Chapter 776: Prophecy
The Second Elder laughed heartily and sighed to the Grand Elder.
"Grand Elder, you have no idea how much Leon Merlin has helped us. When Leon Merlin first arrived, the Third Elder accused him of a crime. Then, when Leon Merlin learned that our tribe's Life Sigil Crystal's Relic Spirit had gone missing, he volunteered to help us search for it.
Later, I heard that in order to find the Life Sigil Crystal's Relic Spirit, Leon Merlin faced all sorts of dangers—he even fought a battle with the Flame Dragon Warlord of the Ashen Orcs, and encountered a calamity that nearly claimed his life.
Afterwards, he finally brought back the Life Sigil Crystal's Relic Spirit, but then he had to shatter the Life Sigil Crystal. I was confused at the time and insisted we couldn't do that, so I fought with Leon Merlin...
Fortunately, Leon Merlin was strong enough to shatter the Life Sigil Crystal, and then the crystal was reborn like a phoenix, finally saving our Dark Elves from a century-long crisis.
Then, during Brewster's rebellion, Leon Merlin used the power of the Life Sigil Crystal to save me. When that evil Dread Dragon Warlord arrived, Leon Merlin held him off for a long time. If it weren't for Leon Merlin, the Life Sigil Crystal Sanctuary would have been breached long ago—we wouldn't have lasted until you emerged, Grand Elder, and the tribe might have been destroyed.
He is truly the great benefactor of our Dark Elves..."
The Second Elder grew animated as he spoke, recounting even his own foolish mistakes without any shame, lavishing praise upon Leon Merlin...
Just as the Second Elder was speaking, the Grand Elder suddenly knelt before Leon Merlin, pressing both hands to the ground, his fingers interlaced to form a rune, and called out loudly.
"Master! At last, we've been waiting for you!"
The Grand Elder's sudden action startled Leon Merlin, who hurriedly stepped aside.
What was going on? The Grand Elder was a true Sky Rank expert!
Even if he'd only just broken through to Sky Rank, it was still Sky Rank. To perform such a grand gesture, and even call someone 'Master'—that wasn't something you just did lightly.
Even if I'd saved the Dark Elves, wasn't this a bit much?
Leon Merlin dodged to the side, refusing to accept the Grand Elder's title. Having a Sky Rank expert suddenly kneel before you and call you 'Master'—anyone with half a brain would know this wasn't simple.
Besides, the Dark Elves were a proud and stubborn race to their core. It was impossible that a Sky Rank expert would bow and call someone 'Master' just because they'd saved them...
Leon Merlin kept dodging, but the Grand Elder managed to stay facing him, kneeling in reverence. After a long moment, the Second Elder—still a bit bewildered—finally asked.
"Grand Elder, what are you doing? What's going on?"
At that moment, the Grand Elder finally stood up, a bit flustered, suddenly realizing how alarming his actions must have seemed. If he didn't explain, everyone would be left utterly baffled.
Not only was Leon Merlin startled, but even the nearby Dark Elves who hadn't left were all dumbfounded. What was the Grand Elder doing?
The Dark Elves would go all out to repay a great benefactor, but they'd never have their only Sky Rank expert bow and call someone 'Master', right?
The Grand Elder stood up again, his face still flushed with excitement.
Glancing around, he saw confusion on every face, so he took a deep breath and began to speak.
"Master, I'm truly sorry—I never told you the whole story..."
Leon Merlin quickly waved his hand: "Stop! You can't just throw that title around. What's going on? Explain first!"
The Grand Elder pondered for a moment, then began to speak slowly...
"Our Dark Elf tribe has always had a prophecy..."
The Second Elder, standing nearby, was startled. "Grand Elder, do you mean that prophecy? The one that says one day, a person wielding the Scepter of Fire will come to the God-Demon Dominion and break the ten-thousand-year curse on our Dark Elves? Is it that one?"
The Grand Elder nodded.
"It's that prophecy, but not entirely. What the tribe has passed down is only a fragment. In the prophecy, there's a line: this person holds a Scepter of Fire in their hand, and at the tip of the scepter, endless runes swirl and rotate.
But the true, complete prophecy has always been known only to the Grand Elders of each generation. It concerns a great secret, and the tribe could never allow the full prophecy to be revealed.
Our ancestors, from the very beginning, left behind a prophecy: One day, after the Lord of Wisdom has fallen for countless years, someone will come to the God-Demon Dominion. This person will lead our lost Dark Elves to reclaim their former glory!
The most important part is this: that person is the true Master of the Dark Elves—and not just the Dark Elves, but all three races within the God-Demon Dominion: the Dark Elves, the Ashen Orcs, and the Forgefire Dwarves. He is the Master of all three races!
In the prophecy, our Master will lead the Dark Elves, trapped for countless years in the God-Demon Dominion, out of here and to Northend World. There, under the Master's guidance, we will restore the might and glory of the Dark Elves...
Only in Northend World can one go further. Here in this lost God-Demon Dominion, we're trapped forever. Once, the Dark Elves had many Sky Rank experts; now we can only gaze up from the foot of Sky Rank. No matter how gifted, the odds of breaking through are slim. Even if you just reach Sky Rank, that's already the end of the line...
I can feel it already—after breaking through to Sky Rank, I sense that this world is dying. Constantine the Sage was powerful, but after all these years, the God-Demon Dominion is fading. It's begun to limit us, the Dark Elves. If we don't follow our Master, we'll perish. The other two races are in the same boat..."
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The Grand Elder spoke at length, his face full of longing and hope. The Second Elder beside him mirrored his yearning.
Northend World—it's become a legend among the Dark Elves. Every generation of elders hears tales of that wondrous, mighty world from their predecessors.
Legend says it's vast beyond measure, so immense it's terrifying—boundless. Only gods and demons could ever reach its farthest edge. There are endless resources, countless powerful races, and so many Sky Rank experts that it's frightening. Each one commands world-shattering power.
There are endless planar roads scattered throughout Northend World, worlds completely different from the Tree of Wisdom—planes full of resources never seen in the God-Demon Dominion. Countless rare materials that are only mentioned in ancient texts might be mere cheap magic ingredients in Northend World.
There are no ever-present dangers like in the God-Demon Dominion, no worries about food shortages. There are endless delicacies, and the magic there is so dense it's almost frightening—perfect for Dark Elves to thrive.
Both the Grand Elder and Second Elder looked full of longing, while Leon Merlin was left dazed, feeling as if the Northend World he knew was nothing like their version.
In the age of myth, even gods and demons could survive in Northend World. But when the God-Demon Era ended, Northend World suffered a great cataclysm. When the Nesser Dynasty fell, another disaster struck.
Countless creatures and species went extinct. It took ten thousand years for Northend World to recover and reach its peak again. Magic was pushed to its absolute limits, and that era saw an explosion of top-tier experts—the world reached its greatest heights...
The Grand Elder and Second Elder began to reveal secrets the Dark Elf tribe had hidden for generations. Instantly, the nearby Dark Elves were in a frenzy.
The sky?
What is the sky? An infinitely high sky—maybe only gods and demons know how high it truly is. And it's blue!
How could such a thing exist? In the God-Demon Dominion, there's never been anything like that. How could anything be bigger than the Tree of Wisdom?
And the ocean—maybe only the legendary gods and demons know how vast the sea truly is. An ocean made entirely of water? How could that exist?
All water, and no one knows how deep or how vast it is. With so much water, how do people in Northend World survive? Wouldn't they drown?
And the land—so thick that even gods and demons can't say how deep it is, hundreds of God-Demon Dominions wide. No, thousands. Well, it's impossible to say how big it really is...
The Grand Elder's cheeks flushed with excitement. He was already certain, and with the Second Elder's words, he was even more sure.
No one understands better than they do how, with the Lord of Wisdom's fall, the God-Demon Dominion has become a prison—a vast prison. No one inside can leave, and no one outside can enter, unless their power rivals that of gods and demons!
At a time like this, a human who has never appeared in the God-Demon Dominion before is very likely the one spoken of in the prophecy. Only the Master of the Dark Elves could enter the God-Demon Dominion while still so weak!
"Master, on behalf of the Dark Elves, I pledge my loyalty to you!"
The Grand Elder knelt on the ground, performing the highest Dark Elf rite—hands, feet, and head all touching the earth.
In an instant, the Second Elder knelt as well, followed by several excited elders, and then, like a chain reaction, all the Dark Elves knelt, a sea of black, as devout and fervent as true believers.
Their faith in the ancestral prophecy was so strong, they forgot themselves. Anything in the prophecy, they would obey without question—a belief gained from following the Lord of Wisdom, one that runs deep in every Dark Elf soul.