Light's Dawn of Azeroth

Chapter 690, Section 58: The "Mushroom Web" Battle - Saving the Unlucky, Lovestruck Old Widow

The Queen of Winter promised to restart the long-abandoned Garden of Hearts as soon as possible.

That is a passage reserved specifically for eternal spirits to return to the material world. After they die, the spirit seeds they become will be personally cared for by the Queen of Winter in that garden. After undergoing a rebirth of "taking root, sprouting, growing and blossoming", they will be sent back to the life force through the "Great Cycle".

In the words of the Queen of Winter, it is about returning to her sister's moonlight to fight for life in the material star sea.

There's no need to delve into the details of this process; it's clear that it will inevitably consume a large amount of mental energy as resources. After all, it's impossible to "come back to life" without paying a price.

The advantage of the immortal spirits is that they don't have to pay this price themselves.

In the great cycle of life and death, on the death side, the Queen of Winter pays the "fee" for their resurrection.

Of course, having enjoyed the benefits comes with responsibilities. After returning to the material star sea, these gods of the wilderness must continue to fulfill their duties and missions of protecting various worlds.

This is their inescapable "fate".

They must fight for their world and all living beings. They must keep moving forward in this cycle of life and death, dying and being resurrected until they are completely annihilated in one of their deaths, or the world they protect is reduced to dust in a disaster.

The former often chose self-extrication because they were too exhausted from experiencing too much war and tragedy.

The latter is like the sect leader Elliot.

Having lost the world they had to protect, these wild gods, shrouded in terrible shadows, had nowhere to go.

They will remain in the Night of the Night, the Queen of Winter's Royal Court, carrying with them regret, longing, and the eternal pain of loss, becoming one with the Ardenweald and a part of this land.

The great cycle of life and death is naturally not just about the gods of the wilderness and immortal essences.

Unfortunately, in this great cycle, the life and death of mortals cannot and should not be reversed at will. The Azure Wilderness only provides resurrection services for immortal individuals in the life camp, and those souls who are not close to nature are not even qualified to step into this forest.

Simply put, this is a "factional benefit" of the life force.

But only those individuals who are strong enough can enjoy it. However, there is no need to rush to complain for those nature travelers who cannot be resurrected through the great cycle.

Because if a soul truly connects with and enjoys nature, then when they arrive in the Azure Wildebeest after death, they will regard this serene forest as their paradise.

Conversely, if a soul that claims to be close to nature is unwilling to stay in Ardenweald after death, but instead wants to exploit bugs to return to the material world and cause trouble, then isn't it normal that it doesn't deserve the benefits of the "Great Cycle"?
In reality, those ugly souls who use the guise of "protecting nature" but are secretly driven by self-interest and calculation have no right to arrive in Ardenweald, to suffer in Revendreth, or to go directly to the Maw to embrace eternal pain, ultimately becoming a pathetic mass of gloom as worthless as their dark lives—that is their rightful place.

Although the destiny set by the First Creator has its problems, it is not so bad that it cannot even control the petty thoughts of mortals.

"The Queen of Winter is clearly not happy to see her sister's 'pets' enjoying 'special treatment.' The resurrection of the Eternal Spirit is based on the Ardenweald expending a lot of energy, which means that the prosperity of this forest will be affected as a result."

This is essentially equivalent to the Queen of Winter personally funding her sister's business.

She has always been making silent sacrifices, but Lady Elune has to devote a lot of energy to taking care of Anser to prevent him from falling into the eclipse, and even neglects her duty of 'herding life' in the material star sea.

Perhaps this 'imbalance' is the root of their conflict.

It seems I misjudged my eldest daughter's stubbornness before.

As he left the Winter Queen's palace, Diakum stretched his arms and remarked:

"Death should treat all souls equally. Under this premise, it is indeed problematic for Kyrian, as a messenger, to have too many personal emotions. It is best to leave this job to the robots."

Hmm, thinking about it carefully, it seems that the Firstborn did indeed initially delegate these tasks to the Eternal robots.

The only problem is that they gave the robots too much personal emotion and didn't put any limits on it, which led to all sorts of strange problems with the robots.

So, the events in the Shadowlands can basically be summarized as a 'mechanical rebellion'?

With this profound realization, he turned back and looked at the Heart of the Forest behind him.

A ray of moonlight shone over the palace of the Winter Queen, where the sisters were conversing, presumably sharing some "truths," and Diakum was not even allowed to eavesdrop.

This isn't a big problem, after all, the vigilant has a high moral standard and wouldn't stoop to eavesdropping on other people's private conversations.

And he did indeed fulfill his duties as a messenger.

Although there are certainly still personal issues between the Moon Goddess and the Queen of Winter that need to be resolved, and reconciliation cannot be achieved in a short time, it is still a great thing that the true gods at both ends of life and death resolved the misunderstanding, allowing the great cycle of life and death to start anew and move towards balance.

Actually, when Diakum left the Winter Queen's palace, there was something he kept to himself that he didn't say.

To resolve the root cause of the sisters' current conflict, all that's needed is to bring Anser out of the eclipse!
Once Anser hangs in the sky again and no longer needs the care of the moon goddess, and once the radiance of the sun shines again on the stars and the world, the moon goddess, now truly free, can go and fulfill her duties.

She can now stroll without pressure through an era where the burning expedition has ended and the forces have returned to balance, replanting life in the ravaged sea of ​​matter and ushering in the next great prosperity of civilization.

The flourishing of life in the material world will naturally lead to the flourishing of Azure Fairyland.

By then, with abundant spiritual energy, the Queen of Winter will no longer feel helpless because the resurrection of eternal spirits requires a large amount of resources.

Ultimately, it's because we don't have enough mental energy (resources).

This further highlights just how much of an impact the "anima deficiency" orchestrated by Emperor Denathrius has had on the order of the Shadowlands. That guy really found the weakest link in the Destiny system and launched a targeted attack to destroy it.

No wonder he is the ancestor of all the conspiracies in the universe.

While his strength may not be exceptionally great, when it comes to cunning, all the current true gods combined are no match for him. The Great Emperor who rules Revendres has almost completely manipulated the six Forces, making him arguably the "Big Boss of the Shadowlands."

Compared to Him who hides in the darkness, Warden Zoval, who is single-mindedly trying to reshape reality and bring "freedom" and "happiness" to everyone, seems harmless.

Diakum didn't reveal the solution because he knew such things couldn't be solved with words. He believed that many problems would be resolved when he personally lit the sun.

However, the immediate problem is that Diakum must fulfill the "promise" he made long ago before leaving Ardenweald.

Can't delay any longer.

Old Ansu has waited far too long. Even just for the sake of his devotion, Diakum is willing to play matchmaker and tie the knot for poor Ansu.

"So, did Huen Gaoling find that unlucky old Ansu?"

Dick turned around and asked the little mushroom head that had sprouted at his feet. The little purple mushroom moved its body and made the sound of an old mushroom head.

Maramus said in that "wise old man" tone:
"Of course we found it! Hu En is the best hunter in Ardenweald, and you even gave it that tail feather as a location. If we still can't find it, Hu En shouldn't keep bragging in the Heart of the Forest."

There's more good news!

Willow Catkins gathered a large group of fairies, who chattered away and made you an extra-large dreamcatcher for giants. That thing is really powerful and will definitely allow you to safely enter the other dimension.

But the problem is, how do you plan to deal with that big bad guy who's been inciting the forest spirits to steal the spirit seeds, that Mu'e Zara who stole the moonlight?

"I plan to purify it."

Diakum flexed his fingers, letting golden holy light envelop his left hand and the cold void cover his right. He said very seriously:
"I will confront the oldest death god in the other side of Bumsandy, bury that old thing who has lived too long in that dark place, and deprive Zovar of His means of interfering with Ardenweald."

Don't worry, if Bumsandi is capable enough, Mu'ezala won't have a chance to escape back to the Maw.

Therefore, I offer the fall of Mu'ezala as my sincerest apology for my reckless disturbance of Ardenweald.

But while I'm busy, I hope you can keep your promise, Old Mushroom.

Go to the Abyss and pick someone up for me!

Even in the supposedly endless Maw of Pain, the soul of 'Azshara' was easy to find, given her radiant presence. After catching her, they sent her directly to the Veil Market of the Spirit Brokers.

After I finish dealing with things in Ardenweald, I'll meet up with them, and then my next stop will be to pay a visit to our esteemed Emperor Denathrius.

"Actually, Old Mushroom, I also have a hidden mushroom circle in Revendreth."

Marasmus drawled, “You have no idea how much effort Old Mushroom put into setting up that mushroom circle. It wasn’t easy to fool those cunning anima vampires. Besides, Mr. Diakum, have you forgotten that there’s a group of people waiting for you in Ardenweald?”

"Ok?"

Dick blinked.

At the old mushroom head's prompting, he stepped into the mushroom ring.

This teleportation felt completely different from previous teleportations. Diakum felt as if he had transformed into some kind of fungus, rapidly teleporting through the underground root structure of Ardenweald.

That feeling was truly magical; it's the kind of experience you'll never forget once you've had it.

But the old mushroom head's "mushroom net" teleportation speed was extremely fast. A few seconds later, Diakum was "spit out" by another mushroom ring. He jumped out of a valley, where a group of elf souls were "enjoying life".

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the Kaldorei's familiar battle flag still stood in the valley.

It was during the Greenskin Wars that the ancient spirits that Diakum took from the Tomb of Sargeras lived very comfortably in Ardenweald.

The Queen of Winter did not mistreat them because they were followers of Elune; the entire valley was their territory.

Upon seeing Diakum appear, Captain Moonstrike, who was training a Azure Magpie owl as a battle beast, cheered with delight. She waved to Dick and then blew a loud whistle.

Soon, the leader of this group of ancient spirits, High Priestess Deyana of the Moon, strode out, escorted by several huntresses.

She hurried to Diakum's side, grasped the guard's hand with great excitement, and said:

"Thanks to your valuable tip, we've found them!"

"Those moonlit warriors who fell into the Shadow Realm?"

Dick asked softly:

Are they still willing to serve Lady Elune?

"They are already dead, and they don't want their beliefs from their lives to interfere with their lives after death."

High Priestess Deyana said regretfully:

"Moreover, they are scattered across different realms of the dead, serving different powers, but although they are no longer willing to wear the robes of Lady Elune, they have made it clear that they are willing to help their suffering compatriots."

Therefore, whenever the opportunity arises, these moonlit warriors will help Lady Tyrande overcome that terrible fate.

However, we can't be sure if we'll be able to catch the worst of it.

"OK."

Dick said:
"The veil between life and death will soon be shattered, and the connection between the world of the dead and the material star sea will be closer than ever before. Perhaps the dead still cannot stay in the realm of the living for long, but a precious rescue can certainly do so."

However, before we return to the world of the living to support that sacred war, we must first complete a battle in Ardenweald.

I am on my way to the shadows of this woodland to rescue the stolen spirit seeds. You seem to have not fought in a long time. Would you still be willing to accompany me, ancient warriors?

"What are you saying?"

Captain Xiyue snorted, grabbed his war bow, and summoned the spirit owl to land on his shoulder.

She grabbed the Kaldorei battle flag beside her and shouted:
“Each spirit represents an immortal spirit of nature. Although they come from other worlds, we Kaldorei will never turn a blind eye to these noble souls in distress.”

We'd love to help!
Moreover, eliminating the threat from Ardenweald will make our living here more comfortable.

This forest is wonderful; it's the perfect haven for all souls who love nature, and it shouldn't be disturbed by evil spirits.

"Very well, let's go."

Diakum turned around and shouted:

"Old Mushroom, spread your 'Mushroom Net'! Let my friend Willow Catkins take that mighty fairy dreamcatcher! I'm going to lead the warriors of Azeroth to strike hard at those hidden nightmares."

We will prove with our victory that even in death, the heroes of Azeroth are still adorned with glory.

------

“Once Diakum ignites the sun, I will no longer need to protect Anser with my light.”

In the palace of the Winter Queen, Elune's voice rang out from the moonlight.

He whispered to his sister:

"At that time, I will devote myself wholeheartedly to the duty of herding life. I will make up for what I owe you, but I have a request."

"Go ahead."

The Queen of Winter is tired.

This fatigue stemmed not only from the previous fight between the sisters, but also from the frustration she felt today at learning that she had been manipulated by a schemer.

After realizing she had wronged her sister, the Queen of Winter needed some time alone to seriously consider how she should act in the future.

“I hope that whatever Diakum does in the Shadowlands, you can help him achieve his goals.”

Lady Elune said:

"The Shadowlands' destiny has serious problems, which is also an opportunity for you. If the other Eternals do not want to be bound by destiny, then I don't think you would be willing to perform your duties in shackles."

Everything the vigilant does here will not harm you, and only when the old destiny is broken can a new order of death be born on its foundation.

This time, there will be no Firstborn to restrain you, sister.

The great cycle of life and death should not be confined to fate, so regardless of your inner thoughts, you should probably seize this opportunity.

You should fight for what you want yourself!

"What are you implying?"

The Queen of Winter raised her head and said:
"To put it more clearly, little sister, I'm very tired right now, and I don't want to use my brain anymore."

"Zalemotes!"

The moonlight faded from Elune's face, and she whispered:
"Destroy that place, and you will become the 'One and Only'! Become the true God of Death, not a creation that can be 'replaced' at any time."

You know what I'm talking about, so don't play dumb!

The balance between life and death requires that the strength of the two of us be balanced first, but you are too weak now, which means you are destined to suffer in the future.

However, I don't want to see you suffer because you've never been treated well.

That's why I specifically chose Diakum as the messenger; he has the ability to destroy those...
So be brave!
Even if the First Ones explicitly forbid you from approaching your birthplace.

But if you don't even dare to take the first step, there's nothing anyone else can do to help you.

If you remain merely a shadow of the First One, content to be nothing more than a creation of the First One, then by what right do you truly hold sway over death?

Ps:

There will be an extra 3+5 chapters tomorrow.
(End of this chapter)