manynovel Page 379
Page 379
"To!"
Latis instinctively cried out, his body spontaneously springing up and leaping directly to the half-elf's side.
"Please face each other, look into each other's eyes, and feel what you truly feel at this moment."
Latis turned around and lowered his head slightly to look at the woman who was half a head shorter than him, and subconsciously took her hands in his.
Her soft, slender, and long hands were exactly the same as when he first held them.
These hands may become rough in the future, may bear the marks of battle, may grow calluses. By then, she may have grown long hair, may have become gentle and maternal, or may still be charming and pretty, or may become neat and handsome, or may still pretend to be calm and hide her shyness.
"Arterifus".
King Herod looked at Arte, who was staring wide-eyed at Latis, and asked:
"No matter how long you have lived, no matter what direction you have found in the elusive world of life and death, love and hate, are you able to never lose your way and never regret the past? Are you willing to lead your loved one through the obstacles of time and space, follow the guidance of your heart at this moment, and accompany and protect him forever, until the sea of light dries up and the world tree collapses?"
“I do!” Artemis nodded firmly without any hesitation.
King Herod seemed to have heard her response, and smiled slightly before turning to look at Latis.
"My son-in-law."
A surge of inexplicable excitement suddenly welled up in Latis's heart, like a sudden realization or a calling. He slowly tightened his grip on Atelius's hands, his blood surging and flowing so powerfully that the entire Blessed Land seemed to echo with the sound of waves.
"No matter how difficult the predicament you face, what state of mind you gain or lose in the long battles, both tangible and intangible, are you able to never give up and never betray your will in the present moment? Are you willing to lead your loved one to pursue the only eternity in this impermanent world, remember the guidance in your heart at this moment, and always understand and believe in her, until impermanent life and eternal death lose their respective meanings?"
Can you do it yourself?
The future is not something unimaginable; it is made up of countless present moments, and in each and every moment, he firmly believes that he can give this affirmative answer.
I really wish Ateliers could fully understand this feeling...
Latis gazed at his lover before him, and under her slightly nervous gaze, he couldn't help but grin habitually. He then took a deep breath and, with the most solemn expression of his life, said:
"I am willing."
"Congratulations!" King Herod laughed heartily, clapping his hands, and said cheerfully, "Next, please..."
Latis didn't hear his father-in-law finish speaking, because the sounds of the entire demiplane were drowned out by his pounding heart. He couldn't help but hug Ateliers, who was much smaller than him, tightly and whispered:
"I love you."
"I love you too!...Mmm!"
Ateliers looked at Latis, who was so close to her, with a smile at the corners of her eyes. She obediently closed her eyes, and his lips touched hers lightly, then pressed against hers, biting lightly, intertwining and then separating.
No other thoughts could arise in her mind for the time being; only the "I love you" she had just said was echoing firmly and loudly over and over again.
Perhaps it was a bit sudden, or perhaps she had already experienced a great deal, but she felt there was no need to think about these trivial matters at this moment.
She was already Latis's wife.
……
……
"Is it not over yet...?"
King Herod muttered something, clapped his hands loudly, and shouted:
"I'm still here! Don't be so presumptuous!"
"Varied……"
Latis looked up in bewilderment, met the gaze of Arte's flushed face, coughed lightly, and wiped the water from the corner of her slightly swollen mouth amidst her confused look. Then he looked at his father-in-law, who had almost forgotten about him.
"I don't have much time left. Please put aside whatever you need to do and let me finish speaking first."
King Herod shook his head and explained:
"During the fall from Herod City, the amount of Silver Moon Essence that could be collected was not as much as before. As a last resort, I cleared the previous images to ensure that there was enough Silver Moon Essence to record what I wanted to say."
His voice gradually turned serious. His gaze swept over the two men who had straightened up again, and he said with a slight frown:
"Time is of the essence, so I can only tell you the key points once. I am trapped in the city and cannot investigate the other details myself, so I will not go into them here."
"First of all, the fall of Herod City was not our own fault. Even if our overall strength declined after the departure of the Mother Goddess and the Mother Tree, it shouldn't have led to such an irreversible fall."
Latis's expression instantly turned serious. He exchanged a glance with Arte and whispered:
“Indeed, I’ve always felt there was something fishy about this. Even if Herold City isn’t as good as it used to be, it should only drop two or three places at most. How could it keep falling like this…”
“Listen to what Father has to say.” Arte also realized the problem. She gripped Latis’s hand, held her breath slightly, and looked at King Herod.
"It is said that when the Mother Goddess was still alive, although her relationship with the Goddess of Magic was not harmonious, it was not bad either. When the Goddess was defeating all the gods on the continent of Atlantis, there was no major conflict with the Mother Goddess. Therefore, although the Mother Goddess eventually left Atlantis, we generally believe that the Goddess and Herod City were still on the same side."
King Herod subconsciously touched his furrowed white eyebrows and continued:
"The fact that we have maintained our leading position among the floating islands for more than half a century under the Goddess Church's floating island system is proof of this point."
"However, before Herod City began to fall, there was a period of time when the goddess seemed to be targeting Herod City, and a strange magical net controlled the magic essence on our island. Although we could still use the magic essence stored in our bodies, the recovery was extremely slow."
"Um……?"
Latiston immediately pinched his chin and began to ponder. Suddenly, he felt something was amiss. Had the magic network mutated? Although the magic network did indeed automatically "disinfect" when it detected necromantic elements, he was fairly certain that the magic network lacked "sentient beings" and was at most an AI. It was unlikely that it would deliberately target a city like this.
Could it be...
"Then we were attacked. The attack was very strange. It was hard to sense any magical fluctuations and it was also hard to counter it."
King Herod seemed to recall the scene from that time, a look of confusion appearing on his face. He shook his head and said:
"During the descent, the attacks were relentless and exhausting to defend against, until Herod City gradually lost its ability to maintain stability due to the opportunistic attacks from other floating islands, and the attacks finally dissipated."
"However, we were fortunate enough to encounter a relatively peaceful and welcoming floating island along the way, the city of Hines. They told me that a new floating island had recently emerged from the middle level, and it was very likely the hidden enemy that was causing us harm."
He took a deep breath and said in a low voice:
“Arterifus, if you can find out the information about the people on the floating island you are currently on, try asking them their surnames. If their surnames are the same as the ones I am about to tell you, then this floating island is very likely one of the culprits that caused Herod City to fall.”
"The surname is 'Ke Liqiu'."
"what?!"
Latis and Artemis sat up in shock at the same time.
Keliqiu? Isn't that the surname of the bird's native species?
"Wait, wait, I think I've just realized something..."
Latis clenched his fist instantly, countless pieces of information flashing through his mind—simulated and real. His long-thinking mind allowed him to quickly filter out relevant clues and immediately begin to combine them.
When you first meet Kotori, she's in the Black Hat squad. According to her, she was sold to the Black Hat organization by her family. So, Kotori actually has trade relations with the Black Hat organization!
The Black Hat organization is Queen Whiteley's subordinate!
The suppression of the magical environment in Herod City by the magic network is not necessarily the work of the goddess. In the simulation, the queen is the culprit who launched the "magic network landing campaign" and has the ability to control the magic network!
The true culprit behind the fall of Herod City... is about to be revealed.
But why did the Queen allow Herod City to fall? Was it simply to push the Kolichu tribe to the top of the floating islands?
Latis was filled with all sorts of questions. After quietly explaining to Ateliers, he looked at the image of King Herod again.
"This is the general situation I know. The teleportation arrays to various places have long been closed, and I cannot go to investigate in person right now. I am telling you this so that you can be more careful and keep your guard up."
King Herod sighed softly, squatted down, seemingly fiddling with the device in front of him, shook his head, and stood up, saying:
"Please forgive me for having such a long conversation after your wedding. If I had more time, I wouldn't have had to rush like this. It's a pity that I didn't have that opportunity."
He took a deep breath, and a long-suppressed reluctance finally surfaced in his eyes. He looked at the empty palace in his eyes, hesitated for a long time, and then forced a smile before saying:
“Atheris, you’re a big girl now. Remember to take care of yourself. Don’t dwell too much on the past of Herod City. Focus your energy on the life and career you share with your lover…”
The image of King Herod began to flicker. He slightly raised his head, and the colors on his body rapidly faded. In these final few seconds, he silently murmured:
“Atherifus, when you first appeared before me as a child, it was just as the first leaf of autumn fell... I remember, I remember, I remember the short time you spent with us.”
Then, all the previous images disappeared without a trace.
Chapter 377 surpasses countless worldly achievements
Silence returned to the Palace of Supreme Blessing.
The soul power that permeated the surroundings slowly dissipated, and the aura of the World Tree's roots finally seemed to lose its power to conceal it, gradually revealing itself and leaving a demiplane location mark in the consciousness of Latis and Ateliers.
Latis, holding Atelier's hand, stared blankly at the spot where King Herod had vanished, unable to react for a moment.
The entire video was less than ten minutes long. King Herod came suddenly and left just as quickly. Latis didn't even have time to clearly remember his father-in-law's appearance before he was gone forever.
Latis opened his mouth, then fell silent again.
Although the time was short, the footage was filled with King Herod's longing, care, instructions and blessings, and it seemed that nothing was missing.
Perhaps that's just how men are; even in his final moments, he efficiently, methodically, rationally, and restrainedly guided his daughter on her future path and the potential crises she might encounter.
Other complicated thoughts, which existed, stirred, and darkened, eventually sank into the long river of time. After that, the day was still bright and the night was still dark. King Herod did not want to leave too many traces that would make Ateliers feel regretful.
Goodbye, all of Herod's past.
Latis turned his head and looked at Arterifus's slightly drooping ear tips. Latis, who knew her very well, already knew the turbulent emotions surging beneath her calm surface.
"Ate?" he couldn't help but ask, "Are you alright?"
Ateliers tilted her head slightly to look at Latis. Her lake-like blue eyes seemed to surge with the ebb and flow of tides under the silver moonlight of the night. She sighed, hugged him tightly for a moment, and then whispered, pressing her forehead against his chest:
“I was already prepared for this when Herod fell… I know these things are in the past, and the meaning of life lies in the present and the future. As long as I am happy now, they will naturally be happy for me, I…”
Suddenly, her voice choked for a moment, and two warm tears fell into Latis's palm. She held Latis's hands in her hands and covered her face. In that comforting warmth, she finally realized that everything related to the former city of Herod could no longer be looked back upon.
……
After nestled in Latis's arms for a moment, Ateliers released her, raised her head with a slightly embarrassed smile, and said under Latis's worried gaze:
"In any case, we still have to look forward. My father wouldn't want to see me wallowing in sadness, would he?"
Latis nodded vigorously and said affirmatively:
"King Herod must want you to be happy forever."
"so……"
Artemis tiptoed and rubbed her cheek against Latis, blinking and chuckling:
"Let's compose ourselves and bring the demiplane back together, my... husband?"