Free Web NovelChapter 618: Legendary Old Era
[Veyrith, the God of Wind, His Authority are Wind and Sky ’....’]
In Evelyn’s translation, certain terms still couldn’t reveal their true meaning, especially isolated words like this, lacking surrounding context for cross-referencing or reverse inference. The only option was to judge based on character forms and possible modern human language equivalents.
The result was obvious, Evelyn’s current knowledge base simply wasn’t sufficient to make a reasonable judgment about the final domain. She could only substitute it with ’....’ leaving it to be supplemented later.
Fortunately, this gap didn’t hinder Astrid’s reading at the moment.
Lifting her porcelain teacup, the silver-haired girl took a delicate sip of tea, then crossed her long legs to the other side. The sheer night-sky-colored stockings rustled faintly with the movement, emitting soft, whispering sounds.
From the time it was delivered to Evelyn until Astrid got it back, barely a week had passed. Even if the linguistics professor were a genius, it would’ve been impossible to fully translate an entire thick volume filled with previously undiscovered ancient script in just seven days.
Flipping through, there were barely two and a half pages of translated text in total. Astrid read each word and sentence carefully. Half an hour later, every piece of Evelyn’s translation was firmly etched into her mind.
This appears to be an ancient travelogue, recording the observations and experiences of an ancient human who had entered the legendary Sky City.
It describes, among other things, the wide, long river cascading from the Sky City down to the ground, a silver-white prism-shaped tower nearly touching the sun, the massive wind vortex perpetually circling the isolated island, and the statue of Veyrith, the Wind God, crafted from sacred iron.
[In the eyes of the gods, Veyrith’s Sky City was the place closest to the dwelling of the Mother of All and Father of the Gods, the Right Hand of the Lord. Moserria, the subordinate deity of arbitration and light, praised it as the radiant antechamber of the Creator’s slumbering palace.]
[At the very center of the Sky City, a long hall paved with flowers, beams of light, and warmed by gentle breezes served as the divine council’s chosen gathering place. Even Brennild, sister of Moserria and goddess of darkness, death, and plague, would temporarily cross through the night to come to this holy city shrouded in sacred mists.]
[Then, they will brew fine wine from the Fountain of Youth, the magical source of the elves, and use the broad skeletons of dragons as their seats.]
After reading the final three lines, the remaining text reverted back to the original ancient human script.
Astrid closed her eyes, fingers interlaced and resting against her lips, her black-stockinged legs gently swaying as she carefully reviewed the intelligence she had just gathered.
According to the words of the Saintess Monica, the Church scriptures of the Church of Light did indeed mention Moserria. ’She’ was a subordinate deity beside the omnipotent Lord, the radiant Arbiter of Light, this title "Arbiter" refers not to a knightly rank, but to ’Her’ divine role. In fact, the founding of the Church’s Knight Order was intended exactly to fulfill this aspect of divine duty.
To act in the place of the Creator of All, delivering wrath and punishment.
Now, this ancient scripture clearly states that Moserria was the God of Light, wielding the domain of light. It also provided further background on Brennild.
So the girl in the black dress and Moserria had such a connection?
An un-falling Sky City... Brewing wine from the elves’ Fountain of Youth, using dragon skeletons as seats...
Was this the era when ancient humans lived, when the gods were at their peak?
"..."
[The sky was torn apart by lightning, the sun fell into the deep sea, the earth shattered into pieces.]
[The dragons that once soared through the heavens broke their wings in thunderstorms, the elves’ Fountain of Youth dried up and spewed magma, and the goblin cities were destroyed in the trembling earth.]
Everything returned to the beginning, the cataclysmic disaster that swept across the land. Was it merely a natural disaster, or were there more complex external factors?
Perhaps, back then, the ancient humans, or possibly multiple intelligent races, had simultaneously declared war upon the gods. Dragons climb snow-capped peaks and tore at Grace’s robes, dwarven magical artillery shot down the Sky City, the Fire God burned the World Tree, ultimately resulting in mutual destruction and the gradual retreat of the gods, marking the end of civilization in the Old Era.
Based on the current records and descriptions of these transcendent beings, their power might indeed be sufficient to cause destruction on a scale comparable to an apocalyptic disaster.
If that were the case, then all the previous mysteries would finally make sense.
Why Brennild was so arrogant and disdainful of humans, why she was so astonished upon seeing Astrid cast ancient spells.
At this thought, Astrid lowered her crossed legs. The shoe dangling from her toes slipped off with the movement, but she couldn’t be bothered to retrieve it.
Standing up, her two smooth, delicate black-stockinged feet stepped onto the soft carpet. The fine carpet fibers, barely covering the smoothness of her instep, resembled the luxurious silk draping a black forest cake.
With light, unhurried steps, the silver-haired beauty walked toward the imperial territory map hanging on the wall, searching for the approximate location of the Sky City mentioned in the scriptures.
The elves’ World Tree, judging by current geography, was located in the Takks Desert, southwest of the capital of the Valeria Empire. The Endless Sea lies east of the current Pan-Human Alliance, southeast of Post City.
The description for the Sky City was [southeast of the World Tree, west of the Endless Sea].
She raised her hand, tracing the map’s coordinates, crossing mountains and rivers, until her finger finally stopped at Carter Lake, adjacent to Velmoria Knight Academy Lorraine City.
Carter Lake was the largest inland freshwater lake in the Valeria Empire. It wasn’t connected to any rivers and was located a considerable distance from both the coast and the northern snow-capped mountains. Its exact formation remains unknown.
According to the travelogue, a river did exist above the Sky City, flowing from the sky down into the land, forming an incredibly magnificent waterfall.
If the records were accurate, such a massive water reservoir would require a vast open area. Carter Lake clearly fits this condition, and its location was exactly southwest of the World Tree and west of the Endless Sea.
Could it be... that the Sky City was currently floating above Lorraine City?
Astrid narrowed her eyes, her crimson pupils glinting with tiny sparks. After a moment, she shook her head to herself.
Not necessarily. Even the gods themselves could barely survive. This special city brimming with divine power might no longer exist.
For all she knew, it had long since fallen into the deep sea, carried away by violent winds, just like the deep blue brooch she wore on her chest.
For now, she will record it and send nearby Arcanist mages to investigate. There was no need to rush into action until its existence was confirmed.
"Tap tap..."
A rhythmic knocking echoed through the room. Astrid responded with a "come in," and the next moment, a golden-haired girl in a pale pink dress, her legs wrapped in fine white stockings, entered the bedroom.
After briefly exchanging the recent discovery with Amalia, the white-stockinged girl immediately responded that she would arrange for people to go investigate.
"Velmoria Knight Academy in Lorraine City is the Empire’s second greatest academy, having produced many Master Knights."
"Plus, the city itself is quite prosperous, with mages and knights passing through constantly. In thousands of years, no one has ever discovered a Sky City above their heads. The chances of finding it now probably aren’t high."
Astrid nodded in agreement with Amalia’s assessment.
"That’s exactly what I thought. So, if possible, we should have Arcanist-level mages conduct the investigation."
Not only did they have a wider range of mental detection, but they could also fly much higher than ordinary Master Knights or Magnus.
"Mm, we’ll do as you say."
"How was Amalia’s weekly meeting today?"
"Same as always, endless back-and-forth over tax issues. Some noble families are deceiving superiors and oppressing subordinates. Evidence has already reached me. I’m planning to deal with them soon."
"If these greedy, immoral little insects knew the meaning of restraint, they wouldn’t have caused such a mess by now."
Amalia wrapped her arms around Astrid’s waist, gently guiding her backward step by step until they sat down on the soft bed. Her slender, tender white-stockinged legs wrapped around the alluring dark chocolate, kicking off her shoes. Her pair of white-stockinged snow-white feet pressed against the delicate ink-jade ankles, reversing the natural order by making her older sister sit in her lap.
"Coincidentally, the Empire just won a major victory recently, and imperial authority has reached its peak. I plan to use this moment to punish them for profiteering and neglecting military affairs."
"It’ll serve as an example to scare the others, letting them know the Empress isn’t always lenient, that he won’t back down on everything."
Listening to Amalia’s soft, melodious voice discussing the confiscation of estates and making examples of others, along with her tightly locked arms and legs, Astrid couldn’t help but sense a trace of the imperial aura she’d once felt before her father.
In certain ways, Amalia was becoming more and more like Kanto.
Feeling Amalia’s hand quietly resting on the waistband of her pantyhose, about to make a move, Astrid whispered gently.
"Go ahead. As long as your reasons are sound, no one will question Amalia."
Of course, anyone with half a brain could tell, Amalia had chosen this moment to target the nobles clearly to replenish the state treasury, avoid the failure to fulfill earlier promises.
But under the current climate of growing imperial authority, with solid evidence and supplemented by control via the Imperial Weekly, such actions wouldn’t shake the Empire’s foundations, nor could they be considered cutting off one’s nose to spite one’s face.
Hearing this, Amalia fluttered her eyelashes, the soft, tender tip of her ice-cream-like foot light brushing against Astrid’s calf. Her pink lips, pressed against Astrid’s neck, opened and closed as she softly replied.
"Okay, I’ll put it on the agenda together."
With her sister’s support, her last trace of concern disappeared.
Through the soft fabric of the princess dress, Astrid felt the faint, soft pressure against her back. It was far from matching her little aunt’s grandeur, which could inspire awe purely through visual impact, yet it was particularly endearing due to the deliberate gesture.
Then, she heard Amalia speak softly.
"Sister just said... I should go ahead and do it, right..."
Her delicate nose inhaled, and the refreshing fragrance from Astrid’s silver hair wafted past, warming the air. Her pale white fingers traced circles along the edge of the silk fabric, as if playing a piano.
In her mental vision, Amalia had activated a soundproof barrier, a signal on par with putting on white thigh-high stockings after a bath, essentially declaring what was about to unfold.
"Then I... shall begin right away~" Amalia whispered.
Last night, considering the morning meeting, Astrid and Amalia had showered and went straight to sleep. She hadn’t expected the latter to be so passionate, eager to make up for the missing night in broad daylight. freewebnovёl.ƈom
Feeling the fluid, water-like presence behind her, Astrid naturally didn’t refuse.
"It’s not impossible... but mind the time. We’ll have lunch soon."
"Hmm, I know."
Let her first savor another delicious dish, always satisfying, always craved.
With that, Amalia buried her head in Astrid’s hair, her gentle voice.
"Sister... you smell so good..."
Afterward, everything was beyond words. In the warm room, a beautiful symphony rose and fell continuously.
...............
To maintain freshness during stress relief, the Empress always prepares meticulously, whether the location of the "fight" or the corresponding combat armor, everything was carefully considered.
The dress had to be custom-made by the Royal Atelier, not overly form-fitting, which would highlight her modest figure’s concerns, but rather made of relatively loose, soft fabric to emphasize a delicate and adorable style.
The small, exquisite crown was optional. Gloves depend on her sister’s mood. If the dress today was off-the-shoulder, revealing Astrid’s smooth, rounded shoulders and petite collarbones accentuated by milky skin, then the arm sleeves had to be silk, half-covering the arms to make the lace patterns more prominent.
As for the choice of legwear, it was even more critical. Every detail, the texture of the material (cool silk, mulberry silk, or velvet), the specific style (thigh-highs, pantyhose, or garter belts), was calculated. Whether to include patterns, whether pure white or prepared pink sheer, each was part of Amalia’s meticulous planning.
And the shoes on her feet, though often unused, must never be carelessly chosen. Consistency was essential for everyone to relax.
Thanks to not needing to walk, her choices here were naturally more varied than in everyday life, from Mary Janes to white high heels embedded with fine diamonds, to ornate silver openwork sandals, and even pearl anklets winding around her white-stockinged ankles. Amalia practically never repeats a set.
This naturally makes it seem to Astrid that every time, Amalia’s outfit was slightly different.
She strongly suspected that someone was an insatiable, overly eager little imp. If not for the fact that one bore the surname Ovesia and the other Felsis, they might as well be classified as influenced by the same succubus gene.
Afterward, they went to the restroom for a shower. Astrid picked up her small leather shoes, helped Amalia put on a brand-new pair of white thigh-highs, then took her hand and headed to the dining room for the meal.
Feeling slightly tired in body, with her limbs pleasantly numb, it was time to eat something truly filling.
