Chapter 84: Hehe!

The waterfall ahead blocked the path through the canyon. Because it was winter, the flow was weak—just a sparse curtain of water, some twenty meters wide, hanging down like a beaded veil. This was already the end of the canyon; behind the waterfall stood the sheer, imposing cliff, less than a hundred meters away at most.

Looking past the waterfall, one could see water gathering in cracks in the cliff and splashing down. The members of the expedition stopped in disappointment on the riverbank, but Leo refused to give up. Guided by the points of light, he waded through the shallow water to the waterfall, gently parted the watery curtain, and vanished behind the rock wall.

His companions gasped in shock. Barrett was the first to charge toward the waterfall, reaching behind the water to feel around—only to touch cold, unyielding stone. He followed the line of the waterfall to the center of the river, only turning back, dejected, when the water reached his chest.

Dripping wet, Barrett shook himself and said, “There’s no entrance.”

Denise stared at the waterfall, searching for any hint of artifice, but found nothing. All she could do was speculate, “Some kind of magic, perhaps. Maybe you need special permission to get in.” Her excitement was matched by her disappointment.

She was excited because this really did seem to be the fabled Atrium! But the disappointment was sharper—they had reached the entrance, yet couldn’t find a way in, not even a glimpse.

As Leo passed through the waterfall, his vision opened wide.

Before him lay a vast round lake, and beneath his feet stretched a white stone bridge, over twenty meters wide, arching straight as a rainbow across the water to the far shore. The cliffs on either side of the canyon tapered lower and wrapped around the lake, converging at the far end of the bridge, where a round, natural archway opened below.

The once-distant, imposing cliff had receded by several miles. Now, before Leo’s eyes, rose a slender and soaring elven city, built in graceful tiers into the cliff behind the archway. Even the lowest structures stood at least a hundred meters above the ground, while the palace at the summit soared to five hundred meters or more.

At the canyon’s highest points, tall elven watchtowers stood sentinel, stretching out beyond the canyon itself.

Those were the stone pillars!

Denise’s guess had been right—yesterday, the expedition had explored those massive, weathered pillars atop the canyon. They truly were elven watchtowers, simply hidden by magical disguise, making them indistinguishable to the unknowing eye.

Such a grand and fantastical city—Leo had only ever seen its like in fantasy films in his previous life.

Atrium.

The ancient elven city.

Struggling to absorb the overwhelming sight, Leo walked forward a few steps and turned to look back.

Behind him, the waterfall was gone. The river outside and the round lake within formed a seamless whole, with the tranquil lake acting as the river’s outlet. From within, the waterfall appeared as nothing more than a curtain of rain, like water trickling down a rain-streaked window, blurring the world beyond.

He could see Barrett’s figure fumbling in vain behind that pane of glass.

“System prompt: Welcome to the magnificent elven city, Atrium! Now, begin your greatest adventure!”

Seeing the disappointment on his friends’ faces, Leo asked silently, “System, can I unlock access for my companions?”

“No.”

“But they helped drive off the orcs, too!”

A long silence, then the system’s cold voice returned, “Quest Update: Strip naked, run three laps around the lake, and kiss your companion.”

“Quest Reward: Unlock companion access.”

Leo’s face darkened. “Are you making fun of me?”

The system did not respond.

Helpless, Leo could only move on and explore alone.

But he couldn’t cross the stone bridge, for at the far end, beneath the giant archway, a monstrous bear blocked the path to Atrium!

“Quest Update: Put a sack over the evil bear’s head and knock her between the eyes until it rings!”

“Quest Reward: Unlock companion access.”

Frustrated, Leo stormed over and grabbed a handful of the “evil bear’s” thick cheek fur. “Freya! Weren’t you traveling with Master Bobak? Why are you napping here?”

Freya, drooling and rolling her eyes, looked for all the world like a giant, comatose husky. Only after ten seconds did her gaze clear. Seeing Leo, she struggled up with excitement, about to pounce.

“Leo, Leo! I missed you so much!”

Leo quickly held her head at bay—he couldn’t withstand a two-ton beast crashing down on him.

“You haven’t answered my question! Where’s your teacher? Why are you hiding out here?”

Freya immediately looked aggrieved, almost in tears. “My teacher is mean. He doesn’t feed me! I haven’t eaten in so long—look, I’m skin and bones!”

Leo looked her over. Indeed, Freya was slimmer than she’d been at the riverbend, and a bit shorter, too.

Just then, the system in Leo’s mind kept updating quests, its tone losing its earlier ethereal indifference and taking on a hint of emotion.

“Quest Update: Kick the evil bear into Moon Lake and feed her to the fish!”

“Quest Reward: Unlock companion access!”

Leo thought for a moment, then suddenly kicked Freya—who was completely unprepared—straight into the lake.

System: “Huh? You actually did it?”

Freya thrashed and splashed in confusion, swallowing several mouthfuls of water before sitting up. The lake was not deep; even seated, the water only reached her belly.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Leo scolded, “How can you talk about your teacher like that? He’s the great Druid Master Bobak, admired by all!”

Freya hung her head guiltily, hugging her stomach with her paws. “But I’m so hungry! My teacher went to the northern tundra—he said it was too dangerous to bring me, so he left me here and won’t give me anything to eat!”

Inwardly, Leo shouted, “Master Bobak! Hello? Hello?”

The appearance of both the system and Freya was far too strange. Once, Leo had been as ignorant of his own soul as anyone; but after linking his soul to Master Bobak’s for so long, and being struck by the Sword Saint’s sword intent, his spiritual senses had grown exceedingly keen.

He could vaguely sense an intangible curtain in his mind, a veil separating his inner shouts from the world beyond—they echoed only within, never passing through.

The simplest proof: even as Freya stood before him, their soul link failed to activate.

At this moment, a gentle yet unyielding force parted that curtain in Leo’s mind. Master Bobak’s warm voice filtered through: “El, that’s enough playing around.”

System: “Hee-hee!”