Chapter 90: A Gamble Between Two Sides

He had gambled correctly. Seeing the shock on Romina’s face and among the surrounding Wood Elves, Nolan finally relaxed. He truly had been taking a risk just now.

In the original storyline, Romina had ultimately been forced to lead an elite squad out of the forest because the Fountain of Life had been contaminated by an evil force known as the “Mark of Silent Extinction.” With the elders unable to do anything about it, they had no choice but to venture into the human world in search of both the source of the corruption and a solution.

From the name alone, it was obvious whose handiwork it was: the Nihility Cult. The one responsible was Rosm, the “Patriarch of Decay,” one of the cult’s terrifying Six Pillars.

Romina’s departure, which removed the Wood Elves’ strongest fighter, played perfectly into the cult’s strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain. It gave the Nihility Cult the opportunity it needed to carry out its next phase of operations while hidden within Demont Province.

They manipulated the political situation within the Elfin Kingdom, causing the already fragile stalemate to collapse entirely and forcing Archduke Demont into a desperate gamble.

To gather every possible war resource, the archduke recklessly began destructive exploitation of the Borderlands Forest.

The Wood Elves naturally retaliated, and fierce clashes erupted between both sides.

Then, taking advantage of the weakened state of Forest Home, the Nihility Cult launched a surprise attack. Not only did they devastate the Wood Elf race, but they also used the polluted Fountain of Life and the blood of countless Wood Elves to perform an unimaginably vile summoning ritual.

In the end, under the personal direction of Rosm, the Patriarch of Decay, the cult carried out mass suicide and living sacrifices to successfully summon a powerful avatar of the Formless God: the “Crimson Corruption.”

It was a world-level boss.

For Demont Province, which had only just emerged from civil war and was already gravely weakened, its arrival became an outright catastrophe. Corrupted plagues swept across the land, and countless living beings transformed into twisted masses of flesh amid endless screams. The western Borderlands Forest and northern Demont Province became a living hell.

The worsening political chaos within Demont Province, the collapse of the Borderlands Forest’s balance, and the rivers of blood and death were all orchestrated by the cult.

Their goal?

To please their god and reach the so-called “Promised Land.” Destroying all order was the only path to achieve it.

The forest catastrophe, the endless scarlet vines, the grotesque armies of monsters, and the overwhelming despair they inspired had left an indelible impression on Nolan.

The Nihility Cult’s destruction of the Elfin Kingdom had also filled him with hatred. In the end, it was only through the players’ assistance that Romina managed to turn the tide and earn the title of the “Silent Watcher.”

But in this life, Coldsteel City was now Nolan’s territory, his foundation. He absolutely could not allow such a horrifying existence to appear in his own rear lines. Otherwise, if Archduke Demont’s armies attacked from the front while the Crimson Corruption emerged from behind, then even with three heads and six arms, he would never survive such a pincer assault. That was why resolving the contamination of the Fountain of Life was an essential part of his plans.

Originally, he had intended to wait until after leaving the Gap of Ages, once he had grown stronger, before proactively seeking out the Wood Elves and finding a way to solve the problem.

He had never expected to encounter the key figures here ahead of schedule.

To him, this could either be a heaven-sent opportunity or the beginning of another disaster.

His gamble was simple: at this point in time, the contamination of the Fountain of Life had already become serious enough to leave both Romina and the council of elders at their wits’ end.

And he was betting that the Fountain of Life meant more to the Wood Elves than anything else.

Now it seemed he had won.

At first, he had only wanted to stabilize his rear territory. But now he wanted something more. If he could forge an alliance with these isolated Wood Elves ahead of time, the benefits would be enormous.

The Black Armored Legion still lacked long-range combat capabilities. Although Wood Elves traditionally avoided participating in the wars of others, even persuading them to help train archers would dramatically improve his forces.

“H-how do you know about this?” Romina asked, her voice slightly hoarse.

She stared fixedly at Nolan. If his explanation failed to make sense, her arrows would show no mercy toward anyone who dared profane the forest.

The question instantly drew the attention of every nearby Wood Elf.

Yes, how exactly did this human know the greatest secret of their race? Had there been a traitor among them, or was he the mastermind behind it all?

Obviously, the latter seemed far more likely.

Suspicion and distrust silently spread among the Wood Elves.

Naturally, Nolan could not say he was a reincarnator. He had already prepared an explanation.

“The leaves and the wind carried the truth to me.”

It was a common Wood Elf saying. Nolan deliberately adopted an inscrutable expression as he spoke.

“From the moment I entered the forest, I could feel its sorrow. Even the insects and birds lacked their usual vitality, so I guessed that the source of everything had gone wrong.”

“This isn’t something that happened today. It has already persisted for quite some time. Which means… you haven’t been able to solve it. Correct?”

Romina’s lips moved slightly, but no words came out.

Yet her silence alone was answer enough.

“Your Fountain of Life has changed, hasn’t it? The plants surrounding the spring are beginning to wither, and even your people’s vitality is slowly fading away.”

With every sentence Nolan spoke, Romina and the surrounding Wood Elves grew paler.

Everything he described was exactly the nightmare they were facing, yet utterly powerless to stop.

Vivi and the others also stared at Nolan in astonishment as he stood before the Wood Elves, calmly shielding them while speaking with such confidence.

Hadn’t Lord Nolan been teaching them coordinated combat and battle techniques the entire journey?

So while they were unaware, he had also been quietly observing everything around them. This forest, both familiar and foreign to the Elfin people, seemed astonishingly well understood by him, down to even the smallest changes.

Once again, Nolan’s knowledge and perception made the three of them feel inadequate by comparison, leaving them somewhat ashamed.

Nolan always seemed to walk several steps ahead of everyone else.

Little Donnie and Vivi exchanged glances and saw the same thought reflected in each other’s eyes.

When would they ever be able to catch up to this man?

Fortunately, Nolan had no idea they were currently feeling both admiration and embarrassment, or he probably would have blushed and exposed himself on the spot.

The male elf could no longer hold back. “Who exactly are you?!” he roared angrily. “What did you do to our Fountain of Life?!”

“Me?” Nolan looked as though he had just heard the greatest joke imaginable. “Friend, use your brain for a moment. If I were truly the one who contaminated your Fountain of Life, would I openly stand here explaining everything to you? Would I waste time arguing with a bunch of rangers?”

The male elf was instantly rendered speechless.

It was true. Contaminating the Fountain of Life without anyone noticing would require meticulous planning and tremendous power, and anyone willing to take such a risk would certainly have a deeper motive.

A person like that would never waste time playing this kind of confrontation game with mere forest rangers.

Romina took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She understood that this was not the time to investigate how Nolan had learned their secret. What mattered now was determining what exactly he wanted, and what he was capable of.

Slowly, inch by inch, she lowered the massive bow she had kept fully drawn.

The moment the arrowhead dipped downward, the taut bowstrings surrounding them relaxed as well. The suffocating killing intent that had nearly crushed everyone finally receded like a retreating tide.

When Nolan saw this, he completely relaxed. His information had been correct. And he truly did possess a solution.

Behind him, Vivi, Little Donnie, and Renee all felt as though they had just walked back from the gates of death. Their legs were still weak from the terrifying tension moments earlier.

“Speak, human,” Romina said again. Though her tone remained cold, the hostility that had once kept him at arm’s length was gone. “What are your terms?”

She was intelligent, and practical as well. She understood clearly that Nolan would never reveal such a shocking secret at a moment like this simply for conversation’s sake. He must possess some kind of bargaining chip capable of solving their problem.

And no matter the cost, the Wood Elves had to secure it.