Chapter 675: Act 36 – Path to the Element? (Part 1)
“Brendel, where are we actually going?”
The metallic components on the harnesses of the two warhorses clanked as they moved, one in front of the other through the forest, while the Lady Knight on horseback tightly gripped the reins and anxiously turned her head to look at the surroundings. The still forest resembled an oil painting, with a refreshing green emanating from the depths of the background, and sunlight filtering through the canopy, like beams of light casting down onto the dry leaves below.
The forest was eerily silent, with only the faint rustling of hooves on the dry leaves and the sound of metal clanging, creating an unsettling atmosphere.
Freya’s complexion was somewhat pale; although she had only sustained minor injuries at Laurena’s hands, and after Meria’s treatment, it wasn’t serious, the long journey on horseback after losing blood was still taking its toll on her.
“Are you tired?” Brendel glanced back at her and asked with concern.
“No, but… but it’s getting dark, and if we go any further, we won’t be able to return to Schafflund,” Freya said with evident worry, unsure why Brendel had suddenly asked her to join him on this journey to Schafflund and to delve deeper into Graham’s Mountain.
—Just a bit further ahead, and it would be the Black Forest.
“It’s fine,” Brendel smiled from atop his horse, seeming unconcerned. “If it gets dark, we can camp out in the wild. With me around, do you still have to worry?”
However, Freya’s face flushed red instantly. “B-but… but we only have one tent.”
Brendel found this side of the future Valkyrie endearing, so he didn’t rush to answer. It was only when she glared at him angrily that he broke into a laugh. “Actually, I was just kidding; we’re almost there.”
Freya let out a sigh of relief, only to realize she had been teased. She took a deep breath, barely suppressing the impulse to punch his grinning face—only to see him tightening the reins, giving a gentle sigh as his mount came to a halt. Brendel carefully surveyed his surroundings, seemingly confirming something. Then, with a swift motion, he leaped down from his horse, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword as he slowly walked forward with his cloak trailing behind him.
Seeing Brendel act this way, Freya had no choice but to suppress her earlier anger, now filled with curiosity. She watched as he tread softly on the dry leaves until he reached a tree—she obviously didn’t recognize the scientific names of those trees marked in scholars’ thick tomes, but she was still aware that these dark-trunked giants were commonly referred to as Ghost Trees among the Erluin mountain folk. “Brendel, what… what are you looking at?”
Brendel gazed up at the ebony tree, familiar with this species as if he was seeing an old friend after many years, feeling a subtle warmth. He silently pondered many things about the past, some of which had faded from memory, yet memories still flickered in his mind like shining fragments, as if he were sifting through sands at the seashore.
He shifted his gaze and found, not far away, a large gray-white boulder in the spot he recalled. The boulder was like a giant egg thrust into the ground, and his eyes followed its uneven surface upwards, stopping at intervals. After the third stop, he saw a star-shaped crack that branched out like a fork.
Then he replied, “It’s nothing; we’ve arrived, Freya.”
“Arrived?” Freya couldn’t help but lift her head to look around. After half the afternoon had passed, the light in the mountains grew increasingly dim. All she could see was an expanse formed by dark green treetops, twisted trunks, and entangled roots—a view from this angle made the forest look more like a half-enclosed cave, with interwoven passages leading in various directions.
Unlike the black coniferous forest common in Golan-Elsen and Rendener elsewhere, Harlang Mountain was covered by vast stretches of evergreen broadleaf forest, as if some mysterious magic nourished this ancient forest underground.
“What place is this?”
“This should be the edge of the Black Forest in this direction,” Brendel said as he walked a few steps forward, pushing through a thicket. He discovered they had nearly reached the mountain’s summit. From here, looking eastward, the black ridges shrouded in mist stretched from south to north like the spines of veiled dragons. He extended his hand, fingers spread, toward that direction and said, “To the east is Eternalwood Forest; you must have heard of it, right?”
“The Mountains of Shubli?” Freya asked curiously. The Shubli Range was a well-known landmark in the Southlands of Erluin, and the picturesque Eternalwood Forest had always been a destination for travelers; thus, she had heard of it even in Buche.
“Yes,” Brendel nodded, “but more accurately, it’s at the junction of Duskwood Forest and Eternalwood Forest. Fang Fortress is located in that direction; it’s the southern border of Erluin.”
After speaking, he stared silently in that direction. The vast mountainous terrain surrounded by the mist was dotted with the Black Forest, presenting the rarest of sights for adventurers—any player facing such a scene would find their ambition ignited, akin to sailors conquering the vast, roaring seas.
“But why are we here? …Br, Brendel, what are you planning to do?” The knightly girl felt a bit perplexed; she didn’t understand why Brendel had brought her to such a secluded place. However, when she saw Brendel unexpectedly remove his cloak and outer cloak, approaching her, she couldn’t help but jump back, her armored hand instinctively clenching tightly on the sword hilt as she stared at him nervously.
Brendel stopped, looking at the future Valkyrie with confusion. “What are you thinking?”
“Wh-what are you doing taking off your clothes?”
“Of course, I’m preparing to climb down from here. Where did you think I was going?” Brendel replied somewhat irritably. “Am I really so untrustworthy to you? Come here and help me hold my clothes. Wait for me here, you idiot.”
Freya’s face turned crimson like blood, and she lowered her head as if trying to find a crack in the ground to hide in. However, upon hearing Brendel’s request, our Valkyrie hesitated for a long time before finally climbing down from her horse after unbuckling various straps, moving so slowly that if she performed this speed during her academy’s riding exam, she would likely receive negative points. Only then, with somewhat trembling hands, did she take the outer cloak from Brendel.
“…Where are you going to go down?” she asked, holding the clothes awkwardly like a clumsy maid.
“You’ll find out soon.”
Brendel replied. Then she looked up to see him moving aside, pulling a rope from the saddlebag of the horse and tying it to the earlier Ghost Tree. She watched as he gradually let the rope down, slowly walking toward the edge of the mountain wall, glancing down, then tossing the rear half of the rope down.
“Brendel, where is that place below?” The Valkyrie froze for a moment, finally realizing what Brendel was about to do.
Brendel looked up at her in that direction, raised a finger to his lips, and shake his head at the girl from the rural Buche. Then, with one hand grasping the rope, he suddenly jumped down—
“Be careful!”
Freya couldn’t help but shout.
But the shout seemed to elongate and fade in Brendel’s ears; the chilling winds on the cliff made him squint. As he finally discerned the scenery before him, he felt the cloud below rising closer to him, like the illusion of approaching water when diving.
Then, with a rush, he felt himself plunge into the mist. Brendel tightened his grip on the rope; given his Golden Rank strength, he naturally didn’t need to descend slowly along the rope. However, it had been nearly ten years since he last visited this place, and almost a hundred years in the game, so he feared he might misremember the location, which was why he brought the rope for safety.
After all, until he truly awakened the Element, he wouldn’t be able to soar through the skies.
Brendel focused on the mountain wall; within seconds, a platform protruding from the thicket swept past his vision. He reacted quickly, his hand tightening; the rope in his grip suddenly snapped taut—an immense backlash swung him back and forth in mid-air, the rope carrying a scent of burnt material, but Brendel felt no discomfort in his hands.
The physical prowess of the Golden Rank exceeded what an ordinary person could imagine.
He looked up, the position of the platform not far off from his memory, with a vertical drop of about ten meters. But for him, that distance was nearly insignificant. Brendel swung lightly on the rope closer to the mountain wall and then seized the jagged rocks like a monkey, nimbly climbing upwards.
The platform, overgrown with shrubbery, was almost identical to his memory. Brendel glanced around; this rock jutting out from halfway up the mountain was about the size of half a basketball court. However, it was actually much wider—the dense trees and vines obscured most of his view. Following his memory, he cautiously walked in one direction and began to pull away the thick, interwoven vines.
With a rustling sound, accompanied by the rolling of dirt, Brendel pulled apart the dead branches and leaves with little effort, revealing a conical stone slab beneath. The slab was approximately his height, two people wide, resembling the common wisdom statues found in various forests, but instead of depicting Misaike, the weaver of magic and storms, it featured a black moon.
The Crescent Moon, Erluin’s seventh moon. This moon of darkness was forever unobservable in the celestial phenomena but had truly existed in history.
Brendel said nothing as he cleared the vines from the platform, revealing twelve similar stone tablets underneath. Each stone tablet depicted a moon, representing the flowing destiny and source of magic in the sky above Erluin.
This place was, in essence, the Hall of Fate.
Or, as players referred to it, the location of the job transfer.
Brendel had researched this and found that these stone circle arrays were built by ancient peoples predating even the Minren, seemingly to stabilize the early Tiamat rules of Martha. Such stone circle arrays existed in many places across the continent of Vaunte, all constructed in extremely secret locations.
For instance, this one in Toniger was built on the border of Graham’s Mountain and the Black Forest, and no one knew how many ages it had been buried. However, when Brendel visited these places in the game, the arrays had long since been cleared by previous players, so he had not spent so much time there as he did today.
He carefully examined the delicate veins on the ground of the stone circle and then raised his head, following them towards the center of the platform. Those shimmering runic lines and veins felt incredibly familiar to him, resembling the energy transmission formations he had seen in Valhalla—almost as if crafted by a single civilization’s hand.
That doubt flickered in Brendel’s mind. Then, he collected his thoughts and stepped towards the center of the platform; although these stone arrays bore various secrets in Vaunte, in the game, they had but one function.
That was to allow players to receive the awakening tasks of their respective elements. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it on Qidian (qidian.com) with your recommendations and monthly votes; your support is my greatest motivation.)
