The 'Basin of Meteoric Fire' test was proposed by the conservatives, and Westena's side needed to overcome this test. In response, Westena's faction also raised difficult questions.
"At the dawn of the First Age, the mythical fairies of the time sewed a 'Helu Dress' for the Elf Queen. The Elf Queen then led the three elves out of the protection of the World Tree. Wherever the dress touched, the scorched earth, once burned by flames, became moist, and grass and trees grew, thus creating a brand new home for the elves."
"The party accepting the test must resolve the current drought in the eastern region and the southern part of the Emerald Forest, nourishing the soil and water to ensure a good harvest, just like the elven queen once held the lotus dew skirt in her hand to extinguish the fire of drought."
After explaining the first item, another ritual officer came to the stage, opened another scroll, and began to explain the second test.
"The second item is to find the Jade Branch and the Shell of Oblivion."
"In the distant East Dragon Continent, there is a sacred tree called Xunmu. Its fruit allows living beings to recall all their past without omission, allowing them to maintain their original aspirations throughout their lives. The party accepting the test must fetch a jade branch from the sacred tree." This is the test proposed by the conservatives.
"At the bottom of the endless deep sea, there is a special shell-shaped beast. Its pearl can make people forget all the pain, troubles and fears of the past, and face everything in the future with the most powerful and pure heart." This is the test proposed by the reformists.
"The third item is the Cloud-Splitting Beast Horn and Wang Mi's Wind."
"Thousands of miles away, there is a giant floating beast on the sea. It is like a whale patrolling the sky, splitting clouds and breaking waves. It is unstoppable. The party accepting the test must take the cloud-splitting horn on its head." This is the test proposed by the conservatives.
"In the beginning, the last three great elves joined forces with the sages of elves and humans to forge two swords, one named the Wind of Tranquility and the other the Wind of Kings. The two emperors of the empire each wielded one to symbolize the friendship between elves and humans and to confirm the authority of the royal bloodline."
"During the coup d'état over a decade ago, Crown Prince Ansiel wielded one of these swords, the 'Wind of Kings.' Following the coup, the sword's whereabouts became unknown. The other, the 'Wind of Tranquility,' was also returned to the Emerald Forest due to the Empire's restructuring, with the elves no longer being among the Empire's masters. It is now kept in the possession of Her Majesty the Queen."
"The one who is being tested must retrieve this sword that symbolizes the oaths of the past."
When the ritual officer finished reading, another one came on stage to complete the next test.
"The fourth item is the poem of leaves and the painting of stars."
"At the beginning of the First Age, the armies of the three tribes of the Ancients fought against the Giant King's court in the mountains and valleys. The poets accompanying the army recorded poems describing this epic battle on the leaves of the World Tree they carried. The poem is divided into four chapters and 26 verses. Over the past thousands of years, the original has long been lost. Only 17 verses have been passed down to date, and 9 verses are currently lost."
"The party being tested must retrieve and complete the remaining nine verses." This was the test proposed by the conservative opposition.
"During the heyday of the First Age, the ancients traveled across the continents, exploring the world's boundaries. Eventually, scholars among them turned their gaze to the stars. Under the command of the Elf Queen, approximately three thousand astronomers set out to build towers across the land, observe the stars, and prepare to compile the 'Scroll of the Starry Sky.'"
"But by the time Her Majesty the Queen of that generation passed away, only one-third of the 'Starry Sky Scroll' had been completed. Although additions were made to it by successive generations, our ancestors still hadn't completed the map until the rise of the Mercury Dynasty."
"The party accepting the test must complete the remaining quarter of the 'Starry Sky Scroll' to end the regrets of the past." This is the test proposed by the reformists.
After the announcement, the last ritual officer walked onto the stage, and many eyes inside and outside the venue turned to him.
"Finally, the fifth test is the seven-colored golden flowers in the pupils."
"In the ancient past, elves and goblins once coexisted under the World Tree. Now the goblins have withered away, but the legends of the past still survive."
"Both sides must send representatives to sing the secrets of the fairies of yesteryear, opening the door to the fairy land. Seven-colored golden flowers bloom in their pupils, seven movements of music, seven ballads. The side that sings the most will win."
After announcing the five tests they had set for each other, the elves present began to engage in heated discussions, talking about the long history of each of the five tests and the vague meaning behind them.
"The Basin of Falling Fire and the Skirt of Lotus Dew. The Basin of Falling Fire symbolizes preserving the flame, advising the other party to understand the importance of stability. The Skirt of Lotus Dew represents the past actions of the elves in exploring the world, and is also a response to the opposition. Only by making changes can we usher in a prosperous era."
"The Xunmu Jade Branch and the Forgotten Shell, Xunmu recalls the past, and the pearl that emerges from the shell forgets fear and timidity. This is another display of the ideas of both sides." A knowledgeable elf scholar explained one by one to some curious companions around him.
"What about the Cloud-Splitting Beast Horn? I don't think I've ever heard of it."
"The Cloud-Splitting Beast is an extremely large magical beast. It's said that it was last spotted hundreds of years ago. It lives in the rarely visited Faraway Sea, a remote ocean further south than the Southern Islands, but also slightly to the east."
"It was originally named because the elves aboard the ship witnessed an unforgettable sight: above the boundless sea of clouds, a gigantic beast, like a whale, emerged. The single horn on its head split the clouds across hundreds and thousands of miles, revealing a pure, azure sky behind it like a curtain."
"This is an extremely rare fantasy-type Sequence 9 monster. Even for the Sage and the Witch, it wouldn't be easy to deal with. Furthermore, its movements are elusive, like diving into another dimension, making conventional methods difficult to track down."
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