Hearing this little tidbit of information made the Dragonborn boy's curiosity spark, but he quickly suppressed it in lieu of more important matters. Straightening his clothes, Luca bowed politely to the High Elf Queen, "Your Majesty Queen Nesine, it is an honour to make your acquaintance." At his side, Arcturus gave the same respectful bow of his head as he had during the reception with the Valarian King.
"Rise, child. It's also an honour for me to meet a newly awakened Dragonborn and a young Dragon Clansman." Nesine smiled slightly at the boy's well-experienced noble bow, noting the lack of nerves in his eyes as she'd expected. "I'm sure you understand why Arthur called you back into his study."
"Yes, Your Majesty. My wholehearted request to have the Dreamwalker reveal my memories stems entirely from my desire to complete my mission to the best of my abilities. If the information I provide as compensation is not enough, I can reveal more until you are satisfied." Luca said this with absolute certainty, as he had learned numerous secrets, studied countless ruins and texts and assisted in changing Andor's fate over the course of the 30-some in-game years.
Nesine shook her head ever so slightly, "You should know that we High Elves are innately attuned to mana, which is greatly influenced by the heart and mind. As such, we are gifted at reading mana and its emotions, even through a magical tool." She tapped her fingers lightly on her chair, "If not for the sensation of honesty I saw within your mana, I would not consider continuing this conversation."
Luca understood this and bowed once again, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I have one question, though. Why did you choose the Hylaneas expedition's information as the payment, if you know so many?" This was perhaps one of the questions that tugged at her mind, ever since she heard the offer from Arthur.
"I'm sure Your Majesty is aware of the identities of each and every member of the expedition, correct?" After being given a gesture of continuation, he said, "Aside from the artifact, which I will refrain from describing without your permission, the expedition leader, Tamren Darai, has an identity that I'm certain was not listed in your ancestor's journal. His full name is Tamren Darai-Llahalor, the son of High Druid Fennar Darai and Norani Llahalor. In other words, Tamren is the son of the Dreamwalker, the Mage of Dreams, Norani Llahalor."
For the two High Elves, this sudden revelation caused different reactions. Nesine's mostly controlled facial expressions warped into pure shock, mouth open slightly and all. Athrahel, on the other hand, lost any focus he had on keeping the Contact Glass running and nearly caused it to fall and smash into the ground. If not for Arthur barking loudly to bring them back to their senses, the conversation might have ended right there. After a moment of awkward recentering, Nesine gave a deep, unfathomable stare at Luca, "No wonder you put forth this information first. Even if I said no, our saintess would immediately make a move to find out herself... How did you learn of this?"
"In the future I experienced, I was given the opportunity to read a copy of Tamren's mission journal. While it never directly said it, it was mentioned here and there that he deferred to his mother's teachings on many things, was often asked on what his mother's opinions were on his decision to join the expedition, how much he took after his mother's attitude, and at least once mentioned her previous title of Mindbender, back during her wartime years. That title was a result of her spells that twisted reality and illusion, making the minds of her foes view their greatest fears and fall to them one by one, whether into death or into insanity. Aside from those who witnessed it and those who retold the story, that title wasn't listed as an official one, therefore it went unknown to most after some decades. Based on the journal entries, the evidence that Tamren was the Dreamwalker's son was almost conclusive. It wasn't until after the discovery of his journal, along with the bow his father personally made for him, that his mother personally confirmed the suspicions." Luca had already agreed to speak of everything he had to in order to gain their assistance. Therefore, he hid nothing from them. "As for his actual fate... while I know the answer, I will not say it now. It would be too cruel to let you all know but not tell her."
Nesine leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping the armrest again as she thought over Luca's words. "The more I think about your words, the more I understand why our saintess avoids speaking about her family. Her past is open if you ask, but she never speaks of family matters. If not for my ancestors' records, I wouldn't have even known that the Dreamwalker had been married before..." After closing her eyes to contemplate, she spoke without reopening them, "Aside from the expedition, is there any other information you can tell me now, without restrictions? This is not an order or a request, just an inquiry."
Luca nodded without blinking, "There are, yes. The lost inheritance of the Druid Saint Paiven Ertandil, the secret vaults of noble families and clans that perished in the Heroic Era... the Crypt of Lost Kings."
"The Crypt of Lost Kings!?" This time, Arthur interjected, slamming his hand down in astonishment. "That place exists? The true burial place of the first rulers of the Sage Era?"
"More than just them, Your Majesty. Much more than just them. I can't speak of its most important secrets, but there are more beings buried in there than just the first rulers of the Sage Era." He bit his lip momentarily before adding on, "Most of these figures, which I can say is more than 500 at the bare minimum, have an inheritance."
High Elf Queen Nesine sighed again, "The inheritance of the Druid Saint is already enough to move me to agree, let alone the legendary Crypt of Lost Kings. Adding on the information on our saintess' son... I legitimately can't conjure a reason to object." Recollecting herself, she regained her regal demeanour and stated, "On my name as the 93rd Sovereign of Cyelume, I accept your proposal. Aside from the information on the expedition team, any additional information will not be considered as payment but will be accepted in hopes of furthering our relationship. Arthur, considering this meeting was conducted in secret, we should proceed with discretion. Is your Sovereign Teleportation Array still functioning?" After getting an affirmative, she suggested that he bring Luca and Arcturus immediately following her message about the saintess's response. Unsurprisingly, Arthur agreed.