by Zhuang Bifan
Moonlight was obviously the name of the Moonsaber Panther. If it weren't for the Moonsaber Panther clinging onto a horrifying magical beast, the elves probably wouldn't have made it back. However, Princess Elune had not waited for the Moonsaber Panther's return, since the injuries that she and her companions had sustained had to be treated immediately. Hence, she had to return first.
However, the fact that Princess Elune had come to made the elders and high-level elves happy yet scared. They had no idea if it was a good sign or her last moments of consciousness before death. However, they did not believe Princess Elune's words that much, though they had no choice but to come out and check since Princess Elune continuously urged them to do so.
To the elf's surprise, he actually found the Moonsaber Panther in the camp, though he also saw the horrendous Lin Li, who was forcefully feeding the Moonsaber Panther with some unknown liquid.
The Moonsaber Panther was not only Princess Elune's ride, but also a holy beast for the elves. No matter what, it would be absurd for a human to feed it. Besides, Lin Li often hung out with an Undead creature.
"Stop it. What are you doing!?!" No matter how magnanimous and well-mannered the high-level elf might be, he could no longer suppress his exasperation at this point. He snapped and scurried towards Lin Li.
However, at this moment, Lin Li had already forced the potion down Moonsaber Panther's throat and tossed its head on the ground before standing up and clapping his hands. Whether or not his theory was correct depended on the next reaction of this Moonsaber Panther. There was nothing to be guilty about, since the poisoned panther would die anyway even without Lin Li's experimenting.
"You… what did you feed it? Who are you humans to touch the sacred beast? How dare you feed it something? If anything happens to Moonlight, no matter who you are, you will pay for it."
However, Lin Li did not respond at all; he did not even frown or look at the elf. Instead, he put the potion bottle back inside his ring and walked away.
"You! You…" The elf tried to chase after Lin Li, but he turned around to see that the Moonsaber Panther was still listless. He had no choice but to take care of it instead, hoping that he could find out what Lin Li had fed it.
Unfortunately, the high-level elf could only smell a faint and pungent odor, but could not find any traces at all. In desperation, he had no choice but to say a few syllables to the Moonsaber Panther before taking it to Princess Elune's tent.
In the tent, Princess Elune, who had just woken up, had once again slipped into unconsciousness. The elven elders who had always been concerned and on edge were filled with worry at this point. The other high-level elves, too, looked depressed and seemed to have lost all hope.
The high-level elf walked into the tent with the Moonsaber Panther. As soon as he did, he said to the the elder, "Dear elder, Moonlight has indeed returned, but when I went to get it just now, I saw the dirty human mage feeding Moonlight something."
"What?! How can that despicable human do that!?!" Before the elven elders spoke, several other high-level elves had already yelled in exasperation.
"Elder, Moonlight is the sacred beast of our elven clan. That human being and the dirty Undead creature are companions. They might have fed Moonlight something filthy. We cannot tolerate this at all," the high-level elf said while gritting his teeth in anger. The elves would rarely display their anger unless they bore a certain extent of hatred.
"Hey!"
The elders did not respond to what the high-level elf said, and instead stared at the Moonsaber Panther that was lying beside Princess Elune. They suddenly gasped in shock.
Seeing that the elders were paying attention to the Moonsaber Panther, the high-level elves shifted their attention to it too. However, that made their hearts sink even lower because they could tell that it had been poisoned just like Princess Elune.
Since the strong Moonsaber Panther could not withstand the toxic effects of the poison, Princess Elune and the other poisoned elves would probably be unable to create a miracle, either. At this point, the high-level elves were all in despair, and they reckoned that the day of Princess Elune's death would be the day of disaster for their family.
However, the expressions of the elven elders were different from those of the high-level elves. One elder stood up and walked towards the Moonsaber Panther, touched it, and closed his eyes to sense it for a while. He turned to look at a few high-level elves, and exclaimed, "The toxins in Moonlight seem to be dissipating!"
"What!?" The high-level elves suddenly tensed up. The fact that the toxins were disappearing meant that the poison could be removed. However, the question was: how?
Chapter 618 - Hope
The unknown poison could actually be dealt with? The high-level elves were flabbergasted, just as if they had heard the craziest thing ever. The Queldana Family's elders felt like they had seen a glimmer of hope. They just had to find out the reason for the dissipation of the toxins in Moonsaber Panther's body.
The elven elders and the high-level elves got a grip on themselves and analyzed the characteristics of the Moonsaber Panther together, from its usual habits to its body's characteristics and various legendary tales about it. They wondered if it had something to do with its eating habits, or because it naturally had some kind of power. Could it be…
The atmosphere in the tent became extremely rowdy all of a sudden. At this crucial juncture, the elders and high-level elves had all decided to put their identities aside and try to find the d.e.s.i.r.ed outcome.
However, that atmosphere did not last for long. Whenever an elf raised a possibility, a few others would immediately beat his idea down. Gradually, after various rejections, they began to take longer to think, and silence once again filled the air.
"Could it really be… Impossible, that can't be." The high-level elf who had brought Moonlight in to the tent immediately shook his head and tried to beat down the conjecture that he had just come up with.
Another elf peculiarly asked, "Felefin, what did you want to say? What's possible? Tell us about it. We can't let it go even if it's just a possibility."
"It can't be, Ferner, we'd better stop wasting time on this and think about other clues that we haven't thought of yet," Felefin said while shaking his head.
At this moment, the elven elder spoke. Although his tone was calm, he sounded a little hopeful. "Tell us about it. Even if its impossible, it might give us some signs and tips that can lead us to the correct mindset."
"Senior Randy, it really is impossible. Do you remember what I said when I brought Moonlight back? I happened to see that human mage named Felic feeding something to Moonlight, but it was too late by the time I stopped him." The thought of it made Felefin frown with a look of disdain.
Hearing these words, several elves frowned. Such a major thing happened that night, so they certainly would know what the culprit's name was. The elves had often seen themselves as far superior to humans and other intelligent races. Not to mention, Lin Li was often hanging around an Undead creature; hence, they naturally felt more disgusted.
"It is indeed impossible. How could that human have such a power since he's companions with a filthy Undead creature? Even Elder Eddie couldn't remove the poison in Princess Elune with Natural Rejuvenation, let alone a lowly human mage. He definitely can't provide an antidote for the poison." Ferner had also gained the agreement of his peers.
The Natural Rejuvenation technique used by the elders was taught by the legendary Druids, and all souls could be resurrected using the Natural Rejuvenation technique so long as they had yet to be broken. They did not believe that the change in Moonlight had something to do with Lin Li, who was horrendous in their opinion. Hence, they decided to believe that it was a sign from Goddess of Nature, Monferra.
However, after a moment of silence, Elder Randy said, "It's such a peculiar poison. Maybe he really has some special techniques."
In fact, what the elven elders said might be what the high-level elves had thought abou
t too, though they found it hard to accept the idea. When they were trying to find out the reason, they should have instantly thought about the thing that Lin Li had fed to it. However, because of their own pride and prejudice against human beings, they avoided the possibility of the cure being what Lin Li had fed to the panther in hopes of finding other reasons.
Even after having discussed and come up with numerous possibilities, they still couldn't find an acceptable answer. However, they realized that they ought to forgo their pride for the sake of their family's survival at this point.
"That human mage works with an Undead creature all day, so it's possible that he might have some sinister means," Ferner said, seemingly trying to give himself an out. He was just trying to say: "Despicable people will resort to despicable means. We are the lofty elves, so it's normal for us not to know about these things."
However, no matter what, the elves were all facing one common problem: how to get the despicable human to save Princess Elune and the injured elves?
The high-level elves had a terrible impression of the human mage Lin Li, especially after the incident that night. The fact that he often interacted with an Undead creature was already unacceptable for the elves. Not to mention, some young elves were severely punished because of the human mage Lin Li. The elves thought that it would be nothing wrong to describe Lin Li with derogatory adjectives.
However, it was not the time for the elves to care about their pride now. If the poisoned elves and Princess Elune could not be rescued, it'd be a huge disaster for both the Queldana Family and the entire Elven Kingdom.
Elder Randy glanced at the faces of several high-level elves, only to see that they were all awkward and too afraid to even make eye contact with him because they knew that one of them had to seek help from the human mage Lin Li.
Actually, without having to ask, those high-level elves all knew that Lin Li was probably the reason for everything that happened to the Moonsaber Panther at this point.
If it were another human, such as the ones from the Dark Blade or the Malfa Family, the elves would probably not feel as awkward. Those humans wished that they could get acquainted with the elves; hence, the elves would not need to send their request at all. As long as they told the humans about the situation, the latter would definitely come forth to provide help.
However, Mage Felic clearly had a different mindset from the other humans. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten into such a huge conflict with the elves for the sake of an Undead creature. It was obviously impossible to get Lin Li to help just with a single sentence. They definitely had to lower their pride and plead with him.
"Culofen, you've had the most contact with the human adventurers ever since they arrived. You shall take charge of this," said Elder Randy as he shifted his gaze onto a high-level elf.
When the elder called his name, Culofen could not help but shudder, overwhelmed by an ominous feeling. However, the high-level elves beside him seemed to be rather relieved, for seeking help from the human mage was akin to torment for them.
Culofen dared not hesitate at all. He frantically nodded and decided to take on the difficult task. Now that the elders had called names, there was nothing he could do even if he didn't want to carry out the mission. Besides, if he were to do a good job, he would definitely be credited for it. That was the only way he could comfort himself.
Lin Li fed the Moonsaber Panther with the mixed potion. Although he could not continue to observe, he had already verified his solution and confirmed it to be effective. As for the poison in the Brilliance Shrine's Pope's body, Lin Li had to adjust his solution since the toxicity was much purer. No matter what, he had already found the right method; thus, everything else would be much easier.
After returning to the tent, Lin Li stopped thinking about the issue, and instead fed two magical crystals to Xiao Hua, after which he continued to concentrate on reading the Book of Eternity. He was not concerned about the poisoned elves at all, because they had nothing to do with him. In fact, he had already made plenty of gains in the Haiga Mountain Range; hence, he was not that concerned about the treasure of the Immortal King.
However, after some time, Lin Li began to hear Norfeller speaking to someone. After putting the Book of Eternity away, he said, "Norfeller, who's outside?"
Norfeller entered the tent, and politely said, "Master, it's an elf who's asking to see you."
An elf! Norfeller obviously knew how much the elves despised him, for he was a vampire. Hence, he definitely wouldn't be too pleased to talk about the elves.
Upon hearing the way that the damned Undead creature introduced him, Culofen had no choice but to grit his teeth and tell himself to bear with it and not stoop to a filthy Undead creature's level.
Soon, Norfeller exited, and coldly said to Culofen, "Master is ready to see you." He then ignored him and stood by the side.
Like master, like servant. This dirty vampire is just as vulgar as his master. Seeing that Norfeller did not even bother helping him lift up the curtain of the tent for him, Culofen secretly felt infuriated for a while. However, he had no choice, since he was the one asking for help.
With a false smile on his face, Culofen reached out, lifted the tent curtain, and entered. "Mage Felic, I'm so sorry. I should have visited earlier, but there are too many things to handle in the camp. Hence, it had to be delayed until today."
"Oh, you are…" Lin Li did not know who he was, because while Borg wanted to introduce them at the start, the elves did not bother getting to know other humans.
Culofen's smile did not change, and he introduced himself to Lin Li very politely. "My name is Culofen, and I'm mainly in charge of welcoming and arranging human adventure teams."
Lin Li did not pull a long face, and instead greeted him politely. He then asked Culofen for the purpose of his visit. Of course, he had already guessed his intentions, but then again, the elves had nothing to do with him. Hence, why should he bother helping them?
What are you doing here? Asking for help?
Although that was the truth, the high-level elf could not bring himself to say it. However, while he was on his way, he had already figured out what to say. He believed that a few words should be enough to make Lin Li comply.
Culofen glanced at the decorations in the tent and turned to look at Lin Li. "Mage Felic, the conditions in this camp may be a little poor. I don't know if you have gotten used to living here yet. If you need something here, please don't hesitate to tell me, though."
Borg would definitely be shocked to see the high-level elf swallowing his pride and acting so meekly. Even the fellow elves had never seen such a side to him before. Culofen who had a high status in the Queldana Family was actually so polite to a human mage for the first time!
However, Lin Li did not buy it, though he remained very polite. He did not accept the goodwill of Culofen, and instead shook his head with a smile. "I came here for adventure, not for amenities. There's nothing I can't get used to. I don't think I lack anything, because the Malfa Family has already prepared everything for me."
"Oh, yes, that's good to hear." Culofen smiled unnaturally, but desperately tried to find a way to tackle Lin Li. Wait, he's a mage! Culofen suddenly got an idea. Since Lin Li was a mage, he must have a great d.e.s.i.r.e to improve magic.
Although the elves had been implicated and almost fell into disastrous circ.u.mstances after the Dark Age, they still survived and expanded to the current extent. In terms of the relationship between elves and High Elves in the Dark Age, they were not only related by blood, the elves had also inherited a lot of the cultural heritage of the High Elves, the most important of which was all kinds of magic books.
Although most of the elves had learned nature magic after the settlement of the Emerald Forest, they did learn other magic too. Moreover, the magical classics left by the High Elves were also very helpful, be it nature magic or other types. All types of magic would have to return to the origin of nomological power in the end. This was why at t
he Legendary-realm, even magic below the Legendary level could be used well by a mage that had never learned it before.
Chapter 619 - Taking Advantage
Indeed, a greedy person will definitely not be taking an adventure in the Haiga Mountain Range. Since he's a mage and he isn't after the treasure of the Immortal King, is he only after money? Obviously, that is impossible. What really makes these humans tempted is their pursuit of strength.
Having figured this out, Culofen suddenly felt much more confident. Pretending to be indifferent, he casually asked, "These days, I don't see you here often, Mage Felic. You must have been studying magic on your own, eh? Speaking of magic, there are some things in our elven family that may not be available in your world. If there are any issues about magic, you may tell us about it, and perhaps you can find an answer here."
To be honest, even an ordinary elf might not be able to get personal advice from Culofen, let alone a human mage, yet Culofen was now offering to give a human mage some tips and a rare learning opportunity. Even Legendary-mages like Cheyenne and Borg would be happy to discuss magic with elven Legendary-mages.
However, Lin Li 's reaction was completely beyond the expectations of Culofen. Instead of taking up the rare learning opportunity, Lin Li actually shook his head slightly, and said, "Thank you for your kindness. My current level of magic may be relatively shallow, but I haven't encountered any problems that were too difficult to solve."
Upon hearing the answer from Lin Li, Culofen's face stiffened a little, but he soon returned to normal again. "Haha, it doesn't matter. In fact, I wasn't referring to a specific problem. Us elves do have some solutions that would be useful for mages to enter the Legendary-realm. For example, the realization of the nomological power. Although many people say that you can only understand it by yourself, there are actually some ways to shorten the time required."
I will give you a shortcut to the Legendary-realm, and you probably will do me a favor out of gratitude. To those below the Legendary-level, the Legendary-realm and mastering the world's nomological power are a godly thing, Culofen thought to himself, believing that no one could refuse such a temptation.
