Chapter 284: The Moonwell

Chapter 284: The Moonwell

"Excuse me, are you Xie Shi En? Her Majesty the Queen requests your presence." Two Elven Queen's Guards found Xie Shi En in the Industrial Zone and led him towards the Palace Zone.

Before these guards appeared, Xie Shi En had already received a message through the Celestial Phoenix, so he was aware of the situation.

He had just come out of the Enchanting Array Workshop and was on his way to the Palace Zone when he encountered the two Elven Queen's Guards.

As he left the Industrial Zone and passed by the corner gate of the Magical Moat, he met an Elven warrior wearing Captain's Armor. They exchanged a glance and nodded respectfully before continuing on their separate ways.

Upon entering the Palace Zone, Xie Shi En followed the two guards to the reception hall in the rear palace.

Queen Aureana arrived with Lu Heng from the rear garden, and a servant brought refreshments.

Lu Heng held the cup containing the beverage, unsure of its material, which felt like amber.

Not long after they sat down, the guards led Xie Shi En in.

After exchanging greetings, Xie Shi En took out the Soul Vault and placed it on the servant's tray to be delivered to Queen Aureana and General Fiona of the Queen's Guard for inspection.

Since this item was a Lich's Soul Vault, it carried a Demonic Spirit aura, so Fiona took it for examination first.

She carefully observed the exterior of the Soul Vault, then opened the wooden stopper and sniffed the bottle, her face immediately showing surprise and confusion.

She resealed the bottle and turned to Queen Aureana, nodding in confirmation, "They were right, it's the magic spring water from the Moonwell."

Queen Aureana's expression mirrored Xie Shi En's, filled with astonishment.

The magic spring water from the Quel'dorei Moonwell was the most sacred and pure substance. How could it be found within a Lich's Soul Vault?

Fiona continued her inspection of the crystal flask-shaped Soul Vault and made her judgment: "This Soul Vault has indeed never been used, which explains the faint Demonic Spirit aura. However, it is indeed a Soul Vault and can be used to contain a Lich's soul."

"Your Majesty, their judgment might be correct. The appearance of the Moonwell's magic spring water in this Soul Vault indicates that a Lich has come into contact with the sacred water."

Queen Aureana fell into deep thought, seemingly remembering something. She asked, "About half a year ago, there was an incident of missing Moonwell spring water. What was the outcome of the subsequent investigation?"

Fiona recalled and briefly recounted the incident: "I personally investigated this matter but found no useful clues. We suspected that the Abyssal Summoners had stolen the Moonwell spring water and teleported away, leaving no trace. We then strengthened the Moonwell's defenses, and there have been no further incidents of theft in the past six months."

After hearing the details, Lu Heng asked, "Can we visit the Moonwell? Perhaps we can help investigate the truth behind the theft of the magic spring water."

Fiona immediately rejected the request, "I'm afraid not. The Moonwell is our Quel'dorei's Fount of Destiny, and we cannot allow outsiders to approach it. I apologize."

According to historical records, in ancient times, the Elven Race possessed numerous Moonwells across the Quel'dorei Continent, with magic springs flowing everywhere.

However, the invasion of the Abyss polluted these Moonwells, causing them to dry up one after another.

This led to a rapid decrease in the number of Moonwells under the Elves' control, leaving only the last unpolluted Moonwell in the Elven Capital of Colossus.

As a result, the Elves highly valued this last Moonwell and implemented multiple layers of Arcane protection.

Not only were outsiders prohibited from approaching, but even among the Elves, only a few high-ranking Elves were allowed near the Moonwell.

Given that this was the last Moonwell, the Elves were extremely cautious, and it was understandable that Fiona declined Lu Heng's request.

Lu Heng understood and asked, "In that case, is there a written record of the Moonwell spring water theft? If we can't investigate at the Moonwell, I'd like to examine the records."

Fiona glanced at Queen Aureana, who gave her consent with a look, and agreed, "Certainly, I'll have a guard send the records to you shortly."

Lu Heng continued analyzing the available information, "Our mission briefing clearly indicated that Colossus City will face a crisis. If the Moonwell is within the city, could the crisis be related to it?"

Upon hearing this, Queen Aureana and Fiona's expressions turned grave, their faces filled with solemnity.

Although Lu Heng's statement was a guess, if true, it would be a devastating crisis for the Elven race, threatening their very destiny.

After a moment, Queen Aureana thanked them, "Thank you for the reminder. We will strengthen our precautions."

The group discussed for a long time, analyzing every clue, but the available information lacked a clear direction.

Xie Shi En retrieved the Soul Vault, as it was related to the Creator Organization, and he needed to keep it in his possession.

The Elves despised such Demonic Spirit artifacts and would usually destroy them upon discovery.

Since Xie Shi En had brought this Soul Vault, he intended to keep it, and Queen Aureana did not object.

After the meeting, Lu Heng and the others bid farewell and were escorted out of the Palace Zone by the Elven Queen's Guards.

...

On their way back to the inn, the trio continued their internal discussion.

"There are only ten days left until the end of the Abyssal Battlefield, but we still don't know what the crisis in Colossus City is. There haven't been any signs of Abyssal Summoners' attacks, and the situation is quite peculiar." Xie Shi En had been pondering this issue for days.

"It is a bit strange. We've done what we could, and now our primary goal is to complete the main mission. The main quest shouldn't be a problem, but we need to consider the challenge quests."

"Lu Heng had a clear plan in mind. The primary objective of this Abyssal Battlefield mission was to aid the Elven Civilization in resolving their crisis, but success wasn't guaranteed every time.

Furthermore, the Elves' strength and heritage were so profound that if they couldn't save themselves, even summoning countless humans for assistance would be futile.

Therefore, the current goal should be focused on completing the challenge tasks. Perhaps, after finishing these tasks, the Elves' crisis would also be resolved.

Among the challenge tasks, the second was to find the source of pollution, and the third was to resolve the crisis in Colossus City. These two tasks currently had no leads.

Only the first task, to slay 20 Abyssal Summoners, seemed relatively easier to accomplish.

"So, we need to leave the city to search for the Abyssal Summoners?" Su Muyu had been quietly listening, absorbing information like the calm sea, rarely speaking up.

"Let's see if anything happens in the next few days. If there are any city exit bounties or tasks, we'll take them on and then go out to see if we can encounter any Abyssal Summoners," Lu Heng decided.

...

Night fell.

Lin Zeyu, exhausted and covered in soot, emerged from the forge workshop and returned to the inn, only to find Lu Heng and the others leisurely relaxing. He asked, "You're not going to the workshop anymore?"

Lu Heng spread his hands and replied, "We've finished all the tempering work above level 6, and the lower-level tasks don't offer much experience."

Ever since his tempering master level reached the Master rank, not only did tasks below level 3 provide no experience, but even tasks below level 6 offered minimal experience.

So this time, upon their return, not only would tempering orders below level 3 be assigned to Yuan and Cheng, but also those below level 6.

Lin Zeyu flopped onto the bed, letting out a sigh of relief. "I'm exhausted, but at least I've finally shed the 'apprentice' title."

He had finally advanced from an apprentice forge assistant to a journeyman forge assistant, though a bit slowly, but he had finally been promoted.

Lu Heng encouraged him, "That's great. You can try to switch to a blacksmith later."

Lin Zeyu's eyes lit up, and he sat up straight, asking, "I can switch to a blacksmith?"

Lu Heng replied matter-of-factly, "You can't be an assistant forever. You'll definitely become a blacksmith, unless you don't like this secondary profession. You can try acquiring other secondary professions."

Lin Zeyu raised an eyebrow and said, "No, I think being a blacksmith is great, it's simply wonderful. After returning, I'll learn blacksmithing from Gulu, and my future will be bright."

Gulu was the only blacksmith master on Blue Star, and learning blacksmithing from him was like starting with a head start.

Lin Zeyu's goal in learning blacksmithing wasn't to create divine weapons, as Gulu was already there to handle that. If he ever needed to forge divine weapons, he could simply ask Gulu to do it.

His advancement in the secondary profession was for the additional benefits it provided.

For example, the flame resistance offered by blacksmithing and tempering, which was one of the most crucial resistances.

Lu Heng briefly recounted the day's events to Lin Zeyu, and then they both retired for the night.

...

Nighttime.

Within the magic corridor of the palace district in Colossus City, there was a spatial gateway that remained hidden from ordinary people.

This was the biggest secret of the Quel'dorei Elves.

Queen Aureana gracefully strode into the magic corridor, reaching the center, and with a gentle wave of her hand, she released a burst of arcane energy.

Before her, a layer of mysterious spatial membrane appeared, as if dividing the space into two separate worlds.

She stepped across this spatial membrane, entering another space, as if transported to another world.

This space was filled with magic energy and vibrant life.

The ground was covered in colorful plants, each growing vigorously, with ancient trees and dazzling flowers.

Occasionally, animals could be seen roaming the forest.

Upon sensing the arrival of the Elven Queen, a unicorn dashed out from the trees and circled around her.

Queen Aureana reached out to caress the unicorn's spine, then led it through the forest.

They traversed a fantastical forest path, arriving at a clearing.

In the center of the clearing stood a Moonwell, surrounded by crystal stones.

This was the last remaining unfailing Moonwell in the Quel'dore World, the final vestige of the Elves' heritage, protected at all costs.

Currently, the number of upper-class Elves with the qualifications to enter this place could be counted on one hand.

This Moonwell was also the Elves' last hope. If it became polluted, the future of the Elven Civilization would be bleak, and their civilization would rapidly decline.

Once the civilization declined, the Elves would lose their ability to resist the Abyss.

Therefore, when Queen Aureana heard Lu Heng's warning earlier, she was deeply concerned. Taking advantage of the night, she came to inspect the Moonwell, ensuring it remained unharmed.

She approached the Moonwell, reaching out slowly, and with a wave of her hand, a strand of magical spring water floated up and flowed into her palm.

She gently cradled the magical spring water, bringing it to her nose to inhale its scent, feeling the sacred magic energy within.

This sacred magic energy remained unchanged, showing no signs of pollution.

Only then did she feel slightly relieved.

At that moment, an elder upper-class Elf appeared behind her, his eyes filled with protective warmth and infinite gentleness.

Queen Aureana did not turn around but greeted him, "Teacher, you're here too."

The elder Elf was none other than Grand Archmage Augustus, who oversaw the Magic Tower in Colossus City and was one of the few who could enter the Moonwell without the Queen's permission.

"The rumors of Colossus City's crisis must have worried you," Augustus said, standing behind her and gazing at her golden hair, pure without a trace of impurity.

Queen Aureana nodded, "Of course. If the crisis is real, Quel'dore will face a turning point in its destiny.

"Don't worry, I won't let any crisis befall us." Augustus spoke with unwavering conviction, as if he had seen through everything.

Aureana crouched down and took out a crystal flask, filling it with water from the Moonwell.

Augustus understood the situation and asked, "Are you planning to send it to the Moonshadow Forest?"

Aureana nodded, "Yes, the Moonshadow Forest needs the water from the Moonwell. Perhaps Teacher Serene can find a way to purify the pollution."

"If we send the spring water now, the city's guard strength will be greatly reduced, which might present an opportunity for the Abyssal Summoners." Augustus furrowed his brows in contemplation.

"That's why I intend to recruit humans to help. The humans summoned this time are much better than the previous batch," Aureana offered an assessment.

Augustus scoffed, "The best outcome would be if these humans don't cause any trouble."

After filling the flask with spring water, Queen Aureana set the crystal flask aside and spoke in a calm tone, "The purpose of the summons is always noble, just as we have experienced. But indeed, the individuals of this human civilization are a mixed bag."

The Queen had learned about the disparity among human individuals from Fiona.

Earlier that day, before Fiona brought Lu Heng and Su Muyu to the audience, another human had verbally disparaged the two of them.

She was referring to Blake Feld, and although she didn't react to his words, she could tell that it was an internal conflict among human individuals.

In fact, there were also some individuals among the elves with questionable character, like Dionysus, who had turned into a lich and was considered a disgrace to the elven race.

After filling the crystal flask with magic spring water, Queen Aureana and Augustus left the Moonwell space together.

...

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day, Captain Eric, the leader of the Elven Guard, assigned a task to the human mystics within the city, stating that they needed to transport a batch of magic spring water from the Moonwell to the Moonshadow Forest, and he wanted human mystics to help with the escort.

This task was only open to mystics who had entered the inner city.

Lu Heng had already planned to leave the city and complete his first challenge task, which was to kill 20 Abyssal Summoners.

Transporting the Moonwell spring water seemed like the perfect choice.

From the perspective of the Abyssal Summoners, there was a high likelihood of intercepting the Moonwell spring water.

In other words, this task of transporting the Moonwell spring water not only offered a bounty reward but also presented an opportunity to wait for the Abyssal Summoners to come and get themselves killed, achieving two goals at once.

Moreover, this might be the closest they could get to the Moonwell spring water.

After a brief discussion with Su Muyu and Lin Zeyu, Lu Heng decided to take on the task of transporting the Moonwell spring water.

Upon learning about the transportation mission, almost all the human mystics in the city gathered, hoping to participate.

Even those who were initially unaware of the Moonwell had gained some understanding of it during their twenty days in this world.

Thus, the mystics knew that the magic spring water from the Moonwell was extremely valuable, and this task was the most important one the elves had released so far.

Furthermore, the task was only open to mystics within the city, creating an implicit threshold.

As a result, most of the mystics in the city wanted to be part of this mission.

Lu Heng, Su Muyu, Lin Zeyu, and Xie Shi En all accepted the task.

Additionally, Rong Xincheng received the news and brought his team to join as well.

There were also Chen Zi Hang, Tao Yalun, Wu Weibing, and six others.

These teams were all part of Lu Heng's group, ensuring mutual trust and making task execution more convenient.

Furthermore, Blake Feld's team of four, along with some other mystics, approached Captain Eric of the Elven Guard, expressing their desire to participate in this mission.

However, Eric announced that he would only recruit twenty human mystics for this task.

Since Eric could only bring thirty elven warriors on this mission.

To ensure the timely completion of the transportation task, the elves couldn't recruit more human mystics than the number of Elven Guard members.

Thus, the number of human mystics participating in the task was limited to twenty.

Lu Heng's team of three, plus Xie Shi En, Rong Xincheng's team of three, and Chen Zi Hang's team of nine, already accounted for sixteen people.

That left only four spots.

Blake Feld's team happened to have four members, but there were other mystics vying for the spots as well.

The competition intensified.

Blake Feld and a group of mystics surrounded Captain Eric, using various persuasive tactics to try and squeeze out the others.

Especially Lu Heng's team, which totaled sixteen people, had taken up too many spots, naturally drawing some resentment from the other mystics.

Blake Feld raised a concern, "Captain Eric, with so many of them, if they have different intentions during the transportation, it could pose a significant threat to your team. I believe their numbers need to be halved."

Eric turned to Lu Heng and asked, "Do you all want to participate?"

Lu Heng hadn't expected Blake Feld to resort to such petty tactics and directly countered, "I don't trust these four people. Exclude them, recruit four more mystics, and we can set off."

His words sounded more like a command than a suggestion.

However, Eric didn't oppose this at all and quickly agreed to the plan, immediately excluding Blake Feld's team of four and recruiting four more mystics, forming a fifty-person transportation team, and announcing the departure time.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end