Synthetic Wizard - Chapter 292 - 185: The Ceremony After Over 1,200 Years_2
“…I’m in.”
Seeing all three agree, Sunan’s lips lifted slightly.
The trio with the staff were prominent Level 3 wizard apprentices, the youngest having lived for over a hundred years, well-versed in knowledge and experience, more than capable of serving as academy mentors teaching a group of Level 1 and 2 wizard apprentices.
Although three mentors seem a bit few, it’s enough to manage the academy’s initial phase.
I’ll keep looking for more suitable candidates in the future.
“Well then, I look forward to welcoming you to the Flash City base,”
…
Magic Spider City.
The eerie midnight enveloped the entire city.
The rules of the Dark Elves were extremely strict; without permission, no species other than them were allowed on the streets at night, and even male Dark Elves were often subject to strict restrictions.
A lizard galloped with its limbs on the dim street.
The patrolling Dark Elven guards turned their heads at the noise, hands on the hilts of their curved swords, cold vigilance in their gaze.
They relaxed when they saw the enchanting silhouette on the back, saluted from a distance, and then resumed patrol.
Tajana ignored the patrol and silently rode her lizard mount through the streets, arriving before a huge manor shortly after.
She patted her lizard mount on the head, halting the eight-legged giant creature, then nimbly dismounted.
The giant door forged of fine gold remained closed, with two massive spider statues on either side turning their eyes silently, recognizing her identity, resuming their silent vigil in the darkness.
The girl approached, softly uttering an incantation to activate the platinum brooch on her robe.
A dim glow emanated from the brooch, forming a delicate and beautiful black-skinned elf, which then transformed into a spider.
“Tajana Philier.”
The girl announced her name, causing the door to silently swing open.
“Welcome home.”
A raspy, eerie voice slowly emanated from the darkness behind the door.
Tajana stared at the darkness before her, pursed her lips, and stepped inside.
The figure of the “Gatekeeper” slowly emerged from the darkness.
It was a ghost, or more accurately, the amalgamation of multiple ghosts.
Every one of the twelve clans in Magic Spider City had such a gatekeeper.
It was a powerful being crafted by the Dark Elf clan with secret techniques, guarding the family’s legacy as the final resting place for every Dark Elf warrior’s soul post-mortem (female Dark Elves only).
The older the Dark Elf clan’s lineage, the stronger the gatekeeper.
Any enemy wishing to assault the clan must first cross the gatekeeper.
The “Gatekeeper” before Tajana represented the amalgamation of 272 warriors’ souls from the Philier clan’s history.
It appeared as a valiant female Zor, enticing and seductive, her slender body clad in pitch-black leather armor, with only her eyes emitting a dark red glow like agate.
Tajana waited until the gatekeeper’s form became completely clear, slightly bowed in salute, then stepped forward to pass straight through the ghost’s body, entering the manor.
This seemingly rude and childish act didn’t harm the girl — wearing the family brooch shielded her from the negative energy the gatekeeper harbored.
Of course, it wouldn’t harm the gatekeeper either.
The gatekeeper slowly vanished behind her as the manor doors sealed once more.
The air inside the manor was somewhat chilling.
The demon fire hanging on the walls provided scant illumination but couldn’t radiate warmth.
Tajana wrapped her cloak tightly, navigating the web-like paths between stalactites and stone pillars, finally entering the Philier clan’s main building.
It was a circular temple, its top shimmering with a purple-black sinister glow, its outer walls adorned with various exquisite reliefs, mostly spider-themed.
The massive structure loomed like a monster in the darkness, its entrance the mouth of the beast.
Every person entering the temple seemed like prey being devoured by the creature.
The interior of the temple was in complete darkness, but Tajana was unfazed, the Dark Elves’ innate dark vision allowing her to discern every detail around her.
Through the narrow and winding corridors, she turned correctly at each corner, eventually reaching the center of the temple.
It was a spacious hall.
At the very center stood a black marble altar.
Eight large brazens burned at the edges, black flames rising from them, transforming into various spiders.
On the altar lay a statue roughly ten feet tall.
It depicted a mature and stunning elf woman riding on a giant, fierce spider, gazing divinely down at the Dark Elves below.
Around the altar stood over a hundred Dark Elves, all without exception female.
Most were dressed in soft, form-fitting high-quality chain armor, draped in a black cloak with the same platinum brooch as Tajana, indicating their clan identity.
Only eight figures stood in the far corner, shrouded completely in long robes, their appearance and shape concealed.
Tajana’s gaze swept around, rapidly positioning herself on the outermost perimeter of the crowd.
Most people’s attention was fixated on the statue atop the altar, few noticing Tajana’s arrival.
Except for a statuesque female Dark Elf beside her.
“You’re late,” Viniya murmured.
“No choice,” Tajana whispered back, “It took some time to overtake the city; I rushed back overnight, abandoning the slave convoy.”
