Chapter 108: The Truth 2

Although Xius had already guessed as much, he couldn't help but ask Simon now that the opportunity had presented itself.

Simon did not hold back; after all, it wasn't exactly a secret.

"Your beastman race seems to be quite knowledgeable about wizardry?" Xius asked, voicing the question that weighed most heavily on his mind.

Vili had told him that wizarding traditions in Yalkeri were scarce and that the number of wizards was even lower. Yet, during his previous skirmishes with the beastmen, the things they said made Xius feel that wasn't the case at all—they seemed to understand the power of wizards quite well.

"Well, of course! Our tribe has managed to preserve quite a bit of knowledge," Simon said, unbothered.

"I knew it!" Xius felt a stir in his heart. It was just as he had suspected; they did indeed possess some form of inheritance.

"If you have such knowledge, why is it that I don't see anyone among you learning it?" Xius had scanned the area with his chip and hadn't found a single beastman with mental energy exceeding that of an average person.

"You don't know?" Simon looked at Xius with surprise.

"Uh, know what?" Xius was left bewildered by Simon's reaction.

"You came all the way to Yalkeri without knowing the situation? You really are something else!" Simon realized that Xius was likely here for the first time and knew absolutely nothing.

"The continent of Yalkeri beneath our feet has another special name: Lorfalin. This name originated from the Elven race and it means 'The Land of Fallen Gods'," Simon explained.

"The Land of Fallen Gods? What does that mean?" Xius anticipated he was about to learn why the number of wizards on the Yalkeri continent was so low.

"The Elves believe that Yalkeri is a place cursed by the gods, which is why they call it that."

"Does this have something to do with wizards?" Xius tried to organize his thoughts.

"Of course it does. The Yalkeri continent restricts the advancement of wizards. For many, even becoming a wizard's apprentice is incredibly difficult!" Simon said with an exaggerated expression.

"How is that possible?" Xius instinctively retorted. However, having experienced many things, he wasn't overly shocked, though he found it rather preposterous.

"How is it not possible? Many humans, including us beastmen, are struck by a mysterious backlash when attempting to meditate to reach the level of a First-Rank Wizard Apprentice, and many have died because of it. These things are recorded in your human books, which is precisely why the Elves call Yalkeri the Land of Fallen Gods," Simon explained earnestly.

"If it's hard to even become an apprentice, let alone a formal wizard, then the few wizards in the Empire today are merely apprentices—and the kind with no hope of ever becoming formal wizards. Otherwise, who would stay in a place like this?"

"The Elves believe that the gods cursed the Yalkeri continent, creating a set of rules that forbids the emergence of wizards. I don't know much more than that—these are things passed down within the Elven race. But given the state of Yalkeri, what they say seems quite accurate."

Xius fell silent. He never imagined the reason for the scarcity of wizards on Yalkeri would be this; it practically overturned all his previous assumptions.

"Cursed... rules... Land of Fallen Gods..." Xius kept repeating the words Simon had just spoken.

"That's why I was surprised that a wizard would actually be willing to come to Yalkeri! I hear that if you want to study wizardry, you have to go to the Far North. It is said to be a gathering place for wizards. Although it's not as large or as prosperous as Yalkeri, the traditions there are supposedly intact. Aren't you planning to go?" Simon looked at Xius with curiosity.

"Heh," Xius chuckled inwardly but didn't answer. He had barely escaped the Ring of Shadows; why would he go back to his death? Besides, this was the second time he had heard that the Far North had complete traditions, and Xius knew exactly what the situation really was.

Seeing Xius's reluctance, Simon didn't press further, though he continued to wonder about Xius's purpose on the continent. He believed Xius was truly ignorant of Yalkeri's nature, which made his insistence on going to the Meteor Rock Mountains all the more strange.

"Have you never considered going somewhere else?" Xius wondered why, if Yalkeri restricted wizard advancement, they didn't just leave.

"Leave? To where? With so many tribespeople, it’s a question of whether other places would accept us. Besides, Yalkeri is decent enough!"

"The Elves spend their lives guarding that tree in the Eternal Forest; they wouldn't come out even if you killed them! Only you humans are always traveling to other places, and yet, I don't see the number of wizards on the continent increasing," Simon noted, clearly well-versed in the tendencies of each race.

"Indeed! Who would want to come to a place like this?" Xius began to worry about his own situation. He didn't know what this "backlash" Simon spoke of was, but if it were true, he would have no chance of becoming a formal wizard in Yalkeri. He would have to wait until he met Galial to figure out a plan. But why hadn't Galial mentioned it? Had he been in too much of a hurry and forgotten?

Xius felt restless. He had planned to find time to attempt his advancement to a formal wizard, but Simon's words had poured a bucket of cold water on him, completely dispelling that notion.

"Then what did Galial mean when he told me it would be best to advance to a formal wizard during the journey?" Xius was momentarily confused by Galial's earlier words.

"How many wizards are left in Yalkeri?" Xius wanted to confirm this.

"I'm not sure, but the number shouldn't be high. Although, there are more among the Elves."

"The Elves? Didn't you say Yalkeri doesn't allow wizards?" Xius found Simon's contradictory statements confusing.

"It's true! Yalkeri doesn't allow wizards to advance, but the Elves are a legendary race from ancient times. It is said that they have lived in the Eternal Forest since the birth of Yalkeri. Not to mention the heritage and traditions they've preserved, just the fact that they possess an Ancient Eternal Tree is enough to stop your human empires from attacking the forest!"

Simon spoke openly, and many beastmen nearby pricked up their ears, clearly interested.

"The Ancient Eternal Tree is real?" Xius had heard Vili mention it before and had always been skeptical, but hearing Simon's tone, he felt that if he went to the Eternal Forest, he would surely find the answers he sought.

"Of course it's real!" Simon, hearing Xius's skeptical tone, sat up straight to explain.

"You humans don't understand the Ancient Eternal Tree; many think it's a myth. But I can tell you for a fact that it is real. It's recorded in many of our tribal archives."

"Since Yalkeri is ruled by you humans, we beastmen, Elves, and dwarves would form an alliance if we were ever besieged by your kind. I remember seeing a scroll depicting the Ancient Eternal Tree in another tribe once!"

"It's a pity I only got a glimpse of it," Simon said, dispelling Xius's hope as he saw the anticipation in his eyes.

Xius didn't ask further.

"So, you mean that because of their heritage and the Ancient Eternal Tree, Elves can become wizards?"

"I don't know the specifics, but it is true that the Elves have wizards. Otherwise, those empires would have long since charged into the Eternal Forest to see what the Ancient Eternal Tree was all about."

"In the past, some empires, blinded by greed, tried to attack the Eternal Forest. They were beaten back, and the wizards they sent were reduced to idiots. It's said there were two formal wizards among them. Since then, no empire has dared to attack the Eternal Forest lightly."

"But the Elves love peace. As long as humans don't cause trouble, they won't leave the Eternal Forest, so most of the Elves on Yalkeri are there now." Having spoken so much, Simon seemed thirsty and jumped off the carriage to find some water.