Translator: Noodletown Translations Editor: Noodletown Translations

Elf Queen Kellybel now understood that Sylvanas was only a fictional character in the mystical realm in World of Warcraft.

As the queen of a kingdom that valued freedom, Kellybel didn’t think that she needed to mind the business in a virtual world.

However, as a good leader, Kellybel needed to obtain a deeper understanding of the needs of the citizens in the Elf Kingdom under her leadership.

Meanwhile, she felt guilty that she only found out the key to the victory of the alliance army after the war at the Lianshan Principality.

Therefore, she decided to go and experience it in person.

– Meanwhile, in the Elder Hall where First Elder Hyru lived –

First Elder Hyru straightened his robe and was about to set off.

“First Elder.” Elf Queen Kellybel walked over and asked, “Can you do me a favor?”

“…” First Elder Hyru froze for a second. Remembering the previous incident, he felt guilty and said immediately, “I’ll do my best.”

“Wonderful!” Kellybel took out a big pile of parchment from her storage space and placed them on First Elder Hyru’s desk. “I have more important business to attend to. Thank you very much.”

Then, she left in a hurry.

First Elder Hyru who was ready to set off stared at the desk in a daze and then at the direction that the Elf Queen had taken.

He slumped onto his chair and murmured, “I…”

…

Having stayed in the Elf Royal Palace for a long time, Kellybel thought that her knowledge about the world was outdated.

After all, some things couldn’t be understood by merely reading intelligence reports.

Therefore, she felt it was necessary to know the world better, which was more important than dealing with the tedious documents and was an urgent business for her right now.

“Um… three days are enough.” Before she set off, she had made a good plan for her journey.

“But I can’t let them know about it…” Kellybel changed into exquisite body-fitting leather armor, took off her crown, and pulled her hair up in a neat ponytail. After holstering a long bow and a long sword, she changed her looks slightly with some spells and turned into a heroic-looking elf rogue.

…

Although saint-level masters were rare, this continent was vast with a large population, which meant that the number of saint-level masters was not as little as one might imagine.

After pushing open the door and entering the shop, Kellybel looked around and spotted a few saint-level masters. “Isn’t that St. Wilson…? The Nation-Protecting Sword Saint?”

“Isn’t that St. Leidon from Lianshan Principality…?”

The stout middle-aged man looked elated while he made a list. “Sir, I want these ten games including all of the Dark Souls series.”

“Please activate Dark Souls 3 for me.”

Mr. Fang was busy selling membership cards and activating the new game when a tall and slim female elf walked up. “My name’s Kelly, an elf rogue. Please activate Dark Souls 3 for me too.”

This elf… I didn’t ask your name. How come you sound as if you are afraid that I would mistake you for someone else?

“A new elf?” Mr. Fang took her money and activated the game for her with a puzzled expression.

Kellybel came just in time. It was early morning, and many players of the Jiuhua City Shop, Half City Shop, and Yuanyang City Shop had just begun to try this game.

Accompanied by a hymn-like song, the dark scene before the players looked extremely mysterious and weird. The deep bell toll added an explicable heaviness to the scene.

“Yes, indeed. It is called Lothric.”

“Where the transitory lands of the Lords of Cinder converge.”

“In venturing north, the pilgrims discover the truth of the old words: ‘The fire fades and the lords go without thrones.’ When the link of the fire is threatened, the bell tolls, unearthing the old Lords of Cinders from their graves.”

Even though they didn’t know what the old words were about, the players sensed that this was the beginning of a desolate and weird world where all lifeforms were being born from the simple introduction in the opening cinematics. They could tell that it was totally different from any world they had known about.

One after another, the ancient Lords of Cinder crawled out from their coffins, and big puddles of black wet mud oozed from its decrepit coffin.

“Aldrich, Saint of the Deep.”

In a ruined tomb covered by mist, tall and thin knights wearing unique helmets with sharp horns slowly stood up while leaning on their huge swords.

“Farron’s Undead Legion, the Abyss Watchers.”

The ground quaked violently as a mountain-like figure sat up from an extremely huge stone coffin. Under the hooded chain mail that the giant wore on his head, there was a deep black hole on his face, and a hoarse roar came out from the black hole with a destructive storm.

“And the reclusive lord of the Profaned Capital, Yhorm the Giant.”

“What’s this…?!” This scene had gone beyond every player’s understanding of the world as they saw nothing but destruction and ruins. Even the kings and saints in this world were nightmarish existences.

Elf Queen Kellybel and the other saint-level masters shivered uncontrollably at this scene, wondering, What kind of world is this?

The elves, knights, and some saint-level masters who were watching the opening cinematics put down their virtual reality headsets subconsciously. Looking around, they saw the same grimness and horror on each other’s faces.

“Only, in truth… the Lords will abandon their thrones…” the ancient voice on the screen continued.

“And the Unkindled will rise. Nameless, accursed Undead, unfit even to be cinder. And so it is, that ash seeketh embers.”

After choosing one’s class, the bell tolled. The players controlled their own characters and climbed out of the unnamed ancient stone coffins in a bleak graveyard.

The stone coffins and tablets that were randomly scattered on the ground and the grey lifeless valley filled with grey mist made the world look like a nightmare.

If it was a myth and a legend, then it only existed in a world of nightmares.

It looked even wierder and creepier than a nightmare.

It was the opposite of the beautiful and prosperous land that the players knew about. It was full of darkness and despair, waiting for destruction.

“Undead…?” No, they were not undead since the deep sleep after death was a luxury for them.

They were the nameless, accursed unkindled that were unfit to be Lords of Cinder. After they died, they couldn’t obtain a peaceful deep sleep. Instead, they were resurrected near the fire and continued to die again and again in this nightmarish world until their spirit collapsed and they became hollow corpses without consciousness.

“How come there is such a strange world…” At this moment, Su Tianji had turned on her livestream. With a horrified expression, she controlled her character to walk out cautiously. “This looks scary… I’ll try playing it for a while…”