?RUMORS AND TIDINGS
Deep within the heart of the Elven Forest, nestled at the center of Florence, there stood a hall of breathtaking majesty.
This place used to be the ruins of the Grand Library of Florence and with the collaborative efforts of the players and Rageblaze Clan, this Grand Library was renovated into a conference hall.
At this moment, a few individuals with short statures occupied the seats in front of a meticulously carved wooden table within the hall.
They were none other than the enigmatic Dark-Dwarves.
Seated to the left of the table was Priest Carter, with his eyes fixed in fascination upon the world outside the window.
His gaze lingered upon the sun as it descended beyond the distant horizon, painting the sky with its waning afterglow. After being lost at the natural wonder of it for a moment, a soft sigh escaped his lips.
“This is my first time on the surface, and I never expected to find the sun so beautiful,” he whispered before adding, “The Elven city is just as enchanting as the legends say…”
Florence’s core districts have almost been renovated, and just as the sun sets, it casts its radiance all over the Holy City, making every marble building shimmer with a golden hue. Flowers and greenery adorn every corner, breathing life into the city’s very essence.
Numerous tall and slender Elves busily moved through the city, with the majority donning crimson hair atop their heads, though a few individuals also had varying shades of other colors.
Nonetheless, they all wore traditional Elven robes and had hopeful smiles upon their handsome faces.
Peaceful, nature-attuned and pure—such were the perceptions the Dark-Dwarves held of the Elves.
As Carter silently observed the ongoing crowd, he noticed in particular that there were also some Elves in armor as well as one’s garbed in robes amongst the city’s populace.
Their numbers eclipsed those of their crimson-haired counterparts, moving ceaselessly as if with a sense of unending purpose.
Moreover, their appearance was a bit more rugged and unkempt compared to the former and their demeanor was much less refined as well.
However, this was a sight familiar to the Dark-Dwarves.
These were the Elves who frequently engaged in trade and hunting in the underground, most of whom were the individuals the Dwarves had been dealing with recently.
Unlike the Elves depicted in the legends, these Elves were very strange.
They can be astute at times while being remarkably naive at the same time. They seem to know many things yet also seem to lack common sense. Sometimes they can be cold and frightening, while at other times, they can be so friendly to the extent of almost unsettling.
Furthermore, they held great respect for combat and adventure but were indifferent to life and death.
They called themselves strange terms such as ‘players’ or ‘chosen ones’ but the Dark-Dwarves preferred to call them simply as Elven adventurers.
During the previous attack by shadow monsters, it was this group of Elven adventurers who had intervened during the conflict and helped them defend Blackrock City.
Observing the figures bustling through the city, an older Dark-Dwarf couldn’t help but remark,
“The Elves… they’ve changed quite a bit.”
Another Dark Dwarf nodded in agreement, saying, “Indeed. I remember when they first came to Blackrock City, I suspected they might just be another race impersonating as Elves. It was only after the Shrinelord confirmed their identity with an appraisal spell that we knew they were genuine Elves.”
“Yes… but what surprises me the most is when they all returned to the Elven Forest. I seem to recall that a year ago, a human caravan from the surface ventured underground to trade, and they mentioned that the Elven population living within the Elven Forest was dwindling, almost on the verge of extinction. Yet here we are today, witnessing so many of them!”
Hearing this, almost all the Dark Dwarves recalled the scene they had witnessed in the Dragon’s castle.
“Oh, great goddess of death, I was also shocked! The numbers we saw at that time… surely must have been at least a thousand, right?”
“And those are just the soldiers…”
“And this city is called Florence, right? If I remember correctly, the old records stated that this elven holy city had turned into ruins long ago. I never expected to see it thriving like this!”
“I’ve heard the Elven adventurers mention it before. They arrived here only half a year ago, and it only took them six months to restore this ruined city to its current state.”
“M-Mere six months? They managed to restore a city to such beauty in just six months!?”
A Dark Dwarf asked in astonishment, “Is that for real?”
“Well, after all, they are a race highly attuned to mana, and they are born with innate proficiency in spellwork,” the dark dwarf who initiated the topic replied.
“You know what, this is nothing. I also heard that the elven adventurers built a magnificent city from scratch beneath the World Tree in less than half a year! Unfortunately… I didn’t get the chance to see it this time.”
“Build an entire city in just six months? Really?”
“Well… I just heard about it, but many elven adventurers have mentioned it, so it should be true. However… they are different from the Elves of old, so we can’t rule out the possibility of them exaggerating.”
The Dark Dwarves whispered amongst themselves as they looked out the window.
In the course of their dialogue, one Dwarf hesitated briefly before broaching a delicate matter.
“By the way… have you heard the rumor?” He whispered in a low and cautious tone.
“…What rumor?”
Other Dark Dwarves instantly became interested.
The Dwarf who brought it up glanced at the priest who was lost in thought by the window and further lowered his voice, before saying,
“There’s a rumor that this newly ascended god named Evé whom the Elves are currently worshipping is actually the subordinate of the Goddess of Death!”
“Gasp… Is that true?”
Other Dark Dwarves widened their eyes.
“Hush… Keep your voice down! It’s just a baseless rumor! The exact rumor implies that Her Majesty supported one of her subordinates in their ascension into godhood!”
“Divine Ascension? Isn’t Her Majesty already the sovereign of the Netherworld? And… this supposed Elven subordinate of hers seems to be associated with nature and life, completely the polar opposite of our Goddess’s divinity, right?”
“T-That, I don’t know for sure since I’ve only heard these baseless rumors. Moreover, there are also some saying that this new elven deity might have acquired their divinity from the World Tree instead!”
“Gasp… The World Tree? The Matriarch of the Elves?”
“That’s right! That old World Tree! That’s how this new deity was able to gather the Elves so quickly. However, the rumor suggests that this deity also altered the Elves’ personalities, and is attempting to sever their deep reverence for the old World Tree.”
“No wonder! But is any of this true? Just where did you hear it from?”
Other Dwarves looked astonished.
The Dwarf who shared the rumor looked around furtively, before asking with anticipation,
“Have any you heard of…Amway?” 1
The other dark dwarves: “…”
“Cough, cough, cough!”
The leading priest, who had been gazing out of the window, cleared his throat softly and cast a pointed gaze at the Dark Dwarves who were chatting in hushed tones.
“Don’t believe in such rumors, and don’t spread them as well! Matters concerning the gods are not for us to discuss.”
The Dwarves shrunk their necks and quickly bowed their heads in acknowledgment.
“Hmph, when we return this time, I’ll have you clean the shrine for a week!” Priest Carter declared.
The other Dark Dwarves: “…”
Amidst the Dark Dwarves’ collective resignation and lament, the doors of the conferences hall suddenly eased open as three Elves walked in.
Leading the way was an elven female clad in black armor. She possessed a short, silvery hair and eyes akin to the purest of rubies. Her face bore delicate features, yet her demeanor exuded an icy aloofness reminiscent of a cold mountain peak.
Yet she exuded an inherent sense of authority that no one could ignore.
Beside her stood a blond, emerald-eyed Elven maiden dressed in elegant priestly robes, and on the opposite side was an elven male in druidic attire, with dark hair and eyes, and a somewhat androgynous look.
The dwarves immediately cheered up and stood up together.
Upon spotting the silver-haired warrior, the Dwarven priest welcomed the three elves with enthusiasm in his voice. He then traced a sickle-shaped symbol on his chest and greeted them respectfully.
“Lady Zero, it’s been a while, and you’re as beautiful as ever!”
The Godwarden Zero!
She was considered as the most powerful individual amongst the Elves, and the one who had personally harnessed the power of the true gods to vanquish a formidable shadow dragon!
The denizens of the underground revered strength, and the dark dwarves held great respect for this Godwarden who saved Blackrock City.
Furthermore, her ability to harness the power of the True God to such an extent is enough to demonstrate the significance Zero held in the heart of the True God!
In In fact, not only the Dark Dwarves, but even Saintess Alice herself felt a sense of awe upon hearing that Zero had managed to invoke the power of the Divine Matriarch to defeat a legendary shadow dragon that was on the cusp of attaining godhood.
Simultaneously, the Saintess also felt that she still had a long way to go and needed to work even harder to gain the recognition of her Matriarch.
“Mr. Carter, greetings,” Evé replied calmly after assuming her disguise as “Zero” and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
She then introduced the two standing alongside her.
“This is Alice Galewind, the current Saintess under Her Highness, Evé.”
“And this is Li Mu, one of the leaders among Her Highness Eve’s Chosen Ones.”
At this formal introduction, both Alice and Li Mu instinctively improved their posture.
They greeted the Dark Dwarves with a nod before taking their seats on the opposite side of the circular table, aligning themselves with Zero.
Once the Elves were finally seated, the dwarven priest brought out a beautifully crafted wooden box and placed it before Zero with utmost reverence.
“Lady Zero, this is an item that the shrine’s high priestess had strictly instructed me to personally deliver to you.”
Eve’s heart stirred as she accepted the wooden box.
Even without opening it, she could already sense the immense and sacred, yet cold and deathly power the box contained inside it.
Without a doubt, there was a small essence of the Divinity of Death in it.
Sealed within this wooden box was the power of Hela, the Goddess of Death herself!
The Goddess of Death had dispatched some of her people to the surface for trade, and this item constituted a part of the covenant she had with Hela.
Eve acknowledged the gift with a slight nod and signaled to Li Mu.
With equal composure, Li Mu produced an exquisitely crafted box and through the translucent lid, the fine green crystals within it were visible.
These were the divine blood crystals of the World Tree.
With the box held ten of such crystals.
After her meeting with Hela, an agreement had been forged between them that required Evé to furnish ten units of divine blood crystals within a month, in exchange for fifteen units of the Death God’s essence.
Of course, these divine crystals only retained the governing laws of life…
Once the divine crystals were put away, the priest of Death let out a sigh of relief.
“May the true gods forever protect you, Lady Zero!”
However, his expression quickly turned serious.
“Lady Zero, I have come this time not only for the trade with your esteemed church but also to provide some grave tidings to the Elven race.”
“We’ve recently been informed by a few merchants from the southern region who had visited the underground a couple days ago that apparently, the Orc Kingdom in the Desert of Death have issued a war mobilization about a month ago.
..”
Carter then paused for a second before continuing,
“Based on what the merchants have observed, it seems the Orcs have successfully assembled an army of thirty thousand and are currently advancing toward the Elven Forest even now as we speak.”
1 In case some of you may have forgotten, Amway was the MLM business Demacia created.
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