Elder Quinn poured out two glasses of red wine and pushed one towards Klaus, who drank it in a single gulp without hesitation.
"What does this wine taste like?" Elder Quinn asked.
"Very nice," Klaus replied, wiping the wine stains from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand.
"The red wine we used to drink was better than it is now," Elder Quinn gestured towards the barrel of red wine. "During the time when the trolls were strong, we had the most wealth and the best food in the world. The dwarfs forged for us the hardest weapons, the elves made for us the best red wine, and we had so many slaves that even the serpents had to hide from us. But now, look at what we have?"
Elder Quinn continued in a tone of recounting the past, "Since the trolls lost the battle against the dragons, we've lost everything we once had. Other races, instigated by the dragon, dared to rise against us, to take away our food, and to drive us to barren lands. Then the troll race began to decline, and the trolls born in the face of food scarcity were not as strong and tall as before. Even now, adult trolls are still taller, but they are much worse than they used to be."
Elder Quinn was right, and while Klaus's height was normal for the tribe, it was a significant difference compared to Elder Quinn's. Elder Quinn, nearly 30 feet taller than Klaus even when seated, is the tallest troll in the tribe.
"Most of the current trolls are at level one," Elder Quinn said. "Only a handful of them can be promoted to level two, and it's almost impossible to reach level three trolls."
"So, no trolls have been able to make it to level 3 so far?" Klaus asked curiously.
"There is only one," Elder Quinn raised the pail to his lips and took a long draught from it, until it was empty.
"His abilities even surpass the level of a level 3 troll," Elder Quinn began to slur his words as he got drunk. "I used to hear the old patriarch of the tribe say that the strongest troll can grow infinitely taller in battle, he can even block the sun's rays and keep the earth in complete darkness. His hands can crush rocks easily, his feet collapse the earth with every step, his roar terrifies even dragons, and all species in his sight are as fragile as ants."
"Who is he?" Klaus had never heard anything about the strongest troll, and he even wondered if Elder Quinn was talking drunk.
"He only has one name," Elder Quinn turned suddenly to face Klaus, whose shoulders he was holding in his huge hands.
He looked at Klaus and said, word for word, "His name is Troll God!"
"Troll God?"
"Yes," Elder Quinn's eyes were red. "He's the only master of the entire continent."
"And then?" Klaus lowered his voice, knowing that the troll race would not be in decline if this so-called Troll God still existed.
Elder Quinn released Klaus's shoulder, and he let out a sigh as he looked down. A brief silence followed his reply.
"There is a prophecy about the Troll God that has been circulated among wizards," Elder Quinn shifted the subject. "The prophecy says that the bloodline of the Troll God will return to the continent again."
"I heard them tell you about your fight with the snake people," Elder Quinn's eyes lit up. "Lyme said, 'When they're all petrified, you're the only one who breaks through the petrified bondage. Tell me, you used the transformation skill, right?'"
"Yes," Klaus nodded, and upon receiving this affirmative answer, Elder Quinn suddenly looked up and laughed.
"It's you, it's you."
"What?" Klaus asked, confused.
"You're the only troll in the tribe right now who can use transformation skills," Elder Quinn said happily. "You can transform like a Troll God, and perhaps you are the legendary reincarnation of the Troll God bloodline."
"Are you sure?" Even Klaus couldn't believe the fact.
"We just need to test it out." Elder Quinn shouted outside the tent, "Green, come in."
Presently, the old wizard entered the tent with a ball-shaped object wrapped in hide in his hand, his expression still grim.
"Come over and give this boy a blood test," Elder Quinn commanded the old wizard.
The old wizard put the items in his hand on the table and then said to Elder Quinn with a blank face, "You must know that not only will the bloodline test consume a lot of energy from the wizard, but the crystal ball will not be able to be used for a short time. Are you sure you want to test this boy's blood?"
"Do as I say," Elder Quinn slammed his fist on the table, and the old wizard had to comply.
"Give me your hand," said the old wizard to Klaus.
Klaus held out his hand to the old wizard, who took a knife from the table and slashed at Klaus's palm, from which a bright red stream of blood immediately flowed.
The old wizard uncovered the cover, revealing a yellow crystal ball inside. He pressed Klaus's palm against the cold yellow crystal ball, and he closed his eyes and chanted the ancient incantation.
Klaus felt a warm current travel from the yellow crystal ball to the palm of his hand, and it passed rapidly through his body. All the memories of his mind began to flash rapidly before his eyes, but it did not take long for them to turn to snowflakes, and the memories seemed to vanish in that moment.
Then Klaus's ears rang with the sound of glass breaking, and then he heard the old wizard curse.
"How did it turn out?" Elder Quinn asked impatiently, "Is he the reincarnation of the Troll God?"
"My magic crystal cracked," the old wizard looked sad as he stared at the cracks in the yellow crystal ball.
"Tell me, is it him?" Elder Quinn shook the old sorcerer by the shoulder.
"No," affirmed the old wizard, glancing at Klaus.
"I can't see his past, and I can't see his future."
"What does that mean?" Elder Quinn asked.
"The magic crystal ball doesn't see everything about him," the old wizard raised his voice in anger at the shattering of the magic crystal ball.
"I told you a long time ago, don't test your troll bloodline with a magic crystal ball. You madman, look what you've done."
"Get out!" Elder Quinn slammed his hand on the stone table, his face full of disappointment.
"You useless thing, get out of here!" he shouted at Klaus.
The old sorcerer and Klaus were kicked out of the tent, and the place was filled with the sound of smashing and the growling of Elder Quinn. The old wizard glanced over his shoulder and then shook his head.
"Quinn had always wanted the trolls to return to their prime, and he believed in the prophecies about the reincarnation of the troll gods. He's just crazy."
The old wizard walked away, while Klaus still pondered a question, a phrase repeating itself in his mind.
"I can't see his past, and I can't see his future."