Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 689, Section 57: The Great Detective of Ardenweald - The Stolen Moonlight

The two goddesses finally stopped.

They were all in a sorry state. The Queen of Winter, who was already the weaker party, had her luxurious blue gown torn, her elegant braids ripped, and even the horns of the forest on her head violently snapped off.

The fact that her long-standing indifference and calmness were replaced by anger now gave her a broken feeling of being "forced to work".

And Lady Elune too.
Well, okay, Ms. Bai wasn't actually injured, after all, she was "borrowing" an account to communicate with her family. The one who was truly miserable was the passing Warrior of Light, Diakum.

Both of his spirit horns were broken off, and in that goddess fight that was technically clumsy but full of "real feelings," Diakum's tail was almost pulled off by the Queen of Winter.

Although this is only a spiritual body, its damage will not be directly reflected in the body of the sun god who is currently undergoing the "trial of ascension to godhood" in Dimensius's stomach. However, for someone of Diakum's level, even damage to a spiritual body requires a long period of recuperation.

Moreover, the Queen of Winter was really serious just now, and she truly imposed the concept of "winter of life" on him.

The way this thing manifests is somewhat obscure, but just by looking at how it works, you can tell that it encompasses concepts related to "death" and "nature," such as withering, toxins, aging, decay, and decay.

This directly resulted in Diakum being afflicted with a set of "debuffs" he had never seen before, all of which were the power of the true god, making him visibly weak.

But it doesn't really matter.

The sun is the source of light. Just by calling upon the sunlight a few times to bathe and purify, these negative states will be eliminated. As the source of holy light, the sun god's legacy can easily cleanse the curse of death.

Moreover, Lady Elune is a kind-hearted person; how could she let Diakum treat the wound himself?
The Moon Goddess is the main deity of the life force. She doesn't even need to lift a finger to purify a negative state; she can simply shine moonlight on the area and then "kill germs."

After the two noble ladies calmed down, they were about to have a "private talk." After instructing the sect leaders not to spread what they had seen that day, the disheveled Queen of Winter grabbed her sister's hand and teleported back to her palace in the Heart of the Forest.

Without her even giving an order, the Queen's courtiers and intelligence chief, Old Mushroom Head Malusmuse, immediately used his "mushroom offspring" to seal off the entrance and exit to the Heart of the Forest. Some fungal-like substances were also scattered by Old Mushroom Head, drifting around the palace like dandelions, blocking all eavesdropping and prophecy.

After all the arrangements were completed, the disheveled Queen of Winter sat on her throne, looking down at Diakum, who was sitting cross-legged. Her eyes flickered, and her gaze, as cold as winter snow, could detect that her sister was still inside this man's body.

"You trust him that much?"

The Queen of Winter first asked a simple but important question, she said:

"There are several Moonlit War Gods in the Shadowlands, and they are all your fanatics. Yet you do not use them to communicate with me, but instead believe in a lesser god of the Holy Light Realm?"
While believers in the Holy Light generally have high moral standards, this is a bit of an exaggeration.

"You don't understand, sister."

Lady Elune said softly:

"You shut yourself off in the Shadowlands, have no interest in the material world, focus only on fulfilling your duties, are so rigid and boring that you are blind and deaf, you certainly cannot understand what great things Diakum accomplished in his life, and why I would entrust such an important task to him."

I risked all-out war with the Holy Light to try to bring him into my domain, but he refused.

At that time, he was only a demigod and was not tempted by the promise of power. He firmly believed that he belonged only to the Holy Light. But I am not disappointed. I believe that one day, under the bright moonlight, I will also be able to truly possess my own 'chosen one'.

Perhaps it already exists.

Perhaps among other unknown possibilities.

But that's not what we're going to talk about now. If you've calmed down, then let's talk about the 'disappearing moonlight'.

I need to confirm this first.

You think I'm deliberately ignoring you, so you withdrew that ray of moonlight that once illuminated the Azure Fairyland, plunging this territory into eternal night, right?

Who instilled this idea in you?
Although our relationship is distant, it's not so bad that you'd suspect I would intentionally harm you, is it?

In response to Elune's question, the Queen of Winter remained silent for a moment, then shook her head and said:
"It shouldn't be that my mind has been affected. I've been alone for a long time. My resentment towards you may come from my long-standing pleas that you never responded to."

The anima shortage in the Shadowlands didn't just start recently.

It is true that the situation has developed to the point that my woodland has withered in recent years, but the energy supplied by Revendreth has been gradually decreasing for many years.

Emperor Denathus declared that it was because we imprisoned Zovar, which caused a loophole in the destiny established by the Firstborn, allowing Revendreth to extract less and less anima from the sinners.

Other factions suspect Revendreth of lying about this matter. Those anima vampires must have hoarded a lot of anima. But even if the servants used some kind of 'forbidden method' to create an eternal arbiter to replace Zovar, Destiny has indeed developed a loophole. Therefore, we cannot refute Denathrius's sophistry.

We certainly can't send people directly to Revendres to investigate the situation there.”

"Why not?"

Elune asked in confusion:
"If you all doubt them, then you should act immediately! Isn't there a military strategist among you who is skilled in all tactics and strategies? If you are indecisive, then He should make a strong decision for you."

Ok?
Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?

"Ms. Bai, Revendres is full of criminals and ambitious people. The dogs lying on the street there are probably plotting how to kill a few unlucky people."

Diakum explained from the side:

"Emperor Denathrius even sent his own spies to all six Forces. Do you remember what I told you about the Nathrezim's experiences in the Burning Legion?"

The spies' infiltration was so perfect that even Sargeras couldn't discern their true nature.

In this situation, if the Queen of Winter or other Eternals send scouts to Revendreth, it's essentially equivalent to sending elites to their deaths.

Actually, I've always had this feeling.

The entire Shadowlands' covenant faction is practically transparent to Emperor Denathrius. Even now, in the woods surrounding the Heart of the Forest temple, there might be Nathrezim disguised as Night Fae, trying to eavesdrop on this conversation.

"I see."

As the true god of the realm of life, and having spent years protecting Anther and overseeing the material world, it is understandable that Elune is unaware of the other eternal beings of the Force of Death.

Her only "connection" here is her older sister, but her sister has been arguing with her for a long time.

"As Diakum said."

The Queen of Winter sighed and said:
"Only the Venthyr of Revendres has ever been able to spy on other countries. Even the assassins of the Sharp Eyes Secret Institute under the Lord of War have been unable to infiltrate the Emperor's ranks and find real intelligence."

We can only have doubts.

However, under the strict rules of the Shadowlands, 'doubt' cannot be used as evidence in the trial of an Eternal.

I foresaw the catastrophic consequences of this loss of mental energy long ago, which is why I immediately asked you for help.

I hoped you could send some Nature Souls imbued with anima to help alleviate the anima shortage in Ardenweald through their connection with the Forest of Eden. You have plenty of such souls under your command, and given Ardenweald's unique position in the Shadowlands, Revendreth wouldn't be able to intercept such anima.

I prayed again and again, but you never answered.

One night, when I looked up, I saw the moonlight dissipate.

At that moment, my heart turned cold.

The Queen sighed and said:
"Although I am called the Queen of Winter, I am not truly heartless. But when I saw the moonlight go out, I felt abandoned."

Even if our 'sisterhood' is merely a symbol of the Force, even if we are not truly connected by blood, I have always felt that I am different from the other Eternals. They are accompanied only by destiny, but I have you.

but
But in the end, you abandoned me, leaving me in the Shadowlands, to rot along with the cold, crumbling Destiny.

At this moment, Diakum truly felt the "resentment" of the Queen of Winter.

But if you put yourself in their shoes, even if you were in the same position and encountered the same thing, you probably wouldn't be able to remain completely without resentment.

We ourselves are not saints, so naturally we cannot expect the Queen of Winter to be as magnanimous.

After listening to her sister's description, Elune sighed and said:
"That's the crux of the problem. You said you confided in me and pleaded with me many times, but I didn't hear you. Sister, I really didn't hear you even once."

All I remember is that it was during the period when the Sea of ​​Light was most intensely eroding Anser. One day, I suddenly felt a tremor from the Shadow Realm, and the moonlight I shone on Ardenweald vanished. Not naturally, but taken away.

I once thought it was you!
After all, this is your territory. Who else but you could use the power of a true god to attack the moonlight?
The moonlight is the only way for me to connect with you. We are at opposite ends of life and death, and we shouldn't be in frequent contact. I can't understand why you would do this.

Anser's situation left me no time to think about anything else, and I felt sad.

Like you, I know that it means the great cycle of life and death has been disrupted, and that means you.
Of course, it turned out that the situation was not as bad as we thought.

We've been tricked.

The problem with the great cycle of life and death is the result of a conspiracy, but the question is, who influenced it? And who would do such a thing?

The palace fell silent for a moment.

The Queen of Winter rubbed her temples in thought. After a moment, the old mushroom-headed Marasmuse from the mushroom circle beside her whispered:

"Your Majesty, you have always stayed in Ardenweald. No other Eternal has had the opportunity to steal the moonlight that belongs to Lady White, unless you are not here. However, in all these years, you have only gone out a few times, and each time it was for a major event related to destiny."

Excluding the time before Zoval was sealed, in the time that followed, you could only leave Ardenweald when the Eternals met with Oribos, but all four Eternals were present at that time, and no one else could do so.

Therefore, if we're talking about a real opportunity, there was only that one chance.

Do you remember?
The time Revendreth was invaded!
In the distant past, a group of Naaru from the Holy Light suddenly invaded the territory of Emperor Denathrius and a terrible war broke out with the Venthyr.

One-third of Revendreth was burned to ashes by the raging Naaru with sacred fire, and the gleaming ashes still stand on the land of Venthyr to this day, the sacred fire of that time still burning.

Emperor Denathrius requested the help of the other Eternals, and you all went, though you did not stay there for long, for the Venthyr themselves found a way to expel the Naaru, and they formed the mighty Stone Legion.

Shortly after that, the moonlight in Ardenweald disappeared.

That time difference was the only opportunity, and more importantly, because Wenshire had just suffered the disaster, no one would suspect them.

"Yes, that was their only chance."

The Queen of Winter nodded, but Elune noticed her sister used the word "them" and pressed for an answer:

"So, it wasn't just one person?"

"Yes, it must have been Denathrius and Zovar who did it together, and perhaps others were involved as well."

The Queen of Winter patted the armrest of her throne and said:
"There are some things I haven't told my Night Fae followers: Nightmares and nightmares in the other dimension of Ardenweald have been abnormally active, and there is something lurking in them."

That creature was cunning; it escaped my personal pursuit several times.

I suspect it came from the Maw, but it is very familiar with Ardenweald, a land I created. There is only one place that was not created by me, and that is Bwonsamdi's 'Otherworld'.

Therefore, I once suspected that the despicable Bwonsamdi was plotting something from the other side, and that slippery troll Death did not deny it.”

"He is its adoptive father!"

That was the oldest Loa of Death in the Star Sea, known as the Son of Time, the Father of Sleep, and the Friend of Eternal Night. Poor Bwonsamdi dared not defy the brutal Mu'ezara, so he could only hint at his predicament in this way.

Unfortunately, you don't seem to be a leader perceptive enough to understand Bumsandi's unspoken message.

Diakum sighed and said:
"Perhaps with the help of powerful allies, Muehazara stole the White Lady's moonlight, plunging Ardenweald into eternal night, and then used this incident to create a terrible misunderstanding, causing the Moon Goddess and the Winter Queen to become enemies, directly affecting the great cycle of life and death."

Life in the material world continues to decline, while death, which cannot be released and balanced, increases day by day.

This clearly helped Zovar build His army of Abyssal Oathbreakers and also satisfied Denathrius's twisted desire to make others feel pain.

He desires to see the pain you two suffer from misunderstandings; the drama of family members turning against each other fascinates Him.

Most importantly, without Lady Elune's help, Ardenweald will only continue to wither and decay. I learned the details of Zovar's trial from the Lord of War's diary. I know that it was you who used your great power to restrain Zovar from being banished to the Maw, wasn't that right?"

"Yes, I control His life and power."

The Queen of Winter explained:
"It was precisely because of this constraint that Zoval could only remain eternally weak and unable to escape the cage, but the current developments seem to indicate that my constraint has failed, and Zoval has become strong again."

But what's puzzling is that my seal was clearly still very secure, so how did Zoval regain his power?

"The answer is, He has not regained His power, Your Majesty."

Diakum shrugged and said:

"The answer is that Zovar transformed his curse into power, and the Domination Power that the Lord of the Abyss developed specifically to seal Zovar was used against him by the Lord of the Abyss."

Zoval has completely abandoned his former path of 'arbitration' and turned to seeking a future of dominating all things. All you have done, expending the heart energy of Ardenweald to seal off, is merely a weapon that Zoval has abandoned.

I suspect this is also part of Denathrius's plan: to strengthen his own forces while weakening potential adversaries.

"Oh my God."

The Queen of Winter and Lady Elune both sighed in unison.

They didn't quite understand why Diakum was so aware of Denathius's evil plans, but they trusted Diakum's judgment at this moment.

If this is true, it means that when Ardenweald was facing a desperate situation of withering away, the Queen of Winter wasted too much precious energy on maintaining that long-useless imprisonment seal.

Not only her, but all the other Eternals in the Shadowlands were tricked.

The good news is that the misunderstanding has finally been cleared up.

"Those mental powers."

The Queen of Winter took a deep breath and said:

“I will take them back immediately, so that the withered woodland can be revitalized, and at least for the time being, the Night Fae will not have to worry about it.”

"No!"

Lady Elune and Diakum spoke up to stop them at the same time, with Diakum saying quite directly:

"Use that anima to revive the spirit seed!"

The great cycle of life and death has been affected for far too long, Your Majesty. It may be harsh to say so, but now you must choose between 'maintaining the mandate of heaven' and 'balancing the great cycle.'

"But what about my woodland!"

The Queen of Winter scolded:
"For the resurrection of those eternal spirits in the material world, and for their return to my sister's moonlight, must I sacrifice my own child?"
How could you be so selfish!

I assure you

Diakum rose to his feet, bathed in the moonlight emanating from Lady Elune, and said:
"The problem of missing anima will be resolved soon, and the anima supply in Ardenweald will soon return to normal levels."

"What guarantee do you have?"

The Queen of Winter questioned him sharply.

Dick drew a holy symbol on his chest and whispered:
"Revendes is my next stop! I will resolve the catastrophe of the missing anima, and incidentally, the one who caused it. If you wish, I can even offer you His skull as compensation for your emotional distress."
There's no need to bother maintaining destiny anymore.

The order of destiny may not completely collapse, but it will inevitably undergo a 'self-evolution' after being broken, after which you and the Lord of War will maintain and promote this 'rebirth'.

Where the two of you will lead the Force of Death in the future is neither my concern nor my ability to control.

But at least in this day and age, death, which has become too inflated, must be weakened, and this need not be delegated to others; I will do it myself.

(End of this chapter)