Chapter 949: Chapter 745: The Secret in the Hidden Forest

Oste couldn’t help but scratch his head. “Why do I feel that, for our lord, the Temple of Heim is just a drag for the Just Knights?

It doesn’t matter if they come, but if they leave, it might actually be for the better.”

Lynn couldn’t help but glance at this Chosen of the Sword Singer. This guy truly had a keen sense. “Hill doesn’t like slavery.”

The Church of Heim isn’t exactly the slave master, but they are indeed the protectors of slave traders… And Heim’s tendency to shield them has caused this Guardian God, once held in high esteem, to lose a large amount of civilian faith, leaving only mercenaries and adventurers who can’t discern right from wrong.

“Then he really wouldn’t like Heim,” Oste said indifferently. “So we don’t need to stop that guy from entering and exiting the Temple District?”

“Don’t worry about them. To be honest, even if the Just Knights leave, Hill wouldn’t really miss them… He has done what he was supposed to, and if others don’t appreciate it, Hill doesn’t have the time to meddle in others’ business.

However, Tyr’s Paladins are stubborn, yet not foolish.

But if the Temple of Heim wants to leave, make sure to remind them to be thorough when moving.” Lynn thought for a moment before answering, “Just remember to give them a heads-up that our relationship with Neverwinter is very bad. If they insist on going there, Agleya won’t accept the Church of Heim again.

We respect the Guardian God, but we will not lose our pride for the respect of deities… If Heim has any complaints, let him ask Coron.”

Oste couldn’t help but laugh; the lord’s identity was too unique… With the lineage of the Father of Elves, no one dared to require him to be respectful to other deities.

He happily agreed, “No problem, leave it to us.”

The Elf Crusaders are originally made up of the most loyal followers of the Elf Deity System, and they all respect and trust Coron… Even as a Chosen of the Sword Singer, Oste is equally proud to be a child of Coron.

Therefore, regarding the human deities of Ferun, maintaining outward respect is already a very restrained result for them. The only external deity they truly respect is, of course, Agleya.

Agleya is a city blessed by the Elf Deity System, where elves from all over Toril come, most of them dedicated followers of the Elven Pantheon.

Otherwise, very few elves would choose to live in a multi-racial town with more rules than pine needles.

So many elves who later settled in Agleya don’t quite understand why Lynn, who is deeply trusted by Hill, would choose to become a Follower of the Singer, when there are bard-worshipping deities within the Elf Deity System.

But the City Guard never says anything. They remember how Lynn left Eternity Island back then and how he still maintains his faith in Coron is already quite commendable… Elves have excellent memories; they remember well the foolish things they did as children… Besides a few older and more stable ones, most of the City Guard would sheepishly lower their heads and slip away when facing Lynn.

Although Oste never did such foolish things, he has a foolish brother, so he usually doesn’t like to face Lynn either. But as the leader of the City Guard, Agleya’s Defense Officer and Sheriff, having just returned from fighting outside, he still had to greet the Mayor!

So he came, albeit reluctantly… And the Gaul brothers weren’t even home! Otherwise, if he had them along, talking wouldn’t be so awkward!

Fortunately, the issue with the Temple of Heim gave them something to talk about, and Oste felt that his communication task with the Mayor was successfully concluded. He received another official task and could return to the camp to set that group of guys to work.

He happily said goodbye to Lynn and walked away with a light step.

Lynn watched Oste’s cheerful figure depart, a bit puzzled: What exactly did this guy come to see him for?

He didn’t think that Oste, just returned, would know about the dealings between the Temple of Heim and Neverwinter, obviously a topic found later. Coming to chat with him was even less likely; he wasn’t one of his cousins.

Lynn turned and returned to the Mayor’s office, where several Galles were lazily lounging. Their boasting wasn’t done yet when Hill called Lynn away, so they were waiting for him to come back.

Lynn helplessly pushed the door open and sheepishly looked at his cousins, realizing they wanted him to hear the whole story!

Otherwise, he would ask Hill about the matters on the battlefield; he had to prepare himself to avoid being misled by his cousins’ tall tales.

He took a light breath, and amid the Galles’ cheerful greetings, walked in with a cold face, realizing today there probably wouldn’t be time to accomplish anything else…

Hill, who had left, didn’t know about the Temple of Heim’s self-destructive plans, but he indeed didn’t care either.

The atmosphere in Neverwinter is quite bizarre right now; the people of the Temple of Heim definitely sense it, yet if they still want to play the dangerous game of seeking wealth amidst risk, Hill will not stop them from taking that adventure.

What’s more, on the surface, it certainly seems like a good opportunity for Heim believers to increase in numbers… Toril people’s faith has always been flexible… whether distant Tyr or near Heim, most would choose Heim.

The commoners of Neverwinter need a temple, and the nobles need henchmen and bodyguards, so they will certainly welcome the return of the Temple of Heim… being truly abandoned by all temples would bring disgrace upon Neverwinter’s nobles.

But King Bane may not think the same way… Regardless of whether he has issues, one thing is certain: this king is seeking an opportunity to make his power in Neverwinter supreme.

He utilized Naish’s arcane wizards to expel the Mages’ Association aligned with the Kind Alignment and then shifted the nobles’ conflicts onto the temples… On the surface, the king appears to be always asking nobles to dispense the resources meant for the two temples.

However, his passionate speeches were largely ignored by the nobles, thus even when the paladins left Neverwinter, they harbored no resentment toward King Bane, only feeling that the royal family’s authority had waned since the old king’s death.

Even Bane’s shameless act of asking other cities in The North to bear the cost of Neverwinter’s wars was somewhat understandable… Unable to control his subordinates, the king chose shamelessness.

Yet Hill is quite aware of how much grain the royal family of Neverwinter stored in that previous time… Bane must have a sizeable army under him.

But all positions in Neverwinter have been occupied by nobles, and even as king, he cannot seize much, let alone the more he desires.

Thus, a large-scale rebellion in Neverwinter is destined to occur… The reason can shift from harming Tyr’s paladins to harming Heim’s holy knights!

But this has nothing to do with Hill, who has reached the Hidden Forest and is circling externally to find a suitable center for the Forest Array… He’s done what needs to be done, alas sensible words cannot persuade doomed ghosts.

Hill folded his arms, observing the forest below, wondering how many years the Mithril Elves have been back?

The living wood, allowing elves to teleport freely, spreads across each region; such plants must have been cultivated with care to grow so lushly.

Weapon and armor materials commonly used by elves, like Manvine and Sylvanwood, were planted between rows of pine and oak trees, appearing to be at least a hundred or two hundred years old… Hill surmised the elves might have originally planned to return to check on the elves on the continent: if Ferun has returned to normal, they might abandon the fortress situated on the Outer Plane to return to Toril.

Instead, they arrived just as the elves made their great retreat.

The helpless Mithril Elves simply hid here, waiting for an opportunity… After all, the Hidden Forest also shelters some Gold Elves, and the forest’s outskirts are inhabited by a group of Wood Elves, who could stand visibly if any battles were needed.

They hide rather well… Perhaps because, in many people’s eyes, this forest isn’t worth competing with elves over; hence, they have remained undiscovered for so long.

But upon seeing Sylvanwood, Hill knew immediately, for these trees, which thrive in Avando, the abode of the Elven Deity System, vanished from Toril during the elves’ Crown Wars… These tree trunks are among the best shipbuilding materials… The speedy ocean vessels of Gold Elves, seldom seen today, were crafted with them, and their fallen branches can be used to craft bows, arrows, or crossbow bolts with the spirit of the trees.

Previously, these trees were commonplace in forests inhabited by elves, but when they began slaughtering each other for power, the Sylvanwood on the Toril continent withered as well… the deities’ disapproval was conspicuous, yet the elves excelled at playing deaf and mute.

Thus, only those Mithril Elves who initially opposed the war, decisively distancing themselves from Toril, still possess the seeds of such trees.

Manvine is a common tree on Toril, but only elves give it such importance; generally, seeing Manvine spread throughout a forest is a surefire sign that elves reside there.

If this forest has any particularity, it’s the globe artichokes that permeate every corner. These 3-meter tall plants are the raw material for Thistle Thick Cloth Armor… Despite being uncommon in Ferun due to their demanding growth conditions, only elves endeavor to cultivate them… Yet many elves, who abandoned arcane arts, no longer recall this skill.

Hill lightly sighed; upon seeing the Hidden Forest, he understood why these Mithril Elves chose to sever contact with other elves.

Elves’ lifespans are long enough, probably bringing along beautiful memories of the past upon returning to the Ferun continent… Even if they recognize the inevitable harm wrought by the Crown Wars upon the elves, they certainly didn’t expect to confront such absurdity where everything’s changed beyond recognition.

Many things, many memories, were known only by themselves now.

When they departed, elves were Toril’s mightiest race, yet upon their return, elves couldn’t even hold their ground on the Ferun continent.

Were it not for the Undead Tribe offering hope, these Mithril Elves might have silently stayed in this corner, awaiting a chance for their entire race to return to the Ferun continent.