Chapter 407 A Debt of Gratitude <TOC> Chapter 409 Purifying the Soul
Translator: SumTLMan
The priests began to sound their horns, playing from the lowest pitch, gradually ascending to the highest. The sound was melodious and majestic, and Angel could imagine the scene of startled birds taking flight if it were played in the outside world.
With the priests’ horn sounds over, the selection of the choir began.
Delicate women dressed in clean, long dresses took turns going on stage to showcase their singing.
—Fairy Epic— was the key to the treasure, and the songstress with special bloodlines were the real keys. Selecting the songstress was not about listening to who had the best singing voice but finding the “key” that could open the treasure.
To quickly identify the “key”, the selection was conducted in groups of four, each songstress singing a part of —Fairy Epic—.
Batch after batch went on stage, and each songstress’ voice was beautiful. Angel and Shadow listened appreciatively to the heavenly echoes.
“Speaking of which, the lyrics of —Fairy Epic— probably describe some historical events of the Kulakuka tribe, right?” Angel asked the High Priest.
The High Priest nodded: “Yes, although some words have been adjusted for the syllables, most of the events described are true.”
“I roughly understand the meanings of the second and third verses. What does the first verse, ‘The first hero, with a sword in hand, entered the blooming estate, and under the watchful gaze of the red-haired princess, picked the first dew-kissed rose,’ mean? If we follow the chronological order, this first verse should be about an event from a thousand years ago, right?” Angel asked curiously.
The High Priest’s eyes held a hint of reminiscence, and after a while, he nodded: “You are right, Lord, this verse indeed refers to an event from a thousand years ago.”
“The heroes in —Fairy Epic— are actually the Kulakuka tribespeople, embellished by historians.”
Angel had roughly guessed that the heroes at the beginning of each verse were essentially fictional and embellished characters. History is written by later generations, and it’s not surprising that most civilizations’ historical texts have traces of artistic liberties.
“Lord, have you ever wondered why, when our tribe was on the brink of extinction a thousand years ago, Lady Isabelle was willing to descend and save us?”
Although the Kulakuka tribe was talented in craftsmanship, they were ultimately still mortals. Why would a legendary wizard have such a kind heart to save a mortal tribe?
Angel hesitated: “The blooming estate and the red-haired princess mentioned in the epic…are they referring to Lady Isabelle?”
The High Priest nodded: “Yes, a thousand years ago, a true hero appeared in our tribe, and he was my father. He accidentally entered a magical blooming estate and helped a trapped person. That trapped person was Lady Isabelle.”
“Regrettably, my father perished in the blooming manor, and Lady Isabelle brought his relics to us, leaving behind a conch shell, saying that when we were in trouble, we could blow the shell, and she would come.” The High Priest said slowly, with a faint trace of tears in his turbid eyes when he mentioned his father.
By this point in the story, Angel had a general understanding. Isabelle owed a debt to the High Priest’s father. When the Kulakuka tribe was persecuted by humans to the brink of extinction, they blew the conch shell, and Isabelle honored her promise.
She saved the entire Kulakuka tribe, even bringing the race to the Living Soul Garden and setting up a magic formation to absorb souls. Yet, she let the descendants of the original hero live, granting them near-immortal abilities, revealing the truth behind the High Priest’s thousand-year longevity.
Once the High Priest’s emotions had calmed down a bit, Angel asked again.
“In the second verse of the hymn, it mentioned the Realm of the Giant Serpent. I’ve heard that the Realm of the Giant Serpent is actually referring to Akesacresia, is that correct?”
As Angel finished his question, Shadow, who was sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow. This was the second time he had heard Angel bring up this issue. The first time, Angel’s response to his curiosity about human history was simple: curiosity. But this second time, as Angel mentioned the ‘Realm of the Giant Serpent’ again, Shadow didn’t believe it was just curiosity. Perhaps there was something strange going on?
Shadow didn’t speak up at this moment but listened intently to their conversation with his ears perked up.
The High Priest was also somewhat surprised that Angel would be interested in history from a thousand years ago, but he didn’t give it much thought and nodded: “Yes, the Realm of the Giant Serpent in the hymn does indeed refer to Akesacresia.”
“Do you know why this country is named Akesacresia?” Angel asked a question that puzzled Shadow even more.
However, unlike Shadow’s confusion, the High Priest did not show much surprise upon hearing Angel’s question but smiled and said: “What you actually want to ask is about ‘Akeso,’ right?”
Angel was taken aback and nodded: “Its name is Akeso, right?”
“Yes, it is indeed Akeso.” The High Priest caught the restraint in Angel’s words and followed his attitude, not elaborating further.
This made Shadow somewhat dissatisfied, and he nudged Angel: “Hey? What code are you two speaking in? What is Akeso?”
The High Priest remained silent with a smile.
Angel did not answer Shadow either but continued to ask: “Have you heard of Hippocrates?”
This question left the High Priest stunned. On the other side, Shadow also furrowed his brows: “Hippocrates, huh, I think I’ve heard this name before?”
Angel turned to look at Shadow. He had been searching for information about Hippocrates in Watthelmgrass for a long time, but no one knew anything about him. Unexpectedly, Shadow had heard of him?
After reflecting for a moment, Shadow said: “Hippocrates seems to be a city in Akesacresia?”
The High Priest waved his hand to deny it: “Hippocrates is the sacred land of physicians, and it is a place guarded by Akeso.”
The High Priest’s words essentially confirmed what Angel had suspected in his heart. That giant serpent named Akeso was indeed beneath Hippocrates, even if Hippocrates had been destroyed, it still silently guarded the last survivor.
“Do you know where Hippocrates is?”
The High Priest shook his head: “I don’t know. Besides the royal family of Akesacresia, no one knows. However, I remember that a thousand years ago, when our tribe lived in Siporak, before physicians entered their profession, they would swear in the direction of the southeast, and it was said that Hippocrates was in that direction.”
To the southeast… Angel recalled his position when he left the underwater area, and it seemed to be indeed southeast of Siporak.
Angel stopped asking questions at this point because Shadow suddenly tilted his head, looking at him curiously. No matter where Angel turned his head, he would immediately follow. A “you don’t answer, I will not give up” attitude.
Angel did not intend to betray the location of Akeso. That was a magical beast of wizard level. If a formal wizard found out, it would probably be devoured in a few days. Akeso also led him on the way, and he also received Akeso’s benefits, as well as a coffin full of blood essence. How could he betray it?
However, Shadow was not a fool. He remembered that when he told Angel about “the country of the giant serpent named Akeso.” Angel had once asked him: “What’s the name of the giant serpent?” He didn’t answer at the time, but by connecting Angel’s conversation with the High Priest, he easily deduced the answer:
“Akeso is actually the name of that giant serpent, right?”
Angel did not respond.
Shadow continued: “You are so concerned about Akesacresia because you have seen Akeso? Or have you seen something related to Akeso?”
Angel lowered his eyebrows, and Shadow narrowed his eyes.
“You’ve seen Akeso.” Shadow suddenly became excited: “Akeso isn’t dead, is it? Where is it now? If it hasn’t died in a thousand years, isn’t it a wizard-level magical beast?”
“It’s none of your business.” Angel replied unhappily.
Shadow smiled without speaking, but in his eyes, he was contemplating. Listening to the High Priest, it seemed that Akeso was near “Hippocrates”…
“You better not think about going to Hippocrates.” Angel saw through Shadow’s little plan and warned with a frown: “It’s not a place you can dream of!”
Shadow pretended to be “clueless”, not knowing what Angel was talking about.
Angel’s expression was extremely serious: “For the sake of our signing the Kulakuka contract, I will remind you one last time that you will only die if you go there. Even if you become a wizard, even a wizard on the Path of True Knowledge will meet the same fate.”
Hippocrates was not a place to be trifled with, as it was the territory of the Colorful Dragonflies. Angel still didn’t know why the Colorful Dragonflies chose to build their nest there, but he was self-aware enough to know that with his current strength, he had no right to explore further. That’s why he had lived in Hippocrates for so long without ever really going to the nest and was merely focused on finding an exit.
“Enough said. If you really want to court death, I won’t stop you.”
Angel’s words were harsh, and Shadow was taken aback. The raging flames in his heart were extinguished for the most part, leaving only a small spark. Sometimes, as long as you still have a little thought in your mind, a spark can start a prairie fire.
The conversation on this side had almost come to an end, and more than a dozen groups of people had gone through the selection for the Sky Choir.
Unfortunately, not a single person capable of activating the disk had appeared.
“Isn’t the Sky Choir selected every year? Can’t they use the previous singers?” As the number of singers dwindled, Angel frowned. According to the High Priest, about 3% of women possessed the bloodline that could activate the treasure. Three percent wasn’t a small number, but it wasn’t large either. But at this rate, they might end up empty-handed.
The High Priest said: “No, the bloodline to activate the treasure can only be used once. They can only activate it once, and then we have to continue the selection.”
“Once? Does activating it once have any effect on the singer’s body?”
“No, on the contrary, by joining the Sky Choir, their value and status will rise.” The High Priest replied.
As they were talking, Angel caught a glimpse of the selection stage with his peripheral vision. A new group of singers had taken the stage.
Among this group of singers, Angel saw a familiar figure.
Woodbud Village, Babaya.
Chapter 407 A Debt of Gratitude <TOC> Chapter 409 Purifying the Soul