’s wrong?”
“There are bad people,” the young girl silently mouthed to him.
“Over there?”
Funiya pointed to the outside, and Brendel followed her hand to see that she was indicating the highest building among the ruins. Brendel looked closely and soon noticed something unusual.
A tuft of plants on the roof of that building seemed odd.
Brendel suddenly inhaled sharply—because he discovered that it was not a plant at all, but Andisha. The woman concealed herself remarkably well; one would find it difficult to detect her, given her half-Druid heritage merging into the forest.
It was just unfortunate that this time her opponent was the daughter of the forest, Funiya, blessed by the Goddess Nia—
However, even so, Brendel was cold with sweat; now he realized that not sending Funiya back was a wise choice. Having the daughter of the forest assisting in battle was immensely advantageous.
“Shh!” Brendel quickly gestured to Faina, who was trailing behind.
Then he looked outside again. This area should be a marketplace; Brendel recognized this from the circular layout. The tallest building was undoubtedly the Temple of the Trade God, which must have thrived during the time when deities still existed.
And at that moment, Andisha was standing on the roof of that temple.
You must understand that as a qualified cultist, there was never any fondness for any deity, nor any need to harbor the most basic respect—though the gods of Vaunte had always protected humanity throughout the history before the War of Saints.
Faina also saw Andisha, startled. “How did she get here?” The noble girl quickly looked at Brendel, silently asking.
“If you had a bit of intelligence, you would know she is definitely looking for us,” Brendel gestured in reply.
The girl took a breath and complained, “It’s all your fault! I told you we should turn back!”
Brendel shot a glance at her, thinking he didn’t stop you from leaving. However, he was too lazy to engage with this young lady throwing a temper tantrum, and merely replied with a gesture:
“Sorry, I can’t understand such complex gestures.”
Faina was left dumbfounded.
But unlike this young lady, who felt worried and anxious, Brendel felt instead that this was an opportunity. If Andisha remained ahead, he would truly find it difficult to advance to the core area of Valhalla first, but since the opponent stopped,
It was his chance to seize the initiative.
Brendel raised his head to survey the surroundings; he did not see that woman’s companions, but they were likely in this marketplace as well. He looked towards the distant exit of the market when he suddenly understood why Andisha chose to stop here.
Because he discovered that place actually had a tall wall—the wall was built from the same material as these structures, covered in vines and roots, most of which were hidden within the tree canopy, making it virtually unnoticeable from afar.
But after Brendel observed that wall closely, he couldn’t help but inhale sharply.
If he was not mistaken, that high wall should have entirely encircled the direction of the World Tree, with both ends connecting to the roots of the tree shaped like mountains, forming a natural arc of protection.
Behind that wall, there were several inner walls, and inside was likely a fan-shaped city, relying on the massive tree roots to build a fortress beneath the World Tree—a remarkably clever conception.
Had Brendel been the lord at this moment, he would have been extremely satisfied. But now that he saw this scene, he only felt a bitter taste in his mouth.
Because the only exit from the wall was at the other end of the marketplace.
If nothing went wrong, Andisha should be monitoring that direction. Although this woman did not fully comprehend what this place was for, being one of the twelve high priests of the Tree Shepherd made it clear she was not simple-minded.
At the very least, her current judgment was the most accurate, and if it were not for Funiya, he would have likely been discovered by this woman by now.
But history has no “if.” Now that Brendel had discovered Andisha first, he at least harbored some hope of overcoming her.
But how could he cross the marketplace?
Brendel felt a headache coming on.
… (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
