Chapter 257 Chapter255-The Tomb of the Elf King
Following Ethan's suggestion, the group chose a tree laden with branches and began their ascent.
For them, the climb was a breeze.
However, given the sheer height of the trees, the journey took time.
Only half an hour later did they finally reach the tree's pinnacle, settling onto a branch spacious enough to accommodate several large beds.
Peering through the gaps in the foliage, they gazed into the distance.
"That tree over there seems off," Ethan remarked after a brief pause, pointing towards a massive tree at the center.
Oberlis quickly glanced in its direction, noting, "Of course it's off. That tree seems to be the tallest in this area, appearing to span several kilometers. But there's another issue we must consider. Dragon Garden is located within a space rift in the Westwood Continent, while the Elf King's Trial Village is nestled within Dragon Garden's space rift. Our current location is inside the space rift of Trial Village. It's as if there's a box within two other boxes."
"What's more pressing is that it seems we can't find our way back to the Trial Village," he continued.
Indeed, upon entering the palace doors, they had been transported directly into this forest. And that posed a significant problem.
Quel turned to Ethan and said, "Ethan, didn't you mention sensing Eliamos's presence beneath the ground? Yet, since we entered, we haven't found any trace of him. If he really was down there, there should have been signs."
"When I was digging, I didn't detect any unusual presence either," Windsor chimed in.
After listening to their accounts, Ethan abruptly stood, teeth clenched, and declared, "Damn it, we've been played! Eliamos deliberately lured us in here."
"He knew what this place was, yet he kept us in the dark."
Realization dawned upon the group, their expressions turning grim.
However, there was an exception.
To be precise, it was a key.
The Primordial Key Seth, which hung from Ethan's waist, had reduced its size to that of a regular key while they were climbing the tree.
It now served as a decorative key accessory on Ethan's belt. The group found nothing strange about Seth's ability to do so.
After all, Seth had met the Original Elf King. Although in Seth's recounting, the Original Elf King Sovok was a deceitful and despicable being, he was still a deity.
"It's a tomb," Seth suddenly announced, leaving the group taken aback.
"A tomb?" Quel glanced at the distant tree, then at the key hanging from Ethan's waist, which displayed an air of unreliability.
This prompted Quel to question with skepticism, "Mr. Seth, are you saying that's a tomb? Are you sure you're not mistaken? That's a tree, with no tombstone or flowers in sight."
"Damn it, boy! Do you even know how to show respect to your elders?" Exasperated by Quel's skepticism, Seth retorted, "Tombstones and flowers are characteristic of human graves. To many races, such things are superfluous. I've lived for who knows how long, and I've seen much more than you. Just like the Mermaids who dwell in the oceans: upon their death, they turn into mere foam, which, to human eyes, appears as nothing more than a fleeting wave crest."
Seth began to recount his vast wealth of knowledge once more.
"Let's hold on and check it out," Ethan interrupted Seth's monologue decisively.
Having been trapped in Trial Village for an indeterminable time, so long that even Seth himself had lost track, he had thoroughly let loose around the group.
Given an opportunity, he would launch into unending speeches.
This made even Oberlis, who was typically quite the conversationalist, seem relatively quiet.
As for Kadiven, who was usually reticent, he appeared almost as animated as a piece of wood.
Following that, the group made their way towards the central tree.
Ethan and the rest chose not to return to the ground. It was unnecessary and would waste precious time.
"Come up," Windsor, transforming back into her Rainbow Dragon form, beckoned the group.
As she spoke, she gave Ethan a significant look, her eyes reflecting a certain admiration.
Ethan, already alert to Windsor's unusual behavior and possessing the Dragon Bloodline himself, understood all too well what her actions signified.
Yet, with their current predicament demanding unity, he chose to feign ignorance.
However, it seemed this matter might soon become a complication.
As everyone climbed onto the broad back of Rainbow Dragon Windsor, she beat her wings and headed straight for the massive central tree.
In mere moments, she spanned the kilometers-long distance and alighted atop the vast canopy of the towering tree, which itself reached thousands of kilometers in height.
"It's colossal," was the collective gasp from the group upon their arrival.
From a distance, this tree didn't appear to be all that immense.
Yet, standing atop it, one could truly fathom its staggering scale.
A single leaf from the canopy was the size of half a house, and the thicker branches resembled wide boulevards.
Indeed, atop these gigantic leaves stood a variety of small structures.
It was a city perched atop a tree.
And at that moment, Ethan detected a familiar pulsation.
That pulsation emanated from the heart of the treetop city.
"It seems there's no living soul here," Quel observed, scanning the surroundings with a sharpened gaze, his twin long knives drawn and ready.
"Of course, there isn't, you buffoon," Seth retorted disdainfully. "Who have you ever seen alive in a tomb?"
Then, turning to Ethan, he added, "Kid, keep moving forward. I have a feeling something interesting awaits us."
Ethan nodded in agreement, sharing the sentiment.
The group treaded the path carved out by the massive branches, heading towards the heart of the canopy.
The deeper they ventured, the more palpable the eerie atmosphere became.
They were amidst a lush forest, yet the air was tinged with the scent of death and decay.
In no time, Ethan and his companions safely reached the center of the canopy, unscathed and unchallenged.
There, at the heart of it all, stood yet another palace.
"Not this again," Quel remarked with a hint of sarcasm.
Oberlis shook his head, replying, "This time, I believe it's real. I don't sense any fluctuations of space magic, but we should still proceed with caution. There might be dangers lurking."
The group advanced towards the palace, their senses heightened.
Yet, just as before, their journey was unhindered, devoid of even the slightest hint of abnormality.
Upon passing through the grand entrance, they stepped into a vast hall, adorned with a myriad of armors and weapons.
At its very center stood a throne crafted from pure gold.
Perched upon it was a skeletal figure, one hand cradling a translucent crystal ball, while the other grasped a longsword that rested on the ground.
"Who is that?" Quel asked, almost involuntarily.
Everyone halted, their gaze transfixed on the skeleton reigning from the throne.
At that moment, Ethan pinpointed the source of the familiarity he felt.
It emanated from the translucent crystal ball held by the skeleton on the throne.
If his senses weren't deceiving him, it was another Heart of the City, the very core of a city.
Could the skeletal figure then be the ruler of this treetop city? Could it be the Original Elf King—Sovok?
Seth's voice confirmed Ethan's suspicions.
Upon laying eyes on the skeletal figure, Seth leapt from Ethan's waist, expanding in size and remarked with a hint of nostalgia, "Sovok, it's been a while."
However, the skeleton on the throne remained silent, offering no response.
"Is this the Original Elf King?" Quel exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hmph, fool," Seth scoffed. "Even deities are just beings with immense power. They too can die, they too have their life spans. Especially a deity like Sovok, whose life span might even be shorter."
Seth's direct mockery brought a smirk to his face, seemingly lifting his spirits.
Quel seemed ready to retort, but Ethan held him back, pointing subtly towards Rose, who appeared to be acting strangely.
"Rose!" Oberlis called out anxiously.
Yet, Rose seemed not to hear, moving as if puppeteered, drawing ever closer to the skeletal figure on the throne.
"Seth, what's happening?" Ethan turned to the Primordial Key, Seth, for answers.
Stammering slightly, Seth replied, "I'm not sure, but from that skeleton, I don't sense Sovok's presence. He must be dead." "However," he warned, "the girl isn't right. We shouldn't act recklessly."
Thankfully, Rose's pace was slow, affording them a few precious moments to think.
"Why not just destroy that skeleton?" Windsor interjected, her hand alight with a massive fireball, ready to hurl and obliterate the skeletal form.
"The danger might not stem from the skeleton. There might be something in this palace we've overlooked," Ethan countered.
"Overlooked? Like what? The armor? The pillars? Or perhaps the palace floor?" Oberlis inquired urgently.
Ethan's eyes darted around, scanning their surroundings, and after a full sweep, they settled intently on the longsword clutched by the throne's skeletal occupant.
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