Chapter 140 : Chapter 140
Chapter : 140
“Can I go back with you to meet that Elder Regus?”
The moment this sentence was spoken, the two little ones froze simultaneously.
“With us” Zara tilted her head.
“Go back together?!” Quill cried out in disbelief.
“How can that be!”
To Yan Yunqing's surprise, the one with the biggest reaction wasn't the well-behaved Zara, but rather the seemingly reckless Quill.
Quill shook his head repeatedly: “No, no, how can we take you back? If Elder Regus finds out, we'll definitely be punished. Elder Regus's temper has been getting worse and worse lately, I don't want to be punished by copying books!”
Oh, case solved. So it was because he didn't want to be punished.
Zara pondered, “It doesn't seem like there are any rules in the elf tribe that forbid bringing outsiders… oh no, outside beasts into Selinval? If it's a Kāmi beast seeking help, it seems to be fine.”
Selinval, the elves' name for their territory, which translated from Ancient Elvish, meant something like the Land of Verdure.
Quill looked at Zara in shock, “You're not kidding, are you? Zara?”
“Does this even need a rule? Since we were born, no outsider has ever appeared in Selinval!”
“But unfamiliar Kāmi beasts have appeared!” Zara raised an objection, “There are still many small animals in Selinval.”
Quill stomped his foot, “But those Kāmi beasts can't talk or turn into humans!”
Zara landed on the Kāmi beast's head and pinched his long ears, “But he really is a Kāmi beast!”
Yan Yunqing could feel the weight on his head. The force Zara used to pinch his ear wasn't strong, so light it was negligible, making him feel even more guilty.
He had also become the cunning human Lilian spoke of: deceiving the innocent elves.
“No, no!” Quill continued to shake his head, “What if Elder Regus doesn't think he's a Kāmi beast? I really don't want to be punished by copying anymore, I still have a hundred rounds of the Ancient Elvish Biography left to copy!”
Zara was bewildered: “A hundred rounds? Didn't Elder Regus only punish you with twenty rounds last time? Adding the previous ones, it's only eighty rounds!”
Quill silently averted his gaze: “……Um, before I came out, I accidentally shattered Elder Pike's potion. By now, Elder Pike should have already complained to Elder Regus.”
Zara covered her mouth, “So you estimated these extra twenty rounds?”
Quill closed his eyes, unwilling to face the facts.
And the fact was: after Elder Pike complained to Elder Regus, twenty rounds was just the starting amount of punishment. If Elder Regus was in a bad mood, he might even add a little more on top of that.
Zara suddenly sucked in a cold breath: “Quill, you broke Elder Pike's potion when you came out, he went to complain to Elder Regus, and Elder Regus will definitely send other elves to look for you—but we're not in Selinval!”
Quill thought for a moment, and his expression changed too. This was bad!
They had snuck out secretly. If they weren't discovered, everything would be fine, but if they were discovered, they would definitely be severely punished.
Elder Regus had already emphasized to them, the juvenile elves, many times recently that elves not in their adulthood were not allowed to run out of Selinval. If discovered, they would be punished and put in confinement!
Quill had made many preparations for sneaking out this time. He had even grasped the schedule for the elders' shift changes and breaks.
Only after a thorough plan was laid out did he convince Zara to come out with him. Based on the idea that they would absolutely not be discovered, Quill dared to be so audacious.
But he had forgotten to include the matter of accidentally shattering Elder Pike's potion before leaving this morning into his plan!
Darn it, he was only thinking about how Elder Pike would go complain again, and that he would have to copy at least twenty more rounds, completely forgetting that after Elder Pike complained, Elder Regus would definitely summon him.
Now, this was great. No one could find Quill, and Zara, who was often with Quill, was also gone. Elder Regus would know where they had run off to with just a little thought.
They were completely exposed!
Quill's expression changed back and forth. Judging by his face, he seemed to want to struggle a bit more, but it wasn't long before he was completely deflated, as if a black cloud had gathered above his head.
It's no use, Elder Regus wouldn't listen to his excuses!
He was silent for a while, then suddenly shot up with a kip-up, “Why don't I go find Sister Tallyn! Isn't she also in the forest today, I'll just run away with her! It's time for me to go out and gain experience too.”
Zara didn't really want to discourage him, but she had to speak the truth, “But Quill, you're about to enter your growth period. Even if you go find Sister Tallyn, she won't agree to let you follow her.”
Quill wilted again.
Yan Yunqing couldn't help but interject, “Since you're going to be punished no matter what, why not take me in this time?”
Without waiting for Quill to speak, Yan Yunqing continued to add, “Speaking of which, I know an elf. She's also my companion. When I met her, she was in her juvenile stage just like you two.”
Quill was listless, “Stop kidding. The elders' control has become stricter and stricter in the last hundred years. It's impossible for a juvenile elf to leave Selinval, and even if they did, they would be quickly caught and brought back by the elders.”
If Sister Tallyn couldn't take him in after he ran away from home, he would also be quickly caught and brought back by the elders.
So after Zara refuted Quill's words, Quill stopped considering the matter of 'running away from home'.
Zara, however, believed Yan Yunqing's words. She asked curiously: “Which elf is it? Do I know her?”
“Her name is Lilian, she should still be going through her growth period now.” Yan Yunqing said casually, “She returned to the Elf Forest half a year ago.”
“Lilian?”
“Lilian!”
Two distinctly different voices sounded. Quill was shocked, Zara was puzzled, but it was obvious that both of these little ones knew Lilian.
This was good too, it would be easier for Yan Yunqing to get closer to them.
“Yes, do you know her?”
“This……” Zara hesitated, “Um…… I suppose we know her?”
Quill didn't speak, his eyes looking at Yan Yunqing with shock and astonishment, as if looking at some kind of magical creature. Yan Yunqing tilted his head in confusion, “What's wrong?”
“N-nothing……” Quill unexpectedly stuttered for a moment, “Um, it's nothing.”
Zara was much calmer. She thought for a moment, “Since you know Lilian, the elder probably won't say anything if we take you back to Selinval……”
This time, even Quill didn't refuse again. He just became taciturn, trying hard to lower his presence.
Yan Yunqing was hesitant. Why did Quill's attitude change so much just by mentioning Lilian?
Thinking of his previous speculations about Lilian's identity, Yan Yunqing's expression turned strange for a moment.
Could it be? Could his previous guess be right, that Lilian really is the new generation's queen……?
But from what Zara and the others were saying, the elf elders were extremely strict now, and any juvenile elf who ran out would be immediately caught and brought back.
Then how did Lilian manage to sneak out and hang around with him for so long? It couldn't be because he was taking Lilian all over the place, to the point that the elf elders couldn't find them?
Yan Yunqing's mouth twitched. He felt that this possibility was quite high.
Zara considered for a while and finally agreed to take Yan Yunqing back to Selinval to seek help from Elder Regus.
The road along the way was not easy. Without a map or a compass, once a person entered the forest, it was very likely for their senses to be confused by the forest full of trees, eventually losing their direction.
However, Yan Yunqing had the minimap as an aid, and the two elves were also very familiar with the way back to Selinval.
Elves are naturally attuned to their territory and the Mother Tree, so even if this was their first time sneaking out, they could quickly find the direction of their territory.
After leading Yan Yunqing for more than an hour, they finally found the entrance to Selinval.
This was only possible because the two elves had a sense for Selinval and kept taking shortcuts. Yan Yunqing had even used several auxiliary spells to hasten their journey.
The entrance to Selinval was an inconspicuous valley mouth. It was very narrow. Just as Yan Yunqing was about to walk in, he was stopped by Zara, “There's a magic formation set up here, non-elves can't enter.”
However, in the next second she was stunned, because Yan Yunqing had already stepped one foot into Selinval without being hindered in the slightest.
“Hmm? Is there a barrier ahead?” Yan Yunqing tentatively swept his tail, but did not feel any obstructive force.
Zara hesitated: “No…… you've already passed the barrier. Strange, could it be that this magic formation doesn't block Kāmi beasts?”
Quill still had that quiet-as-a-mouse look. The closer he got to Selinval, the slower his flying speed became. It was clear that he was really afraid to go in and face Elder Regus's wrath.
Yan Yunqing looked down at his paw, tentatively lifted it, and took a step forward, confirming that there was no resistance.
A question mark appeared above Yan Yunqing's head.
Could it be that the Kāmi beast he was roleplaying had really deceived the elf territory's magic formation?
Was his roleplaying skill that powerful?
Zara couldn't figure out why either. Since he could pass, there was no need to dwell on it so much. Zara led the way in front, and Yan Yunqing followed behind, observing Selinval.
After more than a thousand years, the current Selinval was not the same as the Selinval from the “Demon King” era in his memory, or rather, it had changed a great deal.
Especially this entrance passage……
The current Selinval seemed a bit smaller than the former Selinval?
This was not Yan Yunqing's misconception. After observing for a while longer, Yan Yunqing discovered that Selinval had indeed shrunk its range.
The Selinval of the “Demon King” era was very large, and there was no so-called defensive magic formation. Their neighbors, the Dwarf race, often came to the elves' territory to visit.
The elves of that time were very free, and there was no rule that juvenile elves were not allowed to leave Selinval.
Otherwise, Sylph would not have picked up the injured and unconscious “Demon King” on the outskirts of the forest.
Perhaps it was because although those were chaotic times, the ones who suffered from the gods' persecution were mostly the human race and some of the other races living in the chaotic world, while the elves lived in a forest far from the flames of war, which was why they were so free.
If it weren't for the later incident where a necromancer slaughtered elves and imprisoned their souls, preventing them from returning to the Elven Mother Tree, Sylph would not have decided to join that long war.
As Yan Yunqing stepped out of the valley passage, a ray of bright sunlight scattered through the gaps in the branches, illuminating the Selinval before him like dancing fireflies.