NOVPUB
Chapter 753: Chapter 683: Journey and Faith
"What? What do you mean by that?" Bruto’s hand continually rubbed the handle of his Warhammer, seeking comfort from the warmth, "Honestly, this place feels more like the realm of the dead than where we just left..."
"It’s not surprising you feel that way." The Scholar nervously scanned the surroundings, "As the saying goes, where there is light, there is shadow, and the precursor to the Fallen Shadow Netherworld, the shadow plane, was the shadow of the Prime Material Plane. Later, the Goddess of Night, Shael, in order to compete with the former Goddess of Magic, Straya, connected the shadow plane with the negative energy plane, thereby creating the Fallen Shadow Netherworld. Everything here originates from the real world, but what is displayed is its darkest, most evil version..."
"Are you saying that if there’s a city in the real world, there would be a corresponding city here?" Alamir raised his Hardhead Hammer. Under normal circumstances, this magic weapon should shine as brightly as a torch, but now it emitted only a very faint light, a sight that made the Elf feel somewhat familiar.
"Yes." Kalalin nodded, "And not just cities, you might even recognize some familiar mountains, rivers, forests, and lakes, but the shadow plane has a way of distorting and corrupting them. As for what form that takes, we’ll likely have to discover it for ourselves."
"From the look of those trees, I can guess approximately." Lancelot observed the almost pure black plants nearby, and even with his vision, could not discern any bark-like texture within the shadow of the tree trunks, "But what concerns me most is potential dangers. What are the characteristics of the residents of this plane? What kind of enemies will we encounter? Is there anything in particular we need to be aware of?"
"Any creature that exists on the Material Plane might be encountered here in their shadow version. Compared to their normal versions, shadow creatures are more evil and more cunning, possessing excellent concealment abilities and can also launch attacks that have negative energy properties. This trait can directly damage the target’s life force, but it has the completely opposite effect on little Isha..."
"Right." Lancelot turned to look at the little vampire, "How are you feeling now?"
"I feel... amazing!" Little Isha’s eyes sparkled with surprise, "I don’t know if it’s appropriate to say this, but it’s like a fish finally returning to the water..."
"That’s normal. What we usually refer to as life energy is actually Positive Energy, but for undead creatures like you, negative energy is your life energy, and the Fallen Shadow Netherworld is a plane dominated by negative energy, so you feel particularly comfortable." Kalalin tried to flash a smile at little Isha, but found it difficult to make such an expression.
"You were trying to smile just now, weren’t you?" Lancelot roughly recognized the Scholar’s intention, "I’ve felt something odd since a while ago. It seems this plane not only drains the light and color but also suppresses all positive emotions."
"Yes, for ordinary people, once they mistakenly enter the Fallen Shadow Netherworld, it is easy to become more and more desperate and ultimately fall into complete madness. Both the Priest and I have some spells that can help everyone resist this influence, but it will become more and more difficult over time." Kalalin shrugged helplessly, "Additionally, there exists in the Fallen Shadow Netherworld a type of demi-plane known as the Domain of Dread; its entrances have no distinguishing features, often after a strange mist, you find the environment around you has completely changed."
"A demi-plane? Like the type that Tijana created?"
"Essentially... more or less. It’s said that each Domain of Dread has some powerful and evil entity known as a Dark Lord, and those demi-planes are both their kingdoms and their prisons, and unfortunately, once travelers fall into one of these kinds of demi-planes, it is difficult to leave..."
"I’d bet my beard that we’re going to enter at least one of those damn places next." Bruto said somewhat gloomily, "We’ve been talking for a while now; shouldn’t we get moving?"
"No problem," Kalalin said as he reached into his backpack and pulled out the scroll given to him by the Succubus Lord again. Generally, a scroll turns blank after being used once, but this scroll was special—according to Tijana, the spell stored on it could be cast nine times before it would turn to ashes in an unquenchable Magic Flame.
"What are you waiting for?" the Dwarf asked, finding it strange that the Scholar had suddenly started to daydream, "Is there a beautiful woman drawn on it?"
"Your sense of humor is quite comparable to that of the King of the Dead," the Scholar replied irritably, giving him a glare, "Wait a moment, I can make some modifications to this scroll, and the effect will definitely be better..."
"You can do that sort of thing?" Lancelot asked, his eyes widening in curiosity, "The power of Silverfire?"
"Perhaps," Kalalin replied as his fingertips lit up with a pale blue glow, beginning to scribble on the scroll, "Praise to the Goddess of Magic, her gift is like giving glasses to someone who is nearsighted—it’s incredibly useful..."
"Sounds like you’re already a follower of the Goddess of Magic?"
"Of course," Kalalin nodded affirmatively, not pausing his hands, "You know? My greatest dream was to become a true Wizard, but because of my innate talent, I couldn’t achieve it and became a Scholar instead, and later joined the Dark Cult out of personal interest... It’s hard to imagine the ecstasy and emotion I felt when the Goddess of Magic personally told me she liked the spell I created..."
"I know that feeling, my friend," Alamir gently nodded in agreement, "Only a true believer can understand."
"Umm, can you explain a bit to someone like me... a pseudo-believer?"
"It’s hard to describe that state in words if I must explain, it’s somewhat like a feeling of souls connecting," Alamir frowned as he spoke, "In that moment, you clearly recognize that She understands your pain and desires, and you understand Her will and... some kind of grand aspiration. You realize that you are essentially no different from that sublime being, ready to merge at any time, and you look forward to that day coming soon..."
"That sounds... not quite..." Lancelot carefully chose his words, "thrilling?"
"Every journey will end," Alamir sighed profoundly, "As a Divine office holder, perhaps I shouldn’t say this, but as a mere mortal, only after knowing the destination can one truly enjoy the scenery along the way..."
"Understandable," the Human Knight nodded, "But what about those without faith? What’s their situation?"
"They... either are complete madmen or possess a courage unimaginable to mortals," the Elf Priest glanced at him, "I don’t think you quite fit the former case, but I’m not particularly sure."
