The Envoy of Abundance from Onphalus

However, the land eroded by the Black Tide remained desolate, like a wound that never healed, showing no sign of recovery. Russell knew that the potion was only a temporary measure; he had to continue his journey.

Over millennia, the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden has been transformed into a colossal survival fortress of unprecedented scale and complete functionality. According to the most rigorous calculations by scholars, under ideal conditions, this fortress is sufficient to shelter millions of people through an extreme crisis lasting up to ten years.

This massive project is not a miracle achieved overnight, but the culmination of the wisdom, sweat, and faith of generations of people in Shenwushuting. It belongs to the past, the present, and above all, to all Onfaros people who yearn for the future.

The path of the Tibos's prophecies was far more perilous and arduous than Russell's scientific research. Even with the endorsement and stern warnings of the Divine Tree Court, some city-state rulers, blinded by power and greed, could not resist the temptation to imprison a prophetic saint for their own use.

They scoffed at the prophecy of the Golden Children's salvation, yet coveted the inherent value of Tibo herself. Thus, a cold cage replaced the sacred mission, and one Tibo after another, carrying hope, perished amidst conspiracy and violence.

Russell's response was ruthless and efficient. Any city-state that dared to imprison Tibo was immediately placed on the God's Tree Court's permanent trade blacklist. Except for basic technical assistance to maintain a minimum level of survival, all channels for the transfer of advanced technology, knowledge, and resources were completely severed. This was the sharpest sanctioning blade of the knowledge monopolist.

Onphalus has never lacked heroes, nor has it lacked despicable men. In the city-state of Ohma, the political winds have subtly shifted. The corrupt Senate, in its endless power struggles, has eroded the people's trust.

The old aristocratic forces have made a comeback under the leadership of an extraordinary woman of the Golden Age, Crydella, and have regained control of the city-state.

This empress, though not tall in stature, possessed political acumen as precise and ruthless as a poisoned dagger. Domestically, she ruthlessly purged the conservatives in the Senate and among the old nobility, firmly grasping power in her own hands. Any opponent who dared to challenge her authority quickly learned the ultimate lesson of "physical silence."

She understood the pulse of the times, found Tibo who had delivered the message, and clearly expressed Ohmar's support for the journey to the fire. In her eyes, the entire Onpharos was a giant chessboard, with Titans, the Old Ones, and rival city-states as formidable obstacles on the other side.

She knew she was walking a tightrope, and one wrong step would mean utter ruin. Later generations revered her as "Caesar of Ohma," symbolizing her supreme rule within the city-state.

To the outside world, Queen Crydella presents a completely different image. She astutely regards the Divine Tree Court as her most crucial ally, actively promoting technological cooperation with the Tree Court and vigorously advancing technological innovation in Ohma.

Tibo's suggestion played a crucial role in connecting the dots. Crydella knew that compared to the newly ignited flame of salvation by the Golden Blood, the millennia-long research on salvation conducted by the Divine Tree Court under Russell's leadership was so profound and its will so unwavering that it deserved the highest respect and cooperation.

Faced with the noble cause of fighting the Black Tide and saving the world, the two are natural and the most solid allies.

At the ceremony where Ohma and the Divine Tree Court formally forged their alliance, Queen Cerdydra personally met with Russell. She consulted this wise man from a thousand years ago about countless long-forgotten historical secrets and once again listened to Russell's profound insights on the path to salvation.

After this meeting, the Queen's resolve hardened even further. She began to dedicate the entire nation's resources to preparing massive amounts of supplies for the upcoming expedition in Ohma.

Empress Crydella showed no mercy to other city-states. With the strength of Ohmar's military, she swiftly and ruthlessly swept away all the surrounding forces that outwardly obeyed but inwardly refused to cooperate.

Taking advantage of her military might and formidable reputation, she issued a solemn call to the Golden Clan of Onphalus for the first Fire Chasing Journey in the name of Queen Ohma!

The flame of hope, suppressed for hundreds of years, was ignited in an instant. Countless Golden Bloods responded to the Queen's call from all directions, gathering in Ohma, waiting to embark on their journey.

The year 3870 of the Light Calendar, a year destined to be remembered in history. The first journey to pursue fire officially began for all the people of Onpharos, announced by Queen Cerydira of Ohma.

They were no longer fighting for the selfish interests of a single city or region, but for a tomorrow for all of Onfaros, for the dawn to shine upon the land once more.

Under the dual pressure of the Empress's power and the righteous cause of pursuing fire, the turbulent continent of Onpharos fell into an eerie calm before the storm. Everyone, friend or foe, held their breath, their eyes fixed on this unprecedented expedition, awaiting its outcome.

However, fate did not write a triumphant chapter. This first journey to pursue the flame ultimately became a blood-soaked epic, a tale of immense tragedy and a bleak end…

Amber Benevolent Healer: Chapter Twenty-Seven - The World of Illusion and Destruction

Meanwhile, Russell was also doing everything in his power. He utilized the vast resources and network of the Divine Tree Court to continuously supply crucial materials for the Fire Chasing expedition. More than anyone else, he longed to see the Burning Crusade succeed.

However, fate's script was cruel and merciless. The first journey to seek fire ended in a dismal failure. The expeditionary force paid an unimaginable price, with many Golden Blood who answered the call perishing in unknown dangers.

The initiator, Empress Crydera, the "Caesar" of Ohmar, also mysteriously disappeared after this battle, her whereabouts unknown. The crucial return of the fire was also not fully accomplished.

But this is far from the end of hope. The horn of the fire-chasing journey did not fall silent with the Queen's disappearance.

Although the city-state of Ohma was quickly overthrown and seized back by the short-sighted old king and the corrupt Senate after the queen's disappearance, the ignited flame of salvation could not be easily extinguished.

These newly enthroned rulers, whose incompetent rule was quickly replaced by a bloody purge, once again provoked strong resentment among the citizens. Deep down, they feared the power of the Golden Blood and were terrified that if the Fire Chase succeeded, it would completely strip them of their meager power.

The so-called vision of re-creation is nothing but a pipe dream in their eyes; only the power they hold onto is real. Stopping the Fire Chaser is merely a way to protect their own laughable and pathetic interests.

It was this greed and shortsightedness that caused Onphalus's fire-seeking process to stagnate for a long time. These rulers even united to strangle the nascent flames of fire-seeking.

Even more tragically, they are powerless against the approaching Black Tide, and can only repeat the same old power struggles, pushing the world into an even deeper abyss.

Inside the Divine Tree Garden, Russell looked up at the daytime sky maintained by the Sky Titan Egler.

A heavy thought weighed on his mind: if the journey to seek fire ultimately failed completely, could he really bear the fate of leading the world to survival on his own?

His gaze swept over the twenty tombstones standing silently beside him—the tombstones of pioneers who dedicated their lives to the cause of salvation—and the answer was clear. Whatever the road ahead, he had to carry the hopes of everyone and run towards the finish line, even if the finish line was utter destruction.

Following closely behind was the Golden War that swept across Onphalus. The gods treated mortals as pawns and bargaining chips, waging a frenzied and bloody battle on the chessboard. The intensity of the war far surpassed any previous conflict, and even Russell's prestige could not be quelled.

He tirelessly campaigned and pleaded for years, and while the city-states showed some restraint, Russell's admonitions proved powerless under the influence of the divine will. The war machine continued to roar, and the blood of countless Golden Men and ordinary mortals soaked the earth.

Russell's patience finally reached its limit. Faced with this land tainted by folly and greed, a thousand years of persuasion seemed futile. Since peaceful words could not penetrate the barriers of desire, then let them speak with their most cherished law—the sword!

Within the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden, he resolutely organized a powerful expeditionary force, unequivocally opposing the Golden War.

He issued an ultimatum, calling on all city-states to immediately cease hostilities and turn their attention to the all-consuming black tide beyond the borders. His response, however, was nothing but scorn and mockery from countless city-states, who regarded the army of the Divine Tree Court as child's play.

What followed was a resounding slap in the face to the arrogant. Within a year, dozens of stubborn city-states that refused to cease hostilities were swiftly and decisively wiped out by the expeditionary force of the Divine Tree Court! Wherever this army went, the clamor of war was completely silenced.

Even more shocking is that when the Tree Court army attacks a city, the attacked city-state often falls into chaos on its own – their medical system is the first to collapse.

Because the doctors of Onphalus had already united and refused to provide any medical support to these tyrants who were waging wars without cause! Even the rulers' frantic hanging of a dozen or so rebellious doctors could not stop this wave.

Their only "harvest" was that after the soldiers of the Divine Enlightenment Tree Court breached the city, they hung all the city administrators who had murdered the healers upside down on crosses and roasted them alive in the flames!

In Onfaros, the saying "All doctors under heaven come from the Tree Court" has become an ironclad rule. Without a "medical license" issued by the Divine Tree Court, no one dares to practice medicine.

The brutal murder of these revered physicians who upheld the principle of healing the sick and saving lives will inevitably ignite an even more intense storm of revenge.

At this moment, the renowned and warlike Suspended Peak warriors also unequivocally joined Russell's camp. For them, war itself was the meaning of existence; regardless of the opponent, to dance to the rhythm of conflict was the ultimate glory.

Moreover, they were helping Russell—the benevolent healer and hero revered by countless children in the legends of Suspended Peak City. To follow in his footsteps was an honor in itself.

With the unwavering support of the Suspended Warriors, this anti-war coalition rapidly gained momentum like wildfire. More and more city-states yearning for peace chose to join the Divine Tree Court's ranks. The immense military pressure forced all warlike forces to temporarily cease their hostilities.

Ultimately, under Russell's powerful military intimidation and the encirclement of the allied forces, the leaders of all the city-states were forced to gather together and sign a mandatory permanent truce agreement.

The core terms of the agreement are ruthless and effective: any city-state that dares to break the agreement and launch a war will automatically become the common enemy of all other signatories, and they will be able to pounce on it like hungry wolves, tear it apart, and divide it up!

Russell skillfully exploited the rulers' deep-seated greed. Under this terrifying balance of checks and balances, the shadow of war was forcibly dispelled. No city-state dared challenge this peace maintained by sharp teeth—no one could withstand the onslaught of wolves alone.

This golden war that swept through Onphalus was extinguished by Russell with an iron fist less than twenty-five years after it began. Even the gods and elites who had been fueling and instigating the war behind the scenes had to keep quiet for the time being.

This war, like an absurd farce, began for reasons unknown, and was forcibly brought to a halt by Russell with even greater violence amidst the chaos.

However, the brief peace brought no tranquility. Bad news, like maggots clinging to a bone, came one after another. The Sky Titan Aegler, the being that had sustained Onpharos through countless years of eternal daylight, slowly closed His enormous eyes, as vast as the sun and moon.

The true, boundless eternal night has arrived.

Onfaros was plunged into unprecedented darkness. Only the skies above the city-state of Ohma, thanks to the Dawn Machines, maintained a patch of light as bright as day.

On the continent of Onfaros, which has lost its light, the Black Tide's rate of erosion has increased more than tenfold!

Countless people, caught completely off guard and without even having time to cry out, were swallowed up and twisted by the surging black tide, transformed into terrifying monsters that then pounced on their former compatriots.

The agonizing wails and desperate roars finally pierced the numb hearts of the Onphalus people, completely awakening them.

At this moment, the illusions about power and conflict finally shattered. People finally laid down their swords and began to re-examine Russell's long-standing warnings and contemplate the true meaning of the journey to the fire.

But has this realization come too late? If we had woken up sooner, why would we have had to make such a terrible sacrifice to learn this painful lesson?

Fortunately, they didn't open their eyes just before Onphalus was destroyed. Time was running out, but there was still a chance to fight back.

Russell gazed at this world shrouded in darkness and scars, yet despair did not grip his heart. He had forcefully ended the Golden War, saving countless families from utter misery.

At least, he limited the intensity of the war, and the land was not completely reduced to scorched earth.

He loathed war. This victory had come at the cost of countless lives. The soldiers of the Divine Tree Garden were also made of flesh and blood; the lives lost could not be brought back to life.

Those who have truly experienced the cruelty of war will never speak lightly of conflict. Bertrand Russell, throughout his thousand-year life, witnessed too many scars of war, and he always strived to avoid them. Yet, some people always mistook his kindness for weakness.

In this darkest hour, the Earth Titan Georia showed its final mercy. To protect humanity, whom it favored, it chose to merge its massive body into the land of Onphalus.

At the forefront of the Black Tide's invasion, He forcibly erected continuous, towering peaks, attempting to use them as a barrier to slow the Black Tide's engulfing advance.

The price of this feat was that He Himself was torn apart and disintegrated, falling into eternal slumber. He will forever endure the endless pain caused by the tearing of His body.

He endured this inhuman torment, solely to protect those small yet full of potential human beings. For in Russell and those who followed one after another in the line of the Golden Sons, He saw the faint but real glimmer of hope for the future.

He willingly sacrificed himself, using his own broken body to add a heavy and solid foundation to the cornerstone of that new world.

This is the duty of the Earth Titan, and His choice. He will not regret it, even unto death.

This is the silence and weight of the earth. It may be silent, but at the critical moment of life and death, it always becomes the last solid bulwark with the most resolute posture.

……

I'm regularly asking for votes and to keep reading. I've accumulated nine chapters so far, and will add more after it's officially released.

Amber Medicine Scroll: Chapter Twenty-Eight - The Tyrant of Suspended Peak City

The mountain barrier erected by the Titan Georia, sacrificing itself, did indeed briefly halt the raging tide of darkness. But this all-consuming darkness, like a vicious cat toying with its prey, continued its relentless advance at a visible pace every day.

It will eventually overcome this final barrier, like a tiger descending a mountain, and pounce on the remaining Onphalus people.

One city-state after another was utterly destroyed by the silent erosion of the Black Tide. All lingering illusions were finally shattered in the face of this cruel reality.

In despair, people began frantically searching for a final way to fight the Black Tide. The term "Disillusionment World," imbued with an apocalyptic atmosphere, was officially inscribed on the pages of Onfaros's history books for the first time.

Historians have debated for years about when the "World of Disillusionment" began. However, the mainstream view of Onphalus holds that the chapter of the World of Disillusionment quietly began the moment Tirispeius transformed into a thousand Tibos and emerged from the Garden of the Divine Tree carrying the oracle.

The rampage of the Black Tide even threatens the peaceful rest of the dead. In Aidiria, this once pristine land, the mountain peaks along its borders now clearly reflect the crouching edges of the Black Tide.

Russell had to go there in person to move the grave of his long-buried student, Ophina.

A thousand years have passed, and Ophina's coffin and remains have long since turned to dust. Only the meticulously carved stone tablet, though covered in the frost of time, still has its inscriptions faintly discernible.

Russell brought back the stone tablet and, in the cemetery of the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden, where generations of outstanding talents rest, chose a new site for her overlooking a sea of ​​flowers. He hoped that this senior from a thousand years ago could see the efforts of her descendants from here.

As for whether Ophina would blame him on the other side of the River Styx, Russell believed she wouldn't. He was her teacher, and moving her grave was to protect her final resting place, not to desecrate it.

Besides, having seen the sea of ​​flowers for a thousand years, what's wrong with coming back to visit our teacher? The dead have their epitaphs, and the living have their unfinished stories. The departed are gone; let the living bear the choices they must make.

The relentless advance of the Black Tide forces more survivors to surge like a tide toward the two remaining isolated islands of light: Ohma and the Garden of the Divine Tree. These two city-states are the only places of dawn in the eternally dark Onpharos, and their faint yet real light is the last beacon in despair.

The dawn of the Divine Tree Garden was not a natural phenomenon. Their artificial dawn machine, the Heart of the Divine Tree, was meticulously replicated, modeled after the wondrous dawn machine carried by the guardian of Ohma, Kephale.

It struggled to maintain a patch of light above the treehouse, lasting only eight hours a day. This light was far less bright and intense than that of Ohmma, but in the endless night, it was a priceless treasure.

These eight hours of light represent the culmination of five hundred years of tireless research by all the scholars of the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden and Bertrand Russell, and are the crystallization of the wisdom of ten generations.

It is arguably the closest mortal creation to the Titans, yet the gap remains insurmountable. The fuel required to keep this machine running is astronomical, and its efficiency is far inferior to the prototype behind Cephalus, which seemed to burn eternally.

Scholars at the Tree Garden are often puzzled: why does the Dawn Machine of Kephale defy common sense and never go out? This does not conform to any known law of conservation of energy.

Their replicas, though made to the best of their ability, could not even achieve half the efficiency, and consumed enough resources daily to bankrupt a small city-state.

Ultimately, they could only attribute this inexplicable miracle to the extraordinary nature of the Titan creations, which transcended mortal comprehension, and chose to believe the priest's prophecy that it would burn forever.

Meanwhile, undercurrents surged within Suspended Peak City. The Titanic Cardoli, embroiled in conflict, fell into a prolonged slumber, no longer offering any guidance.

Without the divine oracle, the people of Suspended Peak are like sharp blades without direction. The current Suspended Peak King, Euriporn, chose the most direct method—he sealed the Titan's restless divinity, forcibly stabilizing this massive body to maintain the stability of Suspended Peak.

But stability was not what Euriporn sought. His gaze greedily fell upon Ohma—the holy city with its ever-burning dawn.

He secretly plotted how to destroy Ohmma and relocate Suspended Peak City to that land of light. In his view, Suspended Peak City was no longer safe under the threat of the Black Tide, and seizing Ohmma was the only way to survive.

As for the Divine Tree Court? The terrifying combat power displayed by the Tree Court army during the Golden War led this war-loving king to exclude it from the list of conquests.

Although joining Ohmama to fight the Black Tide is theoretically an option, the phrase "subordinate" has never existed in the dictionary of the Suspended Peak people.

Submission is the act of a coward; conquest is the true nature of conflict! Euriporn is determined to sever all friendly relations with Russell and the Divine Tree Court.

Russell, the sage who championed peace, would never tolerate Suspended Peak launching an invasion at this time. After the Golden War, any city-state that dared to provoke a civil war had been completely wiped out by Russell's iron-fisted methods.

Some have called Cerlydella and Russell the "Two Caesars," and this is no exaggeration. For the soldiers and civilians of the Divine Tree Court, their ancestors sacrificed themselves generation after generation to continue Onphalus, and anyone who disrupts the peace is trampling on the legacy of their ancestors and deserves to die.

Olivier acknowledged that the warriors of the Divine Tree Court were no less brave than any of the Hanging Blade warriors, but scoffed at Russell’s seemingly “timid” and fragile approach.

In his eyes, Russell was nothing more than a cowardly old relic forgotten by time and death, whose thoughts had long since decayed.

Thus, Euriporn became the first, and destined to be the last, king in the history of Helmet City to voluntarily break with Russell.

The statue of Russell, a symbol of friendship, in the Garden of the Divine Enlightenment was unwillingly smashed by the soldiers of the Suspended Peak; the "Amber Harvest Festival," which commemorated Russell's kindness to Suspended Peak every April, was also forcibly abolished by Euriporn.

However, this king's evil deeds did not stop there. Even more appalling was his cruelty towards his own family, all because of a vague prophecy—"Your son Medemus will eventually bring an end to the Suspended Dynasty and Nicardoli."

He then turned his murderous intent towards his wife and children. He poisoned his wife, Gorgor, by despicable means, and then killed her with his own hands in a duel. Even more chillingly, he threw his young crown prince, Wandi, directly into the River Styx, a symbol of death!

These atrocities cemented Euriporn's place on the annals of history, with historical records portraying him as the most tyrannical monarch in the history of Suspended Peak.

Inside the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden, Russell gazed anxiously out the window at the still dim dawn, which was barely maintained by enormous energy expenditure.

As one of Onfaros's most important combat forces, if Suspended Edge City were to lose its strength due to internal strife and invasion at this time, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even if Russell is able to suppress Euriporn's ambitions in the end, the price he pays will be so heavy that Onphalos will find it unbearable.

Severing one's most powerful arm by force is never a wise move. But what about the chain reaction it triggers?

Onphalus truly had no time left to endure any more internal strife. Therefore, Russell chose to remain patient. He ignored Euriporn's repeated public contempt and insults, striving to maintain the crumbling peace while accelerating the unification of the city-states of Onphalus in hopes of concentrating their forces to fight the Black Tide.