Chapter 252: Moonlit Dancing

Tonight was a night of bright stars and a thin moon. The clear moonlight flowed over the thick green grass, giving it a faint glow. The distant trees were wrapped in a thin layer of green mist.

The summer wind blowing across the vast wildlands carried a bit of coolness. But what was truly surprising was that a square paved with green stone had been built on this grassland far from any town. In the center of the square stood a statue of a dark elf girl made of dark jade. The statue was more than three people tall. Whether it was the hazy moonlight or the magic itself, one could not see the face of the statue from afar.

This was a tall, naked dark elf with smooth, soft skin and long silver hair that flowed down to her ankles. Her magnificent chest drew the eyes of most people. The title of “Eilistraee’s Naked Running Girl” was not given in vain.

Although she also held the titles of “Maiden of the Dark” and “Lady of Dance,” it was no surprise that the title “Naked Runner” became the most common nickname, given Eilistraee’s behavior.

Shadows moved in every corner of this ritual square. Only humans with sharp eyes could distinguish the individuals among them. Besides the majority of elves and dark elves, only a few humans participated. They all had beautiful lines and lively postures, but they shared one common trait—they were all naked like the goddess, revealing their fit bodies and graceful curves.

However, their pious expressions, elegant movements, and the mysterious atmosphere combined to show no hint of lewdness. They were making preliminary preparations for the upcoming ritual.

But what truly made people want to commit a crime was the gathering of over a thousand young women on the lawn outside the square. Most were black-skinned Drow, but there were members of other races too, including many beauties that made George drool.

These followers of Eilistraee, just like the goddess they worshipped, shamelessly exposed their tempting bodies. They gathered in small groups to talk about topics that interested women the most, such as clothing and beauty, or to share their recent experiences and news. No matter what, these naked girls could not help but play and chase each other. Their pink limbs and jade-like thighs intertwined, and the strawberries and coffee beans on their bouncing chests flew in irregular parabolic arcs.

Eilistraee always believed that being naked was the most pious expression. Although Eilistraee’s priests were only required to be naked during religious rituals, some devout followers often voluntarily joined such rituals. Sometimes, large-scale naked camps appeared naturally. This was one of the reasons why the rituals were often held outdoors far from human settlements. However, even so, people who claimed this was moral decay and harmful to public morals never disappeared.

Besides these large-scale prayers, followers of Eilistraee would also pour out their feelings and thoughts of the day to the goddess during the evening prayer at the end of the day. Since this involved personal privacy, they usually prayed silently and privately.

At the same time, the Maiden of the Dark also required her priests to pay as much as their finances allowed to the musicians and Bards they met, asking them to sing loudly. Ordinary followers were not forced to do this, but they were encouraged to do so.

The “Noble Hunt” being held now was a grand festival held once every quarter by the Church of Eilistraee, and it was the most important collective festival in the Church. The practice of such festivals was led by priests who led the followers to hunt a dangerous beast or monster at night. In the Church’s tradition, ordinary followers were allowed to carry any bladed weapons and wear armor, but priests had to be naked and could only carry a single sword with them.

If we were to rewind time, we would see hazy figures moving through a small grove not far from the statue. Their dark skin, as smooth as wax, was so charming under the sparkle of crystal sweat beads.

Today’s prey was a fierce wild boar prepared in advance. This giant, 12 feet long and weighing 2,000 pounds, was no friend. This creature would viciously attack anything that approached, charging at its opponent to try to tear them apart with its tusks.

But the followers of Eilistraee participating in tonight’s hunt were not amateurs. With light steps, twisting their soft waists, a longsword danced in their hands.

A thrust was a simple but powerful attack. Facing the wild boar’s charge, the girl quickly stepped back, making a sudden and swift counterattack when the enemy left a huge opening.

As her silver hair swayed, the fierce wild boar in front of the girl collapsed. However, the wild boar was an extremely tenacious creature; they could even continue fighting in a state close to paralysis or near death. The girl used stones from a distance to check multiple times that the opponent was unresponsive before leaving the grove with her loot, satisfied.

Because she successfully killed the target, the girl gained the right to offer a sacrifice to the goddess. For the followers, this was an extremely honorable mission. Then all participants gathered to pray loudly, and then bathed in the moonlight in a clearing in the woods, forming a “Ring of Song” to praise the goddess. This meant that after a certain ritual, everyone sat in a circle, taking turns to go down and sing and dance to please the goddess. Since Eilistraee also had a priestly role of dance, every follower had to bring a song.

Even if such a ritual was as holy as possible, problems were inevitable as long as the opposite sex was present. To prevent the holy festival from turning into a sex party, men and women participating in the festival were arranged in different time slots. Although they were open with each other, they did not meet.

In the center of the crowd, a performer freely whipped and spun her thrusting sword, making it produce regular sounds. This complemented the graceful sword dance, creating a fighting atmosphere. The blade of the sword-dancing girl shone with white light in the eternal faint glow. Suddenly, she placed her thrusting sword in one hand and sliced it with the other, and the gushing blood spilled onto the sword.

This was one of the other special rituals observed by the Church of Eilistraee—the “Dance of the Sword.” This ritual asked the Maiden of the Dark to bless the weapon, so it would not break or rust for the next three months.

However, the “Gallop,” a ritual unique to Eilistraee’s priests, was not held here. Because in the ritual, non-Drow priests would blacken their bodies with natural dyes or oils, and all priests would dye their hair into a shining silver color using special leaves and berries.

Then they wandered around the Surface, relying on their musical skills, acts of kindness, and sword techniques for self-defense to make their way. They would visit other unfamiliar regions, look for hidden elf communities, and bring various games and help to their kin. They also worked hard to learn new songs, music, and swordsmanship, rather than engaging in public preaching of Dogma, which would expose their whereabouts. This was secret missionary work.

After completing tonight’s ritual, the followers began to pack up their clothes in small groups and leave together. Only the priests remained at the foot of the statue in the square.

“Sisters! Our brothers and sisters underground, who have been misled by the Evil God, have launched another attack on the Surface. If possible, should we think of a way to bring those of our kin who have already come to the Surface into the arms of the goddess?” The girl who had just performed the “Dance of the Sword” spoke up from the crowd. Her left hand was already bandaged. Although using Divine Arts would be faster, it would be a desecration of the goddess in such a ritual. Fortunately, with her experience, she had just the right amount of force to cut her palm.

“Oh! Our little Rebecca seems to be eyeing those captives who might be taken alive. But this time our little cutie is going to be disappointed. The Prime Material Plane usually does not show mercy to our invading kin in most cases. After all, they often seek revenge for the casualties in this disaster.” Another woman in a long robe next to her pinched Rebecca’s cheek affectionately.

“Uncle Ulrika, I am grown up now, please don’t do that.” She lowered her head shyly, showing none of the courage and ruthlessness she had shown earlier in the forest while struggling with the fierce wild boar.

Perhaps because the appearance of the Elf race can maintain a long youth before true aging! The two generations in front of her showed no obvious difference in age.

After affectionately patting the other’s head, this elder turned to look at the High Priestess, the highest-ranking priest in the crowd. The latter nodded modestly, which made her put aside her concerns and say: “In fact, not all captives were executed; it seems some nobles were left behind due to their own desires. But that part was always kept secret, so we do not know exactly how many there were. Because they are not followers of the goddess, and the power of the Evil God covers them, making it impossible for the goddess to see their location. And even if we knew, we could not conflict with those lords who hold real power for their sake. After all, our own living environment is already quite difficult.”

Even with the help of the Elf Church and other Good Alignment churches, these Dark Elves who had converted to Eilistraee were still questioned by most people on the Surface. Their situation was not exactly difficult, but their development was very slow. Even with the tight organization and coordination of the Church, they had never found a suitable habitat on the Continent.

So far, as they remained nomadic, the only thing they could do about the power holders on the Western Continent was to scratch their heads because they really had no better way. You know, the nobles who enjoyed the spoils of war in battle must have at least a group of loyal and reliable Private Troops. Otherwise, they could not leave any survivors in the midst of national and family hatred, after all, there were not many Lords who liked such heavy tastes. And the Divine Arts for repairing limbs were not affordable for them in terms of price. For any wise person, spending such a huge price to satisfy their lower body was simply not worth it.

“It is a pity that no passage to the Underdark has appeared near Pamir. Otherwise, we might have had a chance to rescue our kin from those slave traders.” One of the priests spoke with a hint of regret.

This was the voice of a rational faction among the priests: “But the great slave owners there are not easy to deal with! Even if we fell into their hands, I’m afraid we could not save many.”

Speaking of the strength of these Dark Elves on the Surface, it was quite good. After all, for those who had no place to stand, the fact that they could maintain their freedom relied not only on the protection of the Church, but their own strength was the only guarantee of safety. The Surface was just the Surface. Compared to the Underdark, although it was a paradise, it was not a true paradise.

The strength of the first generation of Dark Elves who came to the Surface was at least that of the Black Lead Rank or higher. The remaining weaklings had long died in the Underdark, which was like a tiger’s mouth. Among them, there was even an amazing feat of four warriors and one Knight dying together with their enemies.

And even the Dark Elves who longed for goodness, because of their long years of underground life, still regarded strength as the most important guarantee. Therefore, the training of their descendants was also very strict. It seemed that such a tradition was the foundation for people to stand on the Surface.

Just then, the High Priestess spoke with added emphasis: “Now our most important task is to save our fellow believers trapped in the Kingdom of Lucia! The nobles there have begun to indiscriminately clean up the Dark Elves within their Territory. Besides shifting the hatred of the lower classes, it is probably also for some unspeakable secrets of certain people…”

While the Dark Elves on the Surface were discussing how to deal with the upcoming situation, George was fighting fiercely with those Black Skin from the Underground. The sea of Black Skin in front of him really made George’s vision go black for a moment.

His spear, like a dragon, made him feel inexplicably excited in the sea of blood, with his blood boiling in his body. The joy of charging and killing deeply infected him. No man had not had such a dream. His fluid movements seemed as if a god possessed him. A stream of energy broke through the shackles and flowed through George’s whole body. At that moment, a bright star in his Sea of Consciousness was automatically lit up.

Break Army belongs to Water, the seventh star of the Big Dipper. Its transformed energy is consumption, governing spouses, children, and servants. It is the suicide squad, vanguard, and charge in the army, aiming to fight and destroy, but its own danger is also great, and losing soldiers and generals is inevitable. Moreover, advancing deep into enemy territory with no support brings the worry of insufficient supplies. If Break Army transforms into Lu, it means the rear team provides continuous support, endless and unceasing, named ‘Rooted’. Therefore, Break Army has the meaning of breaking first and then establishing.

It is said that its representative figure was Zhang Fei from the Three Kingdoms period. However, at this moment, such a change made George’s movements and techniques more reasonable. Attacking the enemy unprepared, the probability of killing them in one hit was greatly increased.

The changes in the three moves “Block, Hold, Thrust” were becoming increasingly smooth. There were experts among the Black Skin vanguard who had come to the Surface. The opponent held a heavy shield and blocked the spear George swung. But then, the spear shaft bent slightly, creating a small buffer, converting kinetic energy into elastic potential energy. Then George turned his hand and jumped lightly, sending the opponent flying with their shield.

However, with that obstruction from the opponent, the Black Skin in front of George surrounded him again. For a moment, George had to dance his spear like a peacock spreading its tail, making it impenetrable to wind and rain, covering the front and hiding the back while waiting for an opportunity.

George was now using the traditional Six Harmonies Great Spear Technique, which he had originally found in the Eight Extremes Fist Manual. It recorded: “Therefore, we all remember the master’s teachings: Eight Extremes Fist practitioners would rather be killed by others than die of fear. Unswervingly and bravely moving forward, this is not only the character of the fist technique, but must be the character of our nation. Advance, and there is hope; advance, and there is life; advance, and there is victory.”

Although this record was obviously not originally there, but added by some later person as private content, Eight Extremes emphasizes explosive power, short and full attacking force, and specializes in defeating enemies by fierce attacks and hard breakthroughs. All of these are beneficial for practicing the spear, not only in terms of strength for practicing the great spear, but also for mastering the force of the spear and for practical use in battle.

Through the coordination between the two, the great spear in hand could more easily achieve “long momentum and short joints,” like a crossbow waiting to shoot far, or a tiger gathering strength to wait for the moment. This was also the foundation of George’s practice with the spear in this world. It was precisely because of this that George holding the spear always showed an unyielding momentum. Even when temporarily suppressed, he did not forget to break the enemy.

However, for this handy spear, George had spent countless efforts. Previously, just the spear shaft had him scratching his head.

Because a truly good spear shaft must be heavy and dense, green on the surface, and have no knots or scars. Moreover, it must be straight as if cut by a knife, and the spearhead should not be much thinner than the handle. When force is applied and shaken, the shaft vibrates straight. Although the amplitude of the spearhead is not large, it is persistent. Even before crossing over, George had not seen many such shafts, because later wood grew too fast, had few fibers inside, could not store energy, and when subjected to force, the spearhead would bend, and after a few swings, it would stop.

If a truly great spear shaft was planted according to the requirements of practical military weapons, it must start pruning from when the white wax tree sapling was only one meter tall. No side branches were allowed to grow, and only a few leaves at the top of the tree could be kept, to limit its growth speed and make the trunk straight.

Of course, shafts for military weapons could not be planted on a mountain to grow wild; they had to be watched constantly. They could not have any pests, because once infested, they would leave scars. They could not be planted too densely; if the light was not good, they would grow bent. On a sunny plot of land, planting a hundred shafts, after more than ten years of care, only thirty could become qualified, which was already good. Such hard work was worth a great price. But later, due to low demand and low prices, they became increasingly rare.

And although George could order people to plant such spear shafts in this whole world, he really could not wait for the time it took. So he had to resort to artificially made spear shafts improved by adapting to local conditions.

These were made from the main trunk of high-quality tough wood, peeled into uniform thin strips, and glued together. The tough wood used Zhe wood for making bows. The thin strips were soaked repeatedly in oil. Once they no longer deformed and no longer cracked, the first step was completed.

This process took nearly a year. After a year, the strips were taken out and air-dried in a cool place for several months. Then, they were glued together with high-quality lacquer into a thick shaft, and the outer layer was wrapped with hemp rope. After the hemp rope dried thoroughly, raw lacquer was applied, and it was wrapped with Linen. Raw lacquer was applied on the Linen, and a layer was wrapped after each layer dried, until when struck with a knife, the spear shaft made a metallic sound, yet did not break or crack. Only then was it qualified.

Although the final product was still too hard, George felt that it worked quite well for him now.