Chapter 186: A Ceremony After Over 1,200 Years

Chapter 186: A Ceremony After Over 1,200 Years

"So it wasn't until the Planar Barriers were nearly restored by the year 2000 of the Starlight Calendar that the wizards started to return one by one."

After reading through the information recorded in the books, Su Nan finally understood why the Starlight Continent had remained peaceful for a thousand years without a single wizard entering it.

It turned out it wasn't that they didn't want to, but that they couldn't.

"However, this also means that, apart from the Elemental Plane, I can't leave the Starlight Continent to travel to other planes right now."

Su Nan shook his head. He wasn't too bothered by this, as he didn't have the ability to travel between planes yet, and even if he wanted to leave the Starlight Continent, he couldn't.

In a way, the current state of the Starlight Continent might actually be a good thing for him. While cultivation was difficult, it at least provided him with a stable environment to develop.

For the next seven hundred years, he wouldn't have to worry about other wizards or high-tier beings coming to interfere with him.

And if things went well, by the time those seven hundred years were up, he would have the strength to protect himself.

"Regardless, I need to focus on my development for now."

Su Nan pondered to himself and put down the book.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

The door opened, and Karolina entered, handing him a battle report.

"Master, this is the battle report from Flash City."

Su Nan took the report and opened it, his eyebrows raising in surprise.

The Azure Empire surrendered?

But after his initial surprise, Su Nan quickly understood that the Staff had likely played a significant role behind the scenes.

The report also mentioned that the Azure Empire's surrender came with the condition that the Starlight Alliance would not harm the Azure Imperial Family, a condition that Koy had accepted.

"The establishment of the academy must be expedited."

Su Nan thought to himself.

With the war over, the Starlight Principality would likely soon hold a new round of aptitude tests, and more apprentices would be sent to the base. He needed to establish the academy as soon as possible.

In the year 1269 of the Starlight Calendar, during the Harvest Month (September):

The Azure Empire announced its surrender.

With this, the dominant empire that had ruled the southeastern region of the continent for over four hundred years came to an end.

The Starlight Alliance immediately accepted the Azure Empire's surrender and took control of all its territories.

In this war, the Starlight Principality emerged as the biggest winner, annexing about two-thirds of the Azure Empire's territories.

The remaining one-third was divided among the other eight countries.

In the same month, the Starlight Principality declared itself the Starlight Empire.

Thus, standing on the ruins of the Azure Empire, the Starlight Empire leaped to become the new dominant power in the southeastern region.

However, the atmosphere in the southeastern region did not become peaceful after the war. Instead, it became even more tense.

Many eyes were now focused on the Starlight Empire.

No one knew if this nation would continue the Azure Empire's unfinished ambitions and try to become the sole ruler of the southeastern region.

In a quiet room, moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a gentle, silvery glow on the long table, as if it were draped in a delicate veil.

Rosalie opened her eyes and immediately looked in Su Nan's direction. When she saw the familiar figure, a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.

When she sensed the activation of the transaction house key, she knew it must have been Su Nan. After hesitating for a while, she finally decided to attend the gathering.

She was curious about what Su Nan had in mind by summoning them.

Soon, the Traveler and the Staff also entered.

Seeing Su Nan, both of them wore complex expressions.

Anyone would feel a mix of emotions seeing someone who was once their peer, now reaching a realm they could only dream of.

After all, the Staff was a noble-born wizard apprentice and quickly adjusted his mindset. He looked at Su Nan with a respectful tone and asked:

"Sir, you've summoned us. Is there something you need?"

Facing the newly ascended wizard, the Staff had switched to a more respectful form of address.

Su Nan's gaze swept over Rosalie and the Traveler. Seeing that both were ready to listen, he got straight to the point:

"I plan to establish a wizard academy. Would you like to serve as professors?"

Wizard academy? Professors?

The Staff, Rosalie, and the Traveler all froze, their eyes wide with surprise.

They had expected Su Nan might want to recruit them, but they never imagined he would invite them to be professors at a wizard academy.

Before they could react, Su Nan continued:

"The main duties of the professors will be teaching and maintaining order in the academy. When necessary, you can also participate in some Starlight Alliance operations."

"These tasks can earn you contribution points, which can be used to exchange for resources."

"Resources include materials, potions, puppets, Glitter-grade magical items, talent crystal models, and construction potions, among others."

The last part of Su Nan's words was the most appealing.

The eyes of the Staff, Rosalie, and the Traveler all lit up.

Rosalie was the first to respond.

"Sir, I accept your invitation!"

Back in Dark Lake City, Rosalie had been persuaded by Karolina to consider joining the Starlight Alliance. Now, with the added appeal of construction potions and talent crystal models, she no longer hesitated.

The scepter readily agreed.

The traveler, however, looked conflicted.

What he wanted most was to explore every corner of the Starlight Continent.

But joining the academy, while not completely stripping him of his freedom, would impose certain restrictions, making it harder for him to travel at will.

The choice between freedom and power was truly a difficult one.

In the end, it was Su Nan's casual words that shattered his hesitation.

" Wizards can live for at least seven to eight hundred years. If you become a wizard, you'll have much more time to explore, and you might even get to see the outer planes someday."

"I'll join."

Seeing that all three had agreed, Su Nan's lips curved into a slight smile.

The scepter, the traveler, and the mage were all exceptional third-level wizard apprentices. The youngest among them was already over a hundred years old, with vast knowledge and rich experiences, making them more than qualified to serve as mentors for the first and second-level apprentices at the academy.

While three mentors might seem a bit few, it would be enough for the academy's initial stages. He could always look for more suitable candidates later.

"Then I'll be waiting for you at the Flashing City base."

Spiderweb City

The city was shrouded in the deep, silent night. The dark elves' rules were extremely strict; no other races were allowed on the streets at night without permission, and even male dark elves often faced severe restrictions.

On a dimly lit street, a lizard sprinted on all fours.

The dark elf patrol squad, hearing the noise, turned in unison, their hands resting on the hilts of their curved swords, eyes cold and wary.

Only when they saw the graceful figure seated on the lizard's back did they release their grips and salute from a distance before continuing their patrol.

Tajana ignored the patrol and silently rode her lizard mount through the streets. Soon, she arrived at a massive mansion.

She patted the lizard's head, making the eight-legged giant halt, then nimbly dismounted.

The adamantine gates were tightly shut, and the two massive spider statues flanking them silently rotated their eyes, recognizing the visitor. They remained crouched, silent in the darkness.

As she approached, Tajana whispered a spell, activating the platinum brooch on her robe.

A faint glow emanated from the brooch, forming a delicate and beautiful dark-skinned elf, which then transformed into a spider.

"Tajana Filir."

The girl stated her name, and the gates silently opened.

"Welcome home."

A raspy, harsh voice emerged from the darkness behind the gates.

Tajana stared into the darkness, pursing her lips, then stepped inside.

The "Gatekeeper" gradually materialized from the shadows.

It was a ghost, or more accurately, a fusion of multiple ghosts.

Each of the twelve families in Spiderweb City had such a Gatekeeper. Created through secret rituals, this guardian housed the spirits of every powerful dark elf who died (limited to female dark elves) and served as a formidable protector of the family.

The older the lineage, the more powerful the Gatekeeper.

Any enemy seeking to attack the family had to first overcome the Gatekeeper.

The Gatekeeper facing Tajana was the amalgamation of the spirits of 272 powerful dark elves from the Filir family.

It appeared as a valiant drow woman, her lithe and alluring figure clad in pitch-black leather, with only her eyes glowing a dark red, like polished onyx.

Tajana waited until the Gatekeeper's form became fully clear, then bowed slightly and stepped forward, passing straight through the ghostly figure and entering the mansion.

This seemingly rude and childish act did not harm the girl—wearing the family brooch protected her from the Gatekeeper's negative energies.

Of course, it also did not harm the Gatekeeper.

The Gatekeeper slowly faded away, and the mansion's gates closed once more.

The air inside the mansion was chilly.

The demon fires hanging on the walls provided only dim light and no warmth.

Tajana pulled her cloak tighter around her and navigated the web-like paths between stalactites and pillars, eventually reaching the main building of the Filir family.

It was a circular temple, its top glowing with a sinister purple-black light, and its outer walls adorned with intricate carvings, most featuring spiders.

The massive structure loomed in the darkness like a monstrous entity, its entrance resembling the open mouth of a beast.

Each person who entered the temple was like prey being swallowed by the monster.

The temple's interior was pitch black, but Tajana was unfazed. Her dark elf vision allowed her to see every detail clearly.

She navigated the narrow, winding corridors, turning at each corner with precision, until she reached the center of the temple.

It was a spacious hall.

At its center stood a black marble altar.

Eight massive braziers lined the edges, black flames rising from them, morphing into various spiders.

At the center of the altar stood a ten-foot-tall statue.

It depicted a mature and stunningly beautiful elven woman riding a gigantic, fearsome spider, looking down on the dark elves below with a divine presence.

Surrounding the altar were over a hundred dark elves, all of whom were women.

Most of them wore soft, well-fitting plate mail, draped in black cloaks with the same platinum brooch as Targana, indicating their kinship.

Only eight figures standing in the farthest corners were cloaked in full-length robes, their faces and forms hidden from view.

Targana's gaze swept around the room, and she quickly moved to stand at the outer edge of the crowd.

Most of the attention was on the statue, and few noticed her arrival.

Except for a tall, slender dark elf standing nearby.

"You're late," Vynia whispered.

"I couldn't help it," Targana replied softly. "Breaking into the city took time, and I had to abandon the slave caravan and return here overnight."

"Good thing you didn't miss the ceremony."

Vynia looked up at the statue, her eyes gleaming with fervor and excitement.

"Over a thousand two hundred years, and we finally receive a divine message. Great Misha truly hasn't abandoned us!"

Targana's eyes flickered, but she didn't respond.

Though she had witnessed Misha's miracles firsthand, she still harbored a faint doubt.

After all, Misha hadn't appeared for over a thousand two hundred years. Now, with her sudden return, she demanded that the City of Demon Spiders wage war to unify the Underworld. Whether this was a good thing for the dark elves was uncertain.

In fact, many young dark elves shared her skepticism, but this dissenting voice was suppressed by the fanatical upper echelons.

"Silence!"

A melodious yet authoritative voice suddenly rang out, silencing all whispers.

The hall fell abruptly quiet.

Everyone turned to look at the speaker.

She was a slender, dark elf with a delicate, beautiful face.

Her light blue eyes were as clear and transparent as crystal, and her silver hair was smooth and lustrous. If judged solely by her appearance, she looked like a young maiden.

In reality, the matriarch of the Felyr family had celebrated her 148th birthday last year and was already the mother of over a dozen daughters.

Her gaze swept the room, and she spoke in a solemn tone.

"The ceremony begins."

As she finished speaking, a strange, rustling sound emerged from the darkness all around.

Countless spiders of all sizes crawled out of the shadows, moving toward the altar.

Their eight legs tapped the ground in a peculiar rhythm and melody.

In moments, the altar was swarming with spiders.

They glared at each other, seemingly ready to kill, but none made a move.

Meanwhile, the eight dark elf women in the corners removed their robes, revealing their beautiful faces and naked, graceful bodies.

They walked through the spider swarm, gracefully ascending the steps to the altar, standing at the eight corners before kneeling and chanting hymns of praise in unison.

Then the spiders began their brutal battle.

They swung their eight long legs, using their massive mandibles to tear open their opponents' carapaces, and their fangs to pierce flesh, inject venom, and devour their foes.

The victors grew stronger from the sweet flesh and souls of the defeated, and every time the spiders' numbers decreased by one-eighth, one of the dark elf women on the altar melted like heated butter, dissipating into mist.

Death was terrifying, but no one fled.

The number of spiders rapidly dwindled, leaving only one victor.

The massive, fearsome spider approached the last remaining dark elf woman, its red eyes coldly fixed on her.

The dark elf woman showed no fear, spreading her arms and revealing a hideous, dangerous smile.

The spider suddenly opened its massive jaws and bit down, its fangs piercing her skin, burning and paralyzing her body.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the dark elf woman and the spider melted together, like wax, and quickly reshaped into a unique creature with a dark spider's lower body and a dark elf woman's upper body.

A Spider-Elf!

A legendary being favored by a deity, possessing terrifying and immense power!

Seeing the newly born Spider-Elf on the altar, the surrounding dark elves showed signs of intense excitement and fervor.

Many couldn't help but chant hymns of praise.

Matriarch Felyr's beautiful face lit up with genuine joy.

Success!

With this ceremony, they could continuously create Spider-Elves.

This would be the dark elves' key to unifying the Underworld!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end