Chapter 1077: Chapter 1076: Perception

Gawain raised his teacup but delayed bringing it to his lips. As he pondered, he gradually pieced together the long and unknown history of the Silver Empire after the fall of the God of Nature. The lifespan of an elf is so prolonged that the secrets in their history are far more mysterious and distant than humans can imagine. A span of over three thousand years surpasses the accurate record limits of even the once-prosperous Gondor Empire.

And such a lengthy history is enough to create several "gods" for certain Druidic sects.

Of course, from what Queen Belsetia described, what those Druidic sects created is far from gods. They are not comparable to the "body of the fake god" consciously crafted by the Oblivion Association or the "Supreme Narrator" accidentally conceived in Sandbox One. At most, they are psychological projections manufactured by collective thought, still some distance from entering the real world.

Upon this thought, Gawain couldn’t help feeling a bit nostalgic—when it comes to courting disaster, humanity indeed excels. The results of those Elven Druids’ three-thousand-year endeavors still don’t compare to what those two evil-cult organizations cooked up...

But this is by no means a praiseworthy achievement.

"You’ve fallen into deep thought again," the Silver Empress seemed to have been closely observing the changes in Gawain’s expression. Her voice snapped Gawain out of his reverie, "But it’s normal; what I just said can plunge anyone into deep contemplation."

"...I was just contemplating how much you have summarized from those secret gatherings over all these years," Gawain put down his teacup, pondering aloud, "You mentioned earlier that while you couldn’t confirm exactly what those secret organizations ’summoned,’ you have some guesses... I suspect these ’guesses’ aren’t so simple, are they?"

The Silver Empress remained silent for a few seconds, then sighed softly: "Honestly, ever since the White Starfall, we’ve been trying to uncover the truth behind it. It was an event that forever altered the dynamics of the Empire, its influence extending even to the entire world. No one isn’t curious about the truth behind it.

"As you know, the Silver Empire is a nation unified under both royal and divine authority. The Elven Royal Family is also the religious leader of the Druid sects. Thus, the most outstanding scholars of the Druid sects are all loyal to the Elven Royal Court. After the White Starfall, the Royal Court organized an extensive and lengthy investigation that lasted even until my father’s coronation with the Golden Oak Crown.

"Yet, despite engaging the finest scholars and exhausting considerable time, we neither deciphered the truth of White Starfall nor reestablished contact with the God of Nature. The only conclusion we could reach was a disheartening one: the God of Nature had fallen, whatever the reason, it had left this world forever.

"And in this situation, those secret sects emerged and seemed to establish contact with some mysterious entity. This mysterious entity exhibited certain traits reminiscent of ancient deities as recorded in legends. To the royal court, still struggling to unravel the truth behind White Starfall, this came as a tremendous shock. We are not a dull-witted race; we could speculate on the possible truth behind this, a truth that almost overturned our worldview.

"My grandmother, she was the first elf to order the destruction of those secret sects. Few know that on the night before her death, she donned the robes of a priestess, praying and repenting throughout the night. Eventually, she departed in fear and agony, but even so, she never reversed the orders she had given.

"My father carried out the orders left by my grandmother. During his nearly two millennia of reign, he eradicated every secret organization he discovered and indirectly destroyed every ’god’ these organizations ’summoned.’ He meticulously read every piece of information inscribed on stone slabs and leaf-patterned paper, even the tiniest fragments—indeed, he was the true ’expert’ on these sects. If he had chosen, he could have replicated any ritual ever conducted by any secret sect, but he never did. He took everything with him to the grave.

"In my generation... my court officials and I have fully adapted to the ’Orthodox Druidism’ without gods. I dare say we even believe this to be better. Yet, we still manage the forests and lands in the name of the Druid sect. We use the simplified Elven letters derived from the ’Language of Nature’ three thousand years ago as our official language, and many special terms in our language relate to the belief activities from three thousand years ago... The gods have departed, but the cultural imprint is inseparable from our tradition.

"So, back to the earlier question—what have we ’guessed’? We’ve actually guessed everything, but we’ve never acknowledged it. We can’t possibly acknowledge... acknowledge what? That the legitimate leaders of all Druids, the worldly agents of the God of Nature, the rulers of the Silver Empire, spent three generations exterminating seven newly born ’Gods of Nature’?"

Having concluded her narration, the Silver Empress sipped gently from her tea, then smiled slightly at Gawain: "I seem to have gone off track?"

"...No, you haven’t," Gawain said in a low voice, while quietly calming his emotions. He looked up, attempting to glimpse some genuine emotion in Queen Belsetia’s eyes, but failed. Those eyes were profoundly deep, all sentiments seemingly locked within the mind by centuries of ruling duties. He could only shake his head, "So, you don’t know nothing about the gods—exactly the opposite, you know quite a lot, far more than humans do; it’s just that all the secrets lie buried in the royal records, and all research stopped only at a superficial level."

The Silver Empress nodded: "You could say that."

"Then how do you interpret the things I mentioned in my previous letter?" Gawain asked, "About the ’countdown’ discovered by humanity behind the gods, and our endeavor to find means of salvation?"

"That’s an area we’ve never explored," said the blonde lady before him, now looking serious. "We sensed the birth of gods but never realized the existence of that dreadful ’countdown.’ After receiving your letter, I felt nothing but immense relief—relief that our three generations of elves always made the right decision and didn’t let things spiral out of control. As for that method of salvation... you didn’t elaborate in your letter, but if you’re serious, I’m very interested."

"Of course, I’m serious," Gawain replied openly, "Otherwise, there’d be no need for me to strive so hard to change the situation of the entire Loren Continent—this mad ’countdown’ on the gods is a sword hanging over all mortal heads. Whether we admit it or not, this sword is something no single nation can withstand. Since the rules governing the gods are built upon the ’thoughts’ of all beings, the key to a breakthrough must be those ’beings.’ I’m not sure what the critical threshold for these ’beings’ is, but it surely surpasses a single nation or race, so I need to encompass as many countries and races into the plan as possible."

At this point, he looked earnestly at the golden-haired woman opposite him: "Actually, I once worried most about the Silver Empire’s stance on this matter—in the nations of Loren Continent, only the Silver Empire’s royalty simultaneously holds the position of church leadership. Even though the gods Druids worship have been gone for many years, this dual role still influences your actions. However, now it seems... this biggest concern isn’t a problem anymore."

The Silver Empress’s gaze lingered on Gawain for a short moment, then she suddenly smiled: "It’s clear to see, you are indeed serious, and so I am very willing to be your supporter."

Gawain’s expression didn’t change much, but he quietly let out a sigh of relief. He could no longer connect this mature and somewhat imposing woman in front of him with the "little princess" in his memories—her change had been so profound that the memories left by Gawain Cecil were almost useless. He could only adapt to the situation.

He then contemplated briefly, preparing to raise his next question, but before he could speak, the Silver Empress took the initiative to say: "You’ve asked quite a lot already; perhaps it’s time for the lady to start asking questions?"

Gawain was taken aback, then nodded, "Of course, go ahead and ask."

The other party smiled, looking directly into Gawain’s eyes as she spoke slowly, "You are not really Uncle Gawain, are you?"

Gawain: "..."

Silence lasted only for a moment. Gawain felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate by half a beat, but his strong willpower exerted itself, and he showed no external abnormalities, not even disrupting his breathing rhythm. He simply displayed a surprised and unexpected expression, pointed at himself, and looked at the blonde woman in front of him, "Why say that? Could I be fake?"

The Silver Empress calmly looked at Gawain, and after a long time, she softly spoke, "I did not deceive you. I know you are not him—at least not entirely him... I can see it."

The garden temporarily fell silent, as if the stagnant air had gradually solidified into something oppressive. Gawain and the Silver Empress quietly confronted each other, with Gawain observing her eyes, while in his heart he had already prepared countless words and methods suitable for proving himself in this situation. But in the end, he only shook his head with a smile, "How do they all end up discovering..."

"All of them?" the Silver Empress asked, without much change in her expression upon hearing this tacit acknowledgment, though she noticed the key words in Gawain’s speech, and her tone carried a hint of curiosity, "Who else discovered?"

Gawain shook his head, "Beltira Augustus, Selena Gerfen—you should remember them. You often made trouble around them back then. You even secretly hid Selena’s portable lamp, not knowing it was a magical lamp which recorded the whole process of you hiding it."

"Beltira and Selena... It’s been so long since I’ve heard these names," the Silver Empress displayed a touch of reminiscence, "Are they still alive?!"

"...In a sense," Gawain replied, "A lot has happened, and explaining it could take all day. If there’s a chance, I can take you to see them—provided they’re willing to reminisce with you."

With that, he shook his head, "Let’s not talk about these for now. How did you judge I’m not ’Uncle Gawain’? Though it’s a bit of self-praise—I believe my performance has been far from abnormal, from my way of speaking to habitual little movements, I am exactly identical to Gawain Cecil from seven hundred years ago."

"Indeed, exactly identical... How could it be so exact?" The Silver Empress calmly gazed into Gawain’s eyes, "If you truly were Uncle Gawain, how could you still be exactly the same as seven hundred years ago?"

Gawain frowned, feeling puzzled, "’Gawain Cecil was asleep for seven hundred years.’ Since those seven hundred years were slept through, then actually now ’I’ and the time of ’death’ only have a few years’ difference, just a few years should..."

"If you truly were Uncle Gawain, then you have experienced life and death, haven’t you?" The Silver Empress interrupted Gawain, articulating word by word, "You have experienced life and death, the instantaneous changes of an era, all the transience of the world. You awoke in a completely unfamiliar era and did so many earth-shattering things during this strange time, and most importantly—there’s an almost completely unfamiliar me in front of you. You indeed haven’t gone through those seven hundred years, but what you have experienced is a change greater than seven hundred years of life. So how could you remain entirely uninfluenced, maintaining the appearance in my memory?"

She paused, gazing into Gawain’s eyes, and after a moment, spoke softly, "You are too much like the Uncle Gawain I remember—almost identical, and that cannot be real."

"...Careless," Gawain was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly patted his forehead and sighed, "But those are the only reasons?"

"If those were the only reasons, I might only be suspicious," the Silver Empress said, "But I also know another thing. I know the rumor about the ’Wanderers from Outer Realm’... With that premise, I am not merely suspicious."

Gawain restrained the urge to pull at the corners of his mouth, "The elves’ footprints spread across the entire continent, and people call the Silver Empress the most well-informed ruler in the world... Now, I deeply understand that."

He sighed, then continued, "But since you’ve discovered that I’m not real, why still tell me so much? Even willing to support my plan? Don’t you see me as a dangerous ’spirit thief’ or some unknown purposed ’descendant’?"

The blonde woman before him laughed, "You said it just now, the Silver Empress is the most well-informed ruler in the world."

"You mean..."

"Communication with the north of the continent and the Silver Empire is poor—but that is merely relatively speaking. In fact, information about you piles up on my desk, from your establishment of expanding territories in the Dark Mountain Range, to the revival of the Cecil Clan, from establishing your Empire, to that god-slaying war... I know everything you’ve brought to this world, including the font used for the title of the third report in the second issue of the Cecil Weekly this month," the Silver Empress smiled, "Knowing all this, do I still need to know more?"

"The other reason I told you so much... is actually quite simple.

"You have defeated gods, and more than one."

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