The boy's small dilemma made Simon quite uneasy.
So he secretly went to Markarth, and in a tavern, he inquired about Jonas's mother. This noblewoman, with her extremely high artistic accomplishments, was reportedly sent to Solitude to be a musician in the Blue Palace. There were also rumors that she was kidnapped by bandits on the way and was now roaming the Butadan region. However, the latter was clearly the baseless fabrication of jealous individuals and not worth believing, while the former claim had evidence.
Jonas's mother, Shifran Fuyar, was bought by the Silver-Blood family, and the Silver-Blood family was the power in The Reach. This could be seen from Markarth's alias alone—a city flowing with silver and blood. Doesn't that imply that the Silver-Blood family are the true rulers?
After using illusion magic to bewitch a member of the Silver-Blood family, Simon confirmed the truth of this news. Shifran was just a small part of a trivial bribe. The Silver-Blood family needed the support of the High King to expand their trade routes. Such a generous bribe was also a signal of peace, as the rebellion in The Reach during the Great War was still a huge stain.
After confirming Shifran's safety, Simon no longer paid attention to it, as the adventure had just begun.
Darkfall Cave was indeed dark. It had already left a deep impression on Simon in the game, and now entering it truly brought back some unpleasant memories.
Sure enough, the darkness was as thick and unyielding as a physical entity, capable of drowning a person, making it impossible to breathe. Some passages were extremely narrow, so much so that a Troll could not pass through. This discovery made Simon quite melancholic, and the hard rock walls were shattered and cracked by his angry punches.
There were few signs of human activity here. After walking a stretch, one had to jump into an underground river, drifting with the current to the deeper caves, and then face hundreds of Frostbite Spiders. After much winding, climbing, and descending, everyone was quite disheveled, finally reaching their destination—Auriel's Sanctuary.
Auriel is Auriel, the ancestor of the Elves, the beginning of time.
A Snow Elf in white armor was wandering by the ruined Sanctuary. He was tall, with gleaming white hair and skin, looking quite sickly, yet his physique was robust, his eyes powerful, and his demeanor peaceful, inspiring goodwill.
"Welcome, everyone, to the great Sanctuary of Auriel. I am Paladin Geleb."
Serana exclaimed in surprise, "You are a Falmer?"
"No, relatively speaking, I prefer to call myself a Snow Elf. The term Falmer is too negative. These twisted creatures called Falmer, I call them traitors."
Simon apologized to Geleb and then asked, "May I ask if you can help us find Auriel's Bow?"
"Oh, when I saw you, I had a special premonition that you are the right person. Of course, I will help, but all I can do is provide guidance. Ultimately, whether you can gain the Lord's approval still requires your own efforts."
"What do we need to do?"
"I want you to kill my brother, Arch-Curate Visul."
Serana made a knowing sound, "Ah, fratricide, an interesting drama."
"No, it's not as simple as you think."
"It doesn't matter. The outcome is either one dies, or all die. Is there a difference?"
Serana's sharp tongue sometimes saved a lot of time. Geleb was momentarily annoyed and then gave up explaining his motive for fratricide, instead beginning to describe the method and route to the Inner Sanctuary—the Grand Chantry.
"Please wait a moment. Let me open the altar. This might be more intuitive."
Geleb walked towards a spherical dome in the pool. This was the altar. Light from an opening in the cave ceiling projected onto the dome, where a gleaming brass sun effigy was mounted. The main body of the altar was submerged underground. Geleb cast a lost Snow Elf spell, and the effigy began to glow. After a tremor, the Wayshrine slowly rose.
Jonas and Dilo once again let out an astonished gasp, "Wow."
It was a hexagonal, grayish-white stone pavilion, with one side as a door and the others as walls. Inside the pavilion, there was only a stone basin. Other than that, there were no intricate decorative sculptures, making it very simple.
"This is the Wayshrine, used for meditation and to convey the Revelation of the Sanctuary. Once a worshipper finishes praying, they immerse the Ceremonial Urn into the basin and then proceed to the next Wayshrine, repeating this until the enlightenment ritual is complete."
Serana shrugged, "Very well. Worshippers have to drag a large urn of water everywhere. So, how long does the prayer take?"
"It depends on the individual. After completing the enlightenment ritual, the worshipper can go to the Inner Sanctuary and pour the water from the urn into the Holy Basin of the Temple, and the gate will open for him."
"To painstakingly collect water, only to pour it out in the end—what a lot of wasted effort. And then we still have to kill your brother to finally get Auriel's Bow? That's simply wonderful." Serana's tone was calm, and her expression was also calm, giving the illusion that she was speaking truthfully, but in reality, it was just her usual complaining and sarcasm.
Geleb's face was stern, "These have symbolic meaning! You just don't understand. Of course, to you outsiders, it sounds a bit strange, but this is the only way. There are five Wayshrines in total, each very far apart, and you must pass through the ritual to reach them. The first is deep within Darkfall Passage, a place of unenlightened barbarism. Come, take the urn, and let's go."
Simon scooped up the shallow pure water from the basin with the urn. The rectangular wall directly opposite the opening suddenly transformed into a portal, like a tranquil water surface, through which a glimpse of a dark and purple-lit wondrous world was revealed.
"Come, let's go in."
…
Jonas and Dilo traversed Darkfall Passage. It was only then that the boy realized he had been betrayed by Dilo.
The Troll and the Vampire had already carried the urn deep into the passage, leaving the two novices to struggle behind.
"Be careful, don't die here." Simon's sinister smile sent shivers down Jonas's spine.
Darkfall Passage, long isolated from the world, had evolved a completely new ecosystem. Fluorescent creatures were the main light source. Besides the usual glowing fungi, there was also a peculiar creature that emitted purple light. It looked neither like a fungus nor a plant, and it showed a clear stress response; once other animals approached, its glowing top part would retract into a hard capsule, and the sparse light would instantly disappear.
Simon led Serana, carrying Serana's old father Harkon, and hurried along, passing through many Falmer gathering areas. These disgusting creatures had a strong hatred for the living, immediately engaging in a desperate fight upon sight, fearless of death, besieging the Troll along with a large number of Nest Moths.
At such times, Simon would unleash a Breath of Fire, and whether these things lived or died was entirely up to fate.
With him clearing the way, the danger left for Jonas and Dilo was minimal.
As they delved deeper into the passage, various strange flora and fauna also appeared: glowing saber cats and deer, peculiar plants, and tall, glowing fungi that resembled jellyfish.
Serana repeatedly marveled at the strange scenery, and even Harkon sighed softly.
"Now I somewhat believe the prophecy is a conspiracy."
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