Chapter 85: An Alliance of Two

  In the deepest part of the Whispering Woods, within the central council hall of the elven dwelling, a few huge, peculiar fireflies emitted a milky white light, illuminating the vast space within the hollow ancient tree. This lengthy meeting had started in the afternoon and continued until now.

  During the meeting, sounds of explosions and impacts came from outside. After scouts investigated, they reported that a magical explosion had occurred just outside the barrier, and an evil stone puppet had charged into the barrier, its magical power dissipated by the Sunwell, turning back into a pile of ordinary stone.

  The result of this investigation also made the conclusion of the meeting more forceful.

  Elder Kelan stood up and made the decision: "The incident just now further confirms that the great Sunwell's barrier effect remains irresistible. No external magical force can function within the Whispering Woods. Although the barrier's deterrent effect against humans has greatly diminished, after repeatedly clearing out those who entered the forest, they should already be fearful. So, we will just maintain the status quo."

  "The status quo? So after discussing for so long, we have no results?" The elven maiden Luya stood up, appearing somewhat agitated. "I reiterate my suggestion: under the current circumstances, we should communicate well with the humans and resolve this problem together. The forest's outer statues emit an evil aura that humans may not sense, but they are clearly placed there by dark forces coveting the Leaves of the World Tree. Many foolish humans even worship them. We must take action. It would be best to seek human help, explain things clearly to them."

  "Enough. We have already rejected all this." Another elven elder interrupted her coldly. "Those stupid, vulgar creatures? Their faith is manipulated by others. Do we need to explain anything to them? Besides, we don't need the help of lowly humans. In direct close combat, no creature can match The Withered Wood Warden. Besides, we and the unicorns will help. This defensive method has served us for tens of thousands of years; it can handle any enemy."

  Luya anxiously looked around at the elders, her silver hair fluttering. "But the situation is different now! Because two Leaves of the World Tree are missing, the Sunwell's deterrent power against humans has almost vanished. Their intrusion into our forest is only a matter of time."

  "To prevent that, all The Withered Wood Wardens have been concentrated beside the Sunwell. Absolutely no one can steal the Leaves of the World Tree."

  Luya sighed heavily, scanning all the elven elders present, saying with a helpless voice: "Why must we passively wait here for problems to happen instead of actively resolving them?" Compared to the icy expressions and tones of the other elves, she seemed to be the only living thing in this ancient hall. This intense emotion on her stunningly beautiful face made her appear even more vibrant, even if it was anxiety and helplessness. "Even without dealing with humans, we could temporarily expand The Withered Wood Wardens' range of activity, let them walk out of the forest to destroy those evil statues."

  "That is absolutely impossible." Elder Kelan stated flatly. "Whether it's us, the unicorns, or The Withered Wood Wardens, none are permitted to leave the Whispering Woods without authorization. You know this rule of our tribe well. Your last departure was already an exception among exceptions; it must not be repeated lightly."

  "Rules." Luya's tone and face turned as cold as the other elves', but this was her own expression, not the universal mask the others wore. "I clearly remember, when that human carrying the Leaf of the World Tree escaped last time, he was already severely wounded. Yet our rules helped him, allowing him to escape slowly right under our noses. It was our rules that caused us to lose that Leaf of the World Tree."

  No one answered this time. All the other elves maintained their icy, detached expressions. After a long while, Elder Kelan said coldly, word by word: "Rules are rules. They were established for us by the great Mafa, God of All Things."

  "If rules become shackles, they lose meaning." Luya looked around at her kin, her helpless eyes showing a tragic beauty. "I left the Whispering Woods and went out to see the world this time, only to realize we are far too rigid and conservative. We always hold ourselves in too high esteem, disdainful of associating with other races. As a result, humans see us merely as a small, strange group and ignore our voices. Even those inferior orcs, simply because they established a powerful nation, humans have been forced to change their attitude, acknowledging their status and even establishing relations with them. We must unite with our kin in the Tulalion Forest, allowing our race to occupy a place in the power distribution of this continent. Otherwise, what awaits us can only be..." She didn't finish.

  "Mind your words, Luya." Elder Kelan looked at her coldly. "You see, this is precisely the significance of the rule forbidding us to leave the Whispering Woods. Under the temptation of the outside world, your thoughts are already on the edge of danger. The great Mafa said that the pursuit of power and progress is the prelude to the beginning of corruption and destruction."

  "I am not denying the great Mafa's teachings, but under the current circumstances..."

  "I declare this meeting adjourned." Elder Kelan's light words, yet utterly decisive, cut off Luya's speech.

  The elven elders rose together and filed out of the council hall. Luya and Elder Kelan walked at the very end.

  "Do you know how many human nations and races have perished over these tens of thousands of years?" In the privacy of just the two of them, Kelan's tone wasn't as icy. "That was all caused by the pursuit of power, the pursuit of progress. The pursuit of power inevitably leads to loss of self-control; the pursuit of progress leads to mutual strife. These two forces alternate endlessly, and the final result is always destruction. Our seclusion and conservatism are the very foundation that has allowed our race to live peacefully here for tens of thousands of years; it is an unchangeable part of our civilization."

  "But the situation is different now."

  "No matter what is different outside, as long as we do our part well, it will be enough." Elder Kelan patted Luya's shoulder, speaking gently. "Go back. Don't dwell on these thoughts anymore."

  Luya silently walked back to her ancient tree. Entering the treetop dwelling woven from living vines, the oppressive feeling seemed to extend inside, filling the room with a foul odor.

  She sat on the bed woven from intertwined vines, feeling suffocated. She was about to get up and go out for some fresh air when a sense of danger suddenly flooded her. This wasn't an illusion born of mood; the room truly smelled of burning and something else – the stench of a human.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  She sprang towards the door like a released bowstring, but the thickening odor rushed up and slammed her to the ground. A hand clamped over her mouth and nose, another pinned her slender wrists together, and a body pressed down on hers.

  Luya struggled desperately for a moment, but it was useless. She felt pinned to the spot, unable to move an inch.

  "Don't move. Don't make a sound. I came here for something very important to discuss with you." The person's tone seemed even more urgent than hers. "You must not cry out. If you call others, I will have to run. That won't benefit anyone. What I have to say concerns your own safety, regarding those statues outside. Do you understand? If you understand, nod."

  Luya nodded. The hand over her mouth loosened slightly. Seeing she truly didn't scream, it slowly released her.

  "You actually dared to come here?" Luya stood up, filled with hostility as she took a step back. She recognized his voice. But for some reason, he smelled of burning.

  "Listen to me. Something very important has happened. The Necromancer Guild – those you call the dark servants – will attack the Whispering Woods tomorrow at noon. Those statues outside the forest are what they placed there to deal with you."

  "Explain things clearly." Although this criminal, wanted by the entire elven race, was right before her, the words he spoke carried more weight. Luya waved a hand. A magical firefly used for illumination flew from her palm, casting faint light in the room. Only then did she see the person before her was covered in soot, his clothes burned to tatters, even his hair singed.

  Fortunately, relying on the Sunwell's fluctuations at the edge of the Whispering Woods, Ethan had managed to block the Necromancer's Thunderblast Bomb with a fireball. But the shockwave and flames from the explosion had also injured him severely. Falling from mid-air into the depths of the forest had left him dazed. Fortunately, the forest was filled with Sunwell fluctuations; the greatly enhanced healing spell instantly restored him.

  Originally, the ubiquitous The Withered Wood Wardens in the Whispering Woods hadn't appeared. It seemed something had indeed happened inside. Ethan thought for a moment, then headed towards the elven dwelling.

  Initially, he had just planned to quickly resolve this heresy issue, but he hadn't expected such a massive conspiracy by the Necromancer Guild to be hidden behind it. Now, besides shock, he felt utterly powerless.

  Although he was now an Imperial Envoy, although he held thousands of troops in his grasp, things had developed to this point. Just as that Necromancer had said, there was no turning back. Tomorrow at noon, at least five thousand devout believers would become food for those gargoyles. Then the gargoyles would launch their attack, slaughtering all the elves and taking the Leaves of the World Tree.

  At first, he even considered going out to reveal his identity to the two Necromancers, telling them he was the prospective member invited by Vedenina to join. But he immediately sensed from the two Necromancers' conversation that Vedenina seemed very autocratic within the Necromancer Guild. Although she had said "representing the Necromancer Guild to invite you," perhaps the others didn't recognize her authority to represent them. In that case, going out would be pure suicide.

  More importantly, even if he walked out and smoothly joined the organization, becoming a comrade to those two Necromancers, he absolutely could not persuade them to stop this plan. This was a plan jointly launched by all members except Vedenina. They would never stop it for the sake of a newcomer's compassion, which wasn't even worth a fart.

  If there was any hope at all, it could only lie in taking a chance with the elves here in the Whispering Woods, seeing if they could join forces. After all, the Necromancers' original target was them.

  But he knew well how arrogant and stubborn the elves were. To them, a criminal who had broken his oath and stolen the Leaf of the World Tree and escaped would likely not be believed again. His reception would only be a hail of arrows. Without the Robe of the Lich Lord now, he dared not risk becoming a pincushion by walking openly into the elven settlement. After careful consideration, he stealthily made his way to Luya's place. Among all the elves he knew, only she seemed remotely approachable.

  After listening to Ethan's account, Luya thought for a moment, then said coldly: "Why should I believe you? Believe a despicable human who broke his oath? How do I know you weren't sent by those dark servants to carry out some plot? The forest's deterrent power against humans weakened precisely because you took the Leaf of the World Tree. And now we've had to concentrate The Withered Wood Wardens by the Sunwell."

  Ethan was speechless. This anticipated question left him truly unable to answer. After a pause, he sighed helplessly, looked at Luya, and said heavily: "I can only say this much. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

  Luya said nothing, meeting his gaze. Under the faint light of the magical firefly, a pair of eyes, seemingly carved by the most skilled artist from the most precious gems, and another pair bloodshot, rimmed with dust and burn marks, silently confronted each other.

  After a long while, Luya finally spoke, her voice low: "Even a legendary dragon cannot withstand the sacred power of the Sunwell. Within the Whispering Woods, any external magical force will fail. No matter what evil arts they use, those evil puppets absolutely cannot enter here. We have nothing to worry about."

  "I don't know if they can enter the forest. I only know those Necromancers are far smarter than me, and smarter than you. They wouldn't just place those gargoyles there to scare you." Ethan patiently explained the solution to Luya. "Actually, resolving this is very simple for you. Just appear before those believers, tell them what this forest is really about, let them see The Withered Wood Warden, make them understand that 'The God of Nature' is all nonsense."

  "Do you think we would deliberately stand before those foolish humans to explain and clarify, then display The Withered Wood Warden like goods on exhibit for them to see?"

  "If you disdain to explain, then just command The Withered Wood Wardens to go destroy those gargoyles! They've been sitting outside your forest for months now. Why do you only wait for problems to happen instead of actively solving them?" Ethan was incredibly anxious.

  "Whether it's us, the unicorns, or The Withered Wood Wardens, none are permitted to leave the Whispering Woods without authorization. This is a rule laid down for us by the great Mafa." Luya felt a strange sensation. These words, she had just said to the elders herself in the meeting, and now she was forced to repeat the elders' words to refuse him. This unprecedented strange feeling unconsciously transformed her face into an unprecedented expression.

  The answer was infuriating, but the expression on the elven maiden's face before him made Ethan stare blankly. The fire in him couldn't flare up. In the faint light, though the smile held a touch of bitterness, it was enough to make anyone stop thinking.

  Ethan said nothing more. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly: "I will lead troops to destroy those statues before noon tomorrow. Whether you come to help, or stay in these mouse-hole-like tree holes hugging your stinking rules waiting to be killed and turned into zombies or skeletons, that's up to you."

  Leaving those words, he turned and slipped out of the tree dwelling, silently sliding down the trunk and vanishing into the forest with a few leaps.

  Luya watched the figure disappear from high in the tree dwelling and sighed. She didn't disbelieve him; she knew the elders would never believe.

  As the sky just began to show a hint of fish-belly white, the local official's residence was pounded violently.

  The local official struggled to climb out from between two prostitutes. He was very annoyed. The pressure of dealing with the Imperial Envoy these last few days had been immense, so last night he had found two prostitutes to alleviate some of that work-related stress. Now, at his sweetest and deepest sleep, he was awakened by this incredibly rude noise.

  A crash sounded, as if the door had been smashed open. Then came the noise of servants outside. "Who is it?" "How audacious! Don't you know this is the local official's residence?" The noise quickly approached the door to the official's bedroom, followed by another crash. A person burst in like a mad bull, the two tightly closed doors seeming like paper before his momentum, flying off to crash against the wall. This man was dressed in tatters, as if he had just escaped a furnace. His hair was badly singed, covered in black ash and mud. The two prostitutes on the bed screamed in terror.

  The local official, thinking the heretics had begun their major attack and were coming for him first to offer him as a sacrifice, buried his head, about to crawl under the bed, but was grabbed and yanked up by this person.

  This man shouted into his face: "Go gather all the troops you can muster in the city! Bring every hand you can deploy!"

  The bitter-faced local official finally calmed his racing heart, recognizing the madman before him as the Imperial Envoy who had gone to investigate the heretics. He nodded quickly: "Yes, Your Excellency. I will get dressed immediately. I will mobilize men as soon as it's light."

  "Put on your pants and go now!" The local official's thin body felt nearly shaken apart. The Imperial Envoy kicked a servant who had mustered the courage to rush in to save the official flying out. "And bring all your men too!"

  "Yes, yes." The official's voice seemed unrelated to his own will, purely shaken out of him. "May I ask what we are doing?"

  "Go out of the city and block all roads leading to that 'The God of Nature' forest. Seal them off. I'm also allocating three thousand soldiers to your command. No matter how you do it, you must not allow those heretics to attend the prayer gathering at the forest at noon."

  "Your Excellency, those heretics number forty to fifty thousand! How do you expect me to stop them?" The local official's bitter face was so sour it seemed about to drip green juice. "As soon as we interfere with their activities, they will use force."

  "I said, I don't care how you do it." The bitter gourd could almost hear his own bones rattling, his eardrums about to burst. "I will lead troops to their sacred site immediately. If I see tens of thousands of people still flocking there by noon, I will use your head as a chamber pot. Understand?"

  "Understood, understood." The official's voice sounded like he was crying.