Chapter 113
You Are the Leaf Bathed in Sunlight, I Am the Root Buried Deep (Three-in-One)
“Dawn?”
Isadorella repeated the unfamiliar vocabulary in her mind.
“That’s right.”
A muffled voice drifted from the vortex-like mask.
Through the mask’s vortex, a pair of eyes as black as ink could be seen.
The masked man, who called himself Cain and wore a long robe with a black background and red clouds, had deep, flickering eyes as he surveyed the damaged city walls in the distance.
He also saw the refugees, startled by the violent explosions, watching the scattered Abyss Monsters with confusion, unsure of what was happening or if they should continue to flee.
“This world is full of war, tragedy, and suffering…”
Cain’s voice was long and drawn-out.
“And to become the dawn that changes this world… is the meaning of the Dawn Organization.”
“It is also the initial intention with which I created the Dawn Organization—to create a peaceful world, like the rising sun.”
His gaze locked onto Isadorella.
“Of course, I know that with my own strength alone… I can save a village, a town… but I cannot save a vast empire.”
“That’s why I founded Dawn… and, I am also looking for like-minded companions.”
“He who can draw the Sword in the Stone shall be the new King of Escarnia.”
“It’s good that you could become the prophet, but what surprised me even more was what you said.”
“Regardless of whether you draw the Sword in the Stone or not, you will resolutely tread the path of kingship… More important than royal status and bloodline is having a king’s heart.”
Cain’s gaze was distant, as if piercing through the ages and reaching directly into the far future.
“Although still young, I see the future in you.”
“A bright future that is completely different from Vortigern, and all the renowned Great Knights and noble lords of this land.”
“Perhaps, you can truly become the light that illuminates the chaotic times of Escarnia.”
“…The dawn that changes this world?”
Gazing at Cain from “Dawn” before her, Isadorella’s eyes flickered slightly.
If anyone else had said such things, she would have simply listened and not truly believed them.
After all, anyone could speak grand principles and ideals without proof, but few could actually achieve them.
As the future ruler of the Freista Empire, if she were to be convinced by any itinerant orator painting a rosy picture, the empire would have long been ruined.
However, this masked man who claimed to be from “Dawn” was different.
Although his rank was not particularly high, when the monster tide arrived, he had truly acted as bait himself, holding back the Abyss Monsters and protecting the lives of the countless refugees in this town.
Although she didn’t know how Cain had protected himself from the lingering effects of the massive explosion, his actions represented immense risk.
He was not just an idealist who only spoke with his mouth, but he had truly gambled his life to practice his ideal of becoming the “dawn that changes the world.”
Thinking this, Isadorella’s eyes softened slightly.
“Then I shall not politely refuse.”
She smiled and put the Sword in the Stone, which she had drawn, back into the scabbard of her practice sword.
Then, she extended her hand to Cain.
His praise might have seemed a bit exaggerated to others.
But Isadorella had already made the necessary resolution in her heart.
To become a king, to reside in a high position, one inevitably had to bear the gaze and discussion of all people… Whether it was praise and applause, or rumors and gossip, Isadorella was already accustomed to it.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t even introduced myself.”
“My name is—”
Isadorella paused, then spoke the pseudonym she used in this world: “Artorius.”
“If you, and the ‘Dawn’ behind you, truly wish to become the dawn that illuminates this world.”
“Then from now on, we will likely have much to do with each other.”
However, as she silently recited the name of Dawn, a hint of doubt arose in Isadorella’s mind.
In later generations of the empire, there were the Eight Great Oathbound Families and the Knights of the Round Table.
But she had never heard of Dawn or Cain.
Such a pure organization, with a leader she admired so much.
They had met so early; logically, they should have left a mark in the future.
Or was it because of her arrival that a butterfly effect occurred, deviating from history?
…
Shaya extended his hand and shook the hand of the silver-haired knight before him.
The hand was not particularly robust, but it contained a power that made Shaya feel a sense of alarm.
[Important character “King of Knights” has increased affinity with you by 10 points. Current affinity: 20 (Acquainted).]
“As expected of the future founder of the Freista Empire and the one who will ascend the throne, it’s not easy to gain affinity points,” Shaya mused inwardly.
Just as the other party was sizing him up as the first-generation Cain of the Dawn Organization, Shaya was also observing the young knight before him, who was also the future King of Knights, through the apertures of his vortex mask.
With silver hair and red eyes, his physique was not as robust as a traditional knight’s, but rather slender, even somewhat petite.
The exquisite beauty of his facial features involuntarily brought to mind the Second Princess, Isadorella.
However, there was nothing strange about this; after all, the founding emperor of the Freista Empire was Isadorella’s ancestor, and there was a blood connection, so some resemblance was to be expected.
The other party was still wearing coarse clothing and appeared to be of a young and immature age, about the same age as when Shaya first met Sylvia in the Historical Echo.
But contrary to the difficulty of the beginner’s quest, Shaya sensed an extreme confidence in every word and action of this silver-haired knight.
This was a born king, as if he had been created from birth as the template for an “Ideal King.” Even though he was still young and had just received recognition from the Sword in the Stone, his pride was already difficult to conceal.
No wonder Shaya’s efforts earlier had not yielded much affinity, only just crossing the stage of “Unfamiliar” to reach the level of “Acquainted.”
“However, the greater the storm, the more valuable the fish.”
“The more difficult the task, the greater the reward.”
At this moment, Shaya felt himself getting excited.
He enjoyed challenges like this.
And most importantly, unlike the Historical Echo of the Ancient Azure Court.
In this Historical Echo, Shaya had completely figured out that he did not have the lingering worries of being sought out like Sylvia.
This meant he could go all out.
“If one person’s affinity isn’t enough, I’ll do it a hundred times, a thousand times.”
“Although the historical details of the old era are difficult to verify, the path to power of that King of Knights is still traceable.”
“With the advantage of foresight, I will ensure that every major node of this Historical Echo is imprinted with the fame of Cain and Dawn.”
“When necessary, I can also pretend to be a god or a prophet to gain trust.”
With the advantage of intelligence, Shaya had already devised many different ways to play.
“Moreover, I seem to possess a form of immortality…”
Shaya touched his long robe.
Just moments ago, he had detonated all the Detonating Clay prepared in his Sparkle Spatial Pocket at once in the center of the monster tide.
The equivalent explosion was almost equivalent to the original “Art is an explosion.”
Given the blast radius, even blinking wouldn’t allow him to escape the center, as blinking had a cooldown and a maximum range limitation.
In fact, Shaya didn’t dodge at all, but instead directly endured the massive explosion at the center, which had consumed all the Detonating Clay.
He wanted to test whether the extreme heat and impact at the center of the explosion could truly kill him. Of course, before doing so, Shaya had taken off his Dawn black robe with red clouds.
It had taken Silver and Crimson a lot of effort to tailor it, and losing just one would ruin its prestige.
And the fact proved.
Detonating Clay could not kill Shaya.
Although at the moment of detonation, the extreme heat had sublimated more than half of his body into ashes and powder.
But Shaya could still clearly feel the tactile sensation transmitted from the ashes and powder as part of his body.
Then, with a mere thought.
Those ashes and powder instantly re-aggregated, growing flesh and blood.
It was unbelievable.
This was no longer mere rapid healing or Super Regeneration.
It was a conceptual immortality.
“Purely in terms of power and destructiveness, the Detonating Clay just now reached a legendary level.”
“If even this cannot truly kill me…”
“Meaning, to kill me, it would require the Throne?”
Shaya watched as the silver-haired knight bid him farewell, then stood up and walked towards the town and the fleeing refugees.
Undeniably, this young King of Knights was worthy of the title “Ideal King.”
In a very short period, he quickly gained the trust of the refugees. Even some of the knights nearby who knew he had drawn the Sword in the Stone and were dissatisfied, expressed their approval after a brief spar.
Some even swore on the spot to become his attendant knights and follow this new king who had drawn the Sword in the Stone.
Soon, orders were issued.
The refugees gathered and began to migrate towards areas with fewer Abyss Monsters, while the knights patrolled and stood guard to prevent another monster attack.
“I wonder if any of these people are future Knights of the Round Table, or ancestors of the Eight Great Oathbound Families…”
Shaya pondered as he watched the migrating crowd.
He was definitely going to unlock the Fourth Soul Pact, not just for an extra contract pet slot, but to understand the truth behind it.
From the historical echoes he had traversed becoming reality… to the abnormality of the Fourth Soul Pact, and the seemingly immortal body that had triggered on him, there were too many anomalies surrounding him.
If he didn’t thoroughly understand the truth of it all, Shaya couldn’t rest easy. He was not the type to sit back and wait when something felt wrong.
“A Throne-level existence… In reality, I know Sylvia, but my ‘wife’ would definitely not be willing to make a move on me.”
“Besides, the secret of my immortality should not be known to others until I understand it myself.”
“In that case, to experience a true death, I might have to rely on Artorius.”
Looking at the slender back of the silver-haired knight, Shaya nodded.
That was the future King of Knights, at least Throne-level, and perhaps even stronger than Sylvia.
As for the script, it was obvious.
The Dawn Organization, initially established with the goal of “the dawn that changes the world,” gradually degenerated when faced with the brutality of war, becoming corrupted and eventually turning into a behind-the-scenes manipulator that interfered with wars, which was perfectly logical.
Companions who were once like-minded, walked down completely opposite paths due to fate.
Light and darkness, justice and evil… It was the most perfect and classic script, one that never got old.
“Speaking of which, as the future great villain and manipulator, having only me as the founder is too meager.”
Shaya’s thoughts stirred, and he summoned the Red Orb in its Star Spirit Body form, holding it in his embrace.
“Crimson, later you should also cut a few uniforms for yourselves to wear, to give our Dawn Organization some dignity.”
“Mimi~ (Me?)”
Little Silver Spirit, the Silver Spirit, was also confused. Why did her master come up with such eccentric ideas?
We’re just familiars, are we taking on too much?
“It’s fine. Anyway, we’re just here to fill in. Put on the robes, wear the masks, use Silver Element to fill out the shape, and then use mental power to shield our senses.”
“Who knows if it’s a person or a beast inside.”
Shaya pinched the Red Orb. “It’s decided. However, to prevent any ancient texts from being passed down, causing us to be exposed in reality, you all need to change your names.”
“Crimson, for you—”
Shaya paused.
“In this Historical Echo, you will be renamed Shana from now on.”
“Mimi~ (Master, I like this name, it has good CP with you.)”
Having been influenced by him for so long, even his familiars had learned certain popular words.
“Yingying~”
In the Soul Pact Space, Silver You cried out resentfully, burying her head in her fluffy tail.
Plastic flowers are indeed plastic flowers.
As soon as there was an opportunity to sneak away, she didn’t hesitate at all.
It was infuriating.
…
Unlike the first beginner’s quest where Shaya’s activity range was limited to the vicinity of the Royal Capital of the Azure Court Duchy.
This time, the official mission, the Historical Echo, encompassed the entire territory of Escarnia.
Moreover, it seemed that due to the fusion with the Sands of Time, Shaya’s temporal affinity had greatly increased.
Even after several months, he did not feel any of the awkwardness of being repelled by the river of time, and the time he could stay had significantly increased.
But it was during these months that the situation in all of Escarnia had undergone earth-shattering changes.
Isadorella, under the name Artorius, rose like a comet, making a name for herself on the chaotic land of Escarnia.
With the blessing of being the prophesied child of the Sword in the Stone, combined with her own strength and exceptional leadership.
In less than a year, Isadorella had gained the support and backing of the nobles and Great Knights throughout Escarnia.
The allied forces of knights united around Isadorella. Perhaps due to being suppressed for too long, the knights and lords, having finally found a backbone, unleashed astonishing combat power.
Under Isadorella’s lead, they achieved great victories in several battles, defeating the combined forces of Vortigern and the Abyss Monsters, and recapturing vast territories.
Along the way, they also cleared out remaining abyssal creatures in the wild, as well as rampant bandits and brigands.
All of this happened within a few short months. Due to the slow speed of news transmission in this chaotic era, by the time Vortigern and the Dawn Holy See and other factions truly began to pay attention to this newly emerged allied force of knights and nobles.
They were astonished to find an area of order re-established on the chaotic land.
In terms of scale and scope, it had already subtly rivaled the forces of the Holy See and Vortigern, becoming the fourth pole on this chaotic land.
And as the leader of the allied forces, the prophesied figure, Isadorella, was given a new title.
The Ideal King, the Knight among Knights—”The King of Knights.”
However, as the name “King of Knights” rose like a comet.
Two other names also echoed throughout the territory of Escarnia.
“The Black Knight”—Cain.
And the Dawn Organization.
Countless powerhouses and nobles gathered around Isadorella, including those of the Sixth Ring.
However, in front of that black-haired knight, they all seemed to pale in comparison.
He was not Isadorella’s subordinate, yet he was never absent from any crucial battle, leading the charge himself.
Even the strongest generals had to admit that in front of the Black Knight, everyone’s valor was meaningless.
Each charge would plunge him deep into the enemy ranks, facing a desperate situation with no chance of survival.
However, every time he emerged from a mountain of corpses, he was unharmed, and even the black-robed and red-clouded Dawn Organization robe was not stained with blood.
No one had ever seen the Black Knight injured.
Having fought countless battles without injury or defeat, some even gave him a new title—”The Veteran King.”
And then Cain himself stopped them with a dark expression, forcibly banning this title.
The Dawn Organization behind him also became renowned, saving the populace from monster tides and wars countless times in moments of crisis.
The meaning of “the dawn that changes the world” was sung by countless refugees, and even wearing those black-robed and red-clouded robes became a trend and fashion.
…
“Cain.”
“Don’t you and your Dawn Organization need any compensation?”
“Territory, titles, power second only to the king… or perhaps beautiful women.”
“Although the current conditions are still harsh, with your and the Dawn Organization’s achievements, requesting these things would be reasonable.”
On the city walls, watching the Black Knight return unharmed from yet another sea of corpses.
Isadorella could not help but speak.
She was not a king who did not understand human hearts.
Although both in the Historical Echo and in reality, Isadorella, as the “Ideal King” with the expectations of all people, held herself to the most stringent standards of integrity and honesty.
But she also knew very well that such integrity and honesty could only be used to restrain herself, not others.
People all had their selfish desires; saints of integrity were a minority.
To become truly popular, when it was time to reward merit, rewards must not be withheld.
This was indeed the case; under her system, the cohesion of the allied forces of nobles and lords grew stronger, and they could often exhibit combat effectiveness far exceeding that of the past during battles.
However, Cain and the Dawn behind him were not like this.
Although the other party had never officially announced joining her side, Isadorella knew very well that without Cain’s fearless bravery and the formidable intelligence-gathering capabilities of the Dawn Organization, which allowed her to anticipate the enemy’s moves every time, she would not have been able to achieve so many consecutive victories and accumulate such immense military exploits in such a short period.
Despite contributing greatly to her, Cain had never actively requested any compensation.
It was as if, apart from realizing the original intention of “dawn,” he had no other desires.
“If you must give something, then just give me some gold and jewels.”
The black-haired knight in the black and red-clouded robe smiled casually and spoke lazily.
Isadorella fell silent.
The so-called gold and jewels, such wealth, were the least valuable things in this chaotic world.
After all, in this chaotic world, the market economy had collapsed; there was nothing more attractive than concrete benefits like titles and fiefs.
It was clear that Cain had merely made a casual remark because he saw her insisting, not because he truly cared about the monetary value of gold and jewels.
Even if he took the money, where would he spend it?
The next moment.
Isadorella saw the Black Knight walk onto the city wall.
He used his black eyes, through the apertures of the vortex mask, to scan the scene within the city walls, where the residents lived in peace and contentment.
“You are the leaf bathed in sunlight; I am the root buried deep.”
“I don’t care about power, status, territory, or the like.”
Cain’s words were still hazy but carried a profound meaning.
“As long as, in the end, you can bring peace to this land.”
“And then, create a new kingdom of our ideals, I will be satisfied.”
It was only at the moment these words left Shaya’s mouth.
He saw text appearing on the screen in his mind.
[Important character “King of Knights” has increased affinity with you by 5 points.]
[Current affinity: 50 (Trusted).]
…
PS: A grand chapter of six thousand characters. Update complete.
So far, only one 128-yuan red envelope has been claimed in the monthly ticket lottery. Are you all so indifferent that you don’t claim your prizes…
