We agreed to set sail, so you'd become the ruler of the deep sea?

Chapter 245 When We Step Back into History

A silvery-gray mystical power diffused into the seawater.

It shrouded everything in this square in a mysterious aura.

That color was like crystal, like diamond, and like silver.

Under the influence of this mysterious power, not only were the surrounding things frozen in time, but the elven temple was also being "rebuilt" in an incredible way!
Oh no, it's less about "reconstruction" and more about "making this temple..."

Revert to the state before it was destroyed?!

"Wait, look down! In the square..."

"God, what is this...?"

The tree people fighting the flames above were not frozen in time due to the distance.

Therefore, they were able to witness this incredible scene—

The entire square was dyed silver-gray.

The magnificent temple, long lost and existing only in legends and memories, rose from the ground in a silvery-gray light.

"That great hall, could it be the Elven Temple?"

"That's a statue of the goddess of life!"

Soon, the tree people's emotions changed from shock to intense fear.

Even though these tree-people have accepted the Seed of Life and become followers of the Giant Tree God.

But no matter what, the Goddess of Life is the mother goddess of the Tree People, and occupies an extremely important position in their long history.

Legend has it that the earliest and first tree people were transformed from a leaf of the goddess of life.

—In fact, if the Goddess of Life's power hadn't weakened over the years, making it impossible for the Tree People to even hear Her voice, they wouldn't have embarked on this path of betrayal.

At present, the reconstruction of the Elf Temple and the gaze of the goddess statue are clearly regarded by many Treants as a miracle!
Now, will the goddess of life punish them?

The mere thought of this possibility caused many tree people to feel apprehensive and panicked.

Among them, the tree people who recently defected, such as Fana, Nigel, and Gelius, showed the strongest reaction.

"How is that possible? The Goddess of Life has already..."

Fana stared in astonishment.

But soon, it went berserk and crawled down, pleading with utmost devotion.

"Goddess, please forgive my sins, I was forced..."

However, before Fana could finish speaking, a silver-gray secret power enveloped it, freezing it in the moment of kneeling and pleading.

It resembles a laughable and pathetic sculpture.

Not only Fana, but all the other tree-people in the square were also brought to a standstill by the effect of Silverash's secret power.

That's when.

The tree-people above the square witnessed a scene they would never forget.

Then, those companions covered in silver-gray seemed to shed a layer of falsehood, revealing their true forms—

On the deformed and filthy flesh blanket.

Surrounded by bizarre, ugly creatures that resembled both flesh and plants.

The dried-up, rotting corpses were emitting mournful, silent wails.

"This this……"

Nigel stared blankly at the scene: "How did they become like this?"

An absurd thought unconsciously surfaced in my mind.

"Could what those humans just said be true?"

If the light screen that Xia En and Yan Yan had previously displayed could be explained by illusion, then...

So, is this scene, which is currently being manifested under the influence of the goddess of life, also part of an illusion?
The people of the trees inevitably felt a strong sense of unease.

at the same time.

Surrounded by the tree people, Yan Yan suddenly exerted his strength, moving swiftly and unleashing a torrent of blazing flames that burned away all enemies that stood in his way.

And the direction he was heading was the gate of the Elf Temple.

Having learned from his previous experience, Yan Yan naturally knew that this silvery-gray substance was Captain Xia En's mysterious means of returning to the past.

As the only crew member currently by the captain's side, he naturally has an obligation to stand with Xia En through thick and thin!

Strange things soon happened.

That silvery-gray secret power clearly possessed the ability to freeze time and space, but when it landed on Yan Yan, it unexpectedly had no effect whatsoever.

just like……

Time has left no trace on him.

And so, as the Silver-Gray Secret Power expanded outward, Yan Yan arrived at Xia En's side without any hindrance.

This scene made Xia En's eyelids twitch.

However, since Yan Yan was his teammate, Xia En wasn't alarmed.

In fact, Shane had no idea about the anomaly of [Fleeting Time], or the rewind of the Elf Temple and the statue.

He never expected such a sudden change.

But think about it carefully.

Shaun suspected that the source of this time-traveling power might not be the silver pocket watch, but rather...

The power of the goddess of life!
The Goddess of Life could not possibly be completely indifferent to the former temple and this "City of Giant Trees".

It is highly likely that when the Goddess of Life left behind a hidden and special power in the temple, she did so.

It wasn't until Shane's arrival, triggered by the silver pocket watch, that this divine power was unleashed.

Ultimately, the miracle of time travel was achieved.

From a certain perspective, this is indeed a miracle.

Thinking about it this way, the Elf Temple in the Emerald City was based on a similar principle.

This also explains why there is no mention of time travel in the description of "A Fleeting Moment".

It could be said that the silver pocket watch was merely a key to unlocking the door to the past.

The source of time travel lies in a certain power that remains within the Elf Temple.

A multitude of thoughts flashed through Xia En's mind.

He quickly gathered his thoughts, turned to look at the temple gate in front of him, and said decisively.

"Yan Yan, let's go!"

Now that we've come this far, why should we back down?

Then, the two figures walked one after the other into the depths of the temple...

……

……

Boom!
Boom boom boom!
While the goddess statue was being rebuilt.

In the center of the City of Giant Trees, the enormous, tumor-like heart suddenly began to beat with an unusually dull sound.

Each strike felt like a blow to the "seed of corruption" within the tree-people.

The nearby tree people naturally felt a strong sense of fear, and their whole bodies trembled like leaves.

"what happened?"

"I sensed... the Lord's wrath!"

"Has someone committed blasphemy?"

The treant priests who were closer to the heart were terrified.

This is the first time they have felt the wrath of the gods since they assumed this position.

Just then, a uniquely shaped tree-man spoke.

"Don't panic."

"They're just a few annoying little bugs."

This tree-man has an appearance very different from its kind. Its left half of its body is completely identical to that of a human, but its right half still retains the characteristics of a tree-man.

Half-human, half-tree.

The combination of the two in a way that is both disjointed and contradictory gives people an indescribable sense of unease.

The tree-people around them, clearly much larger and taller than this half-human, half-tree being, all showed respect and fear towards him without exception. They quickly replied, "Yes, High Priest."

Within the City of Giant Trees, the High Priest is the treant closest to the Giant Tree God.

It was also once regarded as the embodiment of the will of the "Giant Tree God" and an agent of the deity.

"I will personally take action and use absolute power to tell those remnants of the old era that a new era has arrived!"

The high priest spoke calmly: "And the [City of Giant Trees] has no ships to carry them!"

……

……

Click!

Just as the silver light spread across the execution square.

Iris, in the Black Forest, suddenly opened her eyes.

An overwhelming sense of joy appeared on that old, withered face.

Without hesitation, it began to pull out the roots buried under the mud and sand, and conveyed its will to all the tree people in the black forest.

"let's go!"

"Today is the day that will decide the fate of the City of Giant Trees!"

In fact, Iris is not unable to move, but it comes at a great cost—

Its roots have become one with this dark forest, intertwined and tangled in the mud and sand.

In other words, if Iris wants to go somewhere, she must take this entire Black Forest with her!
At that moment, as Iris acted, the surrounding seabed immediately began to shake violently.

Many trees in the Black Forest were entangled by their roots, which carried away the mud and sand.

Such a commotion naturally woke up all the tree people in the Black Forest.

Wendt arrived at Iris's side first, and couldn't help but feel puzzled.

Bi Jiong, Elder Iris was previously unwilling to fight, how come she changed her mind in the blink of an eye?
Wendt asked cautiously, "Sir, what happened?"

"Why did you suddenly decide to take action? And why did you mobilize all the tree people in the forest...?"

Iris looked toward the execution square, still murmuring in disbelief, "A miracle! They really brought a miracle!"

"Moreover, this is our only remaining chance."

A fierce glint flashed across its face as it resolutely declared.

"Since we're going to gamble, we should naturally put all the stakes on it!"

……

……

At this time, Shane was completely unaware of the changing situation within the City of Giant Trees.

When he entered the Elven Temple and met the eyes of the statue...

It felt like an extremely short second had passed, yet also like an incredibly long century had gone by.

Xia En opened his eyes.

The crazed tree people were gone, as was the silvery-gray glow.

In its place stands a clean and tidy elven temple.

Looking out through the doors and windows, one sees a dense forest, and it seems to be raining heavily.

Having learned from his previous experience of time travel, Xia En was much calmer.

But he couldn't help but let out a long breath, a smile playing on his lips.

"Sure enough, I've returned to the past once again."

Although Shane still doesn't understand the principles of time travel, these two encounters show that he's on the right track.

As long as we continue to explore other elven temples, there is a possibility of returning to the past.

"I wonder if I'll ever see Lyra in this era?"

Shaen thought to himself, "Or... change history!?"

The destruction of the Elven race seems to be a foregone conclusion.

The only way to change this is to look to history.

But what worries Xia En is still the convergence effect of the timeline, or rather, the inevitability of history.

If everything he did in the past becomes futile and is ruthlessly erased by history, then what meaning does it all have?

Xia En couldn't help but feel worried about this.

However, having experienced so much, his mind had long since become very resolute, and of course he would not stop moving forward because of worries.

After clearing his mind of distractions, Xia En took out two black robes and draped them over himself and Yan Yan, just like last time.

Let's just say it was a disguise.

at this time.

Footsteps sounded outside the temple.

"What a coincidence that we ran into someone else?"

Xia En thought for a moment, then led Yan Yan to hide in a corner of the main hall.

After all, their current appearance is hardly flattering; they'd be perfectly acceptable as "little black figures" if mistaken for suspects.

Soon, a deep, steady male voice rang out first.

"It's raining so hard, Your Highness. Why don't we take shelter in this temple for a while?"

Immediately, a younger voice responded, "Uncle George, you can just call me Master outside."

"But why don't we use magic to block the rain?"

George replied, "This is, after all, the territory of the elves. Using non-natural magic rashly could easily provoke the hostility of the treants and elves."

"Given your special status, you need to be even more careful..."

Before they knew it, the two had arrived in the main hall of the temple.

The man walking in front had a short beard and a long sword at his waist. He looked to be in his prime and had a very capable and valiant air about him.

It's obvious at a glance that he's a "knight" or "guard".

Behind him followed a handsome and delicate young man.

The young man exuded an air of nobility, and his clothes were exquisitely crafted.

Combined with the earlier use of the titles "Your Highness" and "Young Master," his status is clearly that of someone of high wealth and nobility.

The only drawback is that the boy seems a bit too naive, as if he hasn't experienced much hardship or trial.

Since they were just there to avoid the rain, Xia En didn't need to do anything.

However, just as he was about to quietly wait for the rain to stop and for the two of them to leave...

George's hawk-like gaze swept across the hall, noticing the remaining water stains on the ground and smelling the salty odor of the sea.

—That was a little seawater that Xia En and Yan Yan brought with them when they traveled through time.

George's expression immediately changed, and he looked towards the corner of the hall.

"Who is it? Come out!"

As he spoke, he drew the long sword from his waist.

That sharp intent made Xia En raise an eyebrow.

Judging from the aura the opponent exuded, he was at least a fifth-tier expert!
How come even a random stranger I meet is so strong?

Xia En muttered to himself, but quickly felt better.

After all, being in an unfamiliar historical setting, it's not surprising that you might encounter something legendary!
After thinking about it for a while, I realized that I hadn't done anything wrong.

Xia En simply walked out and said, "We're here to take shelter from the rain too."

"It was just a coincidence, no offense intended."

George looked suspicious and somewhat disbelieving.

The two men, dressed in black robes, looked suspicious no matter how you looked at them.

But if it were an assassin trying to harm His Highness, they would have already launched a sneak attack.

At this moment, the boy who appeared to be a nobleman looked at Xia En and the other person with curiosity.

Are you also tourists attending this international conference?

(End of this chapter)