Chapter 290: The Elven Turmoil

Chapter 290: The Elven Turmoil

After flying at full speed for half a day, the Mechanical Tiger finally caught up with Fiona's Elven squad early the next morning, when they were still a quarter of the way from Colossus City.

The open fields were swept by howling winds as the Mechanical Tiger descended, skimming over the ground.

Lu Heng leaped and flipped, blocking the path of the Elven Guard with an Aurora Blade in hand, pointing it forward as he shouted, "Hand it over!"

Fiona's face showed surprise, and she furrowed her brows, questioning, "Lu Heng, what are you doing?"

Lu Heng's accusation wasn't directed at her but at Captain Eric, the Elven Guard Captain by her side.

Fiona also realized that Lu Heng wasn't addressing her, and she turned to look at Captain Eric, who stood slightly behind her, a puzzled expression on her face.

Captain Eric was equally perplexed, asking, "Me?"

Lu Heng explained with a slightly stern tone, "Xie Shi En has awakened, and the information he provided confirmed several key clues. The conclusion is clear: the attacker is you, and the Soul Vault is on your person."

Upon hearing this, all the elves present displayed looks of astonishment.

Captain Eric's eyes widened as he protested, "I didn't do it!"

Fiona frowned, considering the situation. She was willing to trust her subordinates, but this matter was grave.

It wasn't just about severely injuring a human; the critical issue was the Soul Vault, which could potentially lead to a crisis for the Elven race.

Fiona looked at Captain Eric with utmost seriousness and asked, "Is it you? Do you have the Soul Vault?"

"No, it's not me! I swear I didn't do it!" Captain Eric spread his hands and loudly protested, his agitated expression suggesting he felt wronged.

Fiona furrowed her brows in thought, then said, "Lu Heng, first explain the situation clearly. If the attacker is him, I guarantee he won't escape."

Lu Heng took a deep breath and said, "Previously, we analyzed that the attacker was an Elf proficient in Natural Magic. However, after Xie Shi En woke up, he refuted this conclusion.

"The attacker used a Spatial Confinement Orb capable of casting Spatial Binding Spells to seal off the forest's perception using Spatial Binding Magic.

"This attacker is a close-range warrior who uses a long-handled weapon and doesn't know Natural Magic, at least not advanced Natural Magic.

"Among the Elven Guard, there are very few who could have severely injured Xie Shi En. Essentially, it's only you, Captain of the Elven Guard."

Upon hearing this information, Fiona's eyes widened in surprise.

She also realized that if Lu Heng's information was true, the most suspicious person was indeed Captain Eric.

Frowning, she stared at Captain Eric and asked sternly, "Captain Eric, tell me now, is it you?"

Captain Eric was so agitated that he almost jumped up, spreading his hands in protest, "It's not me! I didn't do anything!"

Time was of the essence, and if the problem lay within the Elves, the impending crisis would be even more terrifying.

Fiona took a deep breath, stepped in front of Captain Eric, and her eyes emitted a powerful oppressive force as she said in an unyielding tone, "Look into my eyes."

Captain Eric knew what the General of the Queen's Guard intended to do, sighed, and looked directly into her eyes, saying, "Alright, I'll show you everything. All my secrets are yours to see."

The two locked eyes for a moment, and Fiona quickly lowered her head to cover her forehead, her expression slightly unnatural.

However, she soon regained her composure and coughed, saying, "I've confirmed it's not Captain Eric."

Hearing this outcome, Lu Heng's brows furrowed as he began to think rapidly.

What went wrong? All the clues, when put together, should have pointed to Captain Eric as the only possibility. Where did the deduction go wrong? At that moment—

Su Muyu approached Lu Heng and whispered in his ear, "There's one less member in the Elven Guard."

Lu Heng's eyes flashed with insight, and he voiced this information, "Your squad is missing a member; someone left the group ahead of time."

Fiona and Captain Eric were both stunned, as indeed, a member of the Elven Guard had left the group.

"That's right... Deputy Captain Fred left soon after we set out."

"Who is he? How strong is he? Why didn't I notice him before?" Lu Heng tried to recall, realizing that this Deputy Captain Fred had an incredibly low presence, and he hadn't paid attention to the existence of such a deputy captain in the Elven Guard.

"This..."

Fiona's brows knitted together, sensing that the situation was becoming more complicated.

Captain Eric blurted out, "Fred is very strong. I've sparred with him, and we're evenly matched."

Lu Heng immediately pressed, "Who is Fred? Where did he go?"

At this point, Fiona also started to feel that something was amiss. She replied, "Fred was the Deputy Captain of the Magic District's guards in the Elven Capital. He was temporarily assigned to escort the spring water. Half a day ago, he received a recall order from the Magic Tower and left on a Horned Eagle. At this time..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but Lu Heng understood what she meant and completed it for her, "He's already returned to the Elven Capital, Colossus, right?"

Fiona's scalp began to tingle, sensing the impending crisis.

If Deputy Captain Fred was the attacker who took the Soul Vault and was already back in the Elven Capital, Colossus, it meant that the prophesied crisis was about to unfold.

Fiona couldn't accept that the crisis would strike while she was away from the capital and the Queen's side.

Fiona made a swift decision, waving her hand and saying, "Sky Knight, follow me. We'll return to Colossus at the fastest speed. The rest of the Elven Guard, follow Captain Eric."

She then mounted the Horned Eagle, pulled the reins, and soared into the sky.

The Sky Knights from the Elven Queen's Guard in the squad, with their disciplined riding, soared into the sky on their Horned Eagles, following Fiona in a high-speed flight back to the Elven Capital, Colossus.

Lu Heng, Zhang Wei, and Li Hua did not linger and quickly returned to the Mechanical Tiger. They took to the skies, flying back to Koloss City alongside Fiona.

Only Eric remained, riding the Moonshadow Panther with the remaining non-flying Elf Guards, making their way on the ground.

...

Two hours later, Fiona, leading the Sky Knights, soared through the Sky Ring above Koloss City and directly landed in the training grounds.

She jumped off the Horned Eagle's back and shouted, "Where is the Queen?"

An Elf Guard rushed forward and respectfully replied, "General Fiona, a large number of Abyss Toads have appeared in the Moon Goddess Lake to the north. The Queen has already taken the Royal Guard to the lake to deal with them."

Fiona's eyebrows furrowed, and she asked urgently, "How long has it been since they left?"

"They've been gone for half a day," the Elf Guard quickly answered.

At that moment, the Mechanical Tiger landed.

Lu Heng reminded them, "Let's find Fred first. Queen Aureana shouldn't be in danger right now."

The crisis was likely to befall Koloss City, and with the Queen away from the capital, it might be safer.

Fiona nodded in agreement and asked, "Has Fred returned? Where is he?"

"We haven't seen Deputy Captain Fred," the Elf Guard replied truthfully.

Without further questions, Fiona immediately ran towards the direction of the Magic District.

Fred was the Deputy Captain of the Royal Guard in the Magic District of the capital. If something had indeed gone wrong, it was highly likely to be related to the Magic District.

The group crossed the arched bridge over the Magical Moat and rushed into the Magic District.

The guards at the entrance, recognizing Fiona, did not stop them.

At the entrance, Fiona asked, "Where is Deputy Captain Fred?"

"We haven't seen Deputy Captain Fred," replied the Elf Guard at the entrance, echoing the previous answer.

Fiona rushed into the Magic District, asking the same question to every guard she encountered, but no one had seen Fred.

The Magic District of Koloss City was vast, and most of the buildings here were related to magic.

For example, there were the Elemental Flame Training Room and the Arcanist Classroom.

The most prominent landmark, however, was the tall tower in the center of the Magic District—the Magic Tower.

Lu Heng called out to Fiona, pointing at the Magic Tower, and said, "We should go there."

Fiona's expression turned grave. Although she was reluctant to believe it, the situation was urgent, and the problem might indeed be within the Magic Tower.

Taking a deep breath, she rushed towards the Magic Tower.

Upon reaching the entrance, she asked the guard, "Who is inside the Magic Tower?"

The guard bowed his head and replied, "Lord Augustus."

Fiona furrowed her brows, paused for a moment, and instructed the guard, "Send someone to the Moon Goddess Lake to inform the Queen that something has happened in the capital."

After saying this, she stepped into the Magic Tower and climbed the spiral staircase to the top floor.

At the top, Grand Arcanist Augustus stood there, as if expecting the day's visitors.

Fiona reached the top floor's Magic Hall and looked around, but she did not see Deputy Captain Fred.

Soon after, Lu Heng and the others followed. On their second visit, the Magic Hall looked no different from their first encounter.

"You've arrived," Augustus said calmly, as if he had known all along that someone would come.

Fiona was still unclear about what had happened and didn't know where Fred had gone. She bowed her head and asked respectfully, "Lord Augustus, may I ask where Deputy Captain Fred has gone?"

Augustus replied in a calm tone, "I sent him on an errand."

Fiona's eyebrows knitted together, and she pressed, "What errand did you send him on?"

A serene smile appeared on Augustus's kind, elder face as he replied, "Fiona, there are some matters you shouldn't concern yourself with."

By status, Fiona was merely a personal guard general to Queen Aureana. She had no authority over the Grand Arcanist's affairs.

Fiona could only bow her head and say, "I suspect a crisis is about to unfold, Lord Augustus. I don't want to see the decline of Queldore, nor do I want to see the Queen in distress."

Augustus spoke with a distant, peaceful tone, "With me here, no crisis will come."

Fiona clenched her fist and asked, "What if the crisis is with Lord Augustus himself?"

Augustus's tone turned grave, "Fiona, you shouldn't be thinking about such things. Queen Aureana has gone to the Moon Goddess Lake, and you should be there too."

By duty, Fiona, as the Queen's personal guard general, should indeed be by Queen Aureana's side.

However, knowing that a crisis was imminent, she couldn't ignore the matter.

Lu Heng had been listening for a while but still couldn't grasp the core of the issue. He stepped forward, took out the Magic Tower Emblem, and asked, "Lord Augustus, do you still stand by your promise to exchange a treasure for the Arcanist Codex?"

The Grand Arcanist Augustus maintained his composure and nodded, "Of course. We will honor our promises to you."

A glint flashed in Lu Heng's eyes as he spoke, "Then I want to exchange it for a Confinement Orb capable of casting Spatial Confinement Magic."

Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a chill down their spine.

The Confinement Orb Lu Heng mentioned, capable of casting Spatial Confinement Magic, was the very treasure used by the attacker who took the Soul Vault.

Such high-level treasures were not commonly possessed by the Elves.

In fact, from the first time he entered the Magic Tower, Lu Heng had sensed something.

This Magic Tower was a product of Spatial Magic.

The top floor was the most spacious, while the bottom floor had the smallest area.

In other words, the interior space of this Magic Tower was inverted, and the Magic Hall on the top floor was actually the lowest level.

The entire Magic Tower was a massive Spatial Magic spell.

Grand Archmage Augustus, as the controller of the Magic Tower, undoubtedly possessed formidable Spatial Magic abilities.

Among the Elves, those who possessed Spatial Magic artifacts were few, and Augustus was one of them.

Now, Lu Heng directly requested a Spatial Magic Orb in exchange, seemingly a trade, but in reality, it was a way of gathering evidence.

Augustus fell silent, and the atmosphere in the entire Magic Hall grew heavier by the second.

Lu Heng, Chen Zi Hang, and Blake Feld all clenched their fists, ready to react to any unforeseen events.

If Fred was indeed the attacker and had acted under Augustus's orders to steal the Soul Vault, then the situation with Augustus was dire.

Facing such a powerful Grand Archmage, they might be instantly defeated by a single spell if they weren't adequately prepared.

Even with preparations, they weren't sure they could withstand his Arcane attacks.

Time ticked by, each second filled with mutual silence.

Everyone's hearts were racing with anticipation.

After a prolonged silence, Augustus slowly raised his palm, holding a Spatial Magic Orb in his hand, and said, "This is the Spatial Magic Orb you asked for."

Lu Heng didn't reach out to take it; instead, he waited, anticipating his next move.

Fiona's expression was complex.

In truth, she had harbored suspicions since hearing that the attacker used a Spatial Magic Orb to cast their spell.

Within the Elven race, only a select few possessed such Spatial Magic Orbs, and Augustus was the most proficient in Spatial Magic among the Elves.

However, she didn't want to believe that the crisis originated from the Elven Grand Archmage, as that would spell disaster for the Elven race.

Augustus was the greatest living Archmage in the Elven race, perhaps even in the entire Queldore world.

He was the source of the Elves' confidence in their fight against the Abyss.

If the Grand Archmage had turned, what would become of the Elves' future?

Fiona didn't dare to think about it. She hoped it wasn't true, but everything seemed to be turning into reality.

The atmosphere grew more tense.

"Thank you for bringing back the Arcane Codex. Take this Spatial Magic Orb as an exchange," Augustus said, reaching out to offer the Orb.

Lu Heng was on high alert, but as he saw the Orb slowly floating towards him, moving very slowly without any signs of an attack, he relaxed slightly.

Just as the Orb reached the halfway point, it suddenly burst into a searing azure light, almost blinding in its intensity.

"Get back!"

Lu Heng shouted, instantly using his Quintessence Ability, Shadow Traverse, to dash sideways at top speed.

However, the Orb's Mana release was too fast, and in an instant, it created a circle of Spatial Restriction, enveloping the entire Magic Hall.

Lu Heng, in the midst of his Shadow Traverse, collided with a spatial membrane, his body freezing in place, unable to break through.

While Shadow Traverse could ignore physical collisions, the Orb's Binding Spell had isolated the space, preventing even Shadow Traverse from escaping.

Everyone present, including the Elves, was trapped within the Spatial Restriction, including Fiona.

Fiona rushed to the barrier of the Spatial Restriction, pounding on it with her fists, and shouted, "Why? Why is this happening?"

Augustus stood outside the restriction, heaved a sigh, and said, "You shouldn't have investigated this. Give me a few more days, just a few days, and everything will settle down."

Fiona, her emotions flaring, pounded on the barrier and yelled, "You're the greatest Archmage of Queldore! How could you do this?"

Although there was no direct evidence to prove that Augustus had betrayed the Elves, his actions had already spoken volumes.

Augustus paused for a moment, then said, "Wait here. Once the crisis is averted, you'll be able to leave."

With that, he turned and walked down the Magic Tower.

"Don't go! Don't leave!"

Fiona, her emotions spiraling out of control, roared at Augustus's retreating figure, watching helplessly as he disappeared down the spiral staircase.

She collapsed, sliding to the ground, her mind swirling with thoughts: "Why Augustus? Why?"

Lu Heng was also pondering the same question. Although all clues pointed to Augustus, and his actions were an admission of his involvement, why had he done it? There were still some unanswered questions.

Lu Heng's mind raced, flashing through various pieces of information, when he suddenly recalled something from Moonshadow Forest. Serene had given Fiona something, saying it was for Augustus.

Since Serene and Fiona had kept this matter confidential, Lu Heng had no idea what it was.

"Fiona, I remember Serene gave you something for Augustus. What was it? Did you give it to him?"

Hearing this, Fiona's thoughts cleared from their chaotic state, and she assumed a serious expression. "Not yet."

"What is it?" Lu Heng pressed.

Fiona hesitated. Normally, this was an Elven secret, not to be disclosed to humans.

But with Augustus about to bring disaster upon Koloss, such minor details couldn't hold her back.

She took out a crystal flask containing a verdant green liquid and explained, "It's the juice of the Life Tree. Ten years ago, Augustus suffered severe injuries in a battle with the Bloodline King. Every month, he needs juice from the Life Tree in Moonshadow Forest to heal his wounds."

Lu Heng's eyebrows furrowed at this revelation, and he asked, "Is it for healing, or for prolonging his life?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end