Chapter 91 — Helllpoemer
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Bokononister
There were three Legendary bards among myths and legends. All of them were monstrous existences which were proficient all-roundedly in combat. They could cast Legendary spells like wizards, use Legendary combat skills like warriors, and could even enter the Plane of Shadows like rogues. The trio lived in different time periods, yet the extents of their powers and capabilities are equivalent. Bards were commonly known for being jacks-of-all-trades, meaning they could do pretty much everything, but never quite competently enough. Even so, there were three bards in history who managed to become masters of all trades, and in doing so, became the frightening existences and left their name in history.
The Hellpoemer was one of the three. Legend has it that he was once a devoted disciple and divine bard of a certain deity, but was tempted by the Lord of the Hells, to whom he succumbed and turned evil.
There was not much information about the Hellpoemer, but his combat records were quite splendid—he had slain sixteen Legendary professionals. He was also the author of one of the three forbidden songs, Revelation: Prologue of Hell. It was said that the song had six sections, and each section had power comparable to Level 8 spells. A Legendary spell which had destructive power beyond all imagination known as Descent of Hell could be cast by completing the entire song. The Hellpoemer was an active NPC during the Time of Troubles. Using his songs, he killed three weak deities and ascended to become the evil god of music. He was also a master of the blasphemous language, and many of the evil alignment would pledge their loyalty to him in exchange for knowledge and power.
If what Soran read was true, then the Hellpoemer should have performed the first section of Revelation: Prologue of Hell, which imbued despair into the audiences' souls. If their willpower was insufficient to withstand it, they would commit suicide out of hopelessness. Soran had sparse memories of the City of Psalms, but all he knew was that it was somewhat faraway. He had never been to such a distant city anyways.
There were many mysterious powers in the world, and some were controlled by beings unfathomable to mortals. Soran did not really want to dabble in such troublesome affairs too much.
Gloria stayed silent briefly, then looked Soran in the eye and asked, "Are you leaving today?"
Soran nodded and replied, "Yes."
Gloria displayed a complicated expression upon hearing his reply, her gaze showing a hint of disgust.
"Very well. I shall travel together with you two."
"What?!" Soran shouted reflexively . "Why?"
Gloria glanced at him with a somewhat displeased look and said, "I'm worried about Vivian's safety. With your current strength, you can't protect her in some situations. I don't wish to see her in danger due to your stubbornness. Sometimes I really wish I could scold you, but Vivian gets really angry whenever I speak poorly of you."
Soran was left speechless, but he could feel that Gloria really cared for Vivian. There were some things which he could not say to her for now because it was not the right time yet, but Soran had more of a favourable impression of Gloria now as compared to his suspicious attitude before.
"I'll travel to Elfenland with you two, then teleport back to the North myself."
For a moment, Soran really wanted to tell her that the North was actually the centre of all the chaos to come, but he could not bring himself to do it for various reasons.
Perhaps it was better to wait till the deities stopped contacting their priests and believers before disclosing things to Gloria. They had to travel for around a month together, so it should be long enough a period of time before she was informed that all gods had stopped responding to their believers. The deities' silence was one of the events triggering the Time of Troubles, and the powerful organisation of the world should realise that something was amok among the gods. It would be a good time to tell Gloria what he knew. At least part of it.
Priests of some evil deities tried to gain the attention of their gods by conducting evil rituals, but those efforts were futile. Their counterparts of the good alignment also held major worshipping events and rituals, one of the most notable ones being the ritual to request the descent of the Oak Father held by the elves. Soran remembered that specific ritual because it was supposed to summon the legendary Dryad Queen, which will then mate with a chosen human. Obviously, the gods remained silent and the ritual ended up as a failure.
"Please wait here," Gloria said while walking towards the room in the back. "There are things I have to prepare. I'm sure Vivian has to pack things up also. Let's leave at noon."
Soran did not object her suggestion.
Half an hour passed, and a cute little girl appeared in front of Soran. Vivian wore her original clothes and the pair of deerskin boots Soran bought for her. She had apparently kept it clean all this time as it almost looked like it was sparkling. She tottered over and sat on Soran's lap, then swung her legs while happily saying, "Look, big brother! I have grown bigger! These boots fit me now!"
Soran did not reply, but instead kissed her on the forehead.
Vivian wore what seemed to be trinkets, but Soran could roughly tell that they were Rare-grade items. Soran had no doubts about how affluent a high-ranked Northern witch could be, and he was now sure that Gloria had a considerable standing even among the Northern witches. The Witch Council ruled most of the Northern cities, and each high-ranked council member would have their own territory, serving as the source of their riches.
When Gloria appeared once again, Soran was somewhat startled. It was not as though she wore something eye-catching or extravagant, just a simple-looking grey robe which almost covered her entirely. If one had not observed closely, it would be hard to determine whether Gloria had been a male or female. For some reason, however, Soran felt that this attire was rather familiar, as though he had seen such a person before. Of course, it was not from his memories when travelling together with her from Amber City to Whiterun, but from way back, buried deep inside his memories. Soran tried his best to remember what had happened, but to no avail, thus he could only put it aside. It was difficult to remember every encounter after all.
Gloria had prepared a horse-drawn carriage, and together they left at noon. Now that the road to Autumnfall had been reopened, many merchant squads which were stuck in the city started leaving. There were still monsters here and there, but the merchants' guards should be able to handle that much. From what Soran could remember, the ancient red dragon in the region should still be setting up its lair. For the following month or two, things would be relatively peaceful , that is, excluding the skinning incidents.
Whiterun's state of affairs became similar to that of Amber City when the skinning incidents first began. The Whiterun guard corps, who had just engaged in large-scale combat with the ogres not long before, were flustered and exasperated. The feeling of wanting to hang every last of the fallen ones was clearly shown on their menacing yet tired faces.
With Gloria's power and status, they easily bypassed the checkpoint and left the city. Soran was the driver while the two ladies sat within the carriage. It must have been tailor-made and cost a fair amount, given how stable and quiet it was when travelling.
Gloria lit an incense, which filled the carriage with a sweet fragrance, then laid down lazily. Vivian sat besides Gloria with a book in hand. The little girl would ask questions whenever there were things she could not understand. After a while, she would peek at Soran, who was driving, or even go out and sit next to him. The scenery seemed to drift backwards as they travelled, and Vivian enjoyed looking at it.
Perhaps because the siblings were now travelling together with Gloria, a powerful witch, it felt more like a vacation. Gloria always seemed to be producing things out of thin air, including the snacks which Vivian would sometimes feed Soran, and some other miscellaneous items. She kept yawning while answering Vivian's questions.
It was a peaceful journey, at least for now.
Chapter 92 — Descendant of God
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Bokononister
The silvery moon illuminated the plains with her dim, cold moonlight. Soran halted the carriage and got off.. Planning to stop for the night, he laid his back against the carriage as he sat on the ground and closed his eyes to rest briefly, yet taking great care not to fall asleep. Even though the region had been cleared recently by the Whiterun army, Soran still remained vigilant. He constantly reminded himself that the reason why he could reach the Realm of Legends before was because of his careful and vigilant attitude, and he was not to let his guard down any time.
Gloria exited the carriage and walked around. With a flick of her fingers, a magical glow enshrouded the carriage. She went to Soran and said, "Rest at ease, I've set a magical alarm around us."
That's why spellcasters are so useful.
Soran glanced at her, then gazed into the distance before replying, "Thank you."
"Call me Gloria. I might have been overboard with my tone when we first met. After all, you may have your own personal concerns. Still, it somewhat bothers me that you won't tell me more about it."
It was at that moment Soran knew the Northern witch in front of him was different from others. He had came across many spellcasters, and most of them, especially the more powerful ones, tended to have strange tempers and were pretty arrogant. Gloria's mother was a good example of how spellcasters usually behaved. They respected the strong but considered the weak as nothing more than a speck of dust.
Gloria hesitated for a moment, then sat down besides Soran.
"You're a bit different from other people I have met. As a rogue, you are very knowledgeable, to the extent that some wizards might know less than you do. However, you can be pretty stubborn at times, you know? It reminds me of those obstinate monks."
Is she trying to reduce the tension between us and improve our relationship?
Soran turned to look at the lady besides her, barely catching a glimpse of her eyes. Their eyes met for a brief moment before he averted his attention back onto the Gold Derahls he was fiddling with.
"You're different from other witches as well. From what I have seen , they are all haughty women. You know? The tavern once had a rating for the most difficult women to handle. The first were the drows, the second were the Amazon warriors, and the third were the Northern witches."
Gloria had a confused look. "Really? So people really think of the Northern witches that way?"
Apparently Gloria seldom went to taverns. It was certainly the best place to gather information, but people with complicated backgrounds gathered there as well. With such a high social standing, it would be more of a surprise if she frequented such low-class places. Just like how nobles would not mingle with commoners, there were also different social standings among professionals.
"Yeah," Soran looked up to the starry sky. "But you're not the same. It's easier to get along with you. Of course, you're also prettier."
Such corny flattery was enough to make Gloria grin ever so slightly. She shook her head to get that off her mind. Suddenly, she stood up with a shocked expression and looked back at the direction of Whiterun.
The sky had turned fiery red, a familiar scene they had witnessed together before.
"Meteor Swarm?!"
Soran looked up at the sky in disbelief. For some reason, his face was completely rigid. Back when they just left Amber City, it was reduced to ruins by a Meteor Swarm cast by an unknown party. Now, the city of Whiterun, from which they had just left, was about to get hit by the exact same spell. Soran told himself that it was just mere coincidence, but deep down he held doubts about the situation. He simply had no idea what was going on.
"The spell was interrupted!"
The fiery clouds dissipated gradually. Gloria said in a serious tone, "Someone interrupted the spellcasting process."
Whiterun was different from Amber City. The latter was a relatively new city, thus its foundations were not as concrete as the former, which had been established for ages. Whiterun's first generation of residents were dragonslayers after all. Such large scale magic would surely alert the city's defenders, and they would definitely send high-grade spellcasters over to interrupt the spellcasting process. The higher the spell's tier, the longer the spellcasting time was, especially so for spells with large areas of effect like Meteor Swarm.
"Do you still plan not to tell me about it?" Gloria glared right into Soran's eyes. "Is Vivian a Descendant of God?!"
Gloria had already suspected that Vivian was a Descendant of God long ago. The little girl was simply too talented, so talented that it was almost supernatural. Those with 18 Intelligence at a young age were considered prodigies, and even the cream of the crop among the prodigies would only graze the 20 Intelligence mark, but Vivian's was even higher.
Soran inherited elven blood, meaning his Dexterity was higher compared to normal humans. Furthermore, his father was a Legendary godly thief, and Soran must have inherited at least a bit of his father's talent. Even so, his Dexterity was only 18. But Vivian? Her Charisma was already 21 when she first showed her talents, beyond the extraordinary threshold of 20.
It was not as though Soran had never suspected that Vivian was a Descendant of God. The thing was, they had different fathers, and Soran knew little about Vivian's father. However, Soran's estimation of the chance that Vivian had inherited the blood of a deity had risen from 25% to 50% now.
Was Vivian's father really a god?
Why would a god choose to give birth to a child with a typical human woman? Looking at Soran's attributes and bloodline buffs, there was no doubt that her mother was a completely ordinary woman; he simply had none of those.
Soran took a deep breath and reflexively placed his hand on his curved sword. He shook his head and answered, "I have no idea. Vivian and I are half-siblings, and our fathers were different persons. If she were a Descendant of God though, I should have noticed it long ago. I have seen her father, and he was just a strong adventurer, nothing more. I haven't noticed any divine powers from Vivian also, so I don't think she's one."
Gloria's brows are still knitted, but her tone softened a lot.
"Then why did you choose to leave now? Don't tell me this is all coincidence?"
She glanced at Soran's hand, which was placed on the hilt of his sword, and said softly, "Do you still not trust me even now? Regardless of whether Vivian is a Descendant of God or not, I still like her a lot. If anything, I will definitely stand by her side when trouble arises. Do you still plan not to tell me anything?"
"Can you keep it a secret if I told you?" Soran hesitated.
Contrasting Soran's reluctance, Gloria swiftly replied, "I can promise you that."
"Alright," Soran drew in a deep breath, then continued, "I found a lich's secret dungeon back in Amber City. Inside, I met an Abyss snake demon. It told me about a terrifying prophecy. The deities will soon lose their divine powers and fall into the Mortal Realm. Massacre and slaughter shall spread through the realms starting from the Abyss and Hell, and fear will propagate from the followers of the evil gods. The entire world will plunge into chaos, and the Frost Kingdom will be the only safe place—for a while, that is."
What Soran said was mostly the truth; he only fabricated the source of information. However, Gloria did not realise even though she had cast Detect Lies beforehand, that said, she she did know full well that the effects of the spell were not absolute. A part of what Soran said was deemed vague by the spell, but it also notified her that most of his answer was the truth in the sense that Soran had not lied about anything. There were higher tier spells which could determine whether or not what someone said was the absolute truth, but that required the power of the gods. Now that the deities had gone silent, she could only use Detect Lies.
How is that possible? The deities losing their divine powers and falling to the Mortal Realm? What will become of this world? Will it house a chaotic battle between those two parties?
Gloria's mind was in a mess, and she could not spare energy to think which part Soran was being vague about. She knew that believers were losing contact with the deities they follow, and that alone had already caused plenty of panic. Given the circumstances, it was highly plausible that Soran was indeed telling the truth.
What sort of mess will the world become if the gods and the creatures from Abyss and Hell all came to the mortal realm? Liches are basically Legendary monsters. If the prophecy came from a Lich, it must have been a Legendary-grade Divination spell. The prophecy's accuracy is above 50% in that case.
"Is that why you insisted on travelling to Elfenland? So that you could then go to the Frost Kingdom? Then tell me, why did the skinning incidents start just as you planned to leave? Even more, Whiterun was attacked once we left. There must be some sort of connection, not just mere coincidence. It must either be about me, you, or Vivian."
The two stayed silent and could not help but turn to look at Vivian, who was fast asleep. Both Gloria and Soran were simultaneously convinced that they themselves were not the main cause, , which lead them to the only possible conclusion that it was Vivian .
Then… Is Vivian really a Descendant of God? Why doesn't she have a even thread of divine power? If she does, how did I not notice all these years?
Back in Whiterun, several places were ablaze. A grey-robed wizard hovered in the air, looking down at the battles unfolding within the city. At that moment, what sounded like a dragon roar came from the city centre. A dazzling column of light blasted straight into the sky, and an awe-inspiring figure emerged from within. The Legendary warrior donned in crimson armour slowly walked forward, in his hands, an exotic longsword covered in blazing flames.
"The dragonslayer sword?!" A woman appeared in a dark corner in the city and murmured, "So that fella still decided to pull out this cursed weapon in the end?
"Whatever, it's not my business. The druids observing me seem to be quite busy recently anyways. This is now my chance to run, hoho! Looks like I gotta thank those evil followers! I'm finally free, hoho!"
A magical glow surrounded the bewitching woman, and she disappeared into thin air.
Chapter 93 — Nightmare
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Bokononister
In the dim sewers, a group of evil followers gathered together. The sewer had been expanded considerably; a hundred-square-metre large altar had been built. The altar was surrounded by lit torches, and underneath it was an enormous magic formation. There were spooky shadows lurking nearby, and they looked more like half-ethereal beings rather than actual physical bodies. A bishop wearing a dark red robe kneeled below the altar. Next to him were warriors clad in pitch-black armour whose cold eyes glared at their surroundings.
"Great bishop," the red-robed man said in a respectful tone, "We still haven't detected the presence of the first Descendant of God. The dragonslayer's descendant has pulled out the cursed sword already. We have suffered significant casualties, and the members of the Druid Order have also started to take action. They treat us as enemies because they believe we have broken balance of the city. Whiterun is much, much stronger than Amber City. What should we do next?"
The eerie flames of the torches turned into a hazy silhouette, and the bishop's cold voice seemed as though it had pierced right through the red-robed man.
"Who? Who is the one that keeps interrupting this lord's plans? How are you still unable to find the first Descendant of God, you insufferable scum? I have already foretold you all about the location, why did you start the ritual only recently?"
Cold sweat trickled down the red-robed bishop's face as he trembled in fear.
"Whiterun is a powerful city. There are great existences here, including the Northern witches. We waited for the horrifying Stormlord to leave the city before starting the ritual. We lost all out terror knights in Amber City, and we are short on manpower. Great bishop, I have tried my best!"
"Nonsense!" The shadow let out a roar and flicked its fingers. The red-robed man's head exploded like a watermelon almost immediately. The shadow casually pointed at a random person and said, "From today on, you are the new bishop. The lord shall grant you divine power and make you powerful. Now, prepare everyone for mobilisation. We shall spread the holy ritual to the entire Southern region. The power of fear shall awaken all the Descendants of God, and you all must find the first one as soon as possible."
A black-robed follower said carefully in a trembling voice as he stood up, "Great bishop, if we conduct the ritual in an all-out manner, all the descendants will gradually awaken. The lord's power will be scattered among them, and it may make it harder to find the first descendant. Also, the first descendant's power will be greatly reduced if the others awaken too soon. This may be disadvantageous for our master's resurrection plan."
The great bishop replied coldly as he glared at the man who spoke, "That much I know, but you useless lot have already missed the best opportunity. Reality is starting to diverge from the prophecy. Now, we can only awaken all descendants and strengthen the power of fear through slaughter and massacre. The lord's power remains in the world, albeit scattered. As long as all the other descendants are dead, the power will be automatically gathered onto the first descendant. Your mission is to ensure that the first descendant makes it through the entire ritual. By doing so, the lord's will can revive on his child. It can be said that the first descendant is the strongest, but also the weakest."
...
Back in Whiterun, the Legendary stormlord was dashing through the streets. Suddenly, she came to a halt and leapt onto a nearby rooftop. She glared at a warrior who was clad in heavy crimson armour.
"Why did you pull the dragonslayer sword out?"
The warrior stopped and returned her glare. "We have lost connection with the gods. I can tell that the future will be chaotic, and Whiterun needs the sword's power."
The stormlord had a stiff expression as she replied in a stern voice, "Don't you know about the sword's curse?"
"Of course I do," the warrior said as he gripped the sword's hilt even harder. "The sword's wielder shall die at the hands of a gigantic dragon. The sword has slain twelve of such monsters, but all of its five previous wielders perished from dragons. I, however, am the protector of Whiterun! You are just an outsider, and this city needs my protection! This is the responsibility and obligation I have had since birth!"
Flashes of lightning briefly illuminated the sky.
The stormlord seemed enraged. She took a deep breath and turned to leave, but not before she left a final remark.
"How foolish! The curse is much worse than you think! You will regret it one day."
...
In the plains, Soran and Gloria remained silent after realising that the fiery red sky was gradually returning to its previous state; Whiterun had avoided the disastrous spell.
All of a sudden, Vivian, who was sleeping inside the carriage, trembled violently. Her cute face was distorted in fear, and her hands were trying to hold onto whatever was nearby. She murmured as she curled herself up in a corner, "Go away! ...You monsters! ...Go away, all of you! If not my big brother will kill you all! ...Are you still not going away?! ...I'm really screaming for big brother if you don't!"
Soran rushed into the carriage and held Vivian's small hands tightly.
"Vivian! What happened? Are you having a nightmare?!"
Gloria also rushed in, bumping into Soran. She also held Vivian's hands and shook her . "Wake up! Vivian wake up! Is it a nightmare?"
Vivian gradually opened her eyes. She looked around gingerly, and after realising Soran's presence, she dived straight towards him and snuggled in his chest like a kitten. Her hands were also tightly clung onto Soran's clothes. After hearing the voices of Soran and Gloria, the little girl regained her composure a little, and nodded.
"Yes. Vivian saw a lot of monsters! And fire! And blood, a lot of blood…"
Monsters?
Soran and Gloria eyed each other, and went on to comfort Vivian while asking her, "What kind of monsters?"
Vivian recalled her memories, her face still slightly pale. She answered timidly, "They were very, very big monsters. They were burning and looked ugly. There were two horns on their head s and very big wings on the back, and also a cow tail. Their feet looked like horses too. They were talking around me and tried to scare me! I'm… I'm not afraid! I told them if they get closer I'll shout for big brother… Then they went away."
Demons?!
Soran also paled after hearing Vivian's descriptions. He nodded and patted Vivian until she settled down and was calm. Soran covered Vivian with a blanket and said softly, "Big brother will be just outside. I have to talk with big sis Gloria for a bit. I'll be right back, alright?"
"Mhm," Vivian murmured and let go of Soran's shirt which she had been holding onto.
Soran stiffened as he exited the carriage. Gloria cast a magic barrier around them, then anxiously asked, "You don't know anything about this too?"
"I don't," Soran nodded.
Gloria glanced at the carriage, then slowly said, "It is very possible that Vivian is a Descendant of God, a demon god from the Abyss at that."
Soran remained silent, but he had already entered his combat stance. His hand held his sword tightly and his muscles were flexed, his body ready to attack any moment.
"You…! Just… Do you have so little faith in me?" Gloria seemed agitated with Soran's actions. "Did you think I'll harm both of you because Vivian was a Descendant of God? I have done so much, yet you still don't see me as a friend?"
Soran relaxed a bit at her words, but he was still holding onto his sword.
"I'm sorry, I was too nervous. You know about what we have gone through before. It is simply hard for me to trust someone completely."
Gloria also let out a sigh and eased up.
"You two must have had it rough."
Soran ignored Gloria's statement and said, "I don't remember much about Vivian's father. If she really is a Descendant of God, then things will get very serious."
"That is true," Gloria's eyes showed signs of pity as she looked at the carriage. "Abyss demon gods gave birth to descendants for various reasons, but the most probable explanation right now is that one of them foresaw his demise. By leaving behind a descendant in the Mortal Realm, he could revive through the body of his descendant.
"Two demon gods had attempted this in history. One was the God of Slaughter, and the other was the God of Tyranny. The former failed; he was destroyed by his own descendant, and his position as a deity was usurped by other gods. The latter succeeded and rebirthed in his descendant's body. The poor descendant had been robbed of his divine powers and his body was taken over by his 'father' before he could even react."
Gloria sighed, then continued, "If Vivian really is a Descendant of God, then her future will definitely be a really tough one."
Soran's palm had turned white from the excessive force he exerted on his sword's hilt. He looked at Gloria and said unhesitatingly, "I will kill him! I will completely destroy that god! If I can't find him in the Mortal Realm, I will tread through the Abyss to find him! No one shall hurt Vivian, not even a god!"
Gloria's gaze turned into a gentle one. In a soft voice, she said, "This will not just be a battle of strength, but also faith and willpower! You'll need allies."
Gloria extended her white arm, and Soran shook hands with her once more.
This was the second time the two had done so, but the meanings were entirely different.
Chapter 94 — Awakening
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Chrof, Bokononister
Inside a dim room, a young man shrieked out of the blue and woke up covered in cold sweat. The bedsheets were torn apart, and his palms were bleeding, blood flowing down to his fingers.
"Demons!" The man held his head in pain, then knocked on his own forehead. "Why did I dream of such things?"
The sounds of bugs whistling could be heard, but the man did not care, and left his room. His house was a moderately-sized manor, and it seemed that his family had considerable wealth. With just a thin set of pajamas on, the man stood beneath the moon. The breeze blowing by was somewhat chilly, but he did not look to be affected at all. He took a deep breath, calming himself down.
"Eh?"
The man looked at his palm, realising that the wound had already been healed, leaving behind only a light scar. Unable to believe it, he held his palm up high to have a better look. Indeed, it was healing up, and when observed closely, even the scar was gradually diminishing.
"How is this possible?"
The shocked man suddenly realised he could see clearly in the dark night. Even though he had some degree of night vision before, his vision was nowhere as clear as it was now.
Unsure what was going on, he shook his head and murmured in disbelief, "What is going on? What happened to me…?"
In a remote convent, the suppressed cries of a female could be heard. A nun of considerable age barged into the room where the cries originated from and started casting a spell right away. A dim glow radiated from her fingertips as she looked worriedly at the teenage girl lying on the bed. The girl wore simple linen clothes and had a delicate and pretty look. However, she was now writhing in pain.
"Lianna, what's the matter?"
The old nun hugged the girl and shook her, but it had little effect as the girl was still experiencing the nightmare, her face gradually getting paler.
—Protection from Evil!
The old nun swiftly cast another spell, and a cleansing divine light gently embraced the girl. She calmed down from the spell, and slowly opened her eyes. Perhaps still afraid, she let out a cry before diving into the old nun's bosom.
"Abbess Isara, I… I… saw demons again!"
The old nun Isara held her fists tightly and said, "Pray to the Highlady of Silvermoon. She will protect her followers!"
The teenage girl trembled as she knelt on her bed and prayed. As she prayed, the grains of pure and holy divine power within the convent gathered on her body. Her fearful expression slowly disappeared.
It was a convent which was dedicated to the Highlady of Silvermoon. After she partly took on the role of blessing females, many convents which only accepted nuns started worshipping her. Her churches also experienced considerable changes as more female believers joined. The number of priestess grew. At some point, breast milk became the symbol of femininity and maternity. It also played vital roles in many rituals.
These changes were beneficial for the Highlady of Silvermoon also as she might be able to gain more deity roles. If she combined such roles, it was highly probable for her to become a powerful deity once again.
The bright particles of divine light dissipated, and the teenage girl's mind was finally at peace. She look at the old nun and asked, "In the end, I still can't get rid of the demons plaguing my heart. They plant fear in me. Abbess Isara! Is it because my faith towards the Highlady of Silvermoon is not resolute enough?"
The old nun hugged the girl and gently patted her back.
"My dear Liana, you are the Highlady of Silvermoon's most devout believer. Believe me, the goddess shall not let the demons harm you. She will always watch over and love you, just like a mother caring for her daughter!"
Similar scenes occurred in underground chambers, remote villages, ancient castles, and many other locations. Many experienced nightmares and woke up, only to find that the world was no longer the same as it was, at least for them.
In a spooky canyon, an eerie man stood underneath the moonlight. He gazed into the distance and grinned.
"Oh, my dear brothers and sisters! You all have finally awakened! I have waited for this moment a long time."
He leapt off the cliff which was dozens of metres high. As his silhouette turned hazy, he dashed away rapidly.
There was a place further north than the Northern regions where the terrain was made up of glaciers and icy mountains. The sea could be seen, but it had frozen due to the cold weather. In such a chilly environment stood a tower which pierced through the skies, its height completely beyond human imagination. If Soran was here, even he would doubt if his original world, where technology was extremely advanced, could construct such a structure. The strange tower had withstood the harsh environment for millennia, but there were not even the slightest signs of weathering.
"Teacher," a teen with a chiseled face said as he stepped onto the top of the tower. It was an ancient astrology divination platform. The teen stood behind his teacher and continued, "The Dread Lord have started spreading chaos and fear. They also awakened the Descendants of God earlier than expected. Perhaps we might need to do something this time?"
An old man, whose white hair and long beard almost reached the ground, turned around. He wore a grey robe, and slowly said to his apprentice, "Miyatole, you have to remember that we are mere observers at all times. Our mission is to observe the changes of the world, not interfere with it."
The apprentice hesitated for a moment before arguing back, "But teacher, if we don't interfere, the Dread Lord will revive through his descendant's body, and the world will once again be shrouded in fear. He is a powerful demon god, and there may not be a better chance to make him fall if we miss this opportunity."
The old man sighed and slowly said, "Miyatole, you have to remember we are neutral. We don't side with justice, nor do we side with evil. It is only this way that the gods allowed us to exist. Besides, it is not so easy for a god to resurrect."
The apprentice seemed to refuse his teacher's final remark.
"If so, why did the God of Tyranny manage to resurrect?"
The elder saw no way out of the situation without explaining everything to his apprentice.
"To resurrect, there are many requirements a god has to meet. The bodies of mortals can not hold the gods' divine powers, even if they were the gods' children. As such, a god will have to distribute his divine powers among his children before attempting to resurrect, making the children Descendants of God. The more powerful the god is, the more children are required to bear his divine powers. After the god dies, the divine power left behind would begin to converge, often causing the Descendants of God to fight among themselves in pursuit of power. In the end, the number of children left behind will just be a few, but they are also a lot more powerful than they used to be.
"Having powerful children and converging divine power is only a part of the resurrection process. What mattered more was the power of belief. All divine powers existed because there were believers who devoted themselves to their gods. The act of worshipping gods give the deities their power, and this is the most crucial part of a god's resurrection. Descendants of God hold divine power, but they are not the believers' target of worship. Thus their powers would not grow as they are not worshipped, while the god's soul would be able to relocate to a body which held his original divine powers, basically one of his children. The god would then be able to mend his own soul using the divine power brought by his believers, then usurp his child's divine powers as his soul's authority over divine power is higher. This completes the process of resurrection.
"The reason why the God of Slaughter failed in his resurrection was because his bishops had betrayed him. The believers no longer prayed and worshipped him. The God of Tyranny managed to resurrect because his believers still kept their faith when he had gone missing during the process of resurrection."
The teen seemed to have understood the situation. He lifted his head and asked, "Teacher, does this mean that it is impossible for the Dread Lord to resurrect successfully this time?"
The old man knocked his apprentice's head with his staff.
"Remember we are mere neutral observers. No one can predict the future, but the gods will not allow the Dread Lord's followers to spread chaos and fear. It should not be long before the Dread Lord's believers suffer great blows. If the number of believers decreases, the chances of the Dread Lord's resurrection will also lower proportionally. If there are insufficient believers who worship him, even if one of his children meet the resurrection requirements, it is still impossible for him to resurrect."
The apprentice actually did not fully understand what his teacher had said, but he could tell that it is unlikely that the Dread Lord will resurrect. With a smile, he joyously told his teacher, "Teacher, I'll go make some tea for you. I'll use your favourite southern tea leaves."
The old man sighed once again. He gazed afar, as if his vision could peirce through space itself. He saw a dazzling screen of light lowering from the sky, and it was indeed a spectacular and splendid sight.
Chapter 95 — The Gourmet
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Chrof
The first glimmers of dawn showered the plains. Soran drove the carriage as the trio continued their journey. The road had gotten a lot rougher, and that hindered their travel speed.
Vivian sat upright with crossed legs in front of the long desk inside the carriage. Gloria was combing the little girl's hair in front of a mirror. As Vivian's brother, Soran was not well-qualified when it came to tending to her daily needs. Vivian had to take care of herself most of the time, and Soran did not have the time nor energy to care even if he wanted to. Gloria's presence filled the void that Soran had been unable to fill—the role of a mother. Gloria always had a gentle smile, and she was now carefully tying a ponytail for Vivian.
"It's done," Gloria said as she tied the ponytail with a pink ribbon. "Our Vivian looks just like a little princess."
The corners of Vivian's lips rose as she smiled gleefully. She looked at the mirror and caressed the pink ribbon.
"Thank you big sis Gloria, it's very beautiful!"
Vivian looked into the mirror again before muttering, "Mhm, I don't want to be a princess. A dragon will take me away!"
Pfff!
Gloria could not help but inwardly laugh.
Meanwhile, Soran was still in the driver's seat while chewing on a meat jerky. He had been listening to the conversation going on behind him, and it made him relieved and glad. He turned to look into the carriage, then continued to focus on his duty as a driver. Perhaps because of what had happened the day before, their relationship was much closer now. Gloria was vastly different from other Northern witches he had encountered, and Soran discovered more and more of her good qualities as they interacted. Gloria was an elegant beauty, and her gentle smile and gaze could brighten up one's mood. She really was a nice lady.
Perhaps her haughty attitude in the beginning had been a disguise. Even Soran himself had acted coldly most of the time to avoid others from reading his emotions. Similarly, Vivian seemed like a clever good girl to most people, but she was in fact somewhat mischievous at times. Even Annalynne, the priestess from Amber City, had not noticed her true nature. It was only in front of Soran and Gloria had Vivian acted in such a manner. Soran actually thought of it as a good thing. He had always been worried that the good girl Vivian would lack the wits to handle sudden situations, but her mischievous nature proved his thoughts wrong. If Vivian really was a Descendant of God, then having a pure mind would be fatal. It would be good for her soul to remain pure, but her mind must be aware of the deceptions and evil of this cruel world.
There was a herd of wild goats roaming through the plains. Many beasts and animals lived in the wilderness, and a lot of them lived in groups in order to defend themselves. Normally, there would be a few exceptional beings in each horde. For example, the goat herd leader was stronger than the others and had a Monster Level of 3 to 5. At times, goats might even clash head on with wolves. In fact, it was similar to the social construct of humans in the sense that the strong defended the weak, albeit a lot more simplified.
The herd leader noticed the carriage and growled. It used its thick horns to urge the other goats towards the centre of the plains. While the herd leader could enjoy the best grass, it also had the responsibility of protecting the herd in times of danger. When defending was not possible, it also had to evacuate the herd using the most effective route.
The goats were also protected by the druids. If it was just hunting on a small scale, the druids would not intervene. But if it was a large-scale operation to capture and slaughter the wild goats, the druids would stand out and defend them. Of course, the druids would also kill off the goats when their herd grew too large. After all, the druids operated on the principles of equilibrium and balance. To Soran, both paladins and druids were annoying existences.
Vivian was reading within the carriage. The rate she absorbed knowledge astonished Soran and Gloria; she had already finished one-third of the books Gloria had brought along. Those books were not story books, but brick-like books packed with knowledge passed down by their authors. Even though Vivian was just merely memorising the contents for now, at this rate, she would surely become a knowledgeable spellcaster in the future. Knowledge was more important than spell slots in a sense because spellcasters had to understand the principles of spells before they could cast or counter them.
The wilderness was a lot more peaceful as compared to before. Many monsters had migrated away from the region, and they would not dare intrude for a considerably long time. However, there were still kobolds and goblins scattered here and there. They were basically weed-like monsters, and the Whiterun guards could not be bothered with annihilating them. No matter how hard they tried, these monsters would still appear again in a year.
At noon, Soran encountered a traveller. He was of a relatively rare and highly praised species in the South: a halfling. He was only around a metre in height, and his clothes were the size of children. Two shortswords hung on the halfling's waist, but they were more like daggers in human standards. He had somewhat thick body hair on the back of his legs and hands. With a thick rope in hand, the forty-pound halfling was controlling two goblins, kicking them at times to urge them forward.
After noticing the approaching carriage, he hopped up excitedly and waved while shouting, "Hey! Hey! Can I get a ride?"
Gloria poked her head out to see what was going on and quickly sat back down. Afterwards, it was Vivian's turn. The little girl chuckled as she whispered into Soran's ears, "Big brother! Look! It really is a halfling! He's really only a bit taller than Vivian!"
A short, inconspicuous halfling. If he had hid himself in tall grass, it would have been really hard to notice him.
"You guys got lucky," the halfling said while untying the restraints on the goblins. He kicked the two monsters, and they instantly fled. The halfling then stowed the ropes away and murmured, "How dare you steal my food. I won't let you monsters off the hook next time."
Soran slowed down the carriage, and the halfling hopped on with ease. He patted the horses and sat down besides Soran.
"Hohoh, thanks. I've been walking alone in the wilderness for days now, and I can finally rest."
Halflings were better at sneaking than Soran given their innate talents. If they were bare-footed, their footstep sounds were basically non-existent as they had an innate +20 buff to Sneak.
"Greetings, distinguished Northern witch.
"Greetings, pretty little girl."
The halfling nodded as he greeted the two in the carriage one by one. He then looked at Soran who was besides him and introduced himself, "Greetings, traveller. I am Aladdin, Aladdin 'Tobacco' Derodotus. I'm a rogue and also a gourmet travelling around the world. Glad to meet you all."
Soran did not reply, but his mouth twitched upon hearing the halfling's name.
Contrary to Soran's seemingly uninterested attitude, Vivian was very curious and approached Aladdin. Without asking, she extended her hands and squeezed Aladdin's cheeks. It may seem rude, but Aladdin simply laughed and allowed Vivian to do as she liked.
"Little girl, is this the first time you met a halfling? Hohoh, that's the way we are, just around your height."
Halflings had mild tempers, and their species was a gentle one. They respected the deities, even weak ones who only had governance over small lakes and short streams. As such, they were a species favoured by the gods. They were also people who appreciated good food, and many curious halflings had the ambition of trying out all the tasty dishes in the world before setting out for a global journey. It was easy for them to gain affection from others, and even if they encountered bad people, they could easily escape with their skills as first-rate rogues.
Moreover, halflings were blessed by Lady Luck, the goddess of good fortune. They had an innate luck buff, and if they received another blessing from a deity, they would get the ability Heroic Luck, which granted a +1 rating to everything. As such, they were best partners and buddies of the legend's protagonists. They would lend their aid to people whom they had acknowledged.
Due to their short stature, they had little Strength. Most of the time, they relied on their Dexterity in combat. Over half of all halflings had below 10 Strength; the average halfling only had 8 Strength. Having 12 Strength was already considerably high for their species.
There were not too many halflings in the world, and most of them lived in the Murdoc and Hael regions. Their population numbered around three hundred thousand, and they had not expanded their territory for millennia. Under the protection of Yondalla, an ancient and powerful deity also known as The Halfling Protector, the species had survived for countless years. They were curious beings, but they had no desire for war. If left undisturbed by other species, the halflings were beings who pursued their own interests, such as good cuisine, planting tobacco, and having parties.
Another thing they were good at was boasting. They liked to sit down, take a deep breath of their tobacco, then start boasting about all sorts of things. That was why Soran knew what Aladdin was up to when he took out his smoking pipe next to Vivian. It was a scene he had seen many, many times before.
Chapter 96 — Halflings
Translator: SaltyTank
Editor: Chrof
"That's right!" Aladdin took another deep breath from his smoking pipe. After puffing out a ring of smoke, the halfling continued with exaggerated expressions, "There were twenty scary ogres surrounding me at that time. Their arms were as thick as my waist, and they held large spiked maces. A wind blew every time they swung their maces, and one hit could instantly shatter my head!"
Aladdin swung his smoking pipe as if to show how the ogres had swung their maces. Indeed, it was some splendid acting; he somehow managed to have beads of cold sweat on his forehead as he narrated the situation, "It was extremely dangerous. I dodged and dodged, a few attacks barely grazing my clothes. Thanks to Lady Luck, none of those big, slow fellas managed to hit me. Instead, I cut their thighs with my shortsword… Then I saw a large wooden barrel in front, so I ran and ran..."
"It was a long, tough battle!... Finally those clumsy monsters used up all their stamina and I defeated them one after another. Mhm, then I casually left the ogre lair."
Soran had to admit that Aladdin's storytelling techniques were pretty good. Even though he was sure the halfling had been bluffing the entire time, both him and Gloria felt interested in the story.
With those two shortswords hanging on his waist, it would take considerable strength and skill to even slice through the ogres' layer of fat, let alone injure them. Given how Aladdin had been bluffing the entire time, the number of ogres he had faced was actually just four or five. Halflings often like to exaggerate things after all. Vivian was listening attentively; she had always liked listening to stories, and the fact that she and Aladdin had similar height made it easier for her to place herself into his shoes. Halfling stories were popular among human children because it allowed the children to fantasize themselves as the protagonists.
Time passed by. Perhaps due to the cheerful halfling, the journey was a lot merrier than before. He would tell Vivian stories of his adventures from time to time. Although it was obvious he had exaggerated things, Soran could still tell that Aladdin had actually travelled to plenty of places before and encountered many troublesome foes. He could not determine the halfling's true strength, but he thought Aladdin was a Grade 3 rogue at the very least. He also seemed proficient in alchemy and handling machinery. It was because he had given Vivian a few delicate trinkets which were mechanical items made with alchemy.
Vivian had received a handful of gifts throughout their trip. The merchant guards had given her some, and Gloria also bought toys for her. Even the bewitching lady whom Soran was utterly powerless against when they first encountered, Gloria's mother, gave Vivian a gift. The little girl now had a multi-dimensional pocket filled with the gifts she had gotten from others.
At dusk, Soran untied the horses and let them eat grass nearby, then went ahead to prepare dinner. Aladdin offered to take on the task in order to show them the cooking skills of a gourmet who had travelled around the world. Soran missed the tasty cuisine of the halflings also, so he instantly agreed after noticing Vivian's sparkling eyes.
The group had stopped near a river, so Aladdin decided to make the meal with fish. He took a few sticks from his backpack and quickly assembled them into a fishing rod. Afterwards, he set up a campfire then placed a pot filled with water, mushrooms, and spices on top.
"I picked these up in the forest today. They're quite fresh."
Aladdin then took out a small packet of edible salt and poured the white granules into the pot. Afterwards, he said as he walked to the riverside,"Give me a while. I'll come back with a fish when the water boils. I'm a fishing master back in my hometown you know!"
The curious Vivian followed him, and Gloria, who always seemed disinterested in trivial matters also followed.
Aladdin laughed as he noticed the little girl next to him and said, "Do you wanna try? I've got another fishing rod!"
"Mhm," Vivian nodded in response.
Aladdin took out another set of sticks and assembled a new fishing rod for Vivian. The little girl learned how to hook the bait and tossed the line into the river. The halfling glanced back at the fire, then started to bluff the moment he sat down.
"Back in my hometown Hael, there's a fishing contest every autumn. The champion gets some pretty decent prizes, and as long as I'm at home, the first place definitely belongs to me. That's why the guys fistbumped each other so hard after knowing that I am leaving to travel around the world."
Soran had already heard from numerous halflings that they were always the champion of the fishing contest. He guessed that Aladdin had really won at least once or twice, but winning every year was something he doubted. Moreover, the fishing contest was just one of many events held during the autumn festival, and almost every village held such contests, so there were bound to be many champions.
While Aladdin was still proudly telling Vivian about his splendid past, Vivian's fishing rod started twitching. Vivian tensed up immediately and shouted, "Big sis Gloria! Come! I got a fish!"
"Don't be hasty," Gloria, who most likely had little experience in fishing, walked over with a bemused look and said, "Don't be in a hurry and wait for a while. It's not hooked yet."
Aladdin looked over and was shocked.
"Oh lucky little girl, it looks like it's a big one. Give it some time."
Soran was setting up for grilling fish when shouts could be heard from the riverside. It was Vivian, who was almost dragged into the river by the fish. Thankfully Gloria caught Vivian in time, but the two started shouting something Soran could not hear. Aladdin soon joined the fuss, yelling something about lowering the line a bit then pulling it back. Soran finished setting the fire and slowly walked over. Vivian was already holding a thirty-centimetre-long fish in her hands by the time he did, her cheeks flushing and her breath a bit rough.
"Big brother look! Vivian caught a big fish!"
The fish was roughly twelve pounds. Such a large fish had considerable strength when in water, and it was by no means easy to catch it. The line might even snap given its strength. Soran looked at Gloria who was grinning and realised she had literally given Vivian a helping hand; she had used Mage Hand to help Vivian reel in the fish.
Soran patted Vivian's head and received the fish.
"Vivian's pretty good! I'll count on you then!"
Soran took out his dagger and started dissecting the fish for cooking. Vivian was still fishing with a serious expression while murmuring something about hoping more fish would come. Not sure if it was luck or some other reason, but another fish soon bit her bait. On the contrary, Aladdin who had bluffed about how good he was at fishing all the time did not even get a single nibble. By the time Vivian caught her third fish, Aladdin could not wait any longer and dived straight into the river. Water splashed around for a while before the halfling emerged with a fish in hand.
"Got it! I caught one!"
Everyone was speechless. The four could not eat a lot of fish anyways, so they packed up and returned to their camp. Vivian seemed like she had a lot of fun and did not want to go, so Aladdin gave her the fishing rod as a gift.
Aladdin took out packet after packet of spices, some for the stew and some for the roasted fish. Soran could even smell cumin, a type of rare spice. Halflings were a species good at cooking, and they often brought along uncommon ingredients.
Soran had to admit that it was the best meal he ever had in this world. Vivian's stomach was almost bulging, and Gloria also ate a decent amount. At the very least, Aladdin had not been bluffing about his cooking skills which were on the level of a master chef.
This was the third day of the journey to Autumnfall. The trio met a halfling whose destination was the Alpine Port where the Iron dwarves resided in. They would travel together to Autumnfall before going separate ways.