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Vibrant green vines spread, covering the decaying wooden structures, and the suffocating stillness of the entire ruin was dispersed by the rich scent of life.
The whistling wind passed through the giant trees and vines, carrying a faint, ethereal song, and an indescribable sadness uncontrollably surged in Aaron's heart.
It was as if countless pale, ethereal arms grew within Aaron's Spirit Body, constantly tearing at him.
He suddenly awoke, and the blessing from the dream made him realize with clarity that he had unknowingly been pulled into a dream.
The original ruins before him had long disappeared, replaced by a magnificent palace made of coral, standing silently. Above this palace were layers of rippling deep blue seawater. Its massive pillars soared, supporting an exaggerated dome, both grand and beautiful, yet somber and dark.
Aaron subconsciously glanced left and right; Alvin Gallow and Jorna were still beside him, only their expressions were much more serious.
Only Siatas had a mesmerized expression, as if immersed in a beautiful dream. Specks of crimson light converged and flowed into the elf's body. Siatas then looked around blankly, as if waking from a dream.
Jorna withdrew her hand, seemingly having sensed something from the clash with the dream power just now, and looked at Aaron, hinting, "As expected of an ancient Subordinate Deity who survived the Cataclysm. It seems this Elf Queen's condition is even better than you anticipated."
The Beyonder Sequence most closely associated with dream abilities is the "Spectator," and to be able to weave such a realistic dream and pull two Angels and himself into it simultaneously, this is not something a "Dream Weaver" can accomplish.
Although Alvin Gallow and Jorna might have intentionally cooperated to enter the dream, a dream capable of accommodating three Angels already speaks volumes.
At the very least, she is a "Profane Presbyter" who has grazed a "Discerner" Beyonder characteristic from Sequence 2. It seems we need to be more careful later.
Aaron frowned slightly, took a silent breath, and slowly followed the two Angels into the coral palace.
The moment he stepped into the palace, a thick sense of suffocation enveloped him, but this slight discomfort quickly dissipated. His spirituality stirred slightly, and Aaron immediately cast his gaze towards the nine-tiered steps over a hundred meters away.
On the steps was a coral throne inlaid with sapphires, emeralds, and lustrous pearls. The source of the power permeating the entire dream was there.
On the throne sat a woman with glossy black hair, delicate features, slightly pointed ears, and profound eyes. Her facial contours were soft, and she wore a complex, ancient long dress. Even without a height advantage, she still exuded a sense of condescension.
Siatas, behind him, trembled slightly and choked out, "Your Majesty..."
Cohinem nodded gently, and an invisible force lifted Siatas, who was about to kneel, her expression softening considerably. "I am very relieved to see you alive."
The entire coral palace trembled slightly, and the gemstone-inlaid throne rose from the ground behind Aaron and the others. Cohinem turned her head and said calmly, "You carry an aura I am familiar with. To find this place so quickly, I imagine you must have already obtained that 'Book of Calamity.'"
"With such a grand display, I wonder what Duke wants to do?"
Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't ask the two Angels but instead directly questioned himself, who was only at the Demigod level. Was this the "Discerner's" ability confirming that he was the one in charge?
Although he felt it was impossible for Cohinem to see through his mind due to the influence of the Nation of Disorder, Aaron remained slightly vigilant. For a "Discerner," simple body language and even expressions could be interpreted for information.
From Cohinem's words, Aaron also perceived the issue and calmly responded, "This is a cooperation, both with you and for the entire elven race. Moreover, you seem to know a lot about the outside world, and I presume you are aware of the current plight of the elves."
"Calamity Queen" Cohinem was silent for a moment, then let out a "hmph." "The Godhood of the Storm has long been occupied by Leodero, and although I was powerless to resist the 'Tyrant' and could only feign death to escape, I am not completely ignorant of the outside world."
"But even with the support of the Sanguine, what can your East Tucker family do? Help me fight the Church of the Storm?"
"The Storm and Darkness are allies. Even if you have a close relationship with the Church of Darkness, who will bear the risks involved?"
Indeed... Looking at this high-ranking elf who seemed very knowledgeable about the outside world, Aaron smiled and changed the subject, "It seems you are quite knowledgeable about the outside world, which is somewhat inconsistent with your disappearance for thousands of years."
Cohinem chuckled, saying indifferently, "Although the elves have become fewer and fewer since the end of the Third Epoch, causing my anchor to become increasingly unstable, that was only temporary. Recently, my condition has recovered quite a bit."
"I also learned some things through the remaining elven faith near Sonia Island."
It seems those elves who were active on Sonia Island and later disappeared did not die... Aaron's eyes darkened. He nodded noncommittally, then hinted, "I did indeed obtain the 'Book of Calamity.' I didn't expect it to be a 'Trinity Templar' Beyonder characteristic. For this, I even specifically consulted the former 'God of Luck,' which allowed this junior to learn many secrets."
God of Luck... Hearing this ancient and familiar name, Cohinem's eyes flickered, and she smiled, "I didn't expect to hear news of an old acquaintance. I wasn't sure before, but it seems the paper crane in your arms should be his masterpiece."
Nodding slightly at the Elf Queen, Aaron cleared his throat, motioning for Siatas to step forward and recount the story of the elven island in the Fog Sea and the cooperation between the elven High Priest and the East Tucker family.
After listening quietly, Cohinem suddenly chuckled, "I didn't expect that remnant lineage to truly choose a place for my elven race to multiply."
"The elves on the ghost ship east of Sonia Island seem to be your so-called sincerity."
"Since that's the case, what exactly is your cooperation? And what can you bring me?"
Motioning for the somewhat agitated Siatas to retreat, Aaron met her deep blue eyes and responded with a smile, "Rather than cooperation, I prefer to call it mutual assistance. I promise to provide a habitat for the elven race, and I can also resolve the pressure from the Lord of Storms for you. Of course, this will take some time."
"In exchange, I need your assistance in future Angel-level conflicts. This is not a gratuitous demand; I will provide you with corresponding compensation."
"This is not empty talk. At your level, you must already know that the apocalypse is approaching. To cope with this catastrophe, the Seven Deities and other hidden existences will enter the fray to seek further advancement."
"You have personally experienced the changes brought by the awakening of the Ancient Sun God, and this will only be more brutal. Whether it's gaining an additional ally in the catastrophe or obtaining a stable anchor, I think these are what you need."
"Calamity Queen" Cohinem scrutinized Aaron for a few seconds, suppressing the questions on the tip of her tongue. She admitted that the young man's proposal was very appealing, but why? Why would a high and mighty Tyrant tolerate the elves independently obtaining a place to multiply?
Looking at the two Angels who had remained silent and stood quietly behind him, Cohinem's eyes flickered slightly, and she continued, "The cooperation you speak of is indeed very tempting to me. I can agree, but I have two conditions."
"Firstly, if it involves Leodero's Church of the Storm, I have the right to refuse assistance. Before you fulfill your final promise, I do not wish to attract Leodero's attention."
"Finally, treat my people well. For now, Siatas will stay on Sonia Island. Afterwards, you can contact me through her."
Reasonable demands... Seeing the "Calamity Queen" agree, Aaron also breathed a sigh of relief and added with a smile, "Yes, but empty words are never convincing. Compared to that, I still prefer to sign a contract."
The Mark of Darkness emitted a faint glow. Possessing a portion of the dream authority allowed Aaron to manipulate his external body to retrieve the "Imperative Contract" he had prepared earlier.
Before she could withdraw her gaze from the fluctuating Mark of Darkness, Cohinem let out a soft exclamation. Looking at the dark-gold paper, enshrouded in deep Darkness and appearing in the dream world, her expression suddenly changed.
As a high-ranking elf, whose status was second only to the Elf King Sunyasolem, she was one of the few who had directly faced the Ancient Sun God and felt his Transcendent Sequence aura.
Her expression changed slightly for a moment. Cohinem's eyes narrowed, and she was about to raise her hand to sign her name when "New Moon" Jorna, who had been silent, quietly spoke, shattering the power that was about to fall onto the "Imperative Contract."
"The previous conversation was fine, but having your virtual personality sign the contract is perhaps a bit inappropriate, isn't it?"
Cohinem on the throne chuckled, and instantly, deep black viscous liquid seeped from the walls of the entire coral palace, condensing into a black-dressed woman in the very center of the palace. The original Cohinem transformed into a stream of light and merged into her body.
Without any explanation, Cohinem wrote her name under the gaze of the two Angels. Looking at the slowly dissipating "Imperative Contract" and feeling a faint illusory light spot brighten within the Nation of Disorder, Aaron nodded with satisfaction.
Due to the widespread adoption of the Imperative on the Southern Continent, a significant portion of the "Imperative Mage" Beyonder potion, which was already mostly digested, was further digested. Signing a contract based on one's own Imperative was, to some extent, equivalent to conforming to and fulfilling the Imperative.
This unique method of digesting potions could only be achieved by Aaron, who could prepare contracts in advance with the aid of the Nation of Disorder. Other "Imperative Mages," even if they considered this method, could not implement it.
Without saying more, unlike Pallez Zoroast who he knew almost everything about, Aaron still held a certain degree of wariness and caution towards this Elf Queen.
This was also why he did not mention the remnants of the Trunsoest Empire or the possible hidden contents within the Book of Calamity. For him, the current goal was to stabilize this Angel, and it was best to pretend not to know the secret of the Book of Calamity.
Only when he advanced further and achieved Sequence 3, even if not within the Sefirah, and possessed the Angel's rank, would it be a good opportunity to reveal everything. Before that, establishing basic cooperation was sufficient.
Looking at Siatas, who was the last one remaining, Cohinem regained her calm expression and said to her, "That Duke concealed many things, but perhaps this is an opportunity."
"When you have the qualification and opportunity to access the 'Book of Calamity,' take out something from it that others won't notice and bring it to the Western Continent."
Western Continent... The legendary homeland of the elves? Siatas was startled, frowned slightly, and looked at the Queen on the throne, cautiously asking, "But, but hasn't the Western Continent already disappeared?"
"And that book is now the Duke's possession, I..."
Slowly standing up, Cohinem looked at the maid she had reunited with after thousands of years and slightly curved her lips, saying, "Since it disappeared, it will reappear."
"When the apocalypse arrives, it will definitely reappear."
"Benefits are for exchange. After establishing initial trust, I will provide sufficient compensation. You don't need to worry."
Before Siatas could ask again, the Elf Queen paused and said, "You and I have been master and servant. Whether for the future of the elven race or for these thousands of years of waiting, I should give you a gift."
Siatas looked up with some joy, and a deep blue light suddenly appeared in her eyes.
Through this "deep blue," Siatas saw another magnificent palace made of coral.
Unlike before, it was so real, yet it seemed to exist in an illusory place, as if without a specific medium, even peeking was impossible.
Before Siatas could recover, rippling water swept her, passing through a barrier and entering the palace.
Siatas looked around and found murals depicting scenes on both sides.
She had seen similar murals before in the underground ruins of the elven island in the Fog Sea. These murals primarily depicted boats and individual elven faces battling against storms and giant waves.
However, Siatas noticed that the places where those boats sailed were not the sea, but a dense, impenetrable "blackness."
This made her think of one word: "Abyss."
Before she could think further, her vision blurred, and she saw two thrones and a deep blue, crystalline coral.
On the branches of that coral, streaks of silver-white lightning crackled, illuminating the surroundings.
Siatas felt a sudden surge of thirst within her, involuntarily held her breath, slowed her steps, and ascended the steps layer by layer, arriving before the throne. A guess formed in her mind:
"This is a 'Cataclysmic Interrer' Beyonder characteristic!"
With a trembling right hand, Siatas picked up the coral, and her vision instantly went dark, her consciousness suddenly blurring.
A whooshing sound followed, and the seawater outside the palace violently churned. The coral, enveloped in a "deep blue," gradually dematerialized and merged into Siatas's body. Streaks of lightning bloomed like flower petals.
Cohinem's figure appeared. She raised her right hand towards Siatas, who was surrounded by lightning. The azure light transformed into threads, coiling layer by layer, gradually deepening, and finally forming a deep blue, almost black, light cocoon.
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