As the sun shone across the eastern mountain ridge, the giant sun gradually rose to the highest point in the sky. The faint pattern of the gaseous crown emitted a hazy halo. Under the glorious sun, even the barren wasteland border seemed to be infused with powerful vitality. The distant mountains and the nearby vegetation looked bright under the sun. Bersetia looked up at the sky, her platinum eyes rippling with a layer of golden light. She then looked away and nodded slightly to Gwen beside her. "The weather control team did a good job. This sunny weather looks like it will last for many days."
Gwen looked not far away. The convoy from the town was arriving at the edge of the venue. Some of the representatives had already left the vehicles and were being led to the designated waiting area by the reception staff. Most of them looked a little confused because this barren place did not look like a venue for such a grand event. There were only sparse wildflowers and weeds under their feet. There were only wild woodlands and shrubs in the distance. Beyond that, there were only rocks and barren hills. For the VIPs who came to participate in the event, this was probably very different from their impression of an upper-class venue.
There was no red carpet, no music, no honor, and of course, no gorgeous dome and grand tables and chairs. This was no longer a simple event.
But after all, those who could come here were not ordinary people. For them, there was still some self-restraint and patience. So even if they were confused and even had some doubts, the representatives who arrived at the venue did not show it. They patiently waited for the follow-up. Many people's eyes had already fallen on the open land where the elves were. Some of them saw the Silver Queen and their eyes became more and more calm.
"We should let these carefree people in the safe zone come to the border of the wasteland and see it with their own eyes," Gawain's gaze swept across the representatives in the distance as he muttered softly. "If they don't see the wasteland with their own eyes, I'm afraid they will never realize that an apocalypse-level disaster is' frozen 'around them."
"When I learned that you wanted to arrange the meeting at Wasteland Surveillance Station 112, I guessed what you were thinking." Bersetia smiled and said softly. "Arranging the meeting here is not just to show neutrality and fairness in the negotiation between Cecil and Typhon. There are many neutral zones between the two countries, and the elven outposts in the north are not all at the border of the wasteland. But you chose the place closest to the Great Wall."
She looked up and glanced at the representatives in the distance who looked calm, but many of them were frowning as they looked at the turbid clouds above the wasteland of Gondor.
"But bringing these people who are used to the safe zone to a place so close to the wasteland … Isn't it a little too stressful for them? After all, even the soldiers at the outpost wouldn't casually move around in the wilderness if they had nothing to do. "
"I believe in the security of the venue. Not to mention, we have some particularly powerful 'new members' here." Gwen smiled. "On the premise that safety is guaranteed, letting everyone breathe the air at the border of the wasteland is good for everyone's mental health."
"… You are right." Bersetia nodded gently. "Ah, it's time."
"Prepare the venue." Gwen nodded. At the same time, the elven servants standing beside him and Bersetia signaled to the magicians who were doing the live broadcast not far away. All the magical network terminals instantly focused their crystal focus on the Silver Queen and the huge runic stone. The next moment, Bersetia placed her hand on the surface of the runic stone.
A massive amount of mana was instantly injected into the boulder, and the spell models stored in the ancient runic array were instantly constructed and filled with mana. The shimmering runes on the surface of the boulder lit up like exploding stars, and under the pull of the massive mana, a roar like a raging wave came from the sky. Almost everyone subconsciously looked up and saw that a massive azure cyclone had formed out of thin air, slowly rotating with the boulder at its center. Inside the cyclone, thunder rumbled incessantly, and under the thunder and cyclone, countless phantoms gradually took shape between heaven and earth. Although hazy and unclear, they were filled with a solemn aura that seemed to have come from ancient times and left one's mind in awe!
Everyone was shocked by this strange phenomenon. Those representatives who were paying attention to the wasteland just a moment ago had completely forgotten what they were thinking a second ago. They looked at the ancient illusions that kept appearing in the air. In the illusions, they saw stone pillars covered in moss, ancient and solemn stone platforms, and vines that stretched across the top of the stone pillars … And these illusions gradually descended from the sky. When they came into contact with the ground, there was an earthquake-like rumble and tremor. The illusions gradually materialized, and the ground that was originally wriggled as if it had a life of its own. It quickly merged with the illusions that came from an unknown ancient era.
The massive open-air bazaar had arrived. It had transcended all time in the memory of the elves, transcending the boundary between death and survival, descending upon the Prime Material World from a forgotten dimension. Dozens of towering stone pillars encircled the huge circular platform, covered in moss while vines intertwined at the top. Beneath the pillars were ring-shaped tables and chairs carved out of boulders, with flags hanging from the top of the pillars behind the tables and chairs. On the cloth that had materialized from illusion were huge national emblems — the emblems of every participating nation were impressively placed within.
Under the stone ring of oaths, the flags were of equal status — or at least, that was the case.
Bersetia stood at the center of the stone ring, and the huge square runic stone beside her had sunk into the ground, replaced by a small clear spring. The clear spring reflected a clear sky that came from an unknown time and place.
Every magical network terminal captured the spectacular scene, and the corresponding image was quickly transmitted across the neural network …
…
In the courtyard of the Citadel of Disobedience, in the dark and chaotic broken space, Amoun the Giant Deer was lying quietly among the rugged ruins, his eyes glowing with a holy light. Mirmina, the former Goddess of Magic, was squatting beside him, looking at the large magical network terminal not far away with his full attention.
The crystal above the terminal was shining, and a clear holographic projection was showing the scene from afar. There was also an excited voice explaining the situation outside the screen. "… Now I am bringing you the real-time image of the meeting. Bersetia, the Silver Queen, is summoning the ancient 'stone ring of oaths' into our world. The energy field has been unfolded …"
"This is really impressive …" Mirmina looked at the image in the holographic projection, and there was a hint of emotion in her voice. "They can actually use the power of magic to do these things … Although the principle is not difficult to understand, their thinking really surprised me …"
"This shows that it was a wise move for you to escape in time. Within the scope of the power of magic, the mortals have done something that even you, the Goddess of Magic, are surprised. This is not a big or small risk, and when such risks accumulate, it will become a real crisis," Amoun said faintly. "The God of War is so crazy."
Mirmina immediately shook her head. "His brain is not working. I am not like him."
Amoun thought for a moment. "… Then you will go back again?"
Mirmina seemed to be stunned for a moment, and then very stiffly changed the topic. "… Hey, let's watch the show … This queen's summoning spell is very powerful. I have never seen it before. This is from your Druil system …"
The God of the Giant Deer next to her did not respond. Mirmina felt a little puzzled. She turned around and saw Amoun staring at the image in the holographic projection, his crystal eyes flickering.
"Amoun? What's wrong with you? "
Above the magic network terminal not far away, the quaint and magnificent Stone Ring of Oaths had entered the main material world. The stone pillars were covered with moss and vines, and the pool in the center of the ring was sparkling, and the sky was clearly reflected in Amoun's eyes. The voice of the Goddess of Magic sounded twice, and Amoun finally broke the silence. "This place … I remember it. I didn't expect them to remember it too …"
"You mean this' Stone Ring of Oaths'?" Mirmina reacted quickly. She looked back at the holographic projection in the air, and her eyes fell on Amoun. "What does this have to do with you?"
"In ancient times, when I first had self-awareness, it was between those stone pillars …" Amoun's voice sounded ethereal as if it had traveled through time. "That was the first sacrificial ground of the Druil cult."
"You still remember things that early?" Mirmina was surprised. "I only remember when I first had self-awareness, everything was blurry … I don't remember anything at all."
"We are all different. You don't remember the situation when you were first born, but I remember it clearly," Amoun said slowly. "I remember that they had not yet established themselves in their new home, and many elves had no place to stay, and could only live a primitive life in the forest. I don't know how they spent their first days, but when I woke up, they had already built such a sacrificial ground in the depths of the forest, celebrating the first harvest and praying for good weather in the second year …
"I also remember that they lit a lot of bonfires, put a lot of tributes, and a girl in exaggerated and weird clothes stood by, and kept repeating that it was the blessing of the gods, reversing the disastrous weather, and bringing about a harvest and safety …"
"Ah, then you remember a lot of details," Mirmina could not help but say. "You even remember the ceremony at that time."
"But I have no recollection of what they said. I just felt confused," Amoun's voice was low and pleasant. "I didn't understand why those little creatures were so enthusiastic, and I didn't know why they suddenly looked in my direction and began to worship. But fortunately, many voices soon came, and I understood the situation …
"I was their god, the protector of the forest, and the guide of life and death. At least, that was what they believed … They even believed that I was the one who brought about the harvest. At that time, there was no clear boundary between the authority of harvest and the authority of nature. It wasn't until ten thousand years later that the human race slowly developed and evolved into the three gods of fertility and fertility."
"Yes, a lot of things changed very slowly at that time," Mirmina sighed. "Then it gradually sped up."
Amoun did not respond to Mirmina. He just looked at the stone ring in the holographic projection and the pool in the center of the stone ring. After a long time, he said softly as if talking to himself, "I was resting next to the pool … At that time, I was much smaller than I am now. I didn't have a divine kingdom, nor had I crossed the boundary of the material world. You know that state, don't you? Like a 'spirit' between reality and illusion, staying in a specific sacrificial ground with the power of faith. "
Mirmina listened and shook her head gently. "I don't know. I was born directly in the magical realm, and I'm more of a pure spirit in the 'spiritual world'. You are a spirit formed in the material world, so I don't know what the state between reality and illusion is. Just like you said, we're different. "
"… That's true. Sometimes, I forget about that."
"And then?" Mirmina looked at Amoun curiously. "You could only move around in the sacrificial ground at that time? Then I didn't feel much better than now … "
"Indeed, now that I think about it, it was quite boring at that time. But I felt okay at that time, mainly because there was someone with me," Amoun said as he recalled. "The girl called the 'priestess' took care of me there. She also lived in the sacrificial ground, next to the pool. They had a very strange doctrine at that time. The priestess of the highest status had to live in the open to 'further embrace nature'. So she had to be there regardless of wind or rain … "
"Sounds very hard — for a mortal."
"Yes, it was very hard," Amoun said slowly. "So when there was wind or rain, I would let her hide under my belly. The hair there was very soft and warm. At first, she seemed to be very frightened, but once there was a thunderstorm, she still came over in a panic. Although she was called a priestess, she was actually just a little girl at that time. She was just born with a strong spiritual talent. "
"And then?" Mirmina could not help but ask.
"And then … after many years, she died," Amoun said calmly. "Death is also a part of the natural cycle. So even though she lived for many years, she still weakened little by little. In the end, she leaned on my neck and fell asleep. Before she fell asleep, she asked me if there was an eternal kingdom waiting for her, where devout believers could accompany God forever in the kingdom of God … "
"… Do you have one?" Mirmina asked curiously.
"There is no such thing as an eternal kingdom. At that time, I didn't even know how to give believers semi-eternal life in the material world, "Amoun said." I wanted to give her a comforting answer, but I couldn't lie. I had to keep looking at her. Then she said to me, 'If you don't have one, don't tell anyone else.' After that, she stopped talking. "
The God of Nature quieted down. Not far away, the magic network terminal was still broadcasting images from afar. The representatives were entering the venue of the Stone Ring of Oaths. The Silver Queen, the current highest priestess of the Druil, was standing by the pool. Her figure seemed to overlap with some of the images in Amoun's memory. But in the end, those memories gradually faded away.
"And then?" Mirmina suddenly asked softly, as if deliberately interrupting Amoun's contemplation.
"And then … there's nothing to say." Amoun sighed. "We have to follow the laws of nature after all, don't we? Harmless spirits will gradually become powerful gods, and the real gods will not stay in the mortal world for long. The thoughts of believers became stronger and more complex, and the gods they created became more and more detached from the power of reality. My thoughts began to be imprisoned in my body, and my words became very dangerous. I became an existence that, as long as I maintained myself in the real world, would cause drastic changes in the environment and cause mortals to go crazy. The rejection from the real world also followed. I finally left the real world and came to a place where I would not be rejected.
"Just as the believers imagined, there was a huge tree called 'Samsara.' There was a city on the tree called 'Life.' There were roots under the tree, and between the roots was a big tomb called 'Death.'
"And then for many years, I never left there."
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