Brand's gaze silently fell on the quiet valley below, unwavering.
When the Shepherd Tree Man inevitably targeted their group, he was also seeking a way to break the impasse. 'Mane Wolf' Macaro cleverly laid a trap, successfully deceiving him, the Shepherd Tree Man, and even the players who experienced this plot in the past, skillfully getting Duke Lune's only offspring out of danger.
The Cunning Fox was a notch above, but equipped with sufficient intelligence, the young man was no fool either. He paused, tapping his chin with his knuckle. He trusted his wisdom, derived from the accumulated experience of previous players, and the collective intelligence of many always surpassed that of one.
The water was muddied, but the fish might not necessarily swim with the current—
Macaro would probably never dream that in this quiet Northern Forest, an Order Altar, abandoned for two hundred years, slumbered silently.
But just as Brand had told Antitina, he was not the first to discover this altar.
As early as the First Epoch, a hundred years before the Year of Division, the monks of the Erune Flame Temple had discovered this altar. However, within less than a century, the altar mysteriously vanished from all records, as if it had never existed.
But players are players; those who experienced this plot back then eventually pieced the entire 'story' together from mere scraps of clues—though they likely never imagined that their series of curiosity-driven investigations would ultimately benefit Brand.
Noticing that the lord was distracted, Antitina followed his gaze to the lush forest canopy below, but after a while, she saw nothing.
The noble lady turned back to look at Brand, noting the serious and solemn expression on the young man's face, wisely remaining silent. This content belongs to ɴovelfire.net
She too had guessed that Macaro, willing to pit even his own men, would surely drag them down as well. She snorted internally, instinctively relegating the nobles represented by Duke Lune to the list of unwelcome peers.
The group gradually descended into the valley.
Two Rubis Mercenaries walked ahead, clearing the path. The curved blades cutting through the overhanging branches made a rustling sound, and occasionally the blade's reflection would flash brightly under the starlight, momentarily blinding everyone's eyes.
Brand paid 2 Wealth Points from his resource warehouse to maintain the 'Rubis Mercenaries' card on the field. He then reviewed his available resources—10 Water Element points saved over several weeks, along with nearly 150 Wealth Points—which sufficed. He looked up, squinting slightly.
The young man saw his 'Summoned Creatures' had already stopped ahead.
The two mercenaries exchanged glances, seemingly incredulous at what they saw. They halted, turning back to look at Brand. "Lord, up ahead there's..."
Hu Que sternly interrupted. These two mercenaries were the newest and least experienced in his squad. He intended to train them, not expecting their performance to leave him feeling ashamed. As he spoke, he strode forward to part the bushes, as if to rectify his subordinates' mistake.
However, in the next moment, he too was stunned.
Beyond the dense woods lay a vast grassy clearing, at least the size of three football fields, with a temple covered in vines standing quietly in the center.
Hu Que instinctively inhaled deeply as he raised his head. He could almost imagine how majestic this grand structure must have been under the sunlight in its prime, for even now, he could vaguely see the former glory of the temple through the dense foliage.
Its structure was simple—a cylindrical Holy Temple rising from the ground, with an arched dome reflecting the marble's holy white under the moonlight.
But its height and size compensated for the simplicity, nearly sixty feet tall, standing in the clearing like a giant's shadow—
Brand paused, examining the external decorations adorning the temple. By its style, it unmistakably belonged to the Elf Goddess. Unfortunately, this epoch, the gods had turned into stars in the sky, leaving behind only their desires and Laws to reshape the world.
The gods rarely interfered in the mortal world, and for this reason, these noble beings were revered by the creatures on the ground.