Chapter 790: Act 141 – The Dim Huahua
(Hehehehe!)
In the pitch-black hall, only a beam of white light shone down from the dome, illuminating the icy marble floor as if it were made of iron. Several corpses of robed figures lay sprawled across the floor, and glaringly bright blood flowed from the sword wounds on their necks, pooling along the circular grooves on the marble floor and forming a peculiar symbol. The crimson blood slowly flowed, creating a scene reminiscent of the wicked rituals said to summon demons.
As the blood fully mingled together, it suddenly seemed to come alive, writhing upward, extending toward the center of a magical array and merging into the elegant body lying above it. In the next moment, the white wolf appeared to gradually awaken from a long slumber, its body beginning to stir. Starting from its head, its snow-white fur rolled back as if shedding a fur coat, revealing a beautiful young girl’s head, with long, dazzling black hair. Next, her delicate shoulders and milk-white skin came into view, the alluring curves becoming increasingly apparent as the fur fell away, revealing her flawless figure.
The girl’s perfect form finally lay before everyone, her eyes tightly closed as if her soul were trapped in a never-ending dream, with only the slight rise and fall of her chest proving that this eldest daughter of Echis had not truly perished. A wave of commotion rose in the hall, with even some people’s breaths becoming noticeably heavier.
Huahua’s eyelashes fluttered gently, like the budding petals of a flower. Then she opened her eyes, revealing a pair of silver orbs, foggy and hazy. She drowsily climbed up from the ground, her formerly splayed hair gathering as if flowing backward like a reverse waterfall. The girl lifted her head, slightly bewildered as she looked at the few individuals in front of her.
“Who are you?” Her voice was cool and enchanting, though it bore an unsettling chill.
The dim Huahua, the legendary eldest daughter of Echis, the ruler of the Proud Moon, and one of the twelve running wolves under the dusk, was said to be a ferocious beast from the age before chaos. Rumors had long circulated that she had perished in the battle of Babel Fortress. Yet now, this historically renowned name no longer served merely as a symbol to silence children; she had once again returned to the land of Vaunte, revived from her eternal slumber.
Anlek took a breath, suppressing the excitement in his heart, and stepped forward: “Lady Huahua, we are all followers of the Truth.”
“Oh,” Huahua acknowledged softly, “I see, you welcome me back, wishing to reignite dusk, right?”
“Exactly.”
“But my power is still very weak; I can’t help you much.”
“It’s alright, my lady, we have plenty of time. Once you break the seal, under the influence of the Great Demon Tide, your strength will slowly return to its peak.”
Huahua appeared a bit troubled: “But I don’t want to.”
Anlek and the senior members of the Everything Returns Society exchanged glances, looking at her with suspicion.
The girl lowered her eyelids slightly, as if frightened, and replied in a soft, delicate voice: “I no longer want to partake in wars. My mother promised me that was my last run before dusk. I gave my life for my mother, and now I should be free, right?” She looked up, her silver eyes, hazy with mist, searching the other’s faces: “Can I leave?”
The hall fell into a dead silence.
…
‘Fourth Seal: The judgments of Fidessel are not necessarily accurate; however, since the day of its signing, it has remained our only reliable choice—’ The fourth seal increases the owner’s bloodline attribute, equivalent to a 5% boost in the <Constitution> attribute.’
When the frozen stone door was pushed open, a gust of cold wind swept in, causing everyone to involuntarily shrink their necks. Brendel snapped back to reality from his thoughts; the fourth seal was a skill he acquired from the second seal of the Fool’s talent, originating from the Crystal of the Wise Dragon. This skill felt somewhat useless to him, as the bloodline was a primary attribute for spellcasters, while his profession was a warrior, a Holy Knight in advancement, soon to be a Frost Earth Guardian, which had nothing to do with magic.
He raised his head, and in his line of sight appeared a snowy valley, where frigid winds howled, whipping up the snow to the point that visibility dropped to less than five meters. This was the lower area of the White Gorge, where a glacier caused by the fallen Milos’s body during the War of Dusk resided—the habitat of the Frost-Biting Giant Worm. However, Brendel quickly noticed something strange; according to the lore, upon the death of the Twilight Twins, the Frost Biter king ‘Frost Tooth’ should appear nearby, as per the game’s setting, but it was different here.
Outside the valley, the north wind howled, yet no signs of life were visible.
“Be careful,” Brendel tightened his cloak, reminding everyone to stay alert.
The exit of the Cold Current Passage lay halfway up the mountain. The team slid down the steep icy wall, step by step arriving at the valley’s bottom, but the imagined monsters did not appear. The valley seemed completely empty, with only the visible world covered in ice and snow, accompanied by the howling winds. Those who had been forewarned, including Veronika, turned their gazes toward Brendel, seemingly in inquiry. This made him a little awkward; there was no good defense to offer, so he fell silent.
“The things recorded in the literature generally have a certain age,” Veronika took the initiative to explain for him, “the locations of monster lairs are not unchangeable; over hundreds of years, it’s enough time for them to wander elsewhere.”
“Yes, the records in the literature do reflect such situations,” Shi Do nodded, as she was an expert in this regard.
Brendel agreed with a nod, though he knew perfectly well that his information did not come from any literature; rather, Veronika’s words presented him with an alternate possibility, contradicting their guesses. The Frost-Biting Giant Worm might not have left but could still be yet to arrive to build a nest. After all, this was before the instance opened, and the Blackfire Cultists had not yet begun invading this temple. In fact, few in this era, including Erluin, were aware of the existence of this ruin.
If that was the case, this route was much safer. Brendel thought so, yet an unsettling feeling lingered within him.
In the game, the lower level of the White Gorge was not the first area discovered; players initially defeated Shi Ta and entered the Elder’s Sanctuary through the front door, following the typical procedure to defeat the Blackfire Cultist leader before beginning to explore the paths within the sanctuary. They soon discovered the Spiral Hall, from which they eventually entered this glacier, ultimately finding the Cold Current Passage and the underground entrance to the Sanctuary. Some things within the dungeon could be permanently changed, and depending on the order of entry, the challenges encountered might not be the same.
He was pondering this when the team stirred behind him; turning around, he discovered that the huntress girl Peiya and her brother were waking up.
“Brendel.” A voice echoed in his mind; needless to say, it was the voice of Queen Saint Ausoor. Brendel raised an eyebrow, sensing that there was not just one presence in the spirit world with her.
“Eh,” Queen Ausoor seemed surprised, “You noticed? Looks like you’re much more perceptive than before; your spiritual power and potential within your bloodline are slowly being unearthed compared to that impulsive youth back then, you’ve changed a lot.”
Brendel knew she was referring to the time right after he left Buche until the events that took place beneath the silver mine in Schafflund, during which he had remained oblivious to the fact that another soul was residing in his spiritual world—truly, he had been rather dull.
“So, who are these two?” Queen Ausoor seemed to perceive the two other spiritual powers besides her. Even without asking, he could vaguely guess their identities.
“They are Anquili and Aiven; their identities do not need me to introduce you.”
Both Anquili and Aiven were among Queen Ausoor’s personal knights; the former had once been called the Queen of Dragons, a renowned female dragon knight in the history of the Mist Elves and perhaps the entire timeline, while the latter was the commander of the Whispering Grove Guardians, unlike the fraudulent Otales—this one was a true expert with a bow.
“Hello, I am Brendel, currently considered the heir to Lady Ausoor’s legacy.”
“Hello, Mister Brendel.”
“Greetings.” The two voices responded in turn; the first voice was gentle and refined, a male, while the second was cold and concise, a female. Their replies were filled with character, as if one could glean a sense of their personalities just from their tones.
Suddenly, Brendel remembered that Queen Ausoor had once mentioned that the hunter siblings bore her tokens, implying that both the sister and brother each possessed one. This was odd; how many of the Queen’s Rings had flowed into Erluin? Logically, such treasures, being national artifacts of Queen Ausoor, should mainly have ended up in dominant countries like Cruz or Fanzan, since only nobles from those nations would have the wealth and lineage to collect artifacts of this level.
“Quite strange.”
“Strange?”
“How many Queen’s Rings have actually made it into Erluin? Including the one in my possession, that’s already three.”
“Don’t forget about the one with Williams, which is currently in Nemeses’s hands.” Queen Ausoor teased.
“That one doesn’t count,” Brendel shook his head.
The elven lady then explained, “I asked Aiven; the ancestors of these siblings should be descendants of the Minren who were ousted by Queen Ausoor and the mountain folk.”
Brendel was enlightened; this made sense—Minren had many connections with Mist Elves and may have even absconded with the ring. Of course, it was difficult to delve deeper into this, as it was an affair long lost to history, over a thousand years past.
“Then, are they both considered your heirs?” he inquired.
“Mister Brendel, they possess such potential; however, at this moment, their abilities are still too weak. If it weren’t for Her Majesty’s presence today, we wouldn’t have awakened voluntarily.” Aiven answered, though Brendel felt Anquili nodding beside him.
“Unless they encounter danger?”
This time, Aiven did not respond; only Anquili nodded again. Brendel understood; Peiya had luckily survived in the icy river, suggesting the involvement of this dragon queen. But what about her brother, Aruta? Medisa and the others had checked, and Aruta had sustained severe injuries; even with timely treatment, his chances of survival didn’t exceed thirty percent. However, oddly enough, his wounds seemed to have been inflicted at least one to two weeks prior and appeared to have received no treatment, having healed naturally. Was this also the work of the noble souls of these elven sages?
Of course, it was not impossible, given that he had experienced something similar in Buche when he had awakened during a moment of peril due to the Unyielding talent; it was supposed to be a certain death, yet Queen Saint Ausoor had saved his life.
Yet there remained one question.
“Why was Peiya’s brother beneath the glacier? Did he not accompany Anlek and the others?”
“That is precisely what I wanted to tell you, Brendel,” the elven lady replied, “I fear no one can truly grasp the happenings of his experience.”
“What?”
“Aiven’s senses had been severed for a period of time, until just recently.”
“What level of power would be needed to sever Lord Aiven’s senses?” Brendel asked keenly.
“It’s not difficult; your master could accomplish it.”
“So it requires at least a power of the extreme level?” Brendel’s heart leaped slightly; it shouldn’t be that powerful even within the Sanctuary, “Does he have any inkling about it himself?” This time, he asked about Aruta.
“I asked him; that child isn’t clear about it either, or rather, he feels like he has dreamt a dream, teetering between dream and reality; he vaguely remembers voices guiding him forward.” Queen Ausoor hesitated momentarily: “But he did mention a blue shadow.”
“A blue shadow?” Brendel squinted slightly: “Medisa told me the same thing.”
“Hmm?”
“The Crusians had told her, or perhaps it was Freya they spoke to.” Brendel murmured, raising his head. In front of him, snowstorm filled the glacier, yet the vague sense hidden behind the fog became a thousand times clearer in that moment. He could almost confirm that something was guiding them here.
But it wasn’t the Frost Knight king.
…
In the pitch-black hall, a pin drop could be heard.
It was not until Anlek broke the silence that he responded:
“I’m afraid not.”
“Why not?” Huahua looked at the people before her, somewhat confused: “My mother has already promised me; why do you obstruct me?”
Anlek frowned deeply; he had calculated everything but never expected to encounter this situation. The eldest daughter of Echis, the ruler of the Proud Moon, the first wolf to bring disaster and war, was here haggling with him like a naive little girl, questioning why he had to instigate war? Shouldn’t that be her duty? If it weren’t for the pure and flawless silver in her eyes, devoid of any guile, he would have nearly believed this lady was joking with him.
Yet the plan had progressed this far, and there was no room for retreat or abandonment.
Anlek exchanged glances with the followers of the Everything Returns Society beside him, then turned back and replied: “Because you are the daughter of Echis, it is your duty; the Day of Judgment is approaching, and you are the first wolf to awaken from the dusk.”
“But I don’t want to,” Huahua timidly responded.
“I’m afraid your will doesn’t matter, Lady Huahua.” Anlek sighed, answering darkly.
The girl was startled and took a step back, but a layer of red light net appeared behind her, causing her to crash against it unprepared. It was some kind of magical restraint; she panicked and struggled but found she could not break free. The long-term sealing had diminished her strength by a significant degree. In the past, such a level of restraint would have crumbled from just a breath, but now she had no means to combat it.
She turned her head, fearfully looking at the others: “What do you want to do?”
But at this moment, Anlek had already produced a black crystal ball from beneath his robe. “I didn’t expect it would come to this; to be honest, I’m not willing to owe favors to those beneath.” The duke shook his head and held up the crystal ball. Upon seeing it, Huahua instantly changed color. She widened her eyes at the despised human before her, panicking: “That’s a fragment of my soul; why is it in your hands?!” The girl’s face turned pale, trembling.
Anlek remained unfazed and replied respectfully: “Please forgive my offense, Lady Huahua.”
“Don’t!”
…
Brendel was conversing with Queen Ausoor but suddenly remembered something. He stopped talking, as if falling into his own thoughts. The elven lady in his spiritual world keenly sensed this silence and spoke up: “What’s wrong, Brendel?”
“It’s nothing; I just recalled something.” Brendel pondered for a moment before replying.
“What is it?”
“There is one of Echis’s daughters lying in eternal slumber within this sanctuary.”
“The dim Huahua, the eldest daughter of Echis; you mentioned her before, didn’t you?”
“Did I?” Brendel dismissed it lightly, but what he was thinking about was another matter. Huahua had a title of ‘The Two-Faced Goddess’ in the game, as players would experience two phases in their battles against her; during these phases, her personality shifted between that of a pure, innocent girl and the malevolent daughter of Echis. To be honest, the kind Huahua had garnered a fair number of fans among players, which wasn’t surprising, considering that the boss battles in the Amber Sword were mostly bizarre, and dual-character bosses weren’t unique to her. However, the reason this came to mind was that some believed that the evil version of Huahua was not her true nature.
Among players who had battled Huahua, a notion circulated that during her evil phase, she was actually being manipulated.
But this belief had no solid foundation; Brendel had once considered it mere self-deception of her fervent admirers. Yet he suddenly thought about the voice that had been guiding everyone to the temple, that blue shadow, causing a chill to run down his spine. That entity had made a contract with Shi Ta at some point in time, yet even Shi Ta himself couldn’t fully discern what kind of being it was. Who was it, and what were its intentions?
The only title Brendel could think of was that of the God of Awakening.
However, what exactly was the God of Awakening, and why would it summon them here?
The more he pondered, the more he felt this could be a trap.
Unfortunately, there was no turning back now; otherwise, as long as Anlek activated the star-shaped gem in his hand, everyone would be turned to ashes along with this forest.
“What kind of bad luck is this?” Brendel felt somewhat speechless within.
