Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 997: Chapter 792: Sudden Arrival! Shaer’s High-level Artifact

A giant cheer suddenly erupted from the long-ignored giant screen, reminiscent of the welcoming howl of the White Dragon anticipating a meal.

This was starkly different from the previous nonsensical ramblings. Hill couldn’t help but turn to look... It turned out that the Undead Tribe finally had enough of admiring the beautiful elder sister and ruthlessly struck, with fiery meteors raining down crazily... They were probably planning to return to the city to rest.

Hill hadn’t expected that they could hold off their deadly strike for so long, completely ignoring the hail of arrows over their heads, with many even sacrificing their own experience just to feast their eyes.

It seemed that the Zholar were indeed very pleasing to their eyes... This was the first time Hill saw them willingly sacrifice their own experience!

Hill couldn’t help but glance at her spider marking: As long as that archer appeared on the giant screen, this spider web would automatically locate her position.

She had slowly retreated to the edge... but since those matrons led the escape, no one paid attention to her.

Although the Zholar knew that fleeing before victory would lead to Rose’s punishment, the future of the Human-Faced Spider was almost inevitable... but still, no Zholar wanted to die. After all, the Soul-Eating Spiders sent by Rose to watch over them were all dead.

Judging by the direction of their escape, it didn’t seem like they planned to return to their family cities; it was likely they intended to flee to the territories of other underground races, such as the cities of the Eye Demon or the Soul Stealer. Although there was also the risk of becoming brainwashed slaves, it was still better than dying or becoming filthy, despicable Human-Faced Spiders.

Hill nonchalantly glanced a few times; even if these people escaped from the Undead Tribe, it wouldn’t affect his territories at all... The fugitive Zholar, like homeless dogs, would only hide obediently; otherwise, numerous Zholar families would want to send them to Rose’s altar.

However, the Zholar Archer attempting to sneak away was struck down by a Thousand Petal Lotus bloom as she was about to dash into a distant passage, her escape path marked by a diagonal line on the spider web on the giant screen... Her body was nearly split in two.

”Roar~” The two bloody halves of the corpse suddenly emitted a black light in mid-air, swiftly transforming into a giant spider.

Hill observed closely: ”Is this Karula? Grandfather, I can’t quite distinguish the difference between the spiders...”

However, Fran’s ’Who can tell?’ response was drowned out by Celene’s scream, and Hill had to try very hard to understand what his grandfather was saying.

The Maiden of the Moon angrily shouted: ”A Thousand Petals in One Night! It’s Shaer’s High Priest!”

Hill feigned a confused look to hide his inner mutterings: Isn’t this thing something you gave to Shaer? Why are you so angry? The Capital of Sambia, which turned into ruins, is still sitting there!

The moonlight, transformed from Celene, suddenly burst forth, with phantom white brilliance rapidly spreading outwards, quickly filling the small garden... She seemed to be searching for something.

”Shaer! I know you’re watching!” Celene said fiercely, ”Why is A Thousand Petals in One Night still here? Wasn’t it said that after one use it would be completely destroyed?

Wasn’t it said it would be used to fill the Shadow Realm’s loophole?

Why is it still in Toril!”

Wherever the moonlight touched, all the shadows in the courtyard dissipated... Only the shadow under a large tree remained, merely trembling slightly... Hill glanced at the giant screen, confirming it was also a good viewing spot... No wonder Shaer’s priest could so accurately intercept Rose’s subordinates.

”Why all the noise!” A cold female voice emerged, ”You think I don’t want to retrieve it? It requires three years! How was I supposed to know Cyric would kill Mystra at this time! It should have been several more years! That fool Midnight had no defense at all!

This is the mortal you want, so smart... The Divine Kingdom hasn’t even been fully controlled, and she’s daring to enjoy flowers in the garden without any protection!”

”Why speak so harshly? She clearly put a Protective Shield on herself... Do you think I can’t recognize the Dagger of Shadow?” Celene instinctively retorted.

”Shut up!” Shaer snapped furiously, ”What’s it got to do with me? Even AO couldn’t find evidence!”

AO was covering for you, Hill couldn’t help but criticize silently.

It seemed they had indeed reached an understanding... Despite being deadly enemies, Celene believed that Shaer wouldn’t deceive her in this aspect... Perhaps Shaer swore an oath to Primordial Power, which was their source of survival and couldn’t be deceived.

But the relationship between these two sisters was indeed enigmatic... The life-and-death struggle was definitely real, or else Mystra wouldn’t have appeared, but as more foreign deities emerged in Toril, their hatred seemed to be suppressible at times... And they didn’t need repeated communication, perhaps a tacit understanding from having lived together for hundreds of thousands or even millions of years as twins.

No wonder there are sects in Toril claiming they are the same person.

Celene suddenly became happy: ”Are you so angry because the loss was too devastating? To actually pin all your hopes on a madman, no wonder you’ve even lost the Shadow Demon Network! Haha, hehe, giggle.”

The chaotic laughter proved her joy, Hill had never seen any goddess laugh so unrestrainedly like Celene... Evil gods would only smirk, true gods were always graceful, they all had their own image.

But Celene had none of these reservations, her laughter was ever-changing...

Yet the increasingly cold garden witnessed Shaer’s fury.

Hill silently watched the giant screen.

The gigantic Mutant Black Widow Spider, hanging a diamond crystal emitting a black glow around its neck, wielded its sharp front claws, trying to bypass the Divine Artifact in front of it to attack the exposed enemy... She was a black-haired priestess commanding the Thousand Petal Lotus, wearing a loose dark purple robe and a black feather mask on her face... Shaer’s High Priestesses were very mysterious, generally not allowing others to see their true appearance.

These two could actually be considered as Chosen too, endowed with various buffs granted by their respective deities, when attacking each other, they could feel their strong defensive power... That spider, even when occasionally failing to dodge the leaf attacks of the Thousand Petal Lotus, only produced a white glow on its dark shell.

Meanwhile, the poison and spider silk occasionally flung towards the Shaer Priestess by the spider were also of no use, mostly missing their target.

Although the battle between the spider and the masked woman was tedious, looking like a constant exchange of blows, Hill watched intently... He would absolutely not participate in the argument between those two sisters, nor would he try to mediate... Even AO couldn’t manage such things! He was still a child, there was no need to shoulder such heavy responsibilities.

Receiving a barely noticeable hint from his grandson, Fran slightly regretted not returning to his room earlier, and could only follow Hill in watching the battle on the giant screen.

”So how many holes did Mask open in the Shadow Realm?” Celene seemed completely oblivious to Shaer’s rage, just returning to her moonlit state.

It seemed she was angry only because ’A Thousand Petals in One Night’ wasn’t reclaimed into the Shadow Realm as previously agreed... Hill glanced at the black Thousand Petal Lotus... Wherever the sharp petals passed, it all turned into chaotic shadows.

If all the petals exploded at once, that underground space would likely become part of the Shadow Realm... No wonder no one had seen this Divine Artifact’s usage method, perhaps everyone who had seen it, even if not killed by the artifact, had fallen into the Shadow Realm?

Hill quietly closed his eyes, before being taken by Shaer’s High Priestess, ’A Thousand Petals in One Night’ was not this powerful, otherwise, even with a lagging Silvermoon Temple, other temples would not have let her leave so easily: All life in the Capital of Sambia was likely sacrificed by Shaer’s priests, transforming this artifact into its current form.

Hill turned to look at Fran: ”Grandfather, the two goddesses might need to communicate, I’ll stay with them, you should go back first!”

Recently, Celene’s behavior had been so good... it even reminded Hill of that Silvermoon Goddess of Teraxil.

But they were completely different.

Celene couldn’t possibly be unaware of how many lives were sacrificed to turn ’A Thousand Petals in One Night’ into what it is now... The same thing, Teraxil’s Silvermoon Goddess would absolutely never do, she wouldn’t watch so many people die because of a single decision.

Fran hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and performed a Mage Ceremony, solemnly bidding farewell to the two powerful goddesses.

Although he didn’t know what was going on, he understood that Hill suddenly speaking up meant that there were some matters best left without his involvement.

Fran himself felt a little out of place, all the information he had seen claimed that Celene and Shaer were at odds... If the authors of this information saw today’s scene, would they go mad?

Shaer and Celene paid no attention to Fran’s departure... They both belonged to the type who didn’t much care for mages.

But as Primordial Maidens, disliking mages who attempt to control Primordial Power is quite normal.

For the two rather willful goddesses, as long as Hill was by their side, they wouldn’t feel that anyone leaving was a discourtesy to them... Their proud eyes couldn’t even see the existence of those who didn’t agree with them.

Shaer remained silent for a while, then unexpectedly replied: ”The returning Primordial Darkness patched many, there are now only seven breaches left, but I’ve already mended three.”

”The remaining four are too large?” Celene knew exactly what Shaer meant by what she didn’t say, ”Are you waiting for the return of ’A Thousand Petals in One Night’? Rose has her sights on the Shadow Realm too, are you planning to sacrifice those Zholar lives of hers?I don’t think a god of justice and fairness would help you with that... Wouldn’t that be someone like Tyr? Right, Hill.”

Hill nodded calmly.