Chapter 395: Chapter 394: The Depth of the Empire
“Sorcerer Ivan, it seems you’re still as popular as ever now that you’ve come to the Komoel Empire.”
“Where does that come from, it’s just that your Dark Night Elves’ Great Matriarchs are too enthusiastic. Hearing that I was to visit the High Priest at Yuyue City, they insisted on escorting me here.”
The two were at odds like water and fire, so of course their meeting was anything but pleasant—a few lukewarm pleasantries exchanged, and the High Priest’s complexion grew even darker.
However, Kolebas noticed another issue: Jenny’s reaction to this human sorcerer’s arrival was too subdued, merely nodding slightly in greeting, leaving her somewhat puzzled.
Could their relationship not be as she had thought?
Ye Lulu and Regina also came over, nonchalantly paying their respects to the High Priest. Seeing her grim expression, they thought it was directed at them but paid it no mind.
…
“Dear Ivan, don’t forget to come see me.”
“You can come see me, Regina, too. I’d be delighted to have a deeper exchange with you, Sorcerer.”
In front of everyone, they didn’t forget to cast flirtatious glances at Ivan, then sashayed away, taking their entourages of Demon Bat Knights and Moon Wolf Knights with them.
“See, I said your Dark Night Elves are warm and hospitable.” Ivan looked composed.
“Hmph! Back to the Temple.” Kolebas really didn’t want to say much more to this person and immediately ordered to return to the temple.
The sky above Yuyue City was vast, with more than one Son of the Sun nesting above, studded with many glowing gems, forming intricate patterns.
It was equivalent to daytime now, and the gems’ light was mostly obscured by the brilliance of the Sons of the Sun.
Hearing Ye Lulu’s praise, Yuyue City was recognized as a cultural capital of art.
This was indeed no exaggeration; along the way, they witnessed countless stunning landscapes. The Dark Night Elves seemed to favor elaborate and beautiful objects, a stark contrast to the pragmatic approach of the sorcerers.
There were a significant number of other races within the city, such as Spiderfolk and Bear Goblins, all vassals of the Dark Night Elves.
Ivan also noticed that the High Priest had considerable prestige among the populace, though not to the point of being able to command unquestioned obedience.
Soon, a hall permeated with an extraordinary divine essence appeared before them—the Dark Night Temple it was.
“Please, this way.”
“Fair enough.”
Kolebas did not take Ivan toward the main hall of the temple but instead led him to a nearby living area. By now, she stopped pretending, her disdain clear on her face.
After entering a parlor in the living area, she bluntly questioned him.
“Human sorcerer, what business do you have in the Komoel Empire?”
“Rest assured, High Priest, I’m not here for you.”
“What exactly are your intentions?”
“Since I’m here underground, shouldn’t I take a look around and also come to see Jenny?”
“The Holy Daughter is well cared for by our Dark Night Elf race, she’s doing fine without the concern of a human like you. Once you’ve seen enough, leave promptly, otherwise I can’t guarantee you’ll stay here unscathed.”
Ivan listened to Kolebas’ veiled threat but seemed unconcerned, instead responding with a nonchalant smile.
“Speaking of which, I must ask you, what about the promise of being ‘second only to one, above thousands’? Seems like you can’t even achieve it yourself.”
On the way there, coupled with information collected from Jenny’s side, he now had some knowledge of the Dark Night Elves.
Previously fooled by the High Priest, the Komoel Empire currently had no Empress; it was governed by a council composed of Great Matriarchs who were merely beings of Level 3.
He had previously assumed the Dark Night Elf race to be overwhelmingly powerful.
Of course, as the ancient ruler of the southern territories for eight to nine thousand years, such an empire certainly had its profound heritage, just like their worshiped ‘Dark Night Mother Goddess’, who Ivan guessed was probably one of the underground’s Supreme Powers.
With a preliminary understanding of the true state of the Komoel Empire, Ivan felt somewhat at ease, knowing that as long as he didn’t act rashly, he shouldn’t encounter any major problems here.
“Jenny is different from me; she is chosen by the Mother God,” Kolebas stated with unshakeable belief.
Hearing this ‘all-powerful’ answer, Ivan rolled his eyes, realizing it was futile to reason with such a person.
“Don’t be so sure of yourself. Even Jenny might not become the Holy Daughter. If she doesn’t, there’s no need for you to trouble yourself with sending her back to the surface. She’ll come back with us.”
“Human sorcerer, don’t spout nonsense.” Before the High Priest could say anything, Rosa, the captain of the guard, unable to contain herself, spoke up: “With our primary god’s oracle and our High Priest’s presence, the Holy Daughter will surely ascend to her position. There is absolutely no other possibility.”
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“Two days from now will be the day Jenny succeeds as the Holy Daughter, and at that time, you can all leave,” Kolebas said.
“We’ll see,”
“What exactly do you want? Don’t forget that you accepted something from me earlier. I’ve heard that you human sorcerers abide by the principle of equivalent exchange.”
“Each issue has its own merit. That was my reward for persuading Jenny to come to the underground, which has nothing to do with my being here. Besides, I’m planning to wait until Jenny becomes the Holy Daughter and have someone from the temple help me find traces of the Centaur tribe. How could I just leave upon arrival? I must have some clues before discussing leaving.”
Seeing Ivan’s stance of not considering himself an outsider, Kolebas and Rosa’s expressions were quite something to behold, especially the latter, who stared at him with a decidedly indignant face.
This man is truly shameless!
“Why do you keep looking at me like that? If you want to volunteer, that’s not out of the question. Once Jenny is elected as the Holy Daughter, I can have her order you to look for them, or you could accompany us. How does that sound?” Ivan said jokingly.
On another seat nearby, Jenny solemnly nodded her head in agreement.
“Listen, there’s no need to trouble the Holy Daughter with this. I will activate all my powers to search for you. Remember what you said, leave as soon as you have a clue, or don’t blame me for not showing mercy for the Holy Daughter’s sake.”
Kolebas took a deep breath. She stopped Rosa, who was about to be ignited by rage, and made a promise.
After speaking, she glanced at Jenny and quickly left with Rosa.
The reception hall where they were located was a residence temporarily arranged for Ivan and his party. When the High Priest led the others away, the guardians outside – Meg, swamp ants, and Flame Scorpions – all rushed into the hall.
“As the overlord of the Southern Territory, the Dark Elves surely possess more strength than what’s apparent on the surface. Have you discovered anything?” Ivan asked Jenny.
“Yes, I felt a power far exceeding Level 3, concealed somewhere within the temple. However, this power is too vague, I can’t sense any specifics,” Jenny said gravely. “Sorcerer Ivan, you shouldn’t have taken the risk of coming here.”
“I, I, I have sensed it too,” Meg said eagerly, before Ivan could respond.
“Meg, what did you sense?” Ivan asked, surprised.
“It’s my kin. There are three of them within the temple, and they are clearly of Level 4. I wanted to communicate with them, but found that they seem to be in a deep slumber,” the old treant Meg shared without holding back.
As those words fell, the hall went silent, even Ivan was no exception.
He had never expected that the temple not only harbored Level 4 powers but also three venerable ones at that. He was even more astonished that Meg had such ability, to communicate even with treants of a higher power level.
“Is this true?” Ivan quickly recovered and asked, skeptically.
“Mhm, mhm, it’s true,” Meg nodded repeatedly with emphasis.
“What about other places? Did you sense anything?”
“Yes, there are more over there.”
The direction Meg pointed to was likely the Imperial Palace, not far from the temple.
“Anything else?”
“The tribes we passed by, some had them, some didn’t. Ye Lulu and Regina’s tribes each had one.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“Should I have said it earlier? We treants are always amiable; we wouldn’t harm anyone without reason. Take me, for example, I never kill. Also, a deeply slumbering treant typically won’t wake up easily unless something very important happens,” Meg earnestly explained.
Not knowing what to say, Ivan stared at Meg’s serious demeanor.
He had said the Komor Empire was strange, and Meg’s words had indeed given him quite the shock.
“Sorcerer Ivan, maybe we should hurry up and leave. Back in the Sorcerers Academy, we killed four people from the temple, and that old Priest surely wants revenge. It will be too late if they strike first,” the swamp ant interjected, worry lacing his words.
“Those were Death Soldiers, and Death Soldiers are mere tools without emotions,” Ivan pondered for a moment and didn’t agree with the statement, “Looking at the situation now, the High Priest won’t tear our relationship apart for the time being, out of respect for Jenny.”
“Jenny, you don’t have to trouble the High Priest for this matter for now. Let’s just let it be until you’ve passed the Dark Moon trial, then we can plan for the long term,” Ivan quickly instructed, noticing Jenny’s unchanged expression, knowing she was displeased with the Death Soldiers sent by the High Priest.
Upon Ivan’s emphasis, Jenny had no choice but to comply.
Later, the two discussed the Dark Moon trial.
The process of this trial is actually not complicated; it is a matter of going to the forbidden area to retrieve a Holy Artifact left by the Dark Night Mother Goddess. To seize the artifact is to be recognized by the Mother Goddess.
However, due to her body constitution, Jenny could not cultivate the temple’s Cultivation Technique – the Shadow Holy Wings – and had not developed the Shadow Holy Power, so it was really hard to predict the final outcome.
After all, they couldn’t be as stubborn as the High Priest, to assume that whoever is appointed by the Dark Night Mother Goddess will surely succeed.
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