Chapter 29: The Revival of the Druids
The New Year is approaching.
However, this year seems destined to be anything but peaceful. Under continuous disasters, the entire Southern Region feels a lack of festive news. Near White Horse City, an Adult Red Dragon has appeared. Although Soren has known about the dragon for a long time—specifically, it is an Ancient Red Dragon—only now have others discovered its existence. This dragon has caused great chaos, attracting many Adventurers attempting to slay it and threatening surrounding cities to strengthen their defenses.
Red Dragons are embodiments of evil.
The Bureaucratic Nobility has begun to increase taxes under the pretext of the dragon’s existence, citing the need to prevent the dragon’s attacks and profiting from the situation. They can always find various excuses to collect extra taxes. It seems there has been a migration of Half-Orcs in the mountainous areas of the South, and the racial tensions have made conflicts in this area even more intense, as if a war could break out at any moment.
There is little intelligence about the desert region.
However, it seems that the trade route to the east has been severed by someone, and the chaos in the desert region appears to be spreading. There are no new cities being destroyed, but more unrest is brewing. Traces of Demon Worshippers seem to have appeared north of the City of Wealth, and just after the demons were cleared out, the beguiling demons seem to have already begun to reemerge. The Cult of Evil Gods is becoming increasingly frequent, with strange faces appearing in nearly every city. The Elven Court seems to be also facing a division, with severe arguments igniting between the teachings of the Ancient Trees of the Druids and the doctrines of Deities.
Rumors have emerged that some high-ranking Druids who worship the Tree of Life have left, and even the legendary ‘Earthwalker’ has shown dissatisfaction with the Elven Court.
The Tree Shepherds have taken the side of the fractured Druids.
As the balancers and maintainers of nature, their faith leans more towards the Tree of Life rather than the Elven Deities. Druids have always served as the middle force among the Elves. Although Elves have good aptitude among other Spellcasting Professionists, no other Spellcasters can surpass Druids in number. This situation continues to brew. Conflicts are still escalating; if no powerful force intervenes, it is very likely to lead to a split within the Elven race. Druids will break away from the Elves, abandon their belief in the Elven Deities, and turn to the worship of the oldest Tree of Life.
This doctrine has received substantial support from external Druids and is spreading widely among other races.
They call this the “Revival of the Druids”!
Among humans, Half-Elves, Orcs, and Half-Orcs, all the wandering Druids inspired by nature seem to support the restoration of the worship of the oldest Tree of Life. This has caused the entire Druid Order in the world to begin to deviate, with over sixty percent of Druids transferring their faith to the Tree of Life. The influence of the Elven Pantheon within the Druids has greatly diminished, and various Druid orders seem to be conspiring about something.
The power of the Elven Gods has waned!
Before the turbulent years began, their power had already begun to decline. This seems to be something that a certain being has been eagerly awaiting; she has waited for such an opportunity for thousands of years.
The Spider Queen is weaving her web, waiting for the first prey to appear!
…………
In a dark canyon.
A tall, handsome figure is advancing. Dressed in an ornate noble robe, he plays with a flute in his hand, leisurely progressing through this eerie canyon as if strolling through a garden. A strange sound comes, sharp and piercing. He listens attentively, then raises his hand to summon a light. A mass of dense shadows appears before him; these are hand-sized Bloodsucking Bats, their numbers so numerous that they almost fill the dark canyon.
Whoosh!
A swirl of wind arises as the countless Bloodsucking Bats take to the sky. They have sharp fangs and dark red wings, numbering in the hundreds of thousands, their flight nearly obscuring the sky above the canyon. With so many Bloodsucking Bats, even for a Legendary Professionist there could be danger. However, the man in front shows no sign of worry as he lightly blows the flute, producing notes as if from hell. The mass of bats falls to the ground, their eyes, ears, mouths, and noses leaking streams of bl**d.
“Clap! Clap!”
A sound of applause rings out, as the Vampire Son appears, dressed in an exquisite suit. He gazes at the man before him and smiles, saying, “As expected of the legendary Hell Poet! You actually dared to come here alone to find me!”
The Hell Poet.
In many places, it is considered a forbidden name.
The man’s face does not appear as it is now; he casts a disinterested glance at Reinhardt and calmly says, “Vampire God? Is this all you have after becoming a Deity? It seems your life is not going too well! I’ve heard that you’re being hunted by a group of people like a stray dog!”
Reinhardt’s mouth twitches slightly, but he still maintains an elegant smile as he slowly responds, “This is only temporary. After becoming a Deity, I have seen a broader world. An unprecedented opportunity is approaching; as long as I seize this chance, I will stand atop the pantheon of gods, and at that time, no one can stop me from ascending the throne!”
The Hell Poet chuckles, his expression a bit bemused, and says, “Is that so? Then you must first escape from my subordinates.”
Reinhardt frowns at him, saying slowly, “Do we really have to fight? Why are you standing on their side? I can offer you everything they can, and I am even willing to share everything with you.”
The Hell Poet shows a hint of a mocking smile, softly saying, “What you see is merely the tip of the iceberg; even if you want to cooperate with me, you must demonstrate your worth. There are countless weak Deities like you within the Pantheon!”
The other figure vanishes eerily.
Like invisible sound waves dispersing, the nearby Bloodsucking Bats fall to the ground, lifeless.
…………
On Snake Island.
Soren stands on the dock, observing everything. In a mere three days, he has recruited over a hundred pirates; now his crew has exceeded three hundred. Adele’s spirited figure stands at the bow of the ship, next to Soren’s promoted first mate. Now that they have enough strength, it is time to clear out other enemies. Pirates do not require training or cultivation; it is a profession where the fittest survive. The strong will live, while the weak are eliminated.
“Set sail!”
Soren lightly lands on the head of an Orca, and faced with the awe-filled gazes of the other pirates, his eyes show only a hint of anxiety.
Because he has heard some not-so-good news.
It seems that the influence of the rumors about the Throat Cutter is greater than he expected, even alerting one of the Pirate Kings ruling the Southern Coast.
The Pirate King “Swamp King”!
He is not a human, but a hybrid of a Swamp Giant and a Lizardman. Despite the low intelligence of Giant life forms, this Pirate King stands out. The chances of crossbreeding between species are extremely low; his birth is said to be due to certain forbidden spells. Lizardmen are amphibious, able to move both on land and in water. The Swamp King rules over one of the pirate factions on the Southern Coast, commanding a crew that includes humans, Lizardmen, Fishmen, and Half-breeds.
If it weren’t for the racial bloodline resistance, his control over the Southern Coast would be even stronger.
The Three Great Pirate Kings each command their respective territories.
Among them, the Amazon Pirate King stands backed by the Storm Church, as she is a worshipper of the Lord of Storms. Another Pirate King with half Amazonian bl**d is a non-human who has the support of the Naga Sea Clan, worshipping the Ocean Goddess. The last of the three Pirate Kings is the Swamp King, who does not worship any of the aforementioned deities but instead has devoted himself to the Demon God residing in the Abyss.
That is the Ancient Demon Dagon, the King of the Deep Sea!
A text from doctrine records the following — “In the mortal world, Dagon’s evil cult is widespread in coastal regions, with its human followers or Swamp Giants (Tidal Giants, etc.) mating with Half-Fish creatures, tainting their bloodlines to exchange for the powerful forces, bountiful catches, and exotic treasures bestowed by the Demon Lord.”
Yes.
The Swamp King is a monster born for some reason, trading tainted bloodlines for power granted by the Abyss Lord Dagon. However, an accident occurred during the rite where the person conducting the ceremony did not please the evil Abyss Lord; they did not gain much power. Instead, the unexpected offspring born from the desecration ceremony is now the Swamp King, who received the powers granted by the Abyss Lord Dagon.
So.
A hybrid monster of Lizardman and Swamp Giant bloodlines has come into being.
Not only does he possess tremendous strength, but also demon-like intelligence. Although this wisdom seems somewhat mad, he has become one of the three Great Pirate Kings of the Southern Coast.
This Pirate King controls the seas near the deep sea along the Southern Coast.
His lair is said to be in a place called Demon Island, where only the most wicked pirates dare to venture.
He is also the only Pirate King who does not play by the rules!
Although Pirate Kings possess great power and influence, they also remain intricately linked to the Church, acting mainly for their own interests and circumstances. Only this Swamp King is prone to chaos; if he becomes dissatisfied with a powerful pirate rising in the Southern Coast and targets Soren, Soren does not have much confidence in defeating him.
He needs Vivian’s power!
Although Soren could seek aid from the Ocean Temple, receiving help means paying a price, especially since this information was relayed to him by the Naga Priestess.
Soren still remembers the meaningful expression on her face when she delivered this information!
…………
(To be continued ~^~)
