Wow... the gods of the Second Age were truly a place where dragons and crouching tigers roamed. First came the " Dragon of Wisdom," Herabergen, and later the " God of the Undead," Salinger. Both were great figures who ultimately became Sequence 0 and ascended to the throne of gods. Of course, the " Dragon of Wisdom " is still uncertain, but it's a strong possibility...
Hmm, and there's also " God of Dawn " Badhair and " Goddess of Harvest " Omebella. It's possible they both lived into the Fifth Age, and were doing very well... I wonder if " God of Spirits " Tolzna and " Goddess of Misfortune " Amanises escaped the divine war at the end of the Second Age when the Creator the City of Silver "reclaimed" his authority? If they did, what roles did they Acting in the Third or even Fourth Age? After a moment of astonishment, Klein sighed to himself.
Thinking back to the betrayal of the Angel King the Third Age, he couldn't help but mutter to himself:
Beware of fire, theft, and even the gods!
At this moment, Audrey, who knew little about the gods' true names and authority, remained Justice. Acting of one female Elf after another in Siatas's memories, constantly talking to her and letting her tell the Second Age stories she had experienced and knew.
According to Siatas, the concept of the First and Second Ages did not exist in the chronicles of the Elf race. The Original years were chaotic, dark, and insane, with little written record. It was only when the extraordinary races gradually gained a certain level of rationality and developed their own writing system that living beings began to have some understanding of history.
In that era, ancient gods appeared one after another, and the sky, earth, sea, and underground gradually transitioned from absolute chaos to a certain order. However, apart from the ancient gods who were both tyrannical and insane, no one could figure out exactly how many years this stage took; all they knew was that it was a very, very long time, and it was referred to by various extraordinary races as the "Era of Budding."
Following the "Era of Budding" came the "Era of the First Radiance of Fire," in which the eight ancient gods divided into factions to fight each other. This was also long before Siatas's birth. She could only learn about it through the clan's chronicles. At that time, "pan-humans" fought against non-human races and resisted the pollution and erosion of Devil and Demonic Wolf. Humans existed as vassals or even slaves of Giant, Elf, and Sanguine.
The duration of the "Age of the First Flame" varies across different accounts, but it is consistent with less than a thousand years, because the ancient gods are inherently mad, tyrannical, cruel, and ruthless, and are often driven by instinct.
After the vampire progenitor Lilith, the mutant king Kvasitun, and "Destroyer Wolf" Fregra fell in a betrayal, the "Age of the First Flame" ended, and wars broke out frequently, damaging the world for hundreds of years without ceasing.
Because Giant and Dragon were relatively dominant during this period, it is known as the "Age of Twins".
When the five major races achieved a new balance, Northern Continent, Southern Continent, Eastern Continent, and the five oceans restored a certain degree of peace, Siatas was born and grew up in this era, until she entered " The Groselle's Travels ".
Among the historical accounts she described, two pieces of information are most important: first, the Eastern Continent did indeed exist, and it was the location of the " Giant King's Court "; second, after the "Era of Budding," the various extraordinary races actually developed their own civilizations, unlike the later suspicions that they were completely irrational. Of course, tyranny, cruelty, coldness, and bloodlust were prevalent, and they all seemed to be in at least a semi-out-of-control state until after the "Era of Twins," when the new generation of Elf and Giant became more rational and possessed emotions, like Siatas and Groselle.
" The Eastern Continent seems to be the ' Forsaken Land of the Gods '... Was it abandoned during the Cataclysm?" Similar thoughts arose simultaneously in the minds of Klein, Leonard, and Audrey.
They were all very interested in this, but unfortunately, Siatas had always lived in the Elf King's divine court and only occasionally went out to cruise the sea. She had never been to the Eastern Continent and lacked sufficient knowledge about it.
Influenced by the " Justice " Audrey, Siatas's dreams begin to reveal the customs and language origins of the Elf.
According to the legends heard by the queen's handmaid, Elvish was created by the king in the "Early Age," and the appearance of each word was accompanied by the birth of a first Elf; there were as many first Elvish as there were Elf words.
The customs of Elf are not uniform and are heavily dependent on their surrounding environment. There is no doubt that the customs of ocean Elf and forest Elf differ greatly.
What they have in common is that they believe in the king and queen, who are ancient gods; they enjoy using the blood of their prey to make food; roasting is a common cooking method, and even sea Elf often hold "bonfire parties" on the rocks; they are close to nature and skilled in using various spices; they admire the strong and are proud of acting faster than thinking...
Myth and reality are mixed together, making it difficult to distinguish what is true and what is false... The part about customs and traditions, however, has shattered some of my previous assumptions... Klein listened with a seemingly unchanged expression, his mind rapidly analyzing every word Siatas said.
After figuring out the relevant details, Audrey used the keyword " Western Continent " to alter Siatas's dream, reflecting some memories existing in her subconscious.
The coral palace returned to the sight of Klein and his companions. Siatas followed behind " Queen of Calamity " Cohinem and walked to a crystal window.
She glanced at the queen's exquisite and elaborate gown, then stole a look at the "deity" who controlled Calamity, and asked with a hint of curiosity:
"Your Highness, are you looking west?"
For the Elf, as long as they don't feel oppressed by violence, they will ask any questions on the spot.
"Why do you think so?" Cohinem asked indifferently without turning around.
"I just learned a legend that our Elf race originated from the Western Continent," Siatas replied. "Your Highness, does the Western Continent really exist? Is it truly the birthplace of the first Elf?"
A slight smile played on Cohinem's lips as he spoke in a somewhat ethereal voice:
" The Western Continent may or may not exist. Every race needs to give itself a glorious origin, a spiritual homeland."
" Siatas, where is your homeland in your heart?"
"My hometown?" Siatas repeated the question, answering somewhat blankly, "It's the place where the King and His Highness reside, this palace, and the forest that leads to where my parents lived..."
As she said this, Siatas's mood gradually became somber, lost, and melancholy.
Clearly, she was influenced by corresponding memories in her subconscious.
She entered the world of travelogues, far from her homeland, two or three thousand years ago.
"So, for you, the Western Continent does not exist, but for some Elf, it is absolutely real. Queen of Calamity," Cohinem calmly gave his final answer.
Siatas didn't ask any more questions, because she suddenly remembered that the Queen was not one of the first Elf.
This exchange only made Klein more confused and perplexed. Fortunately, from the Second to the Fifth Era, the Western Continent had no presence whatsoever and wouldn't involve any important Concealment related to him. He was just learning about it casually and didn't have high expectations.
After ending the guidance of Siatas's subconscious, and since it was nearly noon and there were no other dreams nearby to jump to, Audrey, Klein, and Leonard left and appeared in Mobett and Siatas's bedroom.
Audrey glanced at the Fourth Age Viscount, who was Elf bound by elves, his limbs pinned down, and huddled in a corner of the asymmetrical bed. Her expression softened, and she spoke with a hint of a smile:
"They seem to be doing alright as they are now..."
"No, no, no, having a wife who is so violent, direct, imaginative, and daring is simply terrifying! Only someone like Mobett would like and enjoy that..." Leonard, who lacked the talent of a poet but possessed the free spirit of one, put his hands in his pockets and shook his head seriously.
At this point, he murmured thoughtfully:
"Conversely, a seasoned 'thief' does indeed need a woman like Siatas to keep him in check, hmm... I wonder what kind of women the other members of the Old Man's family would prefer..."
"Well, they don't need our envy or opposition. This is just how they get along. As Emperor Roselle once wrote in a poem, 'Life is precious, but love is more precious...'" (Note 1)
Klein listened to their discussion, opened his mouth, then closed it again, not mentioning that Siatas and Mobett were actually dead, and that they only truly felt their love for each other at the moment of their deaths; the living beings here were merely replicas created by the world in the book.
After leaving the couple's house, the three of them headed towards Groselle's blacksmith shop.
Along the way, as they passed through a street, Klein saw Longzel, who was known as the " Philosopher," and " Justice " Audrey immediately recognized him as Loen.
"Was that the soldier from over a hundred years ago?" Audrey slowed her pace and asked.
Klein thought of Longzel's longing for his hometown, and of the ashes he had placed in the Backlund Cemetery. After a two-second silence, he nodded gently and said:
"Yes."
Mr. "World" seemed somewhat sentimental... He was like a calm river on the surface, but beneath lay many turbulent currents and whirlpools... Audrey nodded almost imperceptibly and said:
"Can I enter his dream? I want to get the Potion recipes for ' Judge ' and ' Punisher Knight '."
"No problem," Klein replied, glancing at Leonard.
Leonard kept his hands in his pockets, but his eyes suddenly turned deep and unfathomable.
Longzel, who was sitting on the bench, then fell into a deep sleep.
Immediately afterwards, the three people appeared in his dream.
This is a bustling city with many wooden houses, and almost all the pedestrians are from Loen.
Longzel, with his black hair and Blue Eyes, stood outside a house, hesitant to approach, until a woman in an old, worn-out dress came out. He excitedly went to greet her, opened his arms, and tried to hug her.
His embrace passed right through the woman; the two did not interact.
Longzel stood frozen in place, and uttered a low, wooden cry:
"Mother..."
Audrey, who had intended to guide the dream directly, quietly watched the scene, then looked around and noticed the iconic clock.
" Backlund..." Audrey pursed her lips, turned her head, and looked at Klein with a restrained gaze, "Can't they leave the world of the book?"
"Too much time has passed. If they leave, they will simply Aging, die, or even decay." Klein's voice was like a quietly flowing river. "I have returned one of Longzel's items to Backlund."
As an " Spectator," Audrey keenly sensed the cruel reality hidden behind these words and couldn't help but raise her head, looking out of the dream and towards where Mobett and Siatas were.
Leonard wanted to ask what the item was, but after glancing around, he remained silent.
Next, Audrey carefully guided the dream, obtaining two Potion recipes and allowing Longzel to return home and live happily with his parents, brothers, and sisters.
This is a beautiful dream.
After leaving Longzel's location, Klein, Leonard, and Audrey quickly spotted Groselle's house.
This is the last stop on their exploration. After obtaining the information from the subconscious of the Giant Groselle, they will enter the Sea of Collective Subconscious of this book's world from there, seeking the secret to the book's existence.
Note 1: Quoted from " Liberty and Love " by Hungarian poet Petőfi.
P. S.: Requesting monthly votes and recommendation votes on Monday!