Chapter 707

【 A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS 】

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The speed of the Frost Elves’ mobilization exceeded Cypher’s expectations.

He had believed that the players’ mobilization was already quite fast, yet he had not anticipated that the Frost Elves would display even greater efficiency and resolve.

After Aurora and the senior leaders of the Azurefrost Clan decided to lead their people back home, the entire city immediately sprang into action.

In less than a single day, their entire clan, with a population of up to two hundred and fifty thousand members, had swiftly completed all preparations for departure.

Beneath the towering city gates, a vast procession of elves stretched endlessly into the distance. Some carried their belongings on their backs, while others pushed carts, forming a long and orderly queue that seemed to have no end.

“The preparations to leave are already complete?” Cypher asked in surprise as he followed the lengthy line.

“Of course,” came the voice of Gando, standing at his side.

“Well, there was nothing truly worth taking with us to begin with. We are going to enjoy a new life in our beautiful home world, so why should we bother bringing all that worn-out clutter with us?”

After the meeting, Gando and Cypher had been assigned to sort through the items in the temple together. Through casual conversation back and forth, they had gradually grown familiar with one another, developing something of a friendship that transcended age.

This elderly elf, who appeared really strict at first glance, proved to be quite talkative once he opened up.

Currently he seemed to be in a good mood, humming an ancient melody under his breath while holding a water flask in his hand.

“Weapons, food, clothing, tents for travel, and a few meaningful works of art and books that preserve our clan’s heritage. That is all we need. Everything else is unnecessary,” Gando said as he lifted the flask and took a deep drink.

As if he had just tasted the finest beverage in the world, Gando’s face filled with contentment. The eyes nestled among the folds of his flesh narrowed into slits as he smiled at Cypher.

“Lord Cypher, this elven flower tea you gave me is truly exquisite! In all my years, I have never tasted such a wonderful, um…”

“Beverage,” Cypher said with a smile, supplying the word.

“Ah, yes, beverage! So this is the taste of sweetness described in those old books. What a blissful flavor! It is far better than the juice made of abyssal worms. Once I return to our home realm, I will drink to my heart’s content. One cup every day—No, two cups!”

Gando spoke with visible longing.

Cypher laughed heartily and patted him on the shoulder.

“Elder Gando, only two cups? When the time comes, you can drink as much as you like! This is a common drink in the Elven Forest.”

Gando’s eyes lit up.

“That would be wonderful indeed.”

As he spoke, he smacked his lips and could not help taking another sip from the flask. Then he weighed it in his hand and frowned slightly.

“No, I must not drink any more. Otherwise, I will finish it all before we even set out.”

Seeing his reluctant expression, Cypher waved his hand dismissively.

“Do not worry about it. I still have plenty. I stocked up on quite a lot of good food and drink Before coming here in the Abyss.”

However, Gando shook his head.

“Hmm… no. From here to the Cliff of Sorrow, the journey will take at least two months. If we encounter a black tide along the way, we will need to halt and establish defenses, which will slow us down even further.” ＲåℕȏβÈṨ

As he spoke, he patted Cypher on the shoulder.

“So, Lord Cypher, you should keep it for yourself. Your slender build cannot compare to ours. You are not suited to the taste of this world’s food. I heard from Estelle that the last time you ate her family’s dried meat, you ended up with diarrhea, did you not?”

Cypher found himself both amused and exasperated.

He turned and shot a glare at the elven girl Estelle, who was following behind him. In response, she stuck out her tongue playfully and made a silly face.

“You little troublemaker!” Cypher said, reaching out as if to ruffle her hair.

The girl darted away like a leaping fawn. She ran behind Gando, grabbed the hem of the old elf’s robe, and pouted.

“Grandpa Gando! Brother Cypher is bullying me!”

“Hahaha…” Gando laughed loudly.

“All right, all right. I need to speak with Lord Cypher for a while. Estelle, go and play with your friends.”

“Yes, yes,” the elven girl replied obediently.

She nodded, then ran toward the slowly advancing elven procession, soon joining several elves of similar age in play.

They were positioned at the very center of the formation, which was an area protected by multiple layers of defense. It was where the young elves, those least affected by corruption, were gathered.

Watching all these children laugh and play, Gando let out a small sigh, his gaze growing ever warmer.

“Once we return to the world of Seigües, Estelle and the others will finally be free. They will be able to grow up happy and carefree.”

He spoke with a note of wistful emotion.

Hearing this, Cypher felt a similar surge of sentiment. He looked along the endless line of the procession and similarly sighed softly.

“Yes. Everything should get better.”

Gando nodded in agreement and then fell silent, his expression turning thoughtful.

After a brief pause, he let out a gentle sigh. “Lord Cypher.”

“Yes?” Cypher replied.

“I owe you an apology. When you first arrived in the city, I failed to recognize your true identity and even addressed you with an improper and derogatory term.”

Cypher looked at the old elf with mild surprise, then shook his head lightly.

“Mr. Gando, there is no need to dwell on it. If our positions were reversed, I doubt I would have recognized it either. After all, there is no light of faith upon me.”

Hearing this, Gando gave a faint, bitter smile and sighed again.

“In the end, it seems my faith was still not devout enough. Still… I believe I now understand why the light of faith does not appear on you.”

“And why is that?” Cypher asked, genuinely curious.

Gando thought for a moment before answering.

“You once mentioned that elvenkind now stands on equal footing with humanity in Seigües. If that is truly the case, then I suspect the Goddess is deliberately concealing Her identity.”

“Changing Her divine symbol and reforming the church were likely steps taken for this purpose.”

“In such circumstances, the absence of the light of faith upon you would make your presence far less conspicuous here in the Abyss. It would greatly reduce the risk of drawing the attention of the hostile forces that lurk throughout this land.”

After hearing Gando’s explanation, a trace of surprise appeared on Cypher’s face.

“So I was correct?” Gando raised an eyebrow.

“Hmm… how should I put it. I guess you are probably right.”

“Probably?”

“Meaning, just a little.”

“And what does just a little mean?”

“…”

Cypher looked at Gando helplessly, while the latter burst into laughter.

At that moment, a voice called out from behind them.

“Lord Cypher! Lord Cypher!”

Cypher turned around and saw a priest, panting as he ran over.

Behind him followed two elven guards with powerful auras, and in his arms he carried a tall box.

“Lord Cypher, Lady Aurora has instructed me to deliver this to you,” he said, bowing slightly as he presented the box with both hands.

Cypher raised his eyebrows and examined it. The container stood at least a meter tall, and a familiar power emanated from within. He could feel it even without touching the surface, and his expression grew serious.

“…Is this the divine core statue from the tower?” he asked.

“Yes,” the priest replied. “Lady Aurora said that this statue contains the faith power accumulated by our entire clan for over thousands of years. And only in your hands can its capabilities be fully brought to bear.”

Cypher immediately understood the implication.

“By fully brought to bear… you mean using it to erect a holy barrier?”

“Exactly,” the priest said, nodding apologetically. “We regret placing such a burden upon you, but the road ahead will not remain peaceful throughout the journey.”

Cypher waved his hand dismissively.

“It is nothing. This is my responsibility to begin with. I will make proper use of it and protect everyone at critical moments.”

As he spoke, he accepted the box and strapped it onto his back.

His body sank slightly under the weight, and Cypher felt the burden of responsibility upon him grow heavier.

“By the way, where is Lady Aurora?” he asked.

“She is still in the city. She wishes to pray for our remaining clan members who are ‘sleeping’ here, and to bid them farewell,” the priest answered.

“…I see.”

Cypher felt a quiet sense of melancholia.

Over the past two thousand years, how many members of the Azurefrost clan had fallen into eternal rest here?

Cypher did not know.

Nor did he wish to know.

However, the darkness was about to pass, and dawn was drawing near.

And he would walk together with these elves toward a new future filled with hope.

After the priest departed, Cypher and Gando continued forward with the procession.

Although the Frost Elves’ ranks were extremely long, they were orderly and well disciplined.

Clearly, years of struggle within the Abyss had forged them a discipline as firm as iron.

From the center outward, the formation was arranged according to age, with adult elves who showed more severe signs of corruption positioned closer to the exterior. On the outermost layer stood the elven guards, clad in worn and weathered armor, their presence stern and intimidating.

These were the older frost elves, veterans of countless engagements and seasoned by years of constant combat.

Through further conversation with Gando, Cypher learned that most of the armor worn by these guards had been passed down through many generations. In fact, much of it had originally been brought from the world of Seigües by the very first generation of Frost Elves.

The abyssal world they inhabited was harsh and severely lacking in resources. Only by carefully preserving the armor and weapons inherited from their forebears had the Frost Elves been able to endure and survive in such an unforgiving environment.

Although the bones of certain demons and monsters could be used to craft arrowheads or other disposable tools, the abyssal power imbued within them was extremely difficult to purify. As a result, such materials were considered unsuitable for armor or other equipment worn close to the body.

Even so, Cypher noticed that elderly elves were rarely seen within the procession, not even among those on the outermost perimeter.

Of course, although they were described as elderly, according to the growth and aging rate of the Frost Elves in this Abyssal world, most of them were only one or two hundred years old.

At that age, compared to elves living in the world of Seigües, they would have been in the prime period of an elf’s life.

Yet here, they were already frail and withered.

“Where are the elderly members of your clan?” Cypher asked with curiosity after failing to find any of the older elves within the procession.

He turned to Gando, who was traveling alongside him.

Gando paused slightly, then replied calmly, “They… they have gone ahead to scout the way.”

“To scout the way?” Cypher repeated.

“Yes. This journey is so long that we are bound to encounter demons, or even a black tide. Someone must go ahead to reconnaissance. If they return, it means the path ahead is safe. If they do not, then we will take a detour,” Gando said naturally, as though he were speaking of the most ordinary matter.

As he spoke, he sighed softly.

“By all rights, I should have gone as well. I applied to do so, but Lady Aurora refused. She said that as the head of our Church, I must remain to assist her in managing all the priests.”

He then continued with a note of grievance in his voice.

“Honestly, you have no idea how smug and proud those old fellows looked when they left. We all grew up together, yet at such an advanced age they still said to me, “Gando, you coward, we are going ahead to scout the road in front. You can just follow Lady Aurora and take it easy behind.” Can you believe it!? It was infuriating.”

Gando complained, yet despite the words, Cypher sensed a trace of sorrow beneath his tone.

As he continued speaking, the elderly priest gradually fell silent.

He gazed into the distance and let out a long sigh.

“Still… even if I did not go, they do not have the protection of faith like I do. They probably would not have been able to hold on for much longer anyway. To be able to give everything they have in these final two months was also their wish.”

Hearing this, Cypher parted his lips slightly and sighed inwardly.

He had never harbored the illusion that he could bring everyone back.

Yet the fact that these Frost Elves had already prepared themselves to sacrifice part of their people before even setting out still filled him with sadness.

However, this was unavoidable.

This land was dangerous, and danger inevitably came with sacrifice.

For the elderly elves whose corruption was most severe, the moment they left the city meant that degeneration could occur at any given time.

They… had likely already prepared themselves for such outcome.

Hope lay just ahead.

Yet they would never reach it.

Even so, they were willing to become lights guiding the way to such hope.

They would burn themselves away, illuminating the path forward for their kin in the darkness.

At some unknown moment, an elf within the moving procession took out a harp and began to sing softly.

The sound was ethereal, gentle, and unhurried.

The song seemed to carry a strange power.

Cypher felt as though he could see a resilient people advancing ceaselessly through the darkness, moving forward without pause.

Even when the road ahead was filled with hardship, they never gave up.

The song was filled with strength.

It was a resilience that combined softness with steel, a grandeur rooted deep within the soul of the people.

The ancient melody drifted above the procession, drawing more and more elves to join in.

Gando’s gaze gradually grew unfocused as he began to sing along too.

“When the cold of Winter comes,

Starless nights will cover day,

In the veiling of the sun,

We will walk in bitter rain.

But in dreams,

I can hear your name,

And in dreams,

We will meet again.

When the seas and mountains fall,

And we come, to end of days,

In the dark I hear a call,

Calling me there,

I will go there,

And back again…”

The ancient song echoed again and again through the slowly advancing procession.

Listening to the gentle and moving melody, Cypher gradually became entranced.

At that moment, a powerful impulse surged within him.

He wanted to record everything before him.

He wanted to preserve the story of these Frost Elves.

Their perseverance,

Their resolve,

Their greatness.

He wanted to share everything that was happening here with others, with the wider world.

Cypher slowly exhaled and opened the system network.

He logged onto the official forum and created a new post.

The ethereal melody still echoed by his ears, and a trace of gentleness passed across Cypher’s face.

“My friends…”

“What I am about to tell is a story of perseverance and faith.”

“In a dark world within the Abyss, there once existed such a great resilient people…”

“…“

Author’s Note: The lyrics came from the song ‘In Dreams’ from Lord of the Rings.

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