wjnovel Chapter 1124 Elf
Chapter 1124 Elf
The continent of Tet.
The central heart of the world, the eternal homeland and symbol of pride for the elves.
It is also the lingering influence of their hegemonic rule.
This continent can be described as the most outstanding of all continents in terms of both terrain and geographical conditions.
When the flames of war were lit on the northern coast of the continent of Bestar, the icy void waves crashed against the steel walls built by the orcs.
The coastline in the northeast of the continent of Tate, once gently embraced by lush forests and azure waters, could no longer remain uninvolved.
From a macroscopic perspective, the two continents are essentially parallel to each other on a single line.
When the void invades from the northeast corner of the world, two continents that are almost on the same line will be attacked by the void at the same time.
The time between these two events will not exceed two days.
Meanwhile, on the coast that was about to border the void.
Once known as "Emerald Wind Harbor," a natural harbor famous for its lush ancient trees and elfin architectural art, it has now completely lost all traces of trade and leisure.
This place was once a prosperous port for trade, as it was one of the few ports that traded with the Leviathan continent to the north.
And now.
The port was transformed into a massive fortress node called "Sengge Fortress," like a menacing steel nail embedded in the Tate Emerald Coastline.
Unlike the continent of Taril.
Whether it's the continent of Tete or the continent of Bestar, they use different naming conventions for each fortress.
Only on the continent of Taril, due to the Night's Watch, is the naming convention remarkably cold.
Naming and labeling are done purely using numerical nodes.
Of course, it reflects, to some extent, the Night's Watch's aesthetic of practicality and order.
The other two continents were naturally named in a style they preferred.
Of course, the construction of fortresses also underwent some different changes due to local conditions.
Unlike the cold, purely war machine fortresses of other continents, the Sengo Fortress presents a strange, contradictory beauty.
Vibrant vines and ancient tree roots climb atop the sturdy alloy city walls and menacing gun emplacements.
Inside and outside the fortress, large tracts of carefully preserved and even nurtured woodland grow tenaciously, with rich, almost tangible natural energy flowing and converging in the air.
This is the home of the elves. Even in the face of the apocalypse, they cannot sever their symbiotic bond with nature, and this bond has become part of their defense system.
After all, besides mages and rangers, elves are more famous for their druids.
In some ways, the Druid is the true representative of the Elf profession.
Because neither mages nor rangers can be said to have evolved from elves; other races have their own development paths.
Only the Druids were descended from the Elves.
On the fortress walls, elven mages wore light, ethereal robes that shimmered with arcane light, as if woven from moonlight.
The elven ranger wore exquisite hunting attire that blended vines and mithril, with arrows tempered with the power of nature and magic ready to be fired from his quiver.
Their figures were elegant yet imposing, forming the absolute backbone of the defense.
Interspersed among them were human heavy armored warriors, squads of dwarven engineers, and spellcasters of a few other races.
The number of elves is ultimately small, and even if the entire population were mobilized, the support of the entire world would be needed to face the endless waves of the void.
This is also the significance of the World Alliance's establishment and existence: everyone cooperates with each other, performs their respective duties, and combines their strengths to bring them together.
While data-driven rules have indeed eliminated the absolute advantage of elves at lower levels, the accumulated resources from their long lifespans have demonstrated astonishing value when attempting to reach the legendary realm.
In recent years, elves have made up as much as one-third of the newly emerging legendary powerhouses in the world of Aigela!
This number shocked all races.
This means that behind those seemingly young faces among the defenders of Senge Fortress may lie legendary forces capable of shaking the battlefield; they are the cornerstone of the elves' pride in the new era.
In recent years, among the Elf race, the proportion of warriors who have reached the maximum level of ten and have advanced to the Legendary rank has reached as high as five percent.
This is an extremely exaggerated number.
If this number were applied to humans or orcs, they would instantly produce tens of thousands of legendary powerhouses.
However, if the title were placed on the elves, only a couple hundred would emerge.
On the command tower at the heart of the fortress, the Night Elf Queen, also known as the Night Queen, was seated. After all, they had parted ways with the Sun King and were no longer suitable to be called queens.
In the territory of the night elves, they more often refer to her as the Queen or Empress.
Alisondra Shadowsong.
The Queen stood quietly.
She wore a dark green battle dress that seemed to be woven from shadows and starlight, and the pressure of her level fourteen legendary status enveloped the entire fortress like an invisible domain.
Her very existence was an invisible banner, giving all the defenders, regardless of race, a sense of security and high morale stemming from their ancient bloodline.
She is one of the symbols of the continent of Tet, and the embodiment of the indomitable will of the Night Elves.
“Your Majesty,” an elven lieutenant stepped forward quickly and reported solemnly, “the latest urgent report from the World Alliance command link: the ‘Coastline’ fortress node at the northern end of the Bestar continent has officially come into contact with the Void Tide, and the two sides have broken out into a full-scale battle.”
"Commander Groom Stonehorn is leading the orc legion in a resistance effort, relying on fortifications and naval support."
A barely perceptible trace of sorrow flickered across Queen Alisondra's cool and beautiful face, like a pebble thrown into a calm lake.
She nodded slightly, her gaze still fixed on the still relatively calm northeastern sea, as if she could see through space to witness the fierce battle unfolding on the Bestar coastline.
The elves were the first race chosen by the astral dragons as "saviors," and also one of the first races to know of the threat of the Void Apocalypse.
This heavy "honor" once fueled their arrogance, but it also made them, when the Night's Watch rose to power, put aside their pointless pride more quickly than other races, becoming the core force that was the first to join the Night's Watch system as a whole and prepare for war together.
Although there may be some conflicts between them in the early stages.
But at that time, those young elves were indeed fighting for the world, and they quickly integrated into the Night's Watch.
The addition of the elves actually helped the Night's Watch to establish a foothold in the world, gain influence, and develop rapidly.
After all, the identity of elves was still quite useful to some extent. At that time, their power had not yet diminished, and they were still nominally the overlords of the world.
At this moment, that heavy sense of responsibility weighed on his heart once again. "Your Majesty..."
Beside the Queen, an equally elegant elven maid spoke softly.
Her gaze passed over the city wall and landed on the distant, lush forest, now shrouded in the atmosphere of war from the fortress. Deep confusion and reluctance flickered in her beautiful eyes.
Queen Allisondra slowly turned her head, her deep, night-sky-like eyes looking at her trusted maid.
Milana Linyu.
Mirana is no ordinary maid; she is a legendary ranger of level twelve, who stood at the pinnacle of the mortal realm even before the advent of datafication.
She followed the Queen from a noblewoman to a court queen, and now to the Queen.
"Mirana, is your heart wavering?"
The Empress's voice was calm, yet it carried an all-knowing power.
Mirana quickly bowed slightly in apology: "Please forgive my weakness, Your Majesty."
"But... the thought that we will eventually be forced to abandon this place, abandon Tate... my heart feels like it's being cut by a sharp blade. This is our home, Your Majesty."
"We have lived and multiplied here for tens of thousands of years. Every leaf whispers the stories of our ancestors, and every inch of land is imbued with our history."
"Our pride, our soul, has long been integrated with this continent."
Her voice was filled with suppressed pain, “Other races may be able to evacuate more ‘carelessly,’ but for us elves, to abandon Tate is to abandon a part of our lives. This pain is deep in our bones.”
Queen Allisondra listened quietly, fully understanding Mirana's feelings, a sentiment that resided in the heart of every elf.
The elves' long lifespans make their connection to their homeland far deeper than that of other races.
Hundreds, even thousands of years of living together have imbued every blade of grass and every tree on the continent of Tete with irreplaceable memories and emotions.
Moreover, Tate was once the center of the world, and the elves were once the nominal rulers of the world; this glory has long been imprinted on the land and in the bloodline.
With so many conditions and emotions mixed together, forcing them to abandon their homes is nothing short of a mental torment.
Now, knowing that this land, which carries glory and life, will eventually be swallowed by the void, the impact on the spiritual world of the elves is even more heartbreaking than physical destruction.
This shattered their last and deepest pride.
They were unable to protect their homeland, and if they did not want their country to perish and their race to be wiped out, they had to give it up.
This completely destroyed a certain pride in their hearts.
Therefore, almost without exception, the elves who remained on the continent of Tete chose to join the battle and defend these last moments with their lives.
At least that way they can leave with a clearer conscience; they fought for the world, they fought for the land beneath their feet.
Fight until you faint, fight until you are powerless.
“I understand, Mirana.”
The Queen's voice was low and tinged with a rare weariness, "I feel this pain as well. But please remember, we are not abandoning our homeland, but rather undertaking a strategic retreat and defense."
"We are buying time for the eventual return."
Her gaze hardened again. "The devouring of the void will eventually fade; this is the rule of the astral plane."
"We only need to hold out for two or three years and protect the flame of the world of Aegira. When the golden age arrives, we will surely return to Tate and use our own hands to make this scarred land shine with a more brilliant vitality than before."
"The reconstruction at that time will be the deepest tribute the elves can give to their homeland."
"Two or three years..."
Mirana murmured the word repeatedly.
For humans or orcs with short lifespans, two or three years can be a long and agonizing ordeal.
But for elves, this is merely a fleeting moment in the long river of life, a slightly longer "journey" or "sleep".
This difference in the concept of time became an important source of comfort for the elves as they convinced themselves and maintained their hope.
It imbued the seemingly hopeless separation with a sense of "temporary farewell," greatly alleviating the pain of "eternal parting."
Queen Alisondra took a deep breath, the rich natural energy in the air giving her a slight boost.
She turned around, her battle skirt fluttering even without wind.
"Let's go, Mirana, follow me to the city wall."
Her voice regained its queenly majesty and power, "The war in Bestar has begun, and the peace in Tate... will not last long. The shadow of the void will soon shroud this coast."
The confusion in Mirana's eyes quickly faded, replaced by the warrior's unwavering resolve.
She gripped the legendary longsword at her waist, and the ancient vines wrapped around the hilt seemed to sense their master's feelings, glowing faintly.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
She followed firmly behind the Queen, heading towards the city wall that faced the sea.
At this moment, the entire walls of the Senge Fortress were shrouded in a faint, vibrant green halo, a protective and buffing barrier set up by the elven mages and druids.
Meanwhile, the iron flower structure suspended above the fortress steadily casts a soft, orderly silver glow, intertwining with the natural green light to jointly resist any spiritual pollution and spatial disturbances that might seep in from the void.
Because of the elves' average strength and their strong will, the defensive nodes on the continent of Tete are relatively sparsely distributed, but each node fortress—especially core points like the Senge Fortress—possesses extremely strong attraction and defensive strength.
Beneath the city walls, the dense woodland surrounding the fortress now appeared exceptionally tragic.
Many ancient trees were not cut down or moved; instead, they were revitalized and reinforced by the powerful natural magic of the elven druids.
Their roots penetrate deep into the earth, and their branches become thicker and stronger, like natural chevaux-de-frise and barriers, which will become the first line of defense to slow down the void waves.
Among these revitalized ancient trees, one can see figures of druids clad in vine armor and holding wooden staffs.
They refused to retreat into the "safe" fortress walls, choosing instead to stand shoulder to shoulder with these ancient trees, their faces bearing a calm yet resolute expression.
For them, protecting the forest that has nourished them and which they have nourished for thousands of years, until the very last moment, and returning to nature or being destroyed with it, is a more important destiny than life itself.
This was the common choice of almost all the Tate Elf Druids; it was their deepest love and farewell to their homeland, expressed with their lives.
The sea breeze seemed to carry a faint scent of rust and sulfur from a distant battlefield.
Inside and outside the Forest Wall, the forces of nature and the will of steel stand ready, awaiting the inevitable purple tidal wave, awaiting the opening of the battle to defend the continent of Tate.
The elves' pride and the pain of their homeland will face their final test in the crucible of blood and fire. (End of Chapter)