Chapter 52 Truth and Justice: A Message to Anciya
Ancia stood in the magic circle, enveloped in the silvery-white light of the Tree of Life. Since the Tree of Life began to fall ill three years ago, the Mist Moon Elves had never seen such a gentle light. Whenever they gazed at the Tree of Life, they could only see a deep, dark green mixed in with the silvery-white light, which was extremely oppressive.
This human mage seems to have truly received a response from the Tree of Life.
Aerlan looked at Ancia with a soft gaze, filled with obvious appreciation and pride.
Ancia slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Vivian behind Erlan. Vivian still looked gentle and kind, and even gave Ancia an encouraging smile when she looked over.
Airland noticed her pale face. "You don't look well. Are you tired from communicating?"
Ancia's hand unconsciously rested on her abdomen, then immediately lowered it, forcibly ignoring the lingering feeling of fullness in her consciousness. "I'm fine, I just used up some mental energy."
She glanced around at the concerned elves, then raised her voice slightly, "I have successfully communicated with the Tree of Life and learned how to save it."
Vivian exclaimed with delight, "That's wonderful!"
Ancia randomly picked a healing plant magic circle from Beatrice's magic notebook. "Elder Vivian, I need these materials. Can you help me prepare them?"
Vivian: "Of course."
Ancia then asked, "I need another array scholar to help me etch this array and create a magical resonance. Elder Vivian, I've heard that you are the most outstanding array scholar among the Mist Moon Elves. I hope to get your help."
Vivian nodded without hesitation, "Okay, I'll help you." She quickly retrieved the magical materials from the Mist Moon Elf's warehouse, and Ancia checked them one by one; they were all normal.
Ancia and Vivian stood on the stone altar, stretching out their hands together. Two vibrant green magical energies converged in the air, emitting a soft buzzing sound. The magical energy continued to flow, but Ancia keenly sensed something unusual.
A sense of déjà vu stirred her memories. The twin gems on her wand shimmered, and Ancia's fingers twitched slightly as she quickly made a gesture.
Ode to the Purification of the Spirit.
A pure wave of light-based magic spread out like ripples, instantly dispelling the surrounding illusions.
To all the elves, the emerald green magical light before them shattered like broken glass, revealing the dim, primordial magic circle below.
Vivian remained standing in the same spot, her hands elegantly folded in front of her, never raising them. The so-called magic that required resonance and joint infusion never materialized.
The entire audience was stunned.
Ancia's voice was calm and clear, like a drawn sword, pointing directly at Vivian, "Elder Vivian, please explain why you expended magic to cast an illusion to create the illusion that you participated in the magical resonance?"
"Are you refusing to heal the Tree of Life, or are you afraid that once your magic merges with the magic circle, it will expose something you absolutely do not want everyone to see?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Vivian's face, quickly turning to displeasure. "Are you doubting an elven elder? I cast illusions only to prevent my magic from merging with human energy. It is truly impolite of you to test an elf in this way."
Ancia's lips slowly curved into a smile. It didn't matter; if Vivian had simply surrendered so easily, she would have found it rather pointless. The more twists and turns the process involved, the greater the sense of accomplishment the player would gain at the last moment.
"Alright, then I'll apply for the Elven Scales of Truth. Do you dare?"
The elves were engulfed in a heated discussion because of her suggestion.
"The Scales of Truth are a magical artifact of the Elven race. People on either side of the scales can ask each other questions and can only answer yes or no. If the answer is the truth, the scales will remain still; if the answer is a lie, the standing side will rise. Could it be that this human suspects Elder Vivian and wants to interrogate her on the Scales of Truth?"
"Elder Vivian is just different from her previous amiable self... It's not a big problem if she dislikes other races, is it?"
"But Elder Vivian's behavior is somewhat suspicious. If she is truly innocent, there would be no problem with weighing the scales of truth."
...
Amidst the commotion, Erlan spoke, and the scene immediately fell silent.
“Vivian, your explanation does not convince me. Balance the truth with Ancia to prove that you are indeed harmless to the Misty Moon Forest, otherwise…” A longbow appeared in Ellan’s hand. He did not draw it, but simply nocked an arrow. His cold gaze locked onto Vivian, “I will consider you a traitor.”
“Alright, if the king insists.” Vivian sighed. “I just don’t understand why you would trust a human you’ve only known for a short time, instead of trusting me, a member of your own kind.”
Airland remained unmoved. "You can say those things when you step off the scales of truth."
He personally retrieved the Scales of Truth, and the palm-sized magical object rapidly expanded under the influence of magic. Ancia relied on the Wings of Wood to fly to one side, while Vivian stood on the other side of the scales, facing her from afar.
Ancia: "First question, Vivian, do you yearn for the throne of the Elf King?"
Vivian's lips curved slightly. "No."
The scales remain balanced.
Ancia frowned. If she didn't want the throne, then why had Minos been consistently recommending Vivian as the new queen? Wasn't it to ensure Vivian's ascension to the throne?
Minos, one of the elves, breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that Vivian wouldn't covet the Elf King's position.
Minos: "Vivian is the second most prestigious elven elder in the elven race. She is definitely not the kind of elf you're describing!"
Ancia: "Second question, Vivian, do you want Ellan dead because of personal grudges?"
Vivian's smile widened. "No."
The scales remain balanced.
Ancia's confusion grew. Vivian had instigated the sacrificial ceremony. If she didn't want the throne and had no grudge against Ellan, why would she propose such a risky method?
"This is utterly absurd! How could Elder Vivian possibly be dissatisfied with the King!"
“When the king exiled himself, it was Vivian who kept urging him to stay in the Misty Moon Forest. She had no reason to attack the king.”
"Yes, I remember when we were voting, Elder Vivian was firmly against the king leaving the forest and even tried to persuade us to vote against it."
...
The skepticism surrounding Ancia reached its peak, and a subtle hint of amusement flickered in Vivian's eyes.
Minos was even more furious, "When are you going to stop bullying Vivian! I swear on my life, Vivian has no ulterior motives!"
Erlan's gaze never left Ancia for a moment, and even when questioned, her eyes remained firm and unwavering.
Vivian lowered her eyes, her expression restrained, as if the unwarranted questioning had deeply insulted her. "How many more questions do you want to ask?"
Ancia took a deep breath, abandoning her speculations about Vivian's motives, and went straight to the undeniable question, "One last question—"
"Vivian, have you never completely etched the Azure Whisper Communication Array?"
Minos: "Human, are you out of your mind to ask such a pointless question? Vivian is the most powerful array scholar among the elves..."
Vivian's answer was not as quick as the previous two times. She thought for a moment before slowly saying, "No."
The scales rose violently!
Vivian was somewhat surprised. "How did you know?"
Ancia felt the scales beneath her feet rapidly descending, and looked up at Vivian, who had risen to a great height, "Because even if you have only etched it once, you will still hear the lament of the Tree of Life."
Vivian gave a chillingly gentle smile, the same one she had before being exposed. "So that's how it is. That tree really does have a mind of its own."
The elves were thrilled.
"What do you mean? The Qingyu communication array failed to work even once out of the hundreds of attempts?"
"No, no... according to her, she never completed it even once..."
"Isn't Vivian a formation scholar? Why did her etching fail?"
"Could she really be a threat to the Tree of Life?"
Erlan raised his hand. "Lock Vivian in the dungeon, and Minos in there too." After thinking for a moment, he added, "Separate them for interrogation."
Vivian was temporarily a suspect, but her authority among the elves remained intact, and the guards did not take action to subdue her. She gracefully walked towards the dungeon in the Misty Moon Forest.
Minos stared blankly at Vivian, unable to utter a word, and even forgot to resist as he was being taken away.
Ancia jumped off the scales and said confidently to Ellan, "Vivian is suspicious. I saw her in the memories of the Tree of Life. She deliberately caused all the Azure Whisper communication arrays to fail to etch. But I don't know who the dark figure near the Tree of Life is."
Airland pondered, "The shadow? It seems the disease on the Tree of Life is man-made. We've tried many methods to cure it, but they only made the disease worse. Now that we have a clue, finding the source of the disease will be much easier."
He looked at Anciya's slightly pale face, raised his finger slightly, and then lowered it again. "You should rest tonight. I'll interrogate them tonight and tell you the news tomorrow."
Ancia still felt the discomfort from her connection with the Tree of Life, and coupled with the depletion of her magic and mental energy, she was quite exhausted. She immediately nodded, wanting to fly back to her dwelling at the edge of the forest.
Erlan stopped her. "My treehouse is nearby. I won't be there tonight, so you can rest in my room."
As the king of the elves, his treehouse is located within the protection of the Tree of Life, separate from the dwellings of other elves.
Erlan took Ancia to the tree where he lived, carried her up to the platform, and then left.
As king, Erlan's room was only slightly more exquisite and spacious than Ancia's treehouse. His table was messy, piled high with books and scrolls, all related to plants, with many bookmarks sticking out their pointed corners.
It was late, and moonlight streamed into the room through the window. A piece of paper on the desk emitted a faint glow from between the pages of a book, and Anciya glanced at it unintentionally.
I saw four characters written on it.
—To Ancia.
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