Chapter 37: Anointed
Doris Iris was a pure-blooded and n.o.ble elf. Her exquisite pale skin, silky golden hair, and limpid green eyes were more than enough to describe her beauty and lineage.
In this G.o.dforsaken land of Azir, everything from ancient times, be it legends, blood treasures, or any other traces were considered extremely precious.
Born at approximately the same time as the ancient giants, the Iris Clan could be considered to be the most unorthodox and ancient of elf clans that lived in seclusion within forests.
But due to their high regard towards their own blood, refusal to intermarry with other clans, the skewed ratio of females to males, and strict adherence to monogamy, the members of the Iris Clan now only numbered slightly more than a hundred.
To put it in another way, they became “endangered”.
This strong sense of crisis impelled them to once again seek for their lost convictions and covenants, leaving the forests and head for Walpurgis Night.
[TL Note: Walpurgis Night is an actual festival celebrated in parts of Europe and was to ward off witchcraft in ancient times]
Walpurgis Night was also known as “Wisdom Revelry” and “Witches’ Feast”. According to ancient legends, the glorious elf kingdom was turned into a scorched wasteland after the elven prince Candela went insane.
With no one to rely on, a small portion of elves signed a covenant with the powerful witch Walpurgis on that completely dark night and gained a new protector.
In the many millennia that followed, elves wanting to seek the help of witches would gather on the last night of the fourth month, lighting up bonfires on nearby hills and convening for a feast and revelry that lasted till the daybreak.
Thus, from the words of hunters and magicians, elves and other spiritual beings that received protection as well as the witches themselves were termed as the “anointed”.
Unfortunately, the witch that bestowed the Iris Clan name had already entered a deep slumber within the dream realm.
Those wanting protection would have to seek out that great existence’s place of slumber. This time, Doris was the anointed being dispatched by the clan to seek out their protector.
According to a sage’s prophecy, clues would appear in a large human capital city built over the ruins of the ancient royal capital—Norzin City.
For elves, this completely unfamiliar city smelled of industrial metal had horrendous weather that never seemed to cease. Furthermore, the recent incidents had caused extensive and chaotic aether fluctuations there.
Elves being naturally sensitive to the aether would find such fluctuations extremely excruciating.
Everything about this place made Doris feel very puzzled and at a loss. However, the unforeseen happened. As she was returning back from getting groceries, she encountered an unknown person covered in blood lying on the ground.
As a newcomer that just rented an apartment here and still finding her feet, Doris’ first reaction when encountering such a situation was naturally to consider her own safety first.
With great difficulty, Ji Zhixiu managed to croak, “So you brought me back?”
“Umm…yeah,” Doris grinned. “At that time, you were just a few steps away from my place. If I left you there, you would be found by those pursuing you in no time.
“And if they get close to here, they might discover me as well. Such unnecessary troubles are best avoided. Don’t worry, elves are hunters by nature. I’m still rather well-versed in stuff like concealing tracks and whatsoever. No need to thank me.”
Ji Zhixiu retracted the “thank you” that was at the tip of her tongue. She recalled the course of events in the previous battle and endured the pain as she forced herself to sit up. She took a deep breath, then asked, “How long was I out for?”
She didn’t know what the current situation was, or if Kaiyi and Marcus were fine… Would her followers collapse without a leader and be taken down one after the other?
Generally, the Magic Ovum Mirror would take about a month to hatch. Currently, there was probably less than a month left before it hatched and they had yet to find where Heris had hidden it.
The situation wasn’t at all optimistic. There would be disastrous consequences if any ent.i.ty within the dream realm was allowed to hatch from the Magic Ovum Mirror.
Doris helped Ji Zhixiu up and leaned her against the headboard. She pondered before answering, “It’s been roughly 5 hours. According to the fresh wounds and blood flowing out from your body, I a.s.sumed that it hasn’t been 6 hours since you were sent here.”
Six hours. This meant that Ji Zhixiu’s luck wasn’t too bad.
Even though the Sky Wolf had the ability to jump through time and s.p.a.ce, Ji Zhixiu had already lost control midway through that jump.
She couldn’t control where she jumped or how long she would linger within the void.
But from the look of things, it seemed like she had been fortunate. Or perhaps… it had been because of the bookstore owner’s blessings.
In any case, the circ.u.mstances weren’t too bad yet and there was still a chance to turn the tables.
Ji Zhixiu’s breath became easier and she surrept.i.tiously started to survey the room she was in. “My name is Ji Zhixiu. You must be an elf… why are you in Norzin? Elves rarely come by because the environment isn’t good.”
The small and simple room she was in was approximately about the size of 10 square meters. This was the usual sort of temporary rental apartments in Norzin for out-of-towners.
However, it was tidied up neatly and a rich aroma of bone soup lingered in the air. The elf before her was even wearing an ap.r.o.n, so clearly, it had been made by her.
Ji Zhixiu could smell the delectable freshness and any hostility she had faded slightly. However, her most basic vigilance still remained.
She moved her body and felt that she was able to control it much better now.
Her wounds had been given some meticulous treatment by the elf and her body was neatly wrapped with clean bandages and was even topped off with a bowknot.
Most of Ji Zhixiu’s injuries were already healed up and just some residual pain remained, probably due to the damage done from being in beast mutation mode for such an extended period of time. The bubbling blood within her body had already returned to its calm state as well.
“Your regeneration capabilities are tremendous. It looks like you are a rather outstanding hunter, heh,” said the beaming elf as she sat down. Gentle aetheric fluctuations floated around her, like a calm surface of water, letting those around her feel comfortable.
She said, “I came here to seek out our Iris Clan’s lost glory.”
Iris Clan? Ji Zhixiu’s eyes narrowed. That elf clan that was purportedly the most ancient and hallowed of all elf clans?
Didn’t it decline a long time ago? It’s said that no Iris Clan members have been seen in several centuries.
Reappear now to seek out their lost glory…
Ji Zhixiu made a guess. “Are you trying to find the witch that once signed the covenant with you?”
“Yes,” Doris nodded solemnly. “She is one of the four Primordial Witches, an enigma from the most ancient of times. No one has ever seen her true face and legends say she slumbers in a dream realm covered by snow and frost with only white iris flowers and a tree that reaches into the skies, birthed from the corpse of an ancient dragon.
“Silver is her name.”