Act 61 Elements of Civilization VI

New life and death, endless cycle——

————"Zhu Yuan Observation Notes", Qianhai, Volume 1

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The long-term memory is of a vast wilderness, and the memory of childhood is of trekking and traveling. When crossing the edge of the "shallow sea", the azure background of the storm-calmed mountain is still deeply engraved in the depths of my memory. "Recommended Baidu/Qi-Zi*Xiao/Shuo/Net Reading" On the boundary between water and wind, the two planes overlapped strangely on the horizon.

That is the most profound impression about childhood.

But all the distant scenery no longer exists. After a long journey, traveling, and traveling again, I finally came to this world——

It was a strange beginning. The clan members passed it down from generation to generation, as if the memory flowing in their blood nourished the magic power and formed a sacred forest. In the distant dark ages, gentle magic attracted creatures in the darkness. It fights against frost demons, weeping demons, and undead souls in order to protect this forest.

In this way, the continuous fighting seemed to pass for many years.

Until one day, it saw the ball of light flying in front of it.

"Hello, my name is Luoluo. Your place is really beautiful. Can I stay here?"

"No." It replied seriously.

"Why?" Little Budian's eyes widened, his blue eyes widened, full of curiosity. It seemed that it would be very strange for her not to live in this forest.

"Because you, like them, will spy on the magic of holiness."

"No, no, no, I just think it's cooler here."

"cool?"

"Well, besides, you can't fight them alone. You always need companions. Let me help you."

It seemed that after that, it had a companion. The word companion. Saying it in the language of elements is far more lengthy than human words, but it has far-reaching meaning.

"Marocha, let's build a lake,

Then they won't be able to get through. "

"lake?"

"Yeah, lake. You haven't seen it before, it's like a shallow sea scenery - of course, it's not as spectacular as my hometown. But it's still a beautiful scenery."

Thinking of his hometown, he nodded.

"Marocha, is the lake beautiful?"

"Not like Qian Hai." It thought for a while and replied seriously.

"Then let's make it bigger. So big that it has no boundaries," she said enthusiastically: "By the way, after I die, please bury me under the biggest Mist Tree, so that I can You can go back to your hometown.”

"die?"

It narrowed its eyes slightly, and there seemed to be information about this part hidden in the distant blood. That's about elemental creatures. A word imprinted on the soul seems to flash in its memory: 'Rebirth and death, the endless cycle of elements -'

"Yeah," the little goblin squinted his eyes and replied, "Rebirth and destruction. The elements cycle endlessly. Without death, there would be no rebirth."

It stared at the dark night sky, where meteors flickered and disappeared. The prosperous starry sky symbolized the death of another hero in the civilized world with conflicts outside. The mortal war began one hundred and thirty-seven years, it would last three hundred years, and end twelve years after that, so the prophecy said.

Buried in the soil in the middle of the forest, glowing buds bloomed the next year. Then it slowly bore fruit. From the fruit two new lives were born.

That is the continuation of Luoluo's life. They are called Mia and Tisi.

It's a strange thing that goblins are always born with names.

Then there were more and more goblins, and the forest became more lively and prosperous day by day. But every night after that, it looked at the lush starry sky. Always remember that sentence:

"Marocha, let's build a lake so they can't get through."

On the edge of the silvery lake, the frost demons in the darkness really did not dare to cross the lake again——

The war in the human world finally ended one hundred and thirty years ago. Marocha looked up at the night sky. A meteor flashed past, and St. Osol, the last hero of the civilized world, finally completed her last journey in life.

The world suddenly became strange.

…

The core of magic is the source of life for demonized creatures. But for a creature like the Crystal Stag, which lives in harmony with magic, it is just the core of its power. A demonized creature that loses its magic core will immediately turn into ashes, but for Marocha, at best, its power will fade away. Only in youth.

Brando soon saw the crystal prism-like existence embedded in Marocha's spine. As soon as Brando saw it, he couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly.

The magic core of a healthy crystal stag should contain the same blue color as the sea inside the crystal, just like their hometown of shallow sea, which is the most beautiful place in the world of water elements. But what he saw was a crystal as black as ink.

The erosion of magic power is so severe.

Brando couldn't help but hold his breath slightly.

The world of Warnd is built on a sea of ​​magic, and most of the power that mortals come into contact with comes from dark magic. But Martha set the laws of Tiamat and used the power of rules to restrain these wild and dark forces - making them docile and peaceful.

This is the gift of mother.

But there are also people who do not accept this gift.

Astrologers follow the path of the people of the gods, as if they are wise men navigating through the darkness. Like the god they worship, Elaine, the goddess of the abyss, they turn the magic of darkness into a mirror, seeking to see through the fog of the future at the cost of blindness. The darkness erodes their bodies and minds, but they remain firm.

The witches went one step further than the astrologers, and the sages of the Twelve witches swore to conquer the power of darkness - and their descendants, although they strictly abide by this oath. But madness, coldness, eccentricity and moodiness have been with them all their lives - because of these reasons and their status as followers of the Dark Dragon, they are despised by the entire continent.

And those who walk in the shadows, cultists, devil worshipers, madmen and murderers. They worship the magic of darkness and do not hesitate to sacrifice to please those dark evil beings. These are the limpers on the dark side of civilization, but no one denies their existence.

Dark magic is like a powerful poison, and its damage to anyone is irreversible. Brando had a mentality as if he had seen the answer to the riddle. Gently stretch your hand towards the magic core.

An electric feeling ran through him.

"Human, stop—"

A gentle voice that was completely different from the previous manic and furious voice sounded in Brando's mind.

"Guardian of the Seal Forest, you know what I'm doing -" Brando's hand movements stopped slightly, and then he replied softly: "Have you seen what this forest looks like?"

"It won't help if you drive the dark magic out." The voice did not answer him directly, but replied: "On the contrary, you will regret your actions."

"I need to know the reason." Brando asked: "If you don't give up this magic core, you will be assimilated into a monster by the dark magic. This forest has begun to wither. The dark magic will erode this Everything, including your fellow goblins—"

The voice fell silent.

After a while, it sounded again: "No, the forest will never wither. Everything you said will not happen. Human beings, you have never seen the shallow sea, and you will not understand how great nature is -"

"Asami?"

Marocha paused. It was covered in bruises and its body was dying. There was a hint of exhaustion in his blood-red eyes. But it burned with a blazing flame: "Human, I know what you want, crystallized blood. You can take it. But please leave this forest. This forest does not belong to anyone. It only belongs to history and testimony." The fairies who have lived through all this in the past——"

Brando didn't understand what it said, but he glanced at the crystal blood dotted on the ground, and then glanced at Nimesis not far away. The female knight looked at the little goblin in her hand, who was crying like a mess.

"Thank you for your generosity, Guardian," Brando replied: "But what I am curious about is your choice."

There seemed to be a gentle breeze blowing through the forest. There was a rustling sound, and the brittle branches broke and fell.

The forest is dying.

Malocha's body ignited with raging black flames, and the crystal stag lay there quietly, as if remembering something. Brando saw its gaze. Looking over his shoulder, he looked at the lush and majestic night sky of Warnd's world.

There are many constellations there, composing many epics belonging to mortals.

"Why did you take the initiative to extract the magic power from the entire forest? Is it because the Holy Seal Valley has been eroded by dark magic power?"

"It's almost as you guessed, human being." The voice that gradually weakened replied: "The forest is restless, not just here. Dark magic is pouring out from under the entire world, and the magic moon has become brighter than before. Yes, humans——”

Brando didn't speak, he knew that Malocha was talking about the Great Demon Tide.

"So you took the initiative to introduce dark magic into your body so that they would not infect the entire forest."

"But wouldn't it be in vain for you to do so? In the end, you will be turned into its puppet by the magic of darkness. And when you die as the last guardian of this forest, it itself will wither and wither, just like what you see today Same." Brando replied slowly, thinking about all the clues about the mission in his mind.

But his words were interrupted.

"That's because you have never seen the shallow sea, human being," Marocha replied quietly: "That beautiful and spectacular sea on the boundary between wind and water. The tides on the sea rise and fall, and the cycle is endless. Just like our lives—"

"Your life?"

"Rebirth and death, the cycle never ends——"

"This is the fate of the elements."

Brando suddenly understood——

He stared at the crystal stag on the ground with some shock. The old elemental life dies, and the new elemental creature is born on its corpse. From generation to generation, ancient knowledge is passed down in this way.

This is like a poem from ancient times. It always echoes in the bloodline called inheritance, silently and majesticly.

"The old order has left, taking away many memories. New life will be reborn under the withered ashes. The dark magic will burn out with me. At that moment, pure magic will fill this land again, It nourishes the roots of every mist tree and makes the power of life become more powerful again."

Brando stood there, motionless. For a moment, he felt that his thoughts about the mission had faded a lot. He asked: "Is this your choice?"

Marocha didn't answer.

The voice just murmured to himself: "I should have left long ago. When I saw the meteor streaking across the night sky. I knew that this era no longer belonged to me."

"It's been a long time."

"But the lake still doesn't feel like a shallow ocean at all."

"It's just really beautiful—"

Brando lowered his eyelids slightly.

He felt something. But it's more doubtful. Why does the system set up such a scene? Is there any hidden mission here? Is it just for him to be a spectator?

No, there must be something that can be changed.

He saw the crystal stag lying on the ground gradually closing its eyes. The dark magic seemed to be breaking free from it, but it was firmly locked in the core of the magic.

At that moment, Brando seemed to feel the last image from the guardian of the Seal Forest:

The vast sea stretches as far as the eye can see. The cliffs are jagged and the waves are beating against the rocks. Far away in the horizon, the holy mountain where the storm has subsided looks like a light blue ink painting.

Clouds float in the sky.

He saw the traveling young deer. Together with its tribe, it crossed the coast and passed through the wilderness, as if it was a long journey, and no one knew where their end point was.

A long time flashed through Brando's mind, like a millennium in the blink of an eye, and he saw a lot. I saw the fairy named Luoluo.

"I see my hometown."

"It's beautiful, just as it was when I left it. It's never changed. Waiting for me to come back."

…

Brando blinked hard, the corners of his eyes were dry.

When he opened his eyes, Marocha's body was emitting blazing white light. Become transparent and light. The magic power floating on its body seemed to have experienced a new life. In the dazzling flash like a new star, the black magic power was pulled by the power beyond the realm of life and death, and an invisible law fell from the sky.

At that moment, he and Nymesis raised their heads together, their hearts trembling in the same way, feeling the power from Martha.

Gentle, yet penetrating.

All language and sounds seemed to have lost their color.

The goblins looked up at this scene, and they were surprised to feel that the forest was breaking apart. But an endearing force is breaking out of the cocoon.

Brando saw the little goblin in Nymesis's hand running toward the body of the crystal stag with tears on her face. She was crying and opening and closing her mouth, but she couldn't hear the slightest sound.

Between heaven and earth, only law and power remain.

Brando saw golden magic blooming from Marocha's body. It poured into the ground and spread in all directions along the forest paths like a spider web. Then he saw a thin layer of smoke rising from the now reduced to ashes of the crystal stag, which took on the form of Marocha in life - that majestic and beautiful creature looking up into the night sky.

Then this layer of smoke began to dissipate lightly.

But at that moment Brando suddenly realized something. He raised his head and shouted loudly at the soul in the smoke state: "Marocha, wait! Your magic core will not be completely reduced to ashes. Part of it will be inherited by the new elements!"

Crystal Stag obviously realized something.

It shook slightly and looked back at Brando. Since the form had begun to disintegrate, Brando couldn't even see its expression clearly, but he read the last message it wanted to express from Marocha's eyes -

Help it.

The magic core has been completely contaminated, even if only part of it is inherited by the new crystal stag, it will assimilate it. The newly born elemental life will only turn into a completely bloodthirsty monster.

And this forest will then turn into a wilderness filled only with gloom and terror.

The mission turns out to be here.

Brando suddenly realized. But he didn't feel relaxed at all at this moment. He watched Marocha's figure disappear into nothingness little by little. It looked at him anxiously, but he was powerless.

No.

etc.

There is another way. Brando suddenly raised his head. He looked at the crystal stag, and his mind was filled with the picture he had seen before. The vast sea stretches as far as the eye can see. The jagged cliffs and the waves lapping against the rocks - this is the shallow sea, the source of endless elemental life.

"I can help you, Marocha."

He suddenly said loudly: "Are you willing to accept it?"

A blank card appeared in Brando's hand. Marlo looked at the card and seemed to understand something. Its life is long and long, and bits and pieces of knowledge have been accumulated in the heart since a certain era.

"Are you willing?" Brando roared.

Golden magic is filling the entire forest. But the black flame also rekindled from the golden center of light. One person and one deer, there is only one last chance left.

"What are you going to do, human being?" This was the meaning in Marocha's eyes.

"Using dark magic as the source, I will seal you with it. I will use the rules of the destiny card to extract it from the magic core. Maybe I can succeed!"

"How sure are you?"

"I have no idea--"

Marocha nodded slightly, and a layer of dense smoke only left the part below its neck. The entire body has disappeared into smoke, but the four hooves still stand proudly on the ground.

Brando took out the destiny card and showed it to Malocha's soul: "Char. Help me calculate how much wealth is needed to seal the card this time!"

"Sir, can you calculate this simple question yourself?" Ciel's somewhat confused voice came from the other end of his mind. He yawned, obviously not knowing what was happening here.

"Stop talking nonsense, tell me quickly -" Brando gritted his teeth and reprimanded.

Ciel trembled, and then he realized: "Ah, sir, please quickly unlock part of the seal permissions to me, and let me see what kind of cards you want to seal -"

Brando immediately followed his words.

"Crystal Stag," Charles was slightly startled: "This thing is much stronger than the little princess back then, although its soul has already recognized it. It can greatly reduce the cost of the seal, but it still requires nearly a thousand wealth."

"Ah, wait - what is this?" Ciel's voice was a little impatient: "Dark magic? Lord, you have to take it out from here - this is the law of chaos. In terms of authority, it is no less than a planeswalker. permission. Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t understand..."

"You don't need to understand!" Brando was going crazy, and Marocha's head was already looming: "You just need to tell me how much I need!"

"There is too much dark magic..."

"That's very little!" Brando didn't shout the last word. Most of the dark magic has been purified by Marocha and turned into the power of order.

"Okay, okay - I understand, a total of 2720 wealth is needed."

"so much!?"

"I said..." Ciel replied. But his words were immediately interrupted rudely by Brando: "That's enough, tell me if my wealth is enough now."

"...Reluctantly, sir, don't you plan to save some? Didn't you say that you might encounter some better materials in Ranshuang Forest? This place is still within the Anlaser Forest, right?" Charles was a little curious. asked. He didn't know if his lord had encountered any trouble.

But Brando had no time to pay attention to him.

He pressed his thumb and index finger on the card and shouted to Marocha's soul: "Seal!"

But the expected situation did not occur. It was completely different from what happened when Medissa was sealed last time. The destiny card just floated in mid-air quietly, motionless.

"What's going on?" Brando's right hand holding the card froze slightly.

"Lord... the soul of the person you want to seal is too weak. The magic power of darkness is not enough to make up for the shortcomings of this part of the rules... some wealth is needed to create a virtual rule." Ciel's voice suddenly shouted anxiously got up.

"How much more do you need?" Brando asked through gritted teeth. He was about to miss his last chance.

"It's not enough..."

Brando felt cold in his heart, but at this moment, Charles suddenly screamed: "Ah... new power has been injected into it. What's going on?"

The young wizard's attendant obviously didn't understand what was happening. Brando didn't understand at all, because he only saw the silver light suddenly flashing on the blank card, and then suddenly exploded like a flash bomb.

A blinding white light spread from all directions.

Brando narrowed his eyes slightly and waited until the light gradually dissipated before he saw a card falling from mid-air.

‘In darkness. But my heart is towards the light, since it is an eternal song——'

The card fell into his hand:

Song of Reincarnation

Yonge VIII

Light 4/Dark 4

【Spell】

Pay 40 mana (Knight) to summon White Deer Malocha (level: Flan Knight Level -10) into play. When White Deer leaves the field, select two cards from the graveyard and shuffle them into the owner's deck.

Maintain, White Deer Malocha will be maintained until the reset time on the next day.

‘New life and death, endless life and death——’

Brando looked at the white deer depicted on the card and the goblin on its back, and was stunned for a moment. At that moment, he understood what had happened before.

He raised his head and saw golden magic shrouding the entire forest, and the dead fog trees were collapsing in pieces. But new buds sprouted from the ashes, quickly growing into a dense sapling.

A young crystal stag lay among these trees with half-closed eyes.

The forest seemed to protect it.

There was a soft buzzing sound, and Brando saw a light green panel pop out in front of him:

‘Task: Elements of Civilization, completed, perfect completion. ’

‘Mission: The Song of Asami, completed, with excellent completion——’

…

(PS: Today’s 6,000 words were agreed upon, but I don’t want to divide this chapter into chapters. Just read it this way. I’m exhausted today. When I get home, I have to go out to exercise again. After exercising, I have to come back and rush to code. I just want to rush into it. Death.) (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.) (The Amber Sword)