"What do you make of this?" Lord Lynd asked, gesturing for Malora and the others to come closer after they entered. He then took out the items he had retrieved from Euron's altar, placing them on the table.
Everyone looked at the items, which resembled artifacts, with confusion, unsure how to answer.
These items appeared very ordinary—just a few forearm-sized wooden and metal sticks with some seemingly mysterious patterns carved into their surfaces. Other than that, there was nothing extraordinary about them.
As everyone remained puzzled, Graystone, one of the Forest Children who was much shorter than the others, propped herself on the table with both hands, peering at the items. Her face then lit up with surprise as she exclaimed, "You got the Divine Remains back from that bad guy?"
"Divine Remains?" Everyone was startled, and they all looked at the sticks on the table. Some did not know what Divine Remains were, only finding the name somewhat mysterious, their expressions still bewildered. However, others seemed to know the origin of the Divine Remains, and their faces showed shock.
"These are the legendary Divine Remains? They look a bit ordinary." Malora couldn't help but pick up the Divine Remains from the table and examine them closely.
"Lord Malora, what are Divine Remains?" someone asked curiously before Lord Lynd could speak.
However, Malora did not answer. Instead, Marwyn, who was standing nearby, thought carefully for a moment and said, "I remember seeing an etched ancient text in Lorath that described the Divine Remains in a very old script. Divine Remains are actually the bones left behind by gods after their death."
Hearing Marwyn's words, everyone showed expressions of surprise.
At this point, Ragaz, the head of the Tranquil Court, took over the conversation, saying, "It is said that before the Dawn Age, when the First Men had not yet migrated to Westeros, humans were just primitive tribes. The rulers of the world were the Forest Children, giants, and other more mysterious races. At that time, the gods walked among the world, just like the legends of Garth the Gardener in The Reach. Gods and mortals lived and interacted, even coupling and having children. After a god died, their body would turn into nothingness and merge with the world, but they would still leave behind one or two pieces of Divine Remains as a memento for their descendants."
"These gods sound a bit underwhelming," an assistant to the head of the Mages Association couldn't help but grumble.
"Actually, the gods of that time were similar to the current Lord Prophet. Isn't Lord Prophet also the god of magic?" the head of the Tranquil Court said.
"Lord, where did these Divine Remains come from?" Brum, the head of the Mages Association, asked with some confusion.
Lord Lynd then recounted his journey to the Shadow Lands to resolve the hidden danger of Euron.
Upon hearing this, everyone showed expressions of shock. Even those like Malora, who already knew Lord Lynd had left for Asshai, were incredibly stunned. They had thought Lord Lynd was merely pursuing Euron, and even if he took action, it would only be against Euron alone. But what they never expected was that Lord Lynd had actually destroyed Styria.
Even on Westeros, anyone interested in magic or the occult would more or less know the name Stygai, the corpse city. It was a city even more terrifying than Asshai, even being called a city from the seven layers of hell.
Yet, such an ancient city, whose existence might even predate Asshai, had been completely destroyed by Lord Lynd. This left them not only shocked but also very curious about what kind of magic Lord Lynd had ultimately used.
Unlike the others who were amazed by Lord Lynd's powerful magic, Malora's face was filled with doubt. She asked, "Lord Lynd, don't you think this matter is a bit strange?"
Lord Lynd frowned and said in a deep voice, "How so?"
"You learned about Euron from Lord Willas and deduced that Euron was going to Styria to perform a sacrifice, and that the purpose of the sacrifice was to replace the gods, using Divine Remains as sacrificial items. But anyone who understands sacrifice knows that sacrifice is never equal, and it's even less possible to achieve a great gain with a small offering. How could merely sacrificing Divine Remains allow him to replace the gods? Another point is, to whom was he sacrificing? Blackstone? Although the power contained in Blackstone is strong, it cannot compare to the legendary gods, not even to the Green Seer of the Forest Children. You should know that the Green Seer once reshaped the world, submerging the entire Dorne's Arm. The power contained in Blackstone cannot do such a thing. If he wasn't sacrificing to Blackstone, then why did he go to Styria to sacrifice?"
As Malora voiced her suspicions one by one, the others also felt that something was amiss.
Lord Lynd, however, did not show much surprise or unexpectedness. Instead, he calmly nodded and said, "On the way back, I also felt that something was strange, but I could never quite figure out what was strange." As he spoke, he turned to Graystone, one of the Forest Children, and asked, "These Divine Remains have always been with you. Do you know what they are used for?"
Graystone quickly provided an answer, saying, "To balance nature, used as nodes for natural power."
"Can they be used for sacrifice?" Lord Lynd asked again.
Graystone retorted, "If someone gave you a human bone as a gift, would you be happy?"
Lord Lynd was stunned by the question, and his expression became serious. He then asked, "Things like Divine Remains must be very important to you Forest Children, right?"
"Of course, very important." Graystone nodded and said, "Although the Forest Children can live in human environments, it is ultimately not as comfortable as living in a natural domain stabilized by Divine Remains, just like the difference between living outdoors in the rain and living in a castle with a fireplace."
Lord Lynd then asked, "If that's the case, you should have protected these things very strictly. Why were they so easily stolen by Euron? This happened in the Neck, and even in Gods Eye Lake?"
Graystone also said with a puzzled expression, "We were also very surprised. That bad guy avoided all our traps and even deciphered our Great Ritual Stone Disk, easily taking the Divine Remains. We only noticed something was wrong when the Divine Remains left the natural domain. This matter has always troubled us. Even Spark said that unless it was the Green Seer who set all this up, no one else could have taken the Divine Remains so easily."
"Only the Green Seer can take the Divine Remains?" Lord Lynd's face showed a thoughtful expression.
"Are you thinking of something?" Malora asked in a deep voice.
"Nothing." Lord Lynd seemed unwilling to elaborate further on the matter. He pointed at the Divine Remains and said to Graystone, "Since these things are yours, then you…"
Graystone shook her head and said, "These things are for you! The balance was broken, and the nodes naturally lost their function. These things are of no use to us now."
Seeing this, Lord Lynd did not decline. He turned to Malora and said, "In that case, I'll leave the Divine Remains to you! See if you can research anything useful."
Malora also shook her head and said, "My current research has reached a critical point, and I cannot be distracted."
"How about I take these things!" Maroxin, actively requested, "Perhaps I can fashion them into several scepters and give them to myself, the High Priest of the god of calamity, and the High Priest of the storm god as religious artifacts."
Lord Lynd thought for a moment after hearing this, then handed the items to Malohin.
Afterward, he discussed his eastward and southward expansion plan with those present, asking for their opinions.
While the others were still contemplating the matter, Graystone, one of the Forest Children, proactively asked, "Do you want us Forest Children to migrate to Sothoryos?"
Lord Lynd nodded and said, "I have that idea, but the premise is that safety can be guaranteed. The Forest Children should be very suitable for living in a forest environment, and you can serve as our outpost for exploring Sothoryos."
Graystone thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "I will select suitable candidates to join as soon as possible." She then thought again and asked, "Can we select some Dragon Riders, especially if there are Longwing Dragons…"
Lord Lynd shook his head and said, "Dragon Riders will be going north to resist the Others in the future. Until the Others are eliminated or repelled, the Dragon Riders cannot leave."
Graystone's face showed a hint of regret, and she said nothing more.
"Our mission is to assist the Miracle Merchant Guild in infiltrating Asshai and then controlling Asshai?" Malora, who had finished her thoughts, immediately asked.
"Yes." Lord Lynd nodded and said, "Asshai is very suitable for cultivating spellcasters, and the Shadow Lands contain a large amount of resources needed by spellcasters. There are also abundant mineral deposits nearby, and Ulthos, across the sea, is even richer in resources. Furthermore, what lies further east of Asshai? Is there another civilization? Can a new golden shipping route be opened? These are all the potentials of the city of Asshai. It's a pity that after so many years, the spellcasters occupying Asshai have never considered developing these resources. It's simply a waste of natural treasures. Since they are unwilling to develop them, then we will reluctantly take it over."
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