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Chapter 189 - A Troublesome Place (Thank you for your support, Harvey!)
🕑 Added 2024-11-15 14:41:51 +0000 UTCTwo months had passed since I left the Skarnash Tribelands. I headed north toward the Aeloria Dominion…
It was the kind of place I wanted to avoid, since most elves were pretty annoying. I knew of one that could be more unnerving than a pain in the butt, but I figured out that I could explore their dungeons and labyrinths for a while and see what I was missing.
“I guess it is time to move again. What do you think, girl?”
“Awooo! Awooo!”
“When am I going to unlock the skill of speaking with animals?”
Tame Beast reached level seven… it was getting pretty slow since I only had a single tamed creature. In any case, Glacien began to grow quite a lot once I began to increase her endurance for some reason. Before, she was like thirty centimeters tall while sitting, but now she was almost one meter tall, it didn’t make any sense.
I decided to take some time off because I wanted to train Glacien to feel the traces of people approaching. She was pretty good from the beginning, but as she grew bigger and I increased her dexterity a bit, she became even better.
In any case, I also used that time to make sure that I would have an improved gear. I improved my diving suit and made it a lot lighter as well. The magic bags with air worked, but I would be done if they got damaged, so I had to find another solution for it.
I also improved my grappling crossbow. It had a range of one hundred meters now and I could attack to the body of my bow instead of keep exchanging between them all the time. Regardless, we decided to camp on the coast of the Aeloria Dominion for a while since the elves stayed on guard once they heard about the ships from the Skarnash Tribelands.
Finding food wasn’t a problem thanks to Glacien. She could swim and with her new class, she could catch fish rather easy.
Winter Revenant: Frozen Resolve - Gain experience when using ice magic and slowing down the movements of the target. The more they slow down, the more experience you will gain.
Parameter: Endurance/Spirit - Increases your physical and magical defense by one point per level.
Active Skills - Frost Arrow: Fire a frost arrow able to slow down the target and freeze them and damage their stamina by the same value of the damage caused.. Cost: 25 Mana
Winter’s Grasp: Call forth tendrils of frost from the ground to immobilize enemies in a 5-meter radius for 3 seconds. Enemies remain slowed by 30% for 10 seconds after the effect ends. Cost: 35 Mana.
“I am quite tired of fish… even if it tastes good, the fish here are too salty and dry. I am also tired of thinking and since those guys are no longer watching the coast that much, we can’t train escaping from their tracking skills anymore, right?”
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“Well now… how should we proceed here?”
I didn’t know much about the Aeloria Dominion, aside from what I heard from the books and what Clarice told me. They had the Silver Bow, a faction rooted in the belief that elves should remain a pure and insular society, free from the influence or presence of non-elves. They view their race as superior, with a unique culture and history that must be preserved at all costs.
The primary objective of the Silver Bow is to expel all non-elves from their lands. This banishment is driven by a sense of superiority and the desire to remain untouched by outside influences.
There was also the Unseen Arrow, unlike the Silver Bow, which operates in the open and pursues its goals through overt actions. The Unseen Arrow works in the shadows. They believe that elves must protect their interests by any means necessary, even if it involves assassination, sabotage, or other forms of covert warfare. While they share a sense of Elven superiority, they are less concerned with isolation and more focused on eliminating anyone or anything that threatens the prosperity of their race.
‘I already had a problem with the Unseen Arrow. They tried to blame me for the accident that happened with Jalal’ grandmother. I didn’t want to repay them for trying to screw with me at that time… but maybe it is time for some retribution? Moreover, simply by being present, I was defying the wishes of the Silver Bows, making both organizations my adversaries.
My policy now was an arrow for an arrow… this was only possible on these lands since everyone used bows, though. At first, I thought that my awakening made me more violent, but after staying here for two months, I confirmed that it couldn’t be true. While I felt a lot of thirst and hunger mainly at first, I could satisfy that thirst with water and food.
What had changed in me wasn’t my awakened blood, but my intolerance against people that wanted to really screw with me… In any case, I went to check my reflection on the crystalline waters and then smiled.
‘If it weren’t for my dazzling smile, I could pass for an elf. I am not annoyingly handsome as them, but my smile reveals my fangs, even opening my mouth a bit reveals them. I have to keep my mouth shut pretty often or at least make sure that no one will find me.’
When night came, I decided to move with Glacien. I still hadn’t decided where I would go from here… my first goal was just to make a map of this land or find one. I was really itching to go to the dwarven territory and learn how to forge stuff. They had tons of dungeons with mining spots on them as well, after all.
‘The elves here should have some of the materials that the dwarfs obtain, but I couldn’t buy anything without showing who I am… Well, I can, but I don’t want to hide my face anymore.’
I wouldn’t have to worry about that if I looked for Clarice and used her to buy those things, but the idea alone sent shivers down my spine. She was just too troublesome… not worth the hassle.
I hadn’t fallen enough to consider stealing from people… but I wondered if it was considered stealing if I took an item and left the money in its place while I was using camouflage. Well, if most elves are like Clarice, my current level of camouflage might not be enough.
While I was thinking about that, I lost the notion of how many kilometers I had crossed… I was hoping to find some sources of light, but there were no openings in the forest… everything was completely dark thanks to it.
“What do you think, Glacien? Can you find traces where most people head from here?”
“Awooo! Awooo!”
“All right then, lead the way. We have to confirm things in this place sooner or later. If the people here see me as an enemy, I will just avoid them and explore their dungeons and labyrinths without asking for permission. If they aren’t that unreasonable, I will ask for permission.”
“Awooo! Awooo!”
Clarice was an oddball, but perhaps there were people like her around. As long as they weren’t as troublesome, it should be fine… that made me recall what she told me about Elven society.
“I don’t take pride in this, but we have this tiered system going on for us. It goes from tenth class to first class. The families receive their rank based on their accomplishments and those who are just born receive those titles too. If compared to human society… I guess the tenth to the sixth class families would be low nobility and the fifth to the first class would be high nobility.”
Perhaps those in the lower nobility won’t be complete assholes… those guys should leave close to the border and the coast, so I should find them soon enough.
“Awooo! Awooo!”
When morning came, Glacien finally broke her silence. I thought that she was lost and we were walking in circles, but soon I was able to see an elf town in the distance.
‘What the heck…’
As I noticed the elf town, I couldn’t help but gawk at the sight ahead me. The houses weren’t just built near the trees, they spiraled around them like an intricate staircase, hugging the massive trunks with purpose. Each dwelling was a blend of natural and crafted beauty, seamlessly merging into the bark as if they had always been a part of the forest.
I had seen some colossal trees along the way, but these were simply insane. Their sheer size left me speechless, fifty meters thick at least, with their crowns soaring hundreds of meters into the sky, vanishing into a sea of green. These titanic trees were more than just nature’s giants; they were the very heart of the town, supporting homes, bridges, and platforms that connected the Elven community like an organic labyrinth. It was as though the forest itself had decided to host the elves, wrapping its limbs around them in an embrace.
The thought hit me hard, this wasn’t just a town. It was a testament to the elves’ deep bond with nature, where even the most massive forces of the wild were shaped into homes with care and reverence.
‘Maybe they worship those massive trees to the point of making them a sanctuary connected to their homes.’
I guess that it will be easier to find the towns if I look for those colossal trees. I would bet that their materials would make for excellent bows, perhaps Mythic or above rarity rank. I knew it better than seriously considering that, though. No need to give more ammo for any potential enemies to use against me.
“Sorry for doubting you, girl. Your senses are as good as ever. Anyway, what do you think I should do? The place doesn’t have any guards since they don’t expect visitors, but waltzing around there was bound to cause problems, right?”
“... Awooo! Awooo!”
“I guess even you can’t be uncertain at times.”
I couldn’t leave my decision making in Glacier’s paws, so I decided to just walk toward the town and whatever happens, happens. Eventually, they will understand that I had the chance to cause a lot more destruction in their forests, but I avoided that. Hopefully, that will be enough to convince them that I come in peace.
Comments
j3t
Parameter Parameter: Endurance/Spirit - -> ?
ThoMiCroN
I could pass by->for* an elf
ThoMiCroN
Awooo! Awooo! -> Howling cat again? You sure you don’t prefer a wolf?
