Chapter 928 – Elf Branches

As the inherited memories unfolded before her “eyes” like pages of a book, Queen Eliana’s words were confirmed.

She saw the magnificent magical capitals built by high Elves in ancient times, soaring into the clouds. She saw Elf archmages guiding elemental tides with a wave of their hands, reshaping heaven and earth in spectacular fashion. And she saw, in the epic tableau of the Primordial War, Elf legions fighting shoulder to shoulder with dragons against otherworldly invaders, safeguarding all of Seran.

The glory was beyond question.

Yet, just as the moon waxes and wanes, the decline that follows prosperity is a pattern few civilizations can escape.

Over the long ages, deep divisions gradually formed within the high Elves due to differing core philosophies, ultimately giving rise to distinct branches:

The Astral Elves firmly believed that arcane and stellar magic represented the supreme glory of Elfkind. They devoted themselves to constructing eternal magical cities and seeking the ultimate truths of the cosmos.

The Solar Corona Elves embraced sunlight and vitality. They developed a splendid knight culture and a unique system of light magic.

The Deep Shadow Elves chose to embrace darkness and secrecy, secluding themselves in deep underground caverns or the dark recesses of dense forests. They developed powerful darkvision and uncanny illusory magic.

The nature Elves, meanwhile, lost themselves in serene forests, keeping company with ancient trees, pursuing deep resonance with all living spirits of nature, and practicing “harmonious coexistence” with the world rather than “conquest and reshaping.”

At first, the branches differed only in cultural philosophy and magical inclination.

But after countless ages of independent reproduction and development, the changes intensified.

Different environments not only brought subtle and distinctive changes to each branch’s appearance, but more critically, their magical civilizations diverged in entirely different directions.

The once unified and vast high Elf knowledge system was divided, refined, and cultivated in separate directions.

The Astral Elves mastered arcane and stellar arts but grew distant from their connection to natural elements. The nature Elves deeply understood the rhythms of life and nature but were utterly ignorant of arcane and stellar magic.

From that point on, no single branch could reclaim the glory of their high Elf ancestors.

When Lady Eliana spoke of the nature Elves being “weak,” she did not mean absolute weakness in individual strength. Rather, she meant that in terms of mainstream discourse in the Seran world, political influence, and the ability to intervene in world affairs, the nature Elves—who had chosen inward development and peaceful withdrawal—fell far behind the Astral Elves who resided in magical cities and led the Seran world’s magical advancement. They even lagged behind the active and open-minded Solar Corona Elves.

The nature Elves’ voices were rarely heard by the outside world, and their numbers were the fewest among all branches.

In terms of individual combat ability at the same rank, it was generally believed that the Astral Elves held a slight edge thanks to their comprehensive and powerful arcane magic system, while the gaps between the Solar Corona, Deep Shadow, and nature Elves were negligible, each excelling in their own domains.

But what was indisputable was that individuals from any single branch could not compare to the high Elves of antiquity.

Use it or lose it—over time, the Elves of each branch had even experienced significant bloodline degradation compared to their ancestors.

However, now, after eons of separation, the Elves of each branch were showing signs of reconvergence at the ancient Elf capital of Suramalan.

Regardless of which branch an Elf hailed from, as long as they were truly willing to accept and understand the philosophies and wisdom of all Elf branches, casting aside narrow factional views, and had reached a certain level of strength, they were qualified to journey to the Elf holy site in Suramalan.

There, drawing upon the vast mana of the Eternal Well and the tremendous vitality of the Ancient Tree of Life, they could undergo the ancient “Bloodline Atavism Ritual.”

Elves who successfully passed the ritual would awaken the ancient imprint sleeping in the deepest reaches of their bloodline, restore the long-scattered inherited memories, and truly obtain the complete high Elf heritage!

After learning the history and current state of the Elf race, Mo Lan felt not the slightest aversion to her identity as a nature Elf.

Her current identity as a “nature Elf” was an excellent starting point.

In the Seran world, high Elves were synonymous with magic and elegance. Their civilization’s history spanned nearly the entirety of Seran’s recorded magical history, and the depth of their heritage far surpassed all other races.

Today, the Astral Elves, who held the arcane and stellar capital of Quelariel, stood at the very forefront of magical civilization’s development across the entire Seran world.

To systematically study the most advanced magical knowledge in the Seran world, a pure-blooded Elf identity could provide her with considerable advantages.

Moreover, with the Bloodline Atavism Ritual as a clear path forward, she need not worry about being forever confined to the domain of “nature magic.”

As long as she maintained an open mindset for learning and first raised her nature magic to a sufficiently high level, she would have the opportunity in the future to integrate the wisdom of all branches at the holy site in the ancient Elf capital of Suramalan and obtain the truly complete high Elf heritage!

This was far more convenient than starting from scratch with a human girl’s identity—painstakingly seeking connections, paying enormous costs just to access advanced knowledge.

Furthermore, the reclusive forest-dwelling background of a nature Elf also meant less scrutiny and greater freedom.

She could remain peacefully in the forest to grow, without being drawn prematurely into the outside world’s conflicts. She would have ample time to slowly digest the inherited memories and thoroughly familiarize herself with this unfamiliar world.

With her goals now clear, Mo Lan threw herself wholeheartedly into studying the relevant knowledge within the inherited memories, voraciously absorbing everything about nature magic, history, herbalism, astrology, and natural philosophy.

She also learned that she was currently a life cocoon growing on a Tree of Life.

The ancient Elf capital of Suramalan housed a Mother Tree of Life, from which all high Elves had once been born.

Later, as the Elves divided internally, different branches left the old capital to develop on their own, using broken branches from the Mother Tree of Life to cultivate their respective Trees of Life.

The Tree of Life in the Valen world had also originated this way.

Time slipped by quietly amid her deep study.

For Mo Lan, immersed in the inherited memories, the passage of time in the outside world had lost all meaning.

All she knew was that the life water enveloping her grew ever purer, that the “life cocoon” she inhabited grew ever more full and plump, and that her connection to the Tree of Life nurturing her grew ever more intimate.

Her body was also becoming increasingly strong and powerful. Occasionally she could hear sounds from outside, though her eyes still could not open.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Mo Lan was suddenly jolted awake by a sensation of falling.

At the same moment, deep within the Emerald Forest, in the nature Elf settlement, several Elf druids who had been leaning against the gnarled roots of the Tree of Life with their minds submerged in the natural network for their daily meditation opened their eyes almost simultaneously.