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Chapter 457: Prelude to the Dawn
Chapter 457: Prelude to the Dawn
Mother Tree Andahil was the literal mother of all pure-blooded elves, a truly remarkable race.
Elves are a wondrous race, capable of reproducing like humans, but they can also bear children through Mother Tree Andahil, much like other plants that bear fruit. The fruits of the Mother Tree contain the essence of elves within them.
Children cannot refuse the call and pleas of their mother.
All the elves, led by Aldran, prepared to leave the room and head to Ferdinand City.
Upon witnessing this, Olenna's expression changed, and she exchanged a glance with Claire beside her. They both saw concern in each other's eyes. Olenna quickly approached Anna and said, "Miss Anna, Lord Ren will be very worried if you go."
"Yes, Miss Anna, why don't you wait until Captain Ren returns before you go?" Claire also stepped forward, gently taking Anna's fair hand, and said.
At the mention of Ren, Anna's forward stride trembled slightly, and her steps came to a halt.
However, the next moment, she showed determination, shook her head, and said to Olenna, "Lady Olenna, I believe that if Ren were here, he would also support my decision to go."
Anna then carefully withdrew her hand from Claire's and said, "Lady Claire, it has been a pleasure, but this matter is important, and I must go."
Suddenly, Olenna laughed and said, "Wait! Ladies and gentlemen, if you insist on going, why not travel with us on our airship? Miss Anna, we have a communication device on our airship, and we can contact Lord Ren as soon as the signal stabilizes on his end."
"This..." Anna and the other pure-blooded elves hesitated.
It was clear that they didn't want to involve Olenna, Claire, and the others in the elf's affairs.
"If you wish to go to Ferdinand City, traveling by airship is undoubtedly the fastest way, isn't it?" Olenna continued.
Olenna's sudden change in attitude surprised Claire and Bianca, who stood beside her.
They were momentarily puzzled by her decision.
"Well, then, we'd be grateful for your help, Lady Olenna, but we hope you'll ensure your safety first. We don't want you to encounter any danger," said Aldran, the town mayor, nodding at Olenna.
"Ladies and gentlemen, what about me? After all, the journey to Ferdinand City is not without its risks," Lambert said with a smile, crossing his arms.
"Of course, if Sir Lambert is willing to accompany us, it would be most welcome," Olenna said with a smile.
Olenna then waved to Bianca and whispered something in her ear.
Bianca's expression cleared, and she quickly left.
At the same time, one hour ago.
Varzige Ruins.
Ren was diligently studying the fourth level of the Advanced Meditation Technique of the Iron Heart.
Unlike the third level, which consisted of 108 will runes forming a three-dimensional pattern, the Iron Heart model of the fourth level was composed of a staggering 256 will runes.
Furthermore, the density of these 256 will runes was even greater than that of the third level's three-dimensional model.
Therefore, from an overall perspective, it resembled a multi-tiered pagoda, with each higher level being smaller than the one below but more dazzling and intricately crafted.
"Wow, 256 will runes, that's an incredibly challenging number."
However, as Ren marveled, he recalled the description in the scroll regarding the effects of the fourth level of meditation. He immediately felt determined to master it as soon as possible.
Once he mastered the fourth level of the Iron Heart, the amplification effect would be astonishing.
The power increase far exceeded the 60% boost of the third level; it reached a twofold increase! Yes, a doubling of power!
The effect of doubling the power of any metal-based sorcery needed no further explanation.
"I currently have 12 remaining attribute points, and if I reserve 5 points for an epic battle, I can only allocate 7 points. It's still not enough."
Therefore, even though Ren knew it was unlikely to master it all at once, he still intended to give it a try, at least to test his abilities.
"But, from another perspective, if I can truly master the fourth level of the Advanced Meditation Technique of the Iron Heart, then with the rising tide lifting all boats, I might be able to handle epic-level power with just my sorcery skills."
"After all, I possess the core skill of a Dragon Vein Wizard, and the greater the sorcery power, the higher the true damage!"
"With this in mind, I can almost invest all of my 12 attribute points."
Of course, it's always better to play it safe and leave a couple of points."
The thought caused a spark of inspiration in Ren's eyes. After all, with ten attribute points as a backup, he could definitely give it a try!
Ren began to visualize the three-dimensional model of the fourth layer of the Iron Heart in his mind.
The first Will Rune.
The thirtieth...
The one hundred and ninety-ninth Will Rune!
"Huff~" Ren exhaled deeply.
His first attempt ended with one hundred and ninety-nine runes.
"The difficulty of this is a bit exaggerated; it's quite a distance from two hundred and fifty-six."
However, Ren was not one to be easily discouraged.
He tried again, and again, until a dull pain crept into his temples. The results were significant.
On his final attempt, he managed to sketch out two hundred and twelve Will Runes in one go.
Next, it was time to allocate the points.
As Ren repeated this process, after adding points three times, he had improved his progress in sketching the fourth-layer model to two hundred and thirty-seven runes.
Only nineteen runes away from the target of two hundred and fifty-six!
"Not bad, I might just pull this off!" Ren's eyes brightened with determination.
At that moment, although Patriarch Moriah had been intently studying the control crystal of the Destroyer, he suddenly seemed to sense something. He turned to look at Ren, whose forehead was beaded with sweat, and was startled. "Ren, you... Don't tell me you've already started trying?"
"Hmm?" For a moment, Ren wasn't sure how to respond to Moriah.
It wasn't that he was just trying; he was almost there!
"Don't rush it. Just observe and familiarize yourself with it first," Moriah advised.
"It's said that the fourth layer of all advanced meditation techniques is incredibly difficult to master because it involves the secrets of the Dawn Wizard. You'll need to dedicate years of focused effort to grasp the fourth layer of the Iron Heart." Moriah's voice carried a weight of experience.
"Okay, Patriarch," Ren nodded, considering his words.
What else could he say to such a concerned elder?
Although Ren appreciated Moriah's concern and agreed that he was right, he also knew that his situation was unique.
Because he had the System!
At that moment, both Ren and Moriah looked up in the same direction.
"That fluctuation just now, was it the second time?" Moriah's expression darkened.
"Yes, the second time," Ren confirmed.
"It seems this offensive by the cult is much stronger than I anticipated."
"Ren, let's head to the warehouse again."
"Patriarch, have you already figured out how to control it?" Ren couldn't help but be surprised at Moriah's statement.
Even those without knowledge of construction would understand that controlling an epic-level colossal golem was no simple task.
"Yes, but the biggest issue with the Destroyer golem isn't control; it's the energy source."
"According to the records in the control crystal, there's a large furnace core prepared in a secret room within the warehouse. However, after all these years and the radiation exposure, it's highly likely that it's no longer functional."
"So, I want to see if I can fix it."
"I see." Ren nodded in understanding.
Without delay, the two of them quickly made their way back to the warehouse.
As Moriah headed towards the secret room in the warehouse, Ren's thin plate on his chest began to vibrate again.
"Sizzle..."
However, due to the radiation interference, he couldn't make out any of the words, not even a single syllable.
Please... collect... book... 6... 9...
This gave Ren an uneasy feeling.
He sensed that something was happening.
Logically, Olenna already knew he was exploring the ruins, and she wouldn't contact him unless it was something important.
Meanwhile, in the heart of Ferdinand Forest.
An imperial airship slowly descended.
"You want to leave? Now that you've joined the Mother Tree Sect, you can no longer represent the elves."
"And for cultists, our empire's stance is unwavering!"
Lord Reginald's usually kind expression suddenly turned stern as he declared, "We will annihilate them!"
His words, heavy with conviction, caused the High Elf, who had already turned to leave, to stop in his tracks and turn back towards Reginald.
But before he could say anything, the High Elf's face paled, and a tree vine swiftly wrapped around him, lifting him into the air. The nearby Ironwood Guardians rushed towards his position, seemingly intending to help defend against something.
In an instant, the ground where the elf had been standing shook violently, and a giant hand, over ten meters in diameter and the color of earth, reached up and grabbed him out of the air.
"Ahhhh!"
The High Elf let out a terrified cry as a ball of green vines, tinged with faint blood-red, began to wrap around him. Simultaneously, the vines shot out in all directions from him, each as thick as a bowl's mouth.
These vines either coiled around or pierced the yellowish-brown giant hands, seemingly attempting to defend against their deadly attacks.
But in the next moment, the vines that had wrapped around the hands were instantly shattered by the swollen fingers, while those that had pierced the hands broke apart like twigs against concrete.
Fragments of broken vines rained down from the sky.
The yellowish-brown hand was getting closer and closer to the vine ball, and just as the vine ball, centered around the elf, completely fell into the palm, the giant hand clenched suddenly, squeezing tightly!
"Pfft!" A sound like a small tomato being crushed echoed, and red-green liquid slowly oozed out from between the fingers of the yellowish-brown hand.
Then, the hand relaxed, quickly disappeared, and returned to the ground.
A large, bloody mess also fell to the ground.
This High Elf had been ordered to use a leaf from the Void Mother Tree to destroy the Empire's airship, hindering their movements. But the smooth execution of his task made him forget that this power came from the Void Mother Tree.
As for himself, he was no match for the Empire's Guardian.
"Your Earth Pulse, Lord Reginald, has become increasingly proficient," Lothar remarked with a smile to Reginald, who was by his side, after witnessing the scene.
Being able to unleash a fourth-level Earth spell almost instantaneously and attack enemies with ease was a feat that no more than three people in the entire Empire could match.
"Thank you, Lord Lothar. Now that they know of our arrival, perhaps we no longer need to hide our intentions."
"Exactly!"
"Everyone, summon your flying mounts and head to Ferdinand City as quickly as possible," Lothar said, turning to the group behind him.
"Yes, Lord Lothar," the Empire's legendary warriors, including Luther, responded, summoning their flying mounts from the lower cabin of the airship.
"Roar!"
A yellowish-brown dragon suddenly burst out of the ground, spreading its massive wings towards the sky. Its scales shimmered with a golden glow in the sunlight, resembling a golden dragon.
This was Ted, the dragon companion of the Empire's Guardian, Lord Reginald.
In an instant, over a dozen powerful flying mounts, accompanied by two squads of Gryphon Knights, led by the yellowish-brown dragon, soared towards Ferdinand City at a rapid pace, their speed almost matching that of the original airship.
Sentinel Post Seven.
Olenna's Swordsman's Airship was currently packed to the brim as it headed towards the center of Ferdinand Forest. Meanwhile, the sleek long-range airship captured from Bostaf was flying towards the location of the ruins where Ren was.
Onboard the long-range airship was Bianca.
Following Olenna's instructions, Bianca had taken the faster long-range airship to inform Ren at the Valzige Ruins, while the others headed to Ferdinand City on the Swordsman's Airship.
With this arrangement, if all went well, both parties would arrive at Ferdinand City at almost the same time.
At that moment, in Ferdinand City.
A group of black-robed figures surrounded a High Elf, standing in front of a deep pit several dozen meters in diameter, chatting and laughing.
"Prince Sedrin, thanks to your help this time, we were able to enter the palace after the crystal barrier was activated and successfully destroy two crystal towers. Otherwise, it would have been much more difficult."
"Now, only one crystal tower remains," an elderly man in black robes said, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy.
At that moment, Prince Sedrin's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he let out a soft exclamation.
"What's wrong, Prince Sedrin?" The elder naturally noticed the change in the prince's expression and asked.
"Nothing, it's just that Patrok's mental imprint suddenly disappeared. There must be some trouble on his side."
The three black-robed elders standing nearby simultaneously turned solemn. They knew that Patrok was a High Elf subordinate of Prince Sedrin who had embraced the Void Mother Tree.
His task was to block the Empire's reinforcements.
It seemed that the Empire's support had already been dispatched and was on its way.
"Prince Sedrin, it seems we need to speed things up a bit," the black-robed elder said.
"Yes, let's go," Prince Sedrin said, walking forward while keeping his slightly vacant eyes fixed on the pale golden miniature tree floating in mid-air.
(End of Chapter)
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