Chapter 42

Chapter 42

After Pelan's rapid-fire explanation, Sipo was half-convinced that his fall onto the bed had been an accident.

He glanced several times at Lou Guanyue, who was surrounded by elves, then tugged at Pelan's sleeve and whispered, "Darling, are you really sure there's nothing else between you two?"

"We're both men; there can't possibly be the kind of relationship you're thinking of," Pelan replied with an expressionless face.

Sipo shook his head. "No, no, no, Pelan. You humans are just not flexible enough in your thinking about these matters. Among us elves, not only is same-sex love possible, but love between different races isn't an issue either! As long as both parties truly love each other—"

Pelan cut him off coldly. "Would an elf ever fall in love with a dwarf?"

"Absolutely not!" Sipo immediately denied. "I'd sooner fall in love with a cold, hard stone than like any of those dwarves!"

After saying this, Sipo fell silent for a few seconds, cleared his throat, and said, "Dear Pelan, we're discussing the situation between you two right now. Don't try to divert the topic elsewhere!"

Pelan took a sip of honey wine from his cup, listening to the elf's incessant chatter.

Dinner was held in the Queen's palace. Not only did the Queen herself attend, but several elders who had long been in seclusion also came. The eldest among them had even lived for over ten thousand years!

The usually quiet castle was exceptionally lively tonight. The elves had prepared a sumptuous feast for them.

A group of beautiful female elves brought in exquisite plates filled with freshly washed berries. At the center of the long table was a golden, glistening roast pearl chicken, soaked in a broth of mushrooms. The salad was made from at least a dozen types of fresh, tender leaves and petals in various colors that Pelan had never seen before, drizzled with a sweet and tangy fruit dressing.

It was a perfect evening, if only Sipo would stop his endless chatter.

Pelan grumbled inwardly. He casually picked up a nearby fruit and stuffed it into Sipo's mouth.

"Don't talk while eating," Pelan said coolly.

Sipo spat the food out with a "pfft" and protested somewhat aggrievedly, "I don't like this."

As soon as his words fell, a golden, oily, and fragrant roast chicken leg appeared on the plate before him.

Sipo looked at the person beside him, touched and surprised. "Izavel, you actually remember I love pearl chicken?!"

"I remember," Izavel glanced at him, then lowered his head to continue drinking his honey fruit wine. "Your Highness never liked the food prepared for the young ones in the nursery when you were little. You would always sneak out to buy snacks."

Sipo's face showed a hint of nostalgia, as if recalling something, then he shrank his head slightly. "Later, when the teachers found out, they wouldn't let me go out anymore. Thankfully, you were there."

Back then, Izavel was a newly joined guard of the Sun Knights. Perhaps because he had just come of age and might have more to talk about with the young ones, he was assigned to protect Sipo.

Though it was called protection, Izavel's duties were more like those of a playmate and supervisor.

"By the way, where did you buy the pearl chicken before? After I returned to Isilion, I haven't seen any stalls selling pearl chicken at the market." Recalling how Izavel had always brought him pearl chicken and various honey fruit cheeses from outside after he was 'confined,' Sipo couldn't help but ask curiously.

Izavel was momentarily stunned, his expression somewhat complicated. He uncomfortably averted his gaze. "It wasn't for sale."

Sipo was full of confusion. Could it be that the elf who used to sell pearl chicken no longer did so?

Pelan took a bite of the sweet and delicious fruit and said calmly, "From what I understand, elves are close to nature and prefer nectar and berries. There should be very few elves who enjoy eating meat, right?"

Sipo rubbed his nose. Pelan was right; most elves preferred a vegetarian diet. In that case, he really was an outlier among the elves.

Then where did the pearl chicken he ate come from?

Sipo looked at Izavel, who was quietly drinking fruit wine, and a guess flashed through his mind.

Could it be that those pearl chickens were specially roasted for him by Izavel?

No way... He remembered that Izavel hadn't been very friendly toward him back then.

A proud and talented magic user assigned by the Queen to babysit would have been harboring resentment. How could he have willingly roasted chicken for him?

"So... did you roast the pearl chicken for me?" Sipo finally couldn't hold back and cautiously poked Izavel's arm.

"Yes," Izavel tightened his grip on the wine cup before relaxing it, then slowly nodded. "If Your Highness wishes to eat it, I can roast another one for you tomorrow."

Sipo bit into the chicken leg and, after a while, whispered softly, "Mmm... thank you."

Until the end of dinner, Sipo didn't say much more.

Pelan glanced at Izavel, who was silently following behind Sipo. The captain of the knight order also remained quiet.

But given Izavel's aloof personality, he usually didn't say much anyway.

After dinner, night had also fallen.

Lou Guanyue finally managed to extricate himself from the enthusiastic crowd of elves.

He came to Pelan's side and stood with him, looking up at the starry sky.

"Teacher, I've spoken with the Queen. We'll leave Isilion tomorrow."

Pelan nodded gently upon hearing this. "Will you return to the Nightwood Forest with me?"

Lou Guanyue glanced at him but didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Does Teacher no longer wish to teach me magic?"

"No," Pelan shook his head.

"Then is it worry about the Dark God's retaliation? Hmm... that is indeed something to be cautious about. After all, I've caught the attention of a deity." As he spoke, Lou Guanyue's expression grew increasingly somber.

Pelan comforted him, "Don't worry too much. He wouldn't dare appear recklessly."

Lou Guanyue keenly noticed that Pelan used "he" instead of "He."

His eyes flickered, and he asked with feigned curiosity, "Really? How can Teacher be so certain?"

Pelan looked up at the bright white moon and said solemnly, "Because Erebus has long been dead. The Dark God was an evil deity who, in an era even more ancient than the Great Cataclysm, unleashed a great calamity. That period was known as the 'Age of Black Calamity.'"

"The sacred texts of the Church of Light record that during the Age of Black Calamity, a passage connecting to the Abyss appeared at the southernmost end of the world. Demons used this Abyssal passage to arrive on the continent of Yakalanst. Their bodies were not as strong as giants', their magical talent was not as superior as elves', but their reproductive ability was greater than any of the long-lived races. Demons loved slaughter and plunder, wantonly harming weaker beings, bringing disaster to almost every race."

"It is said that the Dark God later fell to the combined efforts of the deities. The main force behind His fall was likely the Goddess of Life. However, the Goddess vanished from the world only after the Great Cataclysm, leaving behind only the Elven Mother Tree. The exact era of the Dark God's fall is now lost to history, but it could not have been later than the end of the Great Cataclysm."

Lou Guanyue narrowed his eyes. "Teacher means that the Dark God Erebus exited the stage of history during the Age of Black Calamity, which was before the Great Cataclysm. Therefore, the demon within the Elven Mother Tree, which appeared after the Great Cataclysm, absolutely cannot be the Dark God?"

Pelan nodded again, affirming his words. "Even if the Dark God could escape the siege of the deities, the most likely place for Him to slumber and await resurrection would be the Abyss, not within the Elven Mother Tree left behind by the Goddess."

There was one more point Pelan didn't mention: if the Dark God were truly hiding within the Mother Tree, it would be absolutely impossible to conceal it from the eyes of the God of Light!

During the Great Cataclysm, some of the ancient deities fell in conflicts with one another, while others had their divine authority stripped away by the God of Light after His awakening.

It was only after losing the protection of their deities that the demons were crippled in the divine wars, eventually being permanently sealed within the Abyss by the God of Light.

Lou Guanyue leaned back slightly, staring straight ahead, and remained silent for several seconds.

His eyes seemed to deepen considerably in that moment.

After a brief silence, he said slowly, "Teacher, do you think it's possible that the appearance of that 'Dark God' is related to—"

"Yue." Before he could finish, Pelan interrupted him.

Pelan turned his head, staring deeply at him. "Do not utter His name, for it will draw His attention."

"So this is the all-knowing, all-powerful god?" Lou Guanyue raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of playfulness in his eyes.

Seeing his indifferent expression, Pelan retorted irritably, "Not only that, but even the blasphemous thoughts in your heart can be known to Him. And how do you think gods actually answer their followers' prayers?"

"What if I pray to other gods? Would I receive a response?" Lou Guanyue mused seriously. "For example, that Secret Cult."

Pelan's brows slowly furrowed. As far as he knew, the higher-ups of the Secret Cult suspected that not all ancient gods perished after the Great Cataclysm. It was possible some god had been asleep all this time, for whatever reason, waiting only for followers to reawaken them.

Like the "God of Death" from the era of the Millennium Holy War.

After a brief pause, Pelan said, "Whether the Secret Cult has successfully awakened the 'God of Death' might only be known to them and the high-ranking members of the Church of Light. As for whether you can receive a response, it depends on whether the deity you pray to still holds the corresponding authority."

Lou Guanyue understood. Pelan meant for him not to attempt it, because who he'd end up reaching might just be the God of Light.

"I have already modified the magic inscriptions on those flesh golems. When we meet Yi Lao, we can ask if he knows anything related to the creation of the Black Knights." Pelan looked at Lou Guanyue and asked, "If Yi Lao knows where the 'Land of Divine Grace' is, will you go looking for clues about the Great Resurrection Art, Yue?"

He always remembered that Lou Guanyue's obsession with Austin's treasure was to find the Great Resurrection Art.

"Who knows." Lou Guanyue initially intended to casually say "I won't leave you, Teacher," but the words changed as they reached his lips.

He collected himself and, meeting Pelan's gaze, said, "Earlier, at the banquet, the Queen told me that something major just happened recently in Hoplar."

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Author's Note: The next bonus chapter drop will have to wait until I save up more coins again QAQ. Eight a day, 240 a month...

Tomorrow I'll try again to see if I can move the update time a bit earlier...