"This message was originally not meant for you, but I believe you can accomplish it." Albton paused, then raised his head and looked at the young man, saying.
Brand was riding on his horse, holding the reins in one hand hesitating for a moment, without answering.
Albton knew he wouldn’t fully trust him, but he didn’t mind. The Undead Knight straightened his chest—raised his sword and pressed it in front of his left knee, knelt on his right knee, placed both hands on the pure silver guard of the Pale Tooth, and recited: "Two moons shine together, the King sleeps in the valley, the holly shadow points northwest, stars fade, Dawn descends with authority—"
Brand’s expression didn’t change after hearing this. He rode past Albton, then turned his horse around and came back. These ambiguous riddles were not uncommon in the game, but he was never a master at them—naturally, "two moons shine together" referred to the time when the two moons of Vorn appeared in the sky simultaneously, and "the King sleeps in the valley" first made him think of the Land of Saint’s Relics, but then he thought it could also be the tomb of an ancestor king in Erune.
The holly shadow points northwest, Brand frowned slightly, there seemed to be no holly tree species in Erune, could it be just a metaphor? Or referring to the crest of a noble family? But in Vorn’s heraldry, holly represents sacredness, and there are quite a few noble families in Erune with holly leaves on their family crest.
As for stars fading, Dawn descends with authority, Brand couldn’t guess what it referred to at all.
Albton deliberately gave him time. Seeing Brand raise his head again, he recited: "The double-faced statue speaks not, has the Oath of the Sage been forgotten? Jade Lake, Holy White Mountain, Stone in Stone, Sword in Sword—"
"Wait!" Brand suddenly extended his hand to stop him. He suddenly felt an inexplicable excitement, Sword in Sword? Could it be that Albton was talking about the true Lion Heart Sword?
The Lion Heart Sword was the sword passed down through the family of Erune’s first king, ’Merciful Ek’. But the Lion Heart Sword was not only a symbol of the Lion Dynasty, it was also one of the Four Holy Relics of Kruz—however, since Ek took it out of the Empire, it had become a symbol of the Erune Royal Family.
But it was little known that the Lion Heart Sword had actually been lost during the civil war in Erune, and each successive king who took the throne held only a counterfeit. The knowledge of this secret was extremely limited, and once it was revealed, it would likely cause a significant upheaval.
Brand learned of this only after the downfall of Erune.
If Albton was indeed referring to the Lion Heart Sword, the second half of the riddle made sense. The Oath of the Sage should refer to the holy knight’s oath made by Ek on the Lion Heart Sword, to lead the people of the empire’s southern region away from the arrogance and greed of the nobles. He rose in rebellion, which was why he earned the title ’Merciful’.
But what do Jade Lake, Holy White Mountain, Stone in Stone mean? Brand couldn’t help but be puzzled.
It’s said that the true Lion Heart Sword possesses the power to control the rise and fall of a kingdom, and indeed it seemed so. Since the loss of the true Lion Heart Sword, Erune had declined with each generation, ultimately leading to its downfall. But Brand did not believe this notion; the rise and fall of a kingdom being tied to a sword, no matter how legendary the sword, was merely an excuse to avoid responsibility.
Nevertheless, he was inevitably curious about what made this sword so legendary and why it was so widely revered in the stories of bards. According to forum discussions, this sword was at least a Gold Level fantasy weapon.
Thus he couldn’t help but ask, "What is Jade Lake?"
Unexpectedly, Albton shook his head: "I don’t know either. I only often think of these words, and there is even a sacred vow that binds me. But I don’t know where these memories come from or why they are so pervasive."
"Not every undead likes to reminisce." Brand replied. He suddenly felt that Albton might not have been such a simple person in life. At least in his memory, Albton had no relation to the Royal Family whatsoever.
"I am somewhat special, I understand this myself." Albton replied, this Undead Knight adjusted his helmet, and continued: "Most undead living in darkness have wisdom, but I am different from them, so I don’t trust them. However, seeing you, young man, I feel that perhaps you can help me solve this riddle."
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