To understand soone, the best thod is naturally to spend ti sending a specialist to learn about them.
But the Elven race didn't have that ti right now, so Naya, as Ambrose's ssenger, was quickly brought to the Royal Palace. Awaiting her was a direct inquiry from the Elven Queen and the forr King.
When Catherine asked Naya, "You've t that Lich. Tell about his situation."
Naya recalled for a mont, then said excitedly, "That Lich, he isn't human at all."
This remark made Catherine frown. Was this child tortured to the point of ntal instability? Why was her speech incoherent?
Naya seed to realize she had stated the obvious and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, that Lich is terrifying. He seems capable of reading other people's thoughts. I didn't say a word, but he had already guessed everything."
Just thinking about the terror of Ambrose made Naya's body tremble.
Catherine spoke gently to Naya, "My child, do not be afraid. You are safe here. No matter how terrifying that Lich is, he cannot hurt you."
Catherine's voice had a soothing effect. Naya quickly cald down and said with great guilt, "I apologize, Your Majesty. Our strategic plan was guessed by that Lich. It is my fault."
Catherine felt as if her heart had been pricked by a knife tip. This child didn't even know the *real* plan, yet she was blaming herself here.
Catherine continued to comfort her, "Don't worry, Naya. You only need to say what you know. Leave the rest to to handle."
Only then did Naya recount her experience bit by bit.
From the assassination of Viscount Leitman to eting Ambrose, Naya described the battle process in great detail.
After listening, Catherine understood what kind of opponent Naya had encountered. This was definitely a Legend-rank Lich. No wonder the Twilight Guards fell into this Lich's hands ti and again.
"...Then, I was captured by him. After being captured, I kept my mouth shut and said nothing. But that Lich just held and started talking to himself. I don't know what happened, but he quickly guessed that the magical contract was Your Majesty's power. He even guessed what the effect of violating the contract was. I swear to the gods, I never ntioned a single word of these details."
Naya's words puzzled Catherine. Elves were immune to charm spells, and very few things could stimulate their minds to make them act against their will.
However, under repeated questioning, Naya's answers had no flaws; they weren't false mories created by emotional agitation. Catherine offered a few words of comfort and then dismissed Naya to rest, promising her that they would rescue Cicero and the others.
Facing Naya, Catherine tried her best to maintain a confident appearance, which reassured the young elf girl greatly. But after she left, Catherine could no longer hide the shock in her heart.
What was going on with this mind-reading effect?
Catherine asked the old king, "If it were a Legend-rank mage casting the Detect Thoughts spell, could they read an elf's mind?"
The old king shook his head. "Unlikely."
This blessing ca from the Elven Gods. Let alone a Legend, even if other gods acted personally, it would be difficult to modify an elf's will.
"Then what exactly is going on with this Lich?" Catherine beca increasingly puzzled.
The old king fell into deep thought, muttering words like Lich and Undead. After a good while, the old king spoke a specific na.
"The Elegy Society..." The old king mused, "This Lich is very likely a mber of The Elegy Society."
"The Elegy Society?" Catherine had never heard of this na, so she asked, "That sounds like an undead organization. Is he a subordinate of that Withered Rose Queen in the Underdark?"
Although the Nine Great Kingdoms did not count the Underdark among them, everyone knew there was a powerful undead queen there. Though her territory wasn't large, the power her kingdom possessed was considered mid-tier among the Nine Great Kingdoms.
Catherine had never t this Withered Rose Queen, but she had so understanding of her.
If he were a subordinate of this Queen, then having so special ans might make sense.
However, the old king shook his head. "No, you have it backward. That Withered Rose Queen is rely one mber of The Elegy Society."
Catherine wore a shocked expression. That Withered Rose Queen was equal in status to her, yet she was just a mber of this organization? How terrifying was this organization exactly?
Catherine said, "That is unbelievable."
The old king nodded. "Indeed. When I first heard of The Elegy Society, I was also quite astonished. It is a very powerful organization of the undead, and the minimum standard for mbership is Legend rank."
"Minimum standard is Legend? How many mbers do they have in total?" Catherine pressed.
"I don't know. I'm afraid only the President of The Elegy Society knows the identities of all mbers. I only learned the na of The Elegy Society from a mber codenad 'The Bard' whom I t during my travels."
Scenes from many years ago surfaced before the old king's eyes. It was when the Demon Dragon Tyrant was still on the throne. The young Elf King was a free-spirited Ranger. While traveling the continent, he t Arthur Ryan, who had just received divine revelation.
Both were youths with extraordinary talent and quickly beca companions in adventure.
When Arthur Ryan slew his first dragon, the young elf was by his side, drawing his bow.
Back then, he didn't know that the Paladin before him would beco the founding emperor of the Ryan Empire, nor did he expect him to achieve the feat of expelling all dragons.
During their adventures together, they once drank in a tavern.
Having just completed a commission, both were very happy and drank quite a bit. Under the influence of excitent, they forgot their due manners.
"The bard in the bar sang terribly. I was drunk at the ti, so I went up and mocked him a bit. Arthur was the sa; completely forgetting the rules of a Paladin, he put his arm around my shoulder and loudly laughed at the bard... Then, we realized we ssed with the wrong person."
Even great figures who shook the world had their stupid and immature monts. It was just that their luck was really bad at the ti; the bard they encountered had a rather short temper.
"That bard was a mber of The Elegy Society?" Catherine asked.
"Correct. His codena was simply 'The Bard.' I only learned this later. That night, Arthur and I were both taught a harsh lesson.
"Arthur and I faced the greatest defeat of our lives, but we both thought we were just drunk and didn't perform well. So the next day, we went to find trouble with that bard again. I have to say, that was a very stupid decision.
"Even though Arthur possessed the strength to slay giant dragons, he was ruthlessly toyed with in front of this person. If this bard hadn't lacked the intent to kill, I'm afraid the Ryan Empire wouldn't exist, and I wouldn't have had the chance to inherit the throne of the Silvermoon High Court."
The old king rubbed his nose awkwardly, as if he could still rember the sharp pain when the lute broke his nose.
The young heroes who would beco famous across the continent stumbled hard, then were tied up by this "Bard" and taken ho, forced to listen to poetry for three days and three nights. For them, it counted as a lifelong humiliation.
The young elf was particularly good at poetry, so he chatted quite a bit with this "Bard." That was how he heard the na The Elegy Society. And this terrifying "Bard" was rely one of its mbers.
"The Elegy Society has a mysterious President; I only know his codena is 'The Mourner.' The Bard I t seed to have an unusual relationship with this Mourner. He claid to be an ordinary mber of The Elegy Society, but judging by their codenas, this Bard seed more like a vice-president figure. I have always suspected that he might very likely be a god."
Catherine hurriedly said, "A god of the undead? Do you an Velsharoon or the Lord of Bones?"
"No, neither of those two gods has such a playful personality. If we had encountered their avatars, we would have been made into undead long ago.
"The feeling The Bard gave wasn't just undead; his power seed even more ancient. I couldn't even guess his race. It was he who admitted to being undead, rather than seeing it. He also didn't have that undying hatred for the living; he was as free as a true bard.
"It's just that the poetry he wrote was really bad, as clumsy as a goblin's love letter."
Catherine looked awkward at the old king's words. This sounded very much like a loser trying to save face. She hadn't expected the mature and steady old king to have such a past.
"Alright, let's get back to the main topic. You should now understand the power of The Elegy Society. That Withered Rose Queen of the Underdark is a mber, and that mysterious Bard is too. By analogy, the power of this Lich can be imagined. Your Majesty, even though you have ascended to Legend twice, you may not necessarily be his opponent. The other party also possesses the special power to read elven thoughts, making it very likely he is another god-favored one. Therefore, this negotiation..."
Before the old king could finish, Catherine interrupted, "I must go. Please forgive my willfulness, but I need to find the strength to support my will to live."
Catherine's hand clutched her chest tightly, her face turning extrely pale.
"Your Majesty, you..." The old king saw sothing was wrong. This behavior looked a bit like the precursor to dying of a broken heart.
The vast majority of elves had sensitive and delicate personalities. When ntal pressure beca unbearable, their hearts could very likely shatter, leading to complete death.
The crisis of national extinction and heavy guilt made Catherine unable to breathe; her mind was nearing collapse. If confessing could save the entire Elven race, Catherine would have revealed the secret long ago and sent herself to the judgnt stand.
But she simply couldn't say it. Because there was no cure for Magic Addiction, exposing it would cause nationwide panic. At that ti, Catherine wouldn't be the only one dying of a broken heart; the Elven race would imdiately fracture and then completely perish.
Under these circumstances, the lives of Cicero and the others were the last string in Catherine's mind. She had to save at least one to find the opportunity to continue holding on.
"Sigh."
The old king sighed. When he chose Catherine as his successor, it was because of her sense of responsibility. But now it seed that this sense of responsibility had turned into the cause of the elves' destruction.
"Alright, the negotiation will proceed. But before it starts, we need to know more about this Lich. I will have people prepare a ritual to calculate this Lich's past and future. So, please endure a little longer until we get enough intelligence." The old king comforted her.
Catherine gratefully said, "Thank you."
The ritual the old king spoke of was magic unique to the elves. It could borrow the power of divination to see the target's past and future. This would be much clearer than Naya's rhetoric. Maybe they could even find the opponent's weakness and gain an advantage in the negotiation.
Under the power of prophecy, all hidden things would have nowhere to hide.
At that ti, they would be able to figure out exactly what this Lich intended.
Reviews
All reviews (0)