The Amber Sword

The Tree Elves chanced upon the pale human who rarely left his abode come outside, and they greeted him warmly and curiously:

“A good day to you, Nordas.”

“Today’s weather is quite good, you should take a walk!”

The women chattered next to his ears, causing him to feel a little overwhelmed. If it were in the past, he would have felt overjoyed when these many pretty Elven girls surrounded him and spoke him with a smile, but now he only felt that everything was unfamiliar to him.

The rays from the sun that pierced through the shade seemed to be especially glaring, and the young officer could not help but raise his hand to block them. Locking himself up in his house for a long duration had seemed to cause him to be unable to adjust to the outside environment.

“What is it, do you feel unwell?” A young female Tree Elf girl with concern.

“No,” he shook his head and forced a smile.

He looked at the settlement below him. The Tree Elves had allocated him an area that was in the north-eastern direction. There was a flat platform which had several rooms built and the elves resided in there too. It was in between three Ancient Trees, and the environment was quite pleasing.

Everyone was friendly with him, but Nordas always felt distant from them and felt that he did not belong there.

“What’s going on?” He stared at the settlement below for a while. “Why is it so noisy?”

“I heard there are many outsiders who had come in.”

“Outsiders?”

“Humans, like you.”

“Oh, but there are also Lizardmen.” The Tree Elves chatted amongst themselves again.

“Do you want to come along with us, Nordas?” Someone suggested.

The youth was a little interested, but one of the Elven guards came down and saw the youth. Her alluring voice came after a slight pause: “Nordas, you finally came out?”

“Lady Calina,” Nordas recognized her as she was the one who showed him his room: “I heard that there are outsiders who came in?”

“Yes, quite a few. Why, do you still want to leave? But there usually isn’t anyone who would leave the Green Tower. The Druid Elders do occasionally go out to the outside world, but they won’t bring y—”

She suddenly realized something: “I understand, you want to see if those outsiders are your companions, right?”

Nordas nodded.

“I heard it’s a human lord.”

“A human lord?” Nordas felt it was strange and asked: “Why would he come here? Don’t the Druids avoid contact with the humans?”

“I don’t know,” Calina shook her head: “but it seems they are the Elders’ guests. There are a few kingdoms. Kirrlutz, Galbu, oh, and your fellow countrymen from Aouine.”

“Aouine?” Nordas’s eyes widened in shock, and he was suddenly excited: “Calina, is it possible for you to help me with a favor?”

“I know, you want me to bring you to them, right?”

The youth smiled with embarrassment.

“But what’s so good about the outside world,” the Elven guard shook her head and sighed: “very well, come with me.”

“Nordas, are you leaving?” One of the Tree Elves asked.

He nodded as he could only think about his wife who might be waiting for him.

================= Brendel’s POV ================

Brendel had just finished discussing with the Elder Druids. In order to resolve the troubles of the Loop of Trade Winds, the best way would be to find where the Fire Seed was kept in Valhalla. According to legend, once the Fire Seed was lit, the Dark Forest would gradually become a protected land, and everything would be solved.

However, he still needed to wait for three more days, due to a need to investigate the area again as the earlier scouts had been attacked. According to the descriptions from the Druids, he suspected that it was a rare monster that attacked the Druids.

Even though he had fought against it a few times, he remembered the unique attacking patterns.

His thoughts were suddenly broken by Amandina’s sigh:

“That’s beautiful.”

Brendel turned around and saw her looking at an Elf playing a flute near a bridge. The music rhythm was elegant and beautiful, easily drawing one in, and it made them wonder if the tune was about a tale or a location.

The Green Tower in the game was known for its beautiful environments. The wall of clouds served as their background, build in the middle of the sky. The settlement was a city built on trees, linked by vine bridges and suffused with a taste of fantasy.

Ever since Brendel left the meeting in the Blackthorn’s hall, he promised Amandina and Scarlett to take a stroll in this strange city. Amandina was incredibly excited on this day, and he rarely saw her so happy.

The three had come to a market called ‘The Centaur’s hooves’ in the city. The market was suspended in mid-air. It was a structure completely made out of wood and there were three sections.

The four corners of the market were linked by vine bridges, but the market itself was suspended in the air by magic.

There were quite a number of Tree Elves, but the main occupants were still centaurs. There were various clothes, accessories, strange plants and fruits, magic materials, unique minerals, and a few artifacts containing magic.

The Dark Forest had an abundance of materials, which was why there were many varied goods in the market. The currency was not limited to gold and silver, but also an exchange of goods.

In truth, Gold and silver were also considered as a type of material.

Brendel, Amandina, Sifrid, and Scarlett gathered at the third level. There was an ongoing fight— The centaurs were hotheaded and frequently fought with each other, but there were a dedicated dueling grounds to allow them to vent their anger. The Tree Elves occasionally had an archery competition, but Brendel and the others did not have the luck to witness one.

After watching the centaurs’ duel, they went to a bar that was run by a Tree Elf and sampled a special wine made from flower nectar. It tasted like a flower wine, but the aftereffects were powerful, and Brendel realized he made a mistake. Amandina and Scarlett were not great at drinking, and they cheeks were red after drinking a small mouthful.

Brendel hurriedly stopped them. There would be trouble if they get drunk in the bar because they could not hold their liquor.

But Amandina looked like she still wanted to stay in the bar. She got to hear about a tree that produced gems which looked like emeralds, but the transparency was greater. The best part about it was that it was inexpensive.

She was moved in an instant, and she started to pester Brendel to bring them over to the shops with the aid of the alcohol.

The youth shook his head when he saw her make a tantrum with a red face. The calm and intelligent noble girl had such a terrible resistance to alcohol. But the suggestion had also made him feel like he had been persuaded to check it out, and he knew that he could not resist it.

[It seems like the women in this world also have no resistant towards shiny things. I’m sure people in this world said that they resemble dragons in this aspect.]

It was wise of him to bring out a few Mana Crystals out from the mine. Although these crystals were considered not the best crystals out there, they were easily able to exchange for a large number of accessories made with the trees’ gems.

When he presented a small piece of Mana Flame Agate before the centaur shopkeeper, the latter knew that there was a big spender in front of him.

The tree gems would not sell for much, so the Centaur tried to inquire subtly whether the human lord needed magical artifacts, while presenting the accessories that he made on his own.

Brendel found it a little hilarious. While he did know that he could buy many genuine magical materials in the shop, it was rare to find anything worthwhile. Beguiling a bunch of newbies would be possible for the shopkeeper, but a veteran like him would never fall for his tricks.

“Brendel, just let him take them out,” Amandina squinted with a red face and said in a small voice: “a-and let us take a look whether he makes them better than you.”

Brendel found she was quite adorable acting this way, so he nodded: “Alright, let us take a look.”

The white centaur immediately showed a delighted expression, if he was able to sell one or two magic items, then there would be no need to sell anything else for the whole month.

He took out a pair of rings in a mystifying manner and said to Brendel: “My good man, these are rings I bought from a witch. The rumor has it that they are imbued with the magic of love. If your two companions wear them, they would love you for all eternity without changing their hearts.”

“W-what rubbish is this!” Amandina cupped Sifrid’s both ears, and spoke to the centaur in an upset tone: “Take them away, he wouldn’t buy these despicable objects!”

Brendel shook his head with a smile.

[These rings are merely imbued with the ‘charm’ magic. If these rings were claimed to be imbued with the magic of love, wouldn’t it mean that my ring is the divine artifact of the Wind E— Huh. The Ring of the Wind Empress on my hand is the real deal. Though there are multiple copies of it.]

He coughed once and shook his head: “If you only have these things, I think it will be fine if we just buy a few accessories with the tree gems.”

“Ahh, please wait,” the centaur immediately tried to halt them: “I do have something good right now, I’m sure you would be pleased, human lord, you wouldn’t be able to buy it anywhere else.”

Brendel was slightly surprised: “Do you know me?”

The centaur gave a mysterious laugh: “Respectfully, human lord, I’ve conducted business for decades. I do believe I know most of the people in the Green Tower, and I’ve seen quite a few human lords too.”

“I see, business must be difficult.”

The centaur immediately had the word awkward written on his face. He knew the truth about the rings was definitely seen through by him. He could only smile bravely: “I promise you, human lord, that it wouldn’t be of terrible quality this time.”

“Oh?”

“I truly bought this thing from a witch and she was an outsider, just like you who have come here.” The centaur said as he brought out a box.

There was a rock fragment in the shape of a shield in the box, and Brendel’s heart skipped a beat when he saw it.

The Rock Key.

Legend stated that it opened the doors between the continent and another dimension filled with the Earth Element.

In the game, its other use was to activate a city that was built in the Wilderness. It was similar to a Fire Seed. The Fire Seed represented the Laws of Order, while the Rock Key created the fundamental Elements.

This was how Mother Marsha formed the world and gave birth to its shape. The Laws bound the Mana, while the Elements established the structure.

It was quite valuable in the game, and there were times where there simply were no stock to meet the demand. It was also a core item used in a high-level quest that involved any Earth Element powers.

For example, the Sword of Earth, Halran Gaia, had such a quest to upgrade it.

[Even if one tried searching for it, their shoes would be torn to shreds without ever catching a glimpse of it. Obtaining this item is based on ridiculous luck, not effort.]

The corner of Brendel’s eyes jolted once when he the shield-like rock piece.

“Boy, your luck is pretty good—” Orthlyss seemed to have felt Brendel’s rush of emotions and woke up from her slumber.

He nodded, but there was no change in his expression, asking: “What is this?”

“The Rock Key. Legend states that it can connect our world to another world’s tunnel—” The centaur shopkeeper replied.

Brendel interrupted him with feigned irritation: “Another world? What does that world have?”

“Erm.......” The centaur was immediately at a loss for words. He had accepted the transaction when the witch told this rumor to him. That damned old woman even took away one of the best tree gems that he had.

“I think it leads to a Plane where it’s related to the Earth Element?” He considered the terms that can be used to explain another world.

“A Plane of the Earth Element?” Brendel acted like he did not understand and his face was completely innocent: “Why would I want to go there?”

“Boy,” Orthlyss could not help but shake her head: “Your ability to bluff is as good as Eirelannt. She would be very fond of you if she were to meet you.”

“Eirelannt, you say?” Brendel asked inwardly. (TL: Okay, even I don’t remember who’s this character.)

“Yes, we.....” Orthlyss suddenly coughed and corrected herself: “Gatel, Farnezain, and Sanorso, as well as Eirelannt who was the oldest, well, they went on adventures when they were young, and it was also mostly her who was the point of contact with the Lords and merchants.”

“So you mean she’s the commander.”

“Something like that.”

While Brendel and Orthlyss were conversing with each other, the centaur seemed to be stuck in a rut. Brendel did not seem as interested as the rings presented earlier to him, and it made him a little depressed.

“If you please, Human lord, that witch had also told me that it is tremendously useful to an Elementalist.”

[That’s true. Using the Rock Key would open a path to a different world filled with the Earth Element. Just opening the tunnel for twenty seconds would allow the Elementalist’s Earth Elemental Pool to expand by a hundred times. It’s even possible to sustain twenty to thirty spells. Under the circumstances, if the Elementalist can manage their Mana, they would become a superman.]

Still, Brendel had never seen anyone use this core item that was worth millions of Tor coins as a one-time usage item in the game with his own eyes. It was a pay-to-win measure that was beyond common sense.

The centaur seemed to think that this statement was enough to make it work. Brendel secretly laughed as he observed him, and pretended to be slightly persuaded: “Is that so, then how much is this thing worth?”

The centaur considered raising it to a sky-high price and have that Flame Agate in Brendel’s handed over to him. His Flame Agate crystal was almost half the value of his entire store, but stating such a price might incur the human’s wrath and get him to leave in a huff.

Just as he was hesitating, a hand that appeared out of nowhere threw out a similar Flame Agate crystal, and reached out for the box of the Rock Key like a snake going for its prey.

“Shopkeeper, I want this.” The owner of the voice was crisp and quick.

But Brendel’s reactions were almost instantaneous, just as the hand managed to touch the box, Brendel had already invoked his Elementalist’s powers and shot out a bolt of lightning to strike the Rock Key, and he reached out for the Rock Key.

The owner of the voice was apparently not one to be taken lightly either.

“Damn it, an Elementalist!” The person scoffed lightly and drew out her sword to strike the Rock Key away.

The Rock Key smashed into a wooden pillar before it bounced back towards the two people. The woman tried to snatch it away, but the Rock Key suddenly stopped in mid-air slightly out of reach, before it flew towards Brendel like a ball of cotton swept away by a wind.

“A Wind Binding spell? An Elementalist specializing in two Elements!” The woman stomped her foot and gave up directly on snatching away the Rock Key, and thrust her sword towards Brendel.

The youth was delighted to see the attack instead of being surprised. Before she could even reach him, vines came from everywhere and bound her up tightly.

It was the Druids’ barrier magic—

A clattering sound happened. The sword of the woman who looked like a young noble dropped to the ground.

“I-It hurts.....” Her eyes narrowed in pain.

Brendel finally had the time to observe his opponent. He was slightly taken aback. She was not a Senian or Tree Elf, but a full-blooded Kirrlutz citizen.

The golden hair coupled with a pair of cold emerald eyes made him certain that they were definitely the traits of the Kirrlutz Empire’s royal blood. Surely, her ancestors were amongst the King of Fire’s first followers, the Eagle Knights.

The possible princess wore a white dress and long black leather boots, with her wavy hair bundled into two luscious groups of ponytails. She struggled against the vines and glared hatefully at Brendel.

[Wow, golden twintails! But to act violently in the Druids’ base, how bold!]

“Y-you scoundrel! How dare you steal from a lady!” The corners of her eyes were raised high enough till they became sharp as she glared at him.

“Hold on, when did this become yours?” Brendel hurriedly interrupted her.

“I, I paid, didn’t I!” The girl stuttered once, but she immediately spoke as though she was in the right: “Return it to me, you evil country bumpkin!”

Brendel glanced at the Flame Agate: “My Lady, you threw down a Flame Agate, but did you see the shopkeeper accept it? He has not even stated the price of the Rock Key. A forced transaction is certainly what a brute would do.”

“You!”

The young woman was so angry that her chest was going up and down, but she could not hit him because her limbs were restrained. She turned her head back, and her green eyes immediately brightened.

“Faena, what happened?” It was a male teenager with black hair.

He wore a black robe that was unique to the Kirrlutz’s royal Alchemists, and it caused Brendel to stare blankly at the young boy who looked no older than fifteen.

Kirrlutz’s royal Alchemists had to be at least level ten in Alchemy before they could meet the qualifications to enter the ranks. There had to be some kind of line drawn for being so talented, right?

But he certainly did not expect the young boy to inspect his companion for a moment before raising his head at him with a yell: “You hurt my companion. I request for a duel with you!”

The young boy looked up at the Ancient Treants and shouted: “Venerable spirits, I promise I won’t hurt this man’s life and I just want to teach him a lesson. This is a quarrel between our race and I hope no one else interferes!”

When he was done with his words, there was a green flash in the trees’ crowns.

“The promise has been accepted.”

[Oh for crying out loud. The barrier won’t work anymore on him, though the girl is still stuck. It looks like there’s a veteran who understands the Druids here, but you’ve have got be kidding me if I have to fight him. He’s just a kid!]

But before he could respond, Scarlett had struck her lightning spear against her palm which caused an audible smack. She glared coldly at the two opponents in front of her and said: “My lord, allow me to represent you.”

“A Highlander?” The young boy was slightly surprised at Scarlett’s flaming red hair: “You’re not locals?”

“They are Aouine’s citizens!” Faena sneered at them and continued to struggle: “A bunch of rogues and thieves!”

But the more she resisted against the vines, the tighter they became.

“Urgh, it hurts so much—”

“Faena, stop moving. It’s useless to struggle and it would be undone after a while!” The young boy sighed at his companion. It seemed like the haughty noble girl was also quite troubling for him: “This is one of the Druids’ spell, Barrier of Peace. You were told not to be violent in this place!”

“It’s all because of these barbarians!” Faena said with wet eyes: “You have to teach them a lesson, Rono! The dignity of the Kirrlutz Empire cannot be blemished!”

Amandina frowned when she heard the last sentence.

Brendel secretly gritted his teeth when the words, ‘country bumpkin’, ‘knaves’, ‘scoundrels’, continued to come out from her lips. He was never very receptive to the Kirrlutz Empire in the game, and when he heard that particular sentence from Faena, it finally went past his point of tolerance.

“Well said,” His eyebrow went up and he had a chilling smile that showed his teeth, “the Kirrlutz Empire’s dignity cannot be blemished—”

The young boy looked back at Brendel and Scarlett who stood in from him, then spoke scornfully: “A man who needs to have a woman to fight for him doesn’t have the right to speak to me in that tone!”

Brendel felt a vein popping up over his forehead.

“Scarlett, step aside, I want to see how unbeatable the so-called Kirrlutz Empire is.”