Chapter 108

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Chapter 108: Create a Better World

Mavis crawled out of the tent, she keenly felt the change in the atmosphere.

The Pharmacist and part-time cook (or cook and part-time Pharmacist) was not sensitive to magic, the sensation she felt was not so much magic as it was her own elf bloodline. The bloodline inherited from her mother purified by the Heart of Nature, the present Mavis was like a half-elf, the sensitivity of the Forest Elf made her dimly feel that this world was somewhat different from before falling asleep.

The moment she left the tent, she saw the elf.

It was an Elf Archer carrying a long bow, he looked young and handsome, but with a hint of melancholy and wisdom between his brows. When he saw Mavis, the elf’s face lit up suddenly, and the dark clouds dispersed.

"Tona?" he exclaimed in surprise.

"Sorry, I am Mavis," Mavis said, "That is my mother’s name."

The elf drooped in disappointment at the first half of her sentence, then suddenly lifted his head at the second half. "Ah, then you…" he seemed at a loss for words, "Tona is the name of my daughter."

The Elf Archer didn’t look as young as he seemed. At that moment, he appeared confused, with a mix of emotions on his face, making it hard for him to speak. Then Mavis broke the silence, as she was always good at that.

"Hello!" said the half-elf with a charming smile. "I never expected to see you, grandfather. You look just as handsome as my mother described."

"And you, you really resemble Tona," the Elf Archer also smiled. Deep lines on his forehead softened, like the arrival of spring after winter. Despite their different ages and not much physical resemblance, their smiles were so alike.

The half-elf with gray hair and her handsome young grandfather met here for the first time. They looked at each other, both grateful for this unexpected pleasure.

Whatever their original plans were, the unexpected reunion disrupted their arrangements.

"I thought you had left like the other elves," Mavis said.

"I couldn’t make it," the grandfather smiled bitterly. "I rushed back from the most remote place in the West Continent to the Druid Sanctuary in the Eastern Continent, encountering various mishaps along the way, delaying me for days."

Mavis’s grandfather seemed to have had some bad luck.

When the turmoil in the Eastern Continent became uncontrollable, the Forest Elf King, who was a demigod on the surface, sent messages to every Forest Elf. The leaf blades of the Druid Sacred Tree flew to every corner of Aryan in the prayers of the Great Druid, searching for the scattered Sons of Nature. The Elf King’s summons allowed no room for explanation, and no time was wasted. Every called one responded without hesitation. The grandfather moved right away, but some things are beyond one’s control.

At that time, Miss Grandmother, who was a regular human, was very old. Mr. Grandfather had lived an adventurous life with her, but they decided to retire from the upcoming Heavenly Realm battle and spend their remaining time quietly together. Young elves, old humans, and a young half-elf traveled west until they reached the southwestern edge of the Aryan continent after receiving a summoning leaf from the elves.

Almost diagonally across from the Druid Sanctuary.

Time was running out, especially since the Aryan continent was in chaos. The Battle of the Heaven and Earth had shattered the old order, but the new one had not yet been established, leading to chaos and disasters. Many creatures were restless and uncertain about the future; some creatures, dependent on the Heavenly Realm and Abyss Spawn, had begun their final madness. Crossing such a land made it hard not to encounter some unexpected events. Even though Mr. Grandfather tried his best, by the time he arrived, his people had already left.

A day’s journey from his destination, he looked up and saw the king’s magical arrow tear through the sky.

He couldn’t catch up.

"I couldn’t catch up," the Elf Archer said, lowering his eyes. He repeated with deep regret that still lingered in his eyes even after hundreds of years, "When I arrived at the sacred ground, there was only…".

Mr. Grandfather’s voice abruptly stopped, as if something had been switched off. He looked apologetically at Mavis and said, "Forgive me, there are some things you will only understand after you pass the trial."

"Then please tell me about the other parts!" Mavis insisted.

Mr. Grandfather chuckled, "Most people would ask about the trial first, wouldn’t they? You truly are Tona’s daughter."

When Grandfather arrived at the sacred land, there was already another late elf there. The Elf Mage was even unluckier, arriving just half an hour late.

"By the time I arrived, all the Druids had already left," Grandfather said.

The remaining Druids had all migrated, carrying the Oak Guardian holding the Heart of Nature, heading to an unknown place under the protection of friends. The Great Druid temporarily left, as did the loyal ally Forest Elf, leaving the remaining Druids with the Heart of Nature in a dangerous situation, they had to hide it first. There was one senior Druid left in the sacred land, and after the Elf Mage arrived, the last Druid in the sacred land also left.

The senior Druid stayed here to assist the late arriving elf; once the task was completed, he would catch up with the rest of the Druid forces.

The Great Druid and Forest Elves set out for the Eastern Continent, where there was pollution coming from the abyss, though Grandfather still did not know the cause of the spread of abyssal pollution. He had participated in the Battle of the Abyss, driving the demons back to their homeland, but how did the pollution remain on the land after the passage was cut off? Grandfather was also not sure how their people would deal with this pollution, only that they went to the Astral Plane.

But it’s okay, they will come back.

This is what the elves thought at that time.

They waited for a week, and finally, the last four Forest Elves living in Aryan gathered in this sacred land. On the night when the last elf arrived, they learned how their departing comrades and allies were going to deal with the pollution.

The earth began to crack.

The land tore apart, rocks and soil collapsed, mountains and rivers were torn apart, and even the purple sky and sickly sunlight above disappeared. The Primary Material Plane was torn apart, along with the polluted areas beyond saving and the frenzied creatures, all vanished into the sudden gaps.

Everyone in Aryan saw the tear in space, a terrifying sight like a mirage, appearing in the sky above. But no one witnessed it up close because once the tear started, it was hard to stop, like a tsunami or landslide, engulfing the vast space outside the polluted areas.

The vanished polluted areas turned into black holes, with immense gravity pulling everything nearby into them, unstoppable. It happened so fast that even the legendary professionals couldn’t react, they just appeared and then disappeared. While the Primary Material Plane stood unscathed in the Heavenly Realm and Abyss’s invasion for millennia, in the aftermath of the Battle of the Heaven and Earth, in just a few seconds, Aryan lost a quarter of itself.

"This is bad," the Elf Archer shook his head, "but it’s just one of many bad things."

As the collapse on the celestial dome ended, the disappeared quarter of Aryan also vanished from the minds of all ordinary people.

They didn’t remember the calamitous black hole in the sky, didn’t remember what was in the quarter of the world that disappeared, even though their loved ones, friends, and foes might remember. All ordinary beings without extraordinary powers displayed an eerie calm and confusion, as if the black hole had sucked memories from their minds.

"The professionals remember, but not everything," the old grandfather said, "I don’t recall the specifics of the collapse, don’t remember what’s on the other side of the black hole. Only our Legendary Wizard among us remembers this, he says on the other side of the black hole is the Astral Plane, at the moment of the collapse, all beings in Aryan witnessed the Astral Plane."

Mavis still remembered Tasha’s solemn expression when describing the Astral Plane, which is why she felt chills down her spine at this moment.

The Astral Plane, a boundless place beyond the world.

Unable to describe, endless, unknown to the point of unknowable, it drove Tasha to the brink of madness. Such a thing shouldn’t be related to common people, yet it was unleashed in the sky without restraint, letting the whole world witness its existence.

In this aspect, simply not remembering is actually a good thing.

But the subsequent impact might not just be about forgetting collapsing, nor about the quarter of memories lost. Mavis had a speculation: could the disappearance of the concept of the "Astral Plane" for the next few hundred years be related to this appearance?

"At this moment, we realized something was wrong," the elf said. "As the pollution disappeared, the Forest Elf and Great Druid who had left should have returned, but they didn’t."

They didn’t come back, no message, and the wizard among the last four elves stood up abruptly. "It’s too late, comrades," he said decisively, "If we don’t act now, they will have no chance to return."

The wizard cast a magic circle.

The elf runes constructed an incredible magic circle, powerful yet restricted. It was a folded maze, a peculiar box, a Möbius strip where time couldn’t escape, not washing away the last remaining hope. The four elf Professionals present successfully assembled the materials to create the magic circle, and the crucial missing material happened to be here.

It would take at least four elves with extraordinary strength, their souls pressing down on the array.

The night sky that day was incredibly clear, with a goose-yellow full moon shining brightly against the dark blue canopy. The silhouettes of the four elves were cast on the ground, and after paying a huge price, they hid that moment in the moonlight.

After that, the oceans turned into fields, and time flowed for hundreds of years. Four guardians froze in the moonlight, waiting for the one who could grasp hope.

"I’m very sorry," the grandfather said sadly, "I’m very, very sorry. The delay in opening the magic circle couldn’t be helped. Before that, I thought I could go back immediately, without even being able to send a letter. It seems like I always miss the right moment…"

The price paid by the guardians is to never be able to leave.

The grandfather was not very lucky. He missed joining his clan when they left, and he couldn’t go back to reunite with his family. The souls of the gatekeepers waited in this limbo for almost four hundred years, until visitors came to seek the flame of hope they had hidden.

"I have never met my grandmother, so I can’t speculate on her feelings randomly," Mavis said. "But my mother, Tona, has always been proud of you and happy to be your daughter. Although it’s regrettable not to meet, she had a good life."

This is not an empty comfort.

The Aryan Declaration brought countless interracial unions, and half-elf Tona was the love child brought by that great declaration. Her parents were heroes who took part in expelling the Battle of the Abyss. She grew up in a world without monsters ravaging or gods manipulating, as she wished, becoming the best pharmacist and the best cook. Tona married a food enthusiast who got lost in the forest, had a daughter who loved food just as much, and died after accidentally eating the poison she brewed. Such an extraordinary yet peaceful life, with regrets but never miserable.

"How wonderful," the grandfather sighed sincerely, tears shimmering in his eyes. "I am so lucky to have met my rose, to have met Tona, to have met you."

Even after surviving as part of the barrier for so long and enduring hardships, that sentence still holds true.

As long as you are alive, good things will come your way.

"Oh my, I can’t believe I’m crying in front of my granddaughter," Elf Archer chuckled, wiped the corner of his eye, "Enough talking, come on, Mavis, show me what you’ve got."

"How can I prove myself?" Mavis asked.

"Don’t be modest, I know you still have your mother’s weapon with you," Elf Archer winked, "I personally plucked it from the Sacred Tree — of course, with permission from the Sacred Tree and the Druid — I can still smell the fragrance on the branches. What did Tona finally make with it? A bow and arrow? A magic wand? I think it’s a magic wand, she has always been keen on alchemy, the potions she made were never bitter, she was a great help when her mother needed to take medicine every day…"

Mavis pulled out a rolling pin from her sleeve.

Grandfather stopped in his tracks, stunned.

"Mom really liked alchemy," Mavis said softly, "and also frying pans, clay pots, cleavers, whisks… and rolling pins. She truly appreciated your gift."

Mr. Grandfather stared at the rolling pin made from the Sacred Tree branch for several seconds, then burst into a thunderous laughter. He laughed so hard that tears ran down his face.

"This is also possible!" he gasped, clutching his aching belly from laughing, "Come on, Mavis, tantalize my taste buds!"

Mavis rolled up her sleeves and happily said, "My pleasure!"

——————————

Tasha stood in empty space.

The creator of this space seemed particularly indifferent to her, not giving her any illusions at all, just throwing her into a void. Others might feel restless in such emptiness, but for Tasha, who had experienced the Astral Plane, this blank space was nothing special.

She stood still, calm and composed.

"Aren’t you worried about them?"

A voice echoed in the void, sounding serious and majestic. It might come from all directions or directly into Tasha’s ears, making it impossible to determine the speaker’s location from the sound.

However, Tasha said it was impossible to take the lead on the opponent’s home turf.

"I trust them," Tasha said, "besides, this is not a trap or a deadly game here."

"Really?" The voice remained noncommittal.

"We are seeking the Sacred Ground, but if the Sacred Ground does not respond to us, we cannot enter here," Tasha said, "The requirement is to Call the Full Moon and enter the Moon’s Shadow, maybe Druids, descendants of elves, and descendants of Silver Wolves can do this."

"The activation requirement is to call upon the Silver Moon, Silver Wolves, shape-shifting Druids, and Beastmasters approved by unicorns can achieve this," the voice said, "The entry requirement is to be acknowledged by the Sacred Ground."

"So it is even less likely to be a trap," Tasha said, "The spatial structure in the Moon’s Shadow is built upon the remains of the Druid Sanctuary, where magic cannot target the natural creatures."

"Indeed, so you should be more concerned about yourself," the voice said, sounding almost stern, "Traveler with the breath of the abyss, conspirator who made a demonic pact with Silver Wolves, where did you steal the essence of dragons and nature from?"

"The contract I made with the Druids and half-elves is based on the Forest Convention, beyond the abyss, I also gained the essence of dragons and nature," Tasha said, "Why don’t you ask me how I deceived the abyss to approve me?"

"No one can deceive in this space," the voice said, "The abyss’s favor has left traces on you, as prominent as charcoal marks on snow."

"Then you should also know that the approval of dragons and nature is not pretend—unless you truly believe that dragons and nature can both be deceived at the same time," Tasha said, "In that case, you wouldn’t be here talking to me, but would have started attacking already, right?"

The voice fell silent for a moment.

"I have never seen such a sight before," the voice said, "arrogant and mighty dragons, thriving nature, chaotic and evil abyss – how could the essence of the three coexist in one soul? You resemble the Nest Mother of a dungeon, yet you are different in many ways. What makes you unique?"

"I don’t know," Tasha said, "I want to know too."

The voice pondered for a moment, perhaps surprised by the authenticity of this response.

The emptiness around them vanished, and an Elf Mage appeared in front of Tasha. His face showed rare signs of aging for a Forest Elf, indicating that this elf had lived to near the twilight years and would return to the earth in a decade or so.

Tasha’s responses so far had earned this Elf Mage a minimum level of respect for face-to-face conversation.

"What do you desire?" the Elf Mage asked.

Many have asked Tasha this question.

Victor asked her when she extended her influence from underground to the surface. Those of mixed races who she protected and accepted asked her. As her power grew bit by bit, her sphere of influence expanded further and further, countless enemies shouting on the battlefield, arguing at the conference table, murmuring in her own home, asking time and time again: what do you want?

Upon careful consideration, Tasha’s answer never changed.

"For a better world," Tasha said.

She did have her own ambitions and desires, but every time Tasha answered like this, she felt at peace.

"Define ‘better’," Elf Mage said.

Tasha stayed silent, no need to explain this question either. Now she had a bit of an idea about the spell of "no deception," she opened her mind, showing the images in her heart.

When she thought of "better," she considered –

Adventurers from different races connected, fairy dust hiding their tracks from angels and demons; wizards brought portals, bringing allies from all directions here; Druids provided a venue and paper, the Forest Convention witnessing their determination from the sacred tree… People from various races on the earth gathered here for the survival of the planes, swearing to fight against hell and heaven. After the solemn signing, the music of the feast began, and guests from various races turned the Aryan Declaration venue into an amusement park.

Over three hundred newlyweds came hand in hand, meeting and getting married amidst the turmoil of Tasmanian. New residents and indigenous people, inheritors of the Aryan mainstream civilization and descendants of minorities, people with obvious differences at first sight, entered the hall of marriage. The former Saro God temple served as the wedding venue, where bands and choirs took turns singing. The vows and attire of the newlyweds varied, but their smiles were all the same. In the latter part of the wedding, tipsy guests and newlyweds laughed heartily, and witches summoned fairies unseen for centuries on the roof of the church.

Negotiations about dismantling the Nightfall Line had reached the fifth round, each round more hopeful than the last. Druids began teaching within the empire, wizards selecting apprentices, and the empire’s Paladins cautiously observing the Pastor of Saro in Tasmanian, nodding to each other. The shadows of the Abyss Passage loomed overhead, various collaborations expanded under this pressure, populations began to migrate, and two tightly stuck pieces of clay began to meld. As ancient enemies reappeared, the glory of the Aryan Declaration also resurfaced.

"The Abyss Passage was not fully closed in the last time." Tasha said, "I am willing to complete unfinished business, please help me with your assistance."

"I want to believe you," said the Elf Mage solemnly, "but I have a hard time trusting that a soul from the Abyss would have any kindness towards beings on the Primary Material Plane. I must make a check, and if it proves my thoughts are just bias, I will apologize and give you an answer."

Tasha nodded.

She did not hesitate at all. She was not a true Abyssal Creation and held no malice towards the creatures of the Primary Material Plane. If the other party just wanted to prove her goodwill, this test was too simple. Tasha allowed the Elf Mage’s spell to scan her soul, the probing spell’s light passed over her, but did not read anything.

Tasha suddenly realized that when the Elf Mage mentioned "souls from the Abyss," he was not referring to her at all.

The spell check traced a path through Dungeon Core via some invisible connection, passed through the Magic Pool, and rushed into the cocoon enveloping Victor.