Chapter 155: Who is the Master of the Soul Weapons?

“Soul vessels!” Shu Li sucked in a sharp breath and asked incredulously, “Isn’t creating a soul vessel a form of dark magic?”

And an unethical form of black magic at that!

Over the past few years, he had studied dark magic under the Elven King and gained a deeper understanding of black magic. Some of its methods were downright inhumane and horrifying beyond belief.

The God of Time and Space had fashioned his own soul into three soul vessels. The process must have been excruciating.

For the sake of a single prophecy, he had actually been so ruthless toward himself?

It was terrifying, admirable, and awe-inspiring all at once.

As for the purpose of the three soul vessels, that was obvious.

The God of Time and Space hoped that someone would use them to change the past and the future.

But who was this chosen person?

“When magic first appeared, there was no distinction between white magic and black magic. If wielded with benevolent intentions, black magic can save lives as well.” The Elven King returned the Little Fairy to the pool and thoughtfully replaced the water that had cooled in his little wooden basin with warm water. “After the Mother Goddess Isfu created the world, its laws formed naturally. Everything must advance in a single direction, and no one can change that.”

Sitting in the pleasantly warm water, Shu Li nodded.

He had heard something similar from the Fire God.

No one could alter or defy the laws of nature, not even the gods or the Elven King. If they insisted on changing them, there were only two options: summon someone from beyond the laws, or pay a terrible price to turn back time and begin everything anew.

The Elven King picked up the little towel perched atop the Little Fairy’s head, soaked it in warm water, wrung it out slightly, folded it back into a small square, and placed it on his head again.

Under such attentive care, Shu Li narrowed his eyes in comfort like a kitten, the wings on his back swaying gently.

“To break the laws and change the future, the gods tried every possible means. The God of Time and Space divided his soul into three soul vessels, while the Light God created me.” The Elven King’s deep voice echoed through the vast palace. “The Wood God planted the Mother Tree and combined its power with the Light God’s to create my people. That was how the Elves came into being.”

Shu Li’s eyes widened in astonishment. He asked excitedly, “Then are you the master of the soul vessels chosen by the God of Time and Space?”

No wonder the Elven King had played such an important role in the War of the Gods. To resist the Dark God, he had tirelessly persuaded the other races of the continent to join the forces of light.

“I once believed I was.” The Elven King raised his head, his fathomless green eyes gazing at the palace’s intricately carved ceiling as though he had sunk into some distant memory. “I descended upon the continent as the Light God’s representative. I conveyed the will of the gods to the various races and taught them magic, swordsmanship, music, etiquette, languages... Whatever I knew, I taught without reservation to any who wished to learn. Humans possessed tremendous potential. They learned quickly and knew how to apply what they had learned, soon developing a system of their own. Ten thousand years ago, human Saint Mages and Mage Sovereigns were too numerous to count.”

Shu Li was so engrossed that he forgot to close his mouth.

No wonder magical incantations had to be spoken in Elven. So it was the Elven King who had originally taught magic to the races of the continent.

How selfless and noble!

Before the War of the Gods, Saint Mages and Mage Sovereigns had been everywhere among humans. Clearly, they had benefited enormously.

After the War of the Gods, the Elven King had sealed off the Faerie Forest and refused all contact with the outside world. Just how terribly must he have been betrayed to become so utterly disillusioned?

Shu Li’s eyes grew damp. He could not help feeling that everything the Elven King had done had been wasted on them.

The Elven King lowered his gaze and met the indignant Little Fairy’s eyes before continuing, “When the gods saw humanity flourishing, they bestowed five magic swords upon them: Carlos, Itno, Boshug, Viona, and Yalather. Each possessed the power to seal darkness. If the Five Swords were united, they could seal the Dark God.”

“Wow!” Shu Li could not suppress an exclamation.

For the gods to bestow such powerful magic swords upon humans, they must have placed tremendous hopes in humanity at the time.

“The five strongest humans formed contracts with the magic swords, and the descendants who inherited their bloodlines would become the swords’ next contracted wielders,” the Elven King said. “Unfortunately, three of the swords were lost after the War of the Gods.”

Shu Li clicked his tongue. “Then where are the other two?”

Three such important swords had actually been lost. What a terrible shame!

Could they still be recovered now?

The Elven King lowered his eyes. “One is in the Dalia Empire, and the other is in the Kingdom of Pedam.”

Shu Li froze.

Wait. Those two countries sounded extremely familiar!

Five years ago, he and Ilio had left the Faerie Forest to find the queen of the Dalia Empire and lift her curse. Along the way, they had encountered a wanted princess and swordsman from the Kingdom of Pedam.

And the queen of the Dalia Empire and the queen of the Kingdom of Pedam were sisters, both princesses of the Snow Kingdom.

Could the wielders of the two magic swords be from the Snow Kingdom?

Shu Li voiced his question, and the Elven King nodded. “Correct. The heirs to the Sword of Itno and the Sword of Boshug are both in the Snow Kingdom. As the millennia passed without either sword acknowledging a master, the Snow Kingdom’s royal family came to regard them as ceremonial swords. They were included in the princesses’ dowries and taken to the Kingdom of Pedam and the Dalia Empire respectively.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Shu Li exclaimed incredulously. “Those are magic swords bestowed by the gods! If they refused to acknowledge a master, that simply meant no suitable heir had appeared yet!”

The original wielders of the swords had been humanity’s strongest warriors. Perhaps each successive generation of their descendants had been less impressive than the last, leaving none worthy of the swords’ recognition. But that hardly justified reducing magic swords bestowed by the gods to mere princesses’ dowries!

It was not only an insult to the swords, but an affront to the gods as well.

“Human lives are brief,” the Elven King said calmly. “The War of the Gods ten thousand years ago is far too distant for them. They would rather pursue the benefits before their eyes than inherit the will of their ancestors.”

Shu Li scratched his ear, more or less understanding what the Elven King meant.

Back when he had been human, never mind ten thousand years ago—even one thousand years had seemed impossibly distant. Eras changed, dynasties rose and fell, and a sword passed down for a millennium would simply be treated as an antique and placed on display in a museum. As for promises made a thousand years ago, at most they would survive as entertaining legends.

The royal family of the Snow Kingdom had probably thought the same way.

The dark forces had not appeared for ten thousand years, and the magic swords had lost their purpose. Of course they had eventually become nothing more than ancient ornaments.

Elves and Fairies, however, were long-lived peoples. They had survived from ancient times to the present and experienced the war firsthand. They remembered their mission at every moment, held fast to their convictions, and continued to obey the will of the gods, ever vigilant against the Dark God’s return.

Long ago, Shu Li had learned from the Mother Tree that the Dark God had never repented. Even sealed within hell, she remained restless and eager to act. The corruption of the Mother Tree’s branch was the clearest proof of that.

Although the Elves and Fairies lived peaceful, comfortable lives, they cultivated diligently every day and carefully nurtured each new generation. They did so to ensure that when darkness descended again one day, they would possess the strength to resist it.

Humanity, by contrast, had become utterly divided. Magic had declined, Saint Mages were vanishingly rare, and only today had a Mage Sovereign finally emerged.

That Mage Sovereign was also the Elven King’s eldest disciple. He had grown up in the Elven Kingdom, studied the ancient records extensively, and possessed a profound understanding of history. Only because of that did he have the awareness and resolve to devote himself to reviving humanity’s magical tradition.

After visiting the Human World, Shu Li felt that Danlov had a long and difficult road ahead of him.

But now that he thought about it, why did it feel as though the Elven King had wandered so far from the original subject?

“Your Majesty, you accomplished so many extraordinary things and even succeeded in sealing the Dark God. Why do you believe you aren’t the master of the soul vessels chosen by the God of Time and Space?” he asked in confusion.

“Because the soul vessels never acknowledged me as their master.” The Elven King smiled faintly. “The Light God’s creation of me and the Elven people both occurred within the laws. Everything proceeded according to the prophecy of the God of Time and Space. The War of the Gods was not the end, but the beginning.”

Shu Li removed the now-dry square of cloth from his head, his pale green eyes widening.

Such a devastating war had only been the beginning?

Now that the gods had all returned to the divine realm and severed the passage to the world below, how could the Elven King resist the mighty Dark God alone?

Shu Li was deeply worried.

What troubled him even more was that the Elven King had poured his heart and soul into accomplishing so much, only to discover that he was not the master of the soul vessels after all.

If the War of the Gods had merely been the beginning, then the dark age prophesied by the God of Time and Space had yet to truly arrive.

“Has the true master of the soul vessels appeared?” Shu Li asked, using the towel to wipe the little flower crown in his hands.

The Elven King gazed gently at the Little Fairy in the wooden basin.

Shu Li’s hands stilled. Puzzled, he looked up and met the Elven King’s eyes.

After a long moment, he pointed at his own nose in disbelief and asked uncertainly, “Me?”

The corners of the Elven King’s lips rose in a tender smile.

“Yes.”

If the person before him had not been the Elven King, Shu Li would have assumed he was joking.

He—a tiny, tiny Fairy—was actually the master of the soul vessels chosen by the God of Time and Space.

Wait—

His soul came from another world, and ever since childhood, he had repeatedly traveled through time and returned to the past, where he met the Elven King. Could it be... that all of this had happened under the influence of the soul vessels?

No wonder the Fire God had said that Shu Li himself did not possess the ability to travel through time. He had only been able to do so because of a soul vessel’s influence.

But he did not remember ever obtaining one!

Shu Li placed the little flower crown back on his head, flapped his wings, and flew into the air, turning in a circle before the Elven King. “Your Majesty, I don’t have a soul vessel on me.”

He was currently wearing a short robe that left his arms and legs bare. Apart from the little flower crown on his head and the storage ring on his finger, he wore no other accessories.

The Elven King looked at the dripping-wet Little Fairy and pointed at the little flower crown on his head.

“Huh?” Shu Li pressed a hand against the crown and stared blankly. “Isn’t this... a symbol of your blessing?”

He remembered it clearly. When he had first awakened in his flower cradle, the Elven King had lightly touched his forehead with one finger, and a small flower crown set with a green gemstone had appeared on his head.

The crown grew larger as he aged and remained firmly ensconced atop his head. He would remove it before sleeping, only for it to return there naturally the next morning, which had caused him no small amount of trouble.

However, after learning that the flower crown could summon the Elven King, he had come to treasure it dearly.

“Soul vessels choose their own master. The only thing I could do was deliver them to the person they had chosen.” The Elven King’s gaze deepened, and he said solemnly, “Sperien, you are the master of the soul vessels foretold by the God of Time and Space—the only savior capable of changing the future.”

Shu Li swallowed. Under the Elven King’s solemn gaze, he suddenly felt an enormous weight settle upon his shoulders.

Although he liked to call himself a hero, he had never given much thought to actually defeating the “Demon King.” Now he had suddenly become the savior foretold by the God of Time and Space. It felt like a dream, too incredible to be real.

“But... I don’t know what I’m supposed to change,” Shu Li said helplessly.

“Everything you are doing now is already changing the future,” the Elven King said softly, his gaze fixed intently upon the Little Fairy.

Under that gaze, a blazing current surged through Shu Li’s heart, swelling into a mighty tide. His eyes shone brightly, filled with newfound confidence.

The Elven King’s affirmation only strengthened his resolve to become a hero.

“Why did you keep it from me before?” Shu Li asked, puzzled.

The Elven King reached out and gently touched his wet hair. “You were too young. You deserved to grow up healthy and happy like the other Little Fairies, not face the weight of the future from the moment you were born.”

Shu Li stared at him, stunned.

His king... was far, far too gentle with him!

Unable to help himself, he rubbed his head against the Elven King’s finger, his eyes growing damp.

Just as he had thought, the Elven King had never deliberately deceived him. He had borne such tremendous pressure alone, all so Shu Li could grow up happily. If he had not encountered the Fire God, he would never have known how much the Elven King had quietly done for him.

What had he ever done to deserve it? Was it merely because the soul vessels had chosen him as their master?

In truth, the Elven King was the real savior. Without him, the Fairy Clan would not exist. Without the Fairy Clan, Shu Li could never have become Sperien.

Shu Li removed the little flower crown and asked, “Your Majesty, is this flower crown the soul vessel Paud?”

Paud could interfere with the past. Had its influence been what allowed him to travel back through time and encounter the Elven King and the Fire God?

The Elven King smiled. “All three soul vessels are inside it. You may consider the crown a container.”

Shu Li was stunned. “Then isn’t it just like a storage ring?”

The Elven King shook his head slightly. “Unlike a storage ring, it can hold only soul vessels and things related to the soul.”

The soul?

Shu Li’s expression turned serious. “Your Majesty, you still haven’t answered my question. Why did you bind your soul to mine?”

The Elven King lowered his eyes. “To protect you.”

Clutching the little flower crown tightly, Shu Li said in a quiet voice, “I know I’m still weak and not ready to bear such a great responsibility. I’ve always lived under your protection. But... using the power of your soul to protect me will cause too much harm to you.”

Anything involving the power of the soul would injure the original body.

Even the God of Time and Space had been forced to sacrifice himself to divide his soul into three vessels. How could the Elven King be exempt from such a cost?

Ten years ago, Shu Li had nearly been killed by a Dark Elf and summoned the Elven King for the first time. At the time, the Elven King had told him that anyone who had received his blessing could ask him for help three times.

Looking back, the Elven King had chosen his words very carefully—ask for help.

Asking for help and summoning someone were entirely different things.

Back then, Shu Li had known little about magic. The Elven King had also descended in his true body, so Shu Li had been cleverly misled without ever realizing it.

Yesterday had been different.

While traveling back through the temporal passage, Shu Li had collided with a terrifying being. The little flower crown’s summoning function had activated, but what appeared was the Elven King’s soul form.

Clearly, the Elven King had used the power of his soul to appear in time and save Shu Li’s life.

“Were you injured?” Shu Li frowned and flew closer to the Elven King, circling him twice and inspecting him from front to back and left to right.

The hot spring on Mount Amitai contained a wondrous power that could ease injuries.

The king had specifically come to soak in the spring today. He must have been hurt while saving Shu Li last night.

Shu Li’s nose stung, and guilt overwhelmed him.

The Elven King cupped the Little Fairy in his hand and stroked him gently. “I wasn’t injured. That small amount of soul power is not enough to harm me.”

Shu Li embraced one of his fingers and pressed stubbornly, “Please don’t lie to me.”

“To change the outcome of the prophecy, paying a small price is only natural,” the Elven King said. “Sperien, you are in far greater danger than I am.”

Shu Li made a solemn promise. “Your Majesty, I’ll work hard to become stronger and defeat the Dark God! So please, take better care of yourself too.”

“All right,” the Elven King replied gently.

Boundless determination rose within Shu Li. For the Elven King’s sake, no matter how exhausting or difficult it became, he would master magic and find the remaining elemental spirits. Oh, right—and the Five Swords!

They were powerful weapons capable of sealing the Dark God. How could he possibly overlook them?

Shu Li descended into the pool, refilled his little wooden basin with warm water, and settled back inside to soak.

“Your Majesty, I’d like to venture out onto the continent to gain experience in a few years. May I?” he asked, placing the freshly wrung towel on his head.

Only by venturing out could he find the elemental spirits and magic swords more quickly.

He still had eighty-five years left before adulthood. He could not wait that long.

The Elven King had never refused one of his requests.

“You may.”

“Really?” Shu Li was overjoyed. He leaned forward excitedly, but used too much force and overturned the little wooden basin, pitching headfirst into the pool.

“Glub, glub—”

The next instant, the Elven King’s fingers lifted him from the water. Shu Li wiped the water from his face and grinned foolishly.

“Hehehe—!”