The First Pope - Chapter 87
Chapter 87
The spacious wooden house could accommodate three people without feeling crowded. Seeing that Cynthia and Olivia were already seated, Darcy walked over and sat down as well. She composed herself, her expression turning serious as she asked, "What's the situation with the Vampires now?"
After Hanni delivered the letter to the God Race, she left with her kin, so quickly that Darcy didn't even have time to probe for information.
During the days Cynthia was away, their territory hadn't been very peaceful. Although the biggest trouble had been resolved before Cynthia left, the Vampires had now started to take them seriously. They hadn't made a move yet, but Darcy felt it was only a matter of time.
The God Race's power was growing, yet Darcy never felt a sufficient sense of security.
"Their plan to destroy the Giant God's temple failed. They might be preparing to target a new temple now." Cynthia briefly recounted the events at Pegel to Darcy, then added, "The Wolf Race is keeping an eye on them. They've found them in Yezreet."
Yezreet was some distance from the Slade Sea Region. Darcy frowned and asked, "Are you going with them this time?"
Cynthia's letter hadn't mentioned her next plans.
Cynthia glanced over at Olivia, who wasn't participating in their conversation but was quietly savoring some flower nectar.
"I'm not going this time." Cynthia shifted her gaze away and smiled at Darcy. "I'll return to our territory with you tomorrow."
Darcy was a little surprised but felt a wave of relief. With Cynthia around, there was much more they could accomplish. Having gotten the answer she wanted, Darcy's tone lightened. "Really? That's wonderful. Before I left, Chloe even told me to make sure I brought you back."
"Chloe?" Cynthia let out a low laugh and shook her head slightly. "I don't believe she would say something like that."
Darcy shrugged and said nonchalantly, "Chloe didn't say it out loud, but I could tell that's what she was thinking."
After receiving Cynthia's letter, Darcy had led her people here, traveling day and night. Although the God Race had far more stamina and energy than humans, they still felt fatigue. After exchanging a few more lighthearted remarks with Cynthia, Darcy went to rest in the wooden house Polly had arranged for her.
She had brought her people to the Elf Territory this time to help Cynthia set up a teleportation array, so she needed to be in top condition.
Olivia couldn't leave the territory for the time being because she had to watch over the Tree of Life, and Cynthia couldn't stay here forever. Therefore, establishing a teleportation array between the God Race and Elf territories was absolutely necessary.
After all, the distance between their territories was simply too great. Without a teleportation array, they would be at a significant disadvantage when it came to relaying messages and providing support.
Of course, for Cynthia personally, the teleportation array would also make it easier for her and Olivia to meet.
Although Olivia had yet to give her a clear answer since she had confessed her feelings, given Olivia's personality, Cynthia saw no answer as the best answer.
After Darcy left, the room suddenly fell quiet. A not-so-gentle breeze blew through the half-open window, brushing past Cynthia's long silver hair. A few strands drifted with the wind, landing near Olivia's hand. Olivia glanced down at them and gently pushed the strands aside.
Cynthia, who was drinking flower nectar, caught Olivia's small movement out of the corner of her eye. A hint of a smile flashed in her eyes. She set down her cup, her golden eyes lifting to meet Olivia's as she asked with a curve of her lips, "After I leave, will Her Majesty the Queen miss me?"
Cynthia's direct question made Olivia's brow furrow. She was silent for a moment before saying faintly, "…No."
After she answered, she heard the person opposite her let out a heavy sigh. Although she knew Cynthia was sighing on purpose, Olivia couldn't help but glance at her before adding, "The Tree of Life might miss you."
After saying this, she lowered her gaze to the cup in her hands, avoiding Cynthia's eyes.
Cynthia lowered her head and chuckled softly, saying nonchalantly, "Then it seems I'll have to come over periodically to prune the Tree of Life's branches."
Olivia responded with a low hum. After a moment, she added, "But not too often."
Using the Tree of Life as an excuse all the time, she was afraid Cynthia might prune it bald. At that thought, an image of Cynthia trimming the Tree of Life's branches suddenly appeared in Olivia's mind, causing the corners of her lips to curl up involuntarily.
Cynthia didn't know what Olivia was thinking. Seeing her sudden smile, she was a little surprised, but then her own lips curved upward as well.
Olivia rarely smiled, but every time she did, Cynthia found it stunning.
Establishing a teleportation array connecting the God Race and Elf territories was a major undertaking, especially since it needed to be two-way and reusable.
This type of teleportation array was extremely complex and intricate, requiring a great deal of materials. It wasn't something Cynthia could complete on her own; otherwise, she wouldn't have summoned Darcy.
Darcy and the other God Race members rested for a short while before getting busy with the teleportation array. Although Olivia trusted Cynthia, the God Race were outsiders, so the array couldn't be placed directly within their territory.
However, while the array's location was outside the territory, it wasn't too far. Moreover, Olivia had specifically instructed the elves to build wooden houses nearby and assigned a squad of guards to watch over it.
Although teleportation arrays were a legacy of the witches, the God Race's understanding of them was now even more thorough than the witches'.
Before discovering the Divine Stones and meeting Cynthia, the God Race's situation had been the same as the humans', if not more arduous. The witches, one could say, had possessed the ability to resist from the very beginning, but the God Race initially had not.
Cynthia taught them Light Magic, giving them the ability to fight back. But their desire for survival made the God Race unwilling to let go of any opportunity to increase their strength.
They were willing to study the formations the witches looked down upon. As for the crafting methods the witches casually taught them, they lacked sufficient experience, but they were willing to accumulate it through repeated failures.
The God Race had never given up their desire for survival and had persevered relentlessly.
The people Darcy brought were all dedicated to studying formations. The teleportation array was completed in nearly half the time Cynthia had anticipated. The moon was still hanging among the branches, not yet set, when the array was ready for activation.
Darcy was very satisfied with this speed. She bent down to inspect the array one last time, then turned to Cynthia behind her and said with a smile, "How is it? Not bad, right?"
Cynthia walked over, her golden eyes sweeping across the teleportation array. She praised them with a smile, "Very good."
Even if the Morgan witches were here, they couldn't have done a better job than Darcy and her people.
Darcy straightened up, casually dusting off her hands. "If the God Race had legacies like the witches," she said lightly, "we wouldn't have had to live as fugitives before we met you."
The witchcraft and formations scorned by the witches were things that the God Race of the past and the humans of the present would have begged for.
Although Darcy tried her best to hide it, Cynthia could still see the resentment in her heart. She raised a hand and patted Darcy's shoulder reassuringly.
Darcy wasn't one to complain. She had just been suddenly reminded of the witches' recent situation, which made her feel complicated. She already knew that the witches had chosen to cultivate the power of darkness after they left.
"There's something I want to tell you." Darcy looked at Cynthia beside her. Knowing she had a few witch friends she was on good terms with, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell her the news. "It's about the witches…"
Darcy was halfway through her sentence when she was interrupted by a sudden whirlwind. The fierce wind even pushed her back a few steps. She looked up in confusion. The whirlwind slowly dissipated, and Olivia and Polly emerged from within.
Cynthia was also blown back half a step. Although Olivia often used wind magic for transportation, her control over the power of nature had always been excellent. A situation like this had never occurred before.
Cynthia felt a sense of doubt, but after carefully observing Olivia and seeing that her complexion and condition were fine, she could only suppress her confusion.
"Is Her Majesty the Queen here to see me off?" Cynthia said as she walked toward Olivia, casually straightening her clothes. She appeared relaxed and carefree. The silver moonlight enveloped her, softening her overly exquisite features.
The God Race were all exceptionally beautiful, and this one before them was particularly so. Even Polly couldn't help but stare, captivated.
Olivia watched Cynthia walk up to her, her gaze lingering on her face for a moment before shifting away. "This is for you," she said in a cool voice.
A gust of wind carried a flower basket to Cynthia. The basket was filled with white petals, upon which sat two bottles of flower nectar sealed with wooden corks.
Elves were fond of using flower petals as decoration, so Cynthia's attention was entirely on the nectar in the basket. She reached out to take it, raising an eyebrow with a smile. "A parting gift?"
Olivia simply hummed in agreement, appearing somewhat aloof.
A familiar fragrance wafted through the air. Polly sniffed hard, a look of confusion on her face. She shifted her gaze to the flower basket in Cynthia's hands and leaned in for a look. The white petals inside made her eyes widen in utter shock.
Polly pointed at the basket in Cynthia's hand, so shocked she could barely speak. "Th-this is…"
She had only managed two words before Olivia's warning gaze silenced her.
Polly's astonished expression made Cynthia look down at the basket again. "What's wrong?" she asked.
Olivia didn't speak, instead staring at Polly with a blank expression.
Under Olivia's stare, Polly was about to break into a cold sweat. Her thoughts raced, and she forced herself to answer, "Nothing. I brewed these two bottles of nectar, so I was a little surprised."
Olivia withdrew her gaze from Polly and said to Cynthia in a faint voice, "I have other matters to attend to. You may leave on your own." Without giving her time to respond, she turned and walked away.
Polly glanced at the flower basket in Cynthia's hands with a complicated expression, sighed inwardly, and turned to follow Olivia.
Cynthia watched their figures get swept away by a whirlwind and disappear before retracting her gaze. She reached into the basket, picked up a bottle of nectar, and began to examine it.
"That elf with Queen Olivia is a bit strange," Darcy said as she walked over. Looking at the nectar in Cynthia's hand, she asked, puzzled, "Is there something special about this nectar?" As she spoke, she reached out a hand toward Cynthia, wanting to see what was so odd about it.
"The fact that Olivia gave it to me is special enough." Cynthia placed the nectar back in the basket, then stored the basket in her Space Gem, pointedly ignoring Darcy's outstretched hand. "Alright, we should go back," she said with a smile, turning to walk toward the teleportation array.
Calling the Elf Queen by her first name so naturally? Darcy thought, retracting her hand as she watched Cynthia's back with a pensive expression.
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