bookbashuk Page 422
Page 422
Chapter 414 The Nail of Dreams and the Divine Kingdom
"Phew... thank goodness I have the ability to fly."
Latis placed the three girls clinging to him onto the top-floor platform, glanced at the two great knights who had already jumped up on their own, shook his head, and couldn't help but mutter:
"Why don't you take care of your own apprentices? These two suits of armor are very heavy!"
“Actually, I wanted Geeta to come up by herself…” Holnett looked at Geeta, who had a “I knew it” expression on her face, and said with a smile, regardless of whether the girl was secretly upset:
"It's not too late to throw her back down now and let her climb up on her own again."
"Gaia! Teacher, how could you be so mean!" Geeta's face turned pale, and she immediately buried her face in her hands and cried out.
"Lord Latis still takes good care of me, sob sob..."
“It’s not impossible…” Latis muttered, then looked at Geeta, who looked up in terror and instantly retreated four or five meters away, and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
"Master was just joking," Leafa said, suppressing a laugh as she poked Geeta's cheek and whispered, "Don't let his aloof demeanor fool you, he's actually incredibly kind to us!"
"Is she... aloof?" Geeta was taken aback.
"Is she aloof?"
Latis sighed helplessly, glanced at Snyder who was standing quietly to the side watching him, and turned back to look for a route while muttering to himself:
"Just a master of lame jokes."
The flames from the central torch illuminated everyone's faces. Latis squinted at the bright firelight for a moment, then suddenly sensed something and turned to look at a cave on the platform.
There, an old moth sat quietly on the ground, staring intently at him.
……
"...So the current matriarch of the Night Elf tribe is that child from back then. Heh, time really flies..."
"Yes, Your Excellency the Prophet, it was Lady Rosette who guided us to the Moth Tribe. We came from the ruins of the Naga Tribe by stag beetle cart."
"Stag beetles... Back in the day, this species was very popular; you could see them at stations everywhere. But now, I'm afraid they're gradually fading away."
"We don't know about that, but when we came, the stag beetle seemed quite energetic."
"Really? That's wonderful news."
"really……"
Latis sat cross-legged in front of the old moth and pondered.
The hunched, old moth in front of him claimed to be the prophet of the moth tribe. It seemed that she was the only one in the entire moth tribe who could communicate. He didn't know what kind of magic the prophet used, but she could speak directly in everyone's minds. He was worried that his teammates wouldn't be able to hear him, but it turned out that everyone seemed to be in perfect sync.
However, he did not sense any magical fluctuations.
Could it be some kind of special racial ability, or even divine magic?
In places like underground where there's often no magic network, things are indeed a bit inconvenient.
"So, young adventurers, what is the purpose of your visit? As you can see, the Moth Tribe is probably unable to contribute anything for the time being."
A faint halo surrounded the Moth Prophet. Latis stroked his chin, recalling the scenes he had witnessed in the plaza at the bottom, and couldn't help but ask:
"Speaking of which, Your Excellency the Prophet, what exactly happened to the Moth Tribe? Why are all your people lying on the ground, fast asleep?"
The moth prophet's eyes gleamed, her tentacles swayed slightly in the firelight, and she spoke in everyone's minds:
"Do not worry, the light shines upon them... They will roam peacefully in the kingdom of the gods..."
"Is this so..."
Latis frowned slightly. Although he didn't quite understand, he decided not to delve into it. After all, the overall situation of the Moth Tribe didn't seem to have changed recently, and there might be a long-standing secret behind it.
He scratched his head, sat up straight, and said:
"Your Excellency the Prophet, it is like this: the light power that permeates the earth has severely affected the ecology of the territories of races such as the Night Elves, and has even caused great trouble to the human world."
“We want to find a way to deal with this overflowing light power. According to Ms. Rose, this light power with a will is likely from the Supreme Radiance, and the Moth Tribe has a way to find the traces of the Supreme Radiance by following the light power.”
"So that's how it is. The outside world has changed like this...."
The moth prophet murmured something softly, then asked in a gentle voice in everyone's minds:
"I have a method to temporarily suppress the power of light. Are you interested?"
Latis shook his head slightly and said:
"Temporary suppression, but how long can it last...? I'm afraid we'll have to deal with it again in the future, right?"
"It seems your mind is quite firm..."
The moth tribe sighed softly, remained silent for a moment, and then continued:
"However, let me briefly explain this temporary suppression method, since the Void Ray is already among you."
"Huh??" Latis was taken aback for a moment, turned to look at the equally bewildered Void Ray, and couldn't help but ask:
"Does this... Void Ray have some special ability?"
“wee?”
The ray, with its beady eyes, pointed to itself and asked with equal confusion:
“wee??”
The moth prophet said with a hint of understanding:
"So you didn't know. It seems you've never met your kind. No wonder you don't speak the language of the void."
“wee…?” The Void Ray scratched its head.
"So, this ray actually has quite a background?"
Latis glanced suspiciously at the not-so-intelligent-looking ray, shook his head, and asked:
"Your Excellency the Prophet, could you please give me a brief introduction?"
The moth prophet pondered for a moment, smiled slightly, and whispered:
"I have never been to the void, but it is said that the void is the origin of all gods..."
……
There is no tradition of recording history underground, so it is impossible to tell exactly when such a legend began. In any case, ever since the Moth Prophet began to keep track of events, she has heard many different versions of the story. But no matter how the form of the story changes, the story itself is about dozens of gods emerging from the void.
Regarding the nature of gods, even the oldest moth tribes in the shallow underground could not draw a conclusion, because in the deepest part of the earth, where there are no living things, there are no conditions for life to be born. If a life were to be conceived in the void, what should it eat and how would it reproduce? These questions are simply nonsense.
But in any case, gods do exist. They emerge from the void, pass through various races, and countless demons have seen their appearance. They have all left behind various traces. In short, gods are not just rumors.
However, the reason why everyone refers to the gods as "them" rather than "them" is because everyone believes that these gods who come from the void are not real gods, but a "race".
Yes, a race with abilities comparable to those of gods.
The Moth Prophet said this with absolute certainty.
Because at that time, a deity had visited the Moth Tribe, and that deity's name was Radiance.
First of all, it should be noted that gods are not born with completely invincible combat power. On the contrary, many gods have been injured in their interactions with underground monsters.
After all, not all monsters can develop intelligence. Even if they form a territory together based on their own racial habits, it's like trying to explain ice to a summer insect.
Take the goblin race, for example. Some gods were wounded by goblins and, in their rage, slaughtered a large number of them. However, within a few years, they multiplied into a huge number. Other gods, caught off guard, found themselves trapped in goblin territory, where they endured decades of tragic events that were utterly horrific.
Even legendary human mages might not be able to escape unscathed from monsters like goblins in places like underground where the magic network is weak; they could easily slip and fall into their trap.
As for the other monsters, they each have their own unique abilities. For example, there is a monster called the Essence-Sucking Beast. Even if a god comes, he will be caught off guard and sucked into the beast's blood. In severe cases, there is even a risk of death. Fortunately, it is said that the Essence-Sucking Beasts have all been captured and raised on the surface by fearless adventurers. However, this has also led to the emergence of many humans with the bloodline of the Essence-Sucking Beasts.
In short, the gods have different abilities. Although they are powerful, they are not invincible. Therefore, they also need to learn. The Radiant One came to the Moth Tribe to learn about the abilities of light.
study?
For the Moth Prophet, it was difficult to understand Radiance's decision. However, Radiance stayed in the Moth Tribe for hundreds of years until it finally comprehended the power of light in the "Sacred Fire" and transformed the "Pure Light" on its body into "Primordial Light." When it decided to leave, it had already become a legendary hero of the Moth Tribe. To commemorate Radiance's heroic deeds over the centuries, the Moth Tribe erected a stone statue of Radiance in front of the tribe's "Sacred Fire."
"Wait, wait a minute, pure light and primordial light?"
Latis couldn't help but interrupt the Moth Prophet, glancing back at the knights beside him, and quickly asked:
"Your Excellency, could you please explain these two terms?"
"Sir, aren't both of these sources of light present in your teammates?"
The Moth Prophet chuckled kindly in his aged voice and said:
Pure light is light stripped of all other meanings; it exists solely as light, coexisting with darkness—two sides of the same coin.
"And the primordial light comes from fire, from the legendary sun we have never seen; it is the power that life stole from heaven and earth to illuminate and warm us—this is the primordial light."
"I see……"
Latis stroked his chin, looked again at the Moth Prophet whose expression seemed to be softening, and asked:
"So, what happened after Radiance left the Moth Tribe? Why did its power of light become what it is today?"
"After the radiance departed, a very long time passed before we heard its name again."
The Moth Prophet sighed and whispered:
"At that time, it was already known as the Supreme Radiance."
……
After leaving the moth tribe, Radiance disappeared without a trace.
A monster that once roamed the surface of the earth sent word back that Radiance had become a god to humankind and had begun to enjoy human worship.
The Moth Tribe was gratified to hear this rumor. After all, Radiance had emerged from the Moth Tribe's sacred fire. Over the centuries, the Moth Tribe had long regarded Radiance as one of their own. Hearing that Radiance could become a true god and truly see the legendary sun filled the Moth Tribe with comfort.
Unfortunately, although moths worship light, they can never face the real sun. The primordial light from the sun is too intense and would burn the moths' eyes in an instant.
A century of peaceful life passed. Then one day, the severely wounded Supreme Radiance returned to the earth and, with its tattered body, broke into the Moth Tribe. It exchanged a glance with the Moth Prophet, with whom it had once been acquainted, and then silently departed.
Then, gradually, a surging will filled the entire underground.
……
"...So there was such a past story."
Latis took a deep breath, as if he had glimpsed the tip of an iceberg of the unknown, profound history beneath the earth, and for a moment he couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.
It is said that the goddess's birth defeated all the gods. From this perspective, although the goddess demonstrated the power of mankind, she was somewhat lacking in consideration. Unexpectedly, a hundred years later, the Supreme Radiance became a historical problem of the Mountain Wasteland, which also affected most of the underground world.
He mentally berated the goddess of magic, then scratched his head and asked: