Arcane Journey

Chapter 94 Stone Whisperer Crystal

In ancient times, the world was full of giants, and the shadow of their empires stretched far and wide.

These towering figures, so alive in those bygone days, were dragon slayers, dreamers, artisans, and even kings of nations.

Now the prosperity of this race has faded away, and until now, there are only some hidden giant clans scattered all over the world.

They live a quiet life and have always maintained ancient traditional customs.

Of the giant race, stone giants are the most isolated of all giants, compared with storm giants, fire giants, frost giants, and cloud giants.

They value privacy and like to live a peaceful and quiet life.

The hidden caves are the stone giant's home, the connected cave network is their town, the rocky tunnel is their road, and the flowing underground river is their water source.

The isolated mountains are considered an oasis by the stone giants, and it is almost impossible for them to cross the two continents separated by the sea.

Golem dwells in the deepest chambers, far from the screeching bats and heavy footsteps of their cave-bear neighbors as they patrol.

In the quiet and dark cave, they carved the rocks silently, listening to the echo of water drops falling into the pool, to record the passage of time.

Brian followed the stone giant's footsteps while recalling information about the stone giant family.

Soon, they came near the settlement of stone giants.

The entrance to the Smoky Crystal Grotto is a long open tunnel in the south of the ditch. After the tunnel extends for hundreds of feet, it will enter the home of the stone giants of the Smoky Crystal Clan.

The tribe of stone giants in the city of Aldus takes its name from the 'Crown of Smoky Quartz'.

Their ancestors took ancient vows to the Lord of the Crown, which are still the traditional symbols of the Kings of the Deep Realms.

"Your Excellency Brian, please." The Stone Giant Rock Khan, who was carrying his companion, stretched out his hand to invite.

Brian nodded slightly, and entered the Smoky Crystal Cave together with the sword mage.

He knew that stone giants valued privacy, so duergars were never allowed to enter the smoky crystal cave.

The only exception is the King of the Deep, who will come here to talk with the leader of the stone giants, Stone Whisperer Hegram, when necessary.

But on the way to the Smoky Crystal Cave, Brian had already pulled out a piece of news from the upright stone giant Lockhan.

Let him know that Hogar, the deep king, has not talked with their leader for more than two months, and even the necessities of life promised in the covenant have been cut off.

This made him realize that the King of the Deep is really under the control of the Abyss Succubus, as his son Eddie said.

The moment he entered the cave, Brian felt a sense of enlightenment.

He also found that the clamor of steel outside the cave disappeared without a trace, and it became extremely quiet and peaceful.

The faint sound of running water coming from the depths of the hall made them get used to the noise made by the gray dwarves, and it seemed particularly healing.

Sisaiah on the side couldn't help but close her beautiful eyes lightly, and relaxed wholeheartedly to enjoy the atmosphere quietly.

Brian looked up at the high ceiling, which was engraved with regular runes. These magic runes shone with light blue luster, like a bright starry sky.

In addition to the runes, there are beautiful stone walls and exquisite carvings on the surrounding walls.

The finely carved stone walls and sculptures are so lifelike and natural that even the legendary dwarven masons would be ashamed of their craftsmanship.

Not surprisingly, stone giants are born sculptors and seers.

In their eyes, artistic attainment is the greatest virtue. They created exquisite and magnificent murals on the stone walls of caves, and indulged in various artistic fields.

Among them, the art of stone carving is most favored by stone giants.

Because when creating stone sculptures, they will try their best to give full play to the original shape and characteristics of the stone, and regard this persistence as revealing the creation intention of their god Skoreus.

Because of this, stone giants often appoint the best sculptors in their clan as their leaders, shamans, and oracles.

These outstanding giants represent the work of the gods with divine hands.

Brian also took a fancy to the stone giant's talent, and planned to poach the corner of the gray dwarf.

Following in the footsteps of Lockhan, they walked towards the depths of the hall with light and soundless steps.

Although the stone giant with a skinny face and sunken eyes looks very burly and is carrying a companion on his shoulders, his huge body and strong muscular structure can still maintain an elegant and soft posture. There is no sound.

The entire hall looked empty, except for the three of them, there was no stone giant coming and going.

This is not surprising, because the number of stone giants in Aldus King City is only about a hundred.

It seems that the population is small, but their outstanding racial talent allows them to reach at least level 7 as long as they grow up to adulthood, even without any training.

As for the stone giant Lewood who was stunned by Brian, he is not only a third-level fighter, but also has a talent for a warlock around level 10.

As they left the hall and headed down a deep corridor, Brian noticed a massive stone golem carved from granite.

The god of stone giants, Skoraeus Rockbone.

The 'King of the Rock' revered by Golem, god of buried objects, whose priests are close to the realms of knowledge and life.

The deity's values ​​and creed stated: Beauty is truth, knowledge is power, outsider influence will only distract the believer's attention from what really matters, secrets are the ultimate power, and the Underdark is the kingdom of the world. secret.

The powerful spellcaster Stone Whisperer Hegram they were going to meet was Skoreus' only priest in the city of Aldus.

Evidently, this hall is the silent and dark sacred place of the stone giants, and every sculpture and stone wall in the sanctuary represents the most sacred qualities.

When Rock Khan the Stone Giant led them to the Stone Whisperer's door, he bowed slightly, saluted Brian, and turned away with his companions on his shoulders.

Brian pushed the door open and entered the room, and Hesaiah followed closely after looking around vigilantly.

According to the size of the stone giant, the stone house in the depths of the tunnel is not that big. A bed and books placed in disorder almost occupy the entire space.

An old stone giant sat cross-legged on the bed, his white beard dragging over his knees.

To Brian's surprise, there was a pair of silver-rimmed eyes hanging on the bridge of the nose of this broad-shouldered stone giant old man.

This is a gadget made by alchemists. The old scholars of the surface kingdom almost have a pair, but the stone giant tribe in the dark area is very precious.

From this, it can be seen that this old stone giant may have left the Underdark and traveled in the outside world.

Although the aura of the stone giant old man didn't look strong, Brian knew that the other party, as the priest of the stone giant god, led the entire clan, and his strength was at the fourth-order model level.

In the game world, although the wise and knowledgeable old man sensed that some powerful force had broken into the Underdark Region, he did not survive the fight against this dangerous force.

Because he didn't know where the evil power lurking in the city was, so that it was too late to save the cultists after they completed the ceremony.

"Hello, guests from the surface." Stone Whisperer Hegram put down the book in his hand, slightly squinted his cloudy eyes with astigmatism, and looked at the two of them.

The voice of the old giant was soft and gentle, as if he was on a calm lake, it was completely unimaginable that it was spoken by a giant over four meters tall.

"Excuse me, Your Excellency Stone Whisperer." Brian bowed slightly and saluted the old man.

"It's not a disturbance."

The Stone Whisperer raised his hand and smiled, and said to him with a heavy heart, "I haven't left the city of Aldus for a long time, so I can only interpret the changes in the Underdark through whispers from the rock. "

"Young adventurer, the stone has answered my prayer. It tells me that there are many secrets about the abnormalities in the city hidden in your heart." The stone whisperer looked at the mysterious runes on the wall that even Brian couldn't understand, with a look on his face. In a dignified soft whisper:

"It also says:

An evil being has disturbed the city of Aldus.

The rocks cried out in terror, and madness was creeping up from the black depths.

Watch for signs around you.

A cave has two sides.

The rocks are worn away, and the ground is overgrown with weeds.

Pebble only believes in his own flesh and blood.

The land resisted its guardianship, and the tunnels trembled in rage.

All these signs have revealed to you the face of this evil being.

This is what the stone told me. "

The old man's voice was so soft that one couldn't tell whether it was from his mouth. His words matched the shimmering mysterious runes on the stone wall, as if they really came from the whispers of the rock.

Brian looked at the old stone giant sitting peacefully on the bed, and he looked at the mysterious runes flickering slightly on the stone wall.

He knew that these mysterious messages mentioned many demon lords and the madness spread by their existence, but Stone Whisperer Hegram couldn't decipher the real answer from it at this moment.

"Since you have already sensed the danger, you should be aware of the horror of evil forces." Brian thought for a moment, looked at the old stone giant, and said truthfully to him in a dignified tone:

"Because you will soon realize that the power of the demon lord has threatened this city. Believe me, this place is just the prelude to the madness of the abyss, which continues to spread corruption in the Underdark."

"When the disaster strikes, no one can stop it!" In order to exaggerate the dignified atmosphere brought by the words, he deliberately lowered his voice and made the last supplement.

Unless someone can kill the nephrite wizard hidden in the Venom Cave in Ancient Orens City at this time, he thought to himself.

Obviously, with the current power and personal strength of the Underdark, no one can do it.

Even the legendary team encountered in Kou Tao Murloc Town did not dare to pat their chests and guarantee that they would be able to kill a wizard in their secret room.

Hisaiah gave Brian a surprised look.

She thought that the arrival of the incarnation of the demon lord Demogorgon was just the result of the joint efforts of Ishi Ray and Kuu Tao Yuren, but she didn't expect the problem to be so serious.

Does this mean that if the Underdark cannot stop this force, the next target of the demons of the abyss is the Kingdom of Cormyr in the surface world?
She couldn't believe her amazing idea.

But her subconscious told her that when she returned to the surface world, she had to make early preparations.

"I see." Stone Whisperer looked up at the gleaming runes on the stone wall, and muttered to himself:
"It's no wonder that Lewood, who has always been calm and down-to-earth, has undergone such a big change. It turns out that this evil force has slowly penetrated from the rock to the depths of our hearts."

"Although the madness caused by the demon lords has not yet fully affected the city of Ordus, some evil existences hidden in the city have already begun to prepare for the madness." Brian took the stone appropriately. The words of the giant old man, said to him:

"They began to worship demons, using corruption rituals to accelerate the spread of madness symptoms in the city, so as to expand the geographical and social classes touched by the influence of demon lords, because these cultists have already planned to dedicate the entire city to their upcoming masters."

Brian had encountered two incarnations of the demon lord before and after, and he had to admit that the demon lord's approach was obviously a bit smarter.

He was not in a hurry to show up, but with the help of the surging energy radiated from the leylines, he let the cultists who believed in him take advantage of the chaos of the city little by little, and slowly infiltrated it until everyone in the whole city was overwhelmed by this power. Influenced into complete madness.

As expected of the demon lord who is said to be the most like a demon lord, he thought to himself.

"Then how should we fight against this force." The wise and knowledgeable old stone giant sighed softly and sincerely asked Brian for advice.

"The cultists hiding in the dark have already corrupted the King of the Deep." Brian met the old man's cloudy eyes and said to him, "Their next target is you. I don't need to say this, but you should be able to feel it now. The only way is to find the cultist's hideout and disrupt their corrupting rituals."

"You know where they are hiding." The old man looked at Brian.

"Right." Brian nodded.

"So, you need my help." Stone Whisperer pushed his glasses on the bridge of his nose and looked at the calm surface person.

"To be precise, it should be you who need my help." Brian shook his head slightly, corrected his words, and continued:
"Because you should have felt that this kind of power is corrupting your people. Although you can still resist with your current ability, Lewood's madness has shown me that you have begun to be weak, so instead of being passive Defense, why can't we take the initiative to attack and directly uproot the cultists hiding in the dark."

"Tell me your conditions, a fugitive from the surface." The old man was silent for a while, explained the identities of the two, and said meaningfully:
"Although in order to resist the spread of evil forces, it will affect my clansmen and prevent me from leaving the Smoky Crystal Cave, but the strength of my stone giant clan, in the entire city of Aldus, no landlord clan dares to underestimate it."

"I can destroy the evil rituals used by the cultists to corrupt the entire city, and you stone giants must, under the command of the gray dwarf prince Eddie, forcefully break into the deep king's fortress, and take this king who has been completely corrupted by demons and his Kill all the demon messengers."

Brian weighed up the plan in his mind, and after briefly telling the old stone giant, he said, "As you can imagine, there is no free lunch in the world. The reason why I help you is mainly on two conditions."

"Please speak." The old stone giant looked at Brian thoughtfully, and nodded without being surprised.

"First, I need a Stone Whisperer crystal." Brian calmly stated his first condition and stated his intentions, "Because this crystal is the key to the Inscribed Valley."

Inscribed Vale is a legendary library.

Long ago, carved out of the skeleton of the world by stone giants, protected by ancient and powerful magic, it possesses a sort of self-awareness.

The task of the three stone giants who inhabit the library is to record and preserve the knowledge of their race, and the echoes of past, present, and future that pervade the halls.

The reason why he wanted to go to Inscribed Valley was not only longing for the rich knowledge there, but also to find the whereabouts of a spiritid mastermind Lich with a challenge level of 68 during the Netheril period.

Of course, at his current level, he naturally dare not try to step into this legendary library.

Only when his strength reaches the fourth-order paragon, can he withstand the reverberation of time and space chaos in the Inscribed Valley, and find the person he wants to find.

But the requirement to enter the Valley of Inscriptions, apart from joining the Shining Society, the easiest way is to get a Stone Whisperer Crystal personally made by a priest from the Stone Giant family who believes in the God of Stone Giants.

"You even know 'Inscribed Valley', the sacred place of my stone giant family." Hearing Brian mention 'Inscribed Valley', the old stone giant was moved, and looked into his eyes, full of shock and disbelief.

"I promise you this request." He thought for a moment, weighed it in his heart, and nodded slightly.

"Originally, I only had such a condition."

Seeing the old man nodding, Brian thought about what he had said, and said to him, "But seeing your current situation, I think that after the threat of corruption in the abyss is resolved, you can completely migrate to other places with your family and avoid it completely." The disaster brought by the demons of the abyss."

"Smart surface people."

There was an inexplicable smile in the cloudy eyes of the stone giant old man, and he said to Brian, "Thank you for taking such care of my family. It seems that you must have helped us find a more suitable place, right?"

"That's right." Being seen through his thoughts, Brian replied calmly without blushing.

"In the northern part of the Kingdom of Cormyr, in the rocky wastelands of the Horn of the Storm Mountains and the Mokou Mountains, there is a new town, Mokou Town. I think that the Mokou Mountains, which are strong enough to withstand the harsh winds of the Ennook Desert, are important to you. In terms of the development of the stone giant family, it is undoubtedly an oasis in the desert."

"Of course I know the Mokou Mountain Range." The old man nodded slightly, recalling the past, and told him:
"The once dwarf kingdom Tasirama once occupied the entire Mokou mountain range. Unfortunately, 700 years ago, it fell into the hands of orcs, ogres, evil wizards and demons, and the demons are still lurking in the crowds. Among the mountains. The last king of Tathyama died in the city of Araby in the Kingdom of Cormyr in 1369 of the Vale Era. Before he died, he still dreamed of regaining the lost kingdom."

After the old stone giant remembered, he shook his head slightly and looked at Brian suspiciously, "The same fate as the dwarf kingdom of Tessama, Mokou Town was no longer a small town in the Kingdom of Cormyr ten years ago. .”

Brian stretched out his hand to stop Hesaiah, who was a little annoyed by the old man's words, and was about to answer. He unhurriedly took out the purple dragon seal ring that had not been returned, showed it to him, and said firmly:

"As long as the purple dragon's flag is still flying, it will always belong to the territory of the Kingdom of Cormyr."

Hesaiah looked at Brian with a complicated expression when he heard this.

Although she had hinted to Brian about Mokou Town many times, his tone of voice always made her feel indifferent to gains and losses.

Therefore, she didn't know whether the words that Brian said to the old stone giant with such a firm tone at this moment were from the bottom of his heart.

Thinking of his lofty goal of conquering the Ennook Desert, and his move to win over the duergars and stone giants, she faintly felt something.

Sisaiah sneaks a sneaky look at Brian out of the corner of her eye.

She felt that if it was what she thought, when she returned to the surface, she wouldn't mind making a decision that she had already begun to consider.

"In that case, it won't be too late for us to discuss cooperation after you capture Mokou Town." The old stone giant narrowed his eyes, looked at Brian, and said softly.

"I think so too." Brian secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled slightly, "It's not too late, let's start to act."

　Thanks to the boss: Life is about losing weight, the old onion knight, walking in the rain will catch a cold, soul pastor for the reward, thank you for your support! ! !

　　
　
(End of this chapter)