Araloth had been feeling quite good about himself lately.
As the Woodland Lord of Talsyn, which made him a half-ruler of Athel Loren, Araloth was not only recognized as a hero among the Wood Elves but also the chosen champion of Queen Ariel. His fame had spread throughout Athel Loren and even across the Old World, reaching the New World via High Elf trade routes.
After a long absence, the High Elves had once again sent an envoy to negotiate with the Wood Elves. Queen Ariel appointed Araloth to receive the envoys, instructing him to entertain the guests warmly, allow them to tour Athel Loren, but under no circumstances agree to any treaties or alliances. If the High Elves made any overtures towards unification, Araloth was to drive them out of Athel Loren.
Araloth did as instructed. The envoy sent by Phoenix King Finubar, leading a large delegation of over a hundred members, arrived in Athel Loren. They found themselves warmly welcomed by their long-separated kin, who wined and dined them with the finest food and drink Athel Loren had to offer. Then, politely but firmly, they were told, "Enjoy the venison, it's the best in Athel Loren."
"Thank you, it's delicious. By the way, esteemed Araloth, we wish to meet with King Orion and Queen Ariel..."
"Ah, dear guests from Ulthuan, have you tried our Athel Loren-made fruit wine?"
"Thank you, but Araloth, about the defense alliance and trade agreement we discussed earlier..."
"Envoys of Finubar, have you ever tasted the wine from Bretonnia? We've just imported some from our neighbors; you must try it! It's a rare opportunity!"
"Uh..."
"Kin from across the sea, tomorrow we'll take you on a tour of the Evernight Forest. Rest well!"
And so, the High Elves arrived with high hopes but left feeling frustrated.
Araloth successfully completed his task and was rewarded by Orion and Ariel. The King of the Forest bestowed upon him an arrow infused with the power of Kurnous, and Queen Ariel granted him the power of Isha. Seizing this opportunity, Araloth made a bold push to break through to the Sanctuary level and succeeded!
At just over three hundred years old, Araloth was still considered very young by Wood Elf standards (Wood Elves typically lived two to three thousand years), and his personal reputation reached its peak after his breakthrough.
But what thrilled Araloth the most was the appearance of the Moon Goddess, Lilith. On a full moon night, Lilith appeared beneath the Ancient Oak in Athel Loren. Bathed in moonlight and surrounded by forest spirits, her image confirmed Araloth's contributions, and she personally gifted him a magnificent helmet.
The helmet was a typical Wood Elf design with eagle-winged horns, but uniquely, it was entirely green. The helmet's surface was a mix of emerald and dark green, covered with green leaves that exuded powerful life force and emitted a dazzling green light. Araloth loved this helmet so much that, after receiving it, he wore it all the time, rarely taking it off except for eating and sleeping.
Thus, from the second-floor private room, Ryan immediately spotted Araloth. The green light from his helmet was so bright and eye-catching that it illuminated the entire interior of the tavern. Judging by Araloth's expression, he seemed quite proud.
This helmet was a gift from Lilith herself!
Ryan couldn't help but chuckle as he watched. He tried hard to suppress his laughter, covering his mouth to keep it quiet, but every time he glanced at Araloth's helmet, his body shook with laughter, and his face turned red. It took him several minutes to finally stifle his amusement.
"Isn't that the Wood Elf hero, Araloth? What's so funny?" Morgiana, puzzled by Ryan's incessant laughter, reached out to cover his mouth, a bit annoyed. "Alright, stop laughing. Dinner's over. Shall we head back to our room?"
"Wait, no rush," Ryan replied, holding Morgiana close. He knew very well what Morgiana meant by returning to their room. The Duke of Mousillon embraced the Lake Witch, pulling her close to the private room window as they secretly observed Araloth and the two Waywatchers behind him. "Wood Elves don't appear here without a reason. Araloth must have some purpose for being here."
Morgiana silently nodded in agreement. Although she had harbored deep resentment towards the Wood Elves after being betrayed, she had somewhat changed her view of them due to their timely reinforcements in the Battle for Mousillon.
Many people imagined Wood Elves as recluses who could stay within the forest for thousands of years, remaining absolute isolationists. This was only half true. While Wood Elves rarely left Athel Loren, they weren't complete shut-ins. These "forest introverts" understood that to enjoy peace, they needed to keep a close watch on the outside world. Many Wood Elves ventured beyond the forest to establish outposts, serve as mercenaries, or even open shops and settle down. Their goal was to gather external information and continuously feed it back to Athel Loren, allowing the Council of Lords to assess and adjust their diplomatic and war strategies.
Thus, when Ryan arrived in Bretonnia, the Wood Elves were the first to learn of him, evaluate his situation, and ultimately choose him as their only trade partner outside the forest.
Ryan figured that Araloth's appearance here likely had a specific purpose, so he decided to wait and see.
However, as soon as the Duke of Mousillon's gaze returned to Araloth's glowing green helmet, he almost burst out laughing again.
That helmet had indeed been crafted by the Lady of the Lake, originally intended for Ryan. The Lady had noticed that Ryan never wore a helmet and assumed it was because he didn't have a good one, so she commissioned the Elven Forge God Vaul to create a new helmet for him.
The all-green color scheme had been planned from the start because, in this world, green symbolizes safety, positive change, environmental consciousness, and harmony—completely unrelated to any negative connotations.
But Ryan couldn't accept it. He had explained to the Lady of the Lake that he didn't wear helmets, especially not green ones, and suggested she give it to Araloth instead.
The Lady had been a bit annoyed, as the helmet was meant as a gift for her boyfriend, and now it was being passed to someone else. Was Ryan willing to "sell his soul" just to win over Araloth, like Teclis might? Ryan had then given the Lady a detailed explanation of the cultural significance of a "green hat" in his homeland.
The goddess had laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, remarking that most of the Wood Elf lords wore green helmets. Did that mean they were all "green"?
Ryan insisted he couldn't accept it and asked her to give the green helmet to Araloth instead.
Araloth had been ecstatic to receive a gift from the Lady of the Lake. He felt honored and valued by the goddess, and the power bestowed by the helmet greatly boosted his confidence, playing a decisive role in his breakthrough to the Sanctuary level.
After entering the tavern, the Wood Elf hero began drinking and eating with the two Waywatchers, and the server spent quite some time preparing roasted bear paws for them. Araloth and the Waywatchers conversed in low tones, but Ryan couldn't make out what they were discussing. "Damn, if only I could figure out what Araloth is doing here."
"You're thinking of involving Araloth in the Eight Peaks Mountain expedition, aren't you?" Morgiana lifted her head from Ryan's embrace, understanding his thoughts.
"If possible, why not?" Ryan shrugged naturally. "The Wood Elves' arrows could be crucial in suppressing the Greenskins and aiding our assault. If Araloth and his Talon Guard join the expedition, that would be ideal."
"...You decide," Morgiana said, not thrilled about Ryan starting to prepare for another major expedition just after returning home for a year or two. As the Lake Witch, her role also meant she couldn't leave Bretonnia's borders. "Besides Araloth, who else are you planning to take?"
"My plan includes myself, King Belegar, Veronica, and Olica, as well as Araloth," Ryan thought for a moment. "Theresa is an Ice Sorceress, and her magic isn't suitable for use in the Badlands. So, aside from King Belegar, we'd have four Sanctuary-level fighters. That should be enough to handle the complexities of Eight Peaks Mountain."
"If you want to invite Araloth, then go down there and get it over with," Morgiana said, not pleased. "If not, let's go back to the room."
"Those quirky Asrai... If I ask them directly, there's a high chance they'll refuse outright," Ryan shook his head, thinking for a moment before continuing, "I'll need to find a way to make the Wood Elves ask to join the expedition."
"Then let's go back to the room," Morgiana whispered, leaning into Ryan. "Whatever you want to do, Ryan, I'll agree to it, okay?"
"Alright, let's head back," Ryan said, putting aside other thoughts. He stood up, taking Morgiana's hand. The Lake Witch adjusted her skirt and smoothed the wrinkles in her flesh-colored stockings before following Ryan out of the private room.
...
Time passed quickly after Ryan returned to his territory. After spending a few days with Morgiana, he began preparing for the Winter Solstice honors ceremony. His son, Devonshire, was already a year and a half old and growing fast.
Ryan spent a lot of time teaching him how to use psychic powers.
There was also the construction of the magical crystal cannons brought by the Garland Council. The first magic crystal cannon, "Morgiana's New Toy," built by the dwarf workshop along the River Chalon, had already been installed on the walls of Mousillon.
During this period, the dwarven workshop was running at full capacity, producing a second and third magical crystal cannon, named "Lady's Judgment" and "Ryan's Hammer," respectively.
After completing the three cannons, the production temporarily halted. Dwarven engineer Dugan Ironhand informed Ryan that producing the cannons had consumed too much of the workshop's resources, leaving other projects waiting. Additionally, the raw materials for the magical crystal cannons were exhausted, and with the remaining scraps, Dugan had managed to produce ten Dwarf Repeater Guns, also known as Rune Shotguns, which were devastating at close range.
"Is there no way to import more raw materials?" Ryan asked Dugan.
"Ah, Ryan, our previous materials came from the Eternal Dragonstone Fortress in Blackstone Hold and from the supplies sent by that Sanctuary-level sorceress. These magical ores aren't found locally in Bretonnia," Dugan explained. "The mines in the Grey Mountains and Black Mountains were mostly depleted thousands of years ago. If you want more of these special ores, you'd have to look in the Troll Country to the north, the Norsca Mountains, or even the World's Edge Mountains. Or... you could write to that Sanctuary-level sorceress and see if she has more of the material."
The Sanctuary-level sorceress, Aurora? Ryan hesitated. He already owed Aurora a favor. As one of the elders of the Garland Council, she was extremely shrewd. If Ryan asked for her help now, he'd certainly have to repay her generously in the future.
The Norsca Mountains, on the other hand, were always rich in such materials. The Chaos Winds blowing from the far north constantly altered the land, forming new mineral veins in just a few decades, whereas such formations would normally take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years. Many of these veins were exposed and rarely mined.
Occasionally, the Norscans would trade these ores with the Nordlanders or Marienburgers, but most of the time, both sides weren't interested in peaceful exchanges.
"Is there no other way?" Ryan asked.
"Well... we could try our luck at Karak-Norn, the Copper Mountain Hold. Unlike Karak Ziflin, many of its fortresses have been abandoned for a long time, with only a few hundred dwarves still holding out. We haven't been in contact with them for years," Dugan sighed. "Maybe we could organize an expedition."
"Hmm... Alright, try to reach out to the dwarves of Copper Mountain Hold. I'll write to Lady Aurora to see if she has any more raw materials," Ryan decided after a brief thought. "Let's divide our efforts."
"Got it," Dugan agreed without much thought.
Thus, a letter penned by Ryan left Bretonnia and, through magical transmission, reached the Sky Bastion on the edge of the World's Edge Mountains. The letter was delivered by an apprentice to the sorceress Theresa, who was attending a meeting at the Sky Bastion.
"Mother, Ryan has written to us!"
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