Chapter 636: Shadows from Ancient Times

"When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."

Across this continent, relations between humans and the other races had clearly not deteriorated to the point of perpetual warfare.

Yet this world was far less peaceful than it appeared upon the surface.

Within the seemingly eternal Elven Court, a view of the entire Silver Moon Forest could be glimpsed through the mirror-like surface of the lake at its center.

It resembled a magnificent emerald, embedded upon the splendid skirt of the earth itself.

Yet upon this emerald, several faint flaws seemed to linger, and a few distinct regions exuded an inexplicably dark aura.

That aura signified a monumental catastrophe.

Even though its residual traces were now being continuously dispelled, it still clung stubbornly to this land, and achieving its complete eradication would likely prove a protracted affair.

Gathered within the court at this moment were several elven elders.

Some appeared to be of an age with Elder Xivi, while others had already entered their twilight years.

Among them stood an exceptionally venerable elder who seemed to have weathered the passage of countless ages; his long, white beard brushed the ground, and though his back was slightly bowed, his spirit remained remarkably robust, his snow-white robes entirely untouched by dust.

He stood now before the expanse of Silver Moon Lake, gazing at the reflection of the forest's full splendor.

At that moment, the elder spoke, asking, "The Snow Pigeon Squad has already investigated several cities within the Morning Light Empire and found no traces whatsoever... Could it be..."

"Perhaps we are merely being overly sensitive," another elven elder remarked, shaking his head, sounding somewhat uncertain.

"Let us hope so," the eldest elven patriarch replied, his expression turning solemn.

...

Meanwhile, within the shrine, Luther had already completed his interrogation of the numerous assassins.

Though he had still failed to glean any further information regarding those names, "Altaïr" and "Ezio," he had successfully extracted details concerning the assassins involved in the previous attempt.

"They may not have left the borders of the Morning Star Empire yet," Luther said coldly. "You must find them for me!"

"Those damned assassins! I will make them realize exactly who they are dealing with!" he roared, his face twisted in a frigid grimace. "I will show them that we are absolutely not to be provoked by bedbugs hiding among the lowborn rabble!"

...

In the human realms, cities where elves could be seen were rare, but cities where other distinct races gathered were by no means uncommon.

For instance, to the north of Canlan City, following the Chas Plains upward, lay the Black Iron Fortress, known as the City of Craftsmen.

This was a city belonging to artisans and alchemists, and it was also one of the few human settlements where numerous dwarven craft workshops could be found.

Owing to its disparate and mingled population, this city also served as one of the few gathering places for assassins within the entire realm.

By the same token, perhaps something else... something unknown lay hidden here.

Indeed, the unknown.

Even a colossal entity like the Judgment Shrine did not dare claim to have mapped the entire world, let alone anyone else.

At this moment, intersecting with a gloomy sky that looked ready to pour at any second, stood the highest spired hall of the Black Iron Fortress; it was said that before the founding of the Morning Light Empire, an ancient and terrible monster had been sealed here.

It was a beast from antiquity, and legend held that wherever it trod, a fiery purgatory followed, devouring vast swathes of the continent in a horrific disaster.

Of course, many regarded it as mere myth and rumor, for the bards spun many such tales.

After all, bards delighted in collecting these unreliable stories.

Yet no one had ever heard of one coming true, nor had anyone actually witnessed it, so the people here were never superstitious about such matters.

A massive shadow of darkness, resembling a black canopy, silently enveloped the fortress.

A sinister voice seemed to roar from an unknown space: "I have slumbered for thousands of years... Soon... soon my power will be restored, and when that time comes, I shall turn this kingdom into a living hell! I shall devour every human here! I will make these wretched humans learn the price of incurring my wrath!"

...

On the other side of the country, Owner Fang was currently holding a cup of cappuccino, standing comfortably in the internet cafe's corridor, watching these dozens of newly arrived elves play their games.

"Ah..." Owner Fang took a sip, the rich aroma of milk and the mellow flavor of coffee filling his mouth, leaving him looking thoroughly enchanted as he sighed with contentment.

Meanwhile, these elves were grouped together in a party, playing Assassin's Creed.

At that moment,

"We've finally made it to this part..."

Ahead of them lay the incomparably spectacular Pantheon.

The surrounding square was packed with dense crowds of people.

"Hey! I think I saw this scene in the cinematic trailer!" Sera spoke up in rapid succession, looking quite excited.

"Yes, yes, yes! That's the one... where an assassin walks through the crowd, and the soldiers and everyone else nearby partition themselves away!" a neighboring elf exclaimed. "It's incredibly cool!"

(The original game lacked this, but the system version added new multiplayer missions, restoring certain authentic assassin elements like lockpicking while also recreating this segment, though Cesare would flee at the end of the mission.)

"What do you mean, 'everyone else'..." Captain Lanthir's face twitched.

"I don't know either, just that person dressed in red anyway..."

At this juncture, Elder Xivi was clearly controlling Ezio, while the others had chosen subordinates from the Brotherhood.

"Come on, Elder, let us show you a perfect assassination! Guaranteed to look amazing!" an elf from the Snow Pigeon Squad beside her urged.

"How do we assassinate them?" Elder Xivi asked, still looking utterly dazed and bewildered, evidently a complete novice.

"Elder, you walk along the path below!" the elf directed. "We will take the high ground to set up an ambush, come on!"

Captain Lanthir added from the side, "Let me explain the process: first, you walk up alone, and that crowd will definitely be terrified and move away from you."

"He is the Eagle of Florence, after all," Sera chimed in, clearly understanding the plan. "Just like the video demonstrated, once those people are frightened, they will definitely call over the elite guards."

"Then you give us a signal, and we will rain down arrows from above, wiping them all out!" The elven captain had clearly studied the video multiple times, adding his own commentary.

"Oh..." Elder Xivi looked at the massive crowd of Templar elites ahead, with a group of imperial guards armed to the teeth surrounding the innermost core. "I walk over by myself first... and they will fear me and part ways... because I am now Ezio, the Eagle of Florence..."

"Exactly!" Sera nodded. "Then, with one signal arrow to pierce the clouds, thousands of troops will rise to meet! Descending from the heavens!"

Having stayed in the internet cafe for so long, she had clearly picked up a few pieces of slang.