Chapter 102: Pieces
"These techniques are exclusively for the two of you, as well as Etham.
As for the rest of the Elves, only those who swear a Soul Oath to me, just as you did, will receive them."
Thandria’s eyes trembled as she recalled the day Rios had summoned her and Etham and made them swear what he called a Soul Oath.
The feeling had been extremely unsettling and terrifying at the same time, but it guaranteed Rios that neither of them would ever betray him, while guaranteeing them that they would be the first to benefit from Rios’s meteoric rise.
"Bringing all that food and equipment was already an enormous blessing to the City of Light. They alone would have been more than enough to multiply the city’s strength several times over. But now you’ve gone even further by bringing us techniques that have never appeared in this world before!"
Elena’s voice trembled as a few tears formed in her eyes. She looked at Rios with a radiant smile.
"We have nothing to offer you except our bodies and our souls. We’ll devote everything we have to serving you. There isn’t much we can say... other than that we’re truly grateful to you from the bottom of our hearts."
When Rios saw the tears in Elena’s eyes, he reached out and gently patted her head.
"When are you going to stop thinking that I’m not one of you?"
Rios said in a reproachful voice.
"The City of Light is my city, and its people are my people. Whatever benefits them benefits me. Everything I invest in you is an investment whose rewards I’ll reap before long, so stop blaming yourself and carrying everything on your shoulders.
This city will rise again sooner or later.
And under my leadership... we’ll reclaim what belongs to us!"
Rios spoke in a gentle yet confident voice, as though every word he said was an absolute truth.
Meanwhile, Thandria was biting her nails in jealousy after seeing how differently Rios treated Elena compared to herself and the rest of the Elves.
"Mhm."
Elena nodded and wiped away her tears.
But a moment later, she suddenly remembered something.
"About the city’s people... There are only a few hours left until the time you announced. The citizens of the City of Light have already begun gathering around the royal palace, waiting for the new miracle you’re going to give them."
Elena’s eyes widened as she looked at Rios anxiously.
A week earlier, Rios had promised them that he would awaken the power of everyone who had reached the age of ten, as well as everyone who had previously failed to awaken their power.
And now, the week had already passed. Only a few hours remained, yet she hadn’t seen any preparations from Rios at all.
Could it be... that he had forgotten?
"What?! You’re saying there are only a few hours left?!"
Rios’s eyes widened completely as a cold chill spread throughout his entire body.
Had two days really passed since he suffered those injuries?!
Had he really spent two whole days unconscious after using the Jewel of Destiny without even realizing it?
Shit... I was really that exhausted!
Rios smacked his forehead with his palm, jumped off the desk, hurried toward the door, and gestured to Elena and Thandria.
"Follow me!"
Elena and Thandria exchanged puzzled looks, each shrugging at the other before immediately following him.
In the royal garden, Rios stopped and took out two boxes from his system storage.
He picked up the first box, opened it, then gestured toward Elena and Thandria.
"I want each of you to take one piece from inside this box and place it wherever I tell you."
Rios pointed at the first box, which contained the Nine Lotus Leaves Array.
Elena and Thandria looked at one another, nodded, then each picked up a white piece from inside the red box.
Each piece was roughly the size of a palm.
Elena and Thandria walked to the locations designated by Rios and carefully placed the pieces there.
Rios then pointed to several more locations, and the two of them returned to the box, picked up more white pieces, and placed each one exactly where he instructed.
This continued until every single piece inside the box had been used.
In the end, one hundred pieces had been arranged on the ground, forming a gigantic pattern resembling a lotus flower with nine petals.
"We’re finally done with the first box. Now it’s time to arrange the second one as well."
Rios picked up the second box and handed it to Elena and Thandria.
Elena opened the box, and both she and Thandria looked inside.
Contrary to their expectations, there was nothing new inside.
Instead, it contained another collection of palm-sized white pieces.
This time, however, there were far more of them.
There were nearly three hundred pieces in total.
This was the item Rios had purchased immediately after returning from his first visit to The Eternal Night Heaven...
The one he had bought from the Red Lotus Palace.
It was an extremely important item for the next stage of Rios’s plans.
It would prove invaluable during the event that would take place in a few hours, and it would reveal many secrets to him.
Just as before, Rios pointed out various locations, and Elena and Thandria began taking the white pieces and placing them in those designated positions.
From the moment they placed the very first piece of the first array until the final piece of the second array...
A full four hours had passed.
Someone might think placing those pieces was a random or relaxed task.
But in reality, every single piece had to be placed at a precise distance from every other piece, in an exact position among all the remaining pieces, with flawless accuracy.
It took four full hours to arrange every piece and place it in its exact location.
By the end, the nerves of Rios, Elena, and Thandria were stretched to their limits, leaving them mentally exhausted.
"Huff! We’re finally done."
Thandria collapsed onto the ground and sat there, breathing heavily in exhaustion.
Her mind was completely drained, her nerves were tense, and even her hair had become slightly disheveled.
On the other hand, thanks to the strength of his soul, Rios was far less exhausted than Thandria.
He merely looked a little sleepy.
But the real surprise...
Was Elena.
Unlike Thandria and Rios, for some strange reason, there was barely any sign of exhaustion on Elena’s face.
Rios glanced at her from the corner of his eye, narrowed his eyes, and pondered for a while.
In the end, he let out a resigned sigh.
There’s no point overthinking it. Her secret will reveal itself sooner or later.
He then lifted his head toward the sky and smiled.
"The long-awaited dawn has finally arrived.
It’s time to discover the reason behind the decline of the Elves’ bloodline."