Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 631 - 584: Heart of Nightmare Susanna

The thorny brambles were abloom with blue roses, fragile petals scattered sporadically amidst the black thorns. The profusion of spikes, finer than hair, was unsettling, despite the roses’ extraordinary beauty.

This was a dimly lit forest, where the soil and plants all bore an ominous black hue. The black brambles, like invaders of this land, repelled anything that came near.

Swinging arms stirred the verdant life, the breeze carrying a sweet scent. With each step by the elf, new shoots sprouted from the ground. Emerald hues protected this lady as she moved towards the patch of black brambles. Her delicate skin was to meet thorns as stiff as steel nails, and the thought of those dexterous hands being cut elicited a sense of guilt.

Thus, she softened. Every thorn she was about to touch withered away, and the dark soil too revived beneath her touch. A patch of spring’s glory enveloped her within a meter’s radius; the black brambles parted, forming a gateway for her unobstructed passage deep into the thicket.

Irason extended a finger to wipe dew from the rose petals, and the anxious Green Dragon Priest relaxed considerably.

"Susanna..."

The petals she touched trembled slightly, as if responding to the elf.

Irason followed that feeling and began to search through the brambles. Finding Susanna’s resting place was easy, for Susanna was a Nightmare Druid, a tree spirit, and the spot where the plant songs were faintest, that was her abode. In Irason’s mind, Susanna’s dream murmurs echoed persistently.

"Irason..."

The Green Dragon Priest soon found Susanna’s "bed," an oval pit carefully dug out, with antler-like branches sealing the top, and through the gaps, Irason glimpsed her face. Manipulating her "bed curtains" to rise, Irason looked nostalgically at Susanna’s countenance.

Her skin was a deep purple, its texture like tender plant shoots coated in olive oil, and structurally similar to the elves, with slender limbs and delicate features, though slightly smaller in build than the Green Dragon Priest. The charming visage was a weapon for attracting the opposite sex, and Susanna’s demeanor bore a calmness that the Green Dragon Priest found both comforting and enviable. Overall, she was beautiful, although that was merely a façade.

The Green Dragon Priest knew all too well that her friend named Susanna was pretending in every aspect of the real world. She was a nightmare, a malevolent entity that devoured dreams, yet still, she was a friend, and a dependable one at that.

"Good morning, Elan."

By the time the Green Dragon Priest snapped back to reality, Susanna had already awoken, nude and casually propping herself up with a smile directed towards her. As Susanna’s eyes opened, her aura shifted to a seductive malevolence, yet her eyes themselves were cold, with black liquid trickling from their corners, leaving twin trails down her flawless cheeks.

"Good morning, Susanna... sister."

At the last word, Susanna’s smile widened. Stretching lazily, she rose from the bramble bed and embraced Irason, burying her head in Irason’s embrace.

"Elan, you’ve put on weight."

"Hmm, the world has seen some changes over the years."

"I like these changes."

The Green Dragon Priest pulled out a pastry box, carefully packaged from the City of Wandering.

"A treat for sister!"

"Thank you, Elan." Susanna took the box, and to the Green Dragon Priest’s dismay, deftly unwrapped the intricate packaging. "What’s this? Something tasty?"

"It’s date cake, delicious date cake. I made it for sister!"

The two women, not young in age but youthful in appearance, sat on the ground and shared their reunion food.

"I’m sorry, Susanna, for waking you up only after decades."

"Ah, I’ll forgive you for the sake of the food," Susanna said with a mouthful of cake crumbs, patting the Dragon Priest’s head.

"It’s only a few decades; I’m satisfied that you still remembered me," Susanna said knowingly, causing a pang in the Green Dragon Priest’s heart.

"Actually... I need Susanna’s help with something."

"I’ll help you."

"Eh... but I haven’t mentioned what it is yet."

"No matter the content, I will help you. What could be more difficult than helping you run a country or training a queen?"

"What about resurrecting a Giant Dragon?"

Susanna paused, and for the first time, her calm face showed a ripple of emotion. She looked at Irason and finally smiled joyfully.

"I’m so happy... Elan, you finally have ambition, and I’m so glad! I will definitely help you! But we’ll need to collect some materials first... I guess I could go kill a Dragon Priest then."

The Green Dragon Priest stopped Susanna from furthering her terrifying plan, loudly clarifying.

"No, the work of resurrecting the Giant Dragon has already been partly completed by my friend. Now, I just need to collect the clan power of the Dream Elf!"

Susanna’s excitement seemed to fade a little, and her smile lingered on her face, "That sounds much easier, Elan is great, learning to use others." Susanna wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth, clapped her hands, and the black thorn bush came to life, winding past Irason like a moving snake and crawling towards Susanna.

"But now that I’ve awakened, Elan no longer needs to depend on those outsiders. Let’s take care of those troublesome matters."

The thorns turned into branches and climbed up Susanna’s body. The surrounding dead branches lifted her up, and maple leaf-shaped plates sprang from the spikes, forming a tight-fitting dress. Although its hardness and material were more like an iron tower’s armor. Willow branches twined and wove together, covering Susanna’s delicate skin. Her tall frame was supported by elongated branches, making her look very tall. Wood chips and vines on top of her head wove into antler crowns, blending her hair softly with the plants.

This was Susanna’s regular attire, similar to Irason’s lichen, except now she had transformed into a two-meter-tall Golem, a blend of eerie and authoritative. Her originally tender voice also turned into a hoarse whisper. The dressed Susanna was no longer the gentle friend; she became the founder of the Senate, a Nightmare Druid, and an assertive Elf Executive—the Godmother of the Elf Queen. Perhaps, Susanna was only ever a friend to the Green Dragon Priest alone.

The aloof Golem turned its head, and within the antler helmet, those eyes shone with a cold light. Susanna extended her branch-like arms, inquiring of Irason.

"Do you want me to carry you?"

"No! I am a Dragon Priest! What dignity would I have if I let someone give me a princess carry! I will walk on my own." Irason huffed and stepped forward.

"But you used to hate walking before," Susanna walked beside her, black vines under her armored skirt piercing the ground, dragging Susanna’s body forward. Trying hard not to gesticulate with her hands on the slender waist of the Green Dragon Priest, Susanna was more concerned about harvesting the clan power than the Dragon Priest.

"What’s the current situation with the Dream Elves? I fell into a deep sleep after assisting Tiffany with her ascension. Without the suppression of our authority, the Dream Elves must have developed well, right?"

"...Actually, I messed up. Some of our people were corrupted by the nightmare while purifying the dreams, becoming a new type of Druid that contradicts the mainstream doctrine. I took them and ran away, and I haven’t come back until now..."

The Green Dragon Priest’s feet left the ground, and she was embraced in Susanna’s arms. Her faceplate opened, and her cheeks affectionately rubbed against Irason’s.

"Elan, you must have suffered a lot outside, away from home..."

The Green Dragon Priest recalled her life of idling around in the City of Wandering, seeking her brother for serious matters, and teasing the younger generation for fun.

Facing Susanna’s concerned gaze, Irason didn’t dare to speak.

"Actually, it wasn’t that hard."

"No need to explain, Elan, I will protect you from now on."

"..."

"That is to say, we need to regain control, whether it’s Tiffany’s existing Queen’s Faction or my established Senate Faction. Don’t worry, Elan, I won’t sideline Tiffany, after all, she is your daughter. As long as you become the guide of the Dream Elves again, the issue with the withering Druids will also be easily solved." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I’m not too worried about the Queen’s Faction, because you are Tiffany’s Godmother. But what about the Senate?"

"The Senate, well, the purpose of establishing the Druid Senate was to reduce your workload by helping them purify the dreams... The Senate operates on a voting system, and I don’t know how many members have changed over time. Although it’s a bit troublesome, I have retained five positions of the Great Elder, which includes me and four other Great Druids. Our votes count as two regular Elders, and as long as the five of us support you, getting the Senate’s support won’t be an issue."

"The other four Great Druids... they’re not those four, are they?! They are old sticklers; they didn’t let me slack off when assisting me in governance! How could the four Elders possibly support me?"

"They might support you. Although they won’t show it on the surface, they will cast their precious vote for you, under my signal," Susanna smiled, and the leaves brushed by the antlers rustled.

"Susanna, did you control them?"

"No, dear. I wouldn’t control any Dream Elves, that’s our promise," Susanna unfolded her palm, revealing four shiny badges. "I just guided them to the deepest part of the dreams tainted most severely by the nightmare. As Guardians of the Dream Forest, the four strongest Druids decided to suppress the nightmare themselves. They handed their badges over to me, making me their proxy as Great Elders, just like before..."

After this, Susanna and the Green Dragon Priest talked about some observations from the outside world.

"Morocoy, my big brother, is really amazing! He nurtured Lyle! A kind-hearted child, also an offspring of the Evil God. The Evil God has a bright side, but I’ve known that for a long time. You see, my flesh disguise is designed by Lyle, and the resurrected Giant Dragon is also Lyle’s work! Such a great kid!"

Susanna smiled, "I’m really looking forward to meeting this Mr. Lyle. Elan, why don’t we invite Lyle to visit Drumwood?"

"Sure, even if I don’t invite him, the connection between Lyle and the Dragon Priest is unbreakable. Leave it to me, Susanna. I will definitely arrange for Lyle to meet you."

"Thank you, Elan."

Susanna couldn’t help but embrace the Green Dragon Priest again.

The faint murmurs of dreams followed the black thorns as they delved deeper into the ground.

"The offspring of the Evil God, Lyle... to Irason... you are a dangerous existence..."

"I really want to meet Lyle soon... I really want to seal him within the dreams..."

"Just like sealing my father god... the Sleeper, Triton..."