Chapter Six: Lord of Shadows
Arendelle, Royal Palace.
The Princess stood gazing at the distant harbour, confirming that His Highness the Second Prince of the Hawk Kingdom had settled into the arranged residence before turning to her head maid, slowly asking, “Is Anna still unwell today?”
The head maid slightly bowed and replied respectfully, “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Although the Princess had not yet been formally crowned, many court attendants still referred to her as Your Majesty in private. Arendelle had seen five queens so far, and the Princess was destined to be the sixth queen in Arendelle’s thousand-year history. If all went as expected, Princess Anna would eventually become Arendelle’s sixth queen. The attitude towards the Second Prince coming to propose from the Hawk Kingdom was divided; some ministers believed Princess Anna should not marry outside, fearing that royal power could easily fall into the hands of others. Others believed it was acceptable for her to marry out, as her offspring could inherit the throne.
As a prosperous nation, Princess Anna’s status as the second-in-line heir to Arendelle was highly regarded!
It was said that because the Second Prince from the Hawk Kingdom came to propose, the Duke of Thornflower, who had not had a good relationship with the Hawk Kingdom, also prepared to send his eldest son to propose.
The human kingdoms had been divided for a long time, and this time, many kingdoms and principalities seemed to be taking action!
It seemed that whoever could marry the Princess of Arendelle would gain a significant advantage, yet the only kingdom that had not taken much action was the Southern Coast, partly due to the distance and partly because they were under the shadow of a great mountain.
—The God of Half-Elves, Soren!
Everyone in the Southern Coast knew this was a god of slaughter, and whether he had any connection to Princess Anna, those southern royals did not dare to provoke trouble lightly.
“Forget it!”
The Princess let out a soft sigh, slowly saying, “Let her think clearly before we talk. But since the Second Prince of the Hawk Kingdom is here, she must meet him tomorrow.”
“Otherwise…”
“Outsiders will say that we in Arendelle lack courtesy!”
The head maid slightly bowed and withdrew, preparing to convey the Princess’s wishes to Princess Anna.
Meanwhile, from within a splendid room, there came the sound of things being smashed.
Clatter!
Clatter, clatter, clatter!
Expensive and exquisite porcelain from the Eastern Kingdom lay shattered, while a young maid nearby trembled in fright. Princess Anna stood panting in place, having vented her frustration, and then bit her lip, saying, “Coward!”
“Bastard!”
“Someone! Immediately send someone to Modo! I want to see what this bastard intends to do!”
Soon, a court female guard arrived at the door. Princess Anna, still catching her breath, grabbed a pen and quickly wrote a letter, then handed it to the maid in front of her, biting her lip, “Send this letter to Modo immediately!”
The court maid reached out to take it and then bowed to withdraw, saying, “I’ll go right now.”
However, the court maid did not leave immediately after taking the letter; instead, she turned and went to the Princess’s chamber, and soon this letter was in the hands of the Princess.
The Princess’s expression was somewhat hesitant, but she still opened the letter.
After reading it, she shuddered and silently sealed it, handing it to the court maid before her, saying, “Send it out tomorrow.”
“That’s fine.”
“We’ll see what he really means!”
“Sigh.”
“This silly girl! Why fall for anyone, but she had to fall for a son of slaughter!…”
Beneath the dim starry sky, the tall figure of the Princess appeared on the balcony, gazing up at the increasingly darkening night sky, furrowing her brows with a sigh.
The cataclysm was about to begin.
As an incredibly powerful god-favored sorcerer, she had a clear premonition of the coming Saint’s Cataclysm.
………………
Material Plane, Shadow City.
In a dark underground chamber, groups of figures in black cloaks knelt on the ground. Before them was a mysterious altar surrounded by flickering dark flames, as if the light had been twisted by shadows. The walls were adorned with many carvings, depicting creatures from the Shadow Plane, and a faint dragon pressure filled the chamber. In one corner of the altar lay a massive shadow dragon, humbly bowing its head to gaze upon the altar.
Flames danced.
The distorted light and shadow enveloped the space, and finally, a hazy silhouette emerged, gradually shifting from vague to concrete, ultimately becoming an indistinguishable form.
A half-virtual, half-real shadow presence!
—Lord of Shadows!
The deity who controls the divine profession of “Shadows,” an ally of the Lady of the Night, the nominal ruler of the Shadow Plane, possessing Medium Divine Power.
“My Lord!”
The believers gathered near the altar knelt down, humbly burying their heads to the ground.
The power of shadows enveloped the place.
The surrounding space seemed twisted, everything bathed in a gray hue, as if assimilated into the Shadow Plane.
“Rise.”
A deep voice echoed, the twisted shadow never revealing its true visage. The Lord of Shadows glanced at the worshippers kneeling before him and said in a low voice, “The Spider Queen, Rosé, has arrived in the Material Plane.”
“It seems she is scheming something; I need to know her movements!”
“The followers of the Lady of the Night will act alongside you. Immediately send someone to the Underdark to investigate this matter; I will watch everything you do from the shadows!”
Flames flickered.
The distorted figure slowly faded, the Lord of Shadows’ essence leaving, destination unknown.
Beneath the altar.
Many believers exchanged glances, and soon someone hurriedly left. With the Lord of Shadows personally issuing the command, they had to make a trip to the Underdark. The name of the Spider Queen instilled a sense of fear, but at this time, not going could lead to even worse consequences!
The struggle of the gods had already begun.
Long before the first batch of weak divine power deities fell to the mortal realm, many ambitious gods had given up their futile resistance, no longer attempting to counter the terrifying energy storms, but instead directly separating from the divine kingdom and descending into the mortal realm. From Weak Divine Power to Lesser Divine Power, now even medium divine power deities were beginning to arrive in the Material Plane.
Many gods had quietly hidden themselves away.
The fall of the God of Half-Elves and Wanderers had sounded the alarm for them, and before the Saint’s Cataclysm completely erupted, they all needed to accumulate some power in secrecy, plotting their own schemes or plans for safely weathering the Saint’s Cataclysm.
The Lord of Shadows has descended!
The game of the gods in the mortal realm has finally begun, and the web of conspiracy spun by the Spider Queen, Rosé, has likely quietly unfolded.
………………(To be continued ~^~)
