Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1176: Chapter 1175: The Sages Still Living in the World

The midsummer evening breeze swept over the mountains and jungles, stirring the sound of rustling leaves on this lush land. However, to the elves, these sounds of nature brought not a trace of annoyance but rather peace and tranquility to the soul.

An elderly elf stood on the mountaintop, gazing into the distance as he had done for thousands of years. He saw this ancient Empire gradually stepping into serenity in the glow of the setting sun. The undulating mountains, jungles, and valleys were almost identical to his memories... Yet, nothing seemed to have changed in this land, but in another sense, it had long become unrecognizable to him.

From the day three thousand years ago, this was no longer the homeland he was familiar with.

The apprentice remained silent, seemingly touched deeply by the words of his mentor. However, intense emotions surged in the heart of this young elf, prompting him to finally break the silence: "So you knew all along that the King had no intention of letting you return, yet you still..."

"She needs closure—emotionally and rationally, this has been delayed for too long," the old one seemed to smile slightly, his tone as calm as if discussing someone else’s affairs. "No matter how much of the news she brought back from that so-called ’alliance’ is true or false, when she decided to meet me in person and arranged a journey for me to the northern regions, my fate was already sealed. If it’s all lies, then the purpose of these lies could only be to remove a dissenter like me who has been obstinate for three thousand years. If everything she said is true..."

The old one suddenly paused, a flicker in his eyes as if recalling some ancient events, and all the memories eventually converged into a sigh: "If it’s all true, then I won’t be able to return all the more."

The young apprentice was somewhat perplexed. He did not understand why his mentor was so emotional—because when the Silver Empress and the mentor met, he was "invited" to wait outside the room. But he knew that some secrets were not for an elf of his level to inquire, especially when his mentor was unwilling to speak openly about them, so he did not press further but couldn’t help clenching his fist: "She can’t do this to you, you represent..."

"She is the Silver Empress; she represents the entire will of the Empire—and I am merely a rusted cog in this vast machine of the Empire, reluctant to leave on my own," the old one interrupted the apprentice’s impulsive words again. "She can treat me this way. From her perspective, it’s beneficial to this land. Though I am unwilling to admit it, I... indeed have become an obstacle to the operation of this country."

The young apprentice opened his mouth, seeming to want to counter his mentor’s words, but unexpectedly recalled something, and the subsequent words became difficult to articulate. Instead, his mentor smiled slightly, saying calmly: "I know how many elves are operating their Mystics Doctrine in the forest under my name, how many Druids with views opposing the royal family are building forces under the guise of ’restoring tradition’ against the new order of the Empire these years. Not all the destruction they caused has escaped my notice—but over the past few thousand years, I have feigned ignorance. Do you know why?"

"...I don’t know," the apprentice Carlo lowered his head, feeling an overwhelming pressure from this topic, yet years of habit compelled him to respond to every question from his mentor, "but I know you have your considerations..."

"My only consideration is—I don’t know what to do either," the old one shook his head with a smile as if a burden of years was suddenly lifted, "After the gods left, almost all priests didn’t know what to do. We fell into division; some members chose to end themselves, following the gods, some chose to follow the Morning Star Family, becoming future orthodox priests, and the remaining ones were us... the most incompetent and cowardly group, without a solution, without decisiveness, neither daring to take a step forward to follow the gods nor daring to find another way to pledge loyalty to secular royal power. What considerations do I have? I am merely treading water.

"And the funniest thing is, I, such a treader of water, was viewed by some elves as a defender of ’tradition’ and ’truth’. They gathered, recklessly and naively, while I... tacitly allowed it, even silently supported it, only because of a futile and intangible desire. I couldn’t find a path myself, nor dared to seek one, so I hoped those daring elves could truly find a road to rebuild past glory... In the end, it’s just escapism."

Apprentice Carlo’s eyes widened; it was the first time he heard his mentor evaluate himself this way. If these words came from others, he probably would be furious, but at this moment, he could only hold his tongue in astonishment. After a long silence, he finally squeezed some words from his throat: "You... shouldn’t evaluate yourself this way, you are the most prestigious elf in the Serandu Province..."

"The most prestigious elf, not even having the right to evaluate themselves?"

"Mentor, I didn’t mean that..."

Facing his apprentice’s sudden panic, the old one shook his head: "Don’t be so nervous, Carlo, you have countless virtues, yet the weaknesses of being easily nervous and indecisive obscure most of your merits. I just want to share some things I’ve kept in my heart for years before I leave—after all, there are not many elves on this mountain who sincerely wish to listen to me ramble about these matters."

Carlo hurriedly nodded, then hesitantly shook his head. Seeing the young elf’s conflicted and troubled look, the old one couldn’t help but laugh. After a moment, he collected himself, his expression slightly serious as he said: "Carlo, I have some things to entrust to you. Listen carefully."

The young apprentice hastily straightened his posture: "Yes... yes, Mentor!"

"After I leave, you should not stay here any longer, nor should you associate with those gathered ’followers’ up in the mountains. Return to your homeland, with the knowledge you have acquired, you will become an extremely excellent pharmacist and erudite scholar. Consider these hundred years as an ordinary academic journey. Now the coursework has ended, and you should return home to live your life.

"If you are unwilling to do so, then pack your bags, cross the Homeward Bridge, and travel the continent, like other elves of your age, to see what the outside world is like. Your knowledge and innate racial talents will make you welcome in most places on the Loren Continent. In those places ruled by humans, dwarves, and fairies, you can learn far richer and broader knowledge than staying by my side. If you get the chance, you can even visit the Moss Woods in the north, where our distant relatives, the way of life of the gray elves, will benefit you greatly.

"Whatever path you choose, remember: Do not associate with those gathered followers in the mountains. They may invite you, they may support you, they may even trick you into thinking you are a new sage and leader, but do not be blinded by these—leave immediately, the farther away, the better."

Apprentice Carlo’s eyes widened slightly, looking at his mentor with disbelief: "You mean for me to completely sever ties with those followers of yours... but isn’t that too ruthless? They have followed you for so many years, and we owe everything we need to live here to them..."

"Carlo, have you forgotten what I just said? Don’t trust too much in the loyalty and piety these followers show... Once I leave, all their loyalty and piety will shatter like a reflection in water, and the royal family’s reckoning will come immediately. When that rabble realizes that the Silver Empress is serious this time, they will sell everything they can. You will be the first ’bargaining chip’ worth selling."

Apprentice Carlo opened his mouth but eventually lowered his head—he knew that his mentor’s judgment in this regard was spot on. As the last apprentice chosen by his mentor, he wasn’t so blind as to overlook this.

Beside him, the mentor finally showed a satisfied smile, and then this venerable elder once again cast his gaze towards the distant mountains, watching the golden sunset spread over the peaks and gradually coat the Homeward Bridge in rainbow-like hues.

In a trance, he seemed to see a figure from three thousand years ago, the Supreme Priestess dressed in splendid robes, standing far away like a divine messenger, the monarch from generations past, the Empress he once served.

Long, long ago, that Silver Empress had extended him an invitation, offering him to become a sharp blade of secular imperial power, to stabilize the Empire’s situation, and rebuild the people’s faith. But back then he hesitated—he dared not perform those "rebellions against the gods." He watched as the once Supreme Priestess fought alone, as she was denounced as "fallen" and a "deceiver" by countless priests and believers, and watched as she died prematurely.

Today, another Silver Empress extended another invitation to him, inviting him to attend a "divine appointment"—the young Empress didn’t explicitly state anything, yet the old priest, who had dealt with his faith all his life, knew that this invitation offered no return.

He could finally make up for the regrets of the past.

"Her Majesty Ista... this time I will gladly attend."

The old priest withdrew his gaze and turned to walk towards the small cabin behind him, telling his apprentice, "Carlo, go back to help me pack my luggage—the sun is about to set."

...

"The sun is about to set... We’ve spent so long here."

On a wide avenue at the edge of the dense forest, High Handmaiden Elaine looked up at the gradually darkening sky and murmured softly.

The mountain where the "wise one" is rumored to reside was gradually being swallowed by the spreading twilight, while at the mountain’s foot, the broad road leading from the river valley was lit by sequentially bright lights—sources of light emanated from ancient steles neatly arranged alongside the road. The steles resembled ancient ruins, covered with moss and vines, their tops floating with glowing spheres comparable in brightness to high-quality magic crystals. These uniquely elven "street lamps" were uniformly commanded by control nodes buried underground. The nodes collected sensor signals from treetops, judged the lighting, and then transmitted activation commands to the light-emitting elements on the steles.

This simple and stable system has run throughout the Empire’s infrastructure for thousands of years, enduring countless renewals and maintenance, still sensitive and reliable to this day.

"Tonight, most of the Serandu Province should be quite cool," remarked Silver Empress Belsetia casually. "Nice weather."

Elaine turned back to Belsetia: "Your Majesty, do you truly believe Wise Azmole will cooperate and travel with us to the north as promised? I’m always a bit worried, since he’s consistently declined royal summons and the various honorary titles personally bestowed by you..."

"He will," Belsetia nodded lightly, "Since he’s agreed, this matter will not encounter other twists—I know him well, just as he knows me."

"...Wise Azmole was once Her Majesty Ista’s most trusted powerful priest. During Ista’s reign, he was regarded as the second eye of the God of Nature," Elaine paused in silence, speaking with some sentiment, "Even after so many years, even though he’s chosen to live in seclusion, large groups of elves still gather around him in Serandu Province..."

"Those gathered around him aren’t necessarily true followers of the God of Nature, and those truly following the God of Nature... have mostly ’gone with the gods’ over the past three thousand years," Belsetia said calmly, then shook her head. "Nowadays, ’ancient sages’ like Azmole, still living, are few. To members of the Mystics Doctrine seeking ways to create new orders outside the imperial order, every one of them is like a living ’harbor’ and ’great tree,’ some even erroneously walked a path that allowed the royal family to find cause for reckoning—but there are still those like Azmole who remain low-key and neutral... neither my grandmother nor my father had any means against them."

"...Sending these sages to the north to ’attend’ an invitation is, in essence, no different from forced reckoning. No matter how sound your reasons may be, many aspects behind this cannot be publicly explained," Elaine voiced some concern, as one closest to the Silver Empress and as a functionary within the Empire’s theocracy Authority Council who recently became aware of many truths concerning the gods, "As long as the core truths aren’t publicized, your political adversaries will certainly strive to work on this—and the elves following these sages will inevitably become restless."

"A turmoil like this is bound to occur; we’ve known that since my father’s reign," Belsetia said quietly, "My father left this issue to me, and I cannot defer it to the next generation—those ancient sages are very old, yet they were once blessed by the gods, and the blessing has not faded to this day. Who knows how many more years they can live.

"I cannot allow those mystic factions to continue drawing cohesion from the sages, nor let them infinitely perpetuate this cycle of ’breeding-destruction-hunting-reckoning-rebreeding.’

"This divine ’invitation’ at least presents me with an opportunity and... reason to make a determination."

Handmaiden Elaine lowered her head and fell silent.

Belsetia smiled faintly, moved her gaze away from Elaine, glanced at the distant sky, shook her head, and said, "We should go, Elaine—the sun truly is about to set."

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