The Sea Elven Queen was in a bad mood.
Naturally, she had helped Marvin because of Ivan.
But after the fight, she didn’t find Marvin and instead went directly to Thousand Leaves Forest.
As she was also an Elf, the Wood Elves didn’t make any trouble for the Sea Elven Queen and provided her with delicious food.
But Ivan declined to see her because he was handling all kinds of matters in Thousand Leaves Forest.
Marvin confidently told the Sea Elven Queen to calm down and to let him try to see Ivan first.
After Marvin notified the Elven Iron Guard, Ollie soon came to look for him.
The two went through the dense forest and arrived at the lakeside.
Ivan was standing alone, looking at that originally pure lake in a daze.
Marvin’s eyes squinted.
He had seen that lake once, back when the Great Elven King was trying to treat his wound, but the effects didn’t seem satisfactory.
But now, that lake’s water was slightly crimson!
After Ollie led Marvin over, she tactfully left.
Ivan slowly turned and looked at Marvin.
“He died.”
Chapter 450: Bloody Forest [Part 3]
Chapter 450: Bloody Forest [Part 3]
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Marvin was slightly stunned, but not too surprised.
It was clear that the person Ivan was talking about was the Great Elven King, who had fought to his last breath to buy time for Feinan.
This wasn’t hard to guess. When the Great Elven King stepped out, everyone knew his fate.
It was just a matter of time.
“I’m very sorry.”
Marvin’s apology came from the bottom of his heart.
If not for his suggestion to attack the Evil Spirit Plane back then, the Great Elven King might not…
Ivan shook his head, as his eyes cleared up. “This isn’t your fault.”
Although he was depressed, he was a lot calmer.
The Great Elven King’s death made Ivan suddenly realize how much burden his father had been carrying on his shoulders.
He had been carrying the fate of the entire Wood Elven Race alone.
In the past, no matter how much of a troublemaker Ivan was, he always had an unrivalled father to settle things for him.
But everything would be different after today.
After the 2nd layer of the Universe Magic Pool broke, even more Chaos Magic Power flooded into the plane.
The North Guardian and the Cloud Monk retreated to the 3rd layer, relying on that layer’s stronger defense to fight a long battle with the Gods.
During this time, the Gods would be unable to enter Feinan, but that didn’t necessarily mean that it would be peaceful.
Marvin sighed. The future would still be challenging.
Although asking this wasn’t appropriate, after some hesitation, Marvin decided that he still needed to know:
“How many did he take with him?”
The Great Elven King dared to step out, which meant he must have believed that it was the best time for his last stand.
Before Eric died, he took three Low Gods with him, leaving 25 of the New Gods behind.
Marvin eagerly wanted to know the situation of the group of Gods now.
“Three,” Ivan answered. “A High God and two Mid Gods.”
Marvin gasped.
Nicholas really was one of the most frightening people of this world.
Those few battles in the game must not have shown his full power.
After all, this time he fought that group of Gods on his own. Despite that, he managed to exterminate a High God and two Mid Gods. This strength was something the majority of the Demon Lords and Archdevils couldn’t reach.
But that terrifying Divine Fire had withered his soul and his strength, so in the end, he could only accept his death.
This really was a huge loss to Feinan.
But the death of the Great Elven King wasn’t meaningless.
He had bought yet more time for Feinan.
The deaths of a few of their members sapped the morale of the New Gods. In the following fight, they were bound to be a lot more restrained.
Therefore, the progress of the Universe Magic Pool shattering would be a lot slower.
…
“In the past, I didn’t understand why he always seemed unhappy.” Ivan stood by the lake, looking dejected and frustrated. “Even when I was a child, he wouldn’t look happy when facing me and my mother.”
“But now, I vaguely understand.”
“A lone man fending for himself, and a person charged with protecting their whole Race… These are two completely different things.”
Marvin had the same feeling.
A loner could be completely unfettered and only needed to be responsible for their own life. And if the person was strong enough, they could just find a place to hide and wait out the disaster.
However, it was harder if they had people they wanted to protect.
Marvin’s White River Valley.
Nicholas’ Thousand Leaves Forest. It was now passed on to Ivan.
Hearing the sadness in Ivan’s tone, Marvin muttered, “Is there anything I can help with?”
Ivan hesitated for a long time before taking a deep sigh. “The Council of Elders doesn’t consent to me becoming the new Elven King.”
Marvin sneered, “The reason?”
“Too many.” Ivan shook his head, as he listed out, “Being heretical, getting banished once, getting expelled once, and not having enough qualifications to convince the people… Moreover, the Great Elven King never explicitly said that I should succeed the rule of Thousand Leaves Forest.”
“But Marvin, you know… I saw his look before he left.”
“There was no disappointment, no encouragement… only relief. That damn old man, he left everything up to me and left like that… leaving me alone.”
Ivan turned his back to Marvin as his eyelids faintly fluttered open and closed, getting a bit watery.
“There is still infighting at such a time?” Marvin inquired. “What’s the Council of Elders?”
Because the Great Elven King was so incredibly strong, he didn’t have to deal with the Council of Elders when ruling the Wood Elves.
But from Ivan’s tone, it seemed that this so-called Council of Elders was quite influential and had some power among the Elves.
“It is all a structure created by a previous Elven King to check and balance the King’s power,” Ivan calmly explained. “An assembly made of old men living simple lives through their years, acting like Elves of the ancient times and unaware of how much things have changed.”
“They oppose any sort of dictatorship and proclaim that democracy is the only way. Something like that.”
Marvin derided, “Something that only makes sense during peaceful times.”
Ivan nodded in agreement. “I also think so. Now they are a hindrance.”
After hearing Ivan’s explanation, Marvin stayed silent for a moment before saying, “Tomorrow, this hindrance will no longer exist.”
Ivan’s eyes twitched, but he didn’t say anything.
Perhaps, he had been waiting for Marvin and hoping that he would help him deal with this issue.
Doing it himself… He couldn’t bear to do that in the end. They were fellow Elves after all.
“Do you need me to do anything?” Ivan asked.
Marvin blinked. “Two things.”
“First, you have to have a date with the Sea Elven Queen. Don’t look at me like that, a sincere dinner is good enough, just don’t slip away.”
“Second, I need a mount. I want to go to the Supreme Jungle.”
Ivan smiled bitterly. “You really sold me?”
Marvin patted Ivan’s shoulder and seriously said, “In fact, I am also very much looking forward to seeing how powerful the child of the Sea Elven Admiral and the Elven Wa
r Saint would be…”
…
That night.
Thousand Leaves Forest was peaceful.
The situation seemed a bit unusual. The Elven Iron Guard was dispatched to the eastern part of the forest to inspect traces of a group of Devils.
And in the depths of the forest, beside a beautiful valley, a large shadow slowly appeared.
A Hellhound.
He had already devoured the souls of countless people and Monsters while patrolling the wilderness south of White River Valley. He might break through to the Legend Realm anytime!
Marvin seemed rather insignificant while standing on him.
He gently caressed the Hellhound’s fur and resolutely told him, “Go.”
The large shadow suddenly pounced toward the tranquil valley.
The forest’s bloodshed began.
Marvin stood expressionlessly at the exit. Any fish that escaped the net would be personally caught by him.
This was a massacre.
But for Thousand Leaves Forest to be stable in the long term, this tumor needed to be removed, even if doing so was painful.
It would get better tomorrow.
Chapter 451: Setting out
Chapter 451: Setting out
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Overnight, the [Deep Valley] where the Council of Elders resided became a river of blood. The Elven Iron Guard was currently surrounding the location, and ordinary Elven inhabitants couldn’t approach.
The people of Thousand Leaves Forest felt alarmed for some time.
A Ranger residing not far from the valley claimed that he saw a Hellhound leaving the place at dawn. Furthermore, there were many Devils!
No one from the Council of Elders survived the disaster.
His Highness Ivan quickly set up a memorial, and after that, no one voiced a complaint against him.
The Wood Elves united as one in their anger, brought together by this invasion of outside Races.
But most people still felt something strange.
The Deep Valley was in the depths of Thousand Leaves Forest, defended by the Elven Iron Guard.
It just so happened that yesterday, the Elven Iron Guard headed east to search for the traces of Devils. The Devils lured them away and extinguished the lives in the Deep Valley…
The situation had many odd points.
However, even if many Wood Elves were aware, those supporting Ivan naturally would not say anything, and those who were fighting against him decided to remain silent.
The reason was simple. If this matter wasn’t related to Ivan, it was proof that there was really a large amount of Devils active near the Thousand Leaves Forest, and they would need Ivan’s protection.
And if this was done by Ivan… then this person who was considered gentle and lukewarm by the Elves was actually willing to use truly ruthless methods. That was enough to intimidate most people.
In short, after the event, Ivan had solidified his position as the new ruler of the Wood Elves, and he had the obedience of the troops.
In exchange, Ivan had no choice but to arrange a meal with the Sea Elven Queen.
…
Marvin left Thousand Leaves Forest before dawn along with the Hellhound. When the Chaos Magic invaded the land, the Hellhound became excited and violent.
Because of the contract, Marvin could feel his excitement and his changing mood.
The Hellhound was simply like a fish back in water in this land. He rarely met a predator and his soul-swallowing ability was quite fearsome.
The reason the Hellhound still had yet to advance to Legend was the lack of an inheritance.
Feinan wasn’t Hell, so if he wanted to transcend his current boundary, he would have to return to the Hellhound territory of the Nine Hells and undergo a ritual.
Marvin understood its thoughts through the contract.
After hesitating for a bit, he ultimately removed the contract.
This Hellhound had helped him a lot. Marvin had originally only taken advantage of it to handle the Shadow Shrine’s forces.
As for what happened afterward… Marvin rescued it because of a moment of compassion.
They rarely interacted after that, so it was completely different from a relationship between a Ranger and his animal companion.
But he could feel the Hellhound’s loyalty.
Even if Hell’s lifeforms were Evil, they were also Lawful.
As long as the contract was in place, the Hellhound wouldn’t leave Marvin.
But Marvin could still feel what the Hellhound truly wanted from time to time.
He longed for freedom.
He was a noble wild Hellhound, and was a bit unwilling to stay as a Ranger Pet.
Hell was its homeland.
Marvin had been considering how to handle the Hellhound for a while.
He was incompatible with White River Valley, so he had always been wandering outside the Sanctuary, silently massacring Monsters and reducing the threat on White River Valley by a lot. But Marvin felt like this kind of restriction of freedom was a torture for the Hellhound.
Marvin had never been the kind of person who liked to prevent others from making their own choices, especially when it came to his own people.
Daniela was a good example.
And the Hellhound was another.
Thus, before dawn, Marvin went to the edge of Thousand Leaves Forest and removed the pet contract, letting the Hellhound leave.
The latter seemed extremely shocked, his three heads looking exceptionally malevolent.
But even though there was no longer a contract between the two, he clearly understood Marvin.
He lowered his three heads, rubbing them against Marvin’s chest one after the other, before frantically rushing back toward the wilderness!
The large silhouette gradually disappeared toward the horizon. Marvin faintly saw a gate opening in the wilderness.
The Hellhound went in.
Because the first two layers of the Universe Magic Pool had shattered, the barriers between the planes were a lot weaker. It was still very difficult to open a gate from the lower planes to the top plane, as in from the Abyss, Hell, Negative Energy Planes to Feinan. But it was a lot easier to open a gate from the Prime Material Plane to a lower one.
The Hellhound relied on his own abilities to open a Gate of Hell to return to his home.
Marvin sighed.
They might meet again one day if they were fated to.
When that time came, the little guy who struggled out of the Shadow Shrine’s ruins might have turned into one of Hell’s hegemons.
…
Marvin waited by the hills.
A Golden Griffon slowly appeared when the sun rose up.
Butterfly.
The Wood Elven girl frowned as she commented, “You reek of blood.”
Marvin grimaced. “You again?”
He told Ivan that he wanted a way to get to Supreme Jungle, but not through a Teleportation array. He did not want to be seen by the Migratory Bird Council; he wanted to sneak in.
Thus, using the Supreme Jungle Teleportation Array would be no good.
The best way was to fly over.
Now that the first stages of the Great Calamity were over, the sky was relatively safe. The Supreme Jungle was vast. It was north of the Millennium Mountain Range, far away from the Lavis Dukedom.
Normally, flying would take somewhere from ten days to half a month.
But Marvin remembered that Thousand Leaves Forest had many fantastic beasts, so it would be great if he could borrow one.
He hadn’t expected that Ivan would dispatch Butterfly and the Gold Feathered Griffin.
Marvin did have to admit that the Golden Griffin flew very fast, at least no slower than a Dragon… but this Butterfly girl always gave him a strange feeling.
In a fight, she was a dead weight. He didn’t know how she was able to obtain the Golden Griffin’s approval.
“
Of course it’s me.”
“I am one of His Highness’ most trusted people,” Butterfly proudly said. “Let’s go.”
“I heard that we have a long trip this time, so let’s hurry.”
Marvin rolled his eyes and asked, “Didn’t you say last time that Blackie couldn’t support the weight of two people?”
Butterfly denied it with a brilliant smile on her face. “You must have remembered wrongly.”
“If Sir Marvin is unwilling, I can return and report to His Highness Ivan to send someone else.”
Marvin thought for a moment before deciding to let it be.
There wasn’t much time right now so he wouldn’t bother bickering with Butterfly.
He quickly got on the Golden Griffin. This beast had a very large back with enough room for even five people to sit there, so one man and one woman would be a breeze.
“Let’s go,” Marvin said. “First stop, Steel City.”
Chapter 452: Sewer Entrance
Chapter 452: Sewer Entrance
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
After leaving Thousand Leaves Forest, Marvin’s first stop was Steel City.
Feinan was quite vast, and everything south of the Millennium Mountain Range was known as the South.
But the most important territory of the South Wizard Alliance was between the Millenium Mountain Range and Thousand Leaves Forest.
This area was a wide plain. Compared to the southeastern Six Pearl Harbors, Bass Harbor or Jewel Bay, this place was just as important, but for a different reason.
Countless Wizard Towers and lofty cities had been built there.
But after the disaster, everything was left in ruins.
The Wizards’ banners were lying among the rubble, and everything was covered in blood. Some battles were still ongoing.
In the face of the disaster, the bigger the cities were, the faster they would be crushed.
In fact, it was those in the countryside who had a better chance of surviving because they were far away from the Wizards. Even if there were some Monsters, with the instincts and skills of the old hunters, some of them would be able to deal with those.
When Marvin saw Steel City’s suburbs again from afar, he felt the dead, bloody atmosphere, which seemed to be growing stronger day by day.
Night Ranger - Full Series - 735 Chapters Page 264