Chapter 1422: Something to Look Forward To

As the wind sweeping across the plains gradually turned cooler, the oppressive heat began to fade from the southern valleys and hills of the continent. Brown fallen leaves carpeted the earth, stretching from the Returners’ Long Bridge in the north all the way to the lush forests of the Elven Empire. Overnight, a fresh and comfortable breeze seemed to wash over this ancient land, carrying away the lingering stench of decay and ruin left by the recent war, as if the very blight on the scorched earth was visibly dissipating.

At the edge of the forest near the Returners’ Long Bridge, heavy footsteps and the creaking of wooden limbs echoed in succession. Massive Sylvan Wardens emerged from the woods, patrolling the land that had now regained its peace. Towering far above ordinary treant guards, these sentinels boasted sturdy trunks and iron-gray bark. Their outer surfaces and canopies were armored with alloys and tactical gear unseen on typical treants, making them stand out strikingly amid the verdant forest.

Each Warden wielded a hefty Gorgon rail cannon, bore shield generators and automatic missile launchers on their shoulders, and housed armored communication arrays and crew compartments within their crowns. Every one of these “Thorin Wardens” was like a walking fortress—an odd sight, to be sure, but their presence had become a familiar part of the forest’s new normal. Whether on the side of the Long Bridge inhabited by elves or on the human side opposite, all had grown accustomed to these silent, powerful allies.

With the Silver Empire and the Highland Kingdom still recovering their strength, the Thorin Wardens were a crucial guarantee of peace and order in the forest.

After completing their routine patrol near the Returners’ Long Bridge, the Wardens gradually came to a halt. One of them bent down, and two nimble figures slipped out from its canopy, landing lightly on the ground. Both were elves, but their appearances were markedly different. The taller female hunter was unmistakably a Silver Elf, while the smaller figure had skin so pale it was almost translucent, with shorter ears than the Silver Elf’s and faint, tattoo-like arcane runes shimmering beneath her skin.

The petite elf was Bellna Lightbreeze, leader of the Thorin Wardens’ patrols, and the female hunter beside her was a childhood friend she had once thought she’d never see again.

Standing on the soil of her homeland, Bellna took a deep breath of the cool, fresh air. The magical runes near her neck and forehead flickered softly, as if breathing. Half of the Thorin Wardens received orders and resumed their patrols along the next route, while Bellna’s gaze lingered long on the Returners’ Long Bridge.

On that broad, ancient sea-crossing bridge, built with old-world technology, convoys transporting supplies sped through the Silver Empire’s border checkpoint. A group of elves preparing to journey to the Northern Kingdom approached the “Travel Registration Office” near the checkpoint. The smooth, wide bridge surface shimmered with a surreal glow under the sunlight. Automated maintenance machines darted back and forth in the gutters along the sides, while giant eagle knights patrolled the skies overhead, their majestic and graceful forms swiftly crossing the bridge in the sun’s rays.

Even now, whenever Bellna saw the Returners’ Long Bridge, she felt a surreal, dreamlike disbelief.

“I never thought… I’d see this bridge again,” Bellna whispered. “It appeared countless times in my shattered dreams. Even when I could no longer hold onto those dreams, it remained like a shadow etched in my memory. But now it’s here, right before my eyes—I can even step onto it…”

“Yes, you did cross this very bridge to come home, Bellna,” the tall hunter glanced back at her childhood friend who had suddenly returned after many years. Bellna had yet to share what she had endured during those years, but from the few words she’d let slip and her changed appearance, the hunter knew it must have been a difficult journey. “So you really don’t plan to stay here? You’ve finally come home…”

“I thought about it,” Bellna shook her head gently, “but I have a place I need to go. I’ve already met with my mentor and friends—they’re all doing well, and they know I’m doing well too. That’s enough for me. This forest is my home, but I no longer belong here.”

“Is it because of… your body?” The hunter frowned slightly, eyeing the runes covering Bellna’s form. “I’ve noticed you sometimes run a fever, and you don’t seem to adjust well to the local food. Is your body unstable? Or do the runes put too much strain on you?”

“That’s part of it,” Bellna smiled, “but more importantly, I really need to return to the Thorin Great Tree. At the very least, I have to bring these Thorin Wardens back—they were ‘borrowed’ from Cecil to aid the Silver Empire’s army. Once General Lomar is ready to take over, these reinforcements will have to return home, and as their ‘commander,’ I have to go with them.”

“So you’ll come back after sending them off…” The hunter began, then sighed and shook her head with a helpless smile. “Well, if that’s your decision, then there must be someone or something at the Thorin Great Tree you’re worried about. Knowing you, this must be a settled matter. So, you’ll be living in the north from now on?”

Bellna raised her arm, gazing at the softly glowing runes. “I suppose so. After all, this body is better suited to the northern environment.”

She suddenly laughed and looked at her friend. “But you don’t have to look at me like that, Vi. Haven’t you forgotten? The wasteland is no longer an impassable dead zone, and the north and south of the continent aren’t worlds apart anymore. I heard the three great empires will soon start building two magical energy railways through the wasteland, based on the current barrier walls. And there will even be direct aerial ‘flights’ connecting Cecil and the Silver Empire. When that happens, you can come visit me. I’ll take you to the highest viewing platform of the Thorin Great Tree to watch the sunrise over the Holy Spirit Plains.”

“That’s the most magnificent sight I’ve ever seen—more beautiful than the dawn in our home forest. I can also take you on ‘adventures’ in the Dark Mountains, which are almost tourist spots now. Or we could see the snowy peaks and glaciers of the northern territories—I haven’t been, but I’ve heard the scenery around Winterhold is stunning. And near the northern port, you can catch seals… Have you ever seen a seal? The northern dragons are experts at roasting them! I know a few dragon friends…”

Bellna’s eyes sparkled as she recounted these exotic sights, treasures beyond the imagination of friends who had grown up in the southern forests. For a moment, Vi seemed to see the Bellna of many years ago—the excited little elf packing her bags, ready to cross the Returners’ Long Bridge to explore the northern human world. Back then, they had stood together at the bridge, one chattering eagerly, the other listening patiently.

Years later, many things had changed, yet some things remained the same. That feeling… wasn’t so bad.

“Alright, alright, I’ll come find you. You’re making my head spin,” Vi smiled, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. “I’m really looking forward to the day I can take a train or a ‘flight’ straight to the north, just like you keep telling us since you came back… The world has changed, hasn’t it?”

“Yes, it has. So much has changed…” Bellna smiled softly, but suddenly the runes near her neck flared brightly. She quickly brushed Vi’s arm away. “Sorry, I have to take this message…”

“Another message?” Vi raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Still from that saint? She’s practically your mother now. I heard she wasn’t like this back in the day…”

Bellna waved awkwardly and apologetically, stepping a few paces away as she began murmuring into the communicator. “Ah, I was just chatting with a friend… Now? On patrol. The situation here just stabilized… Not tired, not tired. I don’t have to walk—I’m just sitting on the Warden’s back enjoying the view. Got it, got it. Keep warm? We’re almost at the equator! It just cooled down a bit today! Yes, yes, I brush my teeth every day… Of course I don’t just pick up random things to eat! I’m not a two-hundred-year-old kid…

“Ah? Picking forest fruit doesn’t count! We elves have always… Oh, my stomach’s much better now, no worries… You don’t just pick up fruit off yourself and eat it? And I washed it…”

Bellna had already walked several steps away, but her voice carried clearly on the breeze. Vi watched the small elf leaning against the treant Warden’s foot, muttering to a distant voice, and slowly a smile spread across her face.

She still didn’t know what Bellna had been through all these years, just as she couldn’t know how many joys and sorrows unfolded every moment in this world, or how many shadows had fallen over the lost, obscure history. But just as the sunlight bathed the earth, the Returners’ Long Bridge had once again regained its vitality and bustle—in this world, there always seemed to be some futures worth looking forward to.

Bellna’s message would probably go on for a while longer. Vi exhaled softly and looked up toward the northern sky, where a few shafts of light broke through the clouds, catching her eye.

A small squadron of giant eagle knights, accompanied by an elven airship gleaming in the sunlight, soared overhead.

Vi’s eyes widened slightly: the Tarash Conference had ended, and the Silver Queen had returned.

…

After a long fortnight of sessions, the postwar conference that had captured the attention of countless people across the continent finally concluded smoothly. At this moment, the airship carrying the Silver Queen had already crossed the national border beyond the Returners’ Long Bridge. Even before the queen’s arrival, a flood of intelligence from the Tarash Plains had reached the Elven Court.

Imperial Chancellor Valendian Goldvale stood on the highest terrace of the Elven Court, gazing toward the pond at the edge of the palace grounds. In its center stood a delicately crafted, ancient courtyard building, its main supports gleaming with metallic luster. Two newly built small bridges connected it quietly to the shore.

That was the escape module known as the “Silent Garden,” which had detached from the Star Temple long ago. As the last intact remnant of the once-glorious Star Temple, this escape module had since been permanently deactivated. Now, it stood quietly at the heart of the Elven Empire’s political and cultural center, having become a monument of special significance. Every day, countless citizens would come of their own accord to the pool beside it to pay their respects. So much so that the Queen had even ordered part of the original royal court grounds to be opened up as a resting and gathering place for visitors.

Whenever Valendian gazed up at that “monument” from the heights of the royal court, he felt more keenly than ever that some things had been changed forever.

Not far from him, on a small round table, lay a document written in elegant Elven script. It was a recent report sent back from the Talash Plains, detailing the postwar conference.

Valendian’s eyes scanned the document, personally dispatched by the Queen, though he had already read it several times—

The Deep Sea Kingdom had officially joined the Alliance as a member state. This mysterious alien race, with its advanced technology and ancient history, had unveiled itself to the world. No one yet knew what changes this new power would bring to the mortal nations, but simply gaining such a formidable ally was enough to inspire hope.

The “Embers” of ancient Gondor—the descendants of the Norton royal line—had returned to the continental stage. Ophelia Norton and her dominion, the Deep Blue Well, were now recognized as an independent city-state and had been accepted into the Alliance. At the same time, roughly a quarter of the Talash Plains surrounding the Deep Blue Well had been designated a permanent neutral zone.

Alongside its accession, the Deep Blue Well announced plans to export energy and magical minerals. High-purity arcane energy drawn from the planet’s depths, along with arcane crystal deposits accumulated over seven centuries, would become a powerful engine for the Alliance’s postwar recovery. In the foreseeable future, this would undoubtedly reshape the world’s balance of power.

However, due to inherent limitations in the primal energy veins, the Deep Blue Well’s energy transmission range was restricted—this was the very reason for the territorial limits of the old Gondor Empire. To address this, the three great empires led by the Cecil Empire declared the formation of the “Alliance Energy Integration Committee.” Using modern magitech, they aimed to solve the problem of “Deep Blue’s magic not reaching the Gondor borders,” while ensuring stable international pricing and fair markets for Deep Blue Well’s energy exports.

Regarding the development and reconstruction of the Gondor wastelands after the war, the plan was roughly divided into two parts:

Lands on the wasteland’s edges with documented history and traceable evidence would be “claimed” and legally possessed by Typhon, Cecil, and Gaoling, as well as the human tribes within the Ogure tribal nation. These lands originally belonged to those four parties, having been settled by the first wave of pioneers who withdrew from the Gondor Empire. Though abandoned due to later contamination, the pollution had since receded, and the original claimants—or their successors—remained. Thus, these lands were returned to their rightful owners.

This issue might have sparked lengthy disputes, but the Silver Empire presented decisive evidence at the conference: complete pioneer records, land survey backups, and twenty Elven clerks who had personally registered the data back then.

Apart from these “owned lands” and the independent city-state of the Deep Blue Well, the rest of the wasteland was declared “collectively owned by all mortals.” The three great empires, which had deployed the most troops and occupied the most land in the wasteland during the war, simultaneously announced they would relinquish all territories currently held by their armies. They pledged to establish a “multinational development organization” open to all nations. This organization would focus on restoring life to the wasteland, studying the environment after the chaotic magic subsided, and safely mining resources. Profits from development would be distributed according to each Alliance member’s “shares,” research findings would be shared by all mortals, and the organization’s operations would be overseen by all member states of the Alliance—at least, that was the promise made by the three great empires.

Naturally, there were dissenting voices within the Alliance, but in the final vote, opposition was in the minority.

(End of chapter)