Lord: Starting with Contract Half-Elf Twins

Chapter 23 The Arrangement of Fate

Allen pointed to the buried cave site, estimated the route they took underground, and drew a boundary for Alaris.

"This place was originally the lair of a kobold tribe. They dug deep enough to find an ancient magical artifact underground."

"That magic drove one of their kobolds mad. It defeated the old chieftain and then forced the entire tribe to continue digging for that ancient magical artifact."

"How do you know so much detail?" Ilaris asked, somewhat surprised.

"Because I eventually subdued this kobold tribe, and establishing a home always requires some manpower, the kobolds are a good choice."

Allen took the opportunity to reiterate his idea of ​​establishing a power base here, but Elarice remained noncommittal.

"In short, after everything was over, I went to the bottom of the cave and saw that ancient magical artifact."

"That magic made me uneasy, and I didn't have a good way to deal with it for the time being, so I had the kobolds bury it."

"If we were to start digging again, it would take at least half a month."

"No, knowing the location is enough."

Seemingly because she had found her target, Ella's face showed a rare joy.

Just like when Allen had tracked her before, she knelt down and prayed in a language Allen couldn't understand.

Alan stopped talking at the opportune moment and took a few steps back, giving her space.

Because of their proximity, Allen was able to see the entire scene of the girl's prayer.

The girl uttered a melodious song that was difficult to understand, and then, centered on her position, a special kind of magic spread out, encompassing Allen.

The torrential rain, under this magic, suddenly turned into a gentle breeze and drizzle.

Allen carefully sensed this magic and felt a special sensation.

It is not absolute power, but a gentle yet distinctive magic.

Generally speaking, magic itself is magic and has no special characteristics. However, if different elements are added, it will exhibit characteristics similar to those elements.

For example, the elemental magic within Allen's body would become even more unrestrained, active, and destructive.

If this elemental magic is likened to a brick, then the magic that Allen is feeling now is a palace!

A single magical power contains hundreds or even thousands of power tendencies, as if it were always meant to be that way.

The feeling was so bizarre that Allen almost questioned whether there was something wrong with his perception.

But he immediately figured out the answer.

It's highly likely that Elaris isn't the master of this power; it's a power related to deities.

Suddenly, he thought of the magical artifact deep underground.

That twisted, dark, and ominous magic made him instinctively feel nauseous, yet also gave him the feeling that this magic was meant to be this way.

It seems to have similarities to the current force, yet it is also completely opposite.

If the power of the gods is full of countless variations, then the power of the underworld is the power to distort and deform all those variations.

Just as he was thinking this, Ellen noticed that her chest was emitting a faint light as she sang half of her song.

Suddenly, a familiar sensation came from underground.

Allen shivered and took a few steps back, only to see several transparent, twisted forces, like tentacles, emerge from the ground and wrap around the girl.

"Ilarice!"

"No, please don't disturb the ceremony!"

There was suppressed pain in Alaris's voice.

Seeing that she was lucid, Allen had no choice but to stand still and silently wait for the ceremony to change.

Soon, Allen noticed an inexplicable change in Ilaris.

Her once vibrant, pearly skin now appeared dirty and dull.

Her once swaying emerald hair seemed to have lost its vitality, clinging tightly to her skin under the influence of the rain.

The girl's magic became extremely unstable. Allen even vaguely saw that her ears had turned into fish fins and that fish scale patterns seemed to appear on her thighs.

Finally, the gentle breeze and drizzle turned into a violent storm, and the girl seemed to have suddenly lost all protection, exposed to the raging weather, unable to even kneel steadily.

Finally, the faint light on Ella's chest went out, and she seemed to have lost all her strength, collapsing into the muddy water.

Allen rushed forward to check on her condition, but the moment he touched her, he felt that dark, twisted power again, causing him to instinctively pull his hand back.

That's a life instinct; forcibly touching it will definitely have an impact.

"Elarice... Elarice... Are you alright?"

At the repeated calls, the girl slowly opened her eyes. Her beautiful and delicate face had turned pale, and her sky-blue eyes seemed somewhat cloudy. Her voice, which had been singing beautiful songs, had become hoarse.

"Alan, thank you, I'm fine."

She then struggled to her feet.

"The pilgrimage... isn't over yet... I must..."

She had just taken a step outside when her legs gave way and she fell back into the mud.

Seeing this, Allen thought for a moment, then quickly took off his thick animal skin robe and put it on Elaris.

The thick animal skin robe that Solina made was very large. It didn't fit Allen very well originally, but it was just right on the taller girl than Allen.

Without direct contact with her skin, the eerie feeling did indeed subside considerably.

"Where do you need to go? I'll help you."

"The sea god's trial... the pilgrimage... cannot be entrusted to others... I must return to the sea..."

Ilarice was still struggling to get up on her own, but her arms were also weak and powerless, and she couldn't do it after several attempts.

"Isn't giving you directions helping you?"

Allen was somewhat indifferent; he had never had any reverence for gods or the like.

So, despite Elarice's objections, he decided to carry her on his back.

"Put me down...please..."

"I'll let you go, but tell me what other options you have?"

Allen stopped for the time being. Although he himself did not revere the gods, he did not want to go against the girl's wishes and do something against her beliefs.

"..."

Elarice was silent for a moment, then, as if she had thought of something, a trace of sadness appeared in her eyes:

"After I die, please cut open my chest and throw the pearl inside into the sea, my people... Alas!"

Before she could finish speaking, Allen, no longer wanting to listen, simply picked her up and carried her on his shoulder.

"Listen to me, living is the most important thing."

Allen carried her on his back as he struggled down the mountain in the midst of the raging wind and rain.

"If the trials of the gods can help your people, then there is nothing wrong with completing them. If you decide to sacrifice yourself during this process, I also respect your noble choice."

"But since we have a chance to live, let's live!"

"After talking to me for so long, I can tell that the deity you worship is a benevolent one. What benevolent deity would stand by and watch its followers die?"

Allen casually questioned the deity of Elaris, and immediately felt a violent struggle on his shoulder. He quickly changed direction to soothe it.

"I mean, you have no choice. You want me to watch you die a miserable death on the roadside, and then I have to cut open your chest to take out the treasure."

"Ilarice, do you know how much psychological damage this does to a thirteen-year-old boy?"

The struggle on her shoulder lessened considerably, as if even Ilarice felt that such a request was too much to ask.

But she had to make this request so that her people could survive for the next decade after she failed her trial.

Perhaps in time, new divine favor will appear, and she will once again walk her path.

"So after you lost all the strength and means to resist, you met someone who couldn't bear to watch you die, so he threw you back into the sea despite your objections."

"What's the difference between this and you just happen to be caught in a strong wind and blown back into the sea?"

Allen continued to ramble on and on.

"You struggled, you objected, but it was no use, so you could only accept your fate... Oh right, perhaps this was the Lord of the Lan Hai's arrangement. Aren't gods supposed to be able to foresee destiny?"

"A gust of wind, or my unexpected appearance, may all be arrangements of fate."

As Allen spoke, he felt the struggle on his shoulder cease, leaving only a soft panting sound.

After a long silence, Ella finally spoke again:

"Allen, making irresponsible remarks about the gods will easily incur divine retribution."

"Then I apologize," Allen replied immediately.

Ella fell silent.