Six Hundred Ninety-Three Ready
In the northern outskirts of Tivyán, within Green Shade Town, House Seventeen, Dorothy sat on her own sofa, flipping through a new secret transmission she had recently purchased from Beverly with a serious expression. The content of this book, “A Record of the Examination of the Voodoo Forest Civilization,” was much vaguer and less detailed compared to the previous one, “The City of Mountain Furnace.” It was unclear whether this was due to translation issues, but large portions of the text were ambiguous, filled with unclear meanings and vague descriptions that were difficult to understand. Dorothy could only barely discern the written content with great difficulty.
According to the records in this secret transmission, during the imperial colonization efforts in the Nanwu region, they discovered numerous relics of an ancient civilization from the Second Era scattered throughout the vast Voodoo Forest, which was centered in the heart of Nanwu. These relics extended across large swathes of Nanwu territory. Through their archaeological investigations, the empire confirmed that these ruins belonged to the once-prosperous race known as “Elves.”
Elves loved nature and forests, and they preferred to establish settlements and cities in places teeming with life. The gods they worshiped were translated as “Mother Earth,” “Holy Tree Mother,” “Ocean Goddess,” among others. “Holy Tree Mother” was the most commonly used title for their deities. They regarded towering ancient trees as symbols of goddesses in the mortal world and worshiped them.
Elves organized and established their faith in deities by worshipping ancient trees. Among the trees they revered, the largest one, named the Voodoo Forest, stood at the center of the expansive forest since the Third Era. Legend had it that this massive oak tree reached the clouds, its canopy shading the sky, visible even from the distant borders of Nanwu. This giant tree was called the “World Tree,” believed to be the direct incarnation of the Elven goddess in the mortal realm. The capital of Elven civilization was built atop and around the World Tree, making it the center of all Elven culture.
According to the secret transmission, the World Tree was the capital of Elven civilization, and other cities were built around enormous ancient trees. Although these trees were not as grand as the World Tree, they were still sufficiently large. Elven cities were established around these colossal ancient trees, spreading across the entire Nanwu region and even beyond. The author speculated that these other huge trees might be descendants of the World Tree, propagated from its seeds.
‘A civilization of elves revolving around the World Tree? That’s interesting… It seems there were many different ancient civilizations active during the Second Era. First, there was the harpy, then the dwarf merfolk, and now the elves… The Second Era was a time when various intelligent species flourished. I wonder why none of them seem to exist anymore. Even if it was due to war, it shouldn’t have led to their extinction to such an extent.’
‘Additionally, regarding the faith of the Elven civilization, their so-called Holy Tree Mother deity feels like the deity “Cup.” Moreover, this ancient tree worship bears a striking resemblance to the fertility goddess worship found on Summer Tree Island. There is also a massive ancient tree on Summer Tree Island, and the term used for the fertility goddess seems to include the title “Mother Earth.” Could the Fertility Goddess and the Elven Holy Tree Mother be the same deity?’
‘Also, mentioning the gigantic ancient trees, there is a large ancient tree located within the Sacred Mother Sanctuary and Redemption Cathedral in the secret realm of Yivige Laike Valley. Could these ancient trees be descendants of the Elven World Tree from the Second Era? Ancient tree totems seem to be a characteristic of early “Cup” worship, whereas modern “Cup” worship leans more towards fleshly devotion compared to the earlier emphasis on natural worship.’
‘The current Nanwu region is under the control of the Placenta Sect, primarily managed by the Rotten Sect. In a sense, the territory currently controlled by “Cup” overlaps with what it was during the Second Era.’
As Dorothy held the secret transmission in her hands, she pondered and analyzed the information within. After reading through the entire document, she extracted its spirituality, ultimately obtaining 4 “Cup” and 2 “Enlightenment,” seemingly due to the mention of the title “Mother Earth.” She also gained a tiny bit of “Stone,” similar to her experience on Summer Tree Island.
The fourth secret transmission Dorothy read was very similar to the previous one, “A Record of the Examination,” both in terms of the paper used and handwriting. It seemed that both the original author and the translator were the same. However, this particular secret transmission lacked a cover or title. After a cursory glance, Dorothy realized it was supplementary content to the previous “Record of the Examination.”
This handwritten supplement continued to document the archaeological findings related to the Nanwu Elven civilization. This time, the imperial archaeological team split into two groups. One group continued to investigate the heartland of Nanwu and the center of Elven civilization, where the World Tree was recorded to be located. The other group ventured to the edges of the dense forests near the southern part of Nanwu, close to the vast grasslands of Dongwu. They went there because they discovered numerous abandoned vehicles and sunken ships in the Elven roads and canals.
These vehicles, loaded with decaying goods, were in astonishing numbers and mostly moved in one direction. Therefore, the imperial archaeological team believed that this direction might lead to a major Elven city. Consequently, they decided to split their team to explore this area, and this manuscript was written by the team sent there.
However, upon reaching their destination, the archaeological team did not find any significant Elven city ruins. Instead, they discovered a battlefield with several destroyed Elven city ruins and evident defensive structures from war.
According to the analysis by the imperial archaeological team, these Elven settlements were almost entirely destroyed by warfare. During the Second Era, the Elves seemed to have engaged in fierce battles with some enemy. The massive amount of supplies transported via roads and canals were actually military logistics, explaining their enormity. By analyzing the remaining Elven defenses, the team found that their enemies largely originated from the vast grasslands of Dongwu. In the fragmented defenses, they discovered numerous giant claw marks, which appeared to be left by something immensely large and beast-like.
Within the cities and defenses that were clearly overrun, the archaeological team found many totemic murals. These murals depicted various monstrous creatures killing and devouring the Elves. These monsters had half-human, half-beast features—some were half-man, half-lion; others were half-man, half-tiger; some were half-man, half-wolf or half-man, half-crocodile. These beast-people seemed to be the enemies of the Elves, carving their totems into the sacred halls of Elven cities, as if declaring their past victories to future generations.
For some time afterward, the imperial archaeological team wanted to continue their deep exploration. However, they were unexpectedly ordered to halt by the arriving official imperial forces. Their previous archaeological records were handed over to the clergy of the Fertility Goddess Church accompanying the officials.
The author of this secret transmission, who was part of the imperial archaeological team, was dissatisfied with being forced to return immediately after learning that the Fertility Goddess Church’s team would replace them in continuing the exploration of the area.
‘War… Like the dwarves, the Elves were also involved in some kind of war? Unlike the dwarves facing unknown enemies from beneath, the Elves’ enemies came from the grasslands. From the looks of it, these enemies seemed to take on a bestial form…
‘This has something to do with the Beast Path? Did the Beast Path exist in the Second Era? Was the Gluttonous Wolf already present back then? Did the Elven Holy Tree Mother not control all the branches of the “Cup”? How does she relate to the Fertility Goddess of the Third Era and the Cup Mother of the Fourth Era? Are they different entities inheriting the same divine position?
Dorothy pondered these questions as she read the contents of the secret transmission, her brow furrowed. Despite having gathered considerable information about the “Cup” power lineage in this world, she still couldn’t piece together the complete story of “Cup.”
The Elven goddess of the Second Era, the Fertility Goddess of the Third Era, the Cup Mother of the Fourth Era, along with the Church’s Holy Mother and a series of other “Cup” deities, seemed to have connections but remained unclear. This frustrated Dorothy, who sought the truth.
Shaking her head, Dorothy stopped dwelling on the relationships between the “Cup” deities and instead extracted the spirituality from the secret transmission, obtaining 4 “Cup” and 2 “Enlightenment.”
After finishing this secret transmission, Dorothy put it aside and picked up the fifth and final one on the coffee table. This secret transmission had a black cover, appearing slightly better preserved than the previous ones, though it was relatively thinner.
Dorothy picked up this secret transmission and soon saw its title: “Beyond the Shadowy Sea.” It was another translation of a Third Era secret transmission.
Unlike the previous four archaeological records, this secret transmission was in the form of poetry. The poet claimed to live in a flower-filled homeland rich with artistic atmosphere. During his research, he collected many local fishermen’s legends along the coast of his country, compiling them into this poetic secret transmission.
The main content of these poems described a mysterious shadowy island across the sea. It was perpetually shrouded in shadows, never seeing daylight, only the moon. There were numerous strange nocturnal plants and animals, including the most terrifying creature, a giant spider called “Night Spider.” According to the poems, these spiders would gather at the seaside, using silk threads to catch fish and even sink ships. Many explorers who rashly landed on the island met their demise at the hands of these monsters.
The poems indicated that the Night Spiders on the shadowy island possessed a highly intelligent variety capable of understanding human language. They had a peculiar appearance, with the upper body resembling humans and the lower body resembling spiders. Instead of devouring humans, they preferred to manipulate and deceive people. Once entangled with these monsters, one’s fate was grim. The only hope for salvation was the help of another intelligent life form on the island, the “Fairy.”
According to the poems, fishermen often encountered strange phenomena when sailing near the shadowy island. Objects would suddenly disappear from the ship, and crew members would inexplicably encounter misfortunes—pants falling off or tripping on the ground. According to legend, these were pranks played by fairies who would torment those approaching or landing on the island. To avoid being tormented, people needed to offer tributes to the fairies.
Although the fairies were annoying, they would help humans in various ways and even rescue them from the Night Spiders’ mouths if the offered items pleased them. However, compared to the Night Spiders, fairies were far rarer, making encounters with them more difficult.
The poet of the Third Era was greatly interested in the legends he collected and was once enthusiastic about proving their authenticity. He wanted to find the so-called shadowy island. After years of effort, however, he found nothing. The Night Spiders or fairies mentioned in the legends seemed to be nonexistent in his world. Neither he nor other fishermen had ever seen them. These legends appeared to remain just that—legends.
Dorothy noted in the secret transmission that the author had made countless voyages to search for the legendary shadowy island but never succeeded. On the opposite shore of the sea where the legend of the shadowy island was said to be, there was no mystical land but rather an important part of the empire’s territory, the Praternia Province.
‘This is… a collection of Third Era legends compiled into poetry? Could the location of these legends be along the coast of Faraluo and opposite Prater? That means according to the legend, there is a shadowy island in the strait between these two countries? Or could Prater itself be the so-called shadowy island?
‘The true era when this legend occurred… might not be the Third Era but the Second Era. The legend’s content seems clearly related to “Shadow.” Could it be that during the Second Era, the Night Spiders and fairies were the dominant intelligent races occupying Prater? So Prater has been connected to “Shadow” since the Second Era… What is the relationship between this Night Spider race and the later Queen of Spiders?
Dorothy pondered these thoughts seriously as she held the secret transmission, realizing that the relationship between the Queen of Spiders and Prater seemed closer than she initially thought. It was unclear whether the main deity of “Shadow” was still the Mirror Moon Goddess during the Second Era. Unfortunately, this poetic secret transmission did not elaborate on the beliefs of the shadowy island.
After considering everything, Dorothy immediately closed the secret transmission and extracted its spirituality, which gave her 5 “Shadow” and 2 “Enlightenment.” Summarizing her current spiritual state:
38 “Cup,” 14 “Stone,” 19 “Shadow,” 19 “Lamp,” 18 “Silence,” 56 “Enlightenment.”
Among these spiritualities, Dorothy had some replenishment in the commonly used “Cup,” “Stone,” and “Shadow.” Overall, she spent approximately 2,000 pounds on these five secret transmissions. After returning the rented divine blessing object to the union, Dorothy suddenly had an additional 17,000 pounds in deposit. Adding her original money and recent earnings as an author, she had around 21,000 pounds. After buying the books, she still had about 19,000 pounds left, which was quite sufficient.
After finishing all the secret transmissions, Dorothy yawned deeply, stretched lazily, and then looked out the window, gazing at the sky outside and murmuring:
“Hmm… Everything is ready now, it’s time to set out…”
