Book 8: Chapter 73: Uvaeren’s Stone Tablets |
Everyone looked at Milleras’ downcast face and felt a pang of sympathy. Judging by the scale of the underground library, the Tower of Durlag must have been a sacred hall of wisdom for the Uwelun Elves during its golden age. Any scholar thirsty for knowledge would have entered this underground library with a pilgrim’s reverence.
Sadly, after thousands of years, even untouched by enemy invasion, time had cruelly destroyed the jewel of Uwelun Elf wisdom. Many high-ranking undead in the Tower of Durlag were once Uwelun Elf mages and scholars in life. It was impossible that they didn’t cherish these books. Though the dead lacked the desires of the living, they likely still harbored complex feelings for things cherished deeply in their memories.
This was proven by the fact that the underground library still looked the same after millennia. In the early days of the Forbidden Zone of Life, the high-ranking undead, possessing their living memories, probably performed some upkeep and maintenance on the library.
However, after the Tower of Durlag became a Forbidden Zone of Life, it was gradually covered by a shroud of death. Living things in the area either fled or died. Without plant fibers or animal hides, there were no materials to make paper, ink, or brushes. Books couldn’t be copied or restored. The final outcome was clear: they turned into the pile of dust before Milleras.
“Milleras, don’t be so disheartened. Actually, Uvaeren’s library isn’t completely lost!” Hearing Joey’s words, Milleras looked up, a glimmer of hope flickering in his eyes.
Joey looked at the pitiful Sun Elf Prince, feeling strangely moved. Though Joey and Qin Lun were fundamentally one Apostle, inheriting ancient Elf memories allowed him to understand Milleras’s regret on a cultural level.
“Ordinary paper books, even those on animal hides, couldn’t survive such vast time without being copied and renewed,” Joey said, his eyes glinting. “But I learned some good news when I interrogated the Lich, Hasheed.”
“You mean the Nether Scrolls?” Milleras came to his senses, frowning slightly in confusion. “Just one set of the Nether Scrolls can’t represent the vast collection of Uvaeren.”
“I’m not talking about the Nether Scrolls,” Joey smiled. “Many undead in the Tower of Durlag were Uwelun Elves in life. While they couldn’t maintain the massive library, saving a portion of the most essential and precious works was possible.”
“The Tower truly lacks materials for making paper. But don’t forget, things for writing weren’t limited to paper, hides, or silk,” Joey’s eyes flashed sharply. “Necromancers and Liches aren’t short on clever minds. They recorded the words in the most primitive way.” He asked calmly, “Milleras, what was the most primitive writing surface in ancient times?”
“Stone!” Milleras exclaimed in delight. “The undead carved the words onto stone?”
“Yes, the undead carved the contents of some precious texts onto special stone tablets using magical symbols,” Joey’s smile turned strange. “However, they are undead after all. Memories from life influence them, but don’t dictate them. So most books preserved this way were magical texts, also attractive to Necromancers and Liches.”
“They not only carved the texts onto stone, but also converted the words into spell-triggered runes,” Joey explained. “This meant they had to periodically infuse the stones with magical energy. Only the tiniest fraction of the library’s most precious works truly survived.”
“You know where these tablets are kept, right?” Milleras grabbed Joey’s arm excitedly.
“Of course…” Joey raised an eyebrow to speak again, then suddenly grunted, stumbling backward a step. He clutched his head, his face contorted in pain.
“Firal, what’s wrong?” Milleras cried out, rushing forward to support the young Elf.
Joey gasped heavily, eyes tightly shut, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. It was a long while before he slowly looked up. The faint crimson tint in his pupils had vanished.
“Nothing much, an old problem,” The young man gave a gentle smile, blinking at Milleras.
Seeing this, Pakunoda, who had been observing coldly from the edge of the group, narrowed her eyes. Perhaps only she truly understood that the Serial Killer who turned Hasheed into a bone banner had withdrawn now. The one who had awakened was another, equally cold and meticulous, yet hypocritical, human monster.
“Milleras, you know I can’t help you obtain these Uvaeren Tablets,” Qin Lun gave an apologetic smile, lazily stretching his body.
The incident in the Valley of the Undead had been unexpected for Qin Lun. The fearful scream impact revealed his biggest weakness: he focused solely on strengthening his Law Body and Apostle Skills, neglecting defense against mental attacks.
Struck by the fearful scream chaos erupted in Qin Lun’s mind; his unprepared mental world shattered like a mirror, suffering unprecedented damage.
Before this, Qin Lun thought Joey’s existence was purely beneficial, just having a brother with a different personality. Now, he realized their split personalities made both mental worlds fragile against mental assaults.
In essence, he could fool top psychologists with his knowledge, but not himself. Their fragmented minds remained a psychological disorder.
This discovery terrified Qin Lun. He had possessed gear against mental effects: the Iron Cross Medal from Grant bestowed ‘Iron Will,’ providing partial resistance. The necklace he bought after the Metropolis Domination War also had a passive skill, ‘Mind Calming,’ for resistance against mind control.
But Hasheed was High Rank, and his fearful scream was a powerful skill, rendering both Apostle items ineffective. Qin Lun took so long to ‘sleep’ because he pieced his shattered mental world back together.
He hadn’t planned to wake yet, but Joey was too brutal to sustain long. Feeling satisfied after crafting Hasheed’s banner, Joey nearly spilled crucial info just before Qin Lun was jolted awake.
“What will you bargain for help?”
Milleras sighed silently. This dignified young Elf was the Firal he knew. The cruel yet straightforward one seemed just a temporary influence of the Ancient Inheritance.
“But Firal, even if we, Cormanthor Sun Elves, get the Uvaeren Tablets, it won’t severely impact the Moon Elf Courts on the continent,” Milleras pressed. “The Ancient Path has restarted, unstoppable by any force.”
What a challenge! Qin Lun observed Milleras calmly, smiling faintly without speaking. The Prince cared about the library for the books, but had another deeper motive Milleras couldn’t hide from Qin Lun. Ever since learning they were in the Tower of Durlag, Milleras planned to profit from Uvaeren’s library. That’s why he accepted Joey’s invitation to explore so readily.
Why did Cormanthor restart the Ancient Path? Issues included encroachment from groups like the Moonsea-based Zhentarim threatening Cormanthor Forest’s north. Political struggles involved other Elven Courts forming coalitions. Even perceived rivals like the Silver Marches courted Elves away from Cormanthor.
The core issue, however, was the failure to grow the third generation World Tree. Ongoing Crown Wars had stolen their Ancient Inheritance – particularly knowledge on nurturing the sacred tree. Only Evermeet’s unique climate made it thrive third-gen without Sun Elf involvement.
After the Crown Wars ended, survivors of fallen Elf realms like Santa Osriel, Kaeldomo, and escaping Aryvandaar Sun Elves founded Uvaeren. Though survivors suffered catastrophe, they preserved rich cultural traditions. Uvaeren became the continent’s Elven enlightenment core. Finding its lost wisdom vault today could mend Cormanthor Sun Elves’ legacy loss while bolstering their claim as rightful leaders across Elven communities.
“Firal, these tablets belong to the entire Elven Race,” Milleras said solemnly. “Even if won’t aid Sun Elves, letting Uvaeren’s artifacts resurface remains vital.”
“I’ll uncover them if you fulfill two terms,” Qin Lun offered playfully. “I’m only an Elf mercenary; I don’t work without compensation.”
“Fine,” Milleras grimaced, raising his eyes skyward. “Just don’t demand the impossible!”