Chapter 88 14. Old Ones
The Druzis stood there waiting in agony for half an hour. Watt insisted on standing there. He seemed to want to preserve the dignity of the Druzis and not let these hissing and rattling lizards look down on him.
Chupakoko received some instructions and quickly walked over to Ryan and said, "The respected Lord Mazdamuddi asked me to take you to rest first."
"Where is Lord Daquus?" Franais asked directly.
"He is safe with the respected Lord Mazdamuddi." Chupakoko blinked and tilted his head to say to Franais.
Several Druzian dignitaries looked at each other and shook their heads. They decided to stay here and wait for Daquus.
Chupakoko tried to persuade her several times, but to no avail.
Daxus, already swimming in the divination pool, swam over to Mazdamundi and reached out a hand, carefully touching the handprint on his stomach. It must be a handprint, right? He placed his hand there, and the stomach felt smooth. He gestured, and it was indeed a handprint, though a bit too large.
Mazdamudi lowered his head and looked at Daquus speechlessly. He had never been offended like this in his tens of thousands of years of life.
After chatting for a while, Daxus realized that he didn't seem to be a being blessed by the Ancients or a child of the Ancients. Instead, he was a being of a higher level, akin to an incarnation of the Ancients. Perhaps the Ancients used their last bit of strength to pull him over, and there were still marks on his body. How else could he explain it?
As for the Old Ones being a sphere? That's a long story. The Old Ones aren't individuals, but a group. It's said that before the Old Ones descended upon this planet, it was inhabited by a variety of gigantic creatures, vying for dominance. The warmest regions, those closest to the equator, were the scene of the most intense competition. Some of these life forms were purely instinctive creatures, while others were mature civilizations that rose and fell during their time.
Little is known about the records of various races about that forgotten era. That mature civilization may have been driven deeper underground than the underground sea. The buried ruins and descendant creatures still exist. Sky Titans and dragons may be products of that era.
Later, during their journey across the vast universe, the Ancients discovered this planet and it caught their attention, for they saw its unique and limitless potential. The Ancients arrived in their spaceships and announced that this world would play a vital role in their unknowable grand plan.
Using powers beyond mortal comprehension, the Old Ones redirected the planet's orbit toward the warming sun. Over time, the ice caps receded, and verdant forests quickly sprouted, covering the newly exposed lands. They created the Polar Stargate and inhabited the planet with new races, including Slann, Lizardmen, Skinks, Kroxigors, Elves, Dwarves, Humans, Ogres, and Halflings. As for the Greenskins? They were accidentally brought here by spores clinging to the exterior of a spacecraft.
The Old Ones created servants to meet their needs, and thus began the birth of the Slann Magic Priests. The Slann were the only beings capable of direct contact with the nearly omnipotent Old Ones and understanding their grand plan. Following the Old Ones' instructions, the Slann established temple-cities in the tropical jungles of Lustria and the southernmost jungles of the Old World. These instructions were incredibly specific, down to the precise location of each temple-city, each serving a specific purpose.
The nodes of the temple city activate the giant spiritual network to form connections. The giant spiritual network is like the correlation matrix of the energy of this planet. Each point is connected to the next point. The ancient saints can use this huge energy reservoir to manipulate countless devices and powerful magic.
Slann Mage Priests also have access to the Great Web of Spiritual Veins. Harnessing its energy, they can move mountains and fill seas, furthering the Old Ones' grand plan. As long as each node remains connected, the Slann can communicate telepathically across vast distances. By entering a trance-like state, the Slann can transmit pure thoughts and hold online meetings.
However, things don't always go as planned, and a star gate opens up to another dimension.
Disaster struck suddenly across the globe, causing oceans to churn, forest canopies to sway, and grotesque distortions to grow. The Morslieb Evil Moon was also formed at this time.
From the rifts erupted the daemons of Chaos, and the Great Invasion began. As the Stargate collapsed, the Old Ones vanished, their fate unknown.
The remaining Slann fought desperately, closing most of the rifts. Most of them died in the battle, but despite their immense sacrifice, they could only narrow the gap. They could neither close it nor stem the tide of magical energy that swept across the planet. It was not until the formation of the Great Vortex of Ulthuan that the invasion was halted.
And then I have been half-dead until now.
Daxus didn't think about what it was. Since he couldn't change it, it didn't matter. What mattered was the present and the future.
"How can I increase the power of the Ancient Saints?"
Mazdamuddi looked at Darkuth and shook his head.
"Are the spiritual vein nodes of the Sun Monument and the Moon Monument stable now?"
Mazdamudi was still looking at Daxus, but this time he was a little surprised. He didn't expect that this strange hot-blooded man in front of him knew so much.
"It's stable for now, but as for the future..."
Darkus was still rubbing Mazdamudi's belly. This time, he changed his hand seal. This one was strange, as if it had been made by a Chaos Demon. He said, "I'll send an army to guard one of the cities when the time comes." He paused and continued, "Can Chapeyuto rise from the sea? That city seems to be connected to the spiritual vein node on the opposite continent, right?"
Mazdamundi looked at Dacius for a long time, and his doubts deepened. Is this a new big plan?
"I could raise it, but I don't have the Slann or enough troops to defend it."
Daqian stopped touching and began to swim on his back in the pool. He stopped swimming when he heard these words in his mind, wiped his face with his hand and said, "If it's possible later, I'll sit there."
"What about the Chaos Rift in Zahuitak, the Echo City?"
"We can't close it now. We need to strengthen the spiritual vein nodes."
Darkus nodded and asked the last and most important question: "Can the first Lord Kroka be resurrected?"
Mazdamundi finally lost his composure this time, and the yellow light in his eyes became more and more intense, as if he wanted to see through Darkus.
Daxus felt the water was boiling. What was going on? A frog in boiling water? He quickly swam back to the edge and began to dress.
"This requires immense power, the opening of spiritual vein nodes, the gathering of all the Slann in the sacred first city of Itaza, and a vast army to resist the Chaos Demons. We cannot do this."
"So it can be resurrected. I thought it was interfered with by something from a higher dimension."
PS: These two chapters are very important, so important that if I write them wrong, the rest of the chapter will be a mess. Please share any thoughts or questions you have.