Chapter 139 - Fairy Wilderness Curtain

From their vantage point, what lay below was a small basin surrounded by mountains on three sides—a rarity in the Rocklands, these earthen mountains from top to bottom, lush with vegetation and covered by various trees.In the center of the small basin, there was a teardrop-shaped lake, its waters gently rippling. Most peculiar was that on the side of the lake near the mouth of the valley, the weather was clear, and one could see straight to the bottom.

Closer to the inner side, however, clouds and mist enshrouded everything, making it all appear hazy and indistinct.

Looking closely, it seemed one could make out the other half of the lake. Upon further scrutiny, there appeared to be a very unique castle hidden within, with an endless, lush green forest stretching out behind it.

However, the grand barracks at the entrance of the valley marred this harmonious beauty.

"A curtain? The curtain leading to the Fairy Wilderness?" Gaven’s attention was totally fixed on the misty side of the small lake.

"A curtain? What is a curtain? And what place is this Fairy Wilderness?" The Young Red Copper Dragon asked curiously, unfamiliar with both terms.

"Do you know that our world isn’t the only one?"

"I know that. We’re in the multiverse, after all. We reside in the principal Material Plane, with various outer and elemental planes existing as well."

Besides what you mentioned, there are a few other planes that are intertwined with the Material Plane, inseparable from it—the Ether Plane, the Starry Realm, the Shadow Plane, and the Fairy Wilderness.

Among them, the Shadow Plane and the Fairy Wilderness exist parallel to our world, entwining and affecting each other, like two negatives of the Material Plane—one in black-and-white, the other in color.

This parallel existence is not absolute; there may be points where the two worlds intertwine, creating passages where one could freely enter and exit. The passage between our world and the Fairy Wilderness is called a ’curtain.’ When you observed this place before, did you often notice creatures that you wouldn’t find anywhere else?"

Gaven’s rough explanation left the Young Red Copper Dragon somewhat confused, as if she understood, but didn’t quite grasp everything. Yet she comprehended the last question, nodding quickly, "Yes, yes, that’s the most interesting part about this place. I’ve seen many elves capable of teleporting here, as well as tiny flying fairies only a third the height of Gnolls, and colorful dragons about the size of small dogs..."

"Then that basically matches what we’re looking for. The beings you’re referring to aren’t elves, but their close relatives, the Yaling. The tiny flying ones are either Pikespirit or Little Fairies, and the small dog-sized dragon is likely a Fairy Dragon." The information provided by the dragon made Gaven almost certain that this was indeed a curtain leading to the Fairy Wilderness.

Normally, such curtains would appear deep within dense forests or in desolate mountain ranges far from human footprints.

For a curtain leading to the Fairy Wilderness to exist within the barren Rocklands was somewhat unexpected for Gaven.

"They’re coming out, someone is coming out of the mist, out of the curtain." Aivensa, with her keen eyes, said this distance was as close as an arm’s reach for her.

A troop of soldiers emerged from the curtain of mist, these soldiers were tall and slender, wearing armor distinctly different from that of humans.

These pieces of armor, rather than being simply armors, were like exquisite works of art with beautiful and mysterious hollow patterns adorning them, and the color coordination was used to its fullest—beautiful yet unconventional.

It must be said, the vision of dragons truly is astonishing—something Gaven felt even more acutely with the help of the Dragon’s Sight Glasses, which mimic dragon vision.

Once his vision adjusted to the right focus, he could clearly see, from kilometers away, what those soldiers looked like.

That was indeed a Yaling Army.

Yalings and elves had a seventy to eighty percent resemblance in appearance, but anyone familiar with these two races could distinguish them at first glance.

Compared to elves, Yalings had a stronger aura of wildness, their skin was even fairer, they had almost no body hair except on their heads, their bodies radiated a more intense magic power, particularly the Yaling Nobility. They absorbed the infinite magic of the Fairy Wilderness, transforming their very being to meld harmoniously with the seasons—a new creature entirely.

"What are they up to? They’re not planning to engage in open battle with the Jackalweres, are they?" Gaven was incredulous at the scene below.

Neither Yalings nor elves were known for field battles; guerilla warfare in the forests was their forte.

Especially when facing a group of fierce Jackalweres, averaging over two meters in height, field battle in open terrain was definitely not a wise choice.

But considering the actions of the Jackalwere down below, Gaven frowned, let alone the Yalings, who were extreme environmentalists.

The Jackalwere tribe was unrestrained in hunting creatures and cutting down trees, seemingly attempting to build siege equipment.

Seeing the Yalings emerging proactively from behind the misty curtain, the Jackalweres were excited, each of them howling towards the sky.

Countless hyenas gathered around them, joining their masters in a fervent charge towards the Yalings.

In their eyes, these frail Yalings were no match for them; they could snap their necks with a single bite.

"Fire!"

With a crisp command, countless arrows soared into the air.

Each Yaling was an outstanding archer, and even with lobbed shots, their accuracy was terrifying.

Many Jackalweres and hyenas fell mid-charge and couldn’t get back up.

In just a hundred meters, the Yalings unleashed four volleys of arrows.

By the time the Jackalweres and hyenas were only thirty to forty meters away from the Yalings, the vines under their feet sprang to life, twisting and writhing. In the blink of an eye, they ensnared the intruders, binding jackalweres and hyenas tightly, leaving them unable to move a step further.

Entanglement Spell!

The Druids of the Yaling had made their move.

The Yaling spirit soldiers were retreating while continuously firing their shots.

With closer proximity, their accuracy improved further, with every arrow targeting vital areas like the eyes and throat.

Gaven’s previous concerns were completely unnecessary. The Yaling’s initiative to attack was merely bait to lure the Jackalweres into their trap.

Indeed, they were still employing hit-and-run tactics, only now with the help of the Druids.

By the time they had fallen back to the edge of the curtain, they had used the same tactic three times, and hundreds of Jackalweres had fallen.

The outcome was nothing more than a few injured Yaling spirit soldiers from throwing spears. From beginning to end, the Jackalweres couldn’t even get within ten meters of them.

Suddenly, a new development arose on the battlefield.

Numerous shrill screams erupted from the Jackalwere camp, and a faint blood-tinged black mist drifted out, sweeping across the battlefield like a breeze.

Where the black and red mist passed, the Jackalweres and hyenas that had already fallen shakily stood up once more. Some even let out pitiful howls, as shadows separated from the corpses and transformed into translucent entities, rushing towards the Yaling.

Undead Necromancy!

There was an Undead Necromancer or a Demon Priest among the Jackalweres.

They were casting undead spells, reviving the Jackalweres to rejoin the battle.

The sharp archery of the Yaling spirit soldiers was significantly less effective against the slow-moving Jackalwere Zombies and the translucent Ghost Spirits.

The latter completely ignored the Druids’ Entanglement Spell, drifting straight into the ranks of the Yaling spirit soldiers, forcing them to abandon their Longbows and draw their side swords for close-quarter combat. Thɪs chapter is updated by NovᴇlFire(.)nᴇt

The engaged Yaling, now phasing in and out of visibility, were elusive, making it difficult for even the Ghost Spirits to land a fatal blow—this was the unique Fairy Step of the Yaling, blinking between the Material Plane and the Fairy Wilderness.

With Jackalwere Ghost Spirits disrupting the formation in front and Jackalwere Zombies staggering steadfastly from behind, and with Jackalwere and hyena packs closing in from both sides, the overall situation was greatly unfavorable for the Yaling.

His gaze flickered briefly, Gaven turned to the Young Red Copper Dragon, "Shall we go down and give them a hand?"

The Young Red Copper Dragon, eager to participate but unsure how to intervene, asked, "How can we help them?"

"Find the Jackalwere spellcaster and kill him. Without the aid of undead spells, these Jackalweres won’t be a problem," Gaven’s gaze landed on the Jackalwere camp—the key to breaking the deadlock.

"Is there a bounty?" The Young Dragon was clearly money-minded.

"You, all you care about is money! Right now, good people are in danger, waiting for us to rescue them, and you’re still only thinking about money, money, money. Don’t you find such a life extremely dull?" It wasn’t Gaven lecturing the Young Dragon with a pretentious air; it was his Spirit Crystal Servant, Artolia.

She was particularly upset by Aivensa’s obsessive attitude toward money, especially at a critical moment when they should act for justice.

"What’s wrong with liking money? What’s it to you, a piece of crystal? If you can, why don’t you bite me!" The Young Dragon snarled, not taking Artolia’s preaching to heart, "Anyway, you’re as poor as can be, with just your crystals, barely enough to sell for a few Gold Coins."

Gaven spread his hands and said, "I definitely won’t pay a bounty. After all, I don’t know any of these people. Whether the Yaling will be grateful and reward us with treasures after all this, who knows?

It’s said that the Fairy Wilderness holds many unique treasures. The Little Fairies there can weave morning sunlight into Radiance Cloth and twilight into Star Cotton. They use rainbows after a shower to weave colorful fabrics and afternoon rain during the rainy season to weave Rain Fabric. I also heard about a marvellous Pikespirit Music Box that plays beautiful music when opened..."

"Let’s go... go... what are we waiting for?" The Young Red Copper Dragon indignantly said, "I hate undead magic the most. Those who cast such spells are evil and should be purged."

She was motivated purely by justice, not by the whimsical treasures she heard about, of course.

"Hold on, follow my orders, and don’t act recklessly. If things go south, we retreat strategically first," Gaven cautioned, worried that Aivensa’s passion might lead her straight into a swarm of monsters.

"No problem, let’s make a real fight out of it!" Aivensa soared into the air, clutching Gaven and flying towards the Jackalwere camp.

From the air, the situation below was clear at a glance. The target was quickly located.

It would have been difficult to miss because casting such a large-scale undead spell is no easy task. It requires a Sacrificial Array or Enhancement Ritual, which is usually shrouded in dark mist and has very noticeable visual and audio effects.

Looking at the bloody carnage below, stacked with corpses, the caster was not just any Undead Necromancer but a Jackalwere Demon Priest, a servant of the Undead Monarch, the Blood Lord, the prime maker of the Undead, Lord Okas.

This Jackalwere Demon Priest was even more ruthless than Gaven had imagined. The Jackalweres who had been killed were also part of the demonic sacrifice. The summoned Jackalwere Zombies and Spirits were just side effects. The lives and souls of many more Jackalweres were drawn into the ceremonial demonic Sacrificial Array he presided over, a blood-red vortex swirling in its center.

Innumerable malicious voices were emanating from the other side of the blood-red vortex, ready to surge into this world and wreak havoc.