Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 537 - Chapter 537 Chapter 538 The Legend of the Elves

Chapter 537: Chapter 538 The Legend of the Elves Chapter 537: Chapter 538 The Legend of the Elves The great demon Saslouka.

Duncan felt a sense of familiarity vaguely surfacing in his heart, and he quickly remembered that he had indeed heard the term before–in a casual conversation with Morris a long time ago.

“I remember… this is the name of the ‘chief god’ described in the ancient belief system unique to Elves,” he began slowly, as he thought aloud, “This demon god possesses the power to control the Dreamscape and soul wandering. In your legends, this great demon is even related to the onset of the current ‘Sea Era’–”

“Yes, Captain Duncan,” Taran El nodded, “According to those ancient legends, the world was originally a Dreamscape, created by the great demon Saslouka in a state between sleeping and waking. Elves were born as residents within that Dreamscape, and our inherent mission was to serve Saslouka in the dream, to prolong his slumber as much as possible, to prevent the entire world from meeting its end due to the demon god’s awakening.”

Listening seriously to the side, Lucresia, being a learned individual, obviously also knew of these ancient, bizarre beliefs of Elves that starkly contrasted with the mainstream, and she couldn’t help but interject, “But Saslouka is destined to awaken–this too is part of the legend.”

“Correct, the great demon is destined to awaken, and his awakening signifies the end of the world,” Taran El nodded again and continued, “In most… less mainstream belief systems, there are similar ‘world-ending prophecies.’ But for the most part, they are just warnings, deterrents to Believers, to enhance their persuasive power and control over the faithful. The Elves’ legend, however, is not like this; in their tale, the ‘Doomsday’ has already occurred.

“According to the legend, the end of the world began with a nightmare. The great demon saw a huge flood coming in his nightmare, thus the Elves’ long-standing appeasement lost its effect, and he awoke startled. The flood then leaked from his Dreamscape into the real world, transforming into a vast sea…

“After that, the great demon Saslouka vanished as a result of his awakening, and the Elves could no longer return to that peaceful Dreamscape, only able to survive in the vast sea that remained after the flood–this is the Elf version of the myth explaining the ‘Sea Era.'”

Taran El’s account of this legend did not differ significantly from what Morris had said initially; it was just supplemented with some details. After the Elf scholar finished speaking, Duncan showed a contemplative expression.

A few seconds passed before he spoke up to break the silence with a somber voice, “Both your creation myth and apocalyptic prophecy revolve around the element of ‘Dreamscape.'”

“Yes, in Elf culture, ‘dreams’ have always been a concept of great significance,” Taran El nodded, “We believe that the world inside dreams and the world outside are two different realities, both existing and influencing one other. The acts of falling asleep and waking up are the process of traveling between these two worlds–or, to use a more traditional term, it’s a ‘Journey of No Hometown.’

He paused for a moment to organize his thoughts, then continued, “Speaking of which, let me digress a bit–among Elves, there is a special congenital condition called ‘No-dreamers.'”

Duncan frowned, “No-dreamers?”

“Literally, those who are innately unable to dream,” Taran El explained, “Dreaming is an instinct of mortals. In our view, dreaming is as uncontrollable and unavoidable as death. Of course, some dream more, others less, and some even believe they don’t dream at all–but research shows that, for these people, dreams are either too brief or too insignificant to be remembered upon waking. They still dream…

“‘No-dreamers,’ however, are completely different–they truly do not dream.

“The sleep of No-dreamers is bleak; they enter a void and chaos upon sleep, and their consciousness seems to ‘skip’ the entire sleeping process, leaping directly over it. And no skilled psyche-healer or priest can discover any trace of their dreams.

“This condition, where one absolutely cannot dream, occurs only within the Elf race, with an incidence rate of about one in ten thousand. It’s innate and incurable.”

Duncan couldn’t help but remark upon hearing this, “…In a race that places extreme importance on the ‘Dreamscape,’ those without dreams would definitely be treated specially.”

“Yes, in the eyes of most Elves, the pale and hollow sleep of those without dreams is considered dangerous, bizarre, or even terrifying. Historians have indeed recorded many instances of unfair treatment against ‘dreamless ones.’ However, that mostly happened before the old City-State era,” Taran El waved his hand, “Nowadays, we do not particularly target or discriminate against the dreamless, but as you mentioned, the influence of traditional culture persists, and they are subjected to some… special treatment.”

Duncan listened to these unique cultural and mythological aspects within the Elves that were difficult for outsiders to grasp. After the great scholar finished speaking, Duncan pondered for a moment before slowly saying, “But among the numerous legends and records about the Dreamscape, there is a conspicuous absence of ‘The Dream of the Nameless.'”

“A possible explanation is that ‘The Dream of the Nameless’ is merely what those Heretics call it, and it has another name within Elven culture,” Taran El suggested, “It’s a common occurrence–the Elven cultural system is ancient and profound. Sometimes, parts of it that get disseminated are often misunderstood and altered by other races. We cannot expect a race with an average lifespan of less than a hundred years to understand whether a vessel with seven thousand years of history was meant to hold wine or to fetch water.”

Luny had been silently contemplating all the while, and upon hearing the great scholar’s words, she suddenly looked up and said, “If we suppose it ‘has another name,’ then could this so-called Dream of the Nameless be related to the mythological Dreamscape that the demon god Saslouka created?”

“The Old World?” Taran El frowned but quickly shook his head, “The Dreamscape created by Saslouka is but a legend, with no tangible evidence to prove its existence. Even if it had existed, it surely would have fragmented and dissipated by this ‘Deep Sea Era’…”

“But you and another Elf, far away in Pland, did indeed fall into a vast and peculiar ‘Dreamscape,'” Duncan reminded, “Have you forgotten that boundless forest?”

“…I did think of it,” Taran El hesitated, still very cautious in his words, “We can make such a bold assumption… but we must verify it with sufficient evidence. If that Dreamscape really is the legendary ‘Dream of Saslouka,’ the ‘Origin World’…”

“It would not just shake Elven society,” suggested Lucrecia in a measured tone, “The entire academic world would be rocked.”

“That’s right, the whole world,” Taran El affirmed with a particularly solemn expression, “It means that amidst the myriad conjectures and conflicting historical records, finally, a ‘record’ about the history before the Great Oblivion would be validated. Even if we still cannot break through that historical barrier from ten thousand years ago, a crack would have appeared on that wall, allowing us to glimpse fleeting reflections of the time before the Deep Sea Era.”

Duncan had also considered these implications but did not interrupt, instead ruminating silently. After a long while, he spoke up with a hint of curiosity, “Regarding this ‘demon god Saslouka,’ are there any more detailed legends?”

“‘Legend’ is something that is often vague and inconsistent, and even a race with as stable and complete a heritage as the Elves cannot escape this,” Taran El said slowly, “In most legends, Saslouka is described as a giant dressed as a shepherd, holding a staff capable of measuring the world. However, some stories depict him as a colossal male goat. The ‘Blaran Mar Epic’ stored in the City-State of Moco claims He has no fixed form, transforming into any shape based on the imaginations of those who encounter Him, a reflection of the most majestic and awe-inspiring form in the minds of mortals…

“But no matter the version of the legend, there’s one common element: Saslouka dwells at the foot of the World Tree ‘Silantis,’ which is the very first plant that sprang into being at the world’s birth. Saslouka created it in his Dreamscape to call it home. He shook the branches of Silantis violently in his loneliness, causing dust, fruits, and leaves to fall, and those which fell transformed into various things in the world.

“The dust from the World Tree became mountains and minerals; Silantis’s branches and leaves turned into all kinds of birds, beasts, flowers, and insects; its fruits changed into the first Elves. Dust cannot decay, so mountains and minerals last forever, but branches and leaves began to rot upon hitting the ground, hence mortal creatures came to know the cycle of life and death.”

Taran El paused and took a sip of the tea that the doll Luny had placed on the table before continuing, “This was the process of the demon god creating various things in the Dreamscape. After this initial ‘Creation,’ Saslouka began to inspect His world–

“He would wander around Silantis, with His gaze defining the rules for all worldly things. He circled the World Tree once a year, and thus, Silantis cycled between flourishing and withering yearly, which in turn led to the clear distinction of seasons in the mortal world. At the end of each year, He would return to the foot of Silantis, and the Elves were expected to dress up and present their proudest skills and creations to Saslouka. If the demon god deemed those things good, He would continue to reside in the Dreamscape world He created, and the world would persist.”

After that, Taran El finally took a long breath.

“And that’s all there is, Captain Duncan.”