Chapter 27: The Crown
The teleportation tower was pitch black inside, clearly unused for a long time.
Breathing sounds came from the darkness. A flame flickered to life as a tower keeper lit a lantern, the fire illuminating his black robe and the somewhat faded, bloated hood on his head.
"You're from the royal capital?"
The tower keeper's voice sounded aged, which was highly abnormal. Tower keepers had an average lifespan of no more than thirty years, making an elderly tower keeper nearly impossible.
Yet this tower keeper's voice and aura were both very old. Earlier, Ted had mentioned that the tower keeper of Kodo Eison would guard the seed, meaning Ryu, which indicated this tower keeper was no ordinary figure.
"Dragon heart, seed, and the crown... it seems you're heading to the Misty Swamp."
The elderly tower keeper laughed with a hoarse voice, the lantern in his hand dimming slightly.
"Did the King of Tarin order me to guard the 'seed'?"
The elderly tower keeper stepped forward slowly. Suddenly, he was very close to Ryu, his bloated hood nearly touching the tip of her nose.
A sniffing sound came. Ryu leaned back as far as she could, her eyes clearly pleading: 'Help.'
"Is Old King Lucas dead? Go back. Tell the new king not to bother this old man. Something in the Divine Realm is about to emerge. The royal blood of the Edri royal family is no match for those things."
The elderly tower keeper's laugh was somewhat eerie, but after a moment, snoring came from beneath his bloated hood.
"What lies at the end of the Misty Swamp?"
Su Xiao spoke up. He had plenty of experience dealing with this kind of eccentric old man. With such people, you could ask directly, and they would either answer outright or start a fight.
Negotiation leading to battle was normal, at least in Su Xiao's view.
"The end? Ah~, you're going to the Divine Realm. You've brought the crown and the Edri royal descendant."
"The Edri royal descendant."
Su Xiao keenly caught a key piece of information. Entering the Divine Realm required an Edri royal descendant to clear the path. Ted hadn't mentioned this, or perhaps he simply didn't know.
"Once you're deep in the Misty Swamp, remember: the crown isn't necessarily worn on the head. If you don't want to be flattened, this is very important."
The elderly tower keeper pointed to his own bloated hood, then returned to lean against the wall, silent.
"I... I have to fight too?"
Ryu clenched her fists. Though she looked flustered, her spirit of exploration for the unknown had been ignited.
"Don't get that idea. And don't stray too far from Amu."
Baha cut off Ryu's fantasy. He could roughly imagine how dangerous the Source Divine Realm was.
The elderly tower keeper was hardly diligent. After Su Xiao activated the lift, the creaking platform, which seemed ready to fall apart at any moment, slowly ascended.
Before long, sunlight streamed down from above. Su Xiao reached the surface. The teleportation tower was dilapidated, littered with rubble.
Stepping out of the tower, an old, worn-out street appeared. The road was desolate, withered leaves drifting in the wind. Only a few civilians sat by the roadside, their tattered clothes barely covering their bodies in the howling cold wind.
Kodo Eison was a world apart from the royal capital. It was unimaginably poor. The teleportation tower here had only one elderly keeper, who might kick the bucket any day.
Following the map's guidance, Su Xiao headed east along the street. The Misty Swamp lay in that direction.
The scenes along the way gave Su Xiao a new understanding of the Tarin Kingdom. The royal capital was just a facade. The Fallen God War had ended only a few years ago, and Tarin wasn't much better off than the Holy Guardian Kingdom.
The poorer a place, the more indifferent the common folk. That was human nature. How could they be warm-hearted on empty stomachs?
Su Xiao, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Ryu marched on. Before long, they reached the edge of Kodo Eison. Qifu was also in the group.
Qifu had been strange from the start. If you thought he was malicious, he actually wasn't that scheming. Many of his thoughts were practically written on his face.
Yet Qifu had been carrying the Dragon Heart Axe all along. He had repeatedly told Su Xiao that he could control the Dragon Heart Axe, that the weapon was testing him.
Su Xiao stopped beside a low wall. Beyond it lay swamp terrain. The Misty Swamp was close.
"Bai Ye, if... I mean if, I lose to the Dragon Heart, kill me. Don't let this liar drag anyone down."
Qifu spoke, looking at the overcast sky. For some reason, now that he was here, a sudden sense of relief washed over him.
"I don't actually have a family. But maybe I can become a Tianba, a Dragon-Hunting Tianba."
Qifu smiled, his eyes tinged with blue. His gaze was firm. He had found what he was seeking. As for his mission, escorting Ryu back to the royal capital was already complete. Now, he was solely pursuing power, pursuing the Tianba.
"..."
Su Xiao leaped over the low wall, stepping onto the damp soil. Qifu wasn't what Ted had described—someone trying to rise overnight. This simpleton knew what he was facing and what he had to pay to gain power.
After advancing about two kilometers, the ground grew wetter, so much so that a single step could sink in. The surrounding area was dotted with withered trees as thick as an arm.
White mist shrouded the area, dimming the swamp's light. Su Xiao remained vigilant at all times. As the only route to the Source Divine Realm, the Misty Swamp wouldn't be easy to cross.
Su Xiao led the way, with Bubu Wang, Baha, and Ryu in the middle, Amu at the rear. Qifu voluntarily took the last position, gripping the Dragon Heart Axe, highly alert.
The smell of decaying vegetation filled the air. The temperature was low, but not freezing.
As they pressed deeper into the Misty Swamp, to Su Xiao's surprise, the seemingly treacherous swamp posed no real danger. There were plenty of venomous creatures, but none had supernatural traits.
It felt as though the supernatural energy in the area had been absorbed by something, leaving the environment so harsh.
After a morning of travel, Su Xiao realized that aside from the difficult terrain, the Misty Swamp was a place that looked dangerous but was actually relatively safe.
A towering cliff face blocked their path ahead. The Misty Swamp had reached its end. The terrain here formed an inverted U-shape. No matter which way they went, they would eventually arrive here.
"Woof~"
Bubu Wang gave a low bark. Su Xiao raised his hand, signaling Bubu Wang to fall back and blend into the environment.
"Bai Ye, do you feel it?"
Qifu tightened his grip on the Dragon Heart Axe. His hand trembled uncontrollably. If he was like this, Ryu's condition was even worse. Her legs had gone weak. If not for Su Xiao and the others, she would have turned and run, never setting foot in this swamp again.
"No living being shall enter this place!"
A thunderous voice boomed from the mist ahead. Within the fog, a massive figure stood up. Conservatively estimated, the figure was over thirty meters tall. In his hand, he held a curved greatsword over ten meters long, several meters wide, and at least a meter thick. Both ends had handles, and the blade was caked with mud.
"What the... hell!"
Baha's feathers stood on end. Up to now, he had never feared any enemy, not even a powerhouse like the Archbishop.
But facing the giant over thirty meters tall in the mist ahead, Baha felt a bit intimidated. When that greatsword came down, it wasn't just a question of dodging—the debris it kicked up alone would be devastating.
The Apostle's Eye floated up behind Su Xiao, beginning its scan.
[Scan failed. Only basic data obtained.]
[Warning: This entity far exceeds this world's combat power limit!]
Name: Giant King · ???
Category: Ancient Giant
Health: 100%
???
Strength: ???
Agility: ???
Stamina: ???
Intelligence: ???
Charm: 1
Skill 1: ???
Skill 2: ???
???
???
Skill 15: ???
...
Seeing this data, Su Xiao's expression remained calm. If he fought the Giant King, he would definitely die unless he fled.
"Ryu."
Su Xiao looked at Ryu beside him.
"Huh? I... I'm supposed to fight him?"
Ryu nearly collapsed to the ground. She looked up at the Giant King in the mist, wondering if she even reached his feet. If she jumped, she definitely couldn't hit his knees.
Su Xiao gripped the inner side of the crown with both hands. With a burst of force from his arms, with a crack, the gold and gems on the crown's exterior flew in all directions. Beneath these precious materials was a black metal ring, devoid of any patterns or ornaments. Yet it was the crown's core—the covenant object between the Edri royal family and an ancient race.
Just as the elderly tower keeper had said, the crown didn't have to be worn on the head. Or rather, this wasn't a crown at all, but a ring—a giant's ring.
Su Xiao tossed the giant's ring to Ryu. The moment she caught it, the Giant King, who had been striding forward in the distance, stopped in his tracks. The mud splashed high into the air fell back down.