The Elven Cultivator

Chapter 299: Chapter 272: Standing Until the End in the Storm

「Chenxi Calendar, Year 9396. Spring.」

The entrance to the Subspace.

A vast, distorted curtain of light stretched across the mountain path. It was like a translucent veil crumpled by a formless, giant hand, blurring the scenery deep within the Holy Dragon Mountain Range into an unrecognizable silhouette.

In an open clearing before the entrance, three squads sat scattered about.

Humans, Dwarves, Elves. The elites from the different races were either resting with their eyes closed, heads bowed to wipe their weapons, or silently checking the scroll cases and potion vials at their waists.

No one spoke loudly. The air was filled only with the soft scrapes of metal against leather and the occasional whisper.

The squads kept a tacit distance from one another, each not disturbing the others.

Only the leaders of the three squads sat together on a flat rock in the middle, chatting idly as they waited for the Subspace entrance to open.

Ignatius sat cross-legged, a silver wineskin in hand. He tilted his head back and took a large swig. The strong liquor dripped from his beard onto his armor, but he paid it no mind, wiping it away casually before speaking in a booming voice.

”After destroying eleven spatial nodes, finding them is much easier than before. The range of the spatial fluctuations has more than doubled, and the nodes’ movement patterns are easier to track.”

”At this rate, we’ll be able to root out the remaining seven nodes in less than ten years. We’ll destroy this damn Subspace soon enough.”

Grant was leaning against the rock with his hands behind his head. Hearing this, he glanced sideways at Ignatius, a teasing smile on his lips.

”Thanks to the war all these years, the Heart of the Mountains has sold a ton of Magic Equipment and Alchemy Puppets and made a fortune. If the war ends too quickly, your revenue stream will dry up.”

Ignatius snorted and pursed his lips. ”We have no trouble selling our goods. Magic Equipment, Alchemy Puppets, Demon Crystal devices—which of these aren’t hot commodities? Even if the war ends, plenty of people all over the continent will be begging to buy our stuff.”

Grant laughed heartily and pointed at Anton.

”I wouldn’t be so sure. Are the Silver Moon Race’s civilian Demon Crystal products and Rune Equipment any worse than what the Heart of the Mountains makes? Those buyers don’t just have you as an option.”

Ignatius’s expression froze. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His wineskin hung suspended in mid-air before he sullenly took a swig without another word.

He couldn’t refute it.

The Silver Moon Race’s products were indeed on par with those from the Heart of the Mountains in terms of quality.

In fact, in the field of civilian Demon Crystal products, the Silver Moon Race was leagues ahead of the Heart of the Mountains in both product variety and cost-effectiveness.

Those exquisite and durable Magic Crystal Lamps and Magic Crystal Furnaces could now be found in towns and villages all over, having become indispensable daily necessities for countless families.

If the Dawn Continent weren’t so vast that the Silver Moon Race couldn’t dominate the entire market on their own, the Heart of the Mountains might not even have a place in it.

Anton just smiled faintly without interjecting.

Nineteen years had passed since the offensive and defensive war in the Subspace began.

As more and more spatial nodes were destroyed, the allied forces’ progress in conquering the Subspace gradually picked up speed.

At this pace, it probably wouldn’t even take ten years to deal with the remaining seven nodes.

The speed at which the allied forces were conquering the Subspace was far faster than in the original history.

The reason for this was the chain reaction he had set off—the butterfly effect.

Not to mention, of all the spatial nodes the allied forces had destroyed, three were related to him.

He could even be said to have destroyed one of them all by himself.

Under these circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that history had changed so drastically.

”Anton, what are your plans after things with the Subspace are over? Want to attack Holy Dragon City with us?”

Grant suddenly asked Anton.

Ignatius also lowered his wineskin, his gaze sharp and focused as he looked over.

A flicker in Anton’s eyes, he shook his head. ”No.”

Ignatius frowned. ”Why not? That’s the final battle to annihilate the Dragon Race. What a shame it would be to miss it! Don’t you want to see the Dragon Race destroyed with your own eyes?”

”Our clan has a weak foundation; we can’t afford heavy casualties,” Anton said, giving an irrefutable reason. ”A decisive battle on the level of Holy Dragon City is not something the Silver Moon Race is suited to get involved in.”

Grant and Ignatius exchanged a look and fell silent.

Anton’s concerns were not without reason.

In reality, however, this was only one of them.

’Previously, attacking Darkness Fortress required a massive amount of cannon fodder, which was why the five top-tier powers formed the alliance of the Ten Thousand Races and sent countless Vassal Races and allied races to the front lines.’

’Attacking the Subspace required elite combat power, so the five powers recruited powerful individuals from across the continent, luring experts from all sides with generous Contribution Points.’

’But Holy Dragon City is different.’

’After the continuous attrition from the two wars at Darkness Fortress and in the Subspace, even a race as mighty as the Dragon Race is already a spent force.’

’Their elite legions were depleted on the walls of Darkness Fortress.’

’Their Legendary Giant Dragons suffered heavy casualties in the Subspace.’

’The entire foundation of the Dragon Race has been more or less exhausted.’

’In contrast, the five top-tier powers have preserved most of their strength.’

’They can take down Holy Dragon City by themselves; there’s no need to share this final piece of the pie with other powers.’

’Even if we managed to get involved, the rewards we could get in the end would likely be very limited.’

’The risk and reward are completely disproportionate.’

Anton had no interest in undertaking such a thankless task.

’Besides, as soon as the Dragon Slaying War ends, the five top-tier powers will immediately tear off their masks of shared animosity and start a new war over the ownership of the Holy Dragon Mountain Range.’

’The Holy Dragon Mountain Range is the largest Earth Vein Node on the Dawn Continent. The sheer amount of energy it contains is enough to make any power covet it.’

’To a certain extent, the ownership of this mountain range will directly determine the continent’s power structure after the war.’

’The five powers won’t just hand it over. They’ll inevitably fight to the death for it.’

’With the Silver Moon Race’s current strength, getting involved in a conflict of this level could lead to annihilation at the slightest misstep.’

’Rather than take that risk and covet things that don’t belong to us, it’s better to look elsewhere.’

Anton’s thoughts drifted to more distant matters.

’In the original history, after Holy Dragon City fell and the master of the Dragon Court was killed in battle, the surviving members of the Dragon Race made the desperate decision to enter the Storm Rift Abyss.’

’That forbidden land of death devoured most of the Giant Dragons who tried to cross, with only a few lucky ones managing to escape.’

’Ultimately, led by a Saint-level Giant Dragon, they fled to the Netherworld Sea Trench to lie in hiding.’

’The Netherworld Sea Trench is a forgotten deep-sea rift valley located about three hundred nautical miles south of the Eternal Night Islands, at the southernmost tip of the Dawn Continent.’

’Not only are the resources there scarce, but the seawater is bone-chillingly cold year-round, with pressure immense enough to crush steel.’

’The seabed topography is as complex as a three-dimensional maze, with turbulent undercurrents and a chaotic magnetic field.’

’These extreme conditions would make even the Sea Race, who know the oceans best, shrink back.’

’Even the deep-sea members of the Sea Race rarely venture into that area.’

’More importantly, the magnetic field in the Netherworld Sea Trench is extremely unusual. It can absorb Magic Power fluctuations and Spiritual Power probes, acting like a natural shielding field.’

’If the Giant Dragons hid there, it would be almost impossible for the outside world to find them as long as they didn’t reveal themselves.’

’If the trajectory of the original history hasn’t been fundamentally altered by my intervention, and that Saint-level Giant Dragon still leads the surviving Dragon Race to the Netherworld Sea Trench, then the best place to ambush them is the Eternal Night Islands.’

’It’s the only way to get to the Netherworld Sea Trench!’

Anton silently calculated the timeline in his mind.

’The final battle for Holy Dragon City won’t come too soon. The war in the Subspace will take at least another seven or eight years, and after that, the allied forces will need to rest, regroup, and formulate a battle plan. They won’t be able to take Holy Dragon City in anything less than two or three years. All in all, I have about ten years to prepare.’

’Dealing with a Saint-level Giant Dragon, even an injured one, is still extremely difficult and risky.’

’That is a power at the very apex of the Dawn Continent, an existence beyond the Legend rank.’

’I must be fully prepared.’

’Besides strengthening my Magical Power and Golden Core to their limits as quickly as possible, it would be best if I could refine all of the Six Ding and Six Jia Guardian Divine Generals.’

’Once all twelve Guardian Divine Generals are assembled, I can form the Six Ding and Six Jia Formation.’

’That would give me a much better chance against the Saint-level Giant Dragon.’

Besides the Saint-level Giant Dragon, Anton was also worried about something else.

’After the Dragon Slaying War ends, the continent won’t just usher in an era of peace and tranquility.’

’At the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, the five top-tier powers will be locked in a free-for-all.’

’Beyond the Holy Dragon Mountain Range, the rest of the continent will also descend into a new round of chaos.’

’The powers freed up from the war will begin to turn their attention to Qianlong City—that is, the Earth Vein Nodes—as well as the various Magic Stone Veins, rare mineral deposits, and strategic locations.’

’These resource points will become the focus of contention for all the various powers.’

’Although the Silver Moon Race is located in the remote eastern part of the continent, it’s impossible for us to stay out of it completely.’

’I must prepare in advance.’

’To ensure that when the tide comes, the Silver Moon Race has enough power to protect itself, and even to strike back.’

”What are you thinking about? You’re so lost in thought.”

Grant’s voice pulled Anton back from his deep thoughts.

Anton came back to his senses and found both Grant and Ignatius looking at him with searching gazes.

”It’s nothing.” Anton shook his head, his expression as calm as ever. ”Just thinking about how to handle matters when I get back.”

Ignatius nodded in understanding. ”The bigger the faction, the more trivial matters you have to deal with.”

Grant didn’t suspect anything either and casually started chatting about other topics.

Just then, the distorted curtain of light at the Subspace entrance in the distance began to fluctuate violently, and the spatial rifts at its edges started opening and closing with sudden speed.

The entrance was about to open.

Ignatius chugged the last of his wine, hung the wineskin at his waist, and grinned. ”Let’s go. I’m definitely finding a new spatial node this time. You guys beat me to it last time, so it’s my turn now.”

Anton also stood up from the rock. He gave one last look at the gray, hazy skyline in the distance, then turned and walked toward the Subspace entrance.

’Whether it’s the Saint-level Giant Dragon or the chaos on the continent, what’s coming will come.’

’All I can do is make myself stronger and make the Silver Moon Race stronger before the storm arrives.’

’And then, be the last one standing in the storm.’