[B3]Chapter 177: Deciphering the Ancient Texts

Reading the description of the Gateway, Theo swore internally he wouldn’t consider venturing inside, though he managed to keep his expression neutral.

He calmed his racing heart as he shifted his focus from the swirling vortex to the mysterious green orb in the chamber.

As he scanned the item, a description materialized in front of him.

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[Thornwood Wardstone]

[~ Within the outskirts of Northern Wood lies a core, a vital artifact that fuels the defensive mechanisms of the Thornwood Forest. This core releases a veil of poisonous gas throughout the woods, forming a formidable barrier that deters enemies from encroaching upon the Northern Woods.]

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The significance of the Wardstone was clear from the description alone—it was a crucial defense against the Demon race's direct invasion of the Northern Woods.

Catching Liliana's curious gaze upon him, Theo decided to break the silence. “This is the Thornwood Wardstone. It fuels the defensive mechanisms of the Thornwood Forest, releasing a veil of poisonous gas throughout the woods... This is what I could decipher from the ancient text,” he explained.

The recent activity of white-robed figures in the nearby forest, as suggested by intel, was enough reason for him to share this information openly.

Both Liliana and Gildor were taken aback by the revelation. They hadn’t expected Theo to interpret the meaning so quickly.

Gildor looked at Theo with a hint of suspicion before pointing towards the markings engraved below the swirling vortex. “What about those?”

Theo responded, “They describe a portal to a realm which ensnares its victims, chaining them in an eternal labyrinth of despair and darkness,” he mumbled, summarizing the ominous function in a few words.

Gildor seemed skeptical, but Liliana was not. With a note of urgency in her voice, she said, “We need to increase the security for this area and ensure this information doesn’t spread.”

Gildor hesitated but eventually nodded in agreement.

Together, the trio left the underground chamber. Once outside, Gildor issued some instructions to the officer in charge of the area, emphasizing the need for heightened security and discretion.

As they reached the Embassy Enclave, they found it bustling with Canorians. Among them, a Canorian with a slender figure and thick, white fur approached Gildor. "The situation has become dire, and we may have no choice but to surrender to our neighbors."

Gildor, visibly taken aback by such a defeatist statement, responded in a grave tone, "Why would you suggest such a thing, Ajora?"

Theo and Liliana stood by, quietly observing the interaction.

"Two days ago, our warehouses were raided by several white-robed figures. We no longer have any rations to feed our people. The children and patients at the infirmary are suffering from lack of food," Ajora disclosed with a distressed look.

Gildor's surprise quickly turned to anger. "Why didn’t you report this robbery sooner?" he demanded.

"I tried to find you, but you weren’t here," Ajora answered, his voice filled with frustration. "I have been seeking other solutions to our situation, but we are indeed out of options. Moreover, those in panic have begun to call for surrender to our neighbors, fearing for their own families in the coming days. And frankly, I can’t say they’re wrong since we seem to have no solution."

Gildor walked over to a chair and slumped down. "Canorians have always remained loyal to this land and upheld their moral ethics, but it seems even the gods have abandoned us now," His voice was bitter, and for the first time, he appeared as an aged man overwhelmed by helplessness.

The other Canorian men standing around gave occasional glances towards the princess and Theo.

Breaking the heavy silence, Liliana's voice cut through sharply, "Has nobody attempted to track down these white-robed figures?"

Turning his weary eyes toward her, Ajora replied, "We couldn’t find any trace of them. The guards we had left were not strong enough to confront them, and our strongest warriors were with Gildor, fortifying our defenses. No one anticipated that an intrusion would occur, let alone a robbery of our main rations."

“At least their motives are clear. They want the town’s people to struggle and surrender,” Theo suggested, interpreting the intentions behind the white-robed figures' actions.

Ajora glanced at the human boy with a sour look. “Even if their motives are clear, we have no other option…” His tone carried a hint of disdain.

Gildor responded in a stern tone, “We need to hold out. We cannot surrender…”

Ajora turned back to him, his voice tinged with anger, “What are you saying, Gildor? Do you want to carry the burden of the deaths of all those children and our people?”

“No, but surrendering means losing our land, and we can’t be sure how our neighbors, who suspect us of colluding with the demon race, will treat us. We can’t leave our fate in the hands of others,” Gildor countered.

“You’ve lost your sense, Gildor,” Ajora muttered, disappointment seeping through. “I can’t back a plan that offers no real solution for our food crisis.”

The room grew tense with their opposing views while the other standing Canorians remained silent. For them, both Ajora and Gildor held high authority, so they could not easily interject in their discussion.

Just then, Liliana’s cold voice interrupted, “Senior Gildor, we will take care of the shortage of rations.”

All eyes turned towards her, filled with questions.

“How is the princess going to help us when all the trade routes are blocked?” Ajora asked, though he refrained from directing his displeasure towards Liliana and didn't show the usual respect due to royalty.

“That’s not your concern to worry about,” Liliana replied curtly, shutting down any further questioning with a single sentence.

Even the men standing behind him were left speechless. However, they knew this lady’s strength backed up her words. If she wished, she could even bring a human army to assert control over the territory of Feralon. So, no one dared to question further.

Meanwhile, Gildor’s grave expression lightened slightly, a flicker of hope crossing his face.

However, Ajora was not one to be easily silenced. “If there is a delay in bringing the rations, we won’t be able to avoid the death of children and patients who are suffering.”

“Food will be provided by noon to everyone,” Liliana declared authoritatively.

Then, turning to Gildor, she instructed, "Please call everyone back from the library." With that, she ascended the stairs and left the room, leaving everyone shocked in their place.

After Princess Liliana departed, the gathered assembly within the Embassy Enclave dispersed, and Gildor quickly instructed a guard to summon the others from the town’s library.

Before long, most had arrived in the enclave, though Linwe was notably absent.

Seated and looking somewhat distraught, Emma shared, "We didn’t anticipate that the stocked rations would be robbed. We have some emergency supplies, but it's nowhere near enough to feed everyone for even a week. We need to devise another solution."

Agnes, with a hopeful glint in her eye, suggested, “If you could fly back to the human city and bring back rations via aerial route, we might resolve this.”

Emma quickly doused that spark of hope. “Madame Agnes, those Stormwing Eagles weren’t ours to command indefinitely. We were merely given a ride by the academy, and if we need to return, we must find our own way... so that's not a viable option for transporting rations.”

Arwen, the elven warrior, sat silently, choosing not to engage in the logistics of their plight.

“Noon is approaching,” Gildor interjected, his voice laced with urgency. His aged, wolf-like features were deeply etched with worry for his people.

At that moment, Liliana placed a silver bracelet on the table—reminiscent of the one Theo had received from Elara—but offered it as though it were an everyday item. "This contains all the emergency food I have," she said.

Emma followed suit, placing an emerald ring beside the bracelet. "This one also has some emergency food…"

Seeing the two spatial tools that contained emergency food, Agnes and Gildor looked at them as though they were their last hope.

“I’ll take these to Senior Ajora so he can begin distributing the food to everyone…” Agnes said, rising from her seat. Just as she reached out to collect the items, another hand swiftly grabbed them from the table.

Everyone’s eyes turned to Theo in surprise, except for Liliana, who remained indifferent to his abrupt action.

Emma, unable to mask her irritation, asked sharply, “Why must you be so rude all the time?”