Chapter 775: Act 128 – The Dragon and the Log
The foggy street.
A girl from the candle shop was slowly moving along, holding a bundle of tallow candles. White Rose Avenue in the Gray City was awakening under the first light of dawn. The owner of the imperial grocery store, Ma Perry, was opening the shop door when he saw the girl and greeted her:
“Cetty, up so early?”
“Good morning, Mr. Ma Perry!” Cetty replied with a gentle smile, “The palace is urging us, so of course I have to get up early.”
“I saw you working late last night, isn’t it too tiring?”
“Ah, it’s because my father’s leg isn’t very nimble. As his daughter, it’s my duty.”
“Old Chris is really lucky to have such a good daughter.” The grocery shop owner complained, “Unlike my lousy son.”
The girl smiled while holding the candles, about to respond when suddenly a sound like a downpour of hooves echoed down the avenue toward the Holy Silver Palace. Everyone instinctively closed their mouths, and pedestrians retreated to the sides. Cetty stood among the crowd, frowning as she looked toward the south end of the avenue—
The fog rolled up.
A pitch-black carriage appeared like a ghost at the end of her vision, and dozens of knights clad in gray capes dashed past like a whirlwind to clear the way. The warhorses beneath them were as black as ink, their armor resembling flames.
The Gray Knights of the Temple of Fire.
As the carriage slowly passed by, people began to murmur again.
“Those are people from the Kirk Family,” said Ma Perry, watching the carriage disappear. He turned back, “Cetty, I heard the nobles suffered a defeat to the south, your brother…”
“My brother is definitely fine.”
The gates to the rose garden of the Holy Contipal Palace opened wide, revealing a pure white avenue leading into the royal gardens.
Within the Holy Contipal Palace, the black marble seemed like a carpet, while white-silver roses extended along the dark floor. Atop the famous cold stone throne, the supreme ruler of the Empire sat, slightly tilting her head, listening to the monk of the Temple of Fire strike the golden bell seven times.
The famous proverb was carved three inches above her head—Beneath the rose, there are thorns—the Crusian Silver Queen, also their supreme Empress, Constance, had a doll-like face. Due to certain reasons, her body maintained a youthful appearance, with long golden hair nearly reaching her waist, looking like an exquisite doll. Yet, in fact, this girl-like queen was already a mother of seven and a typical Crusian.
To other races, a typical Crusian meant being proud and arrogant, looking down on everything, a representation of the Empire. Within the political map of the Empire, this meant toughness and a firm hand, particularly expressed in the Queen.
The Queen’s gaze was level ahead, her view filled with the scenery she saw day after day. The Golden Palace had no grand doors; the Emperor’s power was not limited. Wherever her eyes reached was both the territory of the Empire and the backyard of the Empire’s conquerors.
But there, the clouds in the northern sky above the palace rolled low, as if brewing a rare storm, a storm unwitnessed in Vaunte for a thousand years. Looking back, it could even be said that no one had seen it, and thus, at this moment, no one understood what a grand era it would unveil for this world.
Keeping her gaze forward, the Silver Queen suddenly waved her hand in irritation, interrupting the discussions among the courtiers below.
“I do not wish to hear you discuss what happened in the south. The Esrichke family’s well-known eldest daughter has provoked the Druid at the Loop of Trade Winds. I can forgive that.”
“The Rupert family—Williams suffered a defeat at the hands of the Erluin people, but he is already dead. The dead have no sins.”
“I simply want to clarify two things: First, who gave Williams the power to mobilize the border fleet? Second, who exactly is the new Earl of Toniger who defeated us, and will he really employ heavenly arms, what is his relationship with those arrogant knights to the north—”
Just as Constance’s calm voice faded, a sweating elderly man from the Williams family, who occupied a corner of the hall, rolled in and knelt down: “Your Majesty, please grant us the mercy of a chance; we will definitely find out who that person is. He is not just an enemy of the Empire, but also an enemy of our family.”
Constance merely glanced at Duke Cecil—
She lifted her head: “Erluin is no longer that significant to today’s Empire. I only need them to agree to participate in the holy war in the name of the Temple. Since Bud the Wizard wants to intervene, let them take it for now. As long as it doesn’t fall into the hands of Saint Ausoor’s elves, it’s fine.”
“But Your Majesty, Erluin has always been the traditional sphere of influence for the Temple of Fire.” A voice came, and the Queen turned her gaze toward it, discovering that the one interrupting her was High Priest Kwick. Her expression remained unchanged as she casually asked, “High Priest Kwick, are we discussing ecclesiastical matters or political matters?”
Kwick’s face changed, and he immediately fell silent.
“I have great interest in the rumors regarding the Azure Spear discovered in Erluin; I delegate this matter to you all.”
Constance stood up from the throne, petite in stature, but no one dared to underestimate her. In the Holy Contipal Palace, no one dared to breathe as the Queen surveyed the surroundings before leaving accompanied by her attendants.
In a corner of the Holy Contipal Palace, the Kirk Family and the Esrichke Family nearly gathered together. Duke Helix and Earl Rodney watched the Queen depart. The latter couldn’t help but click his tongue: “Before you interacted with Her Majesty, it was truly hard to imagine such a woman had controlled the Empire for forty years. It’s a bit embarrassing; I used to regard her as an object of fantasy when I was young.”
“Her Majesty is merely fortunate to have her appearance fixed at a youthful moment due to special circumstances. To put it bluntly, when I was your age, Her Majesty looked just like this,” Duke Helix replied, his gray hair peppered with white. The old noble’s face was marked with the traces of time, but he interacted easily with the younger Earl Rodney, “Everyone knows the flower-leaf collar of the Kirk Family works closely with the Esrichke Family; even the current head of the Esrichke family, Veronika, is the swordsmanship teacher of my two granddaughters.”
“Her Majesty’s body has not been as robust lately; otherwise, she would not have consented to let this generation’s princes venture out for training.”
Earl Rodney nodded, also feeling pity for Duke Cecil, left aside by the Silver Queen, and said with a hint of schadenfreude: “The Cecil family is going to be unlucky this time; Williams has handed them a huge problem.”
“Don’t rejoice too early,” the Duke shook his head dismissively. With his age, he had seen too many ups and downs, “Don’t be fooled by Cecil’s fearful demeanor around Her Majesty; he still has the power to deal with you and me.”
“Deal with us?” Rodney was a bit confused, “Why would he want to deal with us? We haven’t provoked him; has he gone mad?”
“You should ask your sister about that. What good things has she done at the Loop of Trade Winds? Both Her Majesty and we are well aware. You’d better advise her not to get too close with those Erluin people; from Her Majesty’s tone, she might not be pleased with what she did before,” Duke Helix advised.
“Sigh,” Earl Rodney sighed, apparently remembering Veronika, “How can I persuade her? She has her own ideas. But I believe since Her Majesty has made her the teacher of the Crown Prince, she should not be too merciless.”
The Duke patted the young man’s shoulder, “So our situation is probably not any better than Cecil’s. We can only blame our misfortune for getting involved with Erluin at this time. A few days ago, Veronika returned the Chancellor’s precious daughter, provoking one of the most powerful individuals in the capital. Coupled with what happened during the last trip to the Loop of Trade Winds, those parents who have lost offspring may not be satisfied with us.”
“Is it that serious? What should we do now?” Rodney suddenly felt uneasy.
“Find someone.”
“Find someone?”
Duke Helix nodded. “First, regardless of other people’s attitudes, we need to change Her Majesty’s mind about us. It’s quite clear that she doesn’t care about Erluin’s stance; she only wants that Azure Spear.”
“Wait, the Azure Spear… you mean that Earl of Toniger?”
…
“Month of the Scrolls, 22nd day, fair weather—
Thanks to the guide’s efforts, our carriage successfully passed through the White Rose Castle Pass. It is said that only on the side of the mountains of Anlek near the Sea of the Fallen Moon can we see the miraculous sight of the carriage aligning with the ships on the sea, but unfortunately, heaven did not fulfill our wish. Since it is summer and due to the wind direction and current, there are very few ships near the Delter Tael Sea. On this afternoon, we finally bid farewell to the hardships of the past few days and arrived at Lantonrand—
—Luther, recorded in Oda’pe.”
Brendel clearly did not expect that someone a thousand miles away was discussing him; what he needed to do now was simply to answer Veronika’s question.
“Is it the Awakening Deity?”
The Awakening Deity, Sulash, has always been a legend within the Amber Sword.
In the game, there were a total of eight bosses in the team dungeon centered around the Frost Death Forest: Echis’s daughter, the dim Kewha; the disaster twins of the Dusk Wolf Tribe—Mein and Mel; the Ice Devouring Giant Worm in the Loha Hall; the head wizard of the Black Fire Sect, ‘Illusionist’ Erik; the autonomous defense weapon of Milos’s Heart, the Frost Core; the leader of the Black Fire Sect, ‘Head of Black Fire’ Roderick; and the door god, the Frost Giant Dragon, Shi Ta, who was still with them.
However, in fact, players circulated a rumor that there should still be a hidden boss existing in this temple, the Awakening Deity, Sulash.
This rumor began with a quest chain involving the deity Fanzan in the North: at the headquarters of the Far-Eagle Knight Order in White City, there was a diary that could trigger a quest, owned by the former grand commander of the Far-Eagle, an identity that was not particularly special. Yet the content recorded in the diary was quite peculiar.
Brendel had undertaken this task when he traveled to the order’s country, Gray Shus, during his previous life, thus he had a vivid memory of the contents of that diary.
The diary recorded the story of the grand commander in his youth when he was still an ordinary mercenary, unrelated to the famed mercenary knight order, Far-Eagle. The diary detailed his adventures with an archaeological group traveling around the world, and the owner of the diary was quite proud of these experiences, indeed rare insights for an ordinary person. Yet, there were also incidents that puzzled the diary’s owner.
One of the most famous incidents was the Mystery of Oda’pe.
The diary stated that in the summer of 312, the Thunder Year, over half a century ago, when Erluin’s Anson the 11th had just ascended to the throne and enacted the militia training decree, Erluin’s renaissance era had just begun. The diary’s owner, along with his archaeological group, came to this small kingdom at the Crusian frontier.
After crossing the plateau where Erluin and Crusian borders met, examining the ruins left by the Minren, they travelled south, passing through Ampere Seale, and reached a fishing village in Oda’pe. There, the diary’s owner described an interesting event they witnessed.
They discovered that local residents worshipped a deity with a specific image.
“This is indeed a very interesting matter. The local residents describe that deity possessing a thunderous visage, eyes like flames, and skin shining like silver. Every night, it comes from the south, riding flames, surveying the sky, then returns to the south. However, as far as I know, since the Knights of Azure pierced the sky, leading the stars to fall, the gods’ disputes have calmed. After that, the deities and their people left Vaunte. Though the principles they left still protect our world, the tangible gods have long since vanished from this land.”
The diary recorded thusly. But surprisingly, in the days that followed, the diary’s owner and his party witnessed the deity’s appearance:
“A red column of fire rose from the south, flames seemingly burning across the night sky. The entire night sky was a fiery hue. Then I personally witnessed such a miracle—an illusory road seemed to appear in the sky, a deity with a specific image strolled along it, circling the sky before returning to the column of fire. To prove that I am not fabricating facts, I record here the appearance of the deity I saw. Its skin appears as if forged from shining metal, shimmering silver flows throughout its body, surrounded by lightning, and golden flames erupt from its eyes.”
Subsequently, the archaeological group set off southward, preparing to investigate this matter. Unfortunately, while passing through Twin Grove between Bidafurn and the Golden Forest, they were attacked by a dragon. The dragon did not kill them but stole all their supplies. Thus, they had to abandon their temporary journey.
Upon returning to White City, the diary’s owner remained troubled by this matter, but alas, this trip became his last long journey. Not long after, he was obliged to join the Far-Eagle, but his excellent insights and talents quickly propelled him to a high position within this mercenary knight order. Yet, the experiences from the fishing village in Oda’pe remained an unresolved question in his heart.
This question persisted until the diary’s owner passed away but did not fade away, until players eventually discovered this diary.
The fishing village of Oda’pe was expanded into Violet Castle by the Count of Oda’pe in the Year of the Water Lute, becoming the center of the Oda’pe region, and today to the south of Violet Castle lies the Frost Death Forest.
According to historical records, since the Year of the Forest Shadow, the local residents had not observed any anomalies in the night sky. Although at one point it stirred the Harvey Church of Lantonrand (an autonomous branch of the Temple of Fire), the adventurer group organized by the church never set out, and about a year and a half later, the occurrences of the anomaly gradually decreased, and the matter faded into obscurity.
Thus, the written records left by this once ephemeral deity in history were also quite scarce, creating significant difficulties for players’ future investigations. Even when players’ powers grew to the point where they could enter the Frost Death Forest alone, they still could not solve this unresolved mystery.
The doubts in the heart of the Far-Eagle commander became one of the most mysterious legends circulated among players.
“So, if Anlek is indeed looking for that thing, then it’s good news,” Brendel briefly explained the diary to Veronika and others, “If the Frost Knight Sibers indeed intended to hint at this, it might save us quite a bit of time.”
“What do you mean, Lord Earl?” Before Veronika could speak, the young scholar next to her, Shi Do, couldn’t resist asking, “Does that log contain some important information?”
Not exactly.
Brendel thought to himself, if it did, this mystery wouldn’t have become one of the biggest unresolved enigmas in players’ minds.
But the problem was, now they had an unexpected gain.
In fact, both Brendel and Veronika’s eyes fell upon Shi Ta.
However, before they could speak, the first to break the silence was the young female dragon, Alorze.
“Now, tell me what’s going on,” Alorze fixed her golden eyes on her kind, exposing her little white fangs as a threat, “Don’t tell me you didn’t hear what that guy said earlier; otherwise, I’ll twist your ears off.”
“Don’t!” Little Fat Dragon desperately covered his ears, screaming, “I don’t know! I’ve been here for a long time, but I’ve been sleeping for quite a while; you know that, Sister Alorze.”
“Is that so? So you robbed someone’s convoy while sleepwalking?” The young female dragon snorted coldly, suddenly pouncing forward and grabbing Shi Ta’s ears, making him scream like a pig being slaughtered. She viciously said, “Don’t think you can fool me; just speak the truth!”
“Wow, wow, take it easy, Sister! I’ll tell you, I’ll tell you!” Shi Ta shrieked.
