Chapter 326: Elven Arcane Text (1/2)

At first, the elven queen wasn’t really concerned about Edward’s request.

Like present-day humans, the elves had once ruled the known world when their kind was spread throughout every corner of land.

And even after the High Elves went extinct, many branch races possessing their bloodline survived—the wood elves themselves include.

To put it harshly, one could find antiques of their race wherever they dig a hole in the Eastern Continent.

That was why she was quite sure what Edward had was one such trinket.

Nonetheless, she realized that she was wrong after examining it seriously.

“The words inscribed on the sack are the arcane text of the High Elves that are completely different from our modern text. It, however, does not record a message—it is made exclusively for simple rituals and to imbue it with a corresponding ‘Mystery’, which is why deciphering the original content requires a special ritual that matches it.”

The elven queen explained to Edward and the others. “The sacred arts system of the High Elves is different from what we have today. They seemed to have reached some pact with the gods in exchange for Mystery.” “Mystery’? What is that?” Gou Dan asked in confusion.

“I do not know. However, it is often used in the ancient texts our tribe has inherited… it should be the name for a special power.”

The elven queen explained. “These Mysteries is a condition with which the high elves casted their sacred arts, and because it is distributed equally, more people knowing of it would spread the Mystery thinner amongst each person. That was why the high elves generally adhere to secrecy so that the secrets in their own tribe wouldn’t be revealed to anyone else.”

“In fact, the high elves valued their secrecy so much that it reached airtight boundaries. They had even established a secrecy device specifically to handle situations where a captured high elf was about to reveal their Mystery (through hypnosis or other mind control), hence burning them into ashes because they were violating the oath of secrecy.”

“Thanks to the secrecy device and the application of Mystery being kept at maximum potential, the high elves were next to the gods in strength even in the age of the gods.” The elven queen added before sighing. “But it was also because of the strict secrecy that cut short the glory of the high elves…”

Edward had a vague hunch even though she left the actual reason unsaid.

Given that Mystery was fully monopolized and isolated by the leaders of the high elves, the essence of Mystery would be lost if those leaders were to be wiped out in one swift stroke through mishap or something else. In turn, the high elves that survived wouldn’t have any measures which they could revive their race with.

No wonder the high elves’ bloodline was all spilled all over the place, forming numerous different descendant elven races.

“In other words, with the high elves all extinct now, this spell can’t be undone…”

Edward did a double take even at his own words.

If the high elves’ extinction also meant the loss of arcane text knowledge, the application of this magitek that wielded a Mystery should have been lost together with it.

So how did those two automatons obtain the application of the magitek?

Edward quickly conveyed his doubts to the elven queen, who in turn asked in detail about the two automatons’ attributes. She believed that they were automated magitek that the high elves left behind and were basically humanoid golems built from liquid metal, in this case mercury.

In turn, it made sense why they were able to use the rope and sack that were high elven magitek as well.

“That said, the automatons are themselves magitek. If someone didn’t awaken them, they wouldn’t awaken so many thousand years later after the fall of the high elves and appear in Crookes out of the blue.” Edward pondered. “Mystery is most likely needed to awaken them, and in other words, there might be someone in Crookes who has control over the high elves’ Mystery!”