The Elven Cultivator

”You’re not from the Eldron Plain, are you.”

Casius spoke suddenly, his gaze probing as he looked at Anton.

Harvey and the others all turned to look in unison.

From their earlier small talk, it was easy to tell that Anton’s knowledge of the Eldron Plain was very limited. It didn’t seem like he lived here.

Anton’s fabricated persona was that of an outsider, so hearing this, he immediately went along with it and nodded. ”I came from the Green Highlands.”

The Green Highlands bordered the Eldron Plain but belonged to a different Dragon City.

Hearing Anton’s answer, Harvey and the others had a moment of realization, followed by a bit of surprise.

It was common knowledge that every Dragon City, without exception, implemented strict lockdown measures over the territories they controlled.

Kresol Dragon City, for example, had established hundreds of military outposts in the mountain passes and strategic routes surrounding the Eldron Plain, collectively known as the ”Dragon’s Tooth Line.”

These outposts guarded all paths in and out of the plain. Anyone caught trying to leave without permission would, at best, be thrown into the Dragon City’s dungeons. At worst, they would be executed on the spot—and the executions were often extremely cruel, meant to intimidate other ”restless” residents.

This was one of the reasons the other intelligent races were so resentful of the Dragon Race.

No one wanted to be penned up like livestock in a cage, stripped of their freedom.

Although the Dragon’s Tooth Line couldn’t possibly seal off the vast Eldron Plain completely, the fact that Anton had been able to cross it was proof enough that he was quite capable.

Instantly, Harvey and his men became a bit more enthusiastic toward Anton, answering all his questions without reservation.

Casius, however, had suddenly fallen silent and said no more.

Anton managed to get a lot of information out of Harvey, the most important piece being that the Giant Dragon guarding Kresol Dragon City was a Radiant Ash Dragon.

’A noble of the Dragon Race, huh,’

Anton mused to himself.

Within the Dragon Race, there were also distinctions between high and low bloodlines.

At the top of the pyramid were the four royal clans: Flame Crown Dragon, Gale Wing Dragon, Bedrock Dragon, and Azure Abyss Dragon, symbolizing the four fundamental elements that formed the world’s foundation.

Below them were the nobles of the Dragon Race, such as the Radiant Ash Dragon and the Frost Vein Dragon.

At the bottom were the lower-class Giant Dragons, like the Stone Heart Dragon, Mist Ridge Dragon, and Crystal Dragon.

Of course, even a lower-class Giant Dragon was an existence born superior to the Ten Thousand Races.

The Dragon Race, blessed by the Dragon God Ayo, possessed the power of the Golden Tier from the moment of their birth.

Upon reaching adulthood, they would inevitably comprehend and manifest their own Power of Law, transcending the Golden Tier to touch the world’s fundamental Law.

Because of this, the Dragon Race called themselves the ”Golden Descendants,” viewing other intelligent races as lowly servants they could take from, exploit, and kill at will.

’No wonder the other intelligent races on the Eldron Plain have been suppressed into submission.’

Anton thought, shaking his head.

Forget the Dragon City’s Dragon Descendant Legion; the mere existence of the Radiant Ash Dragon was enough to suffocate the other intelligent races.

Composing himself, Anton continued chatting with Harvey and soon learned that the rare ore they were searching for on this trip was Flame Heart Silver.

”Flame Heart Silver?”

A thought struck Anton. He turned to look at Casius, sizing up the seemingly unremarkable scholar for the first time.

Noticing Anton’s scrutinizing gaze, a flicker of unease crossed Casius’s face. He forced a smile. ”Is something wrong?”

Anton’s eyes fell on Casius’s neck. He was wearing an inconspicuous gray stone pendant, about the size of a thumbnail, in an irregular oval shape. It hung from a simple hemp cord, resting against his chest.

Anton’s gaze lingered on the stone pendant for a moment, and a wry, ambiguous smile slowly formed on his lips.

”Mr. Casius, if I may be so bold as to ask you a question.”

Casius was taken aback. ”What is it?”

”What are your thoughts on death?”

Harvey and his three men glanced at each other, confused as to why Anton would suddenly ask such a question.

Upon hearing Anton’s inquiry, however, Casius’s expression shifted slightly.

He gave Anton a deep look. His hunched back suddenly straightened, and the air of a downtrodden scholar washed away from him like a tide, replaced by a heart-stopping, cold indifference.

”In my view, all things in this world are far too fragile. They will eventually wither and fade into oblivion. Only death is eternal.”

Casius’s voice was low and flat, carrying a strange sort of piety.

”Is that so,” Anton said noncommittally. ”But when you’re dead, you’re dead. Everything you have disappears. That’s why people fear death.”

”A shallow understanding,” Casius sneered. ”Death is not the end. It is the stripping away of all illusion, a return to purity, and the welcoming of new life.”

No matter how slow-witted Harvey and his men were, they could now sense that something was wrong.

Especially Casius—he was like a completely different person.

”Mr. Canglan, Mr. Casius, what’s going on with you two?” Harvey hurriedly interrupted their conversation.

Anton let out a laugh and turned to Harvey. ”Captain Harvey, Flame Heart Silver requires an environment of extreme heat and pressure to form. It’s usually found alongside igneous rock deep within volcanoes. The geology of the Thousand Rock Hills is primarily sedimentary and metamorphic rock. There isn’t a single active volcano here, so it’s impossible for Flame Heart Silver to be produced.”

Harvey froze. His expression changed in the next instant, and he whipped his head around to look at Casius.

”Mr. Casius, is what Mr. Canglan said true?”

They were Adventurers and didn’t know much about ores, but Casius, as an ore appraisal expert, couldn’t possibly be unaware of the conditions needed to form Flame Heart Silver.

If it was just as Canglan said, and there was no Flame Heart Silver in the Thousand Rock Hills, why had Casius paid them a fortune to come here?

Casius didn’t answer the question, merely casting a cold glance at Harvey.

His action was as good as a confession.

Harvey and his men were instantly filled with shock and suspicion.

Anton smiled faintly. ”Mr. Casius isn’t just an ordinary scholar. He’s also a member of the Ring of Annihilation.”

The Ring of Annihilation?

Harvey stared blankly for a moment before subconsciously asking, ”What’s that?”

”A fanatical organization that worships death.” Anton idly caressed the black steel sword in his hand as he explained, ”They believe all things will ultimately return to oblivion and that death is the only truth. They’re a bunch of lunatics who love to spread death wherever they go.”

Worships death?

A chill shot up the spines of Harvey and his three men. That certainly sounded insane.

”You simply don’t understand the true meaning of death,” Casius scoffed. ”All the strife, suffering, greed, and chaos in this world stem from life itself. Living beings plunder to survive, wage war out of desire, and become fanatical due to emotion. Only death can wash all this away and allow the world to be reborn.”

At this point, he paused, a hint of confusion in his eyes as he looked at Anton. ”What I’m more curious about is how you know so much about our organization.”

Whether in the Green Highlands or the Eldron Plain, the Ring of Annihilation had only just begun its operations. Logically, people in these two places shouldn’t even know of the organization’s existence yet.

Anton just chuckled at his words.

’Are you kidding me? In my past life, I fought against the Ring of Annihilation in the game all the time. The members I killed numbered, if not a thousand, then at least seven or eight hundred.’

’In the background lore for game version 3.0, the Ring of Annihilation was behind the appearance of the Undead Calamity.’

’I just didn’t expect this organization to start stirring up trouble so early on.’