Chapter 20 : Chapter 20
Chapter 20 : Emerald Wind Oath?
His gaze swept across one obscure title after another, his fingers sliding over the rough parchment covers. The Eye of Probability did not trigger another specific hint about a book title, which meant he could only rely on his own judgment and understanding of the clues to search.
‘Wind and nature attributes… high-purity mana crystals… a delicate disguise seal… possibly connected to the Emerald Courtyard or some ancient inheritance…’
These keywords circled in his mind.
The Emerald Courtyard, as a gray faction that only surfaced during the middle and later stages of the story, had its influence extending into antiques, the black market for magical artifacts, and even certain forbidden knowledge. If this gemstone truly had anything to do with it, then its origin was likely far more complicated.
But for now, the gemstone’s intrinsic properties were the more direct breakthrough.
‘It can actively absorb and resonate with wind-element mana…’ Ryan pondered.
This trait immediately reminded him not of ordinary magical minerals, but of the legendary ancient race that existed in profound harmony with the elements and nature—the Elves.
Within the vague background lore of the game, records concerning the Elves were like an epic veiled beneath a heavy shroud.
They belonged to an age far earlier than the rise of the human empire—an era even preceding the dominion of the Demon Race over the continent.
Legend said that the Elves were born from the natural rhythm of the world itself. They were the favored children of forests and wind, possessing an innate ability to communicate with elements such as light, life, and wind.
They once established a magnificent and mysterious empire within the vast forests, and their magical civilization supposedly reached heights that later generations could scarcely imagine.
Yet prosperity inevitably declined.
As the Demon Race—creatures that thrived by devouring mana and possessed an inherently predatory nature—rose to power, the Elven Empire gradually withered during the long wars that followed.
To the Demon Race, Elves who could naturally gather mana were the finest nourishment. They hunted and enslaved them without mercy.
In the end, the once-glorious Elven civilization vanished within the tides of history and the flames of war. The surviving Elves retreated deep into a few hidden forests scattered across the continent, almost completely isolated from the outside world.
Today, most detailed accounts of them existed only in extremely ancient texts of uncertain authenticity or within scattered archaeological ruins.
If the gemstone truly had some connection to the Elves, then it was very likely an Elven relic. The disguise placed upon it might have been meant to evade detection from the Demon Race—or from later covetous seekers.
Once his thoughts became clear, Ryan finally had a direction.
Instead of blindly searching like a needle in a haystack, he turned toward the nearby bookshelf labeled “Ancient Races and Lost Civilizations.”
The books in this section were even older. Many were recorded in rare variants of the Elven language, ancient common tongues, or even older runic scripts.
Ryan had to rely on the original body’s relatively solid foundation in ancient languages, along with the sharper analytical thinking of a transmigrator, to painstakingly sift through them.
He pulled out a thick volume titled 《Forest Whispers: A Study of Elven Empire Relics (Fragment)》. The cover appeared to be made from some kind of tanned tree bark. When he opened the brittle yellowed pages, he saw densely copied handwritten text accompanied by a few crude yet vivid illustrations.
He skimmed through descriptions of Elven sacred artifacts, ritual implements, and natural node cores, comparing them with the characteristics of the emerald gemstone in his memory.
Next, he picked up a thin booklet titled 《The Era of Wind: A Brief Description of Elemental Affinity Creations》. It mentioned several legendary condensations of wind-element energy, but their descriptions did not quite match the gemstone’s gentle and restrained nature.
Time quietly slipped away as he read and pondered.
Cosette sat quietly on a nearby bench, her hands placed neatly on her knees. Her hazel eyes occasionally glanced curiously around the solemn and silent environment, and from time to time she secretly looked toward Ryan’s focused figure as he searched through the books.
She could not understand those thick volumes, but she could sense that her master was working hard to uncover the secret of that beautiful stone.
That made her feel both a little proud and somewhat anxious. She hoped her master would find the answer soon.
Ryan’s brows sometimes knitted together and sometimes relaxed.
He had discovered a few fragments that might be useful.
For example, there was a passage describing something called the “Heart of the Forest” among the Elves:
“…not a physical heart, but a condensation of natural mana and the will of the Elven royal lineage. Its radiance lies hidden within, flowing like life itself, often accompanied by the whisper of the wind…”
This somewhat resembled the gemstone’s characteristic of having “green liquid seemingly flowing within it.” However, records described the Heart of the Forest as more of a legendary barrier core that supported the Elven royal court. Its size should have been far larger.
He then found a damaged travel journal.
The author claimed that near the outskirts of an ancient Elven ruin, he had discovered a kind of “emerald crystal fragment resembling the veins of newborn leaves, cool to the touch, capable of naturally attracting wind elements to soothe the wounded.” The local natives regarded it as a sacred object.
This description was closer to the gemstone’s size and properties, but the account was far too brief and vague.
Just as Ryan felt the clues were becoming chaotic and difficult to connect, and he was about to change his approach, his gaze inadvertently swept over an inconspicuous corner at the very bottom of the shelf.
Leaning there was a thin booklet without a spine.
Its cover was entirely black, and its edges were severely damaged, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
On the cover, with nearly faded silver paint, was an extremely simple symbol—a stretched leaf. Yet the veins of the leaf faintly formed a spiral pattern resembling a whirlwind.
As if guided by fate, Ryan bent down and picked up the unremarkable booklet.
It was incredibly light in his hands. The material was neither paper nor leather, and its texture felt strangely unique.
Carefully, he opened the first page.
On the title page was a passage written in an elegant but ancient variant of the Elven language. Beneath it, someone had later added a messy annotation in the common tongue.
Ryan struggled to decipher it.
【…At the end of the Corridor of Wind, where the Watcher sleeps, its tears condensed into the “Emerald Wind Oath,” carrying guidance and protection… Without the specific Song of Wind, its radiance cannot be awakened…】
“Emerald Wind Oath?”
Ryan’s heart stirred.
He quickly flipped through the pages.
The booklet contained very little. Most of it consisted of fragmented poetry, geographic symbols pointing to locations that no longer existed, and obscure descriptions of the symbolic meaning of a certain “green teardrop-shaped gemstone” used in ancient Elven rituals.
In the corner of one page was a crude line drawing.
It depicted an oval gemstone filled with wavy lines to indicate flowing energy. Beside it was an Elven word, with a barely legible common-tongue annotation that roughly translated to:
“…a token blessed by the wind…”
Although he did not have absolute certainty, the accidentally discovered booklet and the name “Emerald Wind Oath” made Ryan feel that he had likely found the correct direction.
This booklet was probably a private note left behind by some ancient explorer or researcher concerning a specific Elven relic. Because its contents were too obscure and lacked concrete evidence, it had been abandoned here.
Ryan carefully closed the booklet.
He decided to borrow it so he could study it more thoroughly.
Just as he picked up the booklet and prepared to register it for borrowing, text appeared above the black booklet in his field of vision.
【Action: Borrow and deeply research 《Unnamed Elven Relic Notes》 (Damaged)】
【Probability of Direct Outcome: Probability of preliminarily confirming the basic properties and partial historical background of the “Emerald Wind Oath” gemstone ≈ 70%】
Damn it. So it really was this.
‘Seventy percent… Looks like both my intuition and my cheat ability worked this time.’
Ryan felt reassured.
Although the Eye of Probability usually appeared and disappeared unpredictably—never issuing quests or rewards—the directions it indicated at critical moments seemed rather reliable.
Holding the booklet, he walked toward the exit registration desk.
On the other side, Cosette had been waiting on the bench for quite a while. She had begun unconsciously picking at her fingernails.
When she saw her master finally returning with something in his hands, her spirit immediately lifted. She stood up and asked softly,
“Master, did you find it?”
Ryan nodded.
“I found some clues. Let us go back.”
“Okay!”
Cosette quickly followed him, feeling relieved. Although she did not understand exactly what had been discovered, the fact that her master no longer looked so troubled was already a good sign.
At the exit of the ancient books section, an elderly scholar with graying hair and thick glasses took the worn booklet and Ryan’s student badge.
Glancing at the booklet over his glasses, the old man muttered,
“《Unnamed Elven Relic Notes》? This piece of junk has not been touched for years… You young people always look for the strangest things.”
Despite his words, he skillfully processed the borrowing procedure and returned the badge to Ryan.
“Return it on time. If it is damaged, you will compensate according to its value—though this thing is not worth much anyway.”
Ryan accepted it, thanked him, and carefully stored the booklet before leaving the timeworn section with Cosette.
By the time they stepped out of the library, night had completely fallen over the academy.
Stars glittered across the sky, reflecting the winding magic streetlamps on the ground. The two followed the same path back toward Silver Fir House.
But at the very moment Ryan’s fingers touched the black booklet and the borrowing process was completed—
A long-dormant and extremely faint Elven secret magic mark within the booklet was activated by the mana fluctuations of a non-Elven bloodline.
In the northwest corner of the academy, within a quiet old student apartment district where the rent was relatively cheap, inside a small yet tidy single room—
A figure wearing a gray cloak had just entered and was now sitting cross-legged on a simple bed.
In their hand was a small wooden talisman woven from tender branches of an ancient tree, faintly emitting the aura of nature.
Suddenly, without warning, the talisman trembled slightly.
At its center, a barely perceptible emerald light flashed urgently several times before pointing toward a clear direction.
The cloaked figure suddenly stiffened.
She quickly pulled back her hood, revealing a young face of breathtaking beauty that was filled with anxiety and exhaustion.
Her ears were pointed. Her long silver-white hair flowed like moonlight, and her pale violet eyes were filled with disbelief.
“It has been triggered… in the ancient books section of the library?!”