Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 538 - 537: The Elves

On the Loren Continent, it’s not only the Cecil Principality that is paying attention to the disturbances at the great walls.

Across the vast Gondor wasteland, past the dark twisted jungles and corrupted aberrant lands, in the continent’s southern regions, covered by towering mountains and endless forests, the disturbances caused by the great walls are especially unsettling.

Because there is no natural barrier like the Dark Mountain Range between the Highmountain Kingdom and the Gondor wasteland.

This kingdom in the continent’s south was established by the southern refugees of the former Gondor Empire. With the elves’ support, the refugees built a new nation amidst the mountains and have been deeply influenced by elf culture over the past seven hundred years. Through long-term adaptation, trade, and marriage, this country has forged a close relationship with the southern Silver Empire. Due to the practical impact of the great walls, the northern border of the Highmountain Kingdom near the Gondor wasteland is essentially jointly controlled by elves and humans. These two races have collaborated to construct an endless ’Forest Sea Defense Line’ to resist threats from the wasteland.

Here, hundreds of years of mutual empathy and actual threats from the wasteland have thoroughly bound the two kingdoms together.

In the first Ranger tower of the Forest Sea Defense Line, Ranger General Romain stood by an oval window, gazing at the northern barrier front—a boundless green forest stretched in his view, towering ancient trees swaying their branches in the invisible magical wind, making the forest surface seem to ripple in waves of emerald green. At the distant horizon’s edge, the energy barrier of the great walls flickered with a disturbing brightness, and the sound of low rumbling thunder carried across the forest to the Ranger General’s ears.

He turned around and asked the main control console in the hall: ”What’s the situation ahead?”

The hall was oval-shaped, with the main control console centrally placed in the room, flanked by rows of silver-white light alloy columns projecting various holographic images. A few elf controllers busily worked between these columns.

Upon hearing the Ranger General’s words, one of the controllers immediately activated the column in front of them, and as the magic symbols lit up, the projections before the column were enlarged, showing the northernmost situation of the Forest Sea Defense Line: in the image, dozens of towering ancient trees creaked as they rose from the ground, stepping forward with root-made ”feet.” Bright magic symbols floated on the trees’ branches, forming layered energy barriers within their canopy range, while a group of elves clad in short robes rode Moonlight Giant Deer, tightly following behind the trees, rushing towards the overloading energy barrier in the distance.

”The second batch of mage contingency is on the move, escorted by sixteen Guardian Ancient Trees.”

”How’s the first batch of mages? Are they out of trouble yet?”

The controller quickly reported: ”Still trapped in the tunnel area, with three affected by corrupted magic tide and in urgent need of treatment—the Guardian Ancient Trees carrying medicine and treatment pods are en route, but it might be too late.”

The Ranger General frowned deeply, gazing at the forest outside—this forest was jointly created by humans and elves, meant to seal off and cleanse the continual chaos magic corruption from the Gondor wasteland. The initial magic seeds have grown for seven hundred years to now become a barrier covering the entire northern border, but facing the direct impact of the chaotic wave, can these brave and loyal ancient trees truly withstand it?

Regardless, the offline sentinel tower must be reactivated.

”Rally the Ranger Corps once again, stand by at Sentinel Highlands, wait until the second team crosses the forest front line, then sweep the aberrations around the sentinel tower from west to east for at least thirty minutes of repair time,” he loudly ordered his deputy, ”the tower must not be lost!!”

”Yes.”

Just as the subordinate’s voice fell, the communications officer’s voice came from another direction: ”General, a communication from the Sacred Stars Temple, it’s Her Majesty the Queen.”

The Queen? Has her Majesty reached the Sacred Stars Temple? Is the situation so dire?

The Ranger General responded while walking to the communication platform, ”Connect.”

The magic symbols around the communication platform lit up, and a holographic projection from the Sacred Stars Temple floated above the elf communication column—Elf Queen Queen Belsetia appeared before the Ranger General, this ruler, combining majesty and beauty, solemnly sat on the pale gold ’Sovereignty Chair,’ with countless cables and tubes extending from the back of the chair, connecting to numerous ancient devices around the Queen, who fixed her gaze on Romain, solemnly stating: ”Our communication with the entire northern parts of the mountain range has been disrupted.”

”Yes, Your Majesty,” the Ranger General bowed his head, ”The communication system of the great walls was severely damaged in the first overload, we’re trying to fix it—but the immediate priority is to reboot the first sentinel tower.”

”How’s the progress?”

”The first repair team was attacked by aberrations, forced to hide in the refuge tunnels, currently still trapped. The second team just departed, I’ve dispatched Ranger Corps to buy repair time,” the Ranger General openly stated, ”the situation is grim, but I can guarantee the task will be completed.”

”Good,” Queen Belsetia nodded slightly, ”After fixing the sentinel tower, select the most elite Rangers and forest messengers, I need them to be sent north.”

”Yes,” the Ranger General accepted the order and casually asked, ”Are you going to warn the northern kingdoms?”

”The deterioration speed of the great walls is faster than expected, it threatens the entire world, other kingdoms must be warned,” the Elf Queen nodded, ”Also, console the elves in the northern continent, now that communication is cut, they need news from home. Additionally... Anzu needs to be visited to confirm the situation there.”

The Ranger General was slightly taken aback: ”Rumor about Gawain Cecil’s resurrection?”

”It’s not just a rumor—a High-Ranked Ranger who was traveling abroad also sent a message directly to the Sacred Stars Temple. That High-Ranked Ranger once served in the northern pioneers, working with Gawain Cecil for many years. He said he has confirmed the truth of this matter.”

”A High-Ranked Ranger who served in the northern pioneers and worked with Gawain for many years?” Romain thought for a moment upon hearing this, ”Is it Soldrin?”

”Yes, it’s him.”

”I see, his words should be trustworthy.”

The Ranger General nodded. He had known Soldrin for many years, and although their contact hadn’t been frequent over the past seven centuries, elves are a race with an unchanging nature. Even with long periods without communication, he believed that Soldrin remained an honest and reliable person—aside from the issue with his hair, that honorable old friend never lied.

The communication was cut off.

On the ”Sovereignty Chair,” Queen Belsetia exhaled a long breath, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest of the golden seat. The cables and conduits extending from behind her flickered with light, indicating that the queen’s mood was not calm.

She raised her head and surveyed this brightly lit oval hall, observing the arc-shaped metal frames connecting the ceiling and floor around the hall. Between the frames, the flickering rune lights alternated, and elven mages moved back and forth throughout the hall. She voiced her inquiry, ”How is the anti-gravity unit performing?”

The mage overseeing the anti-gravity unit immediately responded, ”Output is stable, unit response rate at seventy percent, Your Majesty.”

Seventy percent...

A thousand years ago, it was eighty percent; five thousand years ago, it was ninety percent.

This Sacred Stars Temple is a precious heritage passed down through generations of the elven race, yet the technology to create it has long been lost. Today, the silver elves aren’t even sure if this floating fortress was designed by the elves themselves or if they took it from some even more ancient ruins—such is the overwhelmingly long history of the Silver Empire and the chaotic era of the primordial elves, which have destroyed so much inherited memory. Everyone says the elves are the most advanced civilization on this continent, but Queen Belsetia knows that the elves are merely lying on a pile of advanced ancient relics, and these relics are gradually dying, as is the Silver Empire of the elves.

When will the Sacred Stars Temple fall?

It seems that the elves of past generations have never considered this point. In their hearts, this ancient and eternal floating fortress seemed never to fall. But sitting on the Sovereignty Chair, listening to the sounds of those ancient, broken machines struggling to operate, hearing the spirit of the machines issuing burdensome groans within her nervous system, Belsetia thought... perhaps in her lifetime, she ought to consider this issue.

Seven hundred years ago, the Silver Empire could still erect the great walls, but merely two hundred years ago, after the last vacuum extraction station ceased operation for reasons unknown, today’s elves find it increasingly difficult to even repair a sentinel tower.

As the ruler of the Silver Empire, Belsetia does not wish for other countries to know the terrifying decline of the Silver Empire, but as a member of the intelligent beings on the Loren Continent, she must warn the human kingdoms of one fact:

the great walls will likely not last many more years, and the Silver Empire once capable of building them... no longer has the ability to repair them.

A personal maid approached and bent beside Belsetia’s throne, ”Your Majesty, you need to rest.”

”Do not worry, the current load is very low.”

Belsetia waved her hand, then gently tapped another side of the seat’s armrest. A slightly quivering synthetic voice resonated through the control room: ”Command input... switching to automatic navigation mode...”

A faint tremor emanated from the entire Sacred Stars Temple. This colossal floating fortress departed from the sky above the Highmountain Kingdom, beginning a slow flight towards the vast forests of the Silver Empire, while Belsetia adjusted her posture in her seat, leaning back, turning slightly to look at her maid, ”Do you still remember Uncle Gawain?”

The personal maid, who had grown up with her, nodded, ”At that time, you enjoyed following by his side.”

Belsetia laughed, ”It was more like making trouble with him—under the pretense of the Queen, forcibly dragging him to tour the taverns.”

Her interactions with Gawain Cecil weren’t long—when the northern pioneers established a new kingdom in the north of the continent, the pioneers busy dealing with the wastelands had no time to frequently travel to the southern continent. As the ruler of the southern Silver Empire, Belsetia had little opportunity to leave her own country. Their only opportunities to meet were during several joint operations between humans and elves—including the groundbreaking and completion ceremonies for the great walls, and the signing ceremonies of several major agreements. But since then Belsetia was just a young girl who had just taken the throne and wanted nothing to do with governance, the empire’s authority temporarily managed by several regent dukes, which afforded her ample time to sneak to the stationed locations of several human kingdoms during each exchange activity.

The two places she liked to visit the most were the guesthouses of the Anzu Kingdom and the Typhon Kingdom—which at that time, Typhon was one among many kingdoms in the eastern parts of the continent.

”Do you think Duke Gawain’s resurrection is credible?” the personal maid couldn’t help but ask, ”Although there seems to be evidence proving it true now...”

”I believe it’s true,” Belsetia softly said, ”How could someone blessed by the four elementals die so lightly?”