Ancient Thunder Eagle, Brother, You Smell So Good

Ronan didn't speak, but the sound of burning firewood coming from the fireplace drew his attention.

He unconsciously turned his head, and the next moment he felt his vision being enveloped by a bright orange-red.

Ronan stared intently at the fireplace, his eyes seemingly reflecting countless shifting lights and shadows. The orange flames slowly waned until they were completely extinguished, leaving only faint embers flickering on the black ashes.

What did you see?

Ronan slowly withdrew his gaze from the extinguished fire, turned his head, and was met with the hairy bear face of the Prophet Eve.

She stared intently into Ronan's eyes, as if trying to see through his body and understand the turbulent thoughts swirling within him.

Ronan looked at the Prophet Eve, and after a moment, he calmly rose and stood up from the fireplace.

"Is there anything else?"

The Prophet Eve shrank back into her massive white bear body, reverting to her languid and weary state. She yawned and tossed something toward Ronan.

"If we happen to run into each other, do me a favor... it will benefit you too."

Ronan caught what the Prophet Eve threw at him, picked it up and examined it, and found it to be a translucent black glass bead with a gray moth solidified inside.

"When the moth wakes up, it will tell you what needs to be done."

Ronan put away the bead and nodded slightly. "When do I depart for the Life Royal Court?"

"Now."

The polar bear chuckled, pointed to a Blue Small Door on the other side of the room, and said, "Go out through this door, and someone will be waiting for you outside. I've already made all the arrangements for you."

Ronan didn't say anything more, and turned to walk towards the Blue Small Door.

He could feel the Prophet Eve watching him from behind until Ronan opened the small door and walked out completely, at which point the gaze finally disappeared.

Before me was another old corridor, at the end of which was an exit that let in a faint light.

Ronan walked down the corridor toward the glowing exit; the only sound in the quiet corridor was his footsteps.

He remained calm, silently calling the name of Alazan in his heart.

Alazan responded very quickly.

"Like a timeless soul."

"Timeless and ever-new?"

Ronan frowned slightly, finding it somewhat difficult to understand Alazan's assessment of the Prophet Eve.

"I cannot examine her too closely; it would be extremely disrespectful to Prophecy Wizard."

Alazan answered slowly.

"Even you wouldn't dare to easily offend a Prophecy Wizard?"

Ronan pursed his lips slightly and didn't ask any more questions.

By this time, he had reached the end of the corridor and was standing in front of the small, glowing door.

Just as Ronan was about to take that step, Alazan's words rang in his ears once more.

"So, what exactly did you see in the prophecy? Would you mind telling me?"

What did I see?

A hint of confusion flashed in Ronan's eyes.

In the Prophet Eve's tale of death, in that orange flame, Ronan saw—

Falling, I am falling continuously.

Beneath him and all around him were flames, lava, and a golden-red and scorching heat that seemed capable of melting and burning everything in the world.

And then there's Moriel.

"I don't know what I saw."

The confusion in Ronan's eyes gradually faded. He murmured a sound, ending the conversation with Alazan, and then stepped out of the portal.

Meanwhile, in the room Ronan had just left.

Silver flames spread from the fireplace, almost engulfing the entire room.

The objects engulfed in flames showed no signs of burning; instead, they exhibited a continuous transformation from old to new.

The Prophet Eve was also bathed in the blazing silver flames, and unlike everything else in the room, her young and robust white bear body aged steadily under the scorching heat of the silver flames.

Its once plump body had shriveled up, its jagged bones were prominent, its back was hunched, and its once glossy fur quickly lost its original luster, peeling off in patches like withered grass.

In a short period of time, she seemed to have lived most of her bear life amidst the silver flames.

As the silver flames slowly subsided and disappeared back into the fireplace, the old polar bear struggled to sit up, wiped the putrid blood from its murky eyes with its paw, and stared in one direction, muttering to itself, "Still can't see clearly."

Ronan stepped out of the portal and found himself above a vast primeval forest.

The azure sky above, dotted with numerous drifting clouds, and the vibrant atmosphere in the air all proclaimed that he was no longer in the Lost Land.

Four years. It has been almost four years since he stepped into the Ancient Waterway ruins. If you count the time, he has been in the Lost Land for a full four years.

Ronan embraced this long-lost world, a world without any trace of corruption, and his mood seemed to be slightly soothed.

After leaving the Lost Land, the Communication Crystal in his hands regained their function and began to light up one after another.

Ronan checked them one by one.

He didn't have many friends in the central region. Over the past few years, the person who had sent him the most messages was Hathaway. She would leave many messages almost every day, reporting on the Spirit Lake and the Deep Sea, as well as some things she knew about within the Destiny Empire, the turmoil between the three empires, and expressing her longing for him.

She was deeply "attached" to Ronan like a pet, and this attachment even developed over time into a kind of infatuation that was almost like that of a "fanatic".

The comments stopped abruptly three months ago, and the content of the comments indicated that at that time Hathaway had officially entered a period of seclusion to advance from level four to level five.

Besides Hathaway, the only other person in the Deep Sea who would contact Ronan is Heliodore. However, Zorn, one of Misha's subordinates, sent him a message, subtly indicating that Misha wanted to have a serious talk with him.

Ronan ignored it and instead picked up the Communication Crystal to send a few messages to A Nan De of the Astronomy Society.

Jason also sent several messages, one of which was a plea for help, but that was a message from two years ago. It seems that he was fine after that. Jason's last message was from half a year ago, in which he said that he needed to go to a rather remote place alone and that it might be a long time before he could see Ronan again.

Ronan frowned slightly and sent a message to inquire, but after waiting for a while, he still did not receive a reply from Jason.

Just as he was sorting out his network of contacts, he suddenly saw a dense array of tiny white dots in his field of vision.

Ronan stopped what he was doing, squinted at the white dots that were rapidly approaching him.

Only when they got closer could they see that they were a group of wizards dressed in uniform Moon White Robe, all of whom were stronger than Above Dawn. The leaders were all level five, and not just any ordinary level five.

The group of wizards dressed in moon-white robes stopped a few miles away from Ronan, and then bowed to Ronan in unison. One of them, a beautiful witch with long, beautiful turquoise hair, took the initiative to fly towards him.

Ronan then realized that these people were after him.

"A Ni pays homage to His Majesty the Golden Dawn."

The beautiful, long-haired witch with turquoise hair approached Ronan and bowed respectfully, completely unconcerned about the difference in their strength.

But what surprised Ronan even more was that he was actually a man, but his features were so delicate and beautiful that he was mistaken for a woman at first glance.

Ronan's eyes flickered, and he said, "Did the Prophet arrange for you to come?"

"Are you wizards of the Pendulum of Fate?"

The Level Five Wizard named A Ni nodded, for the Pendulum of Fate is not limited to the prophets of past generations.

On the contrary, the power of the Pendulum of Fate is so profound that, in some respects, it even surpasses that of the Spirit Lake and the Wizard Heart Hall; however, most of the time, this power is hidden.

Ronan glanced at the Pendulum of Fate wizards behind A Ni and couldn't help but ask, "Is such a big show really necessary?"

A smile appeared on the handsome face of the Level Five Wizard A Ni, and he replied softly, "Your journey to the Life Royal Court represents the will of the Prophet and the Empire. Under no circumstances should you be looked down upon."

A Ni spoke, she presented Ronan with a beautiful and exquisite ring studded with gemstones. The ring emitted faint spatial fluctuations, clearly indicating that it was a Space Ring.

"The Prophet has also prepared a set of travel gear for Your Majesty, and hopes that Your Majesty will change into it as well."

Ronan took the ring from A Ni, casually examined it, and shook his head speechlessly after seeing what was inside.

When do we set off?

He put away the ring, made no comment on the Prophet Eve's arrangements, and directly asked A Ni in front of him.

"I will follow your instructions in everything."

A Ni said it very respectfully.

Then, he raised his head towards the sun, took out a strangely shaped bone flute from his neck, and gently blew it into his mouth.

In an instant, an extremely loud flute melody rang out, accompanied by bursts of magical energy.

The pale green sound waves, visible to the naked eye, spread rapidly outward from A Ni's center, causing the clouds above their heads and the primeval forest below to undulate like waves.

The flute music seemed to be summoning something, and a small shadow was quickly cast down.

Ronan subconsciously looked up and squinted at the shadow that was blocking the sun.

The shadow rapidly enlarged, followed by a series of humming sounds like a thunderstorm.

In the blink of an eye, it was as if a mountain, or rather, a small piece of black land, was rapidly descending.

Eagle!

Ronan's pupils contracted as he realized it was an eagle!

An enormous eagle!

With its wings spread wide, it blotted out the sky, directly ushering this primeval forest area from daylight into Black Night.

Countless thick, blue-purple lightning bolts coiled around the giant eagle's wings, and a strange tremor arose within Ronan's body.

In an instant, the broken Storm Rune on Ronan's body suddenly lit up, and countless free electric energy particles in the void gathered, forming layer upon layer of dazzling lightning rings around him.

Ronan's Storm Lord Bloodline was forcibly activated, and his entire body was bathed in a brilliant waterfall of lightning.

He suppressed the tremors of his soul and bloodline resonating with the power of the giant eagle, only to see it quietly lower its head, a massive eagle that blotted out the sky.

In that instant, Ronan seemed to see two brilliant golden sunsets descending.

At the same time, an ancient and powerful wave of consciousness resounded in the surrounding void, transforming into a young, deep voice that contained a hint of innate majesty.

"The prophet is right."

"Bro... you smell so good."

"Buzz—"

Ronan froze on the spot, turning his head in astonishment to look at A Ni, the Level Five Wizard of the Pendulum of Fate to the side.

The latter was smiling broadly at this moment.

"As expected of His Majesty the Golden Dawn"

"Eris clearly takes a liking to you after just one meeting."

On the boundless plain, countless boulders of all sizes are scattered or pieced together to form island shapes, lifted by gentle updrafts, slowly rotating to create a staggered aerial terraced landscape.

The air was filled with tiny, luminous plankton, resembling jellyfish and butterflies, which swarmed around the air currents, chasing after their prey.

The roots of the bellflower spread out and take hold in the wind, while the soft leaves collide and make a crisp, bell-like sound, playing an ethereal melody that flows with the wind.

Cloud Whale, formed from the condensation of mist and wind, roams the sky, occasionally emitting a low, guttural wail like a deep horn.

This is the Wind Plain, located in the northern part of the Life Royal Court. It is said that an out-of-control magical experiment by an ancient wizard created all the magical and beautiful things here. However, beneath the seemingly peaceful and beautiful wonders lies a dangerous storm. When the energy tides of the Wind Plain are stirred up, no wizard is willing to set foot here.

At this moment, on a huge floating island pieced together with magic, a group of wizards stood quietly, most of their eyes looking in the same direction, as if waiting for something.

The vast majority of them wore white wizard robes with a striking, unique symbol on their chests that resembled two intertwined tender leaves. Each of them exuded a strong, pure aura of life.

Serena stood quietly on the back of the Four-Legged Flying Dragon.

She wore an incomparably luxurious palace dress, her long golden hair cascading down to her waist. She had clearly been meticulously dressed, which made her fair, jade-like skin shine even brighter. Her noble and dignified demeanor was like that of a legendary goddess, radiating an aura that made it impossible for anyone to look directly at her.

Serena stared intently at the distant horizon, her beautiful lake-green eyes slightly unfocused, as if she were deep in thought.

A figure quietly landed beside her, attracting the attention of many Life Royal Court wizards below. However, after seeing the figure clearly, their wary gazes naturally disappeared.

This was the only wizard in the room not wearing the robes of the Life Royal Court.

He wore a black robe, his face was as pale as the cold moon, his nose was straight, his facial features were extremely sharp, and his lips were often pursed into a straight line.

He was young, with pupils that were unusually colored, resembling sparks scattered in ashes. He had a colorful ring embroidered on his chest, a slender build, and dark magic markings on the back of his hands.

The young wizard stood side by side with Serena, squinting as they gazed in the same direction.

The Four-Legged Flying Dragon beneath him made a few disgruntled and restless noises, but it immediately quieted down after the young man's indifferent gaze swept over it.

"Fomingge."

Serena seemed to have no displeasure at the young wizard's almost overstepping behavior; her gaze softened slightly as she looked at him.

"What is Princess Highness thinking?"

The young wizard spoke softly.

A hint of confusion flashed in Serena's eyes, then she smiled bitterly and said, "I don't know what I'm thinking either..."

She gently lifted the hem of her skirt, slowly took two steps forward, and whispered:

My other brothers went to the Pendulum of Fate countless times to request a visit to that person, but I never went even once.

Result

That highly respected sage, the prophet, ultimately chose me.

You know, Fomingge, even now, I still can't believe it all really happened.