Rebirth Of The Noble Mage Behind The Scenes
Chapter 121 Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

Chapter 121: Chapter 121 Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust

The bottom of this sunless valley is often a gathering place for negative energy.

Added to that, a massacre had occurred here before, so the Last Dragon Descendant wouldn’t be surprised even if undead creatures sprang forth now.

As he continued to move forward, the Elf keenly noticed that on the valley’s rock walls there were traces distinctly newer compared to the surroundings.

There were cracks from magic explosions, indentations as if struck by immense force, and also deep, slender sword marks.

The intelligence had mentioned that not all members of the Heavy Sword Mercenary Group had died in their sleep from poisoning.

The marks on the valley walls were likely left by the mercenaries who had not been completely poisoned, desperately resisting.

After a quick inspection of these marks, the Last Dragon Descendant became more spirited and consequently more cautious in his actions.

Continuing further in his exploration, when the Elf circled around a pile of collapsed boulders, what he had been searching for finally appeared before his eyes.

A ruined camp, extinguished campfires, scattered chariots, dead pack animals...

And, skeletons strewn all over—

Moreover, the area was full of traces left by Magic Beasts.

During this time, it seemed that quite a few brazen Magic Beasts had treated this place as a heaven-sent free cafeteria.

Seeing this scene, the Last Dragon Descendant paused vigilantly, taking the Moon Staff of Noy from his back into his hands.

At the same time, the Magic Book tied to the Elf’s waist rose up on its own, floating beside him, ready to cast a spell at any moment.

After carefully guarding against any possible ambushes around him, for now, there were no movements.

The Elf cautiously raised his magic wand, selecting a skill with his mind, and the system automatically chanted the spell for him.

"[Detect Undead Creatures]—"

Invisible ripples spread in a spherical shape from the tip of the staff, sweeping across nearly a hundred meters of the valley in front of the Elf and enveloping the entire camp.

However, in the Elf’s vision, no skeletons were highlighted.

Not yet transformed, perhaps?

Or could it be due to some other reason?

Nonetheless, the absence of undead creatures offered the Last Dragon Descendant a slight relief.

Approaching the skeletons cautiously, the task information on the panel unsurprisingly refreshed.

[System Prompt: ’Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust’ task completed, you have gained 100,000 Experience Value]

Compared to other rewards in the task chain, this final reward was almost negligible.

However, the Elf’s purpose in coming here was not for this reward to begin with.

Due to the constraints of his Professional Player identity, few knew that he was actually a lore enthusiast.

Wandering through the desolate wrecked camp, the Elf cast Mage’s Hand, meticulously searching and turning over the numerous corpses on the ground.

Since the incident happened at midnight, in complete darkness, and the attackers left in a hurry,

Most of the valuables on these bodies remained intact, which significantly increased the experience bar for the Elf’s searching skills.

Out of habit, the Elf took away all things of value.

Although at this point of impending server shutdown, this seemed to be of little use.

.........

In the end, on the chest of one of the dead, the Last Dragon Descendant found a familiar Black Iron Necklace.

This person was curled up, seemingly having experienced intense pain before death, and beside him, there was a very clear trail left by beast drags.

But on the contrary, his hand was still tightly clutching the pendant at his chest. Even though his body was already nibbled away by half, there was no sign of loosening.

The elf squatted down and pried open his fingers with a one-handed sword, picking out a slightly deformed heart-shaped pendant.

Inside the pendant was another Magic Shadow Photo that looked familiar.

A young mercenary with shining brown hair and armor tenderly embraced a blonde girl in a white dress, his smile slightly shy.

After a brief look, the Last Dragon Descendant left the pendant in the hands of the deceased. Then he took out a few bloodstained letters and another string of Black Iron Necklaces, gently placing them on the chest of the deceased.

Finally, looking at the brilliantly smiling blonde girl in the necklace, the elf fell silent for a moment and softly spoke.

"With this, the task is completed——"

Slowly standing up, the Last Dragon Descendant waved the strange magic wand in his hand.

The ground opened up before him, burying the body and the two necklaces with it, leaving only a small mound on the spot.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, soul with soul——

What the elf did not notice was that, as his voice just fell, a very faint radiance flashed over the surface of the Black Iron Pendant on the corpse.

.....

Mercenaries who die on the battlefield don’t need tombstones.

No one knows their names from their lives, what they had experienced, nor is anyone interested in that.

After handling the necklace of his client, the Last Dragon Descendant took a step back and took a final glance at the valley that buried the Heavy Sword Mercenary Group.

As a mercenary ’hired’ to this place, the elf felt that he should do something for them.

Following an unwritten custom among mercenaries, he picked up several greyish white rocks from the ground. On one side of the camp ruins, he stacked them from large to small, forming a low stone tower.

Then, he took the tattered flag of the Heavy Sword Mercenary Group and placed it under the topmost stone.

This was a symbol of the God of the North Wind, Karaste, a deity widely believed in by mercenaries, representing the stairway for souls.

The living mercenaries hope that through such stone towers, the souls of those who died in battle can return to the eternal realm of the gods and find final comfort and rest.

After thinking for a while, the Last Dragon Descendant went back to the forest meadow, gathered a bouquet of white, strange wildflowers, and laid them in front of the stone tower.

Afterward, he stood solemnly facing the stone tower, right fist clenched, gently tapping three times on the armor over his chest, performing a common courtesy among mercenaries.

The mountain wind howled, and the torn and tattered flag fluttered slightly in the wind, as if telling tales of times past.

Gazing at the waving crimson flag, the Last Dragon Descendant’s expression became slightly absent-minded.

Does every story, ultimately, come to an end...?

.....

"It’s unbelievable, this world... is actually just a game."

Coming back to his senses, the elf smiled in realization, and then left without a slightest hint of reluctance.

Floating before him was a panel as clear as crystal, and the remaining time for the game beta test had begun its countdown.

"Farewell... No! See you in seven days, Unival——"

There seemed to be a white light sparkling in the distance.

The small silhouette gradually faded in that light, only a murmuring whisper seemingly left drifting in the wind.

"Perhaps, I could try creating an NPC Protection Association..."

And then, the light faded, and the echo settled.

By the simple pile of stones, only a few white wildflowers remained, swaying gently in the wind——