Chapter 702

【 LADY AURORA 】

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【You have triggered an epic personal quest: Darkness Before Dawn】

【Thousands of years of perseverance will not be forgotten,】

【A pure heart shall ultimately be redeemed.】

【Chase forward with hope!】

【Break through the darkness, and finally usher in resplendent light…】

【Quest Objective: Lead the members of Azurefrost Clan back to the World of Seigües】

【Quest Rewards: Goddess Affinity +10, Personal Reputation Score +50, Intermediate Silver-rank Advancement Slot, Artifact Restoration Point Voucher (500,000 points) x6】

…

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【You have obtained an exclusive Golden Legendary Title: Chosen One of Destiny】

【Equipped Effect: Permanently increases experience gain by 5%】

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【You have received a blessing from the Goddess: Divine Favor】

【Divine Favor Effect: Grants the ability to borrow the power of faith. Combat strength temporarily increased to Level 70 (Upper Silver Rank). Physical recovery capability increased by 100%】

【Duration: Until the completion of the quest “Darkness Before Dawn”…】

…

The system’s melodious chime echoed beside his ears as several notification text flashed across his field of vision.

Seeing this sudden cascade of alerts and system prompts, Cypher immediately sat upright, his drowsiness evaporating in an instant. His heart thudded as his eyes raced across the glowing interface, barely processing most of it, but when he finally reached the section detailing the extravagant quest rewards, his breath caught and his mind went blank.

For a moment, he could only stare, unsure if what he was seeing was even real.

After a minute or two, whilst still feeling a bit dizzy, he extended both hands and noticed the surging power within his body.

At the same time, the skill bar at the bottom of his vision rapidly began to change as his original skills were swiftly replaced by more advanced versions corresponding to those at the Upper Silver-rank.

Meanwhile, the borders of his avatar icon in the upper left corner had also began to glow into a brilliant gold.

That was the sign of getting the Goddess’s Divine Favor.

Cypher clenched his fists slightly and felt his entire body brimming with strength.

“Darkness Before Dawn…?”

“I will definitely complete it.”

He said firmly.

Raising his head and looking around, Cypher realized he was sitting on a simple stone bed, and his armor had already been removed.

Above him hung a chandelier with elven style decorations, although it was still fueled by that same pungent lard-oil.

The room itself was dilapidated, with cracks creeping along the walls and signs of age evident in every corner, yet it still retained an air of elegance and faded grandeur.

Elven style ornaments and relief carvings could even be seen on the walls, which closely resembled the antechambers of the temples within the cities back in the Elven Forest.

Near the doorway, a clothes rack stood by, neatly holding the equipment he had taken off.

…Where was this place?

A temple?

Cypher felt somewhat confused.

Suddenly, as if recalling something important, his expression tightened.

“Oh right! Where’s Estelle?”

He remembered clearly how Dorei had entrusted his daughter to him before vanishing. However, just as he was about to get out of bed, his body froze mid-motion.

In front of the bed sat a small figure, leaning forward.

The girl was sleeping quietly, with a few teardrops still clinging to her long eyelashes.

Estelle!

Seeing the pitiful state of the little girl, Cypher felt a pang of guilt tighten around his heart.

He let out a soft sigh and unconsciously softened his movements.

He slowly extended his hand, intending to pat the girl’s small head, but hesitated, then withdrew it in the end.

Looking at her exhausted expression, Cypher gently shook his head.

Imma let her sleep a little longer…

Stretching lightly, he shifted his attention to the chat window in the lower left corner of his vision.

The world channel had finally stopped malfunctioning and resumed updating messages, though the refresh rate remained painfully slow.

However, after his meeting with the Goddess, Cypher finally understood the reason behind it.

Turns out, the flow of time here, in this world deep inside the Abyss, differed greatly from that of the World of Seigües.

Specifically, it was four times faster than the regular speed at which the Elven Kingdom operates.

During this quest, which he had accidentally triggered, his thoughts would be accelerated even faster than their normal limits!

Perhaps… that was precisely why only he could participate in this quest, since the system would unlikely be able to handle such extreme acceleration if applied to multiple people at once.

Cypher thought to himself.

Turning to his friends list, he discovered that it began flashing again, which means the connection was now fully restored.

Cypher expanded the list and selected the chat window of the friend closest to him.

【Damn! Cy, what kind of hidden quest did you trigger? Its crazy, the whole server is buzzing with excitement as soon as we saw the message!】

【You met the Goddess? For real!? What storyline did you triggered? It must be a really special quest!】

【Pfft… Hahahaha. Cypher, your dialogue with the Goddess was way too cringe. Hahaha. So embarrassing.】

【What the hell?! You found the missing elves of Mirovia?!】

【Boss Cy, carry me next time!】

Cypher: “…”

Watching the recorded video his friend had sent which showed his meeting with the Goddess, his cheeks quickly flushed red. For a moment, he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

However, he soon took several deep breaths, adjusted his mindset, and calmed himself.

Anyone who had not personally experienced what he did could never truly understand how he felt.

Shaking his head, he typed a reply.

“Let’s talk about it later. I will post a dedicated thread on the forum soon.”

“Anyway, the storyline is about a whole clan of elves who have persevere for thousands of years while retaining their unwavering faith…”

With a soft sigh, Cypher closed the chat window and resumed checking the other features of his system.

The entire system was operating smoothly, and even the background music had begun to play softly.

Seeing the game interface return to normal and function without issue, Cypher felt reassured, like the warmth one feels upon returning home.

Yet, as he listened to the game’s gentle OST playing in the background, a slight pang of sadness struck him.

The music was none other than the BGM, A Morning in Florence.

For a moment, images surfaced before his eyes of Dorei playing the elven harp, along with the frost elves’ poignant singing as their chant echoed throughout the city.

With it still fresh in his mind, Cypher felt that he might never again be able to listen to this BGM without feeling pain.

So, with a quiet sigh, Cypher reached out and completely turned off the game’s ambient music. The world fell into silence, and in that stillness, his mind gradually grew calm as well.

Outside the window, the wind had already stopped.

The beast like roars and the clashing of blades from the battle had also long since faded away.

Only the occasional lightning flickering in the sky could be seen through the window, followed by distant rolls of thunder reverberating across the heavens.

Faintly, Cypher could seem to hear the voices of people speaking and praying outside the room. The words were indistinct, blending together like a distant murmur, yet they carried an inexplicable sense of reassurance that slowly eased his tension.

At that moment, the door was gently pushed open, and an old figure entered Cypher’s field of vision.

It was Gando, the elderly elf who had given him the silver dagger.

Seeing Cypher sitting up, the old man paused slightly, then revealed a smile that appeared somewhat unsettling.

“Unsullied One, you are awake.”

After speaking, he glanced at the little girl sleeping by the window, a trace of sorrow passing through the man’s clouded eyes.

“Come with me. Lady Aurora is already waiting for you at the temple,” Gando spoke in a low voice, as if unwilling to disturb the sleeping girl resting nearby.

Cypher was momentarily taken aback.

After a brief hesitation, he nodded gently and slowly rose from the bed.

Once he was up, he looked once more at Estelle and after a moment’s thought, he carefully lifted the sleeping girl and placed her onto the bed.

Watching as her brows knit slightly, her body curling inward as the girl pulled the thin blanket over herself, before shrinking into a small, bun like shape, a gentle warmth appeared in Cypher’s eyes.

“Estelle is a good child, and a strong one as well.”

“You have received Dorei’s blessing. It seems that he has already entrusted his daughter to you.”

“Unsullied One, I hope you do not fail him…”

Gando sighed softly.

Hearing this, Cypher paused. Only then did he notice that there was an additional buff beneath his avatar icon.

【Blessing of the Frost Elf】

【Description: A blessing granted by a Frost Elf who sacrificed the power of their soul before death】

【Effect: Grants 30% resistance to all Frost magic below the Legendary-rank, up to ten levels higher than your own. This effect is permanently bound】

Cypher stood still for a moment, falling into silence.

“I will take good care of her.”

He spoke in a low voice.

“Let us go. Leave Estelle here to sleep a while longer. Because she was worried about Dorei, this poor girl has not slept well for several days.”

Gando said with a sigh.

After speaking, he stepped out of the room first.

Cypher glanced once more at the sleeping girl and sighed quietly to himself.

Then, moving as softly as possible, he walked to the doorway, gathered his equipment, and followed Gando out.

Only after gently closing the door did Cypher finally let out a breath of relief.

While putting on his gear, he asked:

“Elder Gando, I… how long was I asleep?”

His voice was noticeably louder than before.

Gando looked at him and replied:

“Since the divine manifestation appeared, I guess it was roughly about… two hours, more or less.”

Divine manifestation?

Cypher felt puzzled.

Was he referring to the phenomenon that occurred when the Goddess summoned him?

He pondered this silently.

Then he began calculating the time Gando had mentioned.

Two hours…

Cypher checked the time displayed in his system and made a rough calculation in his mind. To his astonishment, he realized that the flow of time here was far more exaggerated than he had imagined.

In other words, it was at least twenty times that of Earth.

For a brief moment, he even wondered whether accelerating his brain to such a degree might cause some severe damage to it.

Of course, it was nothing more than a fleeting thought.

At that moment, he noticed that Gando was staring at him, momentarily stunned, with a hint of surprise in his expression.

“Unsullied One, no… Lord Cypher, what rank of strength do you truly possess?”

He asked, frowning slightly.

Cypher glanced at his hands. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the silver number “70” beside his avatar icon, and realization dawned on him.

After adjusting his equipment, he revealed a confident smile and said calmly:

“Elder Gando, currently… I am at least at the Upper Silver-rank.”

Gando froze for a brief moment, his pupils contracting almost imperceptibly. Then he gave Cypher a long, meaningful look, one filled with contemplation, yet he said nothing further.

“Let us go.”

He finally said, turning away.

The two walked down a corridor that clearly bore the style of a temple, one in front and one behind.

Cypher curiously observed his surroundings as they moved forward. After a short while, he quickened his pace, walked alongside Gando, and asked:

“Elder, are we inside the temple?”

Gando nodded slightly.

“Yes. This is our Temple of Nature.”

“Then how did I end up here?”

“After the divine manifestation occurred, we specifically sent people to bring you here while you were unconscious.”

“I see… and has the Black Tide already ended?”

“A Black Tide of this magnitude usually lasts at most four or five hours.”

Cypher’s expression grew serious.

“Then during the Black Tide… does that mean the demons besieged the city?”

Gando stopped and looked at Cypher. After a brief silence, he replied:

“Yes, but not entirely.”

Cypher paused. Seeing the trace of sorrow on the old man’s face, he found himself unsure how to continue the conversation.

For a time, the two fell into silence, with only the soft echo of their footsteps resonating throughout the long corridor.

Just as Cypher was considering how to resume the conversation, Gando suddenly spoke again.

“Lord Cypher.”

The elderly elf, looked at Cypher and asked in a tone filled with an inexplicable gravity:

“You… are not from this world, are you?”

Cypher paused slightly, then slowly nodded.

“That is correct.”

“I came here from the World of Seigües.”

Upon hearing Cypher’s answer, Gando was momentarily taken aback. A faint glimmer of light flashed through his clouded eyes.

“The World of Seigües…”

“It has been a long time since I last heard that name.”

The elderly elf let out a long, weary sigh, as if the words themselves had stirred memories buried beneath countless years.

After speaking, his spirit seemed to lift slightly, and a faint brightness returned to his weathered eyes.

“So that means… a passageway between the two still exists?”

For a brief moment, hope flickered across his expression. However, the elder soon shook his head, the faint light fading once more.

“Alas, even if such a passage does exist, what does it even matter at this point? A world without the Divine Matriarch is no different from the Abyss.”

“And besides… all these passageways are one way trip. Once someone arrives here in the Abyss, they can no longer return back.”

“Not to mention that even you, who came here… have already abandoned faith in our Divine Matriarch.”

Cypher opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately stopped himself.

Because they had reached the end of the corridor.

Before them stood a massive door about three meters high, forged from an unknown material. Its surface was adorned with intricate carvings in an unmistakable elven style, depicting what appeared to be ancient mythos and legends of elvenkind.

“We have arrived.”

Gando said.

After that, he gently pushed open the door.

Accompanied by a creaking sound, a soft glow spilled out from within the inner chamber.

Following Gando, Cypher stepped inside the room.

What greeted his eyes was a hall that was both sacred and imposing.

The chamber followed a traditional elven style. Although it did not used the familiar white marbles or ornate stone carvings Cypher had seen in other elven temples, it still carried the same a solemn elegance.

The interior was filled with exquisite chandeliers, but unlike the oil lamps Cypher had seen before, he could not discern the fuel source which powered them.

It was likely magic, or divine power.

At the center of the hall stood a beautiful statue of a goddess, approximately three meters tall.

Its appearance bore a slight resemblance to the Goddess Evé, holy and dignified.

Before the statue knelt a female elf with long, aqua-blue hair.

Unlike Gando, who wore a tattered gray black robe, she was dressed in a magnificent pale blue gown adorned with star-like patterns.

Her garments were spotless, as though she were an angel descended from the heavens themselves.

With her back still turned, the “angel” faced the statue, her prayer flowing steadily and with quiet devotion.

Cypher could hear her soft, melodic voice, each word carrying an almost mystical calm that eased the tension in his chest and swept away any of his lingering worries.

Faint specks of light glimmered around her, which further enhances her ethereal presence.

“Lady Aurora, Lord Cypher has arrived,”

Gando said respectfully, breaking the silence.

The prayer ended abruptly, and a hush settled over the hall.

The female elf rose gracefully and finally turned to face him.

Cypher: “…”

What met his eyes was a face of flawless, striking beauty. Her skin glowed faintly, and her silver-blue eyes sparkled like stars scattered across a midnight sky.

And although she did not evoke the same overwhelming awe similar to the Goddess, her elegance and charm alone far surpassed any avatar the players designed in the game.

The female elf offered a gentle, warm smile and spoke in a calm, melodious voice.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Cypher. Our fellow clansman from the World of Seigües.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep