Read Novel Full Chapter 1421 Trial, Begin
Chapter 1421 Trial, Begin
She swallowed and straightened. "Yes. My dream is to become the greatest smith ever."
Björn nodded once, firm and approving.
"Hoh. No greatness was ever born from lacking ambition."
Kaelira blinked. "You... accepted that just like that?"
Björn frowned at her, confused. "What do you mean?"
"I'm an elf. An elf who wants to become a smith."
Björn scratched his beard slowly. "I mean, aye, it's odd," he admitted. "Your kind much prefers munchin' leaves and lickin' tree bark than doing proper work."
"Hah?" Luminara scoffed sharply from nearby.
Björn ignored her without missing a beat. "But I've had elves in my forges before. Even your kind can give birth to a normal child once in a million years."
Kaelira was flabbergasted to hear this line come from the father of dwarves. She was genuinely stunned.
Björn narrowed his eyes at her reaction. "Alright. That look tells me there's somethin' rotten here. Explain."
She hesitated, then spoke.
"Under Elvardian rule, elves are forbidden from smithing. Any elf caught working metal is branded a criminal. I practiced in secret and when I was discovered, I was forcibly conscripted and sent on a suicide mission."
The space around Björn seemed to tense.
His face darkened. Color crept up his neck.
"What...?" he growled. "My descendants did that?"
"I don't know who proposed the law," Kaelira said quickly. "But I doubt it was the elves."
Björn's jaw clenched.
"No," he said flatly. "It wasn't them. Your kind cares so little about smithing, it definitely wasn't them who added the rule. It was the dwarves."
He turned away sharply, already marching off.
"Come, child," he said over his shoulder. "I'll turn you into a smith who'll humble those insecure sons of bitches."
"..." His wife stirred, but remained silent, busy keeping the girls veiled with her energy.
Kaelira stood there for a heartbeat, looked at Quinlan, and, after receiving a second nod accompanied by a supportive smile, hurried after him, eyes bright and disbelieving.
Lyra cleared her throat.
She stood a little straighter than usual, pink hair tied back, shield resting against her leg. When she spoke, it was careful and full of respect.
"Um... Lady Mearie. I want to become a better tank. Strong enough to protect your son and everyone he loves. Could you guide me on who would be the best teacher for that?"
Mearie's head snapped toward her.
"Me."
The word came out instantly.
"As his mother," she continued, already stepping closer, "I won't leave something that important to anyone else. I'll teach you how to protect."
Lyra froze.
Her mouth opened, then closed again. "I... I'd be learning from my lord's
mother?" she asked slowly. "Is that truly alright?"
Mearie smiled, sharp and pleased. "Of course it is."
"Rosie too!" a small voice chimed in.
Rosie was still clinging to Mearie's hair, leaves rustling softly as she shifted her
grip. "Rosie wanna protect Daddy too!"
Mearie laughed and reached up to steady her. "Sure, Rosie. I'll train the
guardians of my son properly."
Rosie beamed and wrapped herself tighter around her grandmother, earning a few pets in return.
A short distance away, Sylvaris stepped forward.
She bowed deeply before Luminara, hands pressed together, silver hair falling
like a veil. Her posture was flawless, every line shaped by centuries of
discipline.
"Mother of Elves... I would not dare impose. But if you would consider... teaching my daughter, Seraphiel, I would be eternally grateful."
Luminara blinked.
Then she smiled.
"Of course," she said lightly, already reaching out to brush her fingers through Sylvaris' silver hair. "But only if I can teach you as well."
Sylvaris stiffened.
"...Me too?" she asked, voice cracking in disbelief.
"Of course," Luminara replied. "I've been meaning to get to know my fellow mother-in-law. Let's have long chats about how amazing it is to be mothers in my treehouse while sipping delicious herbal tea, what do you say?"
Sylvaris swayed.
Then promptly fainted.
Luminara reacted instantly, catching her on one side. Seraphiel caught her on the other. The two women exchanged a look over Sylvaris' unconscious form.
Then they laughed.
Soft at first. Then brighter, unrestrained.
"My mother can be a bit... much at times," Seraphiel said, adjusting her grip.
"She's usually very composed and serene."
"Dutiful and respectful," Luminara replied warmly. "What a lovely girl."
Seraphiel smiled, holding her mother steady.
That was when Quinlan's head snapped sideways.
Kitsara was talking to Karl, the pig-faced shapeshifter primordial. Instantly, a
horrible premonition crept up his spine.
"Kitsara, let's think this through. I am not sure if Karl is trustworthy..."
Karl recoiled as if struck by a blade right in his heart.
He clutched his chest with one hand and staggered back two steps, tusked
snout lifting toward the heavens. "Wounded," he declared loudly. "Deeply
wounded, son."
Quinlan pinched the bridge of his nose.
Karl straightened abruptly and squinted at him. "Wait. Are you jealous?"
"What?"
Karl leaned in, eyes glittering with theatrical suspicion. "Did you forget? I
already told you. I am literally so gay my partner jumped into a volcano to kill
herself because I simply couldn't get it up."
The surrounding mortals all froze in perfect sync while the primordials tuned
the pig out of their minds.
Quinlan's eye twitched.
And then the memory surfaced, unwanted and vivid. Karl, grinning ear to ear, casually explaining how he once shapeshifted into Dragnar's wife and seduced
him.
Across from him, Kitsara's ears perked.
The foxkin's lips curled slowly, her grin spreading wide and sharp. Her tail
flicked once behind her, deliberate and teasing. She leaned closer to Quinlan,
head tilting.
"Wait, my love... Can it be..."
Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she dragged the pause out just enough to be
cruel.
"Are you worried about me turning into a hot guy and seducing you?"
The silence that followed was impressive.
Quinlan stared at her.
No smile. No reaction. Just a long, flat look.
"Kitsara."
That was all he said.
Her grin broke into a giggle instantly.
"Oh no!" she laughed, already backing away. "That tone. That tone is
dangerous."
She spun on her heel and bolted, hands clamped firmly over her butt as if
guarding it from imminent divine punishment.
"..."
Quinlan watched for a few long moments before he exhaled through his nose.
"Mothers," he called out at last, "is it really safe? I don't just mean Karl. I mean letting my girls go with the primordials. What if something bad happens?" Mearie answered first, her voice steady. "Don't worry, Quinnie. The girls are all
coated with our energy. We'll know the instant something goes wrong, and we'll reach them immediately."
Luminara nodded. "We were careful about who we allowed to remain present. And as you know, dying here is impossible. Even if someone were foolish enough to strike them, the worst that could happen is a single injury before we
intervene."
Quinlan stayed silent.
The idea of any of them being hurt, even once, sat wrong in his chest.
But was as good of an opportunity as any.
He trusted their strength. He trusted their resolve. Pain and even death, brief as
it would be here, would not break them.
What he did not trust, however, was the mind of every primordial.
Millions of years locked away did strange things to people. Obsession. Cruelty.
Curiosities that twisted into something unhealthy. A single broken mind could do far worse than a blade ever could.
He feared someone torturing a girl for hours before anyone realized what was
going on.
But if that was truly impossible here...
Then this was a chance they might never get again.
They would train under legends. They would sharpen themselves against
beings who had never dulled. They would return stronger.
Strong enough to continue standing beside him. Strong enough to survive what was coming.
He nodded once. "Okay. Please protect them all, mothers."
"Of course, Quinnie," Mearie said warmly.
Luminara smiled. "Always."
"I'll be back."
"We'll wait for your return!" they cheered happily. Truly, in this moment, his
mothers seemed incredibly joyous. Happy to have met so many girls, and proud
to see their son off to his next trial.
And they were not alone.
At once, many words assaulted Quinlan's mind.
<Good luck!>
<We love you!>
And more words of encouragement came from his girls. Quinlan looked around
and saw many of them waving at him, smiling brightly.
He returned the waves and blew a few kisses.
With that settled, Quinlan turned away.
The square lay open before him, wide and silent now that most attention had
shifted elsewhere. At its center stood the monument.
He walked toward it alone.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
He remembered back to his previous trials and their grave difficulty.
The mental hurdle that was the Iris simulation, where he was forced to endure
a decade of torture in the body of a fragile girl.
Then, the trial of the elements, where he had to visit a dying world to master
them. He traversed through raw fire, earth, wind, and water to attain the power of the elements in their true form.
Then the trial of Zhenwu, where he was forced to master martial arts, no
longer relying on the elements in their magical form. Furthermore, he killed God Venthros, which was an action that had a resounding impact on the life he
led since then, and will impact his future even more, it seemed.
Truly... the trials were no joke.
But Quinlan was ready to face the newest hurdle.
He stopped before the monument and placed his hand against its surface.
Cold.
Solid.
"Begin," he said.
The world stilled.
Light did not flare. Power did not surge.
Instead, words formed before him.
[The primordial entity, Quinlan Elysiar...]
Quinlan gulped.
[...has passed.]
"Huh?"