Volume 6, Chapter 4 – The Fallen Wasteland and the Rebuffed Holy Son

“This is… the fall…”

Muttering to herself, Fia stood under the sunlit Holy Tree, gazing into the distance at the “opposite shore.”

What was once the opposite shore was now only a void of swirling clouds and mist, with no end in sight. Unlike the white clouds she saw when flying to an altitude of ten thousand meters, what tumbled below the land now was only a vast, gray, thick fog that even the brilliance of the sun could not disperse.

“Although I knew beforehand that the Wasteland was gone, seeing it in person is completely different from imagining it…”

Fia took a deep breath of the desolate, cold wind that brushed past the cliff and exhaled slowly. In the past, the color contrast between the Wasteland and the land of the Holy Tree was already stark. Now, with nothing there, the sight of the Holy Tree suspended alone on the cliff made the contrast even more intense. The moment she saw it, her pupils contracted.

She walked to the edge of the cliff. One more step forward and she would tread into the void. For an ordinary person, the vertigo from the fear of heights would have already swallowed their ability to think. But Fia could only feel the desolation and the aura of death that filled the air.

“Dofi, come back.” Seeing Fia standing at the cliff’s edge, Yelido frowned deeply and pulled her back. “It’s too dangerous there.”

“Ah, I just wanted to test its sturdiness. If I truly encountered danger, I would use [Flight] to come back.”

Fia’s words gave Yelido pause. He gradually loosened his grip on her arm, his gaze also drifting toward the sea of gray, swirling mist below the Holy Tree.

“[Flight] doesn’t work there.”

“Father, did you try?”

“It was the scholars from the Elf Tower. Although the Wasteland had long been dead, it was still land supported by a foundation. The Elf Tower scholars believed that since the Wasteland was not a floating island, there should be no reason for it to fall. They suspected that only a section of it had been ‘shaved off’ for some unknown reason, and the part below still remained. So, they organized a team to investigate.”

Speaking of this, Yelido’s expression turned grave and grim.

“As a result, not a single one of them returned. All twenty-one members of the expedition team disappeared. Even the sixth-rank magic caster leading them was lost without a trace. I saw it with my own eyes. After they flew to the position where the Wasteland used to be, their bodies suddenly lost control and fell, and then there was no sound from them ever again. You should have seen a similar situation; the effect is no different from the [Silent City] deployed in the Royal Castle.”

In other words, the magic casters who flew over encountered a dilemma where they were unable to use magic.

However, the Wasteland was only barren of magic power; it didn’t prevent people from casting magic. For example, when Clark first entered the Wasteland, he could freely use magic like [Accelerate], the only consequence being that his magic power drained extremely quickly.

Besides, the place where the Wasteland was supposed to be was now empty, so even the effect of rapid magic power drain should have disappeared.

Was it because I killed the elf god, causing a change in the surrounding environment?

Fia couldn’t help but recall Claire once mentioning that the tremor she felt was very much like a fall. In other words, the Wasteland’s disappearance was, in essence, The Abyss appearing. The only difference this time was that the scale of the fall was enormous.

She instinctively thought this was Helian’s doing. The Seed of Hope Helian had given to Clark could create The Abyss. But on second thought, she didn’t feel the Darkborn had the ability to make the entire Wasteland fall.

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The Wasteland wasn’t a small island; its area was comparable to several Blossom city districts plus their suburbs. If she stood in the center of the Wasteland and used [Orbital Beacon Bombardment], the shockwave from the explosion would only have a minuscule effect on Blossom. Furthermore, she had been to The Abyss herself and seen the 10,000-meter-deep solid foundation beneath the Wasteland. If the Darkborn’s magic could cover such a range and destroy an entire continental shelf, forget about the gods stopping the Darkborn; not even Chaos would be their match.

To go a step further, if Helian had that kind of strength, she wouldn’t have been beaten black and blue by Claire.

Since it wasn’t the Darkborn’s doing, it could only be related to the most recent anomaly.

Claire had said that falls often happened in her homeland, Dragonfall. Dragonfall was, strictly speaking, territory controlled by the Darkborn. There couldn’t be a god in a Darkborn-controlled area. And the elf god had just disappeared, and then the fall occurred. The answer was obvious.

—No, that is still just one possibility. Unless another god disappears and another fall happens, she can’t simply conclude that she was the one who caused it.

Fia answered in her heart. A theory shouldn’t just explain the past; it must also be able to predict the future. Otherwise, it can’t stand.

She took a deep breath to calm herself.

“How have the residents in the city been recently?”

“The Wasteland’s disappearance is too obvious. It’s impossible to block the news even if we wanted to.”

Yelido walked to the cliff’s edge and forcefully stomped on the ground beneath his feet.

“Although the land here is as solid as ever thanks to the Holy Tree’s protection, panic is inevitable. No one wants to suddenly fall while they’re sleeping. That’s why I was thinking of having you and Claire appear together during the Saint Alexia Festival to reassure the populace. Blossom is a prosperous place, after all. The residents won’t go so far as to move away just because of some rumors. As long as nothing similar happens in the future, we only need to appease them slightly, and we won’t have to worry. That’s why I said the problem isn’t big.”

“So the reason the problem isn’t small is because you can’t guarantee that similar incidents won’t happen again in the future?”

“Precisely.”

As if feeling helpless, Yelido’s brows furrowed tightly, and he let out a long sigh. He looked up at the Holy Tree, a mix of gold and verdant green.

“Even with all the scholars from the Elf Tower mobilized, they couldn’t find the reason for the Wasteland’s fall. They share my opinion, believing the fall is related to The Abyss that has recently appeared in the country. The Abyss was originally a companion to the World Tree Continent. For it to reappear after ten thousand years, there must be something strange going on. In the past, I didn’t believe the divine revelation passed down by the high-ranking members of the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, but now, I have to try to believe. If we cannot guarantee that no more falls will occur in the future, it’s only a matter of time before people flee Blossom.”

Yelido fell silent for a moment.

“Dofi, do you think this is related to you killing the elf god?”

“I don’t know,” Fia answered honestly. “Unless I can find another god and kill it. That way, I can test whether the fall is or isn’t caused by the death of a god.”

“Easier said than done—no, if it’s you, you might actually be able to do it.” Even though they were discussing deicide, Yelido’s tone carried little weight. “Hmph. If the elf god hadn’t died, we would have. Trading the Wasteland for the survival of our entire race is a profitable deal, no matter how you look at it. I don’t mean to blame you.”

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“I know.”

Yelido suddenly looked at Fia, seeming to search for something in her ruby-like eyes. However, Fia wasn’t hiding her feelings; her words were consistent with her thoughts. Yelido could only smile, shake his head, and sigh.

“Losing your memory made you livelier, and it also made you more honest. In the past, I couldn’t just casually read your thoughts from your eyes like this. I will have the Elf Tower scholars continue their investigation. But Dofi, while you are working on breaking Claire’s curse, don’t forget to help me ask those gods what exactly is going on with the Wasteland’s fall. Oh, right. That Holy Son named Nola is in the city. We could summon her in and ask her to ask her god.”

“No. I don’t want to involve her.”

“Is that so—Hmph.”

Yelido let out a meaningful, smiling hum, but he didn’t elaborate.

Fia couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, tilting her head to ask.

“Hmph what?”

“Nothing. It’s just that the three of you remind me of myself.”

Yelido clicked his tongue unhappily.

“Yourself? You mean Veronica and Yelido?”

“Who else could it be?”

The implication was that Nola was devoted to Claire and was with her, but Claire only saw Nola as a niece. Now, Claire had been stolen away by Fia, a latecomer, leaving Nola gritting her teeth. The story was a perfect parallel to Yelido’s trio.

Fia rolled her eyes and said in exasperation.

“Nola forgot Claire on her own; she can’t blame me. Besides, Claire only sees Nola as a niece. She never gave Nola any ambiguous signals.”

“But if not for this forgetting curse, it would be a different story. In a way, Nola and I are the same type of person. Yet you three can still stand together and talk amicably. It’s unbelievable. I can’t imagine myself standing next to that bastard.”

“But what if Clark had saved your life and repeatedly saved your family from powerful enemies? Wouldn’t Father also tolerate Clark?”

“He doesn’t have that ability,” Yelido said, with a hint of anger. Impatience flashed across his face; he clearly didn’t want to dwell on this topic. He flicked his sleeves.

“Let the past be the past. It’s my fault; I shouldn’t have brought this up. Dofi, I brought you here not only to show you the Wasteland’s current state but for another purpose—I cannot rest easy until I confirm with my own eyes what lies beneath the Wasteland. You watch me from here. I’ll fly over and check. No matter what, I am still a seventh-rank, stronger than those magic casters from the Elf Tower.”

“No, let me do it. If Father is worried, you can ask Claire to come as insurance.”

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Seeing Yelido about to say something, Fia proudly puffed out her chest.

“Even the elf god was no match for me. There are few people in this world who can threaten me. I could defeat the current Father even while standing still. So, it’s safer for me to handle the dangerous things.”

“You…”

Yelido’s mouth opened, wanting to say something, but after thinking for a long time, he couldn’t find any words to refute Fia. It was just as she said; he was no longer her match.

Unknowingly, his daughter had already grown to a point where he had to look up to her.

Realizing this, Yelido’s youthful face, which looked to be around thirty, showed a mix of helplessness and bitterness. He finally gave up trying to persuade Fia, letting out a sigh of emotion instead.

“I’m old. I’ll go call the guards to bring Claire over. You wait here.”

“Mm.”

That’s perfect. I also have things I want to confirm inside the Holy Tree.

Seeing Fia’s obedient nod, Yelido smiled and turned to leave under the setting sun. He had actually wanted to say, “Dofi, you’ve really grown up,” but he felt it was too cheesy, so he just kept it hidden in his heart.

◇

Inside a certain trading hall in Blossom, The Holy Son Nola, dressed in a white formal dress, was trying to detain a beastman merchant. She ignored the frowning gazes from the other merchants and nobles in the hall. She quickly chased after the short beastman merchant, her voice raised in a plea.

“I can pay a higher price for the grain! Can’t you make an exception and spare me some?”

“This… this is breaking the rules.” The short beastman, held back by the Holy Son, looked troubled. He glanced at the mocking stares from his peers in the hall, and an unknown anger rose in his heart. He waved his sleeves repeatedly. “I told you, the Saint Alexia Festival is almost here! The grain I brought has already been bought by the nobles, promised for the festival. If you ask me to spare some for you at this time, aren’t you asking me to breach my contract?”

“I’ll pay your breach of contract fee!”

Nola emphasized urgently.

Her most important task in coming to Blossom was to buy grain. However, to her surprise, not a single merchant here was willing to sell grain to her, even when she offered a high price.

Even after hearing that Nola would pay his breach of contract fee, the beastman merchant didn’t hesitate in the slightest. He was starting to get impatient.

“That’s still not acceptable. Rules are rules. Hurry up and leave, don’t embarrass me.”

Merchants value their reputation. There were many competitors in Blossom. If he breached his contract at a critical time like the Saint Alexia Festival, failing to provide the nobles with grain for their rites and celebrations, he could forget about doing business in Blossom ever again. No noble would trust him after that. Elves already looked down on beastmen, so once a beastman merchant lost his credit, he could never recover.

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Seeing that her appeal was hopeless, Nola had no choice but to grit her teeth and shamelessly press on.

“Th-Then do you know anyone else in the city who can provide me with grain? Even the worst, unsellable stock is fine! I’ll take as much as you have!”

Bad-tasting grain is better than no grain. There are hundreds of thousands of people under my command waiting to survive this difficult spring.

Nola’s loud voice instantly echoed through the trading hall. The originally bustling hall first fell into a strange silence, followed by ripples of muffled laughter. This wasn’t raucous laughter; everyone politely controlled their volume out of a sense of propriety. But it was precisely this polite smiling that made Nola even more furious.

Almost everyone who came to the trading hall was there to discuss large business deals, so they were either wealthy or had status and had received a good education. No one would shout in a public place. Now, a strange beastman was shouting without any regard for her image, perfectly fitting the elves’ stereotype of beastmen as impolite and vulgar. They treated Nola as a joke, pointing and staring.

Dammit.

The noble etiquette in this country is absolutely infuriating.

Nola gritted her teeth. She knew she had lost face. Ignoring the nobles in the hall, she continued to follow the beastman merchant, who had already reached the doorway, trying to get grain through his connections.

“For the sake of us both being beastmen…”

“Ha?” With extreme pride, the beastman merchant’s eyes went wide as he mocked Nola. “Don’t lump us together! I have elf blood in me. I’m not in the same class as a low-class species like you!”

“But our appearance is clearly beastman—”

“Get lost!”

Without giving Nola a chance to speak, the beastman merchant quickly ducked into a carriage at the door, randomly shouted a location, and left.

In an instant, only Nola was left on the dusty road. Then, she noticed the elves on the road pointing at her. Just as Fia had seen before, beastmen were considered a lower-class species in the eyes of elves, especially the nobles. Even though Nola had an outstanding appearance, no one would want to be associated with a beastman. That was a shameful affair that would lower one’s own status.

“Tch!”

Nola clicked her tongue in frustration. If this were Cold Night, she could have used violence to get what she wanted. But this was the Silvar Kingdom, and moreover, a Silvar Kingdom where Claire and Fia were present. If she caused a disturbance, not only would Claire see her embarrassing and crude side, but she would also be giving Fia leverage to mock her.

If this trading hall won’t work, I’ll just find another!

As long as I’m determined, I’ll eventually find someone willing to trade with me.

With this thought in her mind, Nola walked resentfully toward the next trading hall.