403 The Family Emblem
Selma Payne’s POV:
“I can only let you see the garland once,” the mayor said. “Please forgive me, but it’s not because I’m an old-fashioned, conservative, and stingy grandpa. It is because the garland was old and valuable, and no one in the world had great power like the Goddess of Nature. As such, any accident cannot be salvaged, which is why my family has always regarded it as a treasure.”
Of course, I understood his difficulties. “It’s presumptuous of us to make such a request. How can we ask you to compromise?”
After passing through the overlapping doors of the treasure vault, we finally saw the actual appearance of the garland.
If I hadn’t heard of the legend, I would have thought that the garland in front of me was just made up in the afternoon to perfunctory me.
Whether it was the delicate petals or the emerald-green branches and leaves, they all made people involuntarily like them. The rich vitality lingered between each flower and leaf, and even the gaps on the leaves were so round and lovely as if the world’s most delicate artist could calculate such a perfect arc with painstaking efforts.
This was the legendary garland that the Goddess of Nature abandoned. However, before it was abandoned, it was once the most favored accessory in the goddess’ dressing box.
“For thousands of years, my family has been protecting this garland,” Garland City’s mayor said proudly. The abandonment of the goddess was not because of disgust but because of love. That was why I was afraid to miss her and had to give it up.”
I held my breath and carefully observed the garland, afraid that any inappropriate action would cause it harm. Just by approaching, I felt like I was bathing in a spring breeze, and the fatigue accumulated over the past few days was gradually being swept away. It was said that Garland City’s mayor’s family had always been known for their longevity, which was also quite outstanding among the elves. It was likely that this garland had played a part in this.
Even I could feel the vigorous life force contained in it. This thing was authentic. As expected, after a few tests, Master Hayley nodded to us and said, “Although I’ve never come into contact with the power of nature, it must be a divine artifact to contain such a powerful force.”
The good news was that the garland was real.
The bad news was: because the garland was real, there was a high chance that Garland City would become the target of the cultists.
Perhaps it was confusing. ‘How do I know that the cultists would know that the garland was real? I only believed the legend after I saw the real thing, didn’t I?’
That was because we had a completely different way of thinking from the evil cultists. I had to protect everything, so I must be careful and verify the truth. On the other hand, the evil cultists wanted to plunder and destroy. Who cared if it was real or fake? They would steal it first and talk later. After all, they would not suffer any losses in the future.
So, as long as this legend still existed at the northern border, the cultists would target Garland City.
As a small city that was not outstanding in all aspects, Garland City had been calm and peaceful for hundreds of years. In the face of possible danger, they had no power to resist. Even the mayor and his wife looked a little panicked. It was only after Claire and I gave our words that they agreed to help us prepare against the enemy.
That was right. Due to the lack of manpower, I placed my bet on Garland City. In fact, this was not a big gamble. The city-states on the northern border were distributed in a fan-shaped formation that opened to the right, and Garland City was the only way to other city-states. If the cultists’ target was other city-states, then as long as we hold on to Garland City, we’d be able to find their traces.
Before I bade farewell to the mayor and his wife, I asked them about the legend.
“Yes, just as the legends say, this is a tragic love story that can’t be sympathized.” The mayor said, “But if you want to ask for names, I’m sorry that I don’t know either. My ancestors were not bystanders. They just picked up the garland.”
“Is that so? Thank you.” I felt disappointed that I didn’t get any new information. However, the mayor’s next words made my eyes widen.
“However, in the notes of our ancestors, one of them seemed to have seen a woman in a black robe wandering at the edge of a cliff. She wore a metallic accessory similar to the garland of the goddess on her head, and the corner of her robe was embroidered with the same pattern as the garland, so our ancestors initially thought that she was a young woman who went out late at night to meet her lover.
“But when she got closer, she realized it was a stranger she had never seen before. The black-robed woman disappeared the moment she saw her.
“As a result, the ancestor thought she had met a witch. Due to the pattern on the corner of her robe, she thought she was an illegitimate daughter of a family member and a foreign clan and had come back to acknowledge her family. However, after searching through all the clansmen, they couldn’t find anyone who had an affair with another clan, so this matter became an unsolved case.”
The mayor told me about this incident as an exciting story, but my thoughts took a 180-degree turn after hearing what he said…
Who said only families who picked up the garland could use it as family emblems?
I realized that I had always been in the wrong place. I had always thought that the stone slab was made by Mullwica simply because the stone slab was found in her house.
