Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 99: The Lost Realms

"Emerald Castle?" The giant treant Bromir paused, clearly hesitant.

"Those filthy, ugly underground creatures have Legendary Units—the Red Dragons! I hate to admit it, but Red Dragons are indeed stronger than Green Dragons. And they have five of those Legendary Red Dragons! If it weren’t for that, our kingdom wouldn’t have fallen!"

"Would such a powerful enemy really be willing to go to war just for us Treants?"

He knew Emerald Castle possessed Tier 13 Ultimate Units—the Green Dragons—and even had two of them. But what he didn’t realize was that these weren’t ordinary Tier 13 Green Dragon units—they were Crimson Ultimate Green Dragon heroes! ƒrēenovelkiss.com

Because of this misunderstanding, Bromir didn’t have much confidence in Emerald Castle.

And even less confidence in their own worth.

In a one-on-one fight, a Green Dragon was no match for a Red Dragon. Red Dragons were similar to Mythic Units—Black Dragons—with terrifying melee strength and innate Magic Immunity.

Immune to magic, incredibly strong in close combat, tough-skinned, agile, and even capable of flying and burrowing underground!

Red Dragons were practically flawless Legendary Units, making them the only non-hidden special Tier 13 units capable of rivaling Angels and Devils!

Among all factions’ non-hidden special Legendary Units, Devils and Angels were the strongest.

Right after them came the Dungeon faction’s Red Dragons!

Moreover, as far as Bromir knew, Emerald Castle only had two Legendary Green Dragons, while those filthy underground creatures had five Legendary Red Dragons!

Five against two.

The difference in strength was painfully obvious!

Because of this, Bromir found it hard to believe Emerald Castle would step up to help them.

"I don’t know either..." The giant treant Eldorin shook his head slowly. "But this is one of our last hopes. Besides, if we’re willing to share that secret with him, perhaps the lord of Emerald Castle might be tempted?"

"That secret?" Bromir was startled, shrinking back in surprise. "Eldorin, you mean the abandoned Creature Dwelling of the Sacred Tree?"

"The Sacred Tree’s Creature Dwelling isn’t abandoned. It simply chose self-exile rather than joining the Dungeon faction!"

"And as the King of the Treants, I have the power to awaken it once again," Eldorin said solemnly.

Just then, the rustling sound of vines interrupted their conversation. A Treant Guard was urgently sending a message.

Eldorin froze for a moment, his eyes widening in shock. Quickly, he rose to his feet, standing tall and alert. "Bromir, hurry! We have an honored guest arriving!"

"An honored guest? Who?"

"The Lord of Emerald Castle himself!"

...

Within the towering trees of Gleaming Forest, an enormous, ancient Treant respectfully bowed to Ethan. "Greetings, esteemed Lord of Emerald Castle. I am Eldorin, an Ancient Treant of the Treant clan. And this is my companion, also an Ancient Treant, named Bromir."

As Eldorin finished speaking, Bromir immediately rose and bowed solemnly to Ethan. "Ancient Treant Bromir of the Treant clan greets the honorable Lord of Emerald Castle!"

The Treant clan was vast and complex, much like the Dragon race. Ancient Treants were the Tier 10 Champion Units of the Treant clan, and also the standard Tier 10 Champion Units of the Forest faction.

"Nice to meet you both," Ethan replied with a relaxed smile, calm and composed as if he were in his own home. "No need to be so formal. Actually, I’m just here to pay you two a friendly visit. Sit down, relax, let’s just have a casual chat."

Behind Ethan, Elynn stood respectfully, not sitting down. She remained silent, quietly guarding Ethan like a loyal protector, keeping her posture humble and unobtrusive.

Seeing this, Eldorin and Bromir exchanged astonished glances, both feeling deeply impressed and somewhat intimidated.

"As expected of the Lord of Emerald Castle, who commands Legendary Units! Such a powerful presence and authority..."

This wasn’t their first encounter with Elynn, and they were well aware of her identity—a mighty Tier 10 special hidden unit, an Elven Pegasus Knight hero!

Her strength and status were already equal to their own, yet even someone like Elynn showed such humility and respect toward Ethan. It was clear just how revered this Lord of Emerald Castle truly was.

Thinking of this, Eldorin steeled himself and spoke directly, "Honorable Lord, I understand your intentions. In fact, our Treant lineage would be more than willing to join your Emerald Castle. However, there is one obstacle."

"What obstacle?" Ethan asked calmly.

"My Lord, perhaps you don’t yet know this, but many years ago, within this Gleaming Forest, there existed a place known as The Lost Realms. Our lineage, along with the Treants in this region, were all once part of it."

"The Lost Realms?" Ethan paused, surprised. "You mean the Lost Realms comparable to an entire faction?"

According to Cicero, "The Lost Realms" refers to "those factions and kingdoms that vanished into history over countless years."

Sure, these factions varied greatly—some big, some small, some strong, some weak—but just like the saying goes, "Ultimate Units will always be Ultimate Units," the value of a Lost Realm was beyond doubt. They were basically legendary treasures! If Gleaming Forest really did hide one of these Lost Realms, that would be incredible news for Ethan.

"No, no, no... Our kingdom can’t even compare to those powerful factions..." Eldorin shook his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "The Lost Realms vary greatly in strength, and our former kingdom wasn’t particularly powerful. At our peak, we only had one Tier 13 Legendary Unit."

"Oh, I see," Ethan nodded thoughtfully. "Alright, go on. What’s the problem?"

"My lord, as you probably know, from the moment we’re born, our souls are bound to our Creature Dwellings," Eldorin explained earnestly. "Unless you can somehow free our souls from the Creature Dwellings we originated from, we can’t truly join your castle or accept your leadership."

"That shouldn’t be too hard, right?" Ethan asked, puzzled. "Can’t I just conquer your Creature Dwellings directly?"

"But someone else has already beaten you to it!" Eldorin replied helplessly.

"Someone else?" Ethan froze for a moment, eyes narrowing sharply. "Who?"

"A bunch of filthy, evil, disgusting underground creatures!" Bromir suddenly burst out angrily. "Our kingdom fell into ruin long ago. As our castle’s power faded, our lands became abandoned ruins. But since we Treants have such long lifespans, most of our Creature Dwellings remained intact... until one day, those vile underground creatures appeared and attacked our homes!"

Eldorin sighed bitterly, shaking his head. "My lord, to be honest, those underground creatures are incredibly powerful. We stood no chance and were forced to flee."

"But even then, unless we willingly betray our Creature Dwellings, we can’t go far," Eldorin continued, looking at Ethan with a bitter smile. "Honestly, because of your Legendary Unit—the Green Dragon—we’d love nothing more than to join your castle and serve under your command."

"But as you probably know, betraying our Creature Dwellings means losing our chance at resurrection. Worse still, for a very long time, we won’t be able to join any new Creature Dwellings. The ’traitor’ mark branded onto our souls will cause other dwellings to reject us."

Hearing this, Ethan fell silent.

He stood there quietly, lost in thought, not saying a word.

Seeing Ethan fall silent, Eldorin exchanged a quick glance with Bromir. Gritting his teeth, Eldorin finally spoke up again, "My lord, there’s actually another important piece of information I need to tell you!"

"Go ahead," Ethan replied with a casual smile.

"In our kingdom, there’s a Creature Dwelling for a Legendary Unit!" Eldorin said slowly, emphasizing each word.

"A Legendary Unit?" Ethan’s eyes lit up immediately. "You mean the Tier 13 Legendary Unit you mentioned earlier, from your kingdom’s peak?"

The value of a Legendary Unit’s Creature Dwelling was obvious. To put it bluntly, it was enough to build an entire kingdom around!

In the vast world of "Glory Lords X," including all hidden and special units, there were probably fewer than a hundred Creature Dwellings for Legendary Units or higher. Considering how massive and expansive Ashan was—with countless planes and realms—this number was incredibly small. They were rare treasures everyone desperately wanted!

Especially for Ethan’s Emerald Castle, which already had one Legendary Unit—the Green Dragon. If he could secure a second Legendary Unit’s dwelling, he’d have two Legendary Units at his disposal. Rising to prominence, or even founding a new kingdom, would just be a matter of time.

"Exactly!" Eldorin nodded firmly. "Our kingdom’s Tier 13 Legendary Unit is called the Ancient War Tree, also known among us as the Sacred Tree."

"The Ancient War Tree can control nature itself, commanding trees and plants. Its defense is incredibly strong, and it’s also extremely powerful in close combat. In fact, in a straight-up melee fight, it wouldn’t lose out to Dungeon’s Tier 13 Red Dragon!"

"Comparable to a Red Dragon?" Ethan was momentarily stunned, then nodded appreciatively. "That’s impressive indeed..."

The Red Dragon was among the strongest Tier 13 units, second only to Devils and Angels. Being able to match it in melee combat was no small feat.

"But the Ancient War Tree is extremely slow and vulnerable to fire magic," Eldorin added honestly.

Ethan paused briefly but didn’t comment. It was normal for units to have strengths and weaknesses. After all, if their kingdom had been perfect, it wouldn’t have fallen and become lost in the history of "Glory Lords X."

Besides, a Tier 13 Legendary Unit was still a Tier 13 Legendary Unit. Even at its weakest, it would still easily surpass any Tier 12 unit. Ethan had no reason to hesitate—he absolutely had to get his hands on this Ancient War Tree’s Creature Dwelling!

"Your information has convinced me," Ethan said decisively, standing up with a smile. "And likewise, I’d be happy to welcome you into my castle!"

Eldorin and Bromir’s faces lit up with joy, but then quickly turned hesitant. Eldorin spoke up cautiously, "My lord, although I despise those filthy underground creatures, they’re genuinely very powerful. So... I’m worried that..."

"Sounds like you don’t have much faith in our Emerald Castle, huh?" Ethan chuckled lightly, clearly not bothered.

"No, no, that’s not what I meant!" Eldorin panicked, quickly explaining himself. "My lord, please don’t misunderstand. It’s just... it’s just..."

"No need for excuses," Ethan interrupted calmly, shaking his head. "My heroes didn’t come along with me this time. If you’d met them, you’d have no doubts about Emerald Castle’s strength."

"Eldorin," Elynn suddenly spoke up, stepping forward confidently to speak on Ethan’s behalf. "Our master’s strength—and the power of Emerald Castle—isn’t something you can judge with your limited knowledge and narrow perspective!"

Ethan smiled inwardly. Of course, he wouldn’t boast about his own strength personally; that was what his subordinates were for. Besides, unless those underground creatures had three or four Tier 14 Mythic Units or a Crimson Ultimate-level hero, he really had nothing to worry about.

Heroes versus regular units—even newly matured heroes—could easily handle opponents one or two tiers above them. And someone like Seraphina, a Crimson Ultimate-level hero, could easily take on three or even four opponents at once.

Not to mention Cicero—his strength, once fully matured, would undoubtedly surpass even Seraphina’s!

In short, Ethan had nothing to fear.

...