novelraw Chapter 505 - 495: If There Is a Next Life
Chapter 505 - 495: If There Is a Next Life
After confirming that the Demon Race would not launch a massive attack for the time being, Shi Wu once again crossed the Scarecrow Abyss and arrived at the Elf Royal Palace.
This time, he was directly led to Galadriel’s private courtyard.
Despite having already received the battle report of the Sword Saint’s fall, Galadriel still felt the world spinning when Shi Wu appeared with a sorrowful expression, holding the Broken Sword, Luna.
She instinctively held onto the ancient tree beside her, her silver hair gently moving in the breeze.
Galadriel reached out her trembling hands to take the broken sword.
The blade of Luna had already lost its luster, with only a few remnants of the moon patterns stubbornly emitting a faint light.
She gently stroked the broken part, as if she could still feel the last warmth of the Sword Saint.
Shi Wu was still discussing compensation matters, but her consciousness had already drifted far away.
She remembered a certain dawn when the one who left in haste had left a moon lily on the terrace.
She remembered the moonlit courtyard, where the two of them sparred in swordsmanship under the guidance of the former Elf King.
The memories finally froze on that bloody night, the overly young swordsman standing among the corpses of the cultists asked her, "Are you the fool from the Elf Delegation who got caught?"
She was an elf, she knew she would eventually watch Elvyn die, she just didn’t expect that what awaited was not his peaceful departure with white hair, but the bad news of his death in battle.
Suddenly remembered the soul research she read in ancient books when she was young.
The scholar with the gift of Inspiration had once written: "Death might just be the soul shedding old clothes, waiting for a new vessel."
How she wished this hypothesis was true right now, then maybe there would be a day to reunite with Elvyn, even if by then Elvyn was no longer the person in her memory...
...
Puki——
On the treetop of a towering ancient tree at the top of a small hill beside Mushroom City, the Sword Saint Puki awkwardly wiggled his short legs.
These feet always made a "puki puki" sound while walking, which he found quite awkward.
However, there was nothing he could do about it, so he tried not to mind this detail.
At this moment, he was alternating between Puki’s various perception abilities, observing the thriving city below from different angles.
Puki’s perspective was different from that of humans, and these differences were quite novel to the Sword Saint.
He also marveled at the tremendous changes in Mushroom City.
The last time he came, it was merely a border town threatened by the mutations of the Underground City, struggling to survive each day.
Who would have thought that in such a short time, it had developed into such a bustling city.
Of course, it certainly had to do with the war.
As the original mushroom production area, coupled with its rear position, it naturally attracted many refugees.
What amazed him was that despite the rapid population growth, the entire city remained orderly.
The market was bustling but not chaotic, the newly established residential areas were neatly planned, and even the water supply system operated flawlessly.
Elvyn recalled that the manager of this place seemed to be that young man named Fa’er.
He thought to himself...
Elvyn paused, remembering that he was no longer a human Sword Saint, but rather number Fourteen of the Mushroom Race.
He recalled the previous conversation with the Mushroom Lord—an apocalypse crisis.
This world never lacked those people or organizations proclaiming the end of the world was near, and most of them were cults. This was just a means for them to scare their followers.
The mist indeed continually compressed everyone’s living space, but its spreading speed wasn’t fast, and it would take decades or even centuries for it to devour archipelagos and crawl onto the Continent.
Therefore, when the Mushroom Lord told him that during the Battle of Three Mountains City, the mist had already made landfall and released something known as "Frenzy," Elvyn’s first reaction was doubt, but he soon believed it a bit.
After all, such things were easy to verify, and given the abilities the Mushroom Lord exhibited, there was really no need to concoct such an easily debunked lie to trick him.
[Stepping on the Moon LV4]
The mycelium feet gently kicked off the treetop, and a trail of moonlight tread appeared under the short legs, allowing him to gracefully land.
Granting skills... such a magical ability.
No matter whether it was skills he mastered in his past life or fields he had never delved into, that mysterious Puki could implant them into this mushroom body.
Such an ability was practically like a god blessing the believers.
Moreover, the types of skills that could be granted were so numerous, even including rare skills like Stepping on the Moon.
Although the level was far from his peak, compared to other skills, this footwork was the most comfortable for him to use.
The deal between Elvyn and the Mushroom Lord was simple: the other party provided rebirth, intelligence, and the freedom to act, allowing him to personally verify the truth of the apocalypse.
In return, he needed to accept the identity of number Fourteen, keep the Mushroom Garden and his identity as the Sword Saint secret, and often carry out tasks assigned by the Mushroom Lord.
For someone who had died once and whose life was no longer in his own hands, these conditions were remarkably generous.
This time, he came out partly to check on the current state of humanity, and partly to take a trip to the Scarecrow Abyss to fetch something for the Mushroom Lord.
After landing, Elvyn used mycelium tentacles to check the dual swords crossed on his back.
Although other Puki favored using their natural tentacle blades, the Sword Saint was still more accustomed to using swords.
In fact, he unexpectedly discovered that the mycelium tentacles, unrestricted by joints, were more advantageous in swordsmanship, allowing for moves that human limbs couldn’t perform, though he was still exploring this aspect.
These two swords were skill weapons picked from the inventory by Lin Jun for him, both carrying simple attribute damage.
One was crackling with frenzied lightning, while the other was surrounded by blazing flames.
They definitely couldn’t compare with the two broken swords the Sword Saint previously had, but they far surpassed ordinary weapons.
"Can... we go?" a timid mental wave came from the Fungal Network.
The light beside the tree trunk slightly distorted, and the figure of number Five Puki gradually emerged. This Puki always habitually hid itself.
Elvyn didn’t quite understand why the Mushroom Lord arranged such a companion to accompany him. If it was for surveillance, a more vigilant Mushroom Race member should have been sent.
Number Five Puki seemed a bit...
Elvyn nodded his mushroom cap, "Let’s go."
He was about to step down towards Mushroom City on the mountain when number Five Puki hastily held him back with its tentacles.
"Go, go this way..." Number Five Puki pointed to an unnoticeable hole covered with mycelium beside the tree root, conveying a sense of fear through its thoughts, "Walking above ground will encounter a lot of trouble... the Mushroom Lord mentioned it..."
Elvyn silently stared at the dark hole. Not far from the entrance, there were even what seemed to be demon droppings.
He repeatedly reminded himself, "I am Puki now," and finally resignedly dove headfirst into the cave.