"Wayne, why did Torgoguryr leave?"
"I don’t know, it was about to be successful but suddenly it went mad..."
Wayne gestured as he attempted to describe the event, his limited language skills making his explanation ambiguous and failing to get to the point, "In any case, it seemed to have received some kind of call and vanished on its own."
The Dark Elves deserted before the great battle; those who saw the Death Essence at the Pale Nest were all allies. Wayne had significant room to maneuver; he constructed a correct answer based on his own capabilities, claiming to be unaware of the details.
Don’t ask, ask and the answer is we don’t know, somehow we won inexplicably.
The three Knights had no suspicions; what they witnessed in the Projection Space was indeed Torgoguryr abruptly halting its attack and almost leading them astray to the land of its followers.
Perhaps, after awakening, Torgoguryr received the call of an Ancient God.
"It’s a pity, we had such a good opportunity, but because of me, we didn’t sever the Projection Space completely," Dreyne lamented with self-reproach.
His two companions spoke up to comfort him, strategic objectives already met, the rift in the Projection Space mended, Torgoguryr unable to descend at will, and potential threats in other parts of the God-chosen Continent eliminated, preventing Torgoguryr from launching an internal offensive, marking a significant victory.
At this point, Mula looked at Anastasia with puzzlement.
When he saw Wayne holding three gems, he thought Anastasia had fallen, but there she was, alive and well, not only had she not died, but she had also recovered her lost body.
It was strange, as Anastasia’s body had clearly been tainted.
"Anastasia, how are you still alive?"
Dreyne asked directly, "What happened to your body, did Torgoguryr bring it as well?"
"When the head of Torgoguryr descended, my faith reclaimed my body for me and dispelled Torgoguryr’s corruption," Anastasia shared truthfully without hiding anything.
"So it was the Dark Goddess."
The three Knights suddenly understood and deduced the reason for Torgoguryr’s departure, which also involved the Dark Goddess.
The news was crucial, this significant victory had to be reported to the Goddess.
Also, the selection by the three gods was too cruel, hoping the Goddess would have even greater faith in her own Knights.
Aside from not completely severing the Projection Space, the battle concluded almost perfectly. The three Knights prepared to rebuild The Sealed Land on the ruins, taking turns to guard it from then on.
"Wayne, future tasks won’t be so weighty, I will have plenty of leisure, remember to familiarize yourself with the Elemental Mantra, you are to become a Naturalist Knight," Mula spoke up first.
This statement greatly dissatisfied Leo and Dreyne. Conversations were not going anywhere, and they couldn’t persuade each other, so they chose to sit down and play cards instead.
Best out of three, Dreyne claimed the final victory and, in his joy, flipped the card table over.
The Knights regained some strength and re-established the aurora defense over The Sealed Land, with the transformed Dark Knight Austin joining in. Four-colored ribbons floated down, dispersing the dreary black sky.
With the mission at The Sealed Land complete, Austin didn’t plan to stay long, fearing the three god-chosen might follow through on the phrase "once the grinding’s done, the grindstone’s gone." After setting up the aurora, he rode the Black Dragon and left immediately.
Watching their figures fading into the distance, Wayne gave Hefei a look, "Teacher, they’re fleeing so fast, could it be they’re off to a seaside villa to procreate?"
Hefei rolled her eyes in response, lately she couldn’t stand hearing such things and told Wayne to stop talking about it.
The Sealed Land awaited restoration. The Dark Mages returned, infrastructure projects booming. Little Fairies flitted about, planting trees, cultivating flowers and grass, and in just two days, they built a haven resembling the Peach Blossom Spring.
Moonlight Sealing Ground.
Wayne, holding the White Night Purity Words, released an arrow, swift and accurate.
He set down his bow and complained, "Dreyne, I’ve been playing cards for two days straight. I can’t do it anymore. Let me be, I’m leaving tonight."
"What’s the rush? Even if not playing cards, you can still practice your Archery Art!"
Dreyne said earnestly, "Leaving Icebound Continent, you’ll only be corrupted by the life of the upper-class nobility. Think of those noble pursuits that stain the morals of a Knight, think of the beautiful women who come and go at your beck and call, think of the laborers enslaved by you..."
"Uh, what I mean is, instead of wasting time with your girlfriends, it would be better to stay and learn Archery Art from me."
Forget it, you just want to play cards!
Wayne was unconvinced; he had planned to leave and Dreyne’s persuasion only made him more anxious.
He was resolute, determined to leave Icebound Continent tonight, returning to Lundan to enjoy the decadent life of nobility, challenging the weaknesses of money, beautiful women, and power.
Seeing he couldn’t be persuaded, Dreyne sighed, "Well, that’s settled then. You go ahead, and when I’m done with my work here, I’ll come to Lundan to find you."
Wayne was shocked, just for a card game, why come chase him to Lundan? Mula and Leo were both skilled at the card table.
"I won the card game, Mula and Leo are out, so from now on, you are my successor. I’m seeking you out obviously to train you," Dreyne stated seriously, invoking the Goddess above.
The beauty of the ice-cold maiden was very persuasive, had Wayne not known her so well, he almost would have believed her tall tales.
Besides, deciding the succession based solely on a card game was implausible. Mula and Leo would definitely not give up that easily.
That very night, Wayne bade farewell to the three Knights, took Saina, Hefei, and Veronica, and left The Sealed Land.