Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 182 Strange Movements in the Eternal Night Forest

The morning light dappled the ground through the thick branches, and the Maple Forest Rabbit emerged from its burrow as usual to hunt for food. This level-one magical beast, which lives on the outskirts of the Eternal Night Forest, is known for secreting a sweet oil. However, its timid nature makes it hide at the slightest disturbance. In addition, the constant patrols by the forest elves make it extremely difficult for hunters to hunt this magical beast.

"Boss! Boss! I caught it."

A young man wearing hard leather armor leaped down from the treetop and ran to the trap in a few steps, grabbing the long ears of the Maple Forest Rabbit and taking it off the rope.

Sensing danger, the maple rabbit began to shake violently, trying to escape. But for a seasoned hunter, such a struggle was nothing more than easy. Just as the young man was about to draw his dagger and kill the maple rabbit with one blow, a burly middle-aged man emerged from the bushes and stopped him.

"Hey! Gaddafi!! You stupid pig, knock him out, he'll be worthless if you kill him."

Upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, Gaddafi immediately stopped what he was doing, scratched his head awkwardly, then turned the dagger around and struck the Maple Rabbit on the back of the head with the hilt. The little rabbit twitched a few times in Gaddafi's hand before going unconscious and remaining motionless.

"Uncle Melos, we're in luck today."

Gaddafi shook the Maple Forest Rabbit in his hand and said excitedly to the middle-aged man in front of him.

The middle-aged man, referred to as Melos, wore a small hat made of sheepskin. Judging from the deep wrinkles on his face, he was about forty years old. He carried an elm longbow on his back, and looked like a seasoned hunter.

"Indeed, we're really lucky today. This fat rabbit must be starving."

Melos took the unconscious Maple Forest Rabbit from Kazabi, bounced it to feel its weight—about ten kilograms. It was a good haul; barring any unforeseen circumstances, this Maple Forest Rabbit could probably be sold for one gold coin.

"Let's go check out other places. We're lucky today, so let's catch a few more and get out of here quickly. Otherwise, if we run into that long-eared patrol team, all our work these past few days will have been for nothing."

For Melos and Kazabi, uncle and nephew living in the village of Artemisia on the outskirts of the Eternal Night Forest, this year has been exceptionally difficult. In the past, as long as they were willing to put in some effort and wander around the outskirts of the forest, they could easily harvest some low-level herbs or low-level magical beasts like Maple Rabbits.

Back then, making money was relatively easy. The uncle and nephew even planned to work for a few years, save some money, and then move to a nearby town. The lives of hunters and herbalists were often filled with hardship and danger; they could easily be killed by poisonous magical potions or monsters and end up as fertilizer in the forest.

Therefore, compared to other options, it's better to save up some money and send that bastard Gaddafi to town to become an apprentice. That way, he can work safely for a few years, become a master craftsman, and earn a good income. That way, he can at least do justice to his dead brother.

But everything changed when the elves living in the forest announced that the three great elven kingdoms would cease all contact with the outside world and that the Eternal Night Forest would be gradually closed to entry. Although they didn't know what had happened on the other side of those long-eared creatures, such a ban was a devastating blow to those of them who depended on the Eternal Night Forest for their livelihood.

At first, some hunters and herb gatherers who didn't believe in the superstition continued to go to their familiar areas to gather herbs and hunt. Unexpectedly, the group of elves who would just exchange glances with each other in the past suddenly became extremely aggressive this time, venturing into the forest despite repeated warnings.

He was hung up and beaten, his clothes stripped off. The people who lived in the Eternal Night Forest could not tolerate this, so they joined together to seek the lord's help. However, to their disappointment, this usually arrogant nobleman did not dare to utter a word when facing the elves.

After all that trouble and spending countless gold coins, the hunters and herbalists could only accept the outcome.

Some timid hunters and herb gatherers, or those who had made a lot of money over the years, abandoned the profession and went to do other things.

But there are also uncle and nephew pairs like Melos and Kazabi who have no other options but to continue doing what they used to do. At most, they are careful, shooting and moving around, and if they are caught, they accept their fate. At least the elves don't have the habit of killing people indiscriminately.

Just as the two were packing up the maple rabbits and preparing to head to the next hunting spot, they heard several whooshing sounds, and the uncle and nephew instinctively turned their heads.

"Captain Sisiwayne, why are these humans so stubborn and unwilling to listen to advice?"

"Xiyue~ Just give those two a warning, you didn't need to shoot them."

From deep within the tree canopy, several elven scouts clad in mithril light elven guerrilla armor emerged.

The leader was a male elf with long, dark green hair, a white eagle perched on his shoulder, and a deep weariness was evident on his melancholy face. The intense duty schedule had left this patrol captain feeling physically and mentally exhausted.

Having not touched her beloved accordion for two weeks, Sisi Wayne felt that her love for music was being worn down by her heavy workload.

The one called Xiyue is a female elf, dressed in a very standard scout outfit, the hollow design of which perfectly showcases the elf's tall and powerful figure.

"Captain Sisiwayne, but the message the Grand Elder recently sent via raven communication is that anything that dares to venture into the heart of the Evernight Forest at this time of year should be dealt with with the utmost decisiveness."

Sisiwayne walked to the two corpses, emptied the Maplewood Rabbit from the cage, pried open their faces with his hands, and seeing that they were dead, stood up and pulled out the arrows stuck in their backs.

"That's true. But you should know that the natural way we believe in does not allow us to kill without cause."

Moreover, too much killing will ultimately affect our relationship with the human empire; our relationship is already extremely tense.

After directing the ogre vines to drag the two corpses away, Sisiwayne looked up at the pale blue sky through the gaps in the tree canopy, lost in thought.

Eternal Night Forest - Golden City
As the royal court of the three great elves, the name Golden City is more commonly heard in human conversations, while the elves refer to it more often as Isilgalad.

Meaning "the land illuminated by moonlight," this is the place where Angris once descended. The elven race has prospered ever since. Although they have experienced many hardships throughout history, they have ultimately survived and become one of the oldest races on the continent.

Isilgalad - World Tree Moonlight Council.

Thump, thump, thump—the heavy sound of the gavel fell silent, and all the elves present turned their gaze to the high elf elder seated on the throne. "Silence! Silence! This is not the Pannis Trading Hall, this is the sacred and solemn Moonlight Hall. Your noise makes me think I'm holding a meeting with a bunch of green-skinned goblins."

As a Silvermoon Elf whose lifespan is over 2,500 years, the Grand Elder Elilo Osiris Moonlight Angmora, as a wise man of the Elven race, has always been deeply revered by all Elven tribes. As one of the strongest beings, under the care of the World Tree, she has lived for a very long time, so long that Elilo feels that she has forgotten a very long time.

Longevity, in certain circumstances, is not necessarily a good thing. Watching her peers gradually die, her younger generation also die one after another, and now her grandchildren are also getting old, looking at the new faces below the stage, Ellie felt that she had been abandoned by her era for a long time.

"Alright, I know many of you find it hard to accept such a decree, but this is the current situation. I'm not discussing this with you; I'm informing you."

"Understand what you don't understand during the execution process. Enelya! Continue communicating with them about the rest."

Watching the departing Grand Elder, the Elf Queen, seated in the main seat, withdrew her gaze. With the Grand Elder's support and backing, this matter could finally proceed more smoothly. These three Elf Kings, as their strength grew, became increasingly disrespectful to the Royal Court. If the Grand Elder hadn't come down from the World Tree, she feared she wouldn't have been able to handle these Elf Kingdoms that had already shaken the laws of nature.

As they walked out of the council gates, a burly but clearly aged Nightblade Leopard slowly approached Ellie.

Stroking the leopard's head, Ellie rolled over and sat on the Nightblade Leopard's back. The setting sun shone on the distant moon, casting long shadows on the ground. Seeing that familiar building again, Ellie's large emerald green eyes suddenly filled with sorrow, as if she had remembered something.

"It'll be soon~ it'll be soon~ we'll be meeting soon."

The Nightblade Leopard walked slowly, perhaps because it was too old. The journey from the council back to the World Tree took a very long time, but Ellie was not in a hurry. Time was meaningless to a long-lived person like her. She was fiddling with something that looked like a clock face, and the hands on it were about to converge.

"Lord Yggdrasil, I'm back."

Standing before the enormous World Tree, only at this moment did the elderly Ellie feel as if she had returned to a familiar place.

The towering World Tree stretched down a branch like a hand and touched Ellie's full head of white hair. As a former priestess of the moon goddess, Ellie had a head of emerald green hair like tender grass.

"Hehehehehe~ Little Ellie, how was your trip? Did you encounter anything interesting?"

In this space that was entirely hers, Ellie returned to her original state, kicking her shoes aside haphazardly. Barefoot, she walked towards the wooden stairs, handing her small crossbody bag to the World Tree branch beside her before huffing and puffing:

"I never want to go out again. It's not fun at all. This group of elves is nothing like the ones we had back then. If it weren't for their physical features being the same as mine, I would have thought I was talking to a bunch of humans."

Sensing Elil's resentment, the World Tree once again extended a branch, which carried a crystal bottle containing a bottle of bubbling, dark brown liquid.

The moment she saw the crystal bottle, Ellie's eyes widened, and she took it with both hands, opened the cap, and gulped down the contents.

"Ah~ hiccup~~~~ Lord Yggdrasil, this happy water is really very happy."

Seeing that Ellie's mood had improved again, the World Tree seemed to be infected as well, and its branches trembled joyfully.

"Lord Yggdrasil, I still want to ask you this question, even though I have asked you this question many times before."

In response to Ellie's question, the branches of the World Tree emitted a pale green light and gently wrapped around Ellie's waist, lifting her up.

After ascending several hundred meters, in the middle section of the World Tree, an old and kind face appeared on the trunk.

"Elise, you've asked so many times, don't you already know the answer? Otherwise, you wouldn't have chosen to take this mission. When you really want to see someone, the length of time is actually the least important thing, isn't it?"

Faced with the World Tree's kind and wise gaze, Ellie ultimately swallowed her question. In truth, she knew all too well that when people are disappointed or confused, they always doubt the decisions they made before, and this doubt is like a dull knife constantly cutting into their thoughts.

Ellie took out the clock face-like object again and looked at it. The shortest hand was almost touching the moon symbol in the center of the clock face.

"I understand, Lord Yggdrasil. Thank you for all these years."

The old man's face on the tree trunk also wore a kind smile.

"I also want to thank you, Ellie. Without you, these long years would indeed be a monotonous and boring thing. However, this tranquility is about to be broken. I can already feel it. The cold wind is coming."

"Lord Yggdrasil, I will protect you alongside the elves, even at any cost."

The World Tree's branches reached up to Ellie's head and gently stroked her, like an old man stroking his granddaughter.

"Silly child, you've already paid so much. Some things can't be accomplished just by trying. Going against fate's arrangements comes at a heavy price. Sometimes, following the plan is the best choice."

next day
A notice from the Elven Royal Court shocked the entire world, causing tremendous waves within several major empires. The Elven Empire would begin preparations for the prophesied crisis, and from this day forward, entry into the inner perimeter of the Eternal Night Forest would be prohibited to all.

Any individual, organization, or nation that trespasses will be considered to be declaring war on the Elven Empire, and the Elven Empire will annihilate all invading enemies.
-
Signed by Airefanda
Since the Elven race split into three kingdoms, the name of this Elven Empire gradually disappeared into the long river of history. Its reappearance now inevitably makes people think.

However, no matter how heated the discussions were, the Elf Empire did not respond to any further questions after issuing the announcement.

(End of this chapter)