The team ventured deep into the Silent Forest.
The surrounding trees were long dead, their twisted branches reaching toward the lead-gray sky like grotesque fingers.
The rotting soil emitted a sweet, sickening stench, and the suffocating aura of death permeated every crevice, pressing down on their chests.
Lin Qingyue scanned their surroundings vigilantly while mentally unleashing a furious tirade.
This undead territory has such atrocious taste! It's basically a giant open-air garbage dump!
Living here day after day... their skeletons must be blackened with rot by now!
Lin Xiyue, however, was brimming with excitement. She poked a twisted vine covered in bony thorns with the hilt of her sword and whispered to Lin Qingyue:
"Sis, look at this thing! It looks like an evolved sea urchin! Do you think it'd be crunchy?"
A vein pulsed at Lin Qingyue's temple as she slapped the sword hilt away.
"Stow your foodie adventurer spirit. You'll end up as their snack first if you're not careful."
Su Wan's brow furrowed deeply.
The icy aura swirling around her fingertips was even more intense than usual, yet she could still feel the Death Energy pressing down on her, subtly suppressing her Ice Element magic.
The oppressive atmosphere paled her face, yet her eyes burned with unwavering resolve, as if locked in a silent struggle against the oppressive environment.
Xia Lian gripped her shortbow tightly, each step measured and feather-light, her eyes darting nervously across every inch of the terrain.
After a stretch of stifling silence, Lin Qingyue finally couldn't contain herself any longer. She turned to face the solitary figure ahead.
"Commander," Lin Qingyue called out, breaking the silence. "I have a question, though I'm unsure whether it's appropriate to ask."
Aeldara's footsteps halted.
She turned, her crimson eyes sweeping over Lin Qingyue. Her tone remained icy, but the chilling distance that kept others at bay had softened slightly. "Speak."
"It's just... earlier, that Undead Lord named Mograss—his hatred for you seemed to go beyond mere hostility." Lin Qingyue carefully chose her words, trying to frame her curiosity as a serious academic inquiry.
"He called you a 'traitor' and accused you of 'desecrating the art of death'... It sounds more like some personal vendetta between you two?"
As soon as the words left her lips, Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian's ears perked up in unison, their gazes burning intently as they locked onto Aeldara.
Aeldara remained silent for a moment.
She lifted her head, gazing at the sky fractured by withered branches, her voice taking on an indefinable weight.
"Mograss is one of the lords of the Undead Race's Blighted Legion. He worships pure death, viewing it as both the ultimate end and absolute tranquility."
"Mm-hmm, and then?" Lin Xiyue's eyes gleamed with anticipation, her expression screaming, "Just serve it up already! I can't wait!"
"As for me... I pioneered the path for the living to become Death Knights." Aeldara's tone carried a hint of mockery. "He hates me because I possess what he can never attain—freedom."
"Freedom?" Su Wan asked, puzzled.
"Mograss has long been completely undead, his soul branded by a higher-tier entity," Aeldara explained. "He cannot defy or escape the orders of these higher-tier undead. He's merely a puppet manipulated by silken threads."
"But we, my Knight Order and I, though we wield the Power of Death, our wills remain our own—free."
She sneered.
"In his eyes, the living controlling death is theft, blasphemy."
"In reality, he's simply jealous."
"Jealous that I can command death without sacrificing my freedom."
Lin Qingyue's gossip-loving soul went into overdrive.
Oho! The core gossip is here! Orthodoxy Dispute! Envy, jealousy, and resentment! I know this script well—it's the classic tale of an old fogey who climbed the ladder by seniority, jealous of a brilliant young prodigy!
"So, he's just a lemon?" Lin Xiyue slapped her thigh, summarizing the situation perfectly.
"A lemon?" Aeldara looked puzzled by the unfamiliar term.
"You know... bitter and sour," Lin Qingyue explained succinctly.
On Aeldara's perpetually icy face, the corners of her lips twitched upward by a few pixels.
She seemed to understand, even nodding slightly.
"A very apt metaphor."
"Then... Commander, how did you come up with the idea to pioneer this path?" Xia Lian asked softly, her voice brimming with reverence. "It must have involved incredibly rigorous and lengthy research, right?"
At this question, the muscles in Aeldara's eternally frozen face stiffened for a fleeting moment.
Her crimson eyes flickered, as if recalling something distant and slightly embarrassing.
"The lifespan of the Elven Race... is very long, often spanning several millennia," Aeldara began slowly, a hint of awkwardness in her tone.
"Therefore, our adolescence is also far longer than yours."
"And the rebellious phase of adolescence is often the Elves' golden age of imagination and creativity," she added. "Many great inventions and discoveries were born during that period."
Lin Qingyue's heart instantly bloomed with glee.
Ha ha ha! After all this buildup, she's finally admitting this Death Knight thing was her chuunii phase masterpiece!
The Elven Race's rebellious phase sounds so high-end. I wonder if they also had idol groups with synchronized dance routines and dramatic hair flips?
"Becoming a Death Knight while still alive—that was my invention during my rebellious adolescence," Aeldara stated calmly, though Lin Qingyue couldn't shake the feeling that she was desperately clinging to her aloof persona.
Pfft!
Lin Xiyue couldn't contain her laughter.
As Aeldara's icy gaze swept over her, she clamped her hand over her mouth at lightning speed, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably like a sieve. She was so delighted she felt like she might fall apart.
"Back then," Aeldara's voice finally carried a hint of self-satisfied nostalgia, "I just found it so boring that the Council of Elders, those old fogeys, were always droning on about 'revering life and shunning death.'"
"The Power of Death is so immense—why should only the undead wield it? I refused to believe such nonsense."
Lin Qingyue mentally erupted in applause.
This sis really went all out during her rebellious phase! Most people just run away from home, smoke, drink, or get a new hairstyle. But her rebellion led to founding an entire sect and creating a new profession! Talk about thinking big!
"And then what happened?" Su Wan asked, utterly captivated.
"Then... I succeeded."
Aeldara's reply was casual, as if she were simply describing completing a homework assignment.
"I studied the composition of the undead, the flow patterns of Death Energy, and successfully integrated it into my own body without any adverse effects on my physical functions."
"After that, I presented my research findings to Her Majesty the Queen."
"The Queen didn't scold you?" Lin Xiyue asked, craning her neck curiously.
"She praised my work as brilliant."
Aeldara lifted her chin slightly, a subtle note of pride coloring her voice, though she seemed unaware of it herself.
"The Queen said, 'Young people should have the boldness to break with convention.' Then she authorized me to establish the Silent Watch Knight Order."
Wow, Her Majesty has found a kindred spirit! No wonder she's such a formidable figure—someone who dared to play wild in her youth and still admits it!
Lin Qingyue mentally gave the monarch and her minister a thumbs-up.
"Enough idle chatter."
Aeldara's tone shifted abruptly, her gaze sharpening into two icy probes that pierced the distant darkness.
"Situation ahead. Prepare yourselves."
The relaxed atmosphere shattered instantly, every nerve tightening like a taut string.
Lin Qingyue followed Aeldara's line of sight. At the edge of the forest, the normally pitch-black horizon glowed ominously red from a distant blaze.
Faint battle cries, the thunderous booms of magic, the crashing of collapsing structures, and desperate screams rode on the foul wind, carrying distant echoes of chaos.
Amidst the flickering flames, the imposing silhouette of a human city—thick walls and towering watchtowers—emerged and vanished like an isolated island in hell.
"Is that... a human settlement?" Su Wan whispered, seeking confirmation.
"Yes," Aeldara replied, her voice sinking to a chilling monotone, each word like shards of ice. "And it's falling."
Lin Qingyue's heart clenched violently.
The undead are advancing far faster than we anticipated. Great, our reconnaissance mission just turned into an emergency rescue. Things are about to get lively.
"Prepare for battle!" Lin Qingyue's voice rang out, clear and resolute. "Sisters, a random event has triggered! Get ready to snatch some kills!"