novelraw Chapter 657: Three Moons
Chapter 657: Three Moons
Duke’s arrival drew the attention of the team members. The bald, burly Level 2 Mage merely glanced at him before giving a slight nod, and then paid no further attention.
The old, stern man scrutinized Duke a bit more closely, particularly lingering for a moment on the unassuming yet remarkably crafted Space Ring on his finger, also nodding in acknowledgment.
The other three Level 1 Mages also looked at him. The woman with Elf blood gave a slight, friendly smile, the man with glasses nodded somewhat awkwardly, while the man in the gray cloak remained silent.
"Duke?" a voice called out from nearby; it was the liaison arranged by the Commerce Association for this gathering, a steward of the association.
"Everyone is here; the teleportation will start shortly. Once on the other side, follow all instructions from Casey in Darkmoon Town. Good luck with your mission and safe return."
Before long, a military personnel arrived to guide their group to the teleportation hall.
The gigantic Teleportation Array was located deep within the fortress, with runes glowing steadily on the floor, surrounded by several mages maintaining and calibrating the energy.
"Bound for the Dark Elf Plane, forward outpost Darkmoon Town! Enter the Teleportation Array range in sequence and stand firm! Slight dizziness and the sensation of spatial dislocation during transportation is normal!" The Seville Empire soldier called out loudly.
Duke stepped into the center of the swirling light of the Teleportation Array with the other team members.
He took one last look at the cold metal dome of the teleport fortress of Golden Stream City, feeling the surge of immense spatial energy beneath his feet.
The light suddenly burgeoned, swallowing all vision and sound.
The familiar feeling of weightlessness and pulling came over him, more intense than any prior use of a Teleportation Array.
By now, these discomforts during teleportation no longer bothered Duke. He even had the leisure to observe his surroundings, noticing what seemed like countless beams of light and low, rushing sounds sweeping past rapidly.
When the sensation of solid ground returned and the light faded, he was immediately enveloped by a distinctly different atmosphere—chilly, damp, with a strong vegetal scent and a faint hint of decay.
Duke opened his eyes.
Above was an eternally dark sky, dotted with sparse stars and three moons of differing hues.
The colors of the three moons were varied: silver-white, pale purple, and dark red.
Below was soft, damp soil covered with thick moss and fallen leaves.
Surrounding them were towering ancient trees of bizarre shapes, their branches and leaves casting mottled shadows like living entities in the faint moonlight.
In the distance, the glimmer of lights and outlines of simple structures were faintly visible—presumably the location of Darkmoon Town.
"Welcome to the Dark Elf Plane, forward outpost Darkmoon Town," a steady male voice rang out from the front.
Duke squinted, recognizing the speaker as Casey, the supervisor.
He appeared to be in his early forties, with a sharp-featured face, wearing the Star Dome Commerce Association’s signature combat attire with dark silver trim, more suited for field operations. A short staff and several bulging potion pouches hung at his waist, his gaze sharp and efficient, with two similarly attired Commerce Association guards following behind him.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Casey, responsible for logistics and reception at this outpost. Please follow me to the camp for initial accommodations. Remain vigilant on the way; although this area has been cleared multiple times, the native inhabitants of the Dark Elf Plane can infiltrate anywhere."
Casey’s words were succinct as he nodded to the team members, showing appropriate respect particularly to the two Level 2 Mages, before turning to lead the group forward.
The ground was so soft it seemed it might ooze water, the thick layer of leaves and moss that had accumulated over countless years emitting a slight puffing sound underfoot.
The air was highly humid, with each breath carrying a sense of coolness and moisture.
Above, in the sky and throughout the surroundings, the eternal night was the primary theme, though it was not purely black.
The three moons—Sulen with its frost-like silver-white, Ilythari with its hazy pale purple, and Shar with its blood-like dark red—hung high in the sky, moving slowly along different trajectories visible to the naked eye, casting three distinct yet intertwined moonlit colors onto the land.
This rendered the forest not pitch-black but enveloped in a veil of ethereal, changeable, multilayered dim light.
The silver light was cool and sharp, the purple light soft and mysterious, while the red light carried a hint of ominous oppression.
Through the layers of unusually-shaped giant tree branches and leaves, the moonlight cast constantly shifting, life-like eerie shadows on the ground.
The surrounding trees were varieties Duke had never seen before.
They were abnormally tall, with trunks often twisted and gnarled, bark in deep purple, dark green, or dull black, covered in moss and bioluminescent fungi.
Many trees had leaves that were not green but dark red, deep purple, or pale, some with long, curtain-like aerial roots that gently swayed in the breeze.
More peculiarly, the forest was scattered with numerous plants and fungi emitting faint fluorescence, from glow berries hanging like small lanterns on branches, to glowing mosses spanning the ground like scattered stars, and variously shaped, slow-breathing giant mushrooms.
These sources of light weren’t constant; sometimes bright, sometimes dim, as if breathing, combining with the moonlight from the three moons to form the eerie and enchanting spectrum of this dark world.
In addition to the damp, musty air, there lingered a faint, sweet yet slightly bloody floral scent, and an indescribable ancient forest’s silent pressure.
Occasionally, from a great distance, came an unrecognizable, long and ethereal howl, or the rustle of wings passing over the tree canopy.
The group followed Casey in silence, with only the sound of footsteps and light breathing, while in the distance, the hubbub from the camp grew gradually clearer.
After walking for about ten minutes and crossing a deliberately cleared open area, Darkmoon Town’s silhouette finally fully emerged.
This was not a traditional town but rather a well-equipped, heavily fortified military advance base.
The outermost perimeter was a ten-meter-high, rough wall constructed of massive logs and Magic Metal, with evenly spaced watchtowers emanating ghostly blue light. The crystals atop the towers constantly scanned the dark forest beyond.
Beyond the walls, the sight was even more daunting.
As far as the eye could see, the specially cleared ground was packed with innumerable Slave Creature Legions.
They spread out like a black tide, nearly reaching the forest’s edge.
The air was thick with the murky, wild, and deadly scent brought by these gathered legions, used by the Empire as cheap cannon fodder to consume, clear, and occupy, the most visible display of force on this conquered land.