Chapter 319: Chapter 174 Shiayar: Have I Become a Minister Entrusted with an Orphan? (Three in One)
Lost Island.
Shiayar’s eyes moved slightly. He had taken a tremendous risk, sparing no effort to travel back through three Eras to the First Era. All of this was for the sake of his Golden Elf Instructor.
But even in this moment in the First Era, the advanced Elves were still an unreachable existence for Humans. Even from the perspective of the strongest in the Human Kingdoms, their entire understanding of Elves was limited to the Half-Elves with scant elven blood who fell into the hands of slave traders, or the Dark Elf Zhuo’er who occasionally existed in the Underground World, hidden in shadows. As for the likes of Forest Elves and Golden Elves, these advanced Elves only existed in the ethereal legends of wandering poets. They were a Silver Tribe, born with the ability to command the Elements and possessing long lifespans. In that bustling and scenic Glorious Era, they held a status on par with the ancient dragons.
And the Lost Island was said to be a habitat somewhere in the Endless Ocean Domain beyond the Western Continent, where the advanced Elf Tribe resided according to legend.
"If I remember correctly," Shiayar mused, "the ’Lost Island’ was named so because since the Cataclysm Era, countless seafarers and adventurers set sail to search for that legendary island. It was said to drift beyond the Western Continent, an island believed to hold relics and treasures from numerous Glorious Eras. However, without exception, the seafarers and adventurers who sought that island either returned fruitlessly or became lost in the vast waves of the Endless Ocean Domain."
Listening to Shiayar’s words, the giant gold dragon spoke again, its voice hoarse. "That is to be expected.
"When the great calamity erupted, the Elf King, before falling utterly into corruption and madness, utilized his final Authority as Elf King to summon the power of the World Tree and sever the Elven Royal Court from it.
"He created a huge barrier, eternally sheltering the homelands of the Elf Clan within, spared from the forbidden Sun’s corruption.
"Likewise, it is a barrier distinguished by bloodline. Unless you are also an advanced Elf, or someone granted permission, even if you reach the outskirts of the Lost Island, you will never be able to enter it.
"However—in the very beginning, in the era when the Glorious still existed, whether Giants, Elves, or ancient dragons, our Royal Courts all once depended on the World Tree for existence.
"Even though later the initial light extinguished and the World Tree also died, some of its branches still managed to survive, becoming the foundation of the mortal world."
The giant gold dragon’s turbid draconic eyes flashed with a faint light as it looked back over the vast, desolate ruins behind it. "Here lies one of the World Tree’s fragments, although it is long dead. But even so, as the former lord of this Royal Court, I am one of only two beings in this world who can use the interconnected branches of the World Tree to awaken this world and find the Lost Island for you."
The murky light in the dragon’s eyes faded slightly, and it stared intently at Shiayar with a blazing gaze. "Unless you can find the Giant Court... and unless, after a thousand years, an inheritance of Authority still remains within that court, along with a being capable of communicating with the branches of the World Tree. If not, I am your only choice. Even if you found other True Gods who have yet to descend into madness, they still couldn’t locate the Lost Island."
It slightly lifted its claw, half pitch black and the other half tinged with a faint golden color. The next moment, the Egg of the Night, enshrouded by the delicate hues of the night, profound and mysterious, as if adorned with specks of starlight, appeared before Shiayar.
The giant gold dragon gazed at the Egg of the Night, its turbid draconic eyes carrying a hint of melancholy. "It is not my child.
"Or rather, I have no right to be its parent.
"It is the child of the King.
"Even the Elf King, before he lost control, had time to use his last strength to sever the Elven Royal Court from the World Tree, creating the barrier of the Lost Island and the veil of Eternal Night to protect over half of the advanced Elves from the ’Calamity of Light.’
"As ancient dragons, stronger than the advanced Elves, we should have been able to do better than the Elf King.
"However... just when the Sun God fell from his Throne of Heaven, it so happened to be right after the King had finished Nurture, passing on most of his power and Authority to his child, a moment when his own strength was at its feeblest.
"At that time, I was the chosen heir to the throne and the strongest pureblood giant dragon in our clan aside from the King. I was also one of only two ancient dragons possessing the Authority to manipulate the World Tree’s branches.
"Yet, I was cowardly..."
An expression of irrepressible regret flashed across the giant gold dragon’s eyes. "When my kin needed me the most, I was blinded by the sheer terror of life and death, and I chose to flee. And when I finally resolved myself and returned to the Royal Court, everything was beyond salvage.
"The giant dragons, driven mad and out of control under the Fallen Sun’s radiance, followed their primordial instincts of devouring and the desire to evolve. They tore the King, who had lost his strength after Nurture, into pieces—
"Then, in their struggle to usurp the Divinity that others had consumed, they began to slaughter each other."