The First Pope - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

The Sitatul Continent was initially formed from a mass of light element, a mass of dark element, and a mass of earth element. The earth element gave Sitatul its solid land, while the light and dark elements gave it day and night. The three elements coexisted in harmony, but after tens of thousands of years of development, different elements began to emerge on the continent.

Green plants grew upon the land, the oceans began to vie with the earth element for territory, and the fierce winds, not to be outdone, brought fire with them, seeking to supplant the light. These unseen, intangible, and ethereal elements were the foundation of the Sitatul Continent's existence, but they did not get along harmoniously.

Later, gods appeared on this continent. The gods were like slaves chosen by these elements. The elements granted them immense power, but in return, the gods had to help them occupy the continent.

That was a war that nearly destroyed the entire Sitatul Continent. Later, the Goddess of Light, the God of Darkness, and the Earth Mother awoke from the elements' bewitchment in time and stepped forward to stop the war.

The gods began to counterattack and tame the elements, and from that point on, the Sitatul Continent entered the era of the gods.

During the era of the gods, to make the Sitatul Continent more vibrant, the gods created many different races and granted them the ability to manipulate the elements.

But although these elements had been tamed, they still possessed different personalities and preferences. Even among the Elves, some were simply more favored by the natural elements-this was a matter of talent and constitution.

The same was true for the God Race. Cynthia stumbled upon this truth by accident while teaching Sarah how to use the white fire.

Using the same incantation, Cynthia could gather a great deal of the Power of Light, but Sarah could only manage a wisp-the kind of wisp that couldn't even serve as a light in the darkness.

Cynthia: "..."

Sarah placed her hands behind her back and hung her head as if she had done something wrong, the luster gone from her long silver hair.

Cynthia summoned a ball of fire and placed it on Sarah's shoulder, comforting her in a gentle voice, "It's okay, take your time."

"I didn't manage to conjure it on my first try either."

Sarah looked up at Cynthia in a daze. "But Betty said you managed it on your first try."

Moreover, this incantation was something Cynthia had developed herself. When Sarah first heard that, she didn't know what kind of expression to make.

The most powerful person she had ever seen was her grandmother, but even her grandmother couldn't use this kind of flame.

Although she had indeed conjured it on the first try after finding the right incantation, Cynthia didn't want to discourage Sarah too much. She said softly, "She was lying to you. It took me a long time and many experiments to succeed."

She raised a hand and stroked Sarah's hair. "Take your time. Let's rest for now."

Perhaps the problem wasn't with Sarah. Betty had said that when they were learning witchcraft, they had to practice day after day before their spells slowly gained power and they became more proficient.

So, the problem must be with her. Cynthia lowered her gaze to her hands, a thoughtful look in her eyes. This body of hers seemed a bit special.

This time, they had rescued quite a few humans from Nobi City. If they sent them all to Snochi Valley, the place wouldn't be able to hold so many people. Betty and Chelsea could only start studying the map again, searching for other suitable and safe places to live, and then escort them there.

Cynthia didn't go with Betty and the others to escort the humans. Instead, she stayed outside Nobi City to teach Sarah how to use the Power of Light. For some reason, the Elves didn't withdraw either, but remained in the forest next to them.

Late at night, a mist began to spread through the forest. A fine drizzle washed the dirt from the leaves, dyeing them a fresh green. An elf girl stood barefoot on a branch, slender vines wrapped around her ankles. She craned her neck, searching for something below the tree, until her eyes suddenly lit up when she saw the figure of the silver-haired God Race member.

"Cynthia!" The elf girl lay on the branch and waved at Cynthia, who had looked up upon hearing her voice. She said happily, "This is for you."

She tossed a white fruit to Cynthia, and watched as the silver-haired God Race member reached out and caught it, her eyes crinkling into a smile.

The Elves had no resistance to "beauty," and coupled with the allure of the light aura, they no longer restrained their desire to be close to her after learning that Olivia had already summoned Cynthia.

According to legend, the Goddess of the Forest was also very fond of the Goddess of Light, so it was only natural for them to be close to the God Race.

Her Majesty the Queen also likes Cynthia very much, the elf girl thought, resting her chin in her hands and staring at the silver-haired God Race member with a smile. Her Majesty the Queen even gave her her own cup.

This proved that Her Majesty the Queen had already accepted her as a friend of the Elf Race, the elf girl thought simply.

Unbeknownst to Olivia, Cynthia, who had already become a friend of the Elf Race, handled the Elves' enthusiastic hospitality with relative composure. After receiving countless wild fruits and flowers over a short distance, Cynthia finally found the bridge from last time.

The bridge was still as steep as a ladder to the heavens. As Cynthia climbed, she tied the flowers she had received into a bouquet. Ever since the Elves had moved into this forest, the once lifeless trees had been reawakened, and even the wildflowers and weeds had become beautiful.

The bouquet was finished long ago, but there was still no end in sight to the ladder under her feet. Cynthia climbed for a while longer before she finally saw Olivia's figure. She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she couldn't shake the feeling that climbing this bridge today was much more tiring than the last time.

But Olivia was, after all, the leader of a race, the noble Elf Queen. She wouldn't stoop to secretly tormenting her like this, would she?

Cynthia looked at Olivia suspiciously. Olivia met her gaze with a placid expression, showing no sign of anything amiss.

A wooden table, two chairs, a bottle of flower nectar. Under Olivia's gaze, Cynthia naturally walked over and sat down opposite her. She looked down at the somewhat lonely bottle of nectar and raised an eyebrow with a smile. "No cup today?"

She placed the bouquet in her hand next to the nectar, making it look less pitiful.

Olivia looked at her expressionlessly and said flatly, "After you left last time, I lost a cup."

She might as well have directly told Cynthia to return the cup. But having said this much, most people would have quickly apologized and returned it.

But Cynthia was not most people. Seeing Olivia glaring at her, seemingly a little annoyed, the thought of returning the cup suddenly changed. She feigned surprise. "Wasn't that cup a gift for me?"

She sighed, her golden eyes tinged with disappointment. "We were having such a nice chat that day, but then Her Majesty the Queen suddenly threw me down and was so cold. It made me a little sad."

"But seeing that you gave me such an exquisite and beautiful cup, I wasn't sad for long." Cynthia propped her chin on one hand and looked at Olivia with a grin, complimenting her, "Her Majesty the Queen is gentle, considerate, kind, and generous. You treat a weak God Race member like me as an equal and even gave me a gift, teaching me how to use the Power of Light. Her Majesty the Queen's selflessness fills me with admiration."

Olivia: "..."

Her tone and expression were so sincere that Olivia didn't know how to refute her. She could only endure the faint annoyance bubbling up inside her. After a moment of silence, she took the initiative to change the subject. "Who taught you that Light Fire from the other day?"

She was now thinking of finding a different God Race member to observe.

"No one taught me." Seeing Olivia get down to business, Cynthia also put aside her playful attitude and said seriously, "I developed it from the incantations of the Witches."

Olivia was taken aback, surprised. "You developed it? And you got the inspiration from the Witches' incantations?"

Whether it was witchcraft or nature magic, both had taken generations of clan members' research to slowly form a system. This process took at least several thousand years.

As far as Olivia knew, the God Race had only appeared a few hundred years ago. And this God Race member in front of her, judging from the state of her soul, was still very young.

Seeing Olivia's look of disbelief, Cynthia narrowed her eyes slightly and asked with a calm smile, "What, is that strange?"

Olivia frowned. "It's not strange." It was just shocking.

The Goddess of Light had not left behind any incantations for the God Race to communicate with the light element. This meant that if the God Race wanted to manipulate the light element, they would have to go through countless experiments. Adding in conditions like controlling the form of the light element, the size of its range, the strength of its power, and so on, it would not be simple for the God Race to quickly create a system of Light Magic.

Furthermore, with unpredictable variables like the light element's potential non-cooperation, Olivia had always thought it would be impossible for the God Race to become as powerful as the Elves or the Wolf Race without giving them several thousand years.

Perhaps this God Race member's use of Light Fire was just a lucky coincidence? After all, different elements reacted differently to incantations, and subtle differences in tone could also affect the element's form. To find the incantation for Light Fire from witchcraft was a bit too fantastical.

Although Olivia didn't know how many notes the Witches' incantations had, she only knew that the Elves' incantations numbered in the tens of thousands, and the more powerful the spell, the more complex the incantation.

Olivia had already forgotten her earlier annoyance. She looked up and gazed into Cynthia's golden eyes, which were as bright as the light itself, and said seriously, "Show me the fire you used that day again."

Cynthia thought for a moment, her red lips moving slightly. She chanted a short incantation, and white flames fell from above their heads. She controlled the flame into a small blossom that drifted down like a white petal.

Olivia looked up, carefully observing the falling white flames. She reached out, wanting to catch one, but before she could touch it, the tiny flame suddenly exploded into specks of golden light.

Olivia frowned and moved her right hand up to grab another one, but that flame also exploded just like the previous one.

The timing of the explosion was too coincidental, so much so that it made Olivia feel like she was being teased. She glanced at the God Race member opposite her and called out in displeasure, "Cynthia."

Cynthia lowered her head and smiled, controlling the flames to merge together. A circle of white fire over a meter high surrounded the two of them. She looked at Olivia with a smile. "Is this alright?"

These past few days, she had been studying the books Betty gave her and could now control the flames with more proficiency.

Olivia snorted coldly. She turned her head to observe the flames for a moment, wanting to test their power, and began to chant an incantation in a low voice.

A red flame nearly ten meters high appeared out of thin air above the white one. Compared to Cynthia, who still had to painstakingly merge the flames together, it was much easier for Olivia to use a fire spell, and its power was a hundred times greater than Cynthia's.

With a single test, Olivia knew that Cynthia had not grasped the core of the fire spell. This white flame was just a temporary assembly with no real power.

She shook her head slightly, and just as she was about to say something, her wrist was suddenly grabbed. A somewhat warm palm pressed against the back of her hand. The unfamiliar touch made her freeze.

After seeing the power of the fire spell, Cynthia had instinctively grasped Olivia's wrist. But the moment she touched her delicate skin, she realized her action was somewhat improper. Just as she was about to let go, Olivia's cool voice suddenly echoed in her mind. It was an incantation.

Cynthia paused for a moment and closed her eyes slightly. In her mind, it was as if she had become Olivia. She could clearly see the trajectory of the fire elements as they were mobilized by the incantation.

Under the organization of the incantation, the fire elements spontaneously merged to become even more powerful fire elements.

This method of fusion was something Cynthia had been experimenting with all this time but had never succeeded in.

The warmth on the back of her hand made Olivia want to shake Cynthia's hand off, but seeing her focused expression, clearly deep in thought, she inexplicably dismissed the idea.

After an unknown amount of time, Cynthia finally came back to her senses. Seeing that she was still holding Olivia's hand, she quickly let go. Facing Olivia's probing gaze, her eyes flickered for a moment, and then she said apologetically, "I'm sorry."

She was sincerely apologizing, both for the impolite act of grabbing Olivia's hand without permission and for the improper act of probing her memories.

"What were you doing just now?"

Of course, Cynthia couldn't say she was probing Olivia's memories. She blinked, cleared her throat, and casually made up an excuse. "The fire spell you just used... it scared me a little."

Olivia: "..."

Cynthia was once again thrown down by a gust of wind, and this time the wind was clearly tinged with anger. Cynthia raised a hand to steady herself against a tree, almost falling. An elf ran over, wanting to help her, but she declined with a smile. Cynthia let go of the tree and straightened her slightly messy hair, then looked up at the bridge and muttered to herself, "Looks like she's angry again."

After Cynthia was thrown down, Polly ran up again and asked curiously, "Did she make you angry again?"

Seeing Olivia's displeased expression, she stuck out her tongue and said, "A giant spider is heading this way. Should we go and get rid of it?"

Creatures with bodies clearly different from normal animals like this were demonic beasts. This demonic beast was nothing to them Elves, but it could pose a danger to those Witches and humans.

"...Don't bother with it." Olivia turned to look at Cynthia's departing back, then glanced at the bouquet left on the table. She said in a low voice, "We can't protect these Witches and humans forever."

Besides, she wanted to see if this God Race member's abilities were as impressive as her words.

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