章 75: An Elf's Tale

While Adrian was busy doing his dungeon run, a certain individual has already returned to his church and is currently planning his strategy on how to tackle a certain mission.

●Quest Notification●

Uncover the Truth I (Link Quest)

The Church of Life has concealed the records of history containing the creation of the world. Retrieve these records and make sure that the higher ups of the church do not know of your identity.

Clear Condition: Find records of the Real history of the world without being suspected.

Reward: Random Epic Skillbook (Priest Job Class)

Failure: Excommunicated by the Churches aligned with 'Good'

Final Link Quest Reward: Unique Job Class 'Envoy of the Twin Gods'.

Time Limit: None

Levin Cloud, a.k.a Marlon, was pondering this greatly as how he would do this quest. As a Child of Gaea, he has access to certain documents in the church that would not be available to other ordinary priest job class players. But that did not mean that he has full access to all of the church's records. Though he is a Child of Gaea, he only has started training as one and is still not that influential in the Church of Life. In terms of hierarchy, he is like a bishop with his current standing and he needs to be at least a cardinal to access the records that he needs.

He figured that important records such as the history of the world would have to be in the main cathedral which is in the elven village but it would be impossible for him to actually just waltz there because even the elves did not take 'players' as trustworthy. The inhabitants of this world tolerate them because they believe that the gods have sent them to aid them and some did while some do not which is why the relationship between NPCs and players is shaky. Nevertheless there are some NPCs that are easy to increase in intimacy while others are downright impossible.

What Marlon had in mind is visit old abandoned churches of the Church of Life and investigate from there. He had a hunch that there should at least be some king of records left in them even if it is just incomplete. Which is why when he arrived at the main cathedral of the Church of Life in the elven territory he went straight to get pilgrimage missions. Pilgrimage missions are missions in where the devotee will travel to locations of other churches be it new, old or destroyed to check about whether the church is operating properly or needs to be rebuilt.

The main cathedral of the Church of Life is located in the elven country of Neo Alfheim. It is where the world tree, Yggdrassil or the tree of life, is currently planted in this world which is why the surroundings here is clean and pure because of the world tree that purifies polluted mana and refreshes the surroundings. It is also a famous place for Spiritualists, a job class advancement for Shamans, to go because elemental spirits love to visit places with pure mana. The houses in Neo Alfheim is quaint and blends well with nature and tree houses are common here due to the elves wanting to be close to nature. Unlike what is told in old tales that elves do not use fire and eat meat here they do because according to them a person would not be able to live just buy eating vegetables or fruits alone especially if one was to go in battle.

The main cathedral is located near the world tree and is actually the second tallest tree in the area and is said to have been made by the ancestor of the elves a high elf with powers to manipulate nature itself. The entrances and the windows of the main cathedral were not carved but it was like a natural hole that the tree itself made and is considered as one of the most mystical place in the polls according to the Pandemonium community. The lighting used for the insides of the cathedral and the other houses were of the Lumenlion. The Lumenlion is a plant that is similar to an orchid that absorbs some of the light from the plant it is grafted into and would only shine when it is dark. It could remain lit for seven days even after it was pluck. It looks like a giant dandelion about the size of a bowling ball with little bulbs that emit a radiant white glow at the end of its seed head.

Levin Cloud hurriedly went to the church administrator to look for pilgrimage quests. He went to a room where an elf that could be seen with wrinkles in his face could be seen. An elf naturally stops aging at 50 years old but that did not mean they would retain the look of a 50 year old man. Elves age differently compared to other species. At ages 1 to 15 in human years, the elf would look like a child of age 8. At 16 to 30 human years, the elf would look like a premature teen. At 31 to 45 human years, the elf will look like a teenager. At 46 and above the elf will stop aging as he will look like an adult but a special case would be when an elf is nearing the end of their long lifespan of generally 400 to 500 years old. The elf would develop wrinkles signifying that their long life will soon come to an end. Of course on how soon, even the elves themselves do not the definite answer but it would usually be in a year or less than a hundred years.

"Elder Willow, it is nice to see you here and very healthy I might add" Levin Cloud said starting a conversation with the old elf.

"Levin Cloud, my apprentice, it seems you are doing fine and even became stronger than when you left. How may I help my apprentice" Elder Willow said in a fatherly tone.

Elder Willow was the elf which introduced the test for being chosen as a Child of Gaea to Levin Cloud and ultimately became his master because Elder Willow taught him the ropes on how to be a good priest in the Church of Life. Levin Cloud encountered him when he saw an old man and helped him carry the grocery that he was struggling to carry. Little did Levin Cloud know that he was actually helping an elder of the Church of Life but also an esteemed elf who could use Nature Magic which is one of the reasons Marlon took the earth element as his master did the same to attain Nature Magic. Levin Cloud looked at the old elf with deep respect and appreciation like what he would do to his grandfather if he actually known his grandfather. Also Elder Willow was one of the most caring elders in the church and had no prejudice when it comes to matters regarding on who could be a candidate for the Child of Gaea position or not.

"I want to go take pilgrimage quests to old and abandoned churches" Levin Cloud stated.

"Oh! Why do you want to my boy? There are barely anything useful in our abandoned churches anyway and they are usually located near danger zones. I can't assign paladins to you if you were to go to some. They have been infested by monsters after all." Elder Willow said after raising a brow because of the somewhat ridiculous request of his apprentice.

"I want to purify the lands from the monsters there so that weary travelers could rest upon the abandoned churches even if they are not being manned. I want to prove myself that I am useful to our church" Levin Cloud said having a slightly nervous tone.

Elder Willow knows that the boy before him has another agenda but from their past interactions, he could most definitely say that it is not harmful to the church because the child in front of him was too pure to do evil schemes. So he opted to indulge the boy in his decision and him as any wise master would to his apprentice. He breathe a sigh and passed the boy a piece of paper containing a pilgrimage mission that is appropriate for his power.

®Quest Notification®

Pilgrimage to the Blue Valley

The Church of Life wants you to see and investigate the ruins of an abandoned church in the Blue Valley that has been abandoned for a few centuries when a beast flood suddenly attacked that area.

Requirements: Level 50 and above

Clear Conditions: Submit a report on the state of the abandoned church

Failure: Decrease in reputation to the Church of Life

Time Requirements: None

Levin Cloud thanked and bowed to the elder for giving him a favorable quest. He departed after saying his goodbyes to his master and restocking on supplies. He hopes that the place he would visit have traces of the world's history. Little did he know that his master sensed residual aura of the goddess in him and sent him to a place where he may or may not find some clues.