Chapter: Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 322: The Withered Life Spring
“Your Highness, the Life Spring is a sacred artifact of our clan. Bringing a human to witness it might be…”
An Elf Elder stepped forward. She wore dark silver armor of unknown material, which seemed very heavy, leaving an imprint on the ground with each step. A delicate helmet adorned her head, engraved with two roaring Chimeras, their wings extending backward from the sides. A longsword, emitting a faint silver light, hung diagonally at her waist, its mystical glow undeniable even through its sheath. Her bright silver eyes stared coldly at Xi Wei, her snowy white hair flowing behind her. Though her face was hidden, her presence was imposing, and a sharp aura emanated from her.
“It’s just a depleted spring, what’s there to hide?” the Elven Empress’s gaze turned icy, like frozen soil beneath a millennium-old glacier. “Besides, Edna Seatingway, mind your attitude. Am I the Empress, or are you?”
Faced with the Elven Empress’s question, Elf Elder Adenasi snorted, eventually stepping aside. However, her eyes, filled with a killing intent, remained locked onto Xi Wei.
“Please, follow me, Human King. Oh, and do keep your mount well-guarded.” The Elven Empress didn’t elaborate, but everyone understood she was referring to Connie, the naive young dragon, who was currently looking around curiously.
Xi Wei said nothing more. He held the hands of Loli and Connie, one on each side, and followed the Elven Empress. He was a man who adapted to circumstances and spoke according to the situation. Had the Elf Elder’s aura not been significantly stronger than his, he would have drawn his Greatsword and attacked long ago.
The Elven Empress led the way, guiding Xi Wei and his companions through the forest near the World Tree. The vegetation here was increasingly intricate, with tangled roots forming their own world. The variety of animals was also vast, many of them species Xi Wei had never seen before. For instance, there were bees with pig-like heads, as large as adult buffaloes, and butterflies with human faces on insect bodies. These strange creatures showed great respect to the Elven Empress, bowing and offering gifts, mostly small items like flower wine and pretty stones. They seemed simple and showed no hostility towards Xi Wei, displaying more curiosity.
“These are jungle fey,” the Elven Empress explained. “They are pure beings born naturally around the World Tree, holding goodwill and curiosity towards everything around them. Of course, if you harm them, they will retaliate, as their strength is not as feeble as it appears.”
The Elven Empress’s words seemed pointed, and an inexplicable sense of foreboding flashed through Xi Wei’s mind. Immediately after, he heard Silly Dragon’s pained cry. He turned to see that the pig-headed bee’s wing had a damaged, bitten section, and Connie’s forehead bore a purplish-blue lump the size of an adult’s fist, looking like a birthday person.
“Wuwuwu… Master, it hurts… the piggy-head bee wanted to sting me!” Connie stumbled towards Xi Wei, clutching his leg and tearfully complaining. In the distance, the pig-headed bee pulled out its bent stinger and threw it on the ground. It then took out a small cloth bag, retrieved a new stinger, and attached it. “Buzzzz—” It pointed to its damaged wing, made a face at Xi Wei and his companions, then flew away in a flash.
Xi Wei and Loli chuckled as they watched Connie playfully holding her forehead. A green healing glow flashed, and Connie’s forehead was restored to its original state. She touched her smooth, fair forehead, seemingly finding a protector, her confidence soaring. She turned to find the pig-headed bee to settle the score, but Xi Wei sternly grabbed her collar and pulled her back.
The Elven Empress Alice watched this scene. Especially when Loli used her healing energy, a hopeful glint flashed in her eyes, her lips moved as if to speak, but she said nothing in the end. She only paused for a moment before turning and continuing to lead the way.
The tree canopy overhead grew denser, and the surroundings became progressively dimmer. If not for the river of fireflies providing light and guidance, accompanied by the surrounding darkness, Xi Wei felt it might have been pitch black.
“What’s the deal with that Elf Elder, Edna Seatingway? Does she have a grudge against me?” Since there was nothing else to do, Xi Wei asked the question that had been bothering him throughout the journey.
“She doesn’t have a grudge against you; she has a grudge against all humans,” the Elven Empress replied, turning her head slightly. The fireflies’ light illuminated her beautiful face, making her appear mysterious and sacred, like a piece of exquisite art.
“Edna Seatingway was an Elf female slave who escaped from the human empire,” the Elven Empress continued. “She was captured by an Elf slave catcher team at the age of 214 and only miraculously escaped during human civil war at 491. For over three hundred years, she was imprisoned in human brothels for human nobles, entertaining at least ten coarse men daily. She was even patronized by five generations of a human noble family, with the grandfather and sons around, whipping her, trampling her dignity and body, while introducing her various charms to his grandsons.”
“She hates humans to the bone,” the Elven Empress concluded. Xi Wei fell silent. He suddenly felt that Adenasi’s hostility towards him was not entirely unreasonable. The war between humans and elves had lasted for dozens of centuries, with humans always being the ones to capture elf slaves, but he had never heard of elves doing the same. They would simply kill any human they encountered with a swift sword to the chest. After ensuring the human was completely dead, they would even thoughtfully dig a hole and bury the corpse to avoid polluting the environment. If one traced back to the origin, the war between humans and elves was merely due to an order from the Emperor of Humanity, stemming from an unrequited love. The Emperor of Humanity admired and desired the first Elven Empress but was ultimately intercepted by Angus the Gold Dragon. In his enraged humiliation, the Emperor of Humanity deemed elves untrustworthy whores who deserved to be driven out of the continent’s fertile lands. Regardless of how unreasonable it was, to humans, the Emperor of Humanity was a hero above racial righteousness, one of the main themes sung by bards for millennia. He brought more land and resources for human development, and drove potential threats like Orcs into the desert and elves into the small Emerald Forest.
