Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 686, Section 54: If you've chosen to become an "Ansu noble," isn't it normal to have bad luck?
Huen Highmountain is a hapless fellow.

After a life of extravagance and glory, it naturally came to Azure Fairyland as a "Nature Walker". Because of its first-class hunting skills in the Star Sea, it was invited to join the Wild Hunting Group and became a powerful "Eagle Eye Hunter".

Honestly, this name is really cringeworthy.
This guy didn't come alone; his spirit beast companion, the Great Horned Reindeer "Elliot," who occupies a very important place in all of Huen's legends, also came with him.

As always, the two continue their perpetual hunt in this beautiful woodland, eliminating any potential threats to the Winter Queen's woods.

For a powerful hunter who has hunted down great demons and banished the Black Dragon King, this "eternal hunt" afterlife is the perfect ending and final destination.

Hu En has been hunting in the Ardenweald for ten thousand years and knows this forest like the back of his hand. As a high-ranking member of the Wild Hunting Group, he also knows many secrets that ordinary members of the Night of Fae do not know.

Logically speaking, Huen Highmountain should have some sense of secrecy, but on the way to the Heart of the Forest with Diakum, he basically said everything that should and shouldn't have been said. Not only Diakum, but even the fairy Willow, who was with them, heard it all.

The fairy sat on Diakum's shoulder, hugging her pet furry friend, and blinked her big eyes as "Hawkeye" boasted about secrets she didn't know.

For example, the Wilderness Hunting Group has not actually turned a blind eye to the increasingly serious "spirit seed theft case" in recent years. Lord Hern has specially dispatched an elite team to investigate in secret, and they have already made some progress.

"Those stolen spiritual seeds are in the 'Other Shore'!"

Riding his loyal great stag war pet, and carrying the forest halberd almost identical to the one it used in life, "Eagle's Strike," Hu En declared with absolute certainty:
"Those stolen spirit seeds are hidden in the nightmare-filled Otherworld dimension. They are usually taken by the forest ghosts, who steal those spirit seeds that need careful care from the hands of the sloppy fairies and then corrupt them in the Otherworld first."

Once they have become corrupted to a certain extent, they will be sent to the Maw using secret methods.

Therefore, although it is still unknown who hid in Ardenweald to specifically orchestrate the theft of the Spirit Seed, it can be confirmed that the mastermind behind this incident is none other than Zovar, the Lord of the Maw.

Those spirit seeds undergo further corruption in the Maw, and are then crafted into death colossi for the Maw Oathbringer army.

They would be covered in sturdy, abyssal steel armor in agony, their bodies forcibly twisted into savage forms. These were the Abyssal Oath's battle-breaking generals, capable of unleashing devastating power in any war.

"Ah! So it really was the fairies' negligence that allowed Lin Gui to steal the spirit seed? I thought the Wild Hunting Group was slandering us."

But the fairies are really sloppy at their work; we're always forgetting things."

Upon hearing what the formidable eagle-eyed hunter had said, Liu Xu immediately sighed listlessly. She flapped her wings sadly, stroking the caterpillar pet in her arms. After a moment, she blinked her big eyes in confusion and looked at Hu En Gaoling.

She asked doubtfully:

"If the Wilderness Hunting Gang already knows where the Spirit Seed is hidden, why don't you take action? Why do you let Lin Gui steal the Spirit Seed?"

"This matter is not as simple as you think, Liu Xu."

Hu En shook his head and said:
"Firstly, the mysterious other side can only be entered through the dreamcatchers of fairies. An ordinary dreamcatcher can only allow one soul to pass through, which means that the Wild Hunting Group cannot carry out large-scale raids and rescue of spirit seeds in the other dimension."

Sending too few people is completely ineffective and may even allow the vanguard to be corrupted and captured by the nightmare of the other dimension.

Secondly, we are still investigating the mastermind behind the theft of the Spirit Seed in Ardenweald. If we don't find and catch them, even if we save the Spirit Seed this time, an even more dangerous theft will occur in the future.

As you know, the Queen of Winter is a leader who values ​​efficiency, and Lord Helne is not going to waste time and time again. Therefore, we are continuing our investigation and intend to eliminate all the trouble once and for all.

Thirdly, the loss of energy in recent years has caused the woodlands in Ardenweald to wither.

Compared to the minor theft of spirit seeds, the withering of forest land is the most urgent issue to be addressed. The Wilderness Hunting Group needs to conduct long-term patrols and clean-up of those withered territories.

Those areas will have vulnerabilities in their spatial systems due to the weakness of the Immortal Forest, attracting dangerous mind-energy devourers. If they are not eliminated while they are still weak, it will be a true ecological disaster when the devourers grow into behemoths.

At this point, Hu En sighed helplessly and said:
“I also know that each spirit seed represents a precious immortal spirit, but if I had to choose between their survival and the survival of the entire Azure Fairyland.”
The rate at which border forests are dying is gradually accelerating.

If the problem of missing anima cannot be resolved, the Queen may be forced to make some very 'cruel' decisions, sacrificing a small portion to save the remaining souls.

The Queen even abandoned the Anima Garden, which was specifically used for the resurrection of Spirit Seeds, in order to conserve Anima Energy.

"Hmm, so the reason why the Wild God who died in the material world cannot be reborn is simply because of the lack of anima?"

Diakum asked suspiciously:
"Is the reason really that simple? To be honest, I don't believe it!"

"But perhaps the answer you're looking for is just that simple?"

Hu En patted his bighorn deer companion and said:
"I also considered sending Elliot to the material world to be resurrected, but after consulting Lord Helne, I realized that the amount of anima required to resurrect a single spirit in Ardenweald is enormous."

Anima comes from the torture and pardon of sinful souls by the Punishers of Revendreth.

This is essentially equivalent to the fact that behind every resurrection of a god of the wilderness lies the soul of millions of exploited mortals.

Even if those were sinners, and even if their punishment was deserved, such a resurrection did indeed challenge my sense of good and evil. At the very least, I myself would not use this method to return to the material world.

As you know, even during the years when the Garden of Spirits was still functioning well, not every immortal spirit who came to Ardenweald chose to return to the material world.

These essential elements of life clearly all have their own bottom lines.

However, destiny is the foundation and theme of the Shadowlands, a system established by the Firstborn, and even the Eternals cannot shake it.

The powerful kaolin hunter fell silent.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, not only Diakum, but even a careless and forgetful fairy like Willow Catkins sensed Huen's dissatisfaction with "Destiny."

This powerful hunter, whose hands are stained with the blood of demons, may feel that souls should not suffer such torment in the world of the dead.

Sinners are guilty, so just punish them by sending them to the Maw to suffer. Why use them as "fuel" to power the Shadowlands?

Diakum declined to comment on this line of thinking.

But the Vigilant felt that Revendreth's existence was necessary; if people in the mortal world knew that they would suffer such terrible treatment after death for doing bad things, they would hesitate more before doing bad things.

And it is this slight hesitation before doing something bad that can save countless innocent souls.

While the order of the Firstborn has its problems, the Shadowlands are absolutely correct in generally adhering to the principle of "the good are blessed and the sinners are punished."

This is also the responsibility that the Force of Death should bear. Without the distinction between good and evil, where is the foundation of order? If evildoers go unpunished and gooddoers go unrewarded, then the material world will truly descend into chaos.

"Dick, Dick, can you hear me?"

Just as the three approached the central woodland where the Heart of the Forest was located, a faint voice suddenly rang in Diakum's ear, causing the Watcher to turn around abruptly.

He gestured for Hu En to stop, then raised his hand and gently grabbed in the direction of the sound. In the flickering light, a familiar blue-black feather fell into his hand.

"Ansu?"

Diakum stared at the blood-stained tail feathers and exclaimed:
"What are you doing in Ardenweald? Did something bad happen to you? Has the war in the material world escalated to the point where even a sly person like you has to fight desperately?"
No way! "

"That's not it. I only knew that my time to meet Rukma had come when I heard that you had come to Ardenweald. I used a righteous sacrifice to send myself here."

Ansu's weak voice came from her tail feathers, and she said with some puzzlement:

"But as soon as I arrived, before I even had a chance to look around as a spirit seed, I found myself being carried away by a group of strange, noisy little people towards a strange place. I've been thrown into a very evil place, surrounded by nightmares, and I can hear many other spirit seeds like myself wailing."
This is nothing like the legendary Azure Fairyland!

Nobody told me that Spirit Seeds would suffer such torment in Azure Wilderness?
So, does an immortal spirit like me, who has done bad things, also have to suffer some punishment before I'm qualified to live permanently in Ardenweald?
Surely my Rukhmar shouldn't be thrown in here? That bastard Setai, on the other hand, should be thrown in here and suffer terribly!

"You unlucky bastard! You were stolen by Lin Gui and thrown into the other side. Why did you have to come looking for your wife at this terrible time? Be patient and stay strong! I'll find someone to rescue you right away."

Diakum rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache.

He was on his way to see the Queen of Winter and didn't have time to run off to the other side to save that unlucky old man, Ansu. But luckily, he had friends in Ardenweald, so he handed Ansu's tail feather to Huen Highmountain and said:
"You are the best hunter, so I ask you to help me find the owner of this feather. I know it is on the other side, so don't make any rash moves."

Willow catkins, you are a fairy, you can also make dreamcatchers.

I need you to make me a sturdier dreamcatcher so I can cross over to the other side to rescue my unfortunate friend, and also bring all the stolen spirit seeds back to Fairyland. After I finish this 'conversation' with the Queen of Winter, I will set off to rescue them.

Oh, right. "

Dick remembered something and said to Huen:
Have you ever been to the afterlife dominated by Bumsanddi?

"No."

Hu En scratched his head and sighed, saying:
"That slippery troll Death God invited me to visit many times. We are both individuals from Azeroth, and based on the principle of relying on fellow countrymen when traveling, I originally planned to get closer to it."

However, Lord Helne told me that the Queen of Winter loves all souls except Bwonsamdi. No one knows why, but the Night Fae creatures of Ardenweald never give Bwonsamdi a friendly look. The lord advised me not to have too much contact with Bwonsamdi either.

It said it was for my safety.

After spending a long time here and learning about the despicable and outrageous "mind-based loan sharking" that Bwonsamdi had done, I realized that his invitation to the Otherworld was definitely not for good reasons.

In short, Bumsandy's reputation in Ardenweald is basically rotten to the core.

However, I've heard that it has a pretty good relationship with some unconventional fairies, and occasionally some daring fairies will go to the vicinity of the Otherworld to listen to Bwonsamdi tell stories and boast.

"You should go."

Dick solemnly reminded him:

“Bumsandy has recently run into trouble. It has been imprisoned by its dead foster father. The lesser god named ‘Muehzala’ may be the mastermind behind this series of Spirit Seed thefts. It is a collaborator with Zovar, the Lord of the Maw.”

"No, that's not right!"

Hu En shook his head and said:
"The Force of Death doesn't have the concept of 'lesser gods,' so Mu'ezara couldn't be one."

But it is true.

Diakum grinned and said:

"It took a shortcut and exploited a bug by using the power of Loa and faith. Of course, the warden must have been involved behind the scenes, otherwise Mu'ezara could not have found such a loophole under the constraints of destiny."

So be careful.

Another purpose of my trip to Ardenweald is to rescue Bwonsamdi from Muezara. That guy helped me in the Material World before. He's a rare Grim Reaper who jumped from the 'bad guys' camp to our side,' a true example of a 'prodigal son returning home.'

As the ancients said, one should not let those who carry firewood for others freeze to death in the wilderness.

Therefore, regardless of Bumsandi's character, he should still be rescued. You scout ahead for me, then wait for my news.

"So, this time we're going to hunt down a dead lesser god?"

Hu En Gaoling rubbed his hands together, eager to begin:

“This is exhilarating! I haven’t felt this kind of excitement and longing in years. Alright, Diakum, leave this to me. You go and see the Queen now.”

It glanced at the now-cleared path leading to the heart of the forest and shook its head, saying:
"Judging from this situation, I know you are carrying a huge secret and a heavy responsibility that I dare not even imagine, so I will not disturb you, my 'distinguished guest'. Liu Xu, let's go."

"But I want to stay here and watch the big guy chat with the Queen. The fairy hasn't seen the Queen for many years."

The willow catkins were still somewhat reluctant to leave.

She flapped her wings and flew up, gazing at the heart of the forest, and said:

"Many fairies haven't seen the Queen for a long time, except for Moonberry. Moonberry is the leader of the fairies, and she can often report to the Queen. But when everyone asks her to convey our longing to the Queen, she is unwilling to do so."

Hmph, Tsukimi is such a meddlesome, self-righteous brat!

The fairy doesn't like her anymore.

"You will see the Queen."

Diakum assured Liu Xu:

"From tonight onwards, the Queen of Winter will stroll through the woodlands of Ardenweald as before, and the fairies, if they wish, can follow behind her every day, chattering away as they patrol the woodlands."

"really?"

Liu Xu stared wide-eyed and said:
"That's wonderful! Without the Queen, the whole woodland is not happy. Although the Queen rarely smiles, everyone is happy wherever she is."

"Big guy, you'd better go and persuade the Queen to stop being so withdrawn. I'll find other fairies to make you a dreamcatcher right now. I'll make you the strongest dreamcatcher ever, the kind that will never break."

After saying that, Liu Xu turned around and disappeared into the strange fairy starlight, leaving behind a glittering ghost face as she said goodbye.

Then, Diakum looked speechlessly at the furry caterpillar clinging to his shoulder. The caterpillar looked at Diakum with innocent eyes, as if to say:

"Now you know why I always lose things, right?"

"Fairies are magical beings. Although they seem carefree, do things carelessly, and occasionally do some very stupid things, fairies are superior beings created by the Queen of Winter herself."

Fairies are said to be creatures that cannot be deceived by illusions or lies.

Hu En Gaoling reached out and picked up the caterpillar, placing it on his shoulder, intending to take it back to Liu Xu along the way.

It said to Diakum:
"Only those truly kind and honest noble souls can win the favor of fairies, and only the truly good can become their friends."

Liu Xu has only known you for a few hours, yet she trusts you so much. This is enough to show that you are a truly noble person. Even if you choose to use violence, it must be for a more righteous purpose.

Perhaps that's why Lord Heln chose to retire.

"Don't overthink it, it just simply can't beat me."

Dick shrugged and waved his hand, saying:

"Go ahead and get busy. I should also fulfill my duties as a messenger. Hmm, I wonder what kind of sparks will fly when Ms. Bai and the Queen of Winter meet? Such noble women, they wouldn't pull hair and slap each other when they fight, would they?"
Hmm, thinking about it now, why am I actually feeling a little excited?

(End of this chapter)