Chapter 309: The Fatal Rhythm

It was strange that Fiestrion was called the Great Sinner, yet there was no record at all.

"The Star Burner" Alkaster had been enjoying great fortune these days.

He never expected that the disciple he casually took in, a mere idle move in Huicheng, would prove so useful.

Not only did he secure a new settlement for them, but with the help of the City Guard and Huiguang Guard, these half-elves became official residents of the city—those "refugees" were quietly erased from the records.

And every day, the half-elves and mages involved in underground exploration reaped considerable gains.

Thus, Alkaster's prestige within his tribe surged, and some half-elves even heard the news and came here.

He felt Li En had helped him, while Li En believed it was the Grand Mage who had helped him.

This, perhaps, was the difference in perspective—seeing entirely different realities.

On Li En and Dennya's side, to survive the crisis, they were willing to borrow any power available—but in reality, most beast-touched nations were highly xenophobic, their vigilance against outsiders hardened by years of tribal warfare.

Meanwhile, the half-elves had long grown accustomed to being neither loved nor wanted, famously known as the "dispersed race."

The half-elves' main gathering place was actually the Druid Woods—only this broadly nature-worshipping faction, being the least selective, could accept them.

Even so, the elven factions within the Druids still held deep resentment toward them.

"The Magic Tide is coming; we need refuge."

This was racial wisdom: whenever a world war erupted, the first to be crushed were always small nations and minor races.

The central, prosperous regions of the continent were the most dangerous—people could become slaves, possessions stripped away; only on the frontier was survival possible, and even then, local official support was essential to recognize them as "human" at the bare minimum.

Though it sounded terrifying and tragic, reality often proved far crueler and more heartbreaking than any prediction.

Not just half-elves, but many weak races had already begun preparing to migrate to the frontier.

The Kingdom was one corner of the continent, far from prosperity, yet still maintaining some order—thus attracting the attention of certain tribes.

"The Star Burner" Alkaster was one such member—he was a strong one, and that didn't conflict with the fact that ninety-nine percent of his tribe were weak.

After gaining Li En's approval and Dennya's tacit consent, a large ship delivered a massive wave of half-elf refugees, who were directly taken to the "Hope Town" ahead.

Normally, this would be a grave taboo—suddenly moving thousands of foreign races into a specific district of a city—what are you planning?

Even if you never caused trouble, the local authorities would still come looking for trouble.

But Li En had the power to make the Kingdom act as if nothing had happened—in truth, aside from Dennya and a handful of others, most nobles remained unaware; perhaps their only future intelligence would be that the city's half-elf population had suddenly increased.

But by then, they'd have no time to care—lordly jurisdiction rendered many watching eyes meaningless; Li En's own "trust" was the key—he truly dared let foreign races flood his small town.

To be honest, Alkaster was genuinely grateful to Li En; though both knew it was a mutual exchange of interests, the tangible benefits lay plainly before them.

Thus, when Li En showed clear interest in Fiestrion, Alkaster naturally took it seriously.

But after digging through records, the only case found was one: "Stole a divine artifact," which prevented the civil war against the elven demon god from breaking out.

"That's what makes him a Great Sinner? Not enough."

"Great Sinner" was a unique concept within their tribe—if he had merely prevented the civil war, it wouldn't suffice; this required the collective recognition of an entire era, akin to a Grand Sage.

Through normal channels, Alkaster could not obtain further information.

This was odd: five thousand years was ancient history beyond retrieval for other races, but among elves, it was merely a few generations—and crucially, elven society still had true ancient ones, beings who had crossed time.

"Perhaps it's time to call in a favor," Alkaster instinctively felt—this answer might be vital; Li En wasn't the type to stir up trouble over "ancient secrets."

So Alkaster used special channels to send urgent messages to certain individuals.

Soon, he received replies—this time, he wouldn't come away empty-handed; this ancient being knew far more than even the elven king himself.

After all, it was a tree—a Knowledge Tree of the elven royal court.

Most ordinary elves despised and avoided half-elves; the radical faction even advocated purging them as troublesome pests—but where there were radicals, there were moderates, and many elves and tribes held deep affection for half-elves.

To this Knowledge Tree, who had witnessed the glory of the ancient elven court, both high elves and half-elves were merely "young children," with no distinction between them.

Alkaster had once been guided and enlightened by this elder, so when he needed to uncover secret history, he naturally turned to him.

And the elder did not withhold information—for example, the "plague" had passed and would not return.

"Fiestrion was a kind, good child—he could never bear bloodshed or battle. Yet he truly was a Great Sinner; because of him, the elven royal court was weakened to some degree."

The document's contents were too horrifying; even the well-traveled Grand Mage couldn't maintain his composure after glancing at it twice.

This man's deeds were simply too shocking to comprehend.

"He was a catastrophe—but not merely a catastrophe for the elven race. When the elven king dealt with him, I agreed."

He was truly a being capable of accidentally destroying the world!

"No, I must find Li En quickly"—the thought of Li En uncovering some legacy of the Great Sinner sent the Grand Mage into a panic.

——

Meanwhile, Li En's mood was quite good.