Chapter 150 Stellar Glade of Astral Veins
Eric silenced the incessant buzzing of his System notifications and resumed his search for the elusive Marshland Riverbeasts.
"He hung up on me..." Sutharos stared at the rejected call notification, a mixture of annoyance and disbelief twisting his features.
He was used to people jumping at the chance to speak with him, eager to curry favor with a member of The Stygian Alliance. This blatant disregard for his status was a novel and unwelcome experience.
Nonetheless, his vexation was moderated by a robust measure of anxiety. His superiors had unambiguously articulated that reaching out to Eric was of paramount importance.
The information CelestialParagon had provided about Eric and the mysterious flame had sent ripples of excitement through the ranks of The Stygian Alliance. After careful analysis, their analysts placed the likelihood of the flame being an Epic-level item at over 70%. Acquiring such a treasure would be a game-changer, and they were willing to move heaven and earth to make it happen.
Sutharos drew a calming breath, reminding himself that patience was a virtue, and tried contacting Eric again.
And again.
And again.
Each attempt was met with the same frustrating silence.
"This is ridiculous!" Sutharos finally snapped, slamming his fist against the armrest of his chair. "Fine, ignore me. See if I care!"
He jabbed at the call button one last time, his voice tight with suppressed frustration.
Meanwhile, Eric, blissfully unaware of Sutharos' mounting frustration, had finally managed to tune out the incessant notifications. He'd simply blocked all communication requests from strangers. The silence that followed was almost deafening.
"Captain, you won't believe what I found!" Ezio's voice crackled through the party chat, his tone laced with awe. "There's a river... in the air! And it's full of these shimmering golden fish. They're all level 20 Special Elites!"
"A whole school of level 20 Special Elites?" Tonny scoffed, his voice dripping with disbelief. "Come on, Ezio, even you can't be that lucky. Special Elites are rare spawns, they don't just appear in groups."
Special Elites were in a league of their own, possessing enhanced stats and abilities that made them far more formidable than their regular Elite counterparts. Encounters with even a single Special Elite were often the highlight of a player's day. To suggest that there was an entire group of them swimming casually in some celestial river was simply absurd.
"I'm serious! Look!" Ezio sent a series of images through the party chat.
The images were breathtaking. A shimmering silver river, seemingly defying gravity, flowed gracefully through the air, its surface teeming with hundreds of luminous golden fish. The scene was more at home in a fairytale than the dark, oppressive atmosphere of the Silent Marshlands.
"Golden fish..." Eric mused, his mind racing. He had encountered rumors, which circulated among players who were fortunate enough to discover a rare and extraordinary phenomenon. "Ezio, where are you? Send me the coordinates. Now!"
It didn't take them long to find Ezio, who was patiently following the slow-moving river. As they drew closer, the sight that greeted them stole their breath away.
"The Stellar Glade of Astral Veins," Eric breathed, a hint of awe creeping into his voice.
The Stellar Glade of Astral Veins was a rare and highly sought-after occurrence in Divine Realms: Legends. It typically appeared in lower-level zones, offering players a chance to acquire rare materials, powerful equipment, and even, if the rumors were to be believed, Epic-level items.
"But how do we get to them?" Tonny asked, his gaze fixed on the school of golden fish swimming serenely in their celestial river.
Goldenfin Wyrm: Special Elite, Level 20, HP: 100,000
Even ignoring the significant level difference, the Goldenfin Wyrms' 100,000 HP was a daunting prospect.
"I tried attacking them earlier," Ezio admitted, "but nothing happened. My arrows just phased right through them. And Tonny's magic doesn't even scratch them. They regenerate faster than he can damage them."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Eric said, his gaze sweeping across the area. "There's always a solution. We just need to find it."
He recollected hearing accounts of players encountering potent NPCs within the Stellar Glade, entities capable of providing access to its bounties. Possibly, a similar prospect lay in wait here.
"Fan out, see if you can find anything that might help us," Eric instructed. "There has to be a way to interact with those Goldenfin Wyrms."
Tonny and Ezio set off to explore the area, their eyes peeled for any clues. It wasn't long before Tonny stumbled upon something promising.
"Eric, over here!" he called out, his voice laced with excitement. "I found an NPC!"
Eric hurried over to join Tonny, his curiosity piqued. Hovering serenely in mid-air was an elderly man, his eyes closed in peaceful contemplation as he cast a fishing line into the river of stars.
[Faust: Level 100]
"Greetings, respected elder," Eric said, bowing respectfully. "Might we trouble you for assistance?"
The old man, seemingly oblivious to their presence, continued to fish in silence.
"Do you think he's deaf?" Tonny whispered, his voice barely audible.
"He's probably just hard of hearing," Ezio suggested. "He is pretty old, after all. Maybe if we shout..."
"How dare you speak of me with such disrespect!" The old man's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp and piercing. "I am Faust, and I will not tolerate such insolence!"
Before either Tonny or Ezio could react, Faust flicked his wrist, and an invisible force sent them hurtling through the air. They landed with a thud, their health bars dangerously low.
Faust, seemingly appeased by their display of involuntary acrobatics, closed his eyes and resumed fishing as if nothing had happened.
"Well, that happened," Eric said, stifling a laugh. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for his companions, even as he admonished them. "I told you the NPCs in Divine Realms: Legends were different. They're practically sentient. You have to treat them with respect, especially the high-level ones."
"You could have warned us about that before we insulted him," Tonny grumbled, picking himself up off the ground.
"I tried," Eric chuckled, "but you were both talking over me."
He was on the verge of elucidating his strategic approach to Faust when an acquainted buzzing sound filled his ears.
"Not this again," he groaned, glancing at the barrage of notifications flooding his System interface.
"Sutharos?" He scrolled through the messages, each one more insistent than the last.
"Answer the call!"
"Do you have any idea who I am?"
"I know you're online!"
"This is your last chance! Respond, or face the consequences!"
Eric stared at the messages, a slow smile spreading across his face. The guy was persistent, and he had to give him that. It was almost endearing.
He toggled his System settings, lifting the block on communication requests from strangers.
"Alright, Sutharos," he muttered to himself. "Let's see what all the fuss is about."
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