novelraw Chapter 498: Plotting Something Big
Chapter 498: Plotting Something Big
In her eyes, Asuka's back figure slowly disappeared into the dense fog ahead. Looking from here, her petite figure faced the fierce morning wind and opened a gap in the fog. Consequently, a lingering wisp of alcohol's stench from last night's festive revelry soon blew over from within.
The residents of the Ideal State were all resting at this moment, sleeping peacefully in the psychedelic illusions and happiness of their drunkenness.
Margaret stood alone in front of the stone tower. Looking at the faint golden light flashing on the horizon outside the Ideal State, she keenly sensed the impending storm. Yet, she did not panic in the slightest. She merely gazed at the distance quietly like this, as if everything had nothing to do with her.
"Margaret..."
At this time, Tsubaki hurried over from the other side of the street. He gazed at the golden light suffusing the distant fog. As an Elf, he knew better than anyone what this meant...
His Mother, the World Tree, was coming.
Even an Elf who had reincarnated once and lived for so long would feel flustered when his Mother came with a chest full of anger; this was a factor rooted within their bloodline. But Margaret appeared extremely calm. Upon hearing his words, she merely raised her hand and stopped his next words. She smiled and said to Tsubaki,
"The World Tree is coming, right?"
Looking at Margaret in front of him, Tsubaki also slowly quieted down. He nodded and replied,
"Mhm. Mother's speed in completing the King's reincarnation is faster than expected. And it's not just her. My compatriots will also come... What we did previously was a provocation against the Mythic Species. They, who revere Li, will not let this rest."For the past tens of thousands of years, there had never been anyone capable of so insolently threatening the Elf-kin. One had to know that previously, it was only Elves bullying others. Let alone the fact that the ones threatening them this time were a human and a traitor; this infuriated the Elves even more. Not grinding the Ideal State and Margaret's group into bones and scattering their ashes ten thousand times over would be an insult to their title of 'Mythic Species.'
"But there is always a first time. It is time to let those condescending fools return in defeat for once... Tsubaki, I will soon begin to fully control the Loom. Until the Loom is completely under my control, by relying on the slumbering Death, they will not be able to do anything to the Ideal State. Thus, our sole objective is to guarantee that happens. Therefore, Tsubaki, when the time comes, no matter what happens, you cannot let anyone near the stone tower, including Fisher and his group. You can request Fisher's help, but absolutely do not let them near the stone tower."
Margaret's words right now were resolute and decisive. She glanced at the currently gloomy sky, calculating the exact time in her mind.
"I can completely trust Asuka. But Fisher, Cain... towards these people who have countless interwoven ties with the Sanctuary, we must remain guarded until the Loom is completely controlled. Your pressure will be immense, Tsubaki. Not only must you temporarily block the incoming Elves and the World Tree from outside, you also have to assure the safety of the stone tower..."
"And our citizens..."
Tsubaki added.
Margaret smiled and nodded. Taking his hand, she said,
"Exactly. But once we succeed, we will have a brand new home, Tsubaki."
"Alright, I will hold them back."
Tsubaki took a deep breath, shouldering the critical responsibility. He nodded to Margaret, then turned around to leave the front of the stone tower, rapidly floating into the fog.
Soon, in places Margaret could not see, at the outer perimeter of the Ideal State, as if mutually shining alongside the external golden light, thick branches bearing robust purple flowers rose up like city walls. Before a sensation of shaking akin to a landslide or tsunami arrived, wisps of faint, deep-purple floral fragrance slowly permeated the air and covered the Ideal State, dragging the creatures who were still in their dreams and on the verge of waking back into peaceful sleep.
...
...
High up in the sky at this time, that perfectly square and upright book was completely shriveled. As if suffering from some sort of heavy blow, he looked down at the foggy space below with eyes that said he had nothing left to live for.
Yes, this was Fisher's old friend, Eimhart.
When Fisher left earlier, his eyes originally wanted to follow. But Gabriel refused to move her position no matter what he said. Whenever he asked for the reason, her only reply was 'It's not safe.' Consequently, Eimhart completely did not know the specific process of Fisher entering the Mythic Rank. Either way, by the time he came back, he had already reached the Mythic Rank...
However, according to general rationality and the "Baimon Deduction Method," especially since Eimhart had never hesitated to specular Baimon with the greatest malice, the cause of all these issues was naturally because of Baimon.
Damned Baimon!
He thought maliciously. But then, in the very next instant, he thought of the scene from last night. His eyes nearly burst open, leaving him even more unbearably painful.
That Baimon actually...
Foolish! How foolish, Fisher!
Even though I know you've always been good at picking up women, and generally never refuse anyone who comes, why couldn't you wipe your eyes clean at a crucial moment?
Why did it have to be Baimon of all people?
The more Eimhart thought about it, the angrier he got. Giving Gabriel's embrace, he was so angry he was about to gnash his teeth to pieces.
It was also at this time that he suddenly felt an uplifting sensation. Eimhart, staying shriveled in Gabriel's embrace, poked his head out. True enough, he found that Gabriel was constantly rising, moving away from the Ideal State below.
"Lady Ang... Oh no, Mama, why are we leaving? I want to go back and watch Fisher!"
Originally, Gabriel would basically agree to all the requests Eimhart made through acting spoiled; this was also the reason why he had become increasingly proficient in this art. But this time, Gabriel did not agree to his request. She merely carried the Eimhart and that crystal in her embrace and flew higher and higher, until they could already see the outline of the massive blue planet below.
Eimhart wanted to continue speaking, but he also discovered with astonishment that the ethereal giant tree located south of the distant planet, which seemed even more massive than the planet itself, had completely disappeared at some unknown time. In contrast, the vicinity of Dragon Tail Island at the southern end of the Dragon Continent below had begun to flash with extremely dangerous golden light.
"W-What is happening?"
Gabriel looked down expressionlessly. Only after a long while did she hug Eimhart and the crystal in her embrace tighter.
"Nob, be a good boy. Stay by Mama's side..."
"War is coming."
...
...
Outside Dragon Tail Island at this moment, by the broad coast battered by crashing waves, today's waves were quite a bit more turbulent than usual.
The strikes against the reefs, akin to roars of fury, splashed water columns dozens of meters high. These explosive roars seemed to proclaim certain disasters that were soon to befall this day.
Beneath the sounds of the crashing waves, which resembled explosive drumming and high-pitched singing, extremely sturdy peach wood branches had grown out from the seawater at some unperceived moment. Branch after branch, like drill bits, pierced through the coast. Amidst the bursting sounds of rocks and the blooming Peach Blossoms, a black-haired Elf with a petite figure wearing a ruqun was already seated squarely atop a peach branch, looking down at the land below as if looking upon everything with disdain.
From beneath the peach branches, a dozen or so Elves with long ears and wearing elegant clothing slowly walked out, gazing from afar at the Ideal State hidden within the fog before their eyes.
"Lord Elves..."
At this time, the Fourteenth-Tier Demi-humans who had received the news beforehand and hurried here early to set up the "Eye Trees" all came to welcome the Elf-kin that had traveled from afar. But when they saw that sturdy peach wood, they immediately froze.
The news didn't say Lord Tao was coming, wasn't she injured?
Why did she still bring so many Elves with her?
But regardless of what the situation was, they had already knelt on the ground a step ahead, subserviently receiving the Elves.
"Lord Elves, all the Eye Trees have already been deployed completely. Lord Jianmu has anchored onto this place and will be able to descend upon here very soon..."
But Lord Tao did not even pay them any heed. She merely narrowed her eyes at the Ideal State before her. Subsequently, her brow furrowed as she said to an Elf behind her,
"Li, go. Go contact Mother and tell her about the situation regarding that Transferred Person! Hurry up!"
"Yes."
The elegant male Elf behind her lowered his head in compliance and departed. But Lord Tao's complexion didn't show any signs of clearing up. As long as she hadn't contacted Mother to inform her about that Transferred Person's scheme, she couldn't set her heart at ease. This was also the reason why she personally brought the Elves here.
As mentioned before, the World Tree and the Elves were fundamentally not in the same Dimension. Sometimes, even her own brother couldn't find where her exact position was. Most of the time, they engaged in remote, heated verbal exchanges, quarreling endlessly and adding blockages for one another.
And whenever the World Tree was angered to her limits by the Dragon God Fafnir, all the bone fragments the Elves used to seek divinations from the World Tree would turn into 'Great Omen.'
Indeed, this was the crux of the problem. Generally speaking, Elves could not directly contact the World Tree. Even her descendants needed certain methods before they could cross Dimensions to converse with her. This sort of communication was generally very troublesome. Only the Dragon God could exchange sentences back and forth, engaging in friendly and mutually helpful debate activities.
Thus, when Lord Tao discovered that Transferred Person's genuine schemes and secrets beneath the bed of the already-reincarnating Elf King, she knew she had to come here and remind Mother of this. Otherwise, a grave mistake would certainly be made!
"Lord Tao, I cannot reach Mother. She has not arrived here yet, but her power and Laws have already begun to converge. By the time she truly appears, I fear it will be too late..."
Very soon, Li, who was dispatched to contact the World Tree, flew back. He spoke these words with a not-so-optimistic expression.
"Tsk, that damned Transferred Person small fry..."
Lord Tao glanced at her own ruqun and saw that beneath her chest and lower abdomen, the wounds afflicted by the power of Chaos were still covered in withered peach branches. Taking a deep breath, her gaze subsequently swept towards that distant nation like daggers. Gnashing her teeth in hatred, she said,
"We cannot wait. Since this is the case, we must also enter the nation. We absolutely must stop that Transferred Person. Once she succeeds, we, Mother, and the Tree Continent will all be reduced to this world's sinners. Li, go contact the Dragon God. Cheng, go to the Sanctuary and tell the flock of Angels about this matter!"
Behind her, Li and Cheng exchanged glances, both of their expressions carrying some hesitation. Meanwhile, Lord Tao had thoroughly lost her temper. Her pupils violently split, turning into dual pupils that continuously rotated within her eyes. The veins on her forehead bulged as she cursed the two angrily,
"What time is it! Why are you still hesitating here! You two small fries! Get moving right now! If you still don't get moving, I will wring your heads off and send them back to your hometown to reincarnate right this instant!"
Cheng was a female Elf with a weak and delicate appearance. Cursed at this way, her ears immediately stood erect. Turning her head, she brought along a trail of rainbow robes as she flew straight into the sky.
However, Li's expression was still hesitant. Glancing at Cheng behind him, he bitterly smiled and said,
"Lord Tao, for the Angels of the Sanctuary to contact Lady Chain of Heaven, they also require the Angel Pandora to communicate with divine edicts. Relying just on themselves, they probably wouldn't help. And if they really wish to contact Lady Chain of Heaven, it may already be too late for Cheng to go. As for the Dragon God..."
As he spoke, Li's expression turned into a bitter smile.
"Lord Dragon God comes and goes without a trace. I don't know whether he's at the Crevice right now or sleeping here. I..."
Lord Tao turned her head blankly to look at him, then enunciated every word,
"I checked already. The Dragon God's tracks are not in the Crevice. He's sleeping in some cave on the Dragon Continent right now. I don't care how you wake him up. If all else fails, just hammer on every single hole one by one. Wake him up like you're playing whack-a-mole."
You truly dare to say that, Lord Tao.
Hitting the Dragon God out like playing whack-a-mole. Even if he did manage to call him out, chances were that he would be the very first to disappear.
He could still recall clearly. That Marquis Bai merely went to transmit a message but was almost beaten to death by the Dragon God. In the end, he heard she only came back alive because some noble benefactor rescued her...
But a task assigned by the leader had to be done whether he wanted to or not, otherwise, she would finish him off first.
Thus, left with no alternative, Li had no choice but to bow his head and fast depart.
With the two envoys gone, Lord Tao swept her gaze over the remaining Elves behind her, then rubbed her temples. Turning to the Fourteenth-Tier Demi-humans, who had been frightened stiff and dared not move an inch, she said,
"All of you, go. Return to the Tree Continent on your own. A merit will be recorded for everyone, and and rewards will be doled out after this affair concludes."
Waiting until she opened her continually rotating dual pupils, she then extremely seriously regarded the Elf-kin behind her.
"As for the nine of you, follow me to enter the Ideal State. You absolutely must be the first to assassinate that Transferred Person named 'Margaret'. Everything else can be ignored for now. Whoever dares to block the way, kill them without pardon. Even if it is Tsubaki, there is no need to worry about leaving an intact corpse."
"Yes, Lord Tao."
An entire composition of ten Mythic Species. Even Dragon Tail Island could be sunken by them. But facing the Ideal State at this moment, Lord Tao still felt it might not be enough, which was why she wanted to notify the Sanctuary and the Dragon God first...
Only because that Transferred Person by the name of Margaret possessed incredibly massive plots.
...
...
Jogging all the way, Asuka Karasawa traversed the mist again, passed through all the slumbering residents, and ran back to the towering stone tower situated in the center of the Ideal State.
She was truly somewhat overly excited. Despite the fact that in front of Helaire, she couldn't clearly vocalize the words she had brewed for a long time, but... but Teacher Fisher patted her head and even encouraged her...
Perhaps to Asuka Karasawa, that single line 'I have something to say to Teacher Fisher' could already be counted as declaring her feelings to a certain extent.
Because just like scheduling a dentist appointment for next weekend, this meant she had mustered her courage.
Therefore, Asuka at this moment appeared excited, carrying an expression as if she had already laid her true feelings out in the open.
Yet even Asuka at this moment felt a headache brewing as she stared at the lengthy spiraling stairs within the towering stone tower. Previously, just exactly how did she repeatedly trudge her way up there with so much difficulty?
If only elevators existed in this world as well.
She thought like this.
It was right at this moment that she suddenly recalled the matter of the Angel Pandora possibly deceiving her. Did this mean that she essentially had no way home?
"Hah... hah..."
Visibly exhausted, Asuka Karasawa climbed to the midpoint of the lofty tower. With both hands propped on her knees, she paused to catch her breath. After gulping down a mouthful of saliva, she eventually straightened her body again to steadily trudge toward the peak of the stone tower.
After another span of time passed, she finally barely clambered to the crest of the stone tower. At this time, the massive hollowed-out gate leading into the hall was half-obscured and half-open, beaming out rays of water-like golden luminance from within.
Asuka wiped the sweat off her brow, then finally pushed open the door panel with a smile, revealing the scene inside.
Only to see that at this time inside the great hall, the original desks, chairs, and beds had all vanished from sight. The only existence remaining was that unperturbed water abyss roughly ten meters in diameter in the center of the hall.
Dazzling golden light was incessantly welling out from that water pool, triggering the originally placid pool of water to squirm as if boiling.
Meanwhile, standing beside the pool with a plain and simple single-piece dress was Margaret, watching the pool of water below her quietly with her hands behind her back. Sensing the massive doors swinging open behind her, she finally lifted her gaze and turned back towards the direction behind her.
"Mar... Margaret... Hah... Hah... I've come..."
Looking at Asuka Karaasa, who was heavily gasping for air, Margaret thinly smiled, opening her mouth towards her just as gentle as before.
"Shut the doors, Asuka. The Elves have already arrived at Dragon Tail Island. I sensed their auras, and our situation has turned exceedingly perilous already. With that, we must seize the time..."
"Mh-Mhm!"
As usual, Asuka hurriedly arrived beside the pool of water, taking a deep gulp of air. Pointing both her hands onto the water below, she commenced the process to purify the Loom's power.
Margaret also raised an arm in slow succession, waiting until Asuka slowly washed away the imprint composed of the World Tree's strength, to grasp control of the Loom's power subsequently.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."
Within the pool, rambunctious power continually stirred unceasingly. Following deeper linkages with the Loom, Asuka slowly squeezed her eyes shut, pivoting her concentration toward the matter before her eyes. Under the blessing of her focus, the pace of progression was amplified greatly as the golden flare in the pool shined ever-grander...
Inside Margaret's eyes, the golden luster grew increasingly vibrant. She merely looked down at the pool of water, acting as if she were staring at the golden-glimmering Loom, yet appearing as if she weren't.