Chapter 706

【 BACK HOME 】

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Cypher was visibly excited, his firm voice resounding throughout the crowded room.

He spread his arms wide as his blood surged while uttering such impassioned speech.

Of course, later on, when he looked back on this part of the quest, Cypher realized that he had added yet another overly cringeworthy moment to his personal history.

Worse still, it was a moment officially preserved by the devs and included into the opening cinematic of the game, a level of public embarrassment that could only be described as social death.

Whenever Cypher saw players watching this scene, he could not help but want to roll around on the ground in shame, twisting himself into a ball. For a long time afterward, he even avoided watching any Elven Kingdom related videos online.

It was mortifying.

Unbearably mortifying.

How could he have said something so melodramatic, with expressions that exaggerated?

However, all of this belonged to the distant future.

For now, standing at the center of the room, facing the excited and hopeful gazes of the members of the Azurefrost Clan, Cypher had fully immersed himself within the game.

At this moment, he wanted only one thing.

To save them.

After listening to Cypher narrate the recent events that occurred in the World of Seigües, the room fell completely silent.

Each Frost Elf present stared at him in a daze, seemingly still in shock, as if they needed time to process the scale of what they had just heard.

“The Elven Forest… has already been reclaimed?”

Aurora spoke softly with a dazed expression, her gentle voice tinged with complex emotion.

Beneath that complexity, however, one could sense both a budding relief and excitement within the Azurefrost Guardian Demigod.

“Yes, Lady Aurora. Right now, there aren’t any hostile races occupying lands we elves owned.”

Cypher said with a smile.

Aurora fell silent for a moment, then asked quietly, “C-Could you… could you tell me more about what’s going on in the Elven Forest?”

Her expression carried a trace of attachment and longing.

It was like a traveler who had been away from home for many years, finally hearing news of their homeland.

As she looked at Cypher, a hint of anticipation gradually surfaced in her gaze, brightening her eyes despite her attempt to remain composed.

Meeting Aurora’s bright, starlike eyes, Cypher gently nodded.

“Of course.”

He paused for a brief moment, as if organizing his thoughts, then continued.

“The Goddess’s statue has been erected once again in Florence, and Maple Leaf City now flies the banners of the Church of Life. Ah, I almost forgot to mention, the Goddess has already reformed the Church of Nature into the Church of Life. Its holy symbol has also been changed from a tree to the Scepter of Life, like this…”

As he spoke, he briefly gestured, making sure it was easy to follow.

“We have built eight new cities in the Elven Forest, each more magnificent and grander than Florence. The largest among them, the Chosen City, has become our new capital. It stands at the heart of the forest which connects all the other cities.”

“Each city is home to tens of thousands, possibly even hundreds of thousands, of elves. The roads are broad and straight, shops line the streets in bustling prosperity, and lush gardens fill the cities with breathtaking scenery. Life there is orderly, lively, and full of color.”

“From the Dark Mountains to the Southern Dwarven Lands, from the Desert of Death to the Northern forests, from the Fertile Plains to the endless seas, our presence can be seen everywhere, and the Goddess’s name can be heard in every land.”

“There is no longer confusion or pain on the faces of our people. There is no longer despair or exhaustion. Every elf can live in happiness, and every day is a new beginning, free from fear and loss.”

“Lady Aurora, everything is over.”

“There will be no more corruption, no more separation. There will be only happiness, only joy, and the freedom to choose how to live.”

“We will have fruits we can never finish eating, sweet and tangy. We will have intoxicating floral teas and honeyed wines, smooth and refreshing. Even simple meals feel abundant.”

“We will live even better than the stories recorded in books, because the Elven Forest today is changing every single day. Numerous talented people gather there, sharing new ideas, and creating new and convenient inventions one after another. Progress never stops.”

“Lady Aurora, a new era has already begun.”

“It is time to go home.”

Cypher spoke with sincerity, his voice carrying quiet confidence rather than exaggeration.

As they listened, the Frost Elves widened their eyes, one after another revealing expressions of longing.

The news sounded so dreamlike, so beautiful.

It was almost as if they were dreaming.

Yet, although anticipation and yearning filled many faces, Cypher also noticed confusion and uncertainty lingering on quite a few of them.

The room was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

Then, at that moment, a trembling voice broke the silence.

“It is over…? Is everything really now over…?”

“Then… what about our mission…?”

“We endured here in the abyss for so long… in the end… what was it all for…?”

“We struggled for years, sacrificing generation after generation of our children… what was it all for…”

It was an elderly Frost Elf.

Leaning on a cane, the old man’s clouded eyes, sunken between folds of aged flesh, were filled with tears.

The other Frost Elves did not speak, yet the mixture of joy and grief on their faces revealed the same sense of loss within their hearts.

Cypher froze slightly.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The mission of the Azurefrost Clan.

After fleeing from the Black Tide, he had once spoken with Estelle by the fire basin, and he had also skimmed through the ancient books kept in the elven girl’s home. From those pages, he had learned the outline of their past.

Cypher knew that the Frost Elves had entered this world with a single purpose:

That is to seek an alternative path to awaken the Goddess.

However, were those efforts truly effective?

Cypher did not know.

It was a question he genuinely did not know how to answer.

At that moment, he suddenly became aware of something else.

The reason all these Frost Elves had been able to persevere for so long in this dark abyssal world was not because they were innately fearless, nor because they possessed greater survival abilities than other races.

—No.

They were able to persevere for tens of thousands of years just by clinging onto a single mission.

The revival of their Divine Matriarch.

And yet, without them even knowing it, their Patron Deity had returned all on her own.

Thus, with their multigenerational mission now fulfilled, the Azurefrost Clan were like a bowstring that had been drawn tight and was suddenly released.

And after being rigidly strong for far too long, they finally slipped into a fragile state of mind.

Just as Cypher was struggling to find the right words, Aurora’s gentle voice rang out and reached everyone present.

“Of course it was all worth it.”

Her gaze was firm, and when she looked toward the Goddess’s statue within the temple, her eyes were filled with pure devotion.

“We held on for a thousand years and preserved the Azurefrost Clan. That alone is our greatest victory.”

“After the catastrophe which altered the fate of elvenkind, every clan sought its own way of surviving, and I know the others also tried to awaken the Matriarch in their own way…”

“The revival of the Divine Matriarch is the result of the shared efforts of all the Elven Clans.”

Cypher nodded vigorously.

“That is right. It is the collective effort of all elves.”

After speaking, he turned toward the holy statue of the Goddess. Stirred by a sudden thought, he continued,

“Moreover, although the Goddess has awakened, she is still far from returning to her former strength. This is precisely the time when everyone’s strength is needed.”

“I can feel how potent the faith the Azurefrost Clan have accumulated over thousands of years truly is. When that faith returns to the Goddess’s embrace, it will surely help the Goddess regain her former glory.”

Hearing Cypher’s words, the Frost Elves’ eyes brightened, and the trace of confusion from earlier vanished.

At this moment, they seemed to have found a new purpose.

The elderly Frost Elf who had spoken earlier paused, then bent his frail body and bowed deeply to Cypher.

“Lord Cypher, you are right.”

“Our mission is not yet over. We will return to the world of Seigües. We will return to the embrace of the Matriarch and offer her our accumulated power of faith.”

“Even if…such amount is insignificant.”

Seeing the renewed fighting spirit on the faces of these Frost Elves, Cypher froze for a moment, a faint ache rising in his chest.

At that moment, he realized something else.

Thousands of years of perseverance had shaped the very mindset of these elves. As such, their lives by now had been defined entirely by their mission alone.

They had forgotten how to live for themselves, how to find joy or comfort outside their duty.

So if they were to lose that purpose, some might even lose the will to live, despite hearing him describe the wondrous things awaiting them back home.

This was the trauma that millennia of suffering had etched deep into their hearts.

And only by returning to the world of Seigües, and experiencing its warmth and happiness once again, could they begin to recover from this multigenerational strain.

The Frost Elves’ willpower had been stretched far too tight for far too long, teetering on the brink between perseverance and collapse.

It would have taken only a single misstep, for it to tip into the latter.

Fortunately, their willpower was reignited just in time.

Lady Aurora looked out toward the sky beyond the window, deep in thought.

“Lord Cypher.”

She suddenly spoke.

“Yes?”

Cypher answered at once.

Aurora slowly turned around, revealing a gentle smile, her gaze growing solemn.

“You said earlier that if we find the highest point in this world, a place wherein the stars in the true night sky could be seen, and pray to the Matriarch, then we will receive Her light and be summoned back home. Is that correct?”

Cypher nodded.

“Yes, and… everyone in your clan must go together.”

“The Goddess has sensed that powerful entities still exist in this world. As a result, any attempt to exert her power here for a prolonged period would create a significant disturbance. For this reason, the summoning must be carried out all at once, before those entities become aware of it.”

After hearing Cypher’s explanation, the Frost Elves exchanged glances. A stir spread through the crowd as murmured discussions broke out.

Aurora’s expression remained calm.

She sighed softly, her gaze drifting into the distance.

“A place where the stars can be seen…”

“In this world, it should be that place.”

As she spoke, she shifted her gaze across the room toward Gando the elderly high priest.

Gando paused slightly, then sighed in agreement.

“That is right, Lady Aurora. If nothing unexpected occurs, it should be that place…”

What place?

Cypher’s curiosity was piqued.

His gaze shifted between the two of them as he asked,

“Lady Aurora, Lord Gando, when you speak of ‘that place,’ what exactly do you mean…?”

Gando glanced at him and replied with respectful composure,

“Lord Cypher, in this world, the only place from which the stars could be seen is likely the Cliff of Sorrow.”

“…The Cliff of Sorrow?”

Cypher froze for a moment.

“That is correct. It is a sheer cliff nearly two thousand meters high. From there, one can behold a brilliant expanse of stars in the night sky.”

Gando explained.

A place where the stars could be seen in the night sky?

Cypher’s spirits lifted, and he exclaimed with delight,

“Yes, it must be there! The Goddess said that as long as the stars are visible in the ‘true night sky’, we could invoke her name and receive her summoning light.”

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that the expressions of the Frost Elves had become noticeably complicated upon hearing that name.

“W-What is it? Is that place… dangerous in some way?”

Cypher’s heart sank slightly as he asked uneasily.

Gando’s gaze drifted, as though he had been drawn into distant memories.

He sighed softly and said,

“It is not exactly dangerous, per se. As members of the Azurefrost Clan, I am sure we have encountered far greater dangers than most of our counterparts.”

“Alas, the Cliff of Sorrow was the site of the first city we established when we entered this world.”

Their first city?

Cypher was taken aback. He had assumed that this city was the only one the Frost Elves had ever possessed.

“Then why did you leave? Was it destroyed by some danger?” he asked, curiosity and concern mixing in his tone.

Gando nodded solemnly.

“According to the records, more than two thousand years ago, the pioneers encountered an unprecedented, colossal Black Tide. In the end, demons and monsters breached the city, forcing them to abandon it.”

As he spoke, he cast a brief glance at Aurora, his voice carrying a trace of sorrow.

“In the end, it was Lady Aurora who fought, sustaining severe injuries herself, and led our clan in a desperate breakout.”

“That place, and that name, serve as an everlasting reminder of the suffering endured by our clan’s predecessors.”

After hearing Gando’s account, Cypher could not help but look toward Aurora, only to see that the Azurefrost Clan Guardian also wore an expression of subtle grief.

She sighed gently and said with a sad tone,

“To this day, I still remember that overwhelming Black Tide. If Uria had not sacrificed herself, I would never have survived…”

“Although I managed to lead most of the Azurefrost Clan to safety, our fellow kinsmen, the Rocksand Clan which also entered this world alongside us remained buried there forever…”

“By now, that place… should have become nothing more than ruins.”

The Rocksand Clan?

Uria?

So the elves who entered this world were not limited to the Azurefrost Clan alone?

Uria…

Could she have been another Guardian Demigod?

As Aurora spoke, Cypher’s thoughts surged.

Aurora quickly concealed the sorrow in her eyes and gently shook her head.

“However, all of this belongs to the past.”

“The Matriarch has returned, and Her Majesty has summoned us home. Naturally, we must follow her orders.”

“Finally, it is time to leave this abyssal world, to leave behind this place steeped in sorrow.”

As she spoke, she turned her gaze back to Cypher.

“Lord Cypher.”

“Yes, my lady.”

Cypher straightened immediately.

“Would you be willing to join me, leading the entire Azurefrost Clan of over two hundred fifty-three thousand seven hundred eighty-two of our kin, on a journey to the Cliff of Sorrow, to answer the call of the Matriarch and return to our homeland?”

“Of course! That is precisely the mission that brought me here in the first place.”

Cypher smiled slightly and placed his right fist against his chest.

Seeing the determination on his face, Aurora’s smile softened even further.

She gently raised her hand and traced the symbol of a tree over her chest.

Halfway through, she paused, then redrew the symbol as the Scepter of Life.

“May the Matriar—No.”

“May the Goddess forever watch over you, Lord Cypher.”

Her voice was filled with devotion and sincere intent.

Then she turned, spread her arms wide, and called out loudly to the assembled Frost Elves.

“My fellow clansmen!”

“The time has come.”

“Our thousands of years of waiting have finally ended. Now… it is time to leave this dark world behind us.”

“We are… going back home.”

The Frost Elves raised their right hands and responded in unison.

“Back home!”

The sound echoed through the temple, lingering in the air for a long time to come.

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