The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 240

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 240

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It took about half a day for the artificial spirit to memorize all of Hecate’s research materials.

During that time, Lillieta comforted Jurlene who was embarrassed about revealing her innermost thoughts, drank tea with her, helped her make soup, ate it together, toured her room and Hecate’s room under Jurlene’s guidance, and transferred all the moon bones she had received into a leather pouch.

By the time the sun was setting and dusk was falling, she finally left the Witch’s Cottage. Jurlene came out to the door to see Rita off. From now on, she too would pack for her journey.

Rita returned to the cave with the sleeping Black Dragon on her shoulder, lost in thought.

‘The prince said he’d return by tomorrow, right? When he comes, I’ll first sound him out about Jurlene…’

[Notice: User, there is information to report.]

Suddenly the butterfly pattern on her bracelet sparkled and the artificial spirit’s voice echoed in her mind. Since it was quiet in the forest and the Black Dragon was sleeping, Rita responded only in her thoughts.

‘What information? Was there something useful among the materials you memorized today?’

[Notice: Yes, user. This is content organized through cross-analysis of ‘Hecate’s’ research materials acquired today with previously inputted information.]

[Notice: Little Minewg seems to have discovered the identity of the mineral called ‘moon bones.’]

“What?”

A sharp voice escaped before she knew it.

Rita reflexively covered her mouth, looked down at her shoulder to confirm the Black Dragon was still sleeping soundly, then asked urgently in her mind.

‘Tell me the details.’

[Conclusion: I’ll start with the conclusion. The substance that Elfborn call ‘moon bones,’ the Holy Empire calls ‘sun eggs,’ and that Archmage Pascal used as ‘stars’ is part of the ‘meteor’ that fell on this land in Continental Year 0.]

She stopped walking abruptly.

‘A meteor… you said?’

[Information: You know that the Continental Calendar is based on the extinction of elves due to rapid environmental changes and the beginning of the human era. You also know that the catalyst for those environmental changes was the meteor’s fall.]

‘I know that… The terrain created when the meteor collided became Monstra as of year 821. As of 1770, it’s the central region where Lamcard is located.’

[Information: When the Holy Empire defined elves as a corrupted race and demons punished by god, most of ancient elven civilization’s history and culture was lost. Also, the Holy Empire’s positions and customs were mostly lost after the Kairam Empire was founded, dismissed as an era of fanaticism and madness.]

[Consideration: Due to this, neither this artificial spirit with information from 1770 and the Ash-covered Era, nor the user, could properly understand what the Elfborn’s ‘moon’ or the Holy Empire’s ‘sun’ meant as of year 821.]

[Notice: This element was supplemented through acquiring these ‘research materials.’ This speculation became possible as a result.]

[Analysis: The ‘moon’ is the symbol of pre-era elven civilization’s mainstream faith and the elves’ god. They worshipped the moon because they tended to become stronger at night.]

[Analysis: The ‘sun’ is the human god that ancient humans under elven rule believed in. Unlike elves who were weak during the day, humans who were advantaged by daytime activity served the sun as their god.]

‘So… elves and humans each came to call the meteor by names derived from the gods they believed in?’

[Affirmative: That’s correct, user.]

[Information: Pre-era ancient civilization had a structure where a small number of elves ruled over and dominated a large number of humans. The Holy Empire expressed this as ‘oppression,’ while elves expressed it as ‘protection.’]

[Information: According to Hecate’s materials, the ancient continent before the meteor fell was an environment too harsh for humans to endure with their bare bodies. Ancient humans could only survive normally within cities built with elven magic. Every human’s lifeline depended on elven mercy.]

[Consideration: This is presumed to be why it was recorded as ‘protection’ by elven standards and ‘oppression’ by human standards. Both expressions are probably correct.]

[Information: Later, when the meteor fell in year zero and the continent’s environment changed drastically, elves became unable to survive with their bare bodies while humans became able to move freely, opposite to ancient times.]

[Analysis: Ancient elves believed the world had changed against them because their god had died, and called the event of stones falling from the sky and changing the world ‘the moon’s death.’ They also believed the meteor was the remains left by the ‘moon’s’ death and the corpse of a god spewing poison that corrupted the world as it rotted, so they came to call it ‘moon bones.’]

[Analysis: Conversely, to ancient humans the meteor was no different from a savior. They believed their god, the ‘sun,’ had descended from the sky to save them while dwelling within the round stone, so they called the meteor’s fall ‘the sun’s descent.’ As a result, humans came to call that meteor ‘sun eggs.’]

[Reference: The Holy Empire’s emperor is called the Sun God. This is because they believe the sun’s incarnation born from ‘sun eggs’ saved humans who were groaning under elven oppression and founded the Holy Empire, with descendants inheriting the divine throne through generations.]

Rita accepted the information organized by the artificial spirit with a dizzy feeling.

‘So whether moon bones or sun eggs, they’re both terms referring to the meteor from Continental Year zero… and that meteor that flew from outside the sky was the fundamental cause that changed the continent’s environment? Not the impact from collision, but the fallen meteor itself was the reason for elven extinction and the catalyst for human revival, which is why such names were attached?’

[Affirmative: You understand correctly, user.]

‘Then it was a natural result that Master Jurlene believed moon bones were hope for elven revival. If it’s a substance that once changed the environment to the complete opposite, it means there’s also the possibility of changing it back in reverse to restore the original state.’

[Affirmative: I agree, user. Most of Hecate’s research materials focus on analyzing the properties of moon bones and methods of using moon bones to change the surrounding environment.]

‘That environmental change… somehow sounds similar to mana corruption. Could it be that the pre-era continent was in a state similar to mana-corrupted ruins? Were elves a species adapted to that? And that changed to the current environment due to the meteor?’

Rita steadied her roughened breathing and recalled the scene where the ‘moon bones’ that absorbed Gid’s corrupted mana converted it to pure mana and released it.

What if the giant ‘moon bones’ that fell to earth absorbed the corrupted mana that had originally spread across the entire continent and changed it into current mana that wasn’t particularly harmful to humans?

What if that function came to operate in the complete opposite way due to some method or trigger? What if, as Hecate dreamed, the moon bones came to change the surroundings into an ancient environment more suitable for elves?

Wouldn’t that be ‘corruption’ by human standards?

‘Could it be that the process by which the ‘stars’ of the Ash-covered Era caused and spread mana corruption was the process of the continent returning to the pre-meteor environment?’

[Opinion: Little Minewg’s speculation is the same as the user’s. Perhaps the ash-covered sun is this world’s original sun, and the current burning sun is an anomaly created by the meteor.]

[Information: Oathbinders who use pure Oaths can resist mana corruption. Using Oaths in human ways—things like mana, aura, or divine power—cannot resist corruption.]

[Hypothesis: Judging from this fact…]

‘Elves were natural Oathbinders, a species that could handle Oaths from birth, and conversely were extremely vulnerable to transformations of Oaths like mana, aura, and divine power. So they couldn’t withstand the mana emanating from the meteor and were pushed out by humans who processed and used Oaths…’

Continuing the artificial spirit’s hypothesis, Rita added one more speculation.

‘…Could my constitution that repels divine power and healing magic while being compatible with Oaths be similar to elves?’

[Hypothesis: Based on current hypotheses, the user is likely a mutation with strong manifestation of elven traits inherent in bloodline. Probably one of the user’s ancestors was Elfborn. However, since you’re fundamentally human, unlike elves who went completely extinct, the repulsion only goes that far.]

‘Conversely, Jurlene has a constitution closer to elves than humans… That’s why there were no particular problems when she was corrupted by the Black Dragon. Corrupted mana would be more familiar to elves. That stable monster transformation was because of that.’

She let out a low groan and looked down at the Black Dragon hanging on her shoulder while sleeping.

‘Could Gid being somewhat different from typical monsters also be because he’s Jurlene’s descendant and retains some elven traits?’

[Information: Ancient elves had lifespans averaging over 2,000 years. Therefore, 1,700 years is only 3-4 generations by elven standards. Even if characteristics are diluted, genetic traits could sufficiently remain.]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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