Surviving The Fourth Calamity

Chapter 1037: Chapter 831: The Purpose of Mark City

Hill truly felt that instead of worrying about Edna, the Magic Goddess who walked the path of divinity again, Coron might as well care about the two missing princesses of the Moonflower Royal Family... Who knows how far the Sorrowful Queen has gone in her investigation.

At least now she must not be in Toril, and her communication with Ramriel isn’t so smooth... Otherwise, the Haber Family wouldn’t be so quiet.

Although the Moon Elves aren’t as explosive as the Sun Elves, they’re not the type to endure a group of Human Mages either.

Hill looked at the sky. When he sent word to Prince Ramriel, he also notified Coron on the other side of the Temporal Artifact, hoping this Father of Elves would be more vigilant... He truly felt that the Lady of Pain in Mark City had some scheme against the Elf Deity System... No matter how shallow, the Moonflower Royal Bloodline is still related to Coron’s divine lineage.

Hill thought for a moment before speaking as gently as possible: ”Coron probably isn’t concerned with what’s happening around Edna now. The Sorrowful Queen will likely seek help from the Elf Deity System.

The Haber Family once participated in dealing with the two Moonflower Royal Princesses... It’s very likely they captured them and sent them to Mark City.

I genuinely wonder, what does that Lady of Pain want the princesses of the Moonflower Royal Family for?”

Celene dismissively said, ”Mark City? They’re always conducting some experiments. A lot of monsters are results of their research... As for Elf Princesses, their bloodline concentration is comparatively high, so even if they’re fused with various demons and devils, they can hold out a bit longer.

I remember the strongest creation in Mark City was made from a certain Sun Elf Great Nobility... It’s said to have been fused with eight bloodlines!

Ah! Sorry, Hill, I forgot you’re part Elf too.”

Celene’s tone didn’t hold much apology, probably just a reflexive response upon noticing Hill’s displeasure, but for the Maiden of the Moon, it was already an unusually considerate gesture.

Hill could only suppress his emotions. No matter how uncomfortable he felt, or how awful his expression became, he shouldn’t bear any grudge against Celene... Celene had no obligation to save an Elf unrelated to her.

Not to mention, Mark City rejects all divine powers... There’s something around Mark City that keeps all gods at bay.

Yet, Celene’s nonchalant mention of those filthy things made Hill realize even more sharply how narrow the definition of goodness was in the world of Toril.

The world under the control of the World Tree Pantheon had much higher demands for goodness... If it were Toril, the God of Nobility would at most be a Neutral God.

Shaer abruptly spoke: ”Mark City has long been researching Elves, devils, and demons. The apparent reason is to study bloodline fusion, but in reality, it’s to ensure the God of Portals, Eosca, can never be resurrected.

Although she initially took down Eosca simply because he was presumptuously trying to seize Mark City from her hands, later, when Mark City almost turned into the Multiverse’s trading hub, no one wanted the all-controlling portal god Eosca to wake up.

Due to Eosca’s death in Mark City, even windows, arches, sewer entrances, cabinets, and drawers—almost anything one could enter might suddenly become a portal, as long as it could accommodate a person’s entry.

There’s a long-standing rumor in the Outer Realm that as long as the City of Thousand Gates remains devoid of deities, Eosca will remain dead.

But likewise, her name can’t be openly worshipped, or else the day she deifies will be the day Eosca is resurrected.

Though we don’t truly believe this is the real reason, she has indeed always suppressed Eosca’s resurrection, even secretly acting against many faint divine powers.

No one knows why she deems Elf Blood as the best sealing method... But the tragedy of the Moonflower Royal Family, with her interference, surprises no one.

However, whatever the reason, Hill, you with divine lineage, stay away from Mark City... It’s scarier to you than Hell.”

Hill nodded blankly... Could a mere possibility lead to targeting the Elf Princesses?

He belatedly understood Shaer’s implication and couldn’t help but shiver... Compared to an Elf Princess, he was even better material.

It’s just that the Lady of Pain in Mark City didn’t want to directly oppose strong beings like Coron... Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen the two Moonflower Princesses... At the time, there were still Half-Elf Demigods walking the earth!

And she cleaned up all the clues so thoroughly that the Elf Deity System came up empty-handed.

Although Mark City naturally blocks Divination Magic, being able to wipe out all directly involved in this incident... The means of the Lady of Pain can be imagined.

Shaer’s message was clear: as long as Hill didn’t walk into death himself, his safety was assured.

When Shaer mentioned the Lady of Pain, her tone was cautious... Eosca was also a powerful divine being when easily dispatched.

Even if Shaer isn’t afraid of her, it’s obvious she won’t offend her.

Hill silently lowered his eyes... So, would Coron be willing to become enemies with Mark City for the sake of those two Princesses of Moonflower?

Both Celene and Shaer didn’t really care about this... It was already rare enough that they were willing to resolve Hill’s doubts.

”Hill, why does the oak tree from the Vila Seed in the Undead Tribe Camp seem familiar to me?” Celene asked curiously, ”But I don’t remember blessing your seed?”

”It’s a seed given to me by the Golden Oak Tree of Silvermoon City,” Hill replied with a smile, ”Although it belongs to the Natural Divine System, it grew up under the moonlight, after all.”

Celene let out a long ”Oh”: ”So it’s that one from Xionlia! No wonder, I once slept on it when my health wasn’t too good... The oak tree had a good soothing effect.”

Hill couldn’t help but glance at the shadow beneath the great tree... That was probably when Celene still called herself Suren, having just parted from the protection of the Red-haired Goddess and began walking independently, wanting to regain her divine power... At that time she must have been living each day in hiding, afraid that Shaer would destroy all her avatars.

So it was quite normal for her to sleep on an oak tree blessed by the Goddess of New Sprouts.

Shaer didn’t say a word... Even though she and Celene could temporarily coexist peacefully now, it didn’t mean she felt any remorse for the past pursuits... That was something Celene owed her to begin with!

The air seemed to grow a bit restless... Celene wasn’t entirely without resentment either; choosing reconciliation didn’t mean she had forgotten those bleak days of the past.

”When I came to Toril, I brought a Seed Pouch, but it seems there are none left here on Toril.” Hill subtly changed the topic with a bland tone, ”The oak tree seeds from the Druids of the Moon Ring seem to be naturally grown as well; although they can be used to make strange objects, it might require selecting one in ten thousand.”

This was also why Hill was filled with curiosity yet lacked interest in the heritage of the Moon Ring... Aren’t Druids supposed to be masters of natural cultivation?

Celene chuckled a few times: ”Elf Druids, thanks to Lansendel, have had numerous breaks in their lineage... Later, they turned into two factions themselves, one being Purely Natural, only fond of natural-born and nurtured plants, and the other Purely Transformational, which initially was fine, but later grew fond of human experimentation... That’s how Evil Druids came to be.

The Moon Ring is purely the Natural faction; they look to the annual harvest of the Moon Forest for oak seeds to make magical curios... But they’re unwilling to even fertilize the great tree.

Even the Natural Divine system believed there was something wrong with them... So in the end, this faction vanished as well.”

Hill, bewildered, turned to that ray of moonlight: Nature needs symbiosis... To take from nature, and then give back one’s power to nature, wasn’t that the most basic principle of Druids?

What the Moon Ring did was no better than parasitism, wasn’t it?

No wonder they were thoroughly wiped out... A Druid truly favored by nature could find a way to leave their legacy, even if they faced a personal crisis, let alone a whole faction... Not to mention the many Treants of the Moon Forest that have survived since ancient times!

But they left only some heritage books instead of Treant Druids who could teach by hand, indicating that no Treants were willing to acknowledge their faction... Even with their world-renowned magical curios made from acorns.

But they did actually assume the role of Druids... Which means their love for nature is beyond doubt... If they had a real mentor who could point out the flaw in their thinking, perhaps they wouldn’t have been exterminated.

But they didn’t... The Moon Ring probably just followed the path of the first naturally awakened Druid, and with such a lineage that relies solely on heartfelt recognition, extinction is easier.

Hill looked at the sky with a regretful face... Lansendel really brought disaster!

Shaer coldly laughed: ”Lansendel and Amanata, just look at what your Sun has brought.”

Celene hesitated for a while before speaking: ”Maybe it’s because that Sun was brought over from another universe? As the Undead Tribe would say, it’s a repercussion caused by incompatibility with the local environment...”

Hill widened his eyes silently: That is absolute nonsense about incompatibility!

Did Celene only learn to shirk responsibility from the Undead Tribe?

Shaer stayed silent for a long time before slowly speaking: ”So among so many Suns, you purposely picked one with issues?”

Celene shut her mouth, feeling she couldn’t compete with Shaer in this matter... After all, she did painstakingly choose this Sun after much selection.

Then the moonlight in the pool dimmed instantly with Shaer’s cold laughter... Celene swiftly fled.

Naturally, Shaer followed suit and left... The shadow turned from a silhouette into shade beneath the trees.

Hill gained another period of respite... He took the opportunity to strengthen the Water Maze Lock of Agleya City... Hill truly felt that these two Goddesses would inevitably clash again, they just loved to oppose each other too much.