Chapter 230: Migration (Part 2)

  "Well, Inham, can you see why this Stardust is in this state? I know you are erudite and talented, and that your understanding of the application between magic arrays and magical materials is likely among the foremost on the continent, wouldn't you say?" the Pope said, looking at Marquis with a smile.

  Marquis tilted his head and thought for a moment before answering: "Your Majesty. Based on the quantity of this pile of Stardust, I think... this perhaps was originally a single, intact Star-Eye. Dispersed Stardust has no other use besides activating the power of a corresponding Star-Eye. Furthermore, spatial magic is the most difficult to control; the powers of Star-Gems cannot resonate or stack with one another. Therefore, no matter how much Stardust you pile together, it could never match the power of a single Star Shard. So, this quantity could not be the remnants left after the use of Stardust or fragments. It can only be the residual trace left after the use of an entire Star-Eye."

  "Good eye. I thought so as well." The Pope nodded slightly. "But I'm just very curious, what method did those elves use to turn such a precious Star-Eye into a pile of dust? Is it related to their entire race's sudden disappearance?"

  Marquis replied with a wry smile, "For this, I must ask Your Majesty to forgive my ignorance. I cannot see it, nor can I guess."

  The Pope glanced at Marquis and sighed softly. "According to Knight Tamika, not only are the elves gone, but the War Ancient Tree in the Tulalion Forest has also vanished without a trace... That was a treasure from ancient times, legend says it was a sapling found in ancient ruins by the Elven Queen Isabelle five hundred years ago, nurtured in Tulalion with water from the Sunwell brought from the Whispering Woods. His Holiness Pope Saint Julian, who was young at the time, was on very good private terms with the Elven Queen. He recorded all of this in his private notes. Although I have seen them, I never expected that a War Ancient Tree could possess the ability to withstand the mages of Diya Valley. That truly surprises me... I had originally hoped to have a good, peaceful exchange with them, but who knew that by the time Knight Tamika had just arrived in Tulalion, all he saw was an empty forest."

  Adela couldn't help but glance again at the wooden-faced Knight Tamika. What kind of "exchange and communication" a person like him, who only took direct orders from the Pope and always operated in the shadows, could represent was not hard to imagine. Although Lancelot had suffered a setback in Tulalion, he had also brought back news of the Leaves of the World Tree. Coupled with the immense power displayed by the War Ancient Tree, these things were enough to make one resort to some unscrupulous means.

  The Pope looked at Marquis and asked again, "Although Celeste has many magical tomes, records on spatial magic are scarce across the entire continent. Although I can also tell that this is the dust from a shattered Star-Eye and know that the disappearance of the elven race is related to this, I cannot fathom the specifics. Inham, can you make out any clues from this?"

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  Marquis still shook his head with a wry smile: "I truly cannot see any."

  "You are being too modest. Have you not noticed?" The Pope smiled again, a smile quite different from the ones before. It held a hint of irrepressible admiration, and also a sharp edge he made no attempt to conceal. The chilling atmosphere in the study seemed to grow sharper as well.

  Marquis simply bowed his waist and smiled slightly. Although his posture was very respectful, his smile remained one of sufficient grace and poise, neither haughty nor humble. He said, "Such meager tricks are something I dare not presume to display before Your Majesty."

  The Pope fell silent. He didn't look at Marquis either, just staring at the dust of the Star-Eye he was playing with in his hand.

  After a long, difficult silence, the Pope finally spoke. Looking at Marquis, he said, "Inham. You are aware that Celeste's campaign against Oufu has not been going well of late. Not only have countries like Erathia suffered heavy losses, but even a few Temple Knights and Bishop Eschol have unfortunately fallen. What we lack now in The Radiant Citadel are those talents who can stand alone... You, after all, once studied at the Magic Academy and can be considered one of Celeste's own. Are you interested in taking up the position of Cardinal of Erathia?"

  Finally, even Marquis couldn't hide the look of surprise on his face. Bishop Adela was also so astonished he could hardly control himself. Only Knight Tamika behind the Pope remained as wooden-faced as ever, as if he were nothing more than a human-like sculpture.

  After a brief moment of stunned silence, Marquis then knelt on one knee. "Thank you for your recognition, Your Majesty. I am willing to dedicate my all for the glory of the Lord."

  His Majesty the Pope looked at Marquis, the smile on his face returning to that kind and peaceful state, and said: "Spatial magic is profound and abstruse. It is said that only the Necromancers of Diya Valley possess the Forbidden Spell of spatial transference. I wonder if they also have such large-scale mass teleportation magic?"

  These words from the Pope seemed not to be something that should be said in the presence of others. Adela couldn't help but glance at Tamika behind the Pope. But Knight Tamika now seemed less like a person and more of a sculpture than a sculpture.

  "No," Marquis shook his head very firmly. "Even Archibald has never used such a mass teleportation spell. Only Necromancers who have been acknowledged by The Black Star can jointly use the Forbidden Spell of spatial transference, but that is also a very dangerous magic that no one would be willing to use unless it was an absolute last resort. However, I have heard that the ancient elven magical culture was exceptionally advanced... So these elves must have used a method left behind from the ancient elven race."

  "Inham, you are well-read and knowledgeable. I wonder if you have had the chance to see any records of those?" The Pope nodded faintly, his fingers constantly twirling the blue gem dust.

  "It could be a Dimensional Gate," Marquis thought for a moment and said.

  Half a day ago, the blue light and the immense tremor in the forest near Aery City were felt by all of Aery's residents.

  Over a year ago, the incident of heretics manipulated by Necromancers that occurred here had reduced Aery's population by nearly a third, and the terrifying scene of that day was forever seared into the minds of all the people of Aery. Later, the forest, which had been completely destroyed by explosions and flames, had actually regrown to its original state at an unimaginable speed. Since then, no one had dared to approach that forest. So, after the tremor and the blue light filled the sky, the residents' first and identical reaction was fear, and they all hid in their homes.

  The local official, for his part, was holed up in his official residence, which had been converted from a church. For this matter, he did not send out the local guard to investigate. A short while ago, an official dispatch from the Chancellor had already arrived, telling him not to concern himself with the affairs of that forest. So, although all of Aery felt the strange occurrence there, not a single person was willing to go and see what was really happening.

  Although no one in Aery was curious, a pair of siblings who happened to be passing by not far from the forest did not think so. Because not only did they see the blue light and hear the tremor, they also felt the magical fluctuations that permeated the entire space.