Mystic Calling：Stone of Glory-Chapter 103: The mysterious Lost Realms…

Outside Emerald Castle, Ethan gazed thoughtfully toward the direction of the Gleaming Forest, his eyes flickering with contemplation.

Standing about half a step behind him were Seraphina and Cicero, both in their human forms. They stood respectfully, flanking Ethan on either side without saying a word.

Besides them, Eldorin was also present.

At this moment, Eldorin wasn’t as panicked or trembling as he’d been earlier in the meeting room, but he still appeared restless and uneasy, unable to fully calm himself.

But that was understandable.

Firstly, compared to Seraphina and Cicero—two Crimson Ultimate heroes—Eldorin, despite being an Orange Legendary hero himself, was still just a "little brother" in comparison. He didn’t carry nearly as much weight.

Secondly, this was Eldorin’s first time accompanying Ethan into battle since pledging his allegiance to Emerald Castle. The significance of this first outing was huge—it was his chance to prove his worth and impress his new lord.

Yet, accompanying them were two Crimson Ultimate heroes!

Two Crimson Ultimates!

Trying to stand out and demonstrate his value in front of them was incredibly difficult, and it put immense pressure on him.

Ethan noticed Eldorin’s nervousness but pretended not to see it, choosing to remain silent.

This was Eldorin’s debut after joining him. Not only did Eldorin need to prove himself, but Ethan also needed to observe Eldorin’s true capabilities firsthand.

It was mutual.

As for pressure—well, everyone had it. But in Ethan’s eyes, a truly capable hero, someone who could stand on their own, must have the ability to overcome pressure independently.

Therefore, Ethan was willing to wait, giving Eldorin enough time to handle his anxiety.

But he would never actively step in to help.

Because if he did, Eldorin’s standing in Ethan’s eyes would immediately drop by a significant margin. Ethan understood this clearly, and he was sure Eldorin understood it too.

So even though Eldorin felt immense pressure, he never once considered backing down. After all, as an Orange Legendary hero and a proud Treant, Eldorin had his own pride to uphold.

He could be nervous,

but he absolutely couldn’t fail!

"My Lord!"

A short while later, Elynn appeared at the gates of Emerald Castle, quickly approaching Ethan. "Your troops are ready. We have two Tier-12 Wyvern Monarchs, five Tier-11 Unicorns, ten Tier-10 Elven Pegasus Knights, twenty Tier-10 Ancient Treant Soldiers, plus a large number of lower-tier units—Tier-2 Centaur warriors, Tier-4 Battle Dwarves, and so on."

"Hand them all over," Ethan smiled, quickly transferring all the troops from Elynn.

He wasn’t bringing many troops this time—at least not in terms of high-tier units.

Aside from the Tier-12 Wyvern Monarchs, he’d left all other Tier-12 units—Cyclops Kings, Naga Queens—back at Emerald Castle, just in case.

He also hadn’t brought along other powerful units like Thunderbirds or Mighty Gorgons, the Tier-10 and Tier-9 troops. Instead, he’d chosen to bring along the twenty newly recruited Tier-10 Ancient Treant Soldiers, which he’d just spent a fortune on.

It wasn’t favoritism.

It was simply because the forest was the home turf of Forest-aligned troops, who excelled in woodland combat!

Aside from the Wyvern Monarchs, all the other troops—whether the Tier-11 Unicorns or the Tier-10 Elven Pegasus Knights and Ancient Treant Soldiers—were Forest-aligned units.

For them, the forest was practically home turf, allowing them to move swiftly and freely. Bringing them along was clearly the best choice.

Of course, if Ethan was being honest, these troops were mostly just there as camouflage and support.

The real heavy hitters for this mission—the ones who would truly explore and uncover the secrets of The Lost Realms—were undoubtedly Seraphina and Cicero, the two Crimson Ultimates!

Even Eldorin, despite being an Orange Legendary hero himself, wasn’t actually that crucial this time around. His combat strength wouldn’t make much difference compared to theirs.

"Alright, Elynn, you can head back now," Ethan said, nodding to Elynn after receiving the troops. He then turned around and called out, "Seraphina, Cicero, Eldorin—let’s move out!"

"Yes, my lord..." Elynn bowed respectfully, remaining in place as if to see Ethan off.

"Roar!"

Seraphina immediately transformed into her massive dragon form, lowering herself slightly. "Master, climb aboard."

As Ethan climbed onto Seraphina’s back, he paused thoughtfully, then suddenly spoke up, "Seraphina, Cicero—remember to disguise yourselves later."

"Disguise?" Cicero blinked, momentarily confused. "Master, you mean pretend to be ordinary Green Dragons to make the enemy underestimate us?"

"Exactly," Ethan nodded with a grin. "With your current strength, even if we run into three or five Mythic Units, you two could handle them easily. If our enemies realize your true power, they might just run away. Of course, if they do flee, it probably means they’re not much of a threat anyway."

"But still, leaving rats hiding in the shadows doesn’t sit well with me. Besides, they could become a real problem later. Even the strongest fortress can crumble from a tiny crack—we can’t afford to be careless!"

"Master, your wisdom truly inspires admiration," Cicero said with a teasing grin.

"Alright, enough with the flattery," Ethan chuckled helplessly. "Honestly, if you weren’t so lazy, you’d probably be way more reliable than me."

He turned his head toward Eldorin. "Eldorin, you’ll be in charge of exploring The Lost Realms from here on out. Seraphina and Cicero will temporarily be under your command as well. Any objections?"

"Wait—you’re putting Princess Seraphina and Prince Cicero under my command?" Eldorin stammered, visibly shaken.

He nearly blurted out a refusal on the spot. How could he, a mere orange-tier Legendary hero, dare command two Crimson Ultimates? But Ethan’s tone left no room for argument, stripping away any courage Eldorin had to refuse.

Taking a deep breath, Eldorin clenched his teeth and nodded. "As you wish, my lord!"

"Alright, let’s move out!" Ethan called cheerfully, climbing onto Seraphina’s back. "Next stop, Gleaming Forest!"

...

Just as Elynn had predicted earlier, Gleaming Forest was absolutely massive. Ethan had thought the Suffocating Swamp Forest was already pretty big, but compared to Gleaming Forest, it was practically nothing—like comparing a pond to an ocean.

Even more importantly, the crystal resource points scattered throughout Gleaming Forest were genuinely staggering.

"My lord, we’ve discovered another small crystal resource point ahead. I’ve already secured it," Eldorin reported from somewhere within Gleaming Forest.

"Another one?" Ethan’s mouth twitched slightly. He was happy, sure, but at this point, he was almost numb to it.

They hadn’t even searched thoroughly, yet they’d already stumbled upon seven crystal resource points along the way. Counting this new one, that made eight. Granted, most were small, with only one medium-sized and no large ones yet—but hey, every little bit counts!

Once accumulated, these small finds would add up to a pretty impressive haul.

"My lord, we’re still just on the outskirts of Gleaming Forest," Eldorin explained. "If we head deeper into the core region, we’ll find even more crystal resource points. And if memory serves, there are two large crystal resource points near the core area."

"Large resource points?" Ethan’s eyes lit up immediately. Small points yielded seven units every seven days, but large ones produced two or three units daily. It was the difference between a puddle and an ocean!

"What are we waiting for, then? Let’s keep moving!" Ethan waved his hand enthusiastically, leading the group deeper into the forest.

After traveling for half a day, they finally arrived at the entrance of a low, inconspicuous canyon hidden deep within Gleaming Forest.

"So, this is it?" Ethan murmured, standing atop Seraphina’s back and gazing into the canyon, where the outline of massive ruins loomed faintly in the distance. "The mysterious Lost Realms..."

"Yes, my lord, this is the place," Eldorin replied, his expression growing complicated. "Please wait here for a moment. I’ll go in first and check for any dangers."

At Eldorin’s words, Seraphina beneath Ethan nodded approvingly.

"Alright, Eldorin. Take Cicero with you," Ethan decided after a brief pause.

Cicero was sharp-minded and strong enough to handle any surprises. Sending him along would ensure the area’s safety was thoroughly assessed.

Soon enough, Eldorin and Cicero returned from their scouting mission.

"My lord, there’s no danger inside at all," Eldorin said incredulously. "It’s like everyone just vanished into thin air."

"Vanished?" Ethan frowned slightly, turning to Cicero for confirmation.

Cicero paused thoughtfully, then used magic to speak privately to Ethan. "I didn’t find anything suspicious either, but there were definitely signs of Red Dragons having been here. They’re gone now, though."

"Alright, let’s head inside and take a look," Ethan said. Although he found it strange, he didn’t dwell on it too much and stepped directly into the ruins of The Lost Realms.

Meanwhile, shortly after Ethan and his group entered the ruins, a graceful figure with pointed ears appeared silently atop a massive tree deep within the dense forest.

Standing lightly on a thick branch, she gazed toward the spot Ethan and his companions had occupied moments ago, her brows knitted tightly in thought. "So they’ve finally arrived—the faction with that Tier 13 Legendary Green Dragon..."

Beneath her, sprawled silently on the forest floor, lay a massive, grotesque Red Dragon. It lay utterly still, like a lifeless statue, its jaws tightly shut.

Not a single breath or movement came from it.

Even stranger, the dragon’s body was battered and torn, riddled with wounds as if it were a broken toy. There wasn’t a single patch of intact flesh left on its massive frame.

Its eyes, once fierce and commanding, now stared blankly ahead—empty, lifeless, and pale as death itself.

"Hmm?"

At the same moment, Cicero, who had just stepped into the ruins, suddenly let out a quiet gasp.

He quickly turned toward Ethan. "Master, I’ve found them."

"Where?" Ethan asked immediately, startled.

"Outside, near the spot we just entered from. I left a magical marker there earlier, and they haven’t noticed it yet," Cicero explained.

"Can you see who they are?" Ethan asked urgently.

"No," Cicero shook his head. "I didn’t leave a visual spell behind. It would’ve been too obvious and risked alerting them."

...