Advent of the Archmage

When Link reached the entrance, the guard Darsey informed him, “Young Master, the master wants you to go see him when you return.”

“I see. Thank you.” Link nodded politely and walked towards the manor.

Walking down a small path in the woods, he crossed a stone bridge and went around a field of blooming flowers. Finally, a manor appeared. Raymond, the patriarch of the Morgenstern family, lived in the most finely-made wooden building in the manor.

After Link entered the manor, all the servants he passed by bowed and moved to the side. They didn’t continue walking until Link was dozens of feet away.

Etiquette was extremely important to the High Elf nobles. A strict or harsh noble could punish a servant to death for the tiniest mistake. This was a bad habit typical of ancient races who valued tradition.

There was a beautiful servant waiting outside the wooden building. When she saw Link, she said softly, “Young Master Theodore, the lord is busy. Please wait.”

Link could hear the noise coming from inside the building, and he knew what was happening. Raymond had received a beautiful girl recently, and he spoiled her. He would love her whenever he was in the mood, and it seemed that he was in the mood now.

After waiting by the door for more than ten minutes, footsteps sounded inside the building. Then the door opened, revealing a young girl with a face like a flower, lustful eyes, and a willowy figure. “Young Master, come in,” she said gently. “Master is waiting for you inside.”

With that, she turned to lead the way.

Link didn’t look around. Lowering his head, he followed this sexy elf and walked into the main hall. He saw Theodore’s father, Raymond, at the head of the hall. This male elf was slightly fat but not overly so. His pallor was a bit pale, and his hair and whiskers were all organized. If one didn’t know his personality, they would think that he was a pretty attractive middle-aged man judging from his appearance.

Seeing Link with his head bowed, he chuckled and pointed at the elf who’d led the way. “Theodore, don’t be so stiff. I don’t mind. If you like her, she can be yours from now. I’m old and don’t have that much energy. Having such a pretty girl before me might kill me.”

Unable to reply, Link changed the topic. “Father, why did you summon me?”

Getting to the point, Raymond stopped speaking nonsense. His expression turned slightly serious. “You know about the Elder Council, right?”

Link nodded.

“Only elders can participate in the Elder Council, but each elder can also bring their descendants to listen. Tomorrow, come with me to the meeting.”

“Yes, Father.” Link nodded. He wasn’t surprised at this at all. He hadn’t displayed any special abilities, but he didn’t hide it either. There were many observant High Elves who could tell he’d entered the Legendary plane.

The most powerful descendant of the Morgenstern family was only Level-6. Now, there was suddenly one in the Legendary Level. He would obviously be favored.

Raymond seemed ridiculous, but he still wanted his family to rise again. After learning of this, he was naturally proud and often bragged about Theodore when he chatted with his old friends. Now that he could bring his children to the meeting, he wouldn’t forget about Theodore.

Link wouldn’t act too proud to avoid trouble. He quickly stood up and bowed to Raymond. “Thank you, Father.”

His modesty made Raymond like him more. He had so many children, but in his opinion, the only one who’d really inherited his genes was Theodore. The others were all shit-eating pigs.

He smiled gently. “You’re my son. No need to thank me. Go get ready and make the Morgenstern family proud at the Elder Council. Here, don’t be shy about the girl either. Take her. She’s a fine one. You’ll see after you get a taste.”

Link was even more speechless. Raymond was a good guy. He went full-out to treat people well, albeit in an odd way.

Link obviously wouldn’t accept it. He hurriedly brought his energy into his face to make himself blush. Then he bowed to Raymond and then turned to leave, acting as if he was escaping.

Raymond obviously wouldn’t be angry. He laughed heartily, but after a while, he suddenly sighed. Looking out the window at the World Tree, he mumbled to himself, “Who knows how long these good days will last?”

After Link “escaped” to his place, it was already getting late. He started with the last preparations. Saroviny would be at the Elder Council. There would definitely be blood!

Instead of casting spells and practicing swordsmanship, he got into bed and closed his eyes. He relaxed his mind, letting his body rest completely.

In this complete silence, he could hear his Heart of Darkness beating softly deep inside. He could feel the blood containing great power flowing through. As he breathed, he could even feel his body exchanging energy with the outside world. It abandoned waste material and saved the essential.

If people looked at him, they would see that he was actually covered in a layer of green light. The Natural Power had converged around him. They fought to enter his body and fuse into his blood.

As time flowed and he was completely relaxed, Link’s body instinctively adjusted to the most perfect state.

After a while, bright chirps sounded outside the window. Sunlight peeked in from the cracks in the window, splashing onto the floor. Link opened his eyes.

Right now, he was in an unprecedented perfect state. Sensing carefully, he discovered with shock that the Natural Power on the outside had increased!

Before, his Natural Power disguise had been at Level-10. In one night, it actually reached the pinnacle of Level-16. Looking at his dark heart, he saw it had strengthened a bit too. It was about 5% stronger.

This was incredible!

However, Link thought carefully and thought this was understandable. Yesterday, he’d seen the true form of the realm and understood Firuman’s millennia-long desire. His spiritual mind had entered a whole new plane.

At that time, both his mind and body had felt better than ever before. This meant he’d chosen the right path and the realm’s consciousness supported his idea.

Since Firuman needed him to fulfill its wish, it would naturally try to strengthen him as much as possible. He was also under the World Tree which connected to the realm’s core. He was in the right place at the right place. His power naturally would surge.

Understanding this, Link’s emotions calmed. He got up and formed a mirror on the wall. The High Elf in the reflection still looked worn, but his skin was bright, and his eyes were pure green. He looked full of energy. Seeing him, one would think of morning light.

The book Heart of the Strong described Level-16 Natural Magicians like this: Eyes brilliant like the stars, body strong like a huge tree, aura as anchored as the forests and sea. Everywhere they go, flowers bloom, leaves open, illnesses are cured, and a Natural heaven is formed!

Link could feel his Natural territory. He reached out to the vine on the window and slightly released his territory. A yellow flower grew quickly from the vine. It matured and bloomed, filling the room with fragrance.

Blessed by the realm, he’d become a master in the Natural magic overnight.

Straightening his hair and clothes, Link left the room. The garden had singing birds and blooming flowers. It had become a true natural paradise overnight.

There were some servants waiting outside. When they saw Link, they looked at him with reverence. They looked close to worshipping him on their knees.

“Uh, what happened last night?” Link was confused.

The lead servant was Lilia. Seeing that Link’s attitude was gentle, she gathered the courage to say, “Young Master Theodore, a pillar of green light came from your roof last night. It connected with the World Tree’s treetop. Everyone says that you’re blessed by the World Tree.”

So that’s what happened. Link looked up and saw many people peering into his yard. Reverence and awe were written all over their faces. Many people didn’t even know why they were so impressed. It just happened and faded after Link walked away.

Link ignored the servants. He went straight to Raymond.

When Raymond saw Link, he was shocked too. “Theodore, my son, they all said that you were blessed by the World Tree last night. I didn’t believe it, but now I see that something huge has changed in you. And it’s a good change too.”

“Yes, Father. My power has increased quite a bit,” Link said, smiling. Right now, the stronger he was, the bigger his voice. He didn’t mind showing his power.

The old man was happy. This was definitely good news. “Oh, so what level are you at now?”

“I can sense that demon in the queen’s palace. I can also sense that she isn’t my match anymore!”

“Ah! You’re at that point already?” Raymond was shocked.

There was a demon in the queen’s palace. Everyone in the capital knew about this. Raymond was bizarre, but he still paid attention to this. Not only did he know about the demon, but he also knew that the demon was frighteningly powerful. Even the World Tree couldn’t do anything about it. Now, his son said that he could defeat the demon. How powerful had he become?

Raymond couldn’t imagine it. He stood blankly for a long while. Then he burst into laughter. “Good, great! I didn’t think the savior of the Isle of Dawn would be a Morgenstern and be my son. Hahaha, amazing!”

His laugh was a bit hysterical. After finally controlling himself, he patted Link’s shoulder firmly. “Alright, son, let’s go. Let’s show those old guys who look down on me. The Morgensterns are either failures or heroes!”

The two got onto the carriage and drove towards the Elder’s building beside the palace.

At the same time, the queen’s palace was in an uproar too, mostly because of the phenomenon last night. The light had landed directly in a garden outside the city, and the power had shaken people’s hearts.

The queen naturally had her sources of information. She already knew the details about what had happened in the suburbs. A Morgenstern named Theodore had been blessed by the World Tree, and his power had shot up. According to the spy, he seemed to have a territory already.

Only the strongest had a Natural territory. Furthermore, he was a High Elf who had survived the hardships of the Black Forest. Apparently, he’d returned to the Isle of Dawn because he’d seen it was in trouble.

The High Elf Queen was conflicted. One side was a demon—a foreign race. The other side was a genius within her race.

What will happen if Theodore can fight Saroviny? She wasn’t sure.

Just then, Saroviny’s voice rang in her ear. It was a scoff. “Ha, Your Majesty, no one in the Isle of Dawn can defeat me, not even the World Tree. Stop overthinking and let’s go finish everything to stop the fusion of the realms!”