Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 195 - 182: Emerald Dragon Priest

It was a large tree that shimmered in the sunlight, its leaves were thin ellipsoid shapes, crystal clear. Through those layered leaves, you could see the sky above. This tree was made of emerald. Its leaves as well, and so were its branches and roots. It bathed the sunlight in its own splendour, lending an air of dreams and sanctity to the lush trees around it.

On the path sprinkled with emerald leaves, a figure in a grey robe, carrying a White Fire Lantern, walked up to the tree. Heinz knelt before the emerald tree, feeling the gaze of those emerald leaves.

"Respected Eason, I have completed the task you bestowed upon me."

"Is it my illusion, Heinz? I hope my obstinacy hasn’t troubled you." A gentle and kind female voice emanated from the emerald tree, like a mother worried about her child.

"No, you were right, respected Eason. The ominous premonitions you sensed in your dreams indeed came to pass, Hamlet County has been polluted by the Evil God."

"Is it... that one?"

"Yes, it is a broken part of the deity Triton, one of its hearts. The heart was obtained by humans; they studied and used it, creating a swath of dead land."

Heinz heard sobbing, right before his eyes.

A slender figure emerged from the emerald, her gown made of blossoms and tender leaves, a fresh flower upon her staff, and on her face, a mysterious and majestic wooden mask. The ancient and majestic aura was shattered by the sound of crying, leaving only Heinz in his helplessness.

"I am sorry, Heinz. Those pitiable humans, it’s all our fault..."

"No, respected Eason, those humans brought disaster upon themselves. These errors should not, in any way, be shifted onto you."

"No, Heinz, it is our fault. If I had realized it sooner, those humans would not have come into contact with it. No, if we had triumphed back then, Morocoy’s strength should have been able to cover all humanity, so that those eager humans would not have sought out the remnants of a deity for power. No, no, no, if we had been a little better back then, the sealing of Triton wouldn’t have left so many divine remnants behind. No matter what perspective I consider, tracing back to the origins, it is our mistake."

Heinz held absolute respect for this elder he revered, but it was precisely this trait of the respected Eason that left one speechless; no matter what setback occurred, she found a way to blame herself and succumb to self-reproach until tears followed.

For instance, if the moon was not visible tonight, she would blame herself for setting the bedtime of the Dream Elves too early, or say that the expulsion of the Witherer was because she hadn’t spread the Withering Magic among her people initially.

Heinz sighed, "Respected Eason, you are an eternal elder, the pioneer who set the Dream Elf race apart. Your contributions to us are such that even if you made any mistake, it cannot overshadow them. Please do not be saddened. Every Dragon Priest deserves the respect of their race."

"If you cry any more, I will cry as well." He really was on the verge of tears. Was it easy for Heinz? To comfort this elder Dream Elf baby, he had even set aside his dignity as a male adult Elf.

These words had the desired effect; faced with Heinz’s earnest expression, Eason stopped sniffling. Through the mask, Heinz even felt her surprised gaze.

"Heinz, thank you, thank you all, it’s because of your forbearance that I can retain the dignity of an elder."

No, respected Eason, it’s not our forbearance, and you’ve already lost your dignity. Every Dream Elf who has had contact with you feels a notch below when facing other Dragon’s Kin. Our greatest leader and elder is a crybaby, what are we to do?

"Heinz, what was the result then, have you cleansed the heart of Triton?"

Heinz, with a trace of melancholy and unease, replied, "I dare not be certain, respected Eason. At the time, I formed an expedition team with many companions, and in the end, we did encounter the aberration of the divine heart. My Withering Magic cleansed some of it, but a portion was devoured by a creation of the Andrei Academy members..."

"Devoured? Did you forget to stop him, Heinz? You should know that the corruption of the Evil God is unstoppable; that person who devoured part of the Evil God will soon fall into madness." Eason’s expression became uneasy again, seemingly about to plunge into a state of self-blame.

"This is what’s odd about me, after that creation devoured the heart of a god, it underwent a transformation by absorbing its power, but her mind seems to have remained unchanged."

"Her name is Nia, Jordania."

Eason rubbed his head, "Where have I heard this name before? Who is her creator?"

"The Plague Doctor from Andrei Academy, and, out of curiosity, I have sensed him before. His life characteristics, they seem to be that of a human, a human who has infiltrated the Lich Academy."

"Ah, if it’s the Plague Doctor, then there’s no issue. That Plague Doctor is an apprentice of Morocoy elder brother, and Nia’s birth was fully supervised by Morocoy elder brother. Don’t worry about Nia’s corruption, because she herself was created from the flesh of a god and won’t have issues with mental corruption," Eason said, easily disclosing things he had promised to keep secret.

Heinz stood up in shock.

"A variant of the Evil God created by the Morocoy elder Dragon Priest?! Why would he allow the growth of an Evil God! You have taught us that Evil Gods are the embodiment of absolute chaos and distortion, innately our mortal enemies. Why would a Dragon Priest who once imprisoned the enemy of all living beings do such a thing!!!" Heinz’s eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Because that infant has a symbiotic relationship with the human Plague Doctor, and the creation resulted from an accident; if we kill it, that human will also suffer."

"For the sake of nature’s balance, anything can be sacrificed, even a human..."

An irresistible authority burst from Eason’s body, and Heinz began to tremble, kneeling on the ground. He realized that he had misspoken and had now provoked the rare anger of this elder, feeling as if he were being targeted by a gigantic dragon.

"Heinz, you do not have the right to command any other life to make a sacrifice for nature. It applies to you, and to me as well. Any sacrifice is worthwhile; this phrase should only apply to ourselves. Sacrificing oneself is noble; sacrificing others is base."

"No creature is born with a reason to be obliterated, only the excuses we impose upon them. Even so with Evil Gods. Dragon Priests have never been... righteous," Eason said with a hint of melancholy.

"I will heed your teachings, but are we truly not in need of the Witherer’s oversight? If things develop in a bad direction in the future, we will be faced with another god..."

"Don’t worry, Morocoy elder brother is the wisest among us, there’s no need to be concerned about his matters."

It was always like this, Eason was ever eager to praise the abilities of other Dragon Priests whenever something coincided with them, slipping into a state of inaction. This was also one of the reasons why the Dream Elf couldn’t hold their head high.

"Elder brother is amazing! The most reliable elder brother! He will definitely handle things effortlessly! I don’t need to worry about it."

When it came to other Dragon Priests, Eason always managed to quickly relax and slip into casual conversation.

"Heinz, I heard Little Fannila came looking for you, how did that go?"

"Not great, she got caught doing a ’penniless pilferer’ in the City of Wandering, I had to fish her out of jail."

"Wuwuwu, it’s all my fault, if I had cultivated the relationships first, Fannila wouldn’t have ended up in jail."

"No, I think it was good that she was locked up, don’t cry, respected Eason."