Nial was pretty sure that Master Crevian was not sober. Nothing made sense after he heard that the Elves wanted him to win the Grand Prize of the U21 Runicier tournament.
"Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be necessary for me to plead with you to join the U21 Runicier tournament but I'm pretty sure you have figured that the Forest of Life's growth rate is slower than it grew before the Dryx attacked.
Hundreds of brave Elves had died to protect the Forest of Life and it looked like the defense had been successful. But that is unfortunately not the entire truth…" Master Crevian revealed with a heavy heart.
Nial could tell in which direction the conversation was going but he was still a bit astonished about the Old Elf's choice of words.
'Plead? Are you pleading with me to join the tournament? Was the Forest of Life so endangered?' Nial wondered as he went deep in thoughts. He was not confident of winning the grand prize of a tournament where some prodigies with exceptional talent had been taught the ways of a Runicier for over a decade. Despite not being confident about winning the grand prize, Nial was still curious about life outside Jundra.
"The Tear of the Dryad Queen would help you to restore the Forest of Life to its previous glory, I guess?" He asked, interfering with Master Crevian's explanation. He had been speaking about some details that were of little value to Nial as he couldn't understand it, either way.
"Yes, exactly. The Tear of the Dryad Queen would fix the Forest of Life. But that wouldn't be everything as it would help the Forest of Life to advance and have favorable conditions to allow the birth of a Dryad. This would allow Elves and humans to become much stronger in a short amount of time. Both humans and Elves would benefit a lot from it!" Master Crevian grew more excited with time.
He could tell that Nial was interested in the Runicier tournament and everything it included. However, there were still a few points Master Crevian had yet to think about.
"That would be great, of course…but how am I supposed to win the grand prize if there are only 13 months left? I won't postpone searching for my family again even if it takes several months to find them. As for the benefits you just mentioned, they're awarded both to the human and the elven race, not personally to me alone.
I am not nice enough to help for the greater good," Nial replied straightforwardly and did not hide his true feelings.
However, Master Crevian could only smile faintly but that was because he knew that Nial was not true to himself. Even without any obvious gains, he would help the Elves just because he was that type of person…a good person!
Nial would receive the opportunity to procure more knowledge outside of Jundra, he would receive the opportunity to become stronger by exploiting the high mana density and purity of the planets whose planetary mana core was already awakened, and he could get his hands on resources, equipment and other goods which he would never be able to find on Jundra.
All-in-all, leaving Jundra was an opportunity that would allow Nial to become much stronger. By rejecting Master Crevian's pleas he would only shoot himself in the foot. Nonetheless, the Old Elf could tell what Nial was trying to do and he felt like supporting it.
"I can tell that you know about the gains you'll receive even if we don't give you anything. But what would you think if I were to make sure that the entire Elven race owes you a favor? You can demand anything you want with that one favor. It's the Empresses' Degree, which means that the favor is also applicable in the Dark Elves, The Glaciar Elves, the High Elves, and all the other Elves' juristocracy!" Master Crevian offered with a bright smile on his face.
He was pretty sure that Nial wouldn't reject this offer. Even Crevian would accept such a deal, especially knowing that the Empress wouldn't lightly issue such a degree. She had hardly any control over the other Elven races if one excluded the High Elves.
"The Empress is really leaving no stone unturned to create her own territory in Jundra…" Nial mumbled and Crevian could only agree.
The Empress was truly giving her all to create a strong fortress on Jundra before anyone else could do that. It was almost as if the survival of her entire race was based on whether they would be able to create a steadfast foundation, and base on Jundra or not.
Master Crevian knew more about the Empress's reasoning than most other Elves. Thus, he felt that everything was worth it which was also why he agreed that it was fine for Nial to receive one universal favor from all the Elven races.
"That's a lot of pressure. What if I fail to win the Grand Prize? I mean the chances of me winning are slim, to begin with…" Nial was still overwhelmed and his brain felt like it was about to evaporate but his heart was eager to compete in such a grand tournament.
Too many thoughts flashed through his mind and he could hardly keep up with Master Crevian's pace.
"If you don't place first, the Elves won't lose out on much, don't worry. The Forest of Life's growth is merely slowed down due to the aftermath of the battle against the Dryx. We didn't detect any more issues with it.
In the end, we want to advance through the Forest of Life and you have the necessary potential to win the Grand Prize. If that wouldn't be the case, I couldn't care less about inviting you to our homelands and teaching you all the secrets I know about Runiciers.
We just want to grab the opportunity and give it a try. If you receive the Grand Prize, we will receive the Tear of the Dryad Queen and you'll receive the Elves' universal favor. If you cannot win the Grand Prize, we will find a different way to fix the Forest of Life… so what do you say? Do you want to give it a try?" Master Crevian asked yet again, opening his arms wide to emphasize his point.
Nial, however, didn't smile even after hearing everything Master Crevian had said. The pressure on him seemed to have decreased a bit but his entire body felt extremely heavy.
He could tell that the Forest of Life needed the Tear of the Dryad Queen and that it was extremely important for both the Elven races and the humans on Jundra. This responsibility was not something Nial wanted to burden himself with.
He had more than enough things to worry about with the most important being that his family was hidden somewhere in one of the eight shelters, and was maybe even waiting for him!
"Do it, Nial!" A familiar voice emerged from behind them. It was Miranda, who had woken up not too long ago. She had noticed that Nial was not sleeping and thought that he was still engraving runic constellations on the casted weapons.
What Miranda didn't expect was that she would end up eavesdropping on Nial and Master Crevian and that she would hear about Master Crevian's request. She was dumbfounded by this but had quickly gotten back to her senses.
"You shouldn't back off after receiving such an opportunity. Even if you fail, you can always make up for your mistakes. Though, I don't believe that this will be necessary. You should give your best to help while improving as much as you can," Miranda suggested as Crevian and Nial turned their heads in her direction at the same time.
They hadn't noticed her because they had been deep in thoughts which was why they were so surprised right now.
"In that case…I guess I can give it a try. But I will still prioritize my family!" Nial finally agreed after listening to Miranda.
Master Crevian was happy. He smiled brightly and felt like hugging Nial for giving it a try. It may not be enough if Nial would just give it a try, and he actually had to give his best but that was something they could work on later.
"In that case, what are you waiting for? Go look for your family!" He exclaimed in a cheerful voice. Nial frowned a bit when he heard that but he couldn't agree more. It was time to see his family once again!
Nial was tired and he could hardly move but rest was a luxury he couldn't afford. His patience had reached its limit and now it was time to do whatever he wanted to do.
Leaving the Forest of Life as soon as possible would allow him to think about everything that had happened as well. Nobody would disturb his thoughts, which would make things much easier.
"Nial, that may not be important for you right now but did you already think about what type of ability you want to bind to your mana core? You have still one open slot left," Miranda suddenly recalled as Nial was just about to pack up his things.
'Ability? There was that…I forgot,' He thought with an expression of enlightenment before he shrugged his shoulders.
"You're right, it's not important for now. I have no idea what ability I will bind to my mana core. I will probably follow my instincts when I find the right one," Nial answered in a simple manner.
However, both Miranda and Master Crevian could hardly keep a straight face.
'How can you decide something like this so easily? A new ability will increase your strength manyfold if you choose the correct one!' They thought, shaking their head as they saw that Nial had already rushed upward to get his hands on some of his belongings.
When he recalled his family, Nial felt unstoppable. The Symbol of Life inside him began to shine much brighter than usual, invigorating him with a much higher potency.
"I have no idea how he has so much energy left. Did he even take a break in the last 30 days?" Miranda mumbled all of a sudden and even Master Crevian couldn't actually answer this. He only knew that he had taken a few breaks on his own because he was not as fit and fine as earlier anymore.
However, Nial had been engraving runic constellations whenever Master Crevian left to take a break, and he was also engraving runic constellations when Master Crevian returned from his break.
"I am not sure what this kid eats, but it's definitely some good stuff," Master Crevian joked. He felt much better since Nial agreed to try the U21 Runic tournament.
It was probably one of the easiest steps to convince Nial to participate in the tournament instead of actually winning the grand prize but it was at least a step closer to their goal!
"Sometimes, I wonder if he is really human…or if he is just built differently," Miranda suddenly said, and Master Crevian couldn't agree more.
"He is definitely special…"
**
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