CHAPTER 648

【 REBELLION IN MAPLE LEAF TERRITORY 】

—

Chosen City, Temple of Life

Within its vast and tranquil hall stood Alice, the Saintess, her hair catching the light as she gazed calmly at the man before her.

Her expression was composed at first, but when Li Mu finished his report, a faint crease appeared between her brows.

“Come again? The mission to explore the Titan Ruins in Maple Leaf Territory has failed?”

Her tone carried no anger, only quiet disbelief and concern.

She was the one appointed by the Goddess to oversee the various “Quests” issued to the Chosen Ones. Thus, every hidden quest the players stumbled upon, ultimately fell under her supervision.

Before her stood Li Mu, the Guild leader of Heart of Nature, one of the largest and most reputable guilds in Elven Kingdom. It was precisely because of this that his guild had been handpicked for this high-risk mission.

Moreover, Heart of Nature’s main city, Grey Haven, being the closest elven city to Maple Leaf Territory. The city possessed a teleportation array maintained by Amway Trade Group, thereby allowing covert passage to Maple Leaf City, as well as several secure land routes.

Even so, to think that the expedition had failed.

A heavy silence fell between them.

At this moment, Li Mu, already a max-level Low Silver-rank equipped with six divine artifacts (three of which were still being repaired) wore a troubled expression.

Lowering his head slightly, he said apologetically,

“Yes, Lady Alice. Our infiltration has indeed failed.”

Alice looked surprised. She glanced at the mental map granted to her by the Goddess’s blessing, which displayed the locations of the Chosen Ones, and asked with a hint of confusion,

“What exactly happened? I remember your guild possesses a secret teleportation array that leads to Maple Leaf Territory, correct?”

Facing the Saint’s questioning tone, Li Mu gave a helpless smile.

“Yes, we do have one, but when we tried to use it, we found that it no longer worked for reasons we cannot explain.”

“It stopped working?”

Alice was momentarily stunned.

She exchanged a glance with Zero, the Goddess’s Godwarden, who sat leisurely on the other side of the hall, sipping elven flower tea while admiring the view outside the window. Seeing that casual, almost indifferent attitude, Alice’s brows furrowed. She returned her gaze to Li Mu, her expression hardening.

“Was it destroyed, or is there some other reason it stopped functioning?”

“It shouldn’t have been destroyed. The array can still function normally, but it simply cannot transmit us to Maple Leaf City. It feels as if it’s been restricted… Ah, now that I think about it, it’s somehow similar to what happened when we launch our attack at the Desert of Death. I remember the teleportation arrays we built in that area also became inoperative in the same way…”

Alice’s frown deepened. She stood silently for a couple of seconds before her eyes flickered with realization. She was about to speak, but a calm and indifferent voice beat her to it.

“Spatial Lockdown,” said Zero, her tone nonchalant yet carrying a quiet weight that drew Li Mu’s attention.

“Spatial Lockdown?” Li Mu asked curiously.

“It’s a power possessed by the gods,” Alice explained, “It can be invoked by a true deity, or by a high-ranking cleric who channels the will of their Patron Deity. Once activated, it seals off all forms of spatial movement or teleportation within the dominion governed by that deity’s faith. Such a formidable ability is usually employed only during times of war, to prevent infiltration or escape.”

After a moment of contemplation, she turned back to Li Mu, her emerald eyes narrowing slightly.

“Sir Li Mu, if I recall correctly, doesn’t your Amway Trade Group have a branch in Maple Leaf City? What about the Chosen Ones stationed there? Shouldn’t they be aware of the current situation? The communication network you Chosen Ones use should function even through spatial interference, should it not?”

Li Mu scratched his head awkwardly, his expression turning sheepish.

“Ahem, Lady Alice, you see, actually our guild hasn’t stationed any of our members in Maple Leaf City for quite some time…”

Alice fell silent, her gaze growing more confused by the second.

“Then who maintains your branch operations there?” she asked after a brief pause.

“Uh… Amway’s chief officer entrusted its management to a local human trade group,” Li Mu replied quickly. “But don’t worry! they’ve already accepted the Goddess’s faith through our missionary work. Though their faith might be shallow, they are indeed have become believers of the Goddess of Life.”

Alice’s expression froze. For several seconds, she said nothing, merely staring at him with an unreadable gaze.

The missionary division of the Amway Trade Group was quite famous here in the Elven Forest. It was known even within the Church of Life for its missionaries’ impressive record of mass conversions. To be honest, if not for their presiding trade leader’s poor reputation, Alice would have admitted she admired the group quite a bit.

“What a pity,” she sighed. “Shallow believers aren’t able to communicate remotely. If only Oakhand were still operating within Maple Leaf Territory, then perhaps we could have sought the Goddess’s guidance to connect through their operatives.”

Those who lacked deep devotion could not draw a god’s attention unless the deity consciously willed it.

Moreover, if a believer happened to reside within a territory governed by another deity’s sphere of faith, their Patron God’s influence would be greatly weakened. Even if the god personally tried to reach out, interference from the rival deity could sever or distort the connection entirely.

“Have you sent out a scouting party, then? Grey Haven is situated upstream along the Vymur River, isn’t it? If you travel downstream by boat, you should be able to reach Zelouan City rather quickly, correct?”

Zelouan was the second-largest city in Maple Leaf Territory, nestled along the midstream bend of the Vymur River, east of Maple Leaf City. For a long time, it had been inaccessible to players, spoken of only in passing by local merchants.

But now that the entire Maple Leaf Territory had been opened for exploration, players who had reached Low Silver-rank could travel there freely, making it a frequent destination for player-run trade guilds.

“Yes, we dispatched a reconnaissance team immediately,” Li Mu replied. “But they too failed to infiltrate. The entire Maple Leaf City is currently under strict martial law. High-ranking experts have been stationed along the docks, and no merchant ships are permitted to enter without official authorization. As you know, most of our current trade operations rely on covert channels and smuggling routes, so naturally, we possess no such permits.”

“Under martial law?” Alice repeated, “Hmm… it seems something serious has indeed occurred within Maple Leaf Territory,” she murmured, her voice laced with unease.

“That’s exactly right… which is why I came here as soon as possible to report the situation to you and Lady Zero.”

His tone was respectful, but his expression carried a trace of excitement that did not escape Alice’s notice.

“Sir Li Mu,” she asked, “Perchance have you already discovered what transpired there?”

Li Mu exhaled softly before nodding. “Yes. While our fleet was lingering outside Zelouan, we happened to rescue a half-elven girl who had escaped from a noble’s estate within the city. We managed to learn a few things from her.”

He paused, his demeanor turning somber as he continued,

“Lady Alice, Lady Zero… Looks like the entire Maple Leaf Territory appears to be on the brink of civil war.”

“Civil war?”

“Yes,” Li Mu said with conviction. “The borderlord of the Holy Maniya Empire, who governs the Maple Leaf Territory, seems to have rebelled. The uprising began only a few days ago. I suspect that before long, the merchant caravans will carry word of it even here, to the Elven Forest. Along Grey Haven’s riverbanks, we even saw large numbers of mercenaries assembling, likely those who have been conscripted for battle.”

“The borderlord has rebelled?” Alice echoed, her eyes widening.

Li Mu inclined his head gravely. “Indeed. It appears Holy Maniya Empire sought to strip the borderlord of his power, reclaiming authority over the territory. The spark that ignited the rebellion, however… stems from nothing more than a rumor.”

“A rumor?” Alice frowned, her expression darkening.

Li Mu nodded slowly, his voice dropping to a low, serious tone.

“According to the rumor, the borderlord of Maple Leaf Territory is not truly human. He is said to be a vampire, hiding amongst humans and having offered his soul to an abyssal demon. Following this revelation, and in accordance with the Sacred Edict established by the Empire’s first emperor and the Eternal Church, the Empress of the Holy Maniya Empire announced that she was revoking the Borderlord’s electoral rights and stripping him of his noble title as the Lord of Cappadocia. In response, the Borderlord rebelled.”

“Half a month ago, the Empress appointed Duke Lawson, one of the seven Electors, as Marshal, commanding the Empire’s Third Imperial Guard Legion. Along with several large mercenary groups, a total of about eighty thousand troops have already begun marching toward the Maple Leaf Territory.”

Li Mu’s voice was calm yet powerful.

Hearing this, both Alice and Evé—the latter disguised as Zero—turned to look at him at the same time.

He knew far too many details.

“All this information came from that half-elven girl?” Zero asked suddenly.

“Yes, Lady Zero,” Li Mu replied with a slight bow of respect.

“Where is she now?” Zero continued.

“She’s currently in Grey Haven. Members of my Guild, Heart of Nature are taking care of her,” Li Mu explained.

“Grey Haven? Why not bring her to Florence?” Alice frowned slightly.

Although Heart of Nature was one of the Chosen Ones guilds that Alice held in highest regard, she still found some of their actions rather peculiar. In her view, any elf or half-elf returning to the Elven Forest should first be received by the Church of Life and properly guided by the local elves to help them reintegrate into their homeland.

After all, past experiences had shown all too clearly how easily the Chosen Ones could easily “influence” others. Their enthusiasm, while admirable, often spilled into cultural chaos. Thus, many returning elves who had undertaken their guidance often adopted questionable habits.

If nothing else, just the fact that some of the elves had learned to eat meat and use profanity was enough to give Alice a headache.

Li Mu hesitated upon hearing her words. His expression shifted slightly, a trace of discomfort flashing across his face before he gave a wry smile.

“Lady Alice, it’s not that we don’t want to bring her to Florence,” he said slowly, “but her situation is… rather special. According to the Goddess’s decree, those who are not yet believers of Elven faith cannot enter deep into the Elven Forest, much less the city of Florence.”

“She’s not a believer of the Goddess?” Alice’s eyes widened slightly.

For centuries, every elf or half-elf who sought refuge in the Elven Forest did so after hearing of the Goddess of Life’s awakening and chosen to embrace the Elven faith.

“That’s right,” Li Mu confirmed with a sigh. “That half-elven girl is not a believer yet, and her escape wasn’t originally meant to bring her back to the Elven Forest. In fact… we may have kind of talked her into coming along.” He coughed lightly, his tone turning sheepish.

“Who exactly is this girl?” Zero asked.

As she spoke, Evé quietly extended her awareness, linking to the game network to access the Grey Haven players’ perspectives.

“Lady Zero, that girl apparently is the child of a human noble and an elf,” Li Mu replied.

“The child of a human noble and an elf?!” Alice exclaimed.

At the mention of “human noble,” her expression turned momentarily cold. But upon hearing the rest of his explanation, surprise flickered across her face, followed by realization.

Finally, Alice let out a long, weary sigh.

“…So that’s how it is.”

For a moment, the Saintess fell silent.

The stillness of the temple lingered until Zero’s calm voice broke it.

“The one taking care of that girl now… is it Demacia?”

Li Mu froze mid-breath, his shoulders stiffening as though he had been caught red-handed. His eyes darted toward Zero in disbelief, but after a moment’s hesitation, he nodded several times, his tone turning awkwardly formal.

“Yes, it’s him.”

“What is that girl’s name?” Zero asked again.

“Sophia. Her full name is Sophia von Wells,” Li Mu replied respectfully.

“Sophia von Wells…” Alice murmured softly, her expression growing complicated.

“That’s indeed a human noble’s name.”

She whispered the words under her breath.

༺⟐༻

Eastern Border of the Elven Forest, Grey Haven

The number of merchant ships sailing to and from the harbor had noticeably decreased. The once-bustling docks now seemed unusually quiet, forming a stark contrast with the liveliness within the city itself. To a stranger, it might not even appear to be a port town known for trade, but rather a flourishing inland elven city.

Inside Grey Haven, the headquarters of Heart of Nature—a grand castle-like structure—was alive with activity. Players bustled in and out, chatting noisily.

Outside the guild’s guest hall, a growing crowd had gathered. Dozens of guild members leaned against walls or clustered in small groups, whispering eagerly as they tried to peek through the half-open doors.

“Where is she? Where’s the half-elven girl Demacia brought back?” someone whispered.

“I heard she’s in the innermost guest room,” another replied in a hushed voice. “She’s a sharp-tongued noble lady. She cursed Demacia so badly his face turned black.”

A few snickers rippled through the crowd.

“A sharp-tongued lady, huh? Not bad! That’s exactly my type of girl.”

“Oh, please, cut it out,” someone else scoffed. “She’s a NPC brought back by the higher-ups. She’s clearly off limits being part of a hidden quests’ storyline.”

“You mean the one from that failed exploration?”

“Yep, that’s the one.”

“So… does that mean the rumors I heard at the docks were actually true? There’s going to be a civil war in Maple Leaf Territory?”

“Not sure. The Guildmaster and the others probably know more, but they went to meet Lady Alice and Big Sister.”

That statement immediately set off a buzz of speculation.

“A civil war? Does that mean… we’re getting another major event?”

“Calm down, guys. It’s just the humans fighting among themselves.”

“Wow, listen to us… talking like we’re not human anymore.”

“Well, of course not! I’m an elf now! Praise the Goddess!”

The remark drew laughter all around. A few players even raised their hands in mock reverence, chanting playfully. Their excitement was contagious, and before long, the whole corridor was filled with cheerful banter.

Still, no one dared to step past the two Silver-rank guards stationed at the entrance. Their stern expressions made it clear that the guest hall was strictly off-limits.

Just then, the crowd parted as a familiar figure approached.

A man dressed in refined clothing, his red afro hair slicked neatly back, carried a silver tray loaded with pastries and a pot of steaming tea. His movements were precise but oddly exaggerated, as if he were deliberately putting on a show.

“What’s with all this noise? Move aside, move aside,” he said with mock irritation, nudging a few players aside with his elbow. “I need to bring in this meal before it gets cold.”

It was Demacia.

The moment the players caught sight of him, the chatter abruptly died. For a brief second, everyone simply stared, blinking as if they were seeing an entirely different person. The man before them was cleanly dressed in a fitted dark-grey coat embroidered with silver thread, his collar neatly fastened, and his signature red afro… combed back. The sight alone was enough to leave half the crowd dumbfounded.

Then the laughter began.

“Whoa, Brother Demacia, what’s with the fancy outfit?”

“Good grief, I almost didn’t recognize you without your usual look!”

“Hey bro, where’s your afro? Why’d you comb your trademark hairstyle like that? You look like a noble’s butler!”

“Tsk tsk, don’t tell me you’re actually trying to flirt with that NPC this time?”

A few players even doubled over, laughing so hard they nearly dropped their gear. Someone snapped a quick screenshot while another pretended to applaud dramatically.

Demacia’s expression darkened instantly. His smile twitched, then vanished altogether.

Seriously, what was wrong with these people?

Why was it that Brother Mu could walk in anywhere and everyone went quiet out of respect, but the moment he showed up, the whole guild turned into a pack of hyenas? He was the vice guild leader, for crying out loud! Did that title mean nothing anymore?

“What? Cut the crap, guys,” he snapped, scowling. “I just changed clothes to gather some intel, alright?”

He turned away before anyone could respond, muttering under his breath about ungrateful teammates. With a stiff posture and his tray held like a shield, he marched toward the guest hall, pretending not to hear the laughter that trailed after him.

The crowd exchanged knowing looks as soon as he disappeared inside.

“Gather information? Brother Dema still needs to pretend for that? Isn’t he already the best at fooling NPCs?”

“Tsk, looks like he finally met someone who doesn’t fall for his antics,” another said, smirking.

༺⟐༻

Carrying the tray of pastries, Demacia made his way down the long corridor toward the innermost guest room. The hall was quieter here, the laughter and chatter of his guildmates fading behind thick stone walls. Sunlight streamed through tall, vine-framed windows, glinting off the silver teapot on his tray. Each step he took echoed softly across the polished floor.

It was the finest guest room in all of Heart of Nature’s headquarters, one usually reserved for visiting dignitaries, Lady Alice, or even the guildmaster himself.

Taking a deep breath, he adjusted his coat, set his posture straight, and forced a friendly smile onto his face. He balanced the tray carefully with one hand and knocked on the door with the other.

“Miss Sophia, it’s me Demacia. I’ve brought your lunch.”

For a brief moment, there was silence on the other side.

Then came a single word, sharp and clear, cutting through the air like a blade.

“Leave.”

Hearing it, Demacia froze, his forced smile stiffening in place.

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