Gou is a dark elf in Warhammer

Renn looked around at his surroundings.

The temple city of Huzuma was not large, its core consisting of three pyramids standing in a triangular shape. He carefully examined the carvings on the bases and sides of the pyramids, looking at the rugged, powerful hunting and war reliefs depicting lizards devouring human hearts and fighting giant beasts.

He quickly determined that the three pyramids belonged to the ancient saint Zcadi.

The Zkadi's domain is the "power of offense," symbolizing their most primal and ferocious nature, and they are worshipped only by the Lizardmen. Devouring the hearts of their enemies in battle is considered the highest form of sacrifice.

Radiating outwards from the pyramid are clearly planned but somewhat rudimentary functional areas: meat storage halls, insect breeding farms, lizard residential areas, monitor lizard laborer communities, and lizardman military camps, all of which are ultimately tightly enclosed by that rough and tall wooden wall.

According to Darkus, the Dragon Islands were a later project in the Old Ones' works, and their construction order was after the continent of Lustria, the Southern Jungles, and even the Old Ones' Garden (Elsin Alwyn).

Based on this, Renn concluded that Huzuma was likely designed as a rare port city in the reptilian society, like Zetland and Chapeyuto, in its initial planning stages.

Otherwise, the stark, ancient-style dock ruins on the edge of the jungle would be inexplicable. It should have been centered around these three pyramids, expanding both into the jungle and along the coastline, eventually becoming a thriving metropolis.

Unfortunately, with the arrival of the Great Invasion, all expansion plans came to a permanent halt.

After a brief exchange with Imralion and Eldrasil, Renn, along with Akkadan and the squad of Shadow Hunters, walked directly towards the tallest pyramid in the center. The lizardman warriors guarding the entrance remained frozen in place like stone statues, showing no reaction to the approach of these outsiders; only the lingering sharp gaze in their eyes seemed to still be fulfilling their duty before the statue solidified.

Renn glanced at them, then stepped into the downward-sloping passageway inside the pyramid. Soon, the scene he had anticipated appeared before him.

Huzzuma's hatchery is still operational!

This is also why he disagreed with Asur's entry; he didn't want his compatriots to glimpse the core secrets of lizardman society. As for the Shadow Hunters who followed him in, there was no need to worry. Before becoming Shadow Hunters, these Duruchi were family guards of the Helban and Lengyan families, and were among the earliest Shadow Hunters.

The hatching pools are mysterious creations left behind by the ancient saints at the beginning of creation. Each pool is filled with a primordial liquid that flows with a faint light, containing profound secrets of ancient technology. Some pools are located deep in the jungle, some are hidden in cool underground caves, and many more are scattered deep within the core of temple cities like Huzuma.

Raine nodded slightly to the several hatchery cleaners and guardians who were standing there, stunned and staring blankly at the group of uninvited guests, as a gesture of greeting. He slowly walked to a hatchery and bent down to examine it.

In the pool, several leathery, yellow egg sacs floated in the viscous, shimmering liquid. He knew that these unhatched, tadpole-like larvae would gradually develop under the nourishment of the liquid and the resonance of the spiritual veins.

Once mature, the newborn individuals will break through the slurry and emerge from the water in a nearly fully grown form. This could be a group of spirit lizards, a team of lizardmen, or a single monitor lizard.

An incubation pool may continue to operate, endlessly; or it may lie dormant for thousands of years, just for a moment of awakening.

A single hatching of a spirit lizard can give birth to a group of soldiers, scribes, builders, or any other role the ancient saints shaped according to the needs of the moment. However, when a spirit lizard or lizardman hatches alone, it often foreshadows an extraordinary destiny for that person.

They are destined to become great leaders: Lizard Prophets, Lizard Priests, Lizardmen Ancient Blood Warriors, or Scarred Veterans.

Occasionally, an entire brood of offspring will hatch under the direct influence of one or more ancient saints. These individuals are born special; the color of their scales, their physiological structure, and even their mental tendencies are closely aligned with the symbols and attention of the guardian deity, as if the mark of the ancient saint has been directly imprinted on their existence.

The main feature is randomness.

Renn surveyed the scale of the hatchery pools. The number of pools wasn't large, roughly equivalent to that of Holoto. However, the hatchery itself was quite spacious, with much more open ground than the area occupied by the pools, as if awaiting future expansion.

"Incubation pool" is a general term—whether it's a single pool or a cluster of them.

Darkus and Renn used to rank all the incubators that were still in operation in their spare time.

The first tier is undisputed: Hesiota, Itaza, Taranxlan, and Slanwupek. These four temple cities are the incubation pools of the Ruscia lizardman society.

The second tier consists of Spikazuma and Zetland in the Southern Jungle.

The former, once restarted, provided much-needed replenishment to the mainland, while the latter barely managed to keep the southern society from completely collapsing.

The third group consists of Holoto and the Huzzuma in front of them.

It's just icing on the cake.

As for those isolated hatcheries scattered deep in the jungle... their influence is negligible, unless...

After completing the circle, Ryan straightened up, satisfied.

A good start?

Even if he ultimately failed to find the real target and complete the mission, simply discovering an incubation pool of comparable size to Horotho would make the journey worthwhile. But he knew in his heart that it was best not to stop there.

This is merely a delaying tactic, addressing the symptoms but not the root cause.

When leaving, Renn did not return the way he came, but instead turned to the entrance of another passage.

Galian felt bored. He stood listlessly on the combat platform in the plaza, waiting for orders. He had initially thought he would follow Renn into the pyramid, but his hopes were dashed.

However, the boredom didn't last long.

Standing high and looking far, he suddenly noticed that the spirit lizards in the distance had put down their work one after another. They weren't just a few here and there, but rather a whole group of them stopped what they were doing and silently and orderly gathered in the center of the square.

There was no commotion, no panic, only an unsettling, synchronized flow.

It was the same as what he had seen in Zetland, yet different? In short, it was strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was strange about it.

He exchanged glances with the sea guards beside him, then began to discuss things in hushed tones with Thelmara.

Why did they suddenly gather?

Meanwhile, using his keen sense of hidden passages, Renn discovered a cleverly concealed chamber deep within the pyramid. The moment the door opened, they didn't rush in; they had long since developed a rigorous procedure and technique for this. After waiting five minutes to confirm there were no traps or foul air, they cautiously stepped inside.

"Stone slabs!" After adjusting to the change in dim light, Yakadan's gaze immediately locked onto the heavy stone slabs piled in the corner.

Renn leaned closer and, using the light, bent down to examine it more closely. On the topmost stone slab, only two sets of rough and solitary characters were carved.

"Finish."

There was no cause, no consequence, and no signature. Only these two sets of characters, like a sigh that abruptly ended, are forever sealed here.

He waved his hand, signaling the Shadow Hunters to carefully move the stone slab away. As the slab was moved, he looked at the second, the third... After a moment, he sighed heavily.

He was quite certain that these stone slabs were not the ancient relics he was looking for. Judging from the strength of the engravings, the style of the patterns, and the choice of stone, they must have been made by the spirit scribe.

Scribes typically recorded texts on books made of folded bark, reed scrolls, or wax tablets, documenting everything from celestial movements and hatching almanacs to food reserves and climate change. Because jungle moisture constantly eroded these fragile materials, important records were often copied and eventually engraved on stone tablets for permanence.

The difference in style between the stone slabs made by the scribes and those forged by the ancient saints is as distinct as the difference between the architecture of the lizardmen and that of the ancient saints. The former bears the marks of human intervention and has a practical style, while the latter contains a geometric rhythm and resonance that transcends the mundane.

Although these stone tablets are not the target, they are extremely meaningful and valuable. They record the final moments of the Huzuma social order before its complete collapse.

Raine could even picture the scene: the scribes placing the stone tablet inscribed with "The End" in this secret chamber, silently sealing the entrance, and then, as the daylight faded, escaping the lizardmen's hunt and fleeing Huzuma into the jungle.

The legacy ends here, and civilization falls silent.

“Rain, come and see this.” Just as he was about to get up, a slightly anxious call came from the other side of the secret room.

He walked over and squatted down beside Yakadan. After just one glance, he sat down on the ground, not out of shock or exhaustion, but because he knew he needed a considerable amount of time to process what the stone slab before him contained.

The Temple of Radiance is located on the Isthmus of Lustia. He passed by there the first time he traveled across the continent with Darkus, and the temple did not react at all; the same thing happened the second time.

Throughout his long life, it was just an ordinary, unremarkable place.

During the raid on Quetzal, he suddenly awakened a strange perception; a voice seemed to be calling from the depths of his mind, urging him to return to the temple.

When he and Dakos arrived for the third time, everything had changed: the broken, magnificent totem suddenly cracked open, revealing a secret passage leading to the underground beneath its base.

Thus, a small adventure began.

Subsequently, Darkus discovered the second ancient sanctuary on the continent of Lustria there.

The strange perception that Renn awakened at that time was the prototype of the hidden passage.

The sanctuary did not contain the stone tablet, but it did house a piece of equipment—the "Blade of Reality."

Furthermore, the interior of the sanctuary is extremely strange; it appears both very large and very small, as if folded by space itself. Moreover, the scenery changes every so often, shifting between natural environments such as jungles, forests, and deserts.

Just like the domain ruled by the ancient sage Huang Qi, it was an excellent training ground for assassins.

Of course, Raine had thought it would be even better if specific scenarios could be simulated, but the Sanctuary did not provide such a feature.

Perhaps it's just that I'm using it incorrectly?
At this moment, staring at the inscriptions and illustrations on the stone slab in front of him, Renn was very certain that either they were not there, or they were being used incorrectly!

Because he found a corresponding reference.

The stone slabs on this side, with their distinct material, texture, and echoes, are genuine creations of the Ancient Saints, their content directly related to the Ancient Saint Zkadi, and are named: "Zkadi's Whispers".

Renn let out a bitter laugh.

He remembered the pistol that Dakos had captured during the Harpsiye Trials. Dakos always played with it with great interest, and once he had asked, "After the bullet is fired, how do you use this pistol if the enemy has already pounced on you?"

"Throw it out, use it as a projectile weapon!"

What was meant as a joke has now come back to hurl at him like a boomerang. In his use of the simulated environment of the Temple of the Radiant Gods, he was exactly the kind of guy who would throw a pistol like a stone.

But then again, it doesn't seem like he can be blamed, since he's never received any instruction manuals or user manuals.

In short, once fully formed, Zkadi's Whisper is essentially very similar to the simulated environment of the Temple of Radiance—both are training grounds. However, the former specializes in environmental simulation and survival adaptability, while the latter focuses on honing pure combat skills.

If we replace the word "whisper" with "reward," then the gift can be divided into three parts.

First level: Combat skills infusion.

By reciting specific incantations within the designated area, one can summon combat illusions that possess a tangible, impactful feel.

The second aspect: resilience.

In confronting and confronting powerful illusions, trial participants will gain increased resistance to chaotic corruption and mental terror.

The third level: Zikadi's approval.

The soul of the trial participant will bear the mark of Zkadi, permanently gaining and enhancing certain lizardman racial traits: powerful regeneration, complete immunity to toxins and diseases, and a significant increase in strength. The cost is a physiological aversion to cold environments and a tendency towards calmness or even indifference.

This is easy to understand: if the generated physical illusion is the Chaos Demon, then facing and defeating it is itself an extreme test of one's will and soul. Passing such a trial is equivalent to completing a game; if one can defeat the Demon, gaining Zkadi's approval is inevitable.

As for the cost... what kind of cost is this?

This place seems to have been designed specifically for the lizardmen, capable of training ordinary temple guards and warriors, as well as forging top-tier beings like Kuja, Gorok, and Chakas.

The most cunning of all.

Conversely, once the correct 'terms' are mastered, the simulated environment of the Temple of Radiance should be able to fix specific scenes, rather than switching completely randomly. Rein clearly remembers that once, during a sudden scene change, a Radiance Shadow Hunter got stuck in a tree trunk that suddenly appeared. Fortunately, the tree was somewhere between reality and illusion; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

As for the users… After Elsin Alvin returned to Lustria, Raine led the Shining Shadow Hunters, Loyk followers, and Adrezer followers to the Shining Temple for training. While it was an excellent training ground for assassins, and warriors could also benefit, it seemed rather rudimentary and primitive compared to the whispers of Zkadi.

The "Whispers of Zkadi" tablets do not explicitly limit the user's race. With the reference of the Temple of Radiant Gods, elves can also use it? Even if the third reward cannot be obtained, the ability to simulate a battle scenario of facing demons directly is already an immeasurable improvement for high-level warriors.

After all, not everyone can be like those around Darkus, who have the "fortunate" opportunity to face the Great Demon repeatedly, not just once or twice.

Before the Battle of Lor'then, many elves had never seen a demon, let alone a great demon.

Galian stood atop the battle platform, the sea breeze carrying salt and the dampness rising from the jungle brushing against his face. His gaze initially swept aimlessly across the dust-covered, mechanically behaving lizards below. But gradually, his body tensed; he had a premonition that something big was about to happen.

The lizards stopped.

Not just one or two, but a whole throng, silently setting down their timber, stone tools, and vines. They rose from the low workshops, the muddy ditches, and the corners piled with debris, and, as if propelled by an invisible tide, slowly but irreversibly converged on the center of the plaza before the pyramids. There was no conversation, no shoving, only the rustling of countless feet on the earth, weaving a deep and oppressive rhythm.

“They’re gathering…” Haiwei said in a low voice beside him, his tone filled with confusion and curiosity.

Thelmara narrowed her eyes, and even this experienced old seaman showed a focused expression.

“No weapons, no battle formations… they are waiting,” he concluded.

Just then, the ancient Triceratops powered by the Gods' Engine moved. The spirit lizard priest on its back—an elderly spirit lizard wearing a feathered crown—stood up. He didn't use any amplification device, but the syllables emanating from his throat were clear, desolate, and extremely penetrating, like an ancient wind blowing through every corner of the square.

"He...he was reciting. Reciting the city's original name, reciting the inscriptions on the pyramid's foundation, reciting under which stars the Zkadi's war horns had sounded..."

Shermara translated quickly.

Galian saw the spirit lizards in the front row raise their heads, and something seemed to be slowly awakening in those eyes that had been numb and cloudy from years of labor. They listened to those long-forgotten words, about building, about guarding, about the glory of each performing their duties under the gaze of the ancient saints.

The lizard priest's voice gradually rose in pitch; he no longer recounted the past, but began to proclaim.

The translator for Shymara followed closely behind, and his words were also tinged with emotion.

“He said… Order has never been broken, but has only been dormant. The veins have never been severed, but have only been dimmed. Now, the will that sustains all things has descended upon this place once more. Behold, on that chariot, is the very rhythm itself, the source of order.”

The priest stretched out his gnarled claws, pointing towards Lord Huynil Ethanque, who was silently suspended on the high platform.

At that moment, Galian witnessed the change taking place.

Like a spark falling into a long-dried-up oil pan, a deeper silence fell over the swarm of spirit lizards, as if each individual was digesting this unbelievable announcement. Then, the first trembling, hoarse echo rang out from somewhere, followed by a second, a tenth… merging into a low, resonant hum.

That wasn't language; it was more like a confirmation deeply rooted in thought.

The lizard priest opened his arms and emitted a long, ceremonial final note.

Shelmara took a deep breath and translated the last sentence.

“Return to your rightful place and fulfill the duties entrusted to you. The ancient saints' grand plan... is still breathing!”

hum! ! !
The roar that erupted in the square was no longer a low hum, but a deafening, purely emotional boom. The lizards raised their heads, pounding their chests and the ground with all their might, or touching each other's scales, emitting excited, almost convulsive hisses and cheers.

In Galian's perception, the sound was different from the fervor he had felt in Zetland. It was a cathartic release filled with almost painful emotions, the ecstasy of suddenly seeing a lighthouse after a long period of being lost, the trembling of a heavy burden being taken over by an invisible hand.

There were no cries of liberation, only the roar of return.

They were not cheering for the shackles to fall, but for the long-lost coordinates to finally reappear in the sky of their hearts. Order was not forcibly corrected with an iron fist, but rather, like the falling of light and the turning of the seasons, it naturally became the cornerstone of their existence once again.

For these spirit lizards, Master Hui's arrival was not 'salvation,' but a return of belonging. They were not celebrating freedom, but rediscovering that grand and orderly 'whole' to which they were willing to dedicate everything!
While Renn was still exploring the ancient secrets deep within the pyramids, the outside world, which had been at a standstill for so long, was beginning to slowly restart at a new, or rather, as it should be, rhythm.

He reached the top of the pyramid and stepped into the dusty, long-untouched observatory. Then he stopped before a stone wall. Instead of a mural, the wall bore a map.

Of course, it is also acceptable to categorize it as a mural.

The map clearly outlines the shape of the archipelago:
Asylum Island, the island where Huzuma is located, has another temple city marked on its west side—"Kasabe".

The island located north of Asylum is called Kotan Island, which is home to three cities: Oka at the southernmost point, Tukamon to the upper left, and Moki, which is on the same axis and on the same island as Tukamon.

The other island is even more astonishing in size!

The island of Hosamur is home to five temple cities.

Located in the lower right is 'Ho-Ko', and to the left is 'Kokomara'. To the north of Kokomara is 'Taxeda', and to its right is 'Ushushi'. Above Ushushi is 'Diz'.

Fortunately, it was Ryan who was there.

If Darkus were to see this picture, he would surely exclaim, "Good heavens! Ten temple cities are densely packed on just three islands!"

What is its density?

The temple is small but the evil wind blows strong; the water is shallow but the turtles abound. Hyenas roam everywhere; the big boss is everywhere.

After carefully recording this information, Renn led his team out of the pyramid.

He couldn't do what Dakota did.

The two were utterly incompatible: he could find hidden passages but couldn't pinpoint the exact location of the stone slabs; while Darkus could sense the stone slabs but struggled to discover hidden paths.

When the two work together, it's a powerful combination; but once they separate...

Fortunately, finding the stone tablets wasn't his responsibility, but rather Yakadan's task. Since the location was right there, and he couldn't escape, he could search at his own pace. His task was to open all the hidden passages he had discovered, paving the way for Yakadan's thorough search.

After a short midday rest, the team set off again. The personnel configuration had been subtly changed; the spirit lizard priest who controlled the God Engine had stayed behind and become the core of managing Huzuma's operations.

To this, Renn could only smile wryly; he had been too conservative.

This journey brought only two spirit lizard priests: one to serve Master Hui in his carriage, and the other to operate the engine. The rest of the accompanying spirit lizards were all warriors, prophets, or heroes.

If all ten temple cities were operational...

The way to start is very straightforward, consisting of two steps.

Step 1: The team gathers in the square.

Step Two: The Path of the Ancient Sages, Begins!
Like traveling from one train station to another, all the lizardmen's temple cities are built on leyline nodes, and the Ancient Sacred Path is the fastest and most direct route connecting these nodes.

The next moment, the group reappeared in a square.

But this is no longer Huzuma, but Casabe.

The first impression Casabe gave Renn was one of desolation, a kind of decay after complete abandonment. The air was filled with the smell of dust and decay, withered vines climbed the surfaces of the buildings, and wild grass grew in the cracks of the stone slabs, as if time had accelerated decay here.

After looking around, he turned his gaze to the entrance of the central pyramid, where the passage was firmly blocked by collapsed stones and heavy debris. This was exactly the characteristic of hidden passages: concealed in enclosed and unusual places.

Not far away, Master Hui sat quietly on the palanquin, his vast perception spreading in all directions like invisible ripples.

Renn rode a Dilophosaurus to the Ancient Triceratops and pointed to the blocked passage.

If we relied solely on manpower without the aid of machinery, it would probably take several days to dig. But there's no need for that, because Master Hui is here!

Master Hui's seemingly unmoved figure paused almost imperceptibly for a moment, and the rocks and debris blocking the passage silently disintegrated, floated, and moved away amidst a low hum, as if an unseen giant hand had gently brushed away the dust.

However, just as the passage was cleared...

boom!boom!boom!boom!
A series of rapid, loud, and extremely penetrating explosions suddenly came from the depths of the passage!

"Ok?"

"This is……"

The elves were all stunned. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with astonishment and disbelief. If their hearing wasn't deceiving them, the sound was neither falling rocks nor the roar of a wild beast, but the sound of gunfire!

Gunshots, like some kind of signal, abruptly shattered the silence of the ruins. Immediately afterward, from the edge where the city met the jungle, came the sharp cry of a lizard.

It wasn't just one or two shouts, but a continuous, surging roar!

From his vantage point, Galian could clearly see that, led by dozens of monitor lizards, a force of over a thousand spirit lizards surged out from behind the treeline, quickly forming a loose battle line. Armed with spears, bows and arrows, and blowpipes, they charged toward the plaza where the army was located.

Their running posture and formation seemed utterly chaotic to Galian, yet they possessed a primal, reckless ferocity. Galian even had the illusion that these spirit lizards would never stop advancing as long as they didn't fall.

The arrival of the group and the opening of the passage were like triggering some kind of mechanism?
Dust rose at their feet, and hissing echoed in the air.

A race that should have been the product of civilization was now like a mad herd of beasts, sweeping towards the suddenly appearing intruders.

The number of spirit lizards emerging from the jungle grew ever larger, like a restless, turbid blue-green current, constantly overflowing the edge of the ruins. The group stopped in the square was like a small boat, once again surrounded, just as it had been when it first arrived at the beach.

The Sea Guards instinctively looked at Thelmara, who then quickly looked at Delamariel, while Delamariel, almost without hesitation, turned her gaze to Raine.

Raine didn't look at the charging lizards; his gaze fell on Master Hui's silent figure, then swept over Chakas, who stood motionless like a mountain to the side. Seeing that neither reacted, he raised his right hand, making a clear yet restrained gesture of readiness to the Sea Guards.

The air was taut, like a fully drawn bowstring.

The roars of the charge grew closer, and the leading lizards were already within range of the bows and blowpipes. As they accelerated, they raised their rudimentary ranged weapons.

Just as things were about to escalate, a syllable came from the carriage.

"Cuck!"

The sound was not loud, even somewhat low and indistinct, yet it seemed to contain some kind of power that transcended the rules of music.

Time seemed to have been gently stirred for a moment.

The giant lizards charging at the front suddenly froze, as if they had crashed into an invisible wall. Their raised weapons stopped in mid-air, their steps froze on the dust, and even the fierce glint in their eyes turned into confusion.

This stagnation spread backward like ripples, and swarms of spirit lizards, as if their power had been drained, stood frozen in place in various charging postures, only their chests still heaving violently, proving that life had not left their bodies.

The noisy battlefield fell into an eerie silence with a low hum.

Smoke and dust drifted down slowly, and sunlight filtered through the gaps in the ancient trees, illuminating countless pairs of bewildered eyes. The elves maintained their guarded posture, yet none dared to easily break the stillness established by that single croak.

Master Hui's gaze slowly swept over the frozen spirit lizards, finally landing on a few particularly tall individuals among them, adorned with bone ornaments and metal plates; they were the leaders of this tribe.

Immediately afterwards, his vast energy spread out like a gentle tide, establishing a connection that penetrated the surface of savagery and touched the depths of consciousness.

One-sided communication has begun. (End of Chapter)