System: You have passed Isilwen's trial. Your standing with the Elves of Aelindale has changed to [Friendly].
System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your standing with the Elves of Aelindale has been upgraded to [Honored].
The unexpected bonus brought a wide grin to Kael's face. A bold thought imdiately popped into his head: I should get Aelindale to join Starlight Town, bring them into my faction.
He dismissed the idea just as quickly. Putting aside the question of whether they would even agree, the distance between the two settlents was imnse. A teleport nexus connection would be impossible.
Main cities could support long-range teleportation because they were typically built on resource-rich locations, providing a constant source of energy. Starlight Town and Aelindale simply didn't have the power to sustain a link over such a vast distance. Without a connection, how would anyone travel between them? Not everyone had a [Pass Token], after all.
Putting the thought aside, Kael followed Isilwen into the hollow of the great tree.
From the outside, the tree that housed Aelindale was about sixty feet tall and twenty feet thick—hardly large enough for a village. Once inside, however, Kael found himself in a vast, open space divided into five distinct levels. It was as large as any village in the real world. This didn't surprise him; he knew it was the work of spatial magic.
As he followed Isilwen upward, Elves of all kinds stopped to bow respectfully.
"Greetings, Priestess Isilwen."
"Captain Aerendyl."
Isilwen nodded to each of them in return. They ascended to the highest level, a smaller space that was open to the sky. A glowing sphere of light hovered in the air, shining brilliantly under the rays of the rising sun. Seated beneath the orb was an ancient Elf with a long, green beard. His eyes were closed, and it was impossible to tell if he was resting or ditating.
Isilwen approached the elder and knelt on one knee. "Arch Elder Caelthas, I have brought a human to you. He has just returned with the venom sac of the Dragonscale Wyrm." She placed the enormous sac beside her.
Caelthas slowly opened his eyes. He looked first to Kael, smiling and giving a slight nod. Then he turned to Isilwen. "I saw it all through the Eye of Elunara. This human is both brave and cunning. He is worthy of our respect."
Kael remained silent. He already knew what the next part of the quest would be and simply waited for the Arch Elder to continue.
"Human, your actions have earned the recognition of Elunara and the reverence of my people..." He paused, and a deep sigh escaped his lips. "It is a great pity that we cannot hold our [Moonlight Revel] in your honor."
Kael knew this was his cue. "Arch Elder, what is a Moonlight Revel?"
"The [Moonlight Revel] is a ceremony we hold for our most cherished and respected friends. We would celebrate you for an entire night, showering you with our blessings." As Caelthas spoke of the festival, a glimr appeared in his ancient eyes. Beside him, a nostalgic smile graced Isilwen's face. Clearly, the [Moonlight Revel] was a deeply important ritual to their people.
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"I am honored by the thought, Arch Elder. But I must ask, why can you not hold it now?"
The mont Kael spoke, the light in Caelthas's eyes faded, replaced by a profound sadness. He looked up at the floating sphere—the Eye of Elunara—and a green light shot from his gaze into the orb. The Eye projected a beam downward, creating a three-dinsional image in the air before them.
Caelthas manipulated the image, shifting through several scenes before settling on one Kael recognized: the Dragonscale Wyrm's nest. It was empty now; the other two eggs were likely gone.
"This is to the west of our village," Caelthas said, gesturing to the nest. He then panned the image further west, finally stopping over a desolate clearing. It wasn't exactly a clearing; it was a massive tree stump, several miles in diater.
At the sight of this image, both Caelthas and Isilwen began to tremble, tears welling in their eyes. Even Kael, who knew the story by heart, felt a pang of sorrow.
Caelthas took a deep, shuddering breath, steadying himself. "The Moonlight Revel requires the blessing of the World Tree..." He pointed to the colossal stump. "That was once our ho. A fully grown World Tree."
His voice, now choked with emotion, recounted the past. "Fifty years ago, a catastrophe befell us. A horde of fiendish outsiders appeared from nowhere, seeking to conquer our sacred tree. Our people, of course, fought to the death to defend it. The war lasted for three long years. Countless elders, champions, and ancestors fell in battle. In the end, our only hope was to sacrifice ourselves to the World Tree and summon a divine avatar, which finally drove them back."
Kael listened, his heart heavy. Every ti he heard this story, it was just as painful. He looked at Caelthas, ready to officially begin the next phase of the quest. "Arch Elder, is there anything I can do to help?"
Caelthas zood the image in, focusing on a small hollow near the base of the massive stump. "Though the old World Tree has withered, its roots still reach the heart of the world. After decades of rest, it has begun to secrete a precious substance from the planet's core: the [Sap of Nature's Blessing]."
He gently patted the floor of the chamber they stood in. "Our current ho grew from a cutting we took from the old tree before it fell. It is still in its infancy. Its roots are shallow; it cannot yet draw nutrients from the core, nor can it bestow its blessing. I ask you, human, go to the roots of the Old World Tree and retrieve so of the [Sap of Nature's Blessing] so that we may use it to nourish our New World Tree."
After all this ti, he was finally at the main objective. But no quest notification had appeared, which ant there was one last step.
"I would be honored to help," Kael said without hesitation.
At his side, Isilwen produced a flask the size of a water bucket and handed it to him. As Kael took it, the notification he was waiting for finally appeared.
System: You have accepted the quest [Collect the Sap of Nature's Blessing].
Finding the [Sap of Nature's Blessing] wasn't the hard part. Collecting it, however, required this special container. It was an unrealistic chanic, but a classic bit of ga logic: if you tried to use a normal bottle, you'd only get plain water. If you tried to drink it directly from the source, it would have no effect.
As Kael secured the flask, Caelthas gave him a final piece of advice. "Dawnbreaker, the Old World Tree only secretes the sap around 5 AM. Be sure you do not miss the appointed ti."
Kael nodded. Everything was in place. All he had to do was wait.
As he was wondering how to pass the ti until morning, a ssage from Elon popped up—a real-world ssage.
"Boss, about our company's celebration ceremony. Are you planning on giving a speech?"
"A celebration? There's a speech?"
The event had been Kael's own suggestion to the Carrington family, but he had no idea it would be so involved.
He was a master in the world of gaming, but public speaking? That was a challenge of a whole different magnitude.
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