Compared with the Standing Stones, the area of the Cormanso Forest has been reduced by more than half. The Standing Stones are no longer located in the deepest part of the forest, but are on the edge. They are only more than 20 kilometers away from the Misty Valley and are located in the Battle Valley. Next to the road on Savile Way, where it can be seen with the naked eye.
Only obscured by dense and tall trees, its shadow can only be seen vaguely on the Rosaville Road.
But there are very few people who are really willing to leave the Rosaville Road and visit the standing stones, especially the businessmen from Sambia, who will only stay away from here as quickly as possible.
Because this place is called the Valley of the Voiceless, also called the Forest of the Voiceless. It was once the most sacred place for the elves in the Cormanso Forest. There are countless ancient elves' graves here.
When the Rosaville Road passed through this place arrogantly, the natural spirits who were sleeping here crawled out of their tombs angrily and turned into elven ghosts and even more terrifying guardian spirits.
Compared to ghosts, they are more like totem spirits, the angry version, which they cannot completely kill. As long as the Cormanso Forest is still there, as long as it is still filled with anger, they can use it as nourishment. Rebirth.
Because they were awakened by the pain and anger of the Cormanzo Forest, their targets of attack were targeted. They targeted those who belonged to nature, including those who were willing to abide by the valley contract to protect the forest and nature. Those who turn a blind eye will not even show up in front of them.
But they will not be polite to those intelligent creatures who have desecrated the forest and harmed natural life. They will punish them according to the sins they have committed against the forest, ranging from taking away a few years of life to more serious ones. Being sucked into mummies.
Those Sambian businessmen are most afraid of this method of death, because it is regarded as a natural death of old age, and there is no way to resurrect it, including complete resurrection.
However, due to the contract reached between the Elf Court and those Sembian merchants, all elven spirits will not appear on the Road to Rosaville.
Gavin didn't even hesitate, and stepped directly onto the path to the standing stone. After walking less than a hundred meters, his eyes suddenly opened up, and a circular forest glade appeared in front of him.
Several translucent figures appeared in front of Gavin out of thin air. Even in the spiritual state, they were still wearing the transformed elven armor. They were as beautiful as works of art as always. They were like the guards guarding this place, with expressions on their faces. Staring at Gavin solemnly.
The illusory eyes seemed to have the ability to penetrate the soul, and seemed to directly see everything related to Gavin and the forest.
This feeling comes and goes just as quickly.
It only lasted a few seconds before these elven spirits withdrew their gaze, bowed to Gavin in unison, performed a standard elven court etiquette, and then disappeared as silently as they had just appeared.
Gavin not only passed their examination, but also won their respect, because he had made great contributions to nature, and he was not even a star. Both the ranger and the forest goddess Melika looked at him differently, not to mention these guardian spirits.
In the very center of this forest clearing, stands a gray-white square stone tablet, which is eighteen or nine meters high. It has numerous densely packed characters carved side by side in Elvish, Human, and Common languages.
This is the Valley Contract. Even though more than 1,300 years have passed, these inscriptions are still as neat as new, exuding obscure and powerful magic fluctuations.
Obviously, the standing stone is not just an ordinary stone tablet, it even has its own magical effect.
When Gavin arrived, there was already a man and a woman standing in front of the standing stone.
Although the man is past middle age, he is full of energy, his waist is as straight as a sword, and he is handsome. Although he has an out-and-out human face, the aura exuding from his body is very similar to that of an elf.
The traces left by the years on his body have given him a unique charm, making him very lethal to women of a special age group. This person is none other than the man from Battle Valley who is absent for twenty days a month. Ilmet, the lord of the valley.
The woman has a tall figure and a well-proportioned face, which is the perfect interpretation of the word. Her eyebrows exude confidence and youthful vitality. Her slightly pursed mouth always gives people the feeling of smiling. Her every move and every move is full of movement and vitality. , seems to ignite the enthusiasm of those around you.
There is only one person in the Battle Valley who has this kind of style, Regina, who is known as the brightest pearl in the Battle Valley.
Seeing Gavin, Regina just winked at him and didn't speak to him.
Gavin understood it and just stood respectfully beside Lord Ilmet, waiting for his meditation to end.
Although Lord Ilmet is standing in front of them now, his soul is not here, at least not completely here. His situation is very similar to that of the elves in trance. The standing stone is flickering brightly and darkly, with the same frequency as Ilmet. Lord Te's long breathing was completely synchronized. This was obviously not a coincidence. The two were in sync.
Although he was in trance, Lord Ilmet was obviously aware of it, so he did not let Gavin wait too long before he withdrew.
The lord in Battle Valley was as clean and tidy as ever and asked directly: "Do you know why I asked you to meet here?"
Gavin replied without thinking: "For the sake of the Valley Contract, the Lord wants me to lead the army of conquerors to swear the Valley Contract!"
He used affirmative sentences, not questions.
On the way here, he had carefully considered this issue. There were so many places, but Lord Ilmet didn't choose, so why did he choose Standing Stone? Apart from the Valley Contract, he couldn't think of a better reason.
"That's right." Lord Ilmet nodded heavily, "If you want to truly understand what the Valley is and if you want to integrate into the Valley, you must know what the Valley Contract is.
Just knowing it is not enough, you must abide by it, protect it, and be willing to fight for it. When you do this, it will be the moment when you become true valley people. "
"Thank you Lord for your support. I understand what to do." Gavin instantly understood Lord Ilmet's good intentions.
The Valley Contract has a sacred status in the hearts of all valley people, and they use it as their symbol.
Because they were established by immigrants, whether it was the valley or the Kingdom of Sambia, they were very tolerant of immigrants.
The national border between the two sides has always been blurred. Many people from the valley went to the Kingdom of Sambia to work and make a living, and those Sambian businessmen went to the valley to buy land and properties on a large scale.
It can be said that there is me in you and you in me.
How do you tell the difference between a Valley native and a Sambian?
It is not enough to declare yourself to the outside world. It depends on whether you agree with and abide by the valley contract.
Agree and abide by it, even if your ancestors have immigrated to Sambia for several generations and grew up in Sambia, then the blood of valley people flows in your bones.
If you don't agree or abide by it, then even if you are a native of the valley, you are no different from those evil businessmen in Sambia.
If Gavin leads the army of conquerors to publicly swear to support the Valley Contract, he will naturally win the recognition of countless valley people and allow them to integrate into the valley faster.
The side effect is that it will further break with the Kingdom of Sambia and attract more targeting and hatred from them.
Gavin didn't have any psychological burden on this. After all, ever since he started trying to take root in the Battle Valley, Sambian merchants had been plundering and setting up numerous obstacles and obstacles for the conqueror's army.
He didn't give them a good look before, and he won't give them a good look now. By collaborating with them, he is just devaluing himself and giving them an opportunity to take advantage of him.
"Very good." A smile appeared on Lord Ilmet's face, and he handed a dagger to Gavin and said, "Cut the palm of your hand, print the bloody palm on this position, and then recite it with me."
Gavin took the dagger without hesitation, made a cut on his right palm, pressed his hand on the standing stone, and read loudly: "I hereby swear that I am willing to abide by the ancient and sacred law." contract……"
As the ancient oath was reiterated in front of the standing stone, the blood on Gavin's palm slowly seeped into the stone tablet. The situation that had previously appeared in Lord Ilmet began to appear in him, and the two were entering into a synchrony. state.
In a trance, a famous figure appeared beside him. From illusion to solidity, there were beautiful elves, tall trees, naughty elves, and twelve rough humans. They spoke different languages. They are different, but they are reciting the same oath, with a firm and sincere expression.
At this moment, Gavin's soul consciousness crossed the long river of history and returned to the moment when the Elf King's Court and the people of the valley stood on stone and swore an oath, and he became one of them.
As the oath continued, time began to move forward rapidly. He could clearly feel that he had established a closer connection with the Cormanzo Forest. He seemed to be able to feel the anger and helplessness of the entire ancient forest. She had nurtured him. Countless creatures had to be attacked by sharp axes and torches, enduring darkness and evil growing in their bodies, but she was powerless and could only passively endure it all.
When Gavin opened his eyes again, Lord Ilmet had disappeared, leaving only Regina who was looking at him with a smile.
The Princess of Battle Valley narrowed her eyes into a beautiful crescent shape, "Congratulations Sir, from now on, you are no longer a Tethyr immigrant, but a Valley native. Now you need to follow me to another place."
"Where are you going? Where is the lord?" Gavin felt that the father and daughter were a little distracted this time, as if they were brewing a plan that he didn't know about.
"Father took time out of his busy schedule to come here. He has completed what he needs to do here and has returned to the depths of the forest."
Regina smiled mysteriously and said, "As for where to go, you will know when you get there. Anyway, it will only be good for you, no harm. But how much you can get from there depends on you."
Gavin's guess became more certain. Although he knew Regina's temperament, he still couldn't help but ask: "Can I ask, what on earth is the Lord busy with in the forest?"
Regina hesitated for a moment and said, "Anyway, your army of conquerors has already arrived at the door of your home, and it is impossible for them to run away again. I won't hide some things from you. You should know about the elf retreat and don't need me to explain it." Some."
Gavin nodded and said, "No need to explain this. No matter how much I say, I still have the blood of a quarter-moon elf flowing in my body. Occasionally, I can hear the call from my soul."
As many as six Crown Civil Wars (wars between elven kingdoms) led to the collapse of many powerful elven kingdoms in Faerûn. Their power began to seriously shrink, and short-lived races headed by humans began to rise rapidly.
It only took five to six thousand years for humans to completely drive the elves out of the plains, force them into the depths of the forests, and completely control the dominance of the continent. With the expansion of human power, the conflict between the two sides has intensified. .
The elves have tried to coexist peacefully with humans, and this place is a model. They first set up stones here, and later established Myst Drannor here to promote the concept of harmonious coexistence with all kind and intelligent races.
But they were all defeated by those evil greedy humans and the stronger and more evil dark alliance.
The scope of the elves' activities is shrinking uncontrollably, and the population is still declining uncontrollably. No prophecy is needed, the crown-wearers of the elven countries can see the demise of the elves in Faerun.
So they negotiated with the Elf King and Queen of Evermeet Island for many years, and finally formulated a plan for the elf retreat. All elves on the Faerûn continent can migrate to Evermeet Island to live as long as they wish.
This green and fragrant island is a gift from the elven gods to the elves of Faerûn. It is the last refuge to avoid the extinction of the elven race on this continent.
This island in the Endless Sea is not on any nautical chart. Even the elves who migrate here can only go there by taking the elf ships specially designed to welcome them. There are only a handful of non-elves who are lucky enough to go to this island.
There are many legends about this island. Some say that it is shrouded in an unprecedented mystery and has many magical effects.
Some people also say that this island is not in the material plane at all. It is a fragment of Avandor, the kingdom of elves and gods, that fell on the material plane. It was the mundane kingdom of elves and gods.
There is also a more extreme statement, which is that it is part of Avandor, which is a link in the huge plan of the elven gods.
No matter which legend is true, one thing is certain, that is, when the Great Elf Retreat was launched and the Evergathering Island was first exposed to the sight of all intelligent life in Faerûn, it continued to attack all people. The elf initiated the summons.
This call comes from the soul, just like their own desire, causing countless elves to respond to this call.
Although this kind of retreat has been secretly going on for hundreds of years, for example, the elves of Myth Noel migrated collectively to Evermeet Island hundreds of years ago.
The real full-scale progress began in 1344, and reached its peak in 1355 because the elves of the Great Forest of Cormanthor fully responded to this call to retreat. In this year, tens of thousands of elves left the Great Forest of Cormanthor. Forest, headed to Everlasting Island.
There are also a small number of elves who refuse this call and choose to stay in the forest where they have lived for many years, protecting their beloved homeland from being eroded by evil forces, even at the cost of their own lives.
Regina sighed and said: "The elves left the Cormanso Great Forest too hastily, which resulted in a void of power in most areas. Countless dark forces began to raise their heads in this ancient forest. The elves You can leave, but we valley people cannot. Someone must track and monitor these darkness to prevent them from usurping the dominance of the entire forest, and my father is one of them."
At the end of the sentence, Regina couldn't help lowering her voice, lest those dark forces were dormant around and overheard their conversation.
Gavin sighed: "There are no quiet years in the world, it's just that someone carries the burden for you."
This sentence is applicable to any world, not only the valley, but also the continent of Faerûn, and even the entire planet Toril.
The world only sees the superiority of the gods of Faerun, but does not know that they also shoulder the important task of protecting the entire continent and planet. They have resisted countless powerful, evil, and far beyond the mortal endurance of beings within the planet and even the plane barrier. outside.
Those darkness and evil are not limited to devils and demons. Compared with some more terrifying existences, such as divine evil, ancient evil, ancient evil gods or other evil gods of the universe, whether it is the bottomless abyss or the nine hells, they are all regular existences.
"This is the obligation and responsibility of being a lord." Regina raised her lips slightly and couldn't help showing a sweet smile again. "Since you choose to take root in the valley, you can't escape."
"Since I brought them here, keeping them safe and letting them live and work in peace and contentment is my unshirkable responsibility." Gavin replied calmly.
Regina couldn't help but have a flash of brilliance deep in her eyes. At this moment, she saw a shadow on his body. Maybe her father's arrangement really worked. Under the leadership of the man in front of her, they fought. The valley will regain its three hundred years of glory and fulfill the dream that all valley people have dreamed of but have never realized their own wish - to unify the valley and have their own common king.
After taking a deep breath and calming down the chaotic thoughts in her heart, Regina dragged Gavin and directly activated the teleportation technique. At the same time, she said: "I hope what you just said comes completely from your heart. Only in this way can you have Maybe a real legacy.”
After the teleported magical aura dissipated, Gavin and the others had appeared outside a manor, not Lord Ilmet's manor in Ethebra.
It is a more luxurious and huge manor. It not only has a five-story luxury mansion, but also a huge stone wall. There are huge gardens inside and outside, and it is densely covered with ornamental ornaments of various shapes. Among the plants, the most eye-catching one is the equestrian statue that stands at the entrance of the estate.
(End of chapter)
