Chapter 56: Maggie Wants to Help
Having learned the attacker’s origins and confirmed he wasn’t from a nearby village, Arcaiste returned to the gathering with Abyss and his companions. They informed the Druids who had returned empty-handed from their investigations in other villages, and a second meeting of the high-ranking Druids was immediately convened.
They quickly pieced together the events. The Druid Council always conducted its affairs openly, never hiding anything from nearby residents. Any inquisitive villager would receive a truthful answer from the sincere Druids. Having always coexisted harmoniously, with no reason for suspicion, they had no reason for secrecy.
The Druids were one of the Elven Kingdoms’ sources of pride, and the nearby villagers provided them with substantial support; they were essentially neighbors. However, this mutual trust likely led to the leak of information about the Druids’ search for Wild Druids scattered across the continent (similar to how wandering mages without affiliations were called Wild Mages, such Druids were called Wild Druids).
There was nothing inherently wrong with this, as the Druids were unaware that the Sacred Tree and the animal mutations were caused by external forces. Who would have guessed that such a powerful Sacred Tree could be affected by mortal power – at least, that’s what they thought until Abyss demonstrated his strength by draining the magic surrounding the Sacred Tree.
This information leak allowed those with ulterior motives, lurking within the Elven Kingdoms, to seize the opportunity presented by the Druids’ investigation and launch a surprise attack on Abyss, the central figure. This attack should have been quite successful – if Abyss were a conventionally powerful individual, the attack could have caused a magical backlash, costing him his life. However, the enemy hadn’t anticipated Abyss having a high-ranking Dou Qi Master and a disguised Divine Arts user as guards.
According to Abyss’s deduction, the attacker was likely a minion of an Outer God, although the number of these cultists and their communication methods remained unknown.
The concept of Outer Gods was relatively niche. During the discussion, many Druids were unaware of these otherworldly intruders in Hai-Teweru. Their entire understanding of Outer Gods stemmed from the Ossi Kingdom’s war of restoration, during which Queen Givia had announced their existence to the entire nation. Most Druids believed Outer Gods were merely powerful sentient beings awakening from slumber, with only a few willing to believe their power rivaled that of the Nine Gods.
Abyss’s candid explanation briefly surprised the Druids, but as high-ranking mages, they weren’t easily fazed. They quickly regained their composure and discussed new strategies.
The Druids decided against punishing anyone for the information leak, agreeing that ignorance excused the offense. Aside from the two gluttonous apprentices guarding the gate being punished with a year-long fruit ban, everyone who had leaked information was pardoned. From that day forward, the Druids’ actions would be classified into different secrecy levels, with some information restricted to high-ranking Druids and forbidden from being shared with apprentices to prevent further leaks.
Regarding the Sacred Tree, Abyss decided to depart immediately with the three girls to investigate the locations of the unusual roots. During Abyss’s investigation, Arcaiste would personally visit the Grey Elf Council to communicate with the protectors of the Elven Kingdoms and cooperate to maintain stability.
Initially believing the incident to be an ecological disaster, the Druids’ attitudes became much more serious upon learning their enemy was likely an otherworldly god. Every Druid, before formally studying the magic of the Druidic school, swore an oath to protect nature with their lives. None were afraid because the enemy was an Outer God; some were even excited by the prospect.
The second meeting concluded successfully. After brief preparations, Abyss prepared to embark on the journey with his three companions. Uncertain of the enemy’s nature, he decided to bring all of them.
“Mr. Belator, what did you discuss in the meeting?” Maggie, who had appeared nearby at some point, ran towards Abyss with a woven bag on her back. “Are you going to find the source of the magic anomaly?”
“Yes, we’re about to leave. It shouldn’t take too long, hopefully. What’s up?” Abyss replied, adjusting the saddle on his undead warhorse.
“I want to help too. Is there anything I can do?” Maggie seemed excited. “Master just told me our enemy is an Outer God from another world. I suddenly feel my mission is even more critical! What else did you discuss? Can you tell me?”
“Nothing much else was discussed in the meeting, and our task is simple. But I think your master must have sworn you to secrecy, not to tell anyone about our actions, right?” Abyss shook his head. “There’s nothing for you to do this time. Just wait for us to return at the gathering.”
“Okay, okay! If there’s anything I can do, please tell me as soon as possible!” Maggie nodded eagerly. “I may not be very capable, but I’m diligent!”
“Of course, if you’re willing, I’ll call on you when I need your help.” Abyss smiled and nodded. He currently had no idea what Maggie could do; the chatterbox indeed lacked any particularly outstanding skills. Her shapeshifting was decent, but shapeshifting alone had limited applications.
“Also, these fruits are for you to eat on your journey!” Maggie took off the bag from her back and handed it to Abyss.
The bag contained fresh fruit, not a large amount, but enough to show Maggie’s kind intentions.
“Alright, thank you.” Abyss reached out and patted Maggie’s head, then suddenly remembered Maggie was more than ten years older than him and smiled sheepishly.
Maggie smiled and smoothed her hair. “Then I’ll be going. I look forward to hearing good news from you!” With that, she turned and skipped away.
After Maggie had left, Leona asked curiously, “Why does Maggie want to help so badly? I thought she was playful and liked to slack off.”
Flora sighed softly. “She just wants to prove her worth. If you observe carefully, you’ll realize Maggie is actually isolated within the Druid gathering.”
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