Chapter 718: The Croneswords
Ryo nodded, then calmly uttered a phrase. His voice was not loud, but it caused the atmosphere in the entire virtual quiet room to freeze instantly.
"The Croneswords. Or rather, the Blades of the Crone."
He paused and added clearly, "The divine weapons of the Eldar God of Death, which legend says are wielded by Ynnead's incarnate avatar, the Maiden of Death, and have been used to slay Greater Daemons. I know they are scattered among different Craftworlds or sects. Five swords... I need at least three."
"The Croneswords..."
This term, spoken in Ryo's calm tone, exploded in the quiet room like a silent thunderclap.
Eldrad's eternally unchanging, calm face, which seemed capable of accommodating the birth and death of stars, showed visible fluctuations for the first time.
The psychic light shrouding his projection flickered violently for a moment. In those eyes, profound as an ancient stellar abyss, flashed uncontrollable shock, disbelief, and even a trace of deep pain and struggle.
Elandir jerked her head up even more, her red eyes filled with astonishment. She subconsciously took a half-step forward but abruptly stopped herself, only looking at Ryo's back in disbelief.
To the Aeldari, the Croneswords were by no means as simple as ordinary legendary weapons or ancient relics.
They were divine creations directly related to the race's final hope, the God of Death, Ynnead.
In legend, when the final deity of the Eldar, the God of Death Ynnead, is ultimately born and gathers enough power to resist Slaanesh, one of his avatars, the Maiden of Death, will wield these blades to bring ultimate salvation or destruction to the Eldar.
Every Cronesword contained the unique power of the God of Death. They were the final spark of resistance entrusted to the mythic plane by the Eldar in their endless despair.
They were not only weapons but symbols, faith, and a part of the totem of the race's destiny.
Collecting them was in itself a taboo act by certain extremist Ynnead factions or Farseers attempting to accelerate Ynnead's birth.
And now, Ryo casually opened his mouth and asked for at least three!
This was tantamount to demanding the Eldar hand over a portion of the mythic symbols concerning the race's ultimate destiny as collateral or a pledge of allegiance.
Its significance far exceeded any material price or promise of personnel loyalty, pointing directly to the core of the Eldar spirit and faith.
Time in the quiet room seemed to freeze for several seconds.
There was only the faint hum of the psychic projection equipment and the pervasive spread of some invisible, taut pressure.
Eldrad slowly, extremely slowly, closed his eyes. When he opened them again, the turbulence in his eyes had been forcibly suppressed, replaced by a bottomless exhaustion and complex weighing of options.
He did not angrily rebuke or flatly refuse, for he knew that Ryo's demand was absolutely not a whim or purely to make things difficult.
"Honored Ryo..." Eldrad's voice was hoarser than before, as if he had aged significantly in an instant. "You... always manage to make unexpected demands. The Croneswords... you must know what they mean to the Aeldari."
"It is precisely because of their extraordinary significance that they can serve as a token of sufficient weight," Ryo's reply was calm to the point of cruelty. "Ordinary resources, technology, or even personnel loyalty might be weighed and sacrificed by you. But the handing over of sacred relics concerning the ultimate myth and the core of your faith is in itself the most profound gesture and binding. It means the determination to seek a new life overrides the attachment to the old mythical salvation. It means you are entrusting the symbols of a portion of your race's destiny upon the success of this cooperation."
He leaned forward slightly, his gaze piercing the projection as if tangible. "I need to see this determination, this burning the boats sincerity. This is not just a guarantee for me, but perhaps also a warning and anchor for the Eldar themselves. A reminder that a new path requires new sacrifices, and the future lies in the choices and cooperation of reality, not in distant, uncertain mythical prophecies."
Eldrad fell silent.
He could not refute Ryo's logic.
This demand was cruel and astute, striking right at the vital point.
Handing over the Croneswords, especially as many as three, would undoubtedly trigger unimaginable shock, division, and even fierce conflict within the Eldar.
Many sects and Farseers would view this as blasphemy and a betrayal of their faith in the God of Death, Ynnead.
This could even shake his own prestige in the hearts of some compatriots.
But on the flip side, was Ryo right?
Perhaps he was right. The Eldar had wallowed in prophecies and past myths for too long.
Ynnead's birth was in the unforeseeable future, and it was even doubtful whether he was the ultimate answer.
And right before their eyes, a concrete path to a clean universe, escaping immediate destruction, had appeared, even if it was in the hands of a human.
Was it wise to continue clinging to illusory mythical salvation while refusing to pay a sufficiently painful price for realistic survival?
This price was so painful that it required mortgaging a portion of the race's spiritual totem.
"I need time," Eldrad finally spoke, his voice carrying a heavy pressure. "This is not something Ulthwe can decide alone. The locations of the Croneswords are sometimes clear, sometimes merely legends. Acquiring them requires not only negotiation and trade, but perhaps even... facing fierce resistance from their current wielders, whether they are compatriots or other entities. This in itself could be a turmoil affecting multiple Craftworlds and corners of the Webway."
"I can wait," Ryo's tone softened a bit, but his goal remained clear. "But my time and patience are also limited. The construction and maintenance of the migration gateway require my resources and continuous investment. Until I receive a token that satisfies me, a large-scale, guaranteed Eldar migration plan cannot enter the substantive operational phase. Small-scale, experimental, advance transfers under my strict supervision might be considered at my discretion, but that is not a long-term solution."
He offered a way out, but also drew a red line.
Either pay the core price in exchange for a collective future, or they could only proceed in a piecemeal fashion, at his mercy.
Eldrad took a deep look at Ryo. That gaze was filled with complex emotions: helplessness, scrutiny, heavy anxiety for the race's future, and a trace of undeniable awe at Ryo's methods.
"I understand," the High Farseer said slowly. "I will do everything in my power to initiate the relevant... consultations and actions. But this process will inevitably be fraught with hardships and risks, and the outcome is difficult to predict. I hope that while our side exerts effort toward this end, you will keep the possibility of that door open."
"As long as your actions can prove your sincerity, the direction of the door will not change," Ryo gave a promise that wasn't quite a promise, still keeping a firm grip on the initiative. "Furthermore, regarding the subsequent arrangements in the Pandora universe and our collaboration on other matters in the near future, Elandir will continue to be responsible for coordination. I expect Ulthwe to continue providing the necessary support. This in itself is a process of accumulating mutual trust."