【 OUR HOMELAND 】

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Seeing the name of the tavern, a faint smile flickered across Cypher’s eyes.

He leapt lightly and jumped down from the carriage.

“Lord Cypher, you’re here!”

At the sight of the carriage stopping before the tavern, the elven attendant responsible for greeting guests brightened immediately.

As the savior of the Azurefrost Clan, Cypher was pretty well known to everyone around here. He was also a frequent patron of the tavern so its no wonder he had already been recognized even before he stepped down.

Facing the enthusiastic elven attendant, Cypher smiled and nodded in response.

“Hello, Mikah.”

That was the attendant’s name.

“Hey, hey. Brother Mikah, don’t forget about me!”

From the front of the carriage, Estelle muttered in dissatisfaction.

The elven attendant turned to look at the girl and greeted her with a smile.

“Estelle, you’ve grown even more beautiful.”

The corners of Estelle’s lips curved upward, clearly pleased.

Soon after, the elven girl snorted lightly, lifting her delicate chin.

“Honestly, all of you have become slick-tongued after following the Chosen Ones.”

“Estelle, don’t forget that I am also a Chosen One.”

Cypher laughed deliberately as he rubbed the girl’s head.

Estelle stuck out her tongue.

“Brother Cypher is nothing like those oddballs running weirdly all over the streets.”

“Odd… Oddballs…”

Hubert twitched at the corner of his mouth, genuinely curious about when she had learned such an earthly term.

Cypher burst into laughter, then handed the carriage over to the elven attendant.

“Park it in the usual place will you, thank you.”

“Yes, no problem.”

The elven attendant stroked the mane of the dragon-scaled horse and murmured a few words. The horse snorted softly, then obediently pulled the carriage along as it followed him toward the stables behind the tavern.

The three of them pushed open the door and entered.

Hope tavern was not very large and was decorated in a traditional elven interior style, with exquisite patterns carved into the walls, while animated wooden pillars and flowering vines filled the space, giving it a strong, natural atmosphere.

There were more than a dozen tables inside, most of which were already occupied. Some guests were elaborately dressed, evidently players, while others were dressed in simple yet still elegant attire, clearly local elves.

People gathered in small groups, chatting with one another or playing various tabletop games developed by players.

Cypher glanced around casually.

Good grief… Not only mahjong and poker but even otherworldly versions of Gwent and Three Kingdoms Kill had also been spread around?

Hm…? Some were also playing Monopoly and Werewolf—Wait a moment.

Did I just see Goddess Cards?

It was worth noting that the ones most addicted to these tabletop games were not the players, but the native elves instead.

Even though he had seen this many times before, Cypher still could not help feeling a little strange when he watched these handsome and beautiful Frost Elves sitting together, sometimes with players, enthusiastically rubbing mahjong tiles or brandishing cards while shouting words like, “Pung!” “Chow!” “Hu!”

However, compared to all of that, nothing seemed quite as shocking as the Frost Elf inside the tavern who was playing a song from Earth on an elven harp.

Watching that particular Frost Elf bard sway his head while playing and singing familiar Earth music, Cypher could not help twitching the corner of his mouth.

Right now, he truly wanted to know which fellow had taught these natives “Yi Jian Mei” and “Waiting a Thousand Years for a Return.”

Being able to localize those old Chinese songs into a smooth, singable native elven language was honestly an impressive talent.

Still, it had to be attributed to the elves’ intrinsic artistic ability.

Cypher was certain that when the players first taught them these songs, it had been done as sort of a prank.

Yet no one had expected that, after the elves adjusted the melodies, these Chinese songs— which should have felt utterly out of place in this more Western-oriented fantasy world— were instead performed with an ethereal, natural quality.

Even so, no matter how great the localized renditions of these Earth songs were, Cypher still preferred the traditional elven-style music.

Each of the Elven songs, with its gentle melodies and soothing harmonies, gave him a dreamlike feeling, as though he were truly living in another world.

Especially when listening to it whilst enjoying a cup of drink in a tavern like this.

The elves in the tavern were engrossed in tabletop games.

The players sitting here, however, showed a clear polarization.

A considerable number of them sat blankly at their tables.

At a glance, Cypher could instantly tell that most of them were currently in afk-mode. Most were probably either watching shows or browsing the internet in the system’s built-in net browser.

Quite a few were also doing homework or even writing code.

After all, Elven Kingdom allowed accelerated thinking.

As a matter of fact, finals had just ended a few days ago, and even he had crammed desperately here inside the game for several days.

Seriously, four times mental speed boost was truly irresistible.

He spent only two days cramming all the review materials for an entire semester.

Apart from those players who were afk, a considerable number had gathered beneath a crystal screen inside the tavern.

Cypher glanced over on what they’re watching and saw that a duel pvp match was being projected on the screen.

The duel tournament was a new activity created by players after the latest batch of public beta-players entered the game.

It was said to be jointly organized by several major guilds.

To support this, Moe Moe Committee had even obtained approval from the Church of Life and taken the lead in constructing a Colosseum-style arena modeled after ancient Rome in Chosen City.

The seven major player-owned cities even planned to build subsidiary arenas of their own later on.

Although Elven Kingdom already allowed PvP duels in virtual space, the game’s increasingly “otherworldly” atmosphere had led players to show greater interest in this more “realistic” style of combat.

Tickets sold out quickly, and even taverns that merely broadcast the matches were never short of spectators.

The duel matches also featured betting systems established by the players themselves. In fact, Cypher had participated once before, earning himself three thousand contribution points.

Matches were held almost daily, ranging from 1v1 pvp duels to team battles across all level ranges, with most fights allowing lethal outcomes.

Because the contribution point system from PK mechanics was used, killing an opponent in the arena did not result in a red-name penalty.

Instead, only the contribution points required to initiate PK were deducted. The cost of activating PK was shared by the event organizers and the participants.

Naturally, players who died dropped resurrection coins. If they lacked enough coins, there was even a risk of losing levels. Equipment could also be damaged—or in extreme cases, destroyed entirely—during combat.

That said, winning a match brought substantial rewards provided by major guilds, and talented independent players were often recruited by those guilds.

As a result, ever since the duel tournaments began, players had continued to participate one after another, despite the significant risks involved.

It was also rumored that several major guilds were preparing to establish a ranked ladder system and were currently applying for approval from the Church of Life.

Once the Church approved it, or more precisely, once approval was granted by the higher-ups who could communicate directly with the Goddess, it would signify official recognition by the game’s developers. There was even a chance that it would be integrated into the game’s own leaderboard system.

This was a pattern players had gradually discovered over the years.

Elven Kingdom was a growth-oriented game. As players progressed, the storyline advanced continuously, and the game mechanics were constantly refined to cater to the player needs.

This was one of the game’s greatest appeals.

Although the membership fee was not cheap, the devs consistently acted upon the players’ interests.

And the more effort players invested, the greater their rewards.

In fact, as long as one was diligent and hardworking enough, it was even possible to earn official prize money.

That prize money was real cash.

For players fully devoted to the game, the income alone could cover their daily living expenses back on Earth.

In Cypher’s view, truly conscientious game companies like World Tree Black Technology were exceedingly rare on earth.

With the emergence of duel tournaments, more players began to focus on individual combat capability.

This was especially true for the newcomers, who showed strong interest in participating on these duels.

Although fighting demons and magical beasts could accumulate experience, the former often had limited intelligence, while the latter had none at all. Therefore, for players, combat between people was far more exciting since it allowed for faster growth.

Cypher could clearly sense that with the introduction of the arena, the overall combat proficiency of players had improved noticeably.

As a result, their techniques were becoming increasingly refined.

Just as Cypher was watching the battle on the crystal screen with interest, a robust voice called out to him.

“Yo, Cypher. You’re here!”

His heart stirred, and a smile appeared on his face.

He slowly turned around and looked toward the middle-aged Frost Elf walking over from behind the bar.

The man wore a steward’s outfit with a distinct earth-like influence. His aqua-blue hair, streaked with white, was combed neatly back, giving him an air that was both mature and handsome.

Seeing Cypher, a smile also spread across his face, marked faintly by nasolabial lines.

The two approached each other and simultaneously raised their right hands, forming fists that lightly touched.

“May the Goddess be with you, my friend,” the middle-aged elf said, raising an eyebrow.

“May the Goddess be with you as well, my old friend,” Cypher replied, lifting his own brow.

They locked eyes for a second.

Then both broke into smiles and laughed heartily.

Their tacit understanding was unmistakable.

“Grandpa Gando, don’t forget about me!”

Estelle jumped up while clinging to Cypher’s shoulder, craning her head around.

She looked like a mischievous little deer ready to leap at any moment.

Gando smiled gently and patted her head.

“Yes, and our lovely Estelle as well. Are you having flower tea again today?”

“Hey! But why does everyone like patting my head so much!”

Estelle complained as she dodged aside in displeasure.

Unfortunately, due to the disparity in strength, she failed to dodge it.

She then said indignantly,

“Hmph. I want the finest flower tea, the most expensive one!”

“Hahaha, no problem. I’ll put it all on Cypher’s tab.”

Gando laughed.

“Hey, what happened to lifetime free service you’ve said?”

Cypher widened his eyes.

“I changed my mind.”

Gando replied teasingly.

Hubert looked on with envy as Cypher chatted and laughed with the elven NPC, his face filled with admiration.

Gando soon turned his gaze toward him as well and said with a smile,

“Good evening, Mr. Hubert. I see that your aura has grown much noticeably stronger.”

“Ah… good evening. Gando… um… Master Gando!”

Hubert replied excitedly, clearly flattered.

Players who were active in Mirovia all knew that this particular elf, Gando was a powerful NPC with Gold-rank strength.

More than that, he also was a rare blue-class NPC and were featured in several emotionally moving storylines involving his master, which made him fairly well known among players.

Hence, being acquainted with such a Gold-ranked expert was indeed something to be delighted about for any player.

Under the service of the elven attendants, the group took their seats at a table in the corner of the tavern.

Cypher picked up the elven flower tea brought by the attendant, took a satisfying sip, and said with a smile,

“Gando, your tavern has been doing quite well lately.”

Gando nodded.

“Ever since Her Grace summoned the Chosen Ones once more, this city has become livelier by the day.”

“So you resigned from your position as the High Priest?”

“Of course. Everyone at the clan has already returned back home, so my task is already complete. Now, it’s time to leave opportunities to the younger generation. Besides, there are quite a few Chosen Ones who wish to become priests too. And at my age, I think this is the right time to step aside.”

“Nonsense! You look far younger now than you did back in the Abyss. Who was it that said he still had several hundred years left to live back then, huh?”

“Heh, that is all thanks to the Goddess’s favor. Still… after a lifetime of fighting, all I want now is to run this quaint little tavern of mine, listen to music from time to time, play a few rounds of Gwent, and enjoy a good cup of flower tea at sunset.”

“That sounds really wonderful. Invite me next time you play cards, will ya? I have not played Gwent in a long while.”

“Tch, No? Lad, your skills are way too good. It’s no fun playing against you.”

“That is exactly why you need me to help you improve! I have plenty of strategies that I could teach you, you know?”

“Heh, winning or losing does not matter. For me, it’s merely a game to pass time.”

The two old friends drank their beverages, ate some snacks, and chatted leisurely.

Looking at them, it was impossible to imagine that one was a player and the other an NPC.

They truly seemed like longtime friends.

“Of course…”

Gando suddenly shifted the topic and looked at the staff hanging on the wall, his expression turning serious.

“If Her Divine Grace requires it, I am always ready to take up arms again and defend our homeland.”

Hearing this, Cypher paused slightly, the teacup stopping midair.

He looked into Gando’s resolute eyes, and his heart stirred.

“So you have heard ‘it’ as well?”

Gando nodded, drained his elven flower tea in one gulp, and said,

“Yes. Do not forget, this is a tavern after all, which is the best place to gather news.”

“What you, the Chosen Ones know, this old man knows as well. Her Divine Grace has already delivered Her warnings to all factions, so ‘it’ is no longer a secret.”

He then looked at Cypher again.

“When will it begin?”

Cypher shook his head.

“We do not know the exact details either. We are now just waiting for the next instructions. However, the main battlefield should be the Abyss.”

“These past few months, the World of Seigües has been unusually peaceful. Even summoning missions have become far less frequent. I suspect the Demons are waiting for us to make the first move.”

Gando nodded slightly.

“That’s very likely.”

“But there is no need to worry too much. We, the Chosen Ones number in the millions. Even excluding those who will launch an expedition right into the Abyss, the remainder will be more than enough to defend the Elven Forest.”

Cypher said with a smile.

Gando listened and let out a soft sigh.

“Alas, Seigües is not limited to the Elven Forest alone…”

“Lad, according to Lady Aurora, when our clan first entered the Wasteland of Desolation, nearly half of that dark world had not sunk into the Abyss yet.”

“We protected that region where we built our first city with utmost caution, while resisting the Black Tide. Until the appearance of those Abyssal Evil Gods, we never allowed a single demon to set foot within our territory.”

“But even so, only a few short years later, aside from the higher terrain of the Cliff of Sorrow, every other part of that world gradually sunk into the Abyss…”

“Cypher, a world in itself is an indivisible whole. Even if the Elven Forest is well defended, if most of the continent is eroded by the Abyss, the result for the entire realm will still be catastrophic…”

“When that time comes, the whole realm of Seigües will inevitably fall into the Abyss…”

After hearing Gando’s words, Cypher’s expression grew solemn.

A moment later, he smiled.

“Do not worry much, Gando. If that day truly comes, we the Chosen Ones will surely unite to protect this world.”

“After all… this is not only your homeland, it is ours as well.”

“And do not forget, we still have our powerful Goddess.”

Gando laughed heartily and raised his refilled cup.

“Indeed. Well said, lad! This realm is our shared homeland, so we must work hard together to protect her.”

“For our homeland, for the great Goddess, cheers!”

Cypher smiled in response.

Together with Estelle and Hubert, he raised his cup.

“For our homeland, for the great Goddess, cheers!”

They then drained their drinks in one go.

At that moment, a burst of noise erupted from the distance.

Cypher looked over and saw the group of players gathered around the crystal screen whistling and cheering.

“So who won?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“It seems to be a team from the First Legion. Today was a team match, a five-person group.”

Gando glanced at the screen.

“A team match? The rewards for those are no small matter.”

Cypher remarked softly.

“Indeed. I hear even Lady Zero was invited to serve as an award presenter.”

Gando said.

“Lady Zero? Big sister?”

Cypher looked astonished.

Gando nodded.

Then he rolled up his sleeves slightly.

“To be honest, watching you Chosen Ones fight in the arena even makes these old bones of mine itch a little.”

“Please do not. You are a Gold-ranker, you’ll decimate the competition. Besides, we can revive endlessly, while even a single revival for you would count as a miracle.”

Cypher shook his head.

“I am only joking. Still, if you know any priest or mage Chosen Ones with decent character, you can introduce them to me. It is about time I took on a disciple.”

Gando said with a narrowed smile.

“A disciple? There is one right here.”

Cypher pushed Estelle forward.

“Hehehe…”

The elven girl smiled sweetly at Gando, tilted her head, and stuck out her tongue.

Gando rolled his eyes at her and shook his head.

“No, this cheeky lass already has Lady Aurora as her teacher. I would not dare to teach her.”

Just then, another wave of distant cheering came from the direction of the crystal screen.

This time, it was not from the players gathered around it, but from within the projection itself.

The two instinctively looked toward the screen and saw the victorious team already standing on the podium.

The stands of the arena were filled with huge crowd, both players and NPCs alike.

“The award ceremony is starting.”

Gando raised an eyebrow.

Cypher focused his gaze and saw a valiant, graceful figure step into the arena amid the players’ cheers.

Black skirted armor. A cool, beautiful face.

It was the NPC whose popularity had temporarily dropped to third place across the entire server following the return of the demigod Aurora.

The Goddess’s Godwarden, Zero.

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