Chapter 114: Heading to Coral City
Elven lifespans are longer than humans’. Forty years might fade many human memories, but not so easily for elves. Many elves, especially elders who had interacted with Agnes, would likely remember her appearance. To prevent her from being recognized, Abyss gave her a makeover before departing.
Agnes now looked entirely like a noble lady from the Western Empire, dressed in a light, airy gown, wearing a veil, and topped with a beautiful sun hat. Flora had given her a set of clothes she had previously bought. Since Agnes was slender, Flora had even done some tailoring.
Agnes herself quite liked the outfit, but she insisted on having a pair of animal ears sprout from her head. Flora had no choice but to cut two holes in the hat.
After confirming Agnes wouldn’t be easily recognized, Abyss, along with the three girls excluding Rebecca, found the Grey Elf envoy, Brindevor, waiting quietly in a scenic spot.
The situation was urgent, so Brindevor wasted no time. After confirming Abyss’s group had their own warhorses, she immediately led them towards Coral City.
Coral City was located on the eastern coast of the Elven Kingdoms, close to the Western Empire and the Tami Kingdom. It was a significant handicraft export city with relatively developed surrounding transportation. This development undoubtedly allowed the city to amass wealth faster, but it now posed a problem: if the Iron Lilies truly occupied the city, the extensive road network would become their advantage, causing significant trouble for the Elven Kingdoms.
The undead warhorse and East Wind were top-tier steeds, capable of covering vast distances daily. Following the Grey Elf’s white horse at a gallop, the group arrived at a village near Coral City just as the moon began to rise.
…
“Golden Rose Legion Squad Leader Wes Leggett reports to the esteemed Lady Brindevor and the Druid Master.”
As the group entered the village, they were greeted by the stationed Golden Rose soldiers. A female Dark Elf warrior armed with a warhammer knelt on one knee, speaking respectfully.
“Please rise quickly, Squad Leader Leggett. We came this time to deal with Hom, who is besieging Coral City. Has anything unusual happened these past few days?” Brindevor pulled the squad leader up. Since this wasn’t a formal occasion, she switched to speaking normal Elvish.
“The siege remains deadlocked. Residents tried to break out a few days ago, and several more died in his arena. Someone on the city wall fired magic missiles at him, and others shot crossbow bolts, but none were effective. He does get hit, but each time, he quickly recovers unharmed – it seems he uses clones to take the attacks for him,” the squad leader reported. “Additionally, other merchants attempting to trade here have all been turned back by us. No outsiders have been injured so far.”
“He has a way to negate attacks directed at himself?” Brindevor frowned. “Master Belator, do you have a way to deal with this ability?”
“Not yet,” Leona continued speaking for Abyss, speaking slowly to allow Abyss to finish his thoughts in the mind link. “I need some time to observe his weaknesses… While Outer Gods possess power surpassing mortals, and they grant this power to designated mortals, these powers cannot be without flaws. Mortals inevitably pay a price to wield the power of Outer Gods; that is the nature of Divine Arts.”
“Like the Divine Arts users of the Church?” Brindevor seemed intent on memorizing Leona’s words, perhaps tasked with recording the details of this operation.
“Well… the price they pay will be greater than that of Divine Arts users. After all, the Outer Gods are invading our world, fighting on foreign ground, so they face more restrictions,” Leona replied.
“May I interject?” the Golden Rose squad leader spoke up at this moment. “We have made a small discovery that I believe Master Belator should be informed of.”
“Go ahead,” Leona glanced at Abyss, then agreed.
“Alright. When Hom uses the arena, he seems to need to utilize his tooth necklace. Sharp-eyed scouts noticed that however many opponents there are, he uses that many teeth. After summoning the arena, the number of teeth on his necklace decreases accordingly, but after the duel ends, the teeth return,” the squad leader explained, gesturing the shape of the necklace around her neck.
“How many teeth does he have on his necklace then?” Leona asked curiously.
“Our people counted; the number should be over two hundred,” the squad leader said.
“So, if we send three hundred people to fight him at once, he won’t be able to handle it?” Leona immediately thought of a “good idea,” but had enough self-awareness not to voice it, instead sharing it in the mind link.
“That’s not a good idea. After he pulls others into the arena, people outside probably can’t harm him inside. That would be sending them to their deaths,” Abyss rejected Leona’s idea. “Think about it, when I dueled the fish-man leader in the underwater temple, you didn’t even know where I went, right?”
“Ah… that does seem to be the case,” Leona realized. “Good thing I didn’t say it out loud, or I would have lost major face. Oh, well, it’s ABC’s face anyway.”
“We still need to observe. I will slowly figure out a way to subdue him,” Abyss said. “First, tell them we want to observe the guy, ensuring concealment.”
Leona relayed Abyss’s words to Brindevor and the Golden Rose squad leader. They had invited Abyss to help and had no plan of their own, so they readily agreed.
The village was situated on a small hill with an excellent vantage point. In a small grove near the village, they found a perfect spot offering a clear view of Coral City.
It was a city with distinct elven characteristics, featuring ornate and elegant architecture built with abundant colorful bricks and tiles. Many people were active within the city, but the main gate was shut tight, and the city guard stood ready atop the gate tower.
Below the main city gate, Abyss, using Leona’s eyes, could see a person sitting lazily. In the open environment, this person was quite conspicuous.
As Abyss focused his gaze on the person, the person suddenly looked up in their direction, as if sensing something.
But after staring their way for a while, seemingly finding nothing, he shook his head and turned back.
Leave a Reply