Thonias City, one of the major cities close to the border of the Doria Empire and the Ivory Empire, is situated to the north of the Ivory Empire and serves as a trade route connected to the Doria Empire. The city falls under the administration of the Miralis Dukedom, a neutral party that is not aligned with either the conservative or liberal factions.
This city also has an attraction, or at least it could be called an attraction for some, as it is the closest city to the Forest of Despair. As the saying goes, dangerous places often hold great rewards for cultivators. This forest is the dwelling place of spirits who are unwelcoming to outsiders, especially humans. However, it is rich in cultivation resources, many of which are not needed by the spirits themselves. It's no wonder this city has many vagabond cultivators from different races who are unaffiliated with any power and rely only on themselves.
The forest itself is vast, spanning from the Ivory Empire to a small part of the Doria Empire, and is divided into three sections: outer, inner, and core. Each section represents a different level of danger, with the spirits growing stronger the deeper one ventures.
After Aldrian and the entourage of nobles emerged from the teleportation station in the city, the people were astonished by the sudden appearance of such an unusual lineup. Their astonishment grew when they recognized the emperor and the imperial teacher among the entourage. Was there a big ceremony or event?
The entourage were greeted by a tall, blonde-haired female elf, her face beautiful and serene like a calm water surface, concealing her thoughts. She was Duchess Miralis, who had been informed of their visit.
"Welcome to Thonias City, Your Majesty, Your Excellency. We welcome you and hope you enjoy your stay. We have also prepared your accommodations," Duchess Miralis said while bowing her head. She then looked at the new faces, particularly Aldrian.
"Is he the one they are talking about?" she thought, curiously looking at Aldrian.
"Thank you for greeting us, Duchess Miralis. We would like to go straight to the Forest of Despair," Emperor Ladwin said.
"I have already prepared the carriages for Your Majesty and all the guests here," she replied, directing them to the row of carriages waiting for them.
Inside Aldrian's carriage were him, Eleine, Emperor Ladwin, and the imperial teacher. An awkward atmosphere settled between them, with each of their faces displaying varied expressions. Aldrian sighed and looked at Emperor Ladwin and the imperial teacher.
"Is it really okay? I feel bad because I didn't know it would end up like that. I can really help fix that formation." Aldrian said.
Emperor Ladwin sighed. "It's okay, Aldrian. You just have to focus on the test. This one concerns your life and death, after all. You can't underestimate the Forest of Despair."
Even though he had been reassured multiple times, Aldrian still felt guilty for causing the Hall of Origin formation and stone pillars to break and collapse. Emperor Ladwin kept saying it was okay because they had the blueprints and materials to recreate the formation, although it would require more manpower. Aldrian could only sigh and stop offering his compensation.
"But really, young master, every time a measurement device tries to measure you, you always break them. The Orb of Origin and now the Hall of Origin." Eleine's voice transmission came suddenly. Aldrian could only blush and bitterly smile.
"Well, what can I do? I really don't know why they end up like that." he answered, then looked at the two elves. "Your Majesty, Your Excellency, what kind of place is the Forest of Despair?" he asked.
"The Forest of Despair is not your usual forest, it's not a naturally shaped forest, instead, it was created by the technique of a past powerhouse." Emperor Ladwin said.
"A technique?" Aldrian felt astonished.
"Yes, 3 million years ago, a huge war broke out between the devils and the cultivators on the continent. One of the powerhouses at the time, the Emperor of the Ivory Empire, Thonias Evergreen, unleashed his most powerful technique, considered a mass destruction technique, 'The Wrath of the Forest Spirit.' This technique killed many devils and slowed their advancement. Unfortunately, not long after, he died on the battlefield," Emperor Ladwin explained.
"At that time, the devils almost usurped the entire continent, but for some unknown reasons, they retreated back to their territory. Records show that the war 3 million years ago devastated the entire continent and it took a long time to regain its vitality." Elthar added. Aldrian made an 'oh' expression.
"And Thonias city was built after the great war to commemorate his glorious act, and I tell you a little secret: many people only know that this forest was shaped by the emperor's technique, but they don't know that Emperor Thonias himself was a cultivator who had a contract with a spirit."
"So he was also a spirit cultivator?" Aldrian asked.
"Yes, and not just any spirit. He formed a contract with one of the most powerful spirits of the forest under the world tree, the King of the Forest Spirits, Dahan." Spirit cultivators, as the name suggests, are cultivators who can bond and form contracts with spirits. The growth of the spirit is connected to the cultivator; the stronger the cultivator, the stronger the spirit, and vice versa. To form a contract with a spirit, they must have compatibility with the said spirit, and the spirit must agree to be their companion.
"After Emperor Thonias died, the spirit felt rage and hatred towards the devils cultivator, which at that time consisted mostly of the human race. Because of that, Dahan not only hated the devils but also the human race, He and many spirits have made that place their home ever since." Elthar continued.
Aldrian, who had gained new knowledge, nodded and pondered, "Can those spirits also feel my energy? If even a world tree spirit like Olivia feels attracted to this energy, could it also apply to other spirits?"
But then Aldrian remembered something, "The prophecy 'the darkness starts to encroach this continent'... darkness is often associated with the devils. Does the prophecy mean another great war? If the prophecy foretells a war of that scale breaking out again, we don't know if the devils will—wait—"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, may I ask, from that great war time until today, what is the most significant or strange phenomenon that has occurred from the elves' perspective? At least from what you know," Aldrian asked.
"The most significant or strange phenomenon? I think the sight of dragon and phoenix 12 years ago and the change in Everlasting Silent Forest. The sight of dragon and phoenix are amazing because their races already extinct on this continent millions of years ago, also the scale of the phenomenon 12 years ago can be seen from the entire continent which is never seen before from our record as for the change in Everlasting Silent Forest, even at the time of the great war, the legend of Everlasting Silent Forest stretch long time before that time." Emperor Ladwin said.
"The prophecy and these phenomena occurred around the same time. Is it a coincidence? I don't think so. If the devils want to start a great war like 3 million years ago, they have to ensure they don't fail like their ancestors. We can put aside the sight of the dragon and phoenix because that never happened before, but what if the reason 'the darkness starts to encroach this continent' is due to the change in the Everlasting Silent Forest? What if they are waiting for this time? So, the reason for their retreat is the Everlasting Silent Forest, or more precisely, something inside it?" Aldrian thought.
They continued their journey for an hour, passing grasslands before they saw the outer section of the Forest of Despair. The forest itself looked like a wall of trees from afar, with tall trees and leaves of various colors. They stopped at the edge of the forest, still on the grassland, and when they got off the carriages, large tents were already set up for them. Usually, this part of the forest had some adventurers venturing inside, but now it had been cleared for them. Aldrian looked at the forest, assessing it.
"Well, it looks like I have to use the traditional method to scan my surroundings." he thought. He spread his senses towards the forest but didn't find anything interesting.
"We are on the outskirts of the outer section. This section is almost always plundered clean, so if you want to find something, you have to move deeper, but the spirits in there will not let you in easily." Emperor Ladwin said. Aldrian nodded in understanding.
"So how about you take a rest here first? Maybe you can prepare something for your test." Elthar said.
"Thank you, Your Excellency, but I would like to head into the forest right now. It's almost noon, and I want to get to the inner part as soon as possible," Aldrian replied.
"Then, I hope for your safe return," Elthar said. Aldrian nodded and saw the nobles start to approach him.
"I can see many faces wanting me to rush to my death. No worries, esteemed nobles, I will now rush towards the inner section." Aldrian looked at the conservative faction and smiled.
"Or maybe death has yet to find its way to me before I meet you a month from now, who knows?" The nobles gritted their teeth, angered by his audacity.
"Oh my, I better hurry before I'm killed by those stares. Wish me luck." He then disappeared from there, leaving the elves with astonished expressions.