Upon hearing those words, both Leon and Rosvisser couldnât help but straighten up in solemn respect.
Of course, the respect wasnât because Dimo claimed they were descendants of Zeus. It was because, finally, theyâd come across a race whose origins actually aligned with the notes from their father-in-law.
Noa and Xiaoxue sat beside, listening just as attentively.
"We of the Golden Thunder Clan are one of the oldest races on the Samael Continent.
We were born upon this land after the Dragon God Tiamat ended the invasion of chaos."
"But unlike you dragons, the god we revere is not the Dragon God, but rather the Elemental God, Zeus."
"He laid the pragmatic foundation for todayâs entire magical system, and it was Zeus who spread the five fundamental elements across the world."
"Itâs no exaggeration to say that without Zeus, there would be no glorious and radiant age of magic on the Samael Continent today."
Although the High Priestâs speech made him sound like a diehard, brainwashed fanatic of Zeus, he wasnât actually wrong.
The current magical systems, branches, and everything else all traced back to Zeusâthat much was indisputable.
Of course, the primordial gods all had their domains, and every god contributed enormously to the birth and development of Samael.
As for who to worship and who to exalt, that was up to each race to decide.
Leon and Rosvisser had always taken a strictly objective stance when it came to viewing the gods.
"Weâve heard tales of the primordial gods during our travels across the continent,"
Leon said. "But most people say that all of them, including Zeus, have already perished. Could you tell us the full story?"
Dimo nodded, not putting on any airs as he patiently began,
"The fall of the gods was inevitable. For the long-term development of all life on Samael,
they selflessly gave their lives and power."
"But perhaps due to some ancient and mysterious danger, the godsâbefore their deathsâused the last of their power to forge relics unique to each of them.
These relics still remain hidden in corners of the Samael Continent to this day."
That ancient and mysterious danger Dimo mentionedâLeon guessedâwas the Void Gate.
That chaotic sub-dimension⊠Even Tiamat and the other primordial gods must have sensed that some entity beyond the world was beginning to stir.
So from that time on, they had begun using their own divine power to suppress the Void Gate, to prevent the enemyâs invasion.
But at the same time, the fledgling Samael needed nourishment and blessing from the gods as well.
They couldnât do both, and so they chose to sacrifice themselves to pave the path forward for all life on Samael.
At the same time, they left behind saints, idols, Gungnir, the Elemental Cores, and the Five Spirit Crownsârelics that would continue to suppress the Void Gate.
And yet, over the course of tens of thousands of years, those relics had turned into weapons fought over by the various races.
Which had led to the gradual weakening of the seal on the Void Gate.
And that, in turn, had prompted Vida and Ceciliaâs party to embark on their centuries-long journey to seek out those items.
Leon had already learned much of this background and intelligence from Vida.
But given that their current identities were "travelers wandering the continent," they had no choice but to keep up the act.
"Ancient and mysterious danger� What exactly was it?"
Dimo shook his head. â NĐŸvĐ”lŃgÒ»Ń â (Continue reading) "That, Iâm not too sure about."
After a pause, he added, "But I do know a thing or two about those divine relics."
Hearing that, Leonâs eyes lit up, and he glanced sideways at Rosvisser.
The queen gave the faintest of nods.
It seemed theyâd finally found the right person.
At least the general direction wasnât wrong.
Until now, they had scoured all the evil god races across Samael, and not a single one had any connection whatsoever to the divine relics.
But this Golden Thunder Clan not only claimed to be descendants of Zeusâ
They even openly admitted to knowing about the relics.
It was proof that Leon and Rosvisserâs persistence had finally paid off.
"We would be honored if the High Priest could tell us more about these⊠divine relics."
Determined to fully commit to the role, Leon instantly pulled out a notebook and fountain pen, putting on the perfect impression of an attentive student.
And that little move of his greatly stimulated the old priestâs desire to talk. Dimo sipped a mouthful of tea, clearly ready to ramble.
"Speaking of divine relics, Mr. Leon, youâve heard of the five elemental magic elements, havenât you?"
"Hmm⊠a little here and there, yes." Leon replied.
"Before he fell, the Elemental God Zeus used up all his strength to forge a crown, and embedded within it were five crystalsâeach one representing one of the five basic elements."
Dimo said, "But with the passage of time, the crown itself and those five crystals became scattered across Samael. To gather them again would be nigh impossible."
"We of the Golden Thunder Clan, as Zeusâs descendants, have only ever managed to recover a single crystal."
At that, the four members of the Leon household couldnât help showing visible excitement.
Now thisâthis wasnât something they had speculatedâthis was the High Priest himself saying it:
The Golden Thunder Clan had one of the Elemental Cores!
The couple exchanged a glance, and Leon quickly suppressed the excitement in his heart, keeping up his curious-student act as he asked,
"What does the crystal look like? Which of the five elements does it represent?"
"There are records in the ancient texts. The crystal we recovered is said to be the most unique among the five."
Dimo said,
"It possesses an exceptionally high degree of malleability and capacity.
Many of our ancient scholars even believed it might be the condensed source of Zeusâs very life essence."
The prestige kept rising.
And in Leonâs heart, a quiet calculation was already underway:
So far, their side had recovered four crystalsâ
Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire.
That meant the only one left was the Thunder Spirit Core.
So this incredibly hyped-up unique crystal Dimo spoke of was...
the Thunder Spirit Core?
"Back to your earlier question, Mr. Leonâthis crystal represents one of the five basic elements..."
"Thunder."
As expected!
It was the Thunder Spirit Core!
But aside from the joy, Leon still didnât quite understand one thingâ
"High Priest, your earlier explanation was a little too brief for us to fully grasp.
What exactly makes this Thunder Spirit Core so special?
What do you mean by malleability and capacity?"
Thankfully, this was just as Dimo had said. The difference lay in their knowledge base. Until now, they had always thought the five cores merely represented different elements, but were equal in power.
They hadnât expected the Golden Thunder Clan to have another interpretation entirely.
"In the legends surrounding Zeus, have you ever heard
that aside from being the Elemental God, he also had another title?" Dimo asked.
"You might want to ask Rosvisser about that one."
The queen answered softly,
"In many texts and historical records, Zeus was known as âthe God who Wields Lightningâ. Is that what makes the Thunder Core so special?"
That titleââGod who Wields LightningââRosvisser had brought up before in her discussions with Leon.
But back then, mortals hadnât paid it much mind, and so everyone had focused on the Elemental God designation.
Now that Dimo mentioned it, it opened up a new line of thinking.
Dimo gently shook his head. "Not just that. Legends donât arise from nothing, Lady Rosvisser."
"He was the High Priest of Resonance."
"Zeus was indeed the god who governed the five elements, but among those five, Thunder alone was special."
Dimo continued, "It wasnât that the god favored one over the othersâitâs that Thunder truly possessed abilities no other element could match.
When crafting the crown, Zeus dug into shattered earth to obtain raw materials, shaped them with fine wind blades, fused them in blazing fire, and quenched the flames with spiritual waterâ
He repeated this process countless times, but every attempt ended in failure.
But by then, Zeusâs life was already nearing its end. Before he could completely dissipate,
he had to create a vessel that could inherit his power.
So, when the four elements couldnât shape the crown, Zeus⊠created a fifth element that had never existed beforeâThunder.
He used Zeusâs hope, Zeusâs life as its foundation, carrying the will of a god.
Hidden and dazzling, the crown appeared amid thunder and lightning. The roar of thunder
sounded like applause celebrating the birth of a new king.
That is the uniqueness of Thunderâfrom the look on your faces, I take it this tale of the âorigin of the elementsâ caught you by surprise.
Anything with mythic origins is bound to be a little shocking. Thatâs hardly unusual.
Itâs just that General Casmod never expectedâafter playing with lightning magic for over thirty yearsâto learn it had such a prestigious origin.
Great. Now youâve got something to show off to a certain fire-magic-wielding Silver Dragon Queenâ
Victory!
Well then, letâs talk about something more tangible."
Dimo continued, "Think back. Havenât all the people around you who specialize in Thunder magic been extraordinary, each with their own rare talent?"
At that, Leon and Rosvisser suddenly realized it was trueâamong the people they knew, those who were skilled in Thunder magic did indeed stand out.
Leonâs teacher, Tigerâthough the old man was now retired and peacefully living in the Sea Dragon Sanctuary, in his youth, heâd been one of the top Thunder dragons, his strength undeniable;
Noaâs teacher, Mevisâbefore being possessed by future Noa, had already become captain of the Black Hole Dragon Clanâs guard at a young age. If her talent hadnât been high to begin with, she would never have grown to her current level even with three decades of possession;
And then there was Noa herself. Her talent didnât need to be said. Her hard work was immeasurable, and the little one had endless potential. With so many fortuitous encounters at such a young age, sheâd be the protagonist in any other novel.
And finally, Leon Casmod.
No matter how many times the Samael version was patched, Brother Leon would always be Brother Leon.
"Now then, you should better understand the uniqueness of Thunderâand the Thunder Core it represents, yes?"
With that, the High Priest leaned back strategically, fingers interlaced over his stomach, a faintly smug smile on his face.
"Indeed⊠Then may I ask, High Priest, could we take a look at this crystal representing the Thunder element?
After hearing all that, youâve got to show us something real, donât you think?"
But suddenly, the smile on Dimoâs face froze. He slowly straightened his posture again.
"About that⊠Iâm afraid I must apologize. Around thirty years ago, the crystal was stolen by a traitor of our clan⊠and thereâs been no trace of it since."