by Zhuang Bifan
Nobody spoke on the way. Even Borg, who had talked to the elves, didn't look to be at ease now. As for the elves who led the way, they didn't even look at the human team. They were totally uninterested in this adventurer team that could defeat any other in the entire Breezy Plains.
In the forest, the elves had already set up their campsite. Compared to the neat human campsites, the elves' appeared to be more casual. However, anyone with sharp eyes would realize that the power contained in the elves' campsite wasn't decreased by its casualness at all. With just the power from the campsite, it was enough to deal with a sudden attack from Legendary magical beasts.
However, Lin Li knew that this campsite wasn't the best the elves could set up. Due to special reasons, the elves couldn't use Nature Magic which they were good at here. Hence, this campsite wasn't a true elven campsite, though it possessed some elven characteristics.
If it was somewhere else, where Nature Magic wasn't constrained, Tree-men would be hiding behind those tall trees when the team had entered the forest. Although Tree-men didn't match the Trees of War, those Tree-men would certainly be at least level-17 or 18. With their camouflage merging into the environment, they would be the most suitable defenders of the campsite.
The elves could also use Nature Magic to grow all kinds of attacking magical plants and shield the campsite with vines or build a little hut with wild plants. However, all these couldn't be seen in the campsite in the Haiga Mountain Range. Although the fences of the campsite seemed to be made from vines too, they had been created using a magical tool judging from their energy waves. The tents used were also clearly brought by the elves, and not made on the spot with Nature Magic.
On the outskirts of the campsite, the number of elves gradually increased. There were even families of elves near the center of the campsite. It was definitely a rare sight for the human adventurers team. After all, elves were extremely uncommon in human nations. If it was just one or two elves, people would admire them. But now that there was such a big group of them, the team only felt nervous.
The large group of human intruders entering the campsite didn't evoke any intense reaction from the elves at all. The elves would peer at the human adventurers at most, not even stopping what they were doing. Even those elves who seemed to be chit-chatting casually weren't shocked with or curious about the human adventurers at all.
This wasn't because the elves were well-trained and disciplined, but rather because they were scornful of the human team, and didn't want to waste their time looking at them. As for those who were having casual conversations with their peers, they didn't think it was worth stopping for these humans. When they occasionally scanned the human adventurers, it seemed as if the sky was looking at the ground or an elephant looked at an ant.
The team consisting of the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family was a few hundred men strong, and every one of them was at least level-15. However, such a strong team appeared to be like an army of passing ants to the elves. Even the highest-level Invisibility wouldn't achieve such effects.
Of course, the adventurers were no idiots. All of them had experienced enough in life to see through such things. Although the elves appeared to be very cold towards the team and treated them like they weren't there, the tinge of animosity hidden in their eyes couldn't escape the sharp-eyed ones in the team.
The hatred between the elves and humans still existed even though 1000-plus years had passed. This was because the elves were very long-lived. Many generations had passed for humans over the millennium, and any hatred would have been diluted down the generations. However, only two or three generations had passed for the elves since then. It was even possible that there were still other first-generation elves after the catastrophe besides the elven queen. Hence, the catastrophe over 1000 years ago wasn't so far away for the elves that they could forget about it.
As he examined the elves' campsite, Lin Li s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.ely felt someone looking at him and turned round. He saw six or seven elves standing high up on a tree and looking at him with arrogance. One couldn't deny that the elves had the capital to be so arrogant since every elf that Lin Li had met in the campsite was at least level-17 or 18. Level-19 elves who were approaching Legendary-realm were also not uncommon. The elf who had attracted Lin Li's attention was at least level-20 even though he looked very young.
That elf held onto a longbow and plucked at the bowstring occasionally. He might be thinking of how he could kill a human adventurer with every pluck of his bowstring. Lin Li touched his chin. He wasn't thinking of how to deal with these elves, but about how the elves had appeared here, what they were plotting with such a strong team, and also how he could gain some benefits from this.
Shortly after entering the elves' campsite, the team stopped, and the leading elves entered a tent to report. Not just the human adventurers had to wait outside, even Legendary masters like Borg didn't receive any special treatment. It was easy to see the elves' arrogance given that they couldn't be bothered by the two biggest factions in the Breezy Plains and their Legendary-level chiefs.
Luckily, they didn't wait for long. A few elves who seemed to be the leaders came out from the tent and walked towards the human adventurer team. The elves at the side all bowed towards them, appearing to be very humble.
Not waiting for the elves to come to them, Borg had walked in front and talked to the elves in elven language for a while. Although Borg was the chief of the Dark Blade and was a level-21 Legendary-mage, those elves didn't change their expressions at all when they spoke to him, and still looked arrogant and cold.
Soon, Borg came back and instructed his subordinates to set up their campsite. He also sent somebody to inform the Malfa Family about this. After these arrangements, Borg followed those elves into their tent in the middle.
"I didn't expect Borg to know those elves." Looking at Borg walk into the tent with those elves, Cheyenne was rather worried, and turned towards Lin Li. "What do you think, Master Felic?"
Lin Li looked at the surroundings, and replied, "It seems like this campsite wasn't built for a day or two. Perhaps they have been here for a while already."
Cheyenne could naturally see that too. If it was anywhere else, the elves wouldn't need much effort to build a campsite like this. However, in the Haiga Mountain Range where Nature Magic was useless, it was impossible to set up this sort of campsite in one or two days. This meant that the elves hadn't appeared here coincidentally, but rather that they were waiting for the team to appear. More specifically, they were waiting for the Dark Blade to come.
Actually, Cheyenne could guess that the Dark Blade was likely to have sealed some deal with the Elven Kingdom. Otherwise, even if everyone had the same goal in mind, it was unlikely for them to meet on the way as the Haiga Mountain Range was so huge. However, Cheyenne didn't feel relaxed after having some ideas of what was going on. Instead, he felt more tense. No wonder Borg dared to collaborate with the Tower of Dusk and Malfa Family. It was because they had this card up their sleeve.
"With the Dark Blade's power and the help of the elves, they are not just getting the upper hand compared to us." Cheyenne didn't state it specifically, but he knew that the Dark Blade would overwhelmingly defeat them if they allied with the elves.
Back at the start of the collaboration, the Dark Blade had already had a significant advantage over the Malfa Family and the Tower of Dusk. They had three Legendary powerhouses against just Cheyenne and Lin Li. Moreover, the number of elite fighters above level-15 they had was also more than that of the Malfa Family. However, with the alliance between the Tower of Dusk and the Malfa Family, at least both parties would suffer the same loss if the Dark Blade and the Malfa Family were to confront each other directly.
However, the elves had joined in now. Just along the way, there were so many level-17 and 18 elves already, not to mention the six or seven Legendary powerhouses who they hadn't seen or the powerhouse who had likely reached level-23. With such power, not mentioning the Malfa Family an
d the Tower of Dusk, they couldn't match the power of the elves even with the addition of the Dark Blade.
Cheyenne couldn't help but feel very worried. After all, the grudge between the Malfa Family and the Dark Blade was almost irreconcilable. The grudge didn't just consist of the hatred from the past, but was also related to the future development of the factions. This grudge was even more irreconcilable than that between then elves and humans. The only solution to this was to wipe out one of the factions completely. From the situation now, it seemed that the one to be wiped out was the Malfa Family.
"If they were to make a move here, then probably even with our power…" Cheyenne didn't want to say such discouraging words, but this was the truth—the truth that even a Legendary-mage couldn't ignore.
Chapter 610 - Seven Star
After hearing Cheyenne's words, Lin Li didn't look too tense, and still had a smile on his face. Of course, this wasn't because only two people came from the Tower of Dusk so they weren't scared that their people would be killed. Although only Lin Li and Norfeller came from the Tower of Dusk, it also wouldn't be easy for them to escape from the combined forces of the Dark Blade and elves given the large number of Legendary powerhouses they had.
Lin Li wasn't worried, because he knew that the Haiga Mountain Range was the legendary true forbidden zone. He looked at the worried Cheyenne, and said, "Don't worry too much, Master Cheyenne. Even if they want to attack us, they won't do it now. This is the Haiga Mountain Range. It's a forbidden zone even for Legendary powerhouses. Nobody can guarantee that they can come out alive. Hence, if they aren't idiots, they won't do anything to us before finding the treasure."
After some contemplation, Cheyenne nodded, and replied, "Hopefully the temptation of the treasure can repress old grudges."
As for what would happen after finding the treasure, nobody knew. Perhaps the Malfa Family would be unlucky, or perhaps it would be the elves and the Dark Blade. Both sides might even end up in stalemate.
Just like Lin Li had guessed, Cheyenne and Lin Li saw Borg coming over from afar when they were making arrangements for their campsite. Borg didn't change his attitude towards them because of the elves. He still put on a smile on his face like before and invited them to meet the elven leaders to discuss the ruins of the Titans.
After coming to the central tent at the elves' campsite again, Cheyenne and Lin Li walked in with Borg.
Although both of them were Legendary powerhouses, the elves in the tent didn't take them seriously. After seeing the two of them come in with Borg, none of the elves stood up to welcome them or even say some words in greeting.
Lin Li wasn't bothered by this at all, while Cheyenne knew why the elves behaved like that, so both of them didn't care about the elves' attitude. Moreover, the elves indeed had the right to be so arrogant given their abilities.
After everyone was seated, Borg first introduced Cheyenne and Lin Li to the elves using the Elven Language. However, the elves were still very cold to them. After all, merely two Legendary-mages weren't important enough to the elves.
Just as Borg prepared to introduce the elves to Lin Li and Cheyenne, one of the elves cut in. Although he spoke in the Elven Language, Cheyenne and Lin Li could roughly make out what he meant. He was telling Borg to talk about the matter directly and skip the introductions.
Borg looked at Cheyenne and Lin Li. With a bitter smile on his face, he explained to the two how he had met those elves.
Cheyenne and Lin Li looked at each other. With the current situation, both of them already had some ideas about this. As for why Borg was explaining it to the two of them here, evidently even the arrogant elves couldn't underestimate the dangers in the Haiga Mountain Range. Thus, they wanted Borg to secure relations with the two of them first. After all, just as Lin Li had said, nobody could guarantee that they could return from the Haiga Mountain Range alive. It was always better to have more allies.
Cheyenne's worry went down a little after hearing this. As for the elves' intention to use the Malfa Family as the cannon fodder, it was too early to say that now. After all, how it was going to end all depended on each faction's abilities.
It turned out that the Dark Blade had always been in contact with the Elven Kingdom, and they had told the Elven Kingdom about this mission. Although the Elven Kingdom wasn't too concerned about the ruins of the Titans, they had always wanted to find a long-lost sacred relic from this sacred mountain. Thus, the two parties struck a deal very soon.
"Cheyenne, our goal isn't just the Immortal King's treasure. The elves' goal to find the lost sacred relic doesn't contradict with our goal. Now, it's better for all of us to cooperate to get into the Haiga Mountain Range successfully and find what we are looking for rather than work on our own. What do you think?" Borg strongly hoped for Cheyenne to agree. After all, he was very clear that despite their relationship, the elves wouldn't help out at all if the Malfa Family were to strike.
By now, Cheyenne could see that the Dark Blade and the elves weren't as close as what he had thought. Both parties were only using each other, and couldn't even be considered allies. As such, the balance between the three collaborating factions wasn't affected much. The Dark Blade would still be cautious of the alliance between the Malfa Family and the Tower of Dusk.
After figuring out all that, Cheyenne naturally wouldn't let the treasure land in the hands of the Dark Blade just like that, so he didn't object to the subsequent collaboration with the elves. Lin Li wouldn't have any objections all the more. He even started thinking about what sacred relic the elves were looking for. If it was useful to him…
After the collaboration was confirmed, Cheyenne heaved a sigh of relief, and left the tent with Lin Li to return to the Malfa Family's campsite.
After Lin Li had returned to his tent, he continued to do his daily assignment—reading the Book of Eternity. Halfway up the mountain, Lin Li had survived the Titan Spirit's mental strength attack because of the knowledge recorded in the Book of Eternity.
After surviving the mental strength attack from a Sanctuary-realm powerhouse, Lin Li could clearly feel his improvement in mental strength. Just like how air would liquidize under strong pressure, Lin Li's mental strength became more concentrated. This was probably another good thing that Lin Li had gained after putting in so much effort to disperse the Titan Spirit using the Requiem Array.
Back when Lin Li had battled the elven Legendary-mage Vidas in Roland City, the former had released the Lord of Nightmares, and even he had almost sunk into the endless nightmares. If he were to go fight that battle now, he wouldn't have to put himself in such a situation given his current mental strength.
As night approached, Norfeller, who had guarded the tent all this while, turned into a bat and flew towards the surrounding forest.
Norfeller didn't need to report to Lin Li, as this was already a routine after coming to the Haiga Mountain Range. Every night, Norfeller would turn into a bat and investigate outside the campsite. As a high-ranking Vampire, Norfeller's abilities improved tremendously after he followed Lin Li. Now, his abilities were approaching Legendary-realm. At night, the abilities of Vampires would enjoy a considerable increase. Therefore, he could be considered to be at Legendary level now. Even the most outstanding Bandit couldn't match his investigation abilities.
Norfeller flew past the Malfa Family's campsite and then the elves' campsite. With his Legendary-level power, his flying speed was so fast that he couldn't be seen with n.a.k.e.d eyes. After going one round around the campsites, he had only spent 15 minutes. Seeing that there weren't any abnormalities around, he turned to go back to his campsite.
However, just as he was flying past the elves' territory, a few arrows shot towards him with lightning speed. Although he possessed Legendary-level strength now, the sharp arrows had already pierced his body just as he wanted to avoid them.
Norfeller was shot seven times. The strange power from the arrows made him unable to fly, and he dropped down straight from the sky. Just w
hen he landed, a group of elves crowded around his body.
"Seven shots! All seven arrows are hits! Jacques, no wonder you're the greatest archery genius of us elves for the last 100 years!" an elf shouted excitedly and held the struggling Norfeller down.
"Of course! The Seven Star Archery Skill is one of our strongest archery skills! Even if a Legendary powerhouse came, he wouldn't be able to escape the Seven Star as well!" Another elf looked so proud as if he was the one who shot the arrows.
Norfeller wanted to struggle, but the seven arrows seemed to have sealed his strength; he couldn't even use his physical strength now.
Just then, another elf who held a carved longbow slowly walked towards Norfeller. Although he didn't reply to his friends' flattery, he seemed to be enjoying it very much. Looking at Norfeller, the elf looked disgusted. He stepped onto Norfeller's c.h.e.s.t hard and sneered. "Dirty Undead creature, do you know where this is? This is the Goddess' sacred mountain! How dare you dirty this sacred land with that dirty body of yours?"
Although the Haiga Mountain Range was filled with magical beasts, the night was extremely quiet. Hence, the elves' noisy exchange stood out during the quiet night, though it didn't attract any people out of their tents.
Lin Li was completely absorbed in the sea of knowledge in the Book of Eternity, absorbing the precious assets left behind by the God of Mages Geresco bit by bit. Although he was very talented in magic and had outstanding achievements in other areas, he was still just a little mage who had just stepped into the Legendary-realm not long ago.
Lin Li didn't know how good Geresco was at other facilitating occupations such as pharmaceutics, alchemy, inscription, forging, etcetera. However, in terms of magic, Lin Li was definitely very far behind Geresco. More often than not, Lin Li had to think for a long while in order to understand a few sentences in the book. After he had finally figured it out, he would feel that he had found the best solution to many of the problems that bothered him in the past.
