Chapter 172

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[Quality UP: Raises the plant's quality to the next level. The highest level cannot be raised. Can only be used once per month.]

The unlocking of this skill was sudden, and Lian Yun did not receive any prompt, but she still opened the taskbar as usual, and sure enough, she saw the task update.

Main Quest - Comprehensive Land Improvement: Congratulations, Lord, for taking a huge step forward in land improvement. The system is now issuing you skill rewards. Please keep up the good work and complete the main quest! (For more information, please consult the system.)

This was the first time Lian Yun encountered such a situation.

I received my reward halfway through the mission.

However, this reward is not of much use to the current town, and Lian Yun couldn't think of where it could be used.

But the words in brackets caught her attention.

Consulting system ontology?

Isn't it just a phylogenetic tree?

But she hadn't heard the system's voice for a long time.

To rule out the possibility that her memory was wrong, she returned home and touched the system tree again, but did not receive any information.

Until three days later.

After breakfast, Lian Yun waited in the house for Mogo to bring a new summary of intelligence.

At this moment, Lina, who was training sharks in front of the door, suddenly ran in and pointed outside the door anxiously: "Sister! The tree! The tree is lit!"

Lian Yun quickly got up and went out, only to see that the system tree had begun to flash brightly at some point, as if calling silently.

Lian Yun walked forward and placed his palms against the tree trunk.

She finally heard a sound from the tree trunk after a long time.

On the other end was Luo.

"Sir, we're here."

Yesterday at noon, Alicia set out with the elf team stationed in the town to escort Luo and the weeping beasts to the forest.

Before leaving, Lian Yun specifically told Luo to talk to her through the tree when they arrived in the forest, instead of using the communication gem.

So this morning, the tree was finally awakened.

"Is everything okay?"

Lian Yun asked with a smile, but didn't expect to get an accurate answer.

"My lord...it doesn't seem very good here." Luo paused, as if thinking of how to tell her.

"Miao An and Ian went out for training a few days ago, but only Miao An returned to the forest yesterday. They said..."

"Ian has rebelled."

Lian Yun frowned slightly and almost lost the connection.

"Ian?"

Luo's voice was a little low, and he was not in a good mood. "They met people from the new city on the way and had a fight. Because of the racial advantage of the elves, they couldn't get close, but Ian sneaked out of the elf team."

"By the time Miao An found out, he had already left with the other side."

No one wanted to believe that such a passionate, loyal and kind person could possibly betray the elves.

He was so protective of the elven royal family that he was most happy and enthusiastic when Princess Lina returned to the forest, and he was also the most reluctant to let her go when she left.

How could this be possible for a person like this?

They even thought that Miao An deliberately kept Ian here in order to seize power.

But it wasn't just Miao An, everyone who was traveling with him saw Ian leave.

The other party even stood opposite without any concealment, as if mocking his former partners - I don’t consider you friends either.

After Miao An came back, he described the scene and information at that time and never spoke again.

Everyone is waiting for the Elf Queen's judgment.

If Ian really betrayed the elves, he would be despised and attacked by the entire tribe.

When he stood before the elves again, what awaited him would not be flowers and greetings, but expulsion and abuse.

The elves hate betrayers the most.

Especially someone like Ian, the royal guardian whom they once trusted and supported immensely.

Lian Yun pondered for a while and was speechless for a while.

"My lord, the Elf Queen is right beside me. Would you like to speak to her?"

Lian Yun responded, and the connection was disconnected.

The voice appeared again, and it had become the voice of the Elf Queen.

Lina stood next to Lian Yun. Lian Yun didn't want to mention Ian's name to make Lina worry, so he could only mention it in a tactful way: "What are your plans?"

From the moment Ian's grandfather was arrested, Ian was destined to change.

The teachings he received from childhood to adulthood were to serve the royal family with all his heart and soul.

His grandfather told him that his grandfather was like this, his father was like this, and he should be like this too.

Ian felt that his family was very honored and he loved this job very much. He accepted the family's mission without hesitation and spared no effort to help the Queen. Even though he was bullied by Mu in the past, he never said a word.

Because he firmly believes in his mission, as long as he can help the elves and assist the Elf King, it is worth it.

When Lina returned, he felt that he had finally seen the light.

Lina will be the new king and the new heir of the elves. He will finally have a little princess to protect from the beginning.

Ian thought that he would definitely take on the burden of the family and do his best to protect Lina.

But he could never have imagined that the person who would eventually destroy Lina's reputation would be his own grandfather.

This severed the family lineage and shattered his faith.

The education he received since childhood was just an illusion deliberately created by his grandfather.

The role model he was proud of was someone who only cared about his own wants and was willing to deceive even future generations.

At that moment, he suddenly understood why the queen had always refused to get close to him.

Even Miao An, who had no family support and a vague background, could take away his tasks, but he, a dedicated servant, could only stand at the last place.

"It was my negligence." The queen's voice was as cold as ever.

But Lian Yun could hear the regret in his voice.

The Queen loves this child.

He is sincere and enthusiastic, serious and responsible.

She distanced herself from Ian because she thought she might not be able to find any offspring and would be the last of the royal family.

She hoped that when Ian's grandfather took off the mask, Ian would not be conflicted or hesitant because of his close relationship with the Queen.

But Lena returned.

This incident inevitably had such a huge impact on Ian.

"I had a premonition when Ian and Muan left the forest." The queen's voice gradually became softer.

But she deliberately ignored the uneasiness and told herself that Ian could choose a new path.

Even the elves were able to change and begin to open up to the entire continent. Ian had worked diligently for the royal family for so long, and it was time for him to start his own life.

"Then you also think that he has betrayed?"

"I don't know, Lianyun." The queen was extremely tired. "I don't know."

"Then leave it to me." Lian Yun took on the heavy burden easily. "Even if he really betrays me, I will spare his life. If he doesn't, we can ask him clearly what he thinks. One day he will make his true choice."

"Good, that's good." The queen breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I know you'll be going to the new city next. If you see him, tell him I've always loved this child. I didn't kill his grandfather. If he's moved, please tell him that his grandfather regrets it."

It wasn't just Ian's grandfather who regretted it;

I should have told Ian my thoughts earlier to prevent this enthusiastic child from suffering any misfortune.

Lian Yun agreed without hesitation and followed up on the place the other party had just mentioned: "Do you know Xincheng?"

The Queen remained noncommittal. "I only knew that after the battle with the main city, the new city would be our next target. As for when we'd go there, or how strong the new city was, I had no idea."

"Even now, I'm afraid you still have to investigate personally, Lord Lian Yun. All I can do is provide you with enough manpower."

"But the reason why I am in a hurry to mention the new city is not just because of Ian." The queen's voice became serious again.

Lian Yun smelled a hint of something unusual.

"Do you remember the underground river under the palace?" asked the Queen.

Lian Yun nodded: "I remember there are guardian beasts of the elves there."

She would probably never forget that beautiful and mysterious scene in her life.

“It dried up.”

Lian Yun was stunned.

"You heard right. The levels of several lakes, large and small, in the forest have begun to drop in recent days."

This situation has happened in previous years, but it would recover on its own after a short while.

This drop lasted for a whole week, and the water level did not rise but dropped even more.

"I was a little anxious, so I took great pains to open the underground river in the palace."

“It’s dried up.”

Without any signs or warnings, nature suddenly took away a major force that the elves relied on for survival, and it disappeared without a trace.

Yet this is easily reminiscent of something similar happening outside the forests – the degradation of the land.

The cities of Quoge and Jota and their nearby small towns were also struck by the disaster suddenly. There was no warning and the land yields suddenly decreased, leaving no room for recovery.

But thanks to the efforts of Lianyun and the town, although land productivity has not yet fully recovered, it is getting better.

But no one thought that this incident would happen in another form in the Elf Forest.

In everyone's eyes, or in the history of the entire continent, the Elf Forest is the richest and most fertile land in the entire continent. If there is a problem anywhere, the Elf Forest will not be the problem either.

The Elf Queen also had her own reasoning: "While the fog was present, the forest was fine. But once the fog disappeared, our elves were completely exposed to the entire continent, and it was inevitable that we would attract malicious intent."

"Then why do you think it's related to Xincheng?" Lian Yun was puzzled.

The Queen sighed deeply.

"Do you know that sea? It's the source of the underground river in the Elf Forest."

"It hasn't changed over the years. That's one of the reasons why I kept in close contact with the Mermaid Chief before the inter-ethnic war. But after the Mist erupted, the Elves became isolated from the outside world. I haven't contacted the Mermaid Chief since, and he hasn't cut off our water supply."

"I trust his character and understand his personality. Even if he knew about our alliance with the human race, he would never be so petty and cruel as to cut off the water supply."

"Until Miao An returns to the forest."

It turns out that when Muan left the forest, he was carrying out a mission from the Elf Queen - to follow the flow of the underground river and look for anything along the way that might cut off the water source.

It was this mission that led them all the way to the new city.

"The new city is located on the line connecting our forest and the ocean." The queen said in a deep voice.