Withered vines hung down, covering the decaying wooden buildings, and the entire ruins were filled with a somber atmosphere of having been untouched for a long time.
Alger and a few Sailor explored most of the ruins in the desolate winter environment, but still found nothing of value.
"Captain, wave after wave of adventurers have come and gone. What have we left with?" Finally, a Sailor in his thirties, his patience wearing thin, broke the silence.
This resonated with the other companions, who echoed it:
"The place we found out so easily, others can definitely find it easily too."
"Yes, yes, let's keep going and deal with the Feysac!"
"Captain, are you planning to turn this place into a base?"
Alger slowly swept his gaze around, silencing the Sailor and eliciting their obedience.
After several seconds of silence, he finally spoke:
"I plan to use this place to ambush the Feysac."
"Let's first observe the terrain to see if it's suitable."
With this excuse, the Sailor reluctantly mustered their spirits, and the group quickly ventured deep into the Elf ruins.
As he walked, Alger was suddenly struck by Spirit Intuition and instinctively turned his head to look behind a giant tree.
The soil there showed signs of being disturbed, and it couldn't have been more than a year ago.
Alger looked away, pretending not to notice anything amiss, and casually looked elsewhere.
After exploring the Elf ruins, they returned to their new camp.
It was nearing evening, and the forest was growing colder. After Alger and the Sailor had dinner, they left two patrolmen behind and went into their respective tents.
A biting wind howled through the trees, making the campfire flicker. Alger, who was already planning to leave the camp in the middle of the night, suddenly heard a faint singing voice coming from afar.
The singing was ethereal and otherworldly, like a woman softly singing, expressing her inner sorrows.
This unconsciously brought back memories of Alger's past, of his mother who had passed away many years ago, and of his childhood when he was bullied.
An indescribable sadness surged uncontrollably into his heart, preventing him from immediately regaining consciousness. Instead, he waited several seconds before suddenly sitting up, his brows furrowed, and listening intently.
This time, he heard nothing; the melodious singing seemed to have never happened.
Alger squinted, grabbed his thick jacket, put it on, and walked out of the tent to the campfire.
The two Sailor on night watch had just finished a patrol and were warming themselves there.
"Have you noticed anything unusual?" Alger asked in a deep voice.
The two strong and capable Sailor shook their heads simultaneously:
"No."
Alger relaxed his brow a little, turned around, and intended to take a look around on his own.
Just then, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye:
The two Sailor were standing too close together.
For ordinary pirates, this wouldn't be a problem, but Alger's men were all Sailor who had received formal training from the Church of Storms. They certainly knew that in this kind of environment, patrollers had to maintain a certain distance from each other—not too far, not too close—so that they could see their companions but also prevent them from being taken away in a single attack.
Alger took two steps without making a sound, then turned back casually and asked:
"Did you find anything unusual?"
He changed the question, making it very strange.
The two strong, sturdy Sailor shook their heads one after the other, replying with unchanged expressions:
"No."
No... Alger nodded slightly, his expression relaxing:
"Very good."
He immediately turned around and slowly walked into his tent.
As soon as the Sailor ' gazes were cut off, Alger suddenly drew his " Blade of Venom " and " Gargoyle Glasses," and opened his mouth, ready to sing a song.
Just then, the ethereal and melancholic song from before reappeared, echoing in Alger's ears and piercing his spirit.
This was an exceptionally ancient ballad, expressing extreme sorrow and melancholy, making Alger's spirit feel as if pale, ethereal arms were growing out of him, constantly tearing at him.
Alger's expression Distortion, and his skin revealed patches of smooth, light black fish scales. His messy, seaweed-like dark blue hair stood on end, each strand becoming unusually thick.
The thoughts that had been in his mind were disturbed by the song and interrupted by the pain, and could no longer take shape.
Alger collapsed, struggling and writhing on the ground, becoming increasingly inhuman, on the verge of losing control.
Suddenly, the singing stopped, and a slightly indifferent voice reached Alger's ears:
"There are some Elf bloodlines..."
"Then let's do it this way. Make good use of Siatas's Beyonder Characteristic."
Alger slowly got up, his forehead covered in cold sweat, only to find a figure had appeared inside the tent.
This is a woman with glossy black hair, delicate features, slightly pointed ears, deep eyes, and soft facial contours. She is wearing an elaborate yet simple long dress, and even though she is not tall, she still gives people a sense of superiority.
"... Are you the Elf King, ' Queen of Calamity ' Cohinem?" Alger asked, a thought flashing through his mind.
The woman toyed with a beautifully patterned gold wine cup and said calmly:
"Haven't you already seen me?"
Alger suddenly remembered the similar song he had heard on Passo Island, and the dream of entering the underwater coral palace and seeing a high- Elf elf.
"You're still alive." After a few seconds of silence, Alger spoke in a low voice.
At the same time, he silently recited the name of " The Fool " in his heart, but he didn't know if it would make any difference if he didn't say it aloud.
The woman with her black hair styled in a high bun replied without changing her expression:
"It is very difficult for an Angel to fall unless it encounters an enemy."
"Then why do you split your characteristics, putting yourself in a strange state where you have to wait for an opportunity to revive?" Alger had learned about the situation in the Tarot Club, and asked this question partly out of curiosity and partly to buy time.
The Elf woman, suspected to be the " Queen of Calamity," Cohinem, snorted.
"Because the throne of the Storm has been seized by Leodero, and I am powerless to resist the ' Tyrant '."
"Also, there are fewer and fewer Elf, and my anchor is becoming increasingly unstable."
Others might not know who Leodero was, but Alger knew very well and dared not continue the conversation in the real world.
Just as he was about to ask " Queen of Calamity " Cohinem what purpose her arrival had served, the Elf King spoke first:
Do you want to become Demigod?
Does He want to resurrect through my body? Does He want to use the promise of advancing to Sequence 4 and gaining divinity as bait to corrupt me? As Alger was tempted, one question after another popped into his mind.
Considering that Mr. The Fool could Purification all kinds of pollution, Alger keenly sensed that this was an opportunity.
This reminded him of a term once coined by Emperor Roselle:
Sugar-coated bullets!
Now, there's a good chance he'll swallow the sugar coating and throw the cannonball back.
"What do you want me to do?" Alger asked, not appearing too eager, but rather asking a question that reflected his personality.
" Queen of Calamity " Cohinem scrutinized him for a few seconds and said:
"When you are qualified and have the opportunity to access the Book of Calamity, take something from it that no one else will notice and bring it to the Western Continent."
The Western Continent... the Elf homeland of the elves? Alger frowned slightly and said:
"Hasn't the Western Continent already disappeared?"
Cohinem slightly curled the corners of his mouth and said:
"Since it disappears, it will reappear."
"When the Apocalypse comes, it will surely reappear."
Before Alger could ask any more questions, the Elf King paused for a moment and said:
"You don't have to deliver that thing to the Western Continent yourself, but you must entrust it to someone trustworthy. Although I'm not good at curses, I can still make you suffer a painful death after breaking the agreement."
"But what if the Western Continent doesn't reappear, or we can't enter it?" Alger pondered for a moment before asking.
With his glossy black hair and gentle features, Cohinem's gaze was somewhat vacant, as if he were lost in some beautiful memory.
After a few seconds, she spoke calmly:
"If it doesn't actually happen again, then the agreement is null and void."
"Entering the Western Continent may indeed require an incantation or password, but I'm not sure what it is. However, you can ask one of those beings."
"Who is it?" Alger asked, full of doubt.
Cohinem glanced at him and said coldly:
"The ' The Fool ' you were just reciting in your mind."
"I have a feeling that He is the key to whether this matter can be accomplished."
Alger's heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head to respond:
"I see."
Seeing this, " Queen of Calamity " Cohinem nodded slightly and said:
"If you wish to become Demigod, keep this promise: when the Sun rises, go to the Elf ruins."
As soon as the voice faded, the Elf King's figure vanished in an instant, like the kind of illusion often seen in the sea and desert.
Alger suddenly opened his eyes and found himself lying in the tent, having just woken up.
His memory was a bit confused, but he quickly pieced together the relationships:
He and his Sailor had just learned of the location of an Elf ruin and arrived nearby, but had not yet had time to explore it.
The previous "exploration," the singing, the Sailor' mutation, the appearance of the " Calamity," and the dialogue were all just a dream!
No wonder I was so careless... Knowing I might encounter the " Queen of Calamity," I didn't pray to Mr. " The Fool " beforehand... Did the " Queen of Calamity " create this real dream using her Angel status? Or does she possess a corresponding Sealed Artifact, so even if she exists in a special state, she can still borrow its power? Alger listened to the sounds outside the tent and found everything was normal.
He immediately sat down and prayed devoutly to Mr. The Fool.
In just twenty or thirty seconds, Alger arrived above the Gray Fog and saw Mr. The Fool sitting at the head of the mottled long table.
"You saw Cohinem?" After " The Hanged Man " greeted him, " The Fool " Klein asked casually.
Alger, the " The Hanged Man," answered meticulously:
"Yes, but we can't be sure that's the Elf King."