NOVEL WEB Chapter 385
And so, the adventure plan of the Hero’s party gradually took shape.
First off, they decided to borrow the Elves’ treasure, the Branch of Harmony, from the World Tree Yggdrasil to know the location of the God of the Wind.
“If you just borrow the Branch of Harmony, I can prepare the rest of the ceremony. But that’s only if you bring it back.”
“Why are you helping us so much?”
“Well, I’m tagging along on your journey. I’m hoping to wrap things up quicker so you can come back soon.”
Per’s intention was to assist them in finishing their journey quickly.
“If we can’t borrow the Branch of Harmony… we might find some clues where the Jo-in are. But that’s a place ordinary humans can’t easily reach. So, it’s best to borrow the Branch if possible.”
Other options weren’t entirely absent, but they were cumbersome and required a lot of effort, making them tough to execute.
Though there were a few Jo-in in the Church of Life, they were always busy running around, making it hard to talk frequently with Alice, the saintess of the Church of Life.
Well, if you flex some authority, you could perhaps manage a conversation.
Anyway, next, they would use the Branch of Harmony to pinpoint and meet the God of the Wind.
“But what if we find out the God of the Wind’s location and then he decides to move somewhere else?”
“First, I’ll strengthen my friend, the Wind Spirit, and plan to send a message through that spirit. If the God of the Wind knows that the Dragon Priestess, favored by the Goddess of Life, is visiting, he shouldn’t just up and leave.”
“Really? Do you think everything will go that smoothly?”
“We have to hope for the best. Well, with a spirit enhanced through the Branch of Harmony, it should be doable.”
It was a rather optimistic thought, but since there were no other options, the Hero party could only nod in agreement.
Next, they would ascend the Holy Mountain, Sagarmatha, the sanctuary of the Dwarves.
“Uh, let’s save Sagarmatha for the end…”
“We’re only pushing it to this point as it is. After Sagarmatha, we need to visit the Goddess of the Sea.”
“But… um… we also have to meet the God of Light, right?”
At those words, Eric and Alice momentarily stopped speaking.
A place said to have the God of Light: White Night.
That vast plain in the north where night never falls.
Discovering the location while carrying Lily and Yurica was a plus, but the real worry was that they were well aware of what that place was like.
“I want to leave after thoroughly preparing for that place.”
“Huh? Why? Is it that dangerous?”
“It is! Definitely hazardous.”
Alice said that, nodding her head slightly.
And rightly so.
“The place where the God of Light is said to be, White Night, is… north of the Demon King’s Castle.”
“The Demon King’s Castle?!”
At that, everyone’s jaws dropped for a moment.
“To be precise, if you head northeast from the Demon King’s Castle, you’ll find White Night; head northwest, and you might just reach the entrance to the Underworld.”
“You could get to White Night without passing through the Demon King’s Castle, but that would mean crossing the northern plains where Nomads live. That route won’t be easy either.”
Eric and Alice had already done some research about such places.
During their journey to defeat the Demon King, they’d looked into various travel routes thoroughly.
After much discussion, they decided to beat back the Demon King’s forces as much as possible while helping humans, and gradually head north.
“Once we leave on this path, the journey will be more miserable, so we must prepare thoroughly.”
“Plus, since we’ll likely pass nearby the Demon King’s Castle, it’s possible we might face ambushes from the remnants of the Demon King’s army.”
“Then… what about other routes?”
“Northern plains? That area, where the Nomads are abundant, isn’t an easy route for outsiders. The fierce Nomads will attack relentlessly.”
“That’s troublesome…”
In the end, the fact that they had to cross the harsh northern lands remained unchanged.
“I want to be fully prepared to cross the cold lands. For that…”
“Sagarmatha would be the most suitable place. I understand. I get it, but…”
Finna began to mutter under her breath.
“Sigh. Okay, but you have to help me convince my father when we reach Sagarmatha! If it’s the Hero and the Dragon Priestess, even my stubborn dad will probably relent!”
Finna didn’t say she’d convince him herself.
“So, after Sagarmatha, we go to White Night… but, um… should we go to the Goddess of the Sea or the God of Light first?”
“Looking at the distance, it looks closer to meet the God of Light after Sagarmatha.”
Alice pointed out on the map with her finger.
“First, we’ll head to the Great Forest to meet the World Tree, Yggdrasil, then directly to the Holy Mountain to gather Gems and Accessories to Gain Favor of Mermaids, then head north to meet the God of Light…”
“And then come down to find out the God of the Wind’s location using the Branch of Harmony, and then the Goddess of the Sea… um…”
Eric sighed quietly as he looked down at the line drawn on the map.
“This won’t be your typical journey.”
Even though they had sought out Ifrit first, each leg of their journey was notably arduous.
If they hadn’t gone to find Ifrit first, they might have had to trek to the farthest north and south ends of the world and beyond.
“And the whereabouts of the God of Wind are another variable. We don’t know where he’ll be… he might even be on the opposite side of the world.”
“Sigh… well, if we could at least call the God of Wind over here that would be nice.”
Depending on where the God of Wind was, their journey could elongate indefinitely.
Well… honestly, this was more of a problem with the Sylphid, so let’s set that aside for now.
The Sylphid would happily come if anyone called using the Wind Spirit.
With that thought in mind, the Hero party was deep in discussion about their upcoming adventure, but there was no clear advancement.
“By the way, what happened to Quartz? I haven’t seen him properly these last few days.”
“If it’s the uncle, he’s busy with the martial arts tournament. Well, that should end today though.”
“End? Oh…”
Eric finally realized what day it was.
The last day of the year. In other words, the last day of the Festival of White Flowers, and the day of the finals for the martial arts tournament.
It was a very busy time for Quartz, the Great Warrior of the Lizardman.
“Aren’t we supposed to cheer him on or something?”
“Cheer on the uncle? Huh?”
Per tilted his head, looking perplexed.
“That guy has been holding the title of the Lizardman Great Warrior for 16 years now, defeating numerous Lizardman warriors. Honestly, most ordinary Lizardman warriors wouldn’t even manage to scratch a scale of his!”
“Really?”
“For sure. To be honest, I think if it weren’t for his terrible sense of direction, he could’ve taken down the Demon King by now.”
Per declared firmly. It wasn’t just empty praise out of friendship or affection; they were purely sincere words.
Well, in reality, it was impossible. I mean, the Demon King was no ordinary Monster…
Hmm, thinking about Quartz’s strength… it does make me wonder if he could take down at least one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Demon King.
Without those overpowered items like the Sword of the Hero, and purely relying on raw physical strength to reach the Hero level is something I should admire… well…
Actually, it’s kind of frustrating. I went through all the trouble of raising this kid only to find out he can measure up to an Lizardman Great Warrior.
Is it that investing in a Hero has poor cost-effectiveness? Or should I just praise the talented Lizardmen for growing so well?
No, let’s think positively. Lizardmen are good chaps. Just like how they still remember me to offer the White Flower. Even if I’m preoccupied with other matters and can’t pay much attention.
Since they’re such good kids, if they could be of help, that’s great. They wouldn’t cause me trouble, right? Right.
But as for the Hero… he might need a bit of tweaking. Well, though this current Hero, Eric, was half-pushed by Alice to this mantle.
Nevertheless, as Per confidently claimed, Quartz defeated other Lizardman warriors and securely reclaimed the title of Great Warrior.
As the Festival of White Flowers began, he regained the blessing of the Creator Dragon God, transforming into a Dragon Knight, whilst his spear became a blessed spear that wouldn’t easily break, with white petals dancing and rising into the sky.
The scene illuminated by the silver moonlight — the moment one year wrapped up and a new year began.
At that moment, the victorious Quartz spoke to the audience watching him.
“With this year, I, Quatzel-Gar, will no longer compete for the title of Lizardman Great Warrior!”
His words sent shockwaves through the crowd.
The undefeated warrior who held the title of Lizardman Great Warrior for 16 consecutive years: Quatzel-Gar.
The strongest Lizardman, dubbed the greatest warrior, announcing he will no longer show up for the martial arts tournament was beyond shocking.
“I will embark on a journey. I will travel the world with my companions.”
Quartz continued his declaration.
“Even though I couldn’t travel during the reign of the Demon King, it isn’t too late now. I will set off on a journey to greet the Ancient Gods.”
Quartz’s tale went on, capturing the attention of the audience.
“I don’t know what awaits me at the end of this journey. However, I wish to leave without regret, to become a Lizardman who experiences the vast heavens, not just remain in a confined place. Therefore, I will not participate in next year’s martial arts tournament.”
The audience was left speechless.
The strongest warrior, saying he wouldn’t take the title of Great Warrior anymore.
Some felt regret while others felt sadness, and some were thrilled at the new opportunities this created.
Though feeling disappointed for not being able to defeat Quatzel-Gar directly, the fact that the title became vacant meant the opportunity would now go to someone else.
So.
“What a firm resolve.”
And that’s when I stepped in.
“Is that voice… could it be?!”
“The Creator Dragon God?!”
The Archmage, Per, recognized my voice and gasped, spreading that shock to the other Lizardmen as well.
The voice of the Creator Dragon God reverberated just as the Festival of White Flowers was about to finish.
“Is it truly you, the Creator Dragon God…?”
“Believing is up to you.”
The expressions of Alice and Eric turned oddly serious, but I decided to ignore that for now.
“Oh Creator Dragon God…! I am…!”
“Do not speak further.”
Quartz tried to say something, but I cut him off.
If he made any excuses, it could turn ugly.
Simplifying things was best. No need to cling to anything pitifully.
So.
“To shine a light on your name, after a long time as a Great Warrior, I bestow upon you a final gift.”
“Creator Dragon God…?”
“Until the moment your life ends, you will shine as an honored warrior.”
My words became a shockwave that spread to Quartz and the other audience members.
“Even if the position of Great Warrior is vacant, it will only be for about a year. After a year, a new Great Warrior will be appointed, but if that happens, the blessing given to you will be withdrawn, and you may face hardships.”
Honestly, even if the blessing were taken away, I still thought he would do pretty well. But I wanted to keep just that strength.
There’s no guarantee they’d finish the journey within a year either.
“Even after a year, even if a new Great Warrior is appointed, the blessings given to you and your weapon will persist. This will be validated in my name.”
Though this privilege would only apply to Quartz, I didn’t think that was a big deal.
For someone who had held the title of Great Warrior for 16 years, such a privilege was only natural.
“So go on your journey, Warrior. See much with your eyes, experience a lot, and return here once again. I command you in my name.”
“Ah… understood… Creator Dragon God!”
With slightly reddened eyes, Quartz spoke with a glimmer of moisture.
What kind of feelings did Quartz have at that moment? Was he happy? Overwhelmed? Either way, I hoped he felt the reward for his contributions.
In that case…
“The flowers dedicated to me, feel free to take them with gratitude.”
I gathered the snow-white flowers dedicated to me and pulled them into the sky.
The freshly risen white petals covered the Divine Hall, but no god appeared dissatisfied by that act.
Oh, Sia and Arthur might have seen the sky filled with white petals and rushed over to Theocaly, but that was a very trivial matter.
Already, I had left that place far away! I was watching over the Hero’s party from a distance!