Chapter 1099: Troll Holy Knight

"This location..."

Lei En sensed briefly and discovered that the troll tribe that worships the Sun God is located in the region south of central New Continent, near the western coast.

Because it is relatively far, Lei's forged divine weapon has not yet explored that area.

"Let's go see."

Lei En opened a portal and entered together with Sheng Jilesi. The closer they got, the clearer the prayers Sheng Jilesi heard, and they could even see the surroundings of the troll worshippers directly; after several consecutive jumps, the two arrived at their destination.

Stepping out of the portal, Lei En immediately sensed an anomaly.

The magical energy that blankets New Continent—from sky to ground to forest, omnipresent—could not be felt here.

There is no Ancient Sacred Altar here!

"That's not right."

Lei En shook his head silently; the entire New Continent is covered by a sealing barrier, and this region is no exception, only the Ancient Sacred Altar has been damaged and ceased operating. While Lei's forged divine weapon explores New Continent, gathering knowledge and data, it often encounters a troll term: God-Abandoned Land!

It means a place abandoned by the gods.

There are six God-Abandoned Lands on New Continent, each corresponding to one of the six damaged Ancient Sacred Altars; three of them are contiguous, forming the largest area, called "Place: Yin He Nie Luo".

Lei En confirmed the direction; the place he stands in is Yin He Nie Luo.

The so-called God-Abandoned Land is actually an area where Loa's divine power cannot intervene; trolls unwilling to submit to Loa, or who have betrayed their tribe, often flee into such lands, where they have a greater chance of survival.

That tribe that worships the Sun God is established within Yin He Nie Luo, the largest God-Abandoned Land on New Continent.

Lei En looked up toward the west.

A continuous massive mountain range stretched across the horizon; it is the only range on New Continent, extending ten thousand li from south to north, its ridges nearly perfectly following the western coast, called the Klerra Mountains. Although its height is only about half that of the Shi Jie Shan Mai, its length far exceeds the Shi Jie Shan Mai, and it even belongs to the same system as the Rokqis Mountains of New Continent.

Yin He Nie Luo lies on the eastern foot of the range.

Sheng Jilesi pointed in a direction and said, "One hundred and seventy li."

Lei En opened a portal; when he emerged again, looking up he could see the towering peaks of the Klerra Mountains, their summits blanketed in white snow, shrouded in clouds and mist.

A city built against the mountain sits at the junction of forest and range.

Lei En observed for a moment.

This city differs from other cities on New Continent; the biggest difference is that there is no Loa Temple within the walls. Its architectural style is also distinctive, using countless massive flat stones, relying on the mountain to form tiered platforms, upon which the trolls' stone layers are built; the houses are bright and spacious, and the streets are wide and tidy.

Every few dozen meters in the city stands a tall obelisk, its surface covered with runes.

Seeing these obelisks, Lei En knew they had found the right place.

Outside Anse's tomb there are also many such obelisks; worldwide, aside from the Lamon Empire that worships the Sun God, only followers of the Sun God Anse build obelisks to pray to the deity and hold grand ceremonies.

In fact, the Lamon Empire's obelisks were also influenced by Anse.

"Um..."

Sheng Jilesi gazed down from afar at the city, drew forth Divine Fire into his hand, and instantly felt a series of resonant prayers ringing almost at his ears.

Lei En's Soul Eye also saw clearly.

Illusory streams of faith power rose from the city below like moths to flame, merging into the Divine Fire in Sheng Jilesi's hand.

The faith power emanating from the city's trolls, the voice of all things, heard some startled cries.

Obviously, the troll worshippers sensed the anomaly.

Not wanting to alarm the worshippers for now, Lei En took the Divine Fire and stored it into the Pixel World. Instantly, the trolls' voices in the city gradually subsided, though some trolls muttered in confusion, and a few keen-sensed trolls even looked toward the sky.

Lei En had long applied an invisibility technique to himself and Sheng Jilesi; after shifting positions, they moved a bit closer to the city.

The two hovered silently above, observing the city.

From the inscriptions on the obelisks and the snippets revealed in the trolls' prayers and conversations, Lei En quickly pieced together the historical context and key information.

These trolls are the "Sunfire Tribe."

They belong to a branch of the Ancient Manra Trolls, having followed the Sun God Anse since the First Era; even after New Continent's sealing, the Sunfire Tribe continued to devoutly worship Anse and were greatly favored by Anse.

Lei En was pensive.

The Ancient Sacred Altar isolates New Continent; even deities entering must pay a huge price, cannot manifest before the troll worshippers of New Continent, avatars cannot enter, and prayers and responses are interfered with.

Gradually, the trolls' faith in the deities began to wane.

After years without divine response, blessing, or aid, to survive most trolls turned to Loa.

During Lei's forged divine weapon's exploration of New Continent, it actually encountered troll tribes that did not worship Loa; they revere the ancient deities Gaia, Mother of Earth, Urels, God of Hunt, the Forest God, and Akadi, the Wind Element God.

These beliefs have been passed down since the Troll Era, but their numbers are extremely few, less than one percent of Loa's followers.

Moreover, trolls who worship deities mostly dwell in remote areas, far from Loa's cities, living in hardship.

The Sunfire Tribe is the same.

In the eight thousand years before New Continent's sealing, they were still one of the strongest tribes, because Anse highly valued these worshippers, sparing no divine power to bless the trolls.

Relying on Anse's blessings, the Sunfire Tribe could fight the trolls under Loa's banner, often holding the advantage.

Because the Sunfire Tribe has "Sunfire Holy Knights"!

The Holy Knights possess formidable strength and defense, and can heal wounds; a few who have received blessed Divine Technique can even contend with Loa, who has not mastered the Ancient Sacred Altar.

Moreover, the Sunfire Tribe has mastered exquisite forging, crafting powerful armor and weapons for the Holy Knights that perfectly match the power of Holy Light, unleashing greater might.

However, more than twelve thousand years ago, in the mid Second Era, Anse fell.

The Sunfire Tribe lost divine blessings.

Their situation plummeted instantly; within a few centuries the tribe's strength dwindled to less than a tenth, population sharply declined as many clan members turned to Loa. Afterwards, the Sunfire Tribe wandered for millennia, and briefly bowed to Loa for survival.

Nevertheless, a group of trolls still refused to change faith, firmly believing Anse would not abandon them and would return one day.

Around fifteen hundred years ago.

The Sunfire Tribe decided to relocate into the God-Abandoned Land Yin He Nie Luo, because there Loa's divine power cannot cover, leaving Loa uninterested in conquest.

It took over a hundred years, and the Sunfire Tribe built "Sarta."

In the oldest troll tongue, Sarta means "the sun rises", embodying the Sunfire Tribe trolls' boundless hope for Anse's rebirth.

Lei En was greatly shaken.

This is the power of faith!

Anse fell more than twelve thousand years ago, yet the Sunfire Tribe still maintains its faith in Him, and has long understood that Anse has already fallen, yet they still firmly believe Anse can be revived. Of course, it is also possible that Anse, before falling, passed a divine decree to the trolls.

After all, Anse arranged a resurrection ceremony for Himself; had no accident occurred, perhaps He would already have successfully revived.

Even so, the Sunfire Tribe's belief is moving.

Moreover, in a perilous place like the Southern Continent, surviving is extremely difficult; to preserve their faith, the Sunfire Tribe has paid an incalculable painful price.

Now, the Sunfire Tribe's population has recovered to about 120,000, almost all living in Sa Erta and its surrounding areas.

Although compared with its peak of over a million, 120,000 trolls seem modest, for the Sunfire Tribe it is already quite good; they can steadily occupy vast mountains and forests, ranking among the top three powers in the God‑forsaken Land.

Nevertheless, the Sunfire Tribe still faces many threats.

Lei En watches them carefully.

The Sunfire Tribe's trolls have cultivated Holy Light for generations; their appearance differs markedly from other trolls, being sturdier than ordinary Gumanla trolls, averaging about two meters tall, extremely robust, with straight waists, skin a bluish‑grayish white, and a faint golden hue flowing beneath.

Their tusks are small, with only a short tip protruding beyond the lips.

Their facial features also align more with human aesthetics; the massive nose tip is reduced, yet the ears remain long and pointed, pupils a pale gold, arms slender, four fingers highly dexterous, and a fifth toe has grown on each foot, allowing steadier stance.

At first glance, the Sunfire Tribe's trolls resemble high elves, and even exude more sense of power than high elves.

Almost every Sunfire troll has cultivated Holy Light.

This is the meditation method bestowed by Anse.

Although Anse has already fallen and can no longer grant Divine Technique, it does not hinder the Sunfire trolls from mastering Holy Light, honing techniques to wield it, which can also promote Soul Transformation.

Trolls' classification of Holy Knights' strength is similar to that of other troll tribes.

Initially there are ordinary Holy Knights, then elite Holy Knights; after the fourth Soul Transformation they are promoted to High‑rank Holy Knights, the most outstanding become Holy Knight Lords; above them are the strongest "Sunfire Warriors," which are the Saint Rank elites in the outside world.

There are three Sunfire Warriors in Sa Erta.

There are nearly a hundred High‑rank Holy Knights, equivalent to legendary transcendants.

Among the 120,000 population, a hundred legends have been born—a startlingly high ratio—showing how exceptional the Sunfire trolls' talent is, comparable to high elves.

The number of ordinary Holy Knights is even greater; a rough count shows at least 60,000!

Half of the entire tribe wields Holy Light.

Among the tens of thousands of Holy Knights, about one‑tenth are elite Holy Knights; their armor is noticeably finer than that of other trolls, guarding various key sites in Sa Erta City—the walls, obelisks, outposts, and the Sun God's temple.

This is also what sets the Sunfire Tribe apart from other troll tribes; most trolls wear leather armor and use relatively primitive weapons.

The Holy Knights, however, all wear armor.

This armor is extremely heavy, composed of many parts on the body—breastplate, belt, shoulder guards, greaves, war skirt, war boots, arm guards, gloves, helmet, and so on—each piece gleaming with gold and etched with runes, yet unlike the Lamong Empire's Sun Knight armor, it incorporates troll aesthetic, shaping features of a golden eagle, dinosaur, and feathered serpent; joints and shoulders sprout golden spikes, some areas are adorned with feathers and scales, forming a distinct style that is both beautiful and functional.

The stronger and higher‑ranking the Holy Knight, the more elaborate and ornate their armor.

Holy Knights' weapons are mainly greatswords, battle axes, and spears, their designs also radiant with gold, shimmering with Holy Light.

Lei En is full of admiration.

It seems the Sunfire Tribe has reclaimed some forging techniques and made progress. Even in the Third Epoch, these weapons and armor are not outdated.

However, the Sunfire Tribe is only holding its ground, merely maintaining survival.

Their enemies are too many and too strong!

If any Loa were to recklessly launch a surprise attack on Sa Erta, even with three Sunfire Warriors and numerous Holy Knights, they would still be unable to avoid annihilation.

The Sunfire Tribe's only hope is Anse's resurrection, yet that is now impossible.

Lei En quietly observes Sa Erta.

The sun shifts westward, the sky gradually darkens, and Sa Erta slips into night.

After the troll Holy Knights finish their meal, they begin organized prayers to Anse—some pray at home with their families, while others leave their houses and gather in the city square, circling the towering obelisks; under the Sunfire priests' lead they perform rhythmic dances, beating deep resonant drums, loudly chanting Anse's doctrine.

Boom! Boom! Boom…

"Great Anse, your devout followers offer pure spirits."

"The Sun's radiance illuminates the sky."

"The earth and forests bathe in your brilliance, nurturing all life to grow."

"The sun both rises and sets."

"Anse, like the Sunfire, is eternal; your Holy Light will reappear in the world, the subjects of the Gumanla Empire all bow to you, the Sunfire Tribe is the foremost servant, forever serving the Holy Light."

"Anse, may you protect the Sunfire Tribe, protect Sa Erta!"

"The Sun above…"

Prayer voices rise in waves throughout the city, ebbing and flowing; Lei En's soul eye scans the whole city, the trolls' fire of faith burns fiercely, the power of faith pierces the heavens, faintly drifting toward his own position, evidently because divine fire resides within him.

The prayer ceremony lasted a little over an hour before the sounds gradually subsided.

The Sunfire trolls conclude the ceremony.

Most trolls felt no change, but some trolls—especially the powerful Holy Knights—showed an unusual hue.

They found today's prayers unusually silent, with no response at all.

Yet during the day there was an omen…

The Sunfire Tribe's chieftain and high priest gathered in Anse's temple, murmuring about today's abnormality, but ultimately reaching no conclusion and dispersing.

Lei En watches all this with a cold eye.

When Sa Erta returns to calm, a detailed plan forms in his mind.

(End of chapter)