Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 308 Strong Shield
"Your heart is not at peace."

Latan turned his gaze and saw that his usually taciturn senior brother Gaius had come to his side at some point.

"I can't really describe the feeling," he said carefully, "The war preparations have been done to a foolproof level no matter how you look at it, but I still feel a little worried."

Gaius pondered for a moment, condensed the iron sand surrounding his body into an extremely smooth iron ball and put it into his pocket, saying: "In terms of strength, you have always been extremely confident, and the Highness Lucia outside is the same as you, so what you are afraid of is not the problem of not being able to beat Esti after she wakes up - but you are worried about changes in the recovery process, right?"

Latan's eyes fixed, and he was silent for a few seconds, but he nodded and said, "Brother, what you said is right. After seeing the layout of the Tomb of the Buried Gods that day, I was quite touched by the strong foundation of Selia and the determination of the Selia people to resist the evil gods at the cost of their lives. However, the reason why the Origin Magicians have undergone a series of changes in recent days has not been found, and the mastermind behind the scenes is still unknown. At present, Selia and the three dynasties have relied on their hard power to temporarily suppress the storm."

"I think, whether it was the Shuangxian Sect within the academy or some external forces that planned this, the people behind the scenes have spent countless time and effort on this plan, and it is impossible for them to give up easily in the face of our pressure. The Origin Sect mages who are still in Selia have all been personally examined by Master Lusert, and no problems have been found in them. So if the other party has another move, it can only be to cause another wave of trouble in the Tomb of the Buried Gods and the revival of the evil god."

Gaius took over the topic and said, "But the layout of the Tomb of the Buried Gods looks flawless. The three elders are personally in charge of the cemetery, and one hundred and twenty high-level night wizards are using primordial magic to connect to the Egg of the Sleeping Gods. Even the slightest fluctuations of Esti's life are being monitored."

"On the other hand, almost every suspicious faction in the town is surrounded by several of His Highness' personal guards. As long as the people behind the scenes are not stupid, they will not act rashly at this juncture. It is reasonable and has been arranged in a perfect way, but your intuition is still warning you, and it has become more and more serious in recent days. Am I right?"

"Brother, please understand."

"The art of magic is all about spiritual perception. Junior brother, you have inherited the blood talents of both Lena and Radagon. With your current strength, your intuition, in a sense, already represents the truth."

"You may as well explain it in more detail. You are almost certain that the Tomb of the Buried Gods will soon undergo an abnormal change. However, it is the old place that the Selia people have guarded for a thousand years. At present, more than half of the high-level night wizards are sitting in the tomb, using their lives as torches to consume Esti's power. At least before you find definite evidence, you have no reason to ask Selia to change the arrangement. Even if you ask, you don't know where to start. This is the reason why you are really hesitant."

The words fell into Latan's ears like thunder. He was shocked and said, "What you said is clearer than what I thought. Now the coalition forces have gathered in Gailede. Although the military power is in the hands of Lucia, Michaela and I, the sealing of the evil god is led by Selia after all. If I rashly ask to send people to the Tomb of the Buried God, it will not be effective for the time being, but it will be tantamount to sending a signal to all forces that the three dynasties do not trust Selia. Then Selia's magician will be chilled, and the coalition forces will also be in turmoil, which will make those people behind the scenes happy to see it happen."

"But aren't you from Selia, Senior Brother? How come you didn't show any emotion after hearing all these things, and instead helped me solve my problems?"

"Heh," Gaius chuckled, his expression unclear through the iron helmet, and said, "Who said I was from Ceria? If I think about it, I would rather consider myself a Carian."

"My background is irrelevant. But you, my highness - have you forgotten your current identity?"

Latan was stunned for a moment, but with his quick comprehension, he immediately understood the key point that Gaius had pointed out, "The Hall of Mystic Arts?"

"If outsiders intervene rashly, it will naturally cause disgust among the Selian people, but if the Selian people intervene themselves, the nature of the matter is completely different," Gaius said with a smile, "The three elders are now in charge of the Tomb of the Buried Gods. Apart from Master Lusert, isn't it only our Hall of Mystic Arts that can influence the defense layout of the cemetery?" "But several teachers are not here."

"So I, the eldest senior brother, can fully represent the Hall of Mystic Arts."

Gaius unfastened the iron buckle of his breastplate and took out a simple black steel token from his inner pocket. He shook it and said, "Your Highness's identity is too conspicuous. Outsiders only think you are Prince Kalia, not a disciple of the Temple of Mysticism. Gaia is also a brainless man. After all, I am the only one who can make this trip for you."

He thought for a moment, then took out a delicate glass bottle the size of a knuckle, handed it to Latan, and said, "Brother, although I think highly of myself, I also know my own limitations. If something unexpected happens that even the three elders can't handle, the only role I can play is to warn the outside world. This is a little gadget I researched when I had nothing to do. Its use is just to communicate with the main body from a distance. If there is a life-and-death crisis, the liquid in the bottle will fluctuate, and you will know it at a glance."

In just a few words, this senior brother who had only known Latan for a few months had broken Latan's cognition several times. He stared at the dark viscous liquid in the bottle absent-mindedly. Gaius spoke lightly, but in fact he was ready to risk his life to gain the upper hand in the battle for him.

"Brother." Latan heard his voice was a little hoarse, "Why do you have to do this?"

"Didn't I say that I prefer to be considered a Carlian? What does it matter if a Carlian is willing to take a few risks for his prince?"

Gaius raised his head slightly. Although his inner expression could not be seen through the iron mask, Latan could clearly feel that he was smiling.

That is facing life and death not only without fear, but full of ridicule and disdainful laughter.

"Many people will die in this battle. If I die at the right time, many people won't have to die. Is this the meaning of my life?"

Without waiting for Latan to refute, he smiled and patted Latan on the shoulder, saying, "Just think of these words as nonsense I said to give myself courage and show off. The war is imminent, and the eldest son of Kalia should be a solid shield standing in front of millions of people and facing the starry sky. How can you behave like a child? Don't let my senior brother look down on you. I'm leaving."

Latan stared in amazement at his brother's receding back. His legs and feet looked a little stiff. Gaia said that he had suffered an old injury in his early years, so he spent most of the time sitting cross-legged since they met.

But this back figure, which looked much weaker than himself, now looked like a towering mountain, proud and majestic.

"Standing in front of millions of people, facing the starry sky, blocking the evil god's shield - this is the path I should take."

(End of this chapter)