Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2051 2023. Called 'Snake'

"In the Shadowlands," Lann raised an eyebrow, "aside from you few who just entered, are there other demigods?"

Michaela, Marlenia, and even Melina herself were all newcomers to the Shadowlands.

Since Melina brought this up specifically at this time, she was clearly not referring to the Twin Trees.

"Strictly speaking, when he and his legion were sealed together in the Shadowlands and separated from the Borderlands, there was no such thing as a 'Golden Demigod' in this world."

The title of Golden Demigod is a title bestowed upon someone, but before the War of the Titans was over, the Golden Dynasty, which was supposed to be the bestower of the title, had not yet been formally established, so there was no bestowal of the title.

However, whether or not someone has an official title is one thing, and whether the person Melina is referring to is Queen Marika's son is another matter entirely.

Looking at the perpetually gloomy sky outside the pavilion, Lan En joked, "He's been sealed in the Shadowlands for so long, he must know nothing about the outside world, right? Could you use that information gap to go over and claim kinship with him?"

"He's been in the Shadowlands for so long, and he's the son of Marika, who has noble blood and a powerful background. He should be quite famous in the Shadowlands, right?"

However, Melina rejected Lann's joke with a resounding "no," even giving him a warning look.

“Please don’t think that way, Lann,” Melina said. “Messermo is a gloomy person. You could even say… he’s extremely dangerous.”

"Queen Marika sealed him here along with the Shadowlands, which can hardly be called 'care'."

The Witcher followed up on the other person's question by asking, "Is there a reason?"

Melina nodded first, then, seemingly changing the subject, said, "The people of the borderlands especially hate the 'snake.' This hatred has existed since ancient times, but it reached its peak during the Golden Dynasty. This is because people believe that the 'snake' betrayed Queen Marika and caused the Age of Abundance to end in an instant."

“'The snake' is the symbol of Messermo.”

"In the bountiful age of the Golden Law, the blessings of the Golden Tree dripped from the Shadow Tree, and people could directly receive this supreme blessing."

Melina raised her hand and pointed to the golden light sand flowing from the trunk of the black tree on the distant horizon, like resin and sap.

Those luminous sands were the blessings of the golden tree, but since the Age of Abundance, no blessing has ever dripped directly down again.

"But at that time, Messermo was sent by Queen Marika to the Shadowlands on an expedition. Subsequently, the Shadowlands and the Shadowtree were separated and sealed away by the Queen."

"The Shadowtrees that bestowed blessings are gone, as are the Shadowlands, which served as the center of the borderlands in every sense, and the Age of Abundance has passed in an instant. People believe that Messermo, or 'the serpent,' stole them during the expedition."

"Therefore, the snake has become the most despicable and ominous symbol."

“The criticisms from the outside world can’t reach the Shadowlands, but the fact that they are ‘isolated from the borderlands along with the Legion’ is enough to make people resentful.”

"Given his dangerousness, I don't think it would be a good thing to be honest with him about the current state of the Golden Dynasty and my identity."

Melina shook her head: "However, I don't really understand Mesmer, nor do I know much about Shadowlands. All I know comes from vague memories inherited from others. But I think there's nothing wrong with Michaela wanting to become a god using the Gate of God."

"The border region is in such a state of chaos now. Whoever has the power to restore order and get things back on track is a good thing. Besides, Michaela himself has a very good reputation."

"He wants to become a god, but in the end, he still needs to find a way to enter the Golden Tree. He still needs to burn the Golden Tree. It doesn't conflict with us."

Melina clearly wanted to lighten the mood with good news, but Lann shook his head: "I also hope things can be simpler, that Michaela can become the new god who quells the chaos, and that Marlenia can find peace once she finds her brother."

"But my experience... or rather my intuition tells me: it's best not to assume that the situation will improve before things have settled down."

Melina nodded: "How to do it is up to you."

She had already achieved a remarkable level of communication efficiency by speaking so much today, so she didn't emphasize the special nature and danger of the Shadowlands to the Witcher any further. She tucked her hands into her wide cloak, shook them, and they vanished into blue light spots.

Lan En propped himself up on the stone pillar of the pavilion and glanced at the sky outside the pavilion one last time.

By this time, it was already darker. The place, which had appeared unusually gloomy and shadowy during the day, seemed much more normal at night.

However, the illusory curtains between the clouds in the sky became increasingly conspicuous.

On the cemetery plain, the scattered graves among the yellow withered grass glowed faintly in the night.

It was deathly silent and eerie.

The Witcher didn't linger; in fact, given his efficiency, he had already completed the observation and clearing of the surrounding area.

The slowdown was merely to extract more information about the Shadowlands from Melina.

Unexpectedly, 'Little Wooden Head', who is usually quiet, revealed a lot of shocking information when Shadow came. He even brought up Queen Marika's dark history of 'getting on the bus first and buying the ticket later' when she was young.

After communicating with his 'Borderland Encyclopedia', Lan En got up and returned to the entrance of the Blood Monster's lair from which they had previously rushed out.

The plush ball is quick and skillful, and wilderness survival is a piece of cake for the Palico that has been trained as a hunting cat.

When Lan En returned, he saw that a small campsite had been set up along the cave entrance.

Using the rock wall at the cave entrance, the velvet ball propped up a large tarpaulin as a roof.

A simple campfire is being set up now.

The withered grass on the cemetery plain was laid out below. The Qilin snorted upwards, and its saliva, carrying sparks, ignited it.

The velvet ball was carrying a frying pan, intending to use the campfire to fry some crab and octopus eggs from the border region.

Both of these creatures are quite large in the border region, so their eggs are also quite large.

The velvet ball was still holding its little waist bag, taking out a small packet of face powder and sprinkling it on.

This is a fragrance recipe that it obtained from the perfumer before Torisha left Rodel with the hybrids and the children of ominous signs. It contains dried shredded golden wheel grass and herb grass.

It is said that the nobles of the Golden Dynasty were very fond of this.

Velvetball is, after all, a Palico that can work properly as a helper in the New World Expedition's canteen; her methods are rough, but the food is delicious.

The aroma of butter-fried seafood mingled with the fragrance of specially blended spice powder, filling the surrounding air.

But when Lann returned, he saw that Marlene had already lay down on a camping blanket at the very edge of the tarpaulin.

He didn't remove his prosthetic leg, nor did he tidy himself up; he simply placed his helmet aside. Then he fell asleep soundly.

Margarita took the Witcher's advice and sat alone on a camping blanket furthest from Marlene, leaning against the rock wall, hugging her knees, gazing blankly at the endless graveyard plain outside.

The only ones who remained energetic in the camp were the busy calico kitten and the Qilin waiting for its meal.

When the Witcher returned, he walked past the Valkyrie, who seemed to be fast asleep, nodded to the velvet ball, passed the campfire, and headed toward the sorceress sitting with her back against the rock wall.

He didn't try to hide his footsteps, so when he reached Margarita, the sorceress spoke first.

"Want to walk with me alone?"

Her eyes weren't on Lan En; instead, she was still staring blankly into the distance.

The Witcher nodded, and then the two stepped out of the tarpaulin covering their heads and headed towards the back of the cave.

At first, the sorceress deliberately avoided the illusory tombstones as she walked, but soon she realized that these things had no physical form and could not affect any matter, so she simply started walking on them.

The two walked under the illusory light of the spirit tomb. The further they got from the camp, the only sound around them was the rustling of grass.

“So,” Margarita tossed her hair, speaking suddenly and seemingly unintentionally, “were all the worlds you’ve experienced before just like this… dangerous?”

As she tossed her long, golden hair, a pleasant fragrance naturally wafted out.

Perfume made with magic can retain its fragrance for a long time, even after passing through a pool of filthy blood.

Lan En knew that she always used the best.

"This is a world where gods truly exist, and the gods, and those qualified to become gods, fight each other. It's very different from other worlds."

Lan En spoke casually, implying that the border area was an exception.

These words came out subconsciously to Lan En, almost without thinking, as if it were a natural reaction.

He was only nineteen when he arrived in the magical Middle Ages, but now, after experiencing so much, he is almost twenty-five.

The time he spent growing up, along with the education and cultural environment he experienced from childhood, seemed to have subtly seeped into his very being.

So much so that he was a little dazed after saying those words.

So, I've reached the point where I don't want to share the difficulties and hardships I face outside with my family anymore?
(End of this chapter)