Chapter 203 Arrival in the Elven Kingdom, The Gate, Distinguished Guest
Without the speed constraint, Draven returned quickly.
Normally, he would slow down his flight to accommodate the carriage. But this time, to return as quickly as possible after gathering information, he used his fastest speed.
After a day and a night of flying, Draven brought very bad news to Ray and his group.
The two-headed firebird beast wasn't lying; a demon army was indeed crossing the Eaton Great Forest and heading towards the surrounding towns.
The exact destination is uncertain, but the danger it represents is self-evident.
To avoid encountering the demons, Lai changed course on Tata's father's advice.
This delayed them by a few days. However, compared to everyone's safety, these few days were not a big problem.
The further you go on this road, the more monsters you'll encounter.
Unlike other ordinary animals, they were not afraid of people. Instead, they stayed in various corners that were not easy to find, observing the passing Lai and his group.
These were all species that Ray had never seen before. Some had ferocious appearances, while others hid sharp claws and terrifying fangs beneath their beautiful exteriors.
However, these magical beasts were deterred by the powerful aura of the adult mortal beasts and dared not make any dangerous moves against them.
They were simply observing silently, perhaps out of curiosity, or perhaps looking for an opportunity to ambush them.
Draven had originally planned to visit the territory, but the current situation did not allow it, so he had to give up on that idea.
They traveled for nearly ten more days, and as more and more oak forests appeared and the route on the map became shorter and shorter, they finally arrived at their destination.
Seyya could not hide his excitement.
Although they had arrived at the location marked on the map, looking at the scene before them that was no different from the surrounding environment, Lai couldn't help but feel a little doubtful.
He was absolutely certain they hadn't gone the wrong way, but there really wasn't a single place around that resembled the legendary Elf Kingdom, not even a single elf.
“Lei, let’s look around. There should be a stone or a wooden stake here with Elvish inscriptions.”
"good."
Seyah broke the silence, and Lei breathed a sigh of relief.
They were incredibly fortunate to have a real elf among them; otherwise, just like before, even if they had found the right spot, they wouldn't have been able to truly enter the elven kingdom.
Lai picked up a stick and searched carefully in the weeds, while Tata also plunged into the bushes.
After some effort, Lai found a broken small stone tablet between two old oak trees. He wouldn't have noticed it if Ryan hadn't pointed it out.
"Saya, come and see if this is it."
Saiya dropped the branch he was holding and ran over. After carefully examining the writing on it, he gave a bright smile.
"That's it! This is it! I can finally go home!"
Saiya's voice gradually choked up, and it took her a while to calm herself down.
"Ray."
"Hmm, what's wrong?"
"Touch the center of this stone tablet with your hand, and then pour your magic into it little by little."
"good."
Following Seyah's instructions, Lai placed his hand in the only empty space in the center of the stone tablet and mobilized the surrounding wood elements, slowly sending them into the stone tablet.
The small stone tablet looked no different from the common stone tablets. But soon after his palm touched it, Ray noticed that the stone tablet was different from others.
If it were just an ordinary stone, it would have cracked long ago under this level of magic.
But the stone tablet was not damaged at all. And, whether it was an illusion or not, Lai felt that the small stone tablet was actively absorbing the magic he was transmitting.
As time and magic passed, the stone tablet beneath his hand grew brighter and brighter, and a green magic circle gradually emerged from his palm.
As the magic circle reached its zenith, ancient and obscure Elvish language emanated from Seya's mouth.
He recited the incantation three times in a row, and the stone tablet changed again.
Ray's magic circle, penetrating the twenty-centimeter-thick monument, formed a rippled magic circle between the two old oak trees.
A different scene can be faintly seen within it.
Tata ran behind the magic circle out of curiosity and exclaimed in amazement.
"Lei, we can see the same view from here as we can from the other side!"
"It's done, the door is open!"
The entire elf, Saiya, radiated joy from within.
"Lay, you can let go of my hand now. We only have a little time, let's go inside quickly!"
Lai released his hand and looked at the giant monster behind them.
"Can Draven go in too?"
Seymah shook his head.
"No, this is the only way. Elven soldiers are guarding the door, and Draven will be attacked as soon as he appears."
"It's alright, I'll be waiting for you here."
There's nothing we can do about it, and the Great Beast understands.
His only goal was to repair the little monster's injured magic core; he had little interest in the Elf Kingdom beyond that.
Upon reaching its destination, the carriage completed its final mission.
With Seyah's help, Lei removed the two sets of horse tack and set the two horse-like magical beasts free.
Just as they had agreed, Tata's father gave the monster two magic cores.
The roar of the monsters could be heard. Their children, upon hearing the call, eagerly approached their parents, touched cheeks with them, and then, under their parents' urging, swallowed two magic cores.
The transformation happened in an instant; the all-black "pony" suddenly sprouted a pair of small wings from its back.
This is an organ that its parents did not have.
The wings were forced out of the monster's flesh, and it was bleeding heavily from its shoulder blades, but the monster did not make a sound.
It shook the new "toy" on its shoulder blade and excitedly showed it to the two large monsters.
The family looked very happy. They knelt down and bowed to Tata's father before disappearing into the oak forest.
Thus ended the brief connection between Ray and his group and the animals.
After packing up the things on the carriage, Draven tore through space with his claws, and three elemental stones of different attributes fell onto the carriage floor.
"Take it to treat the cubs."
“You don’t need that many, one water elemental stone is enough,” Lei explained.
"spare."
"You don't need to take it. Since I promised to help Tata heal the demon core, I will definitely keep my word."
"Saya said."
The great monster finally suppressed what Lai and Saiya were about to say with an unusually strong attitude.
"I feel at ease only when the cubs use these elemental stones."
In the end, Lai obediently put the elemental stone into the pendant space.
Draven reluctantly nuzzled Tata's cheek, then picked him up and placed him in Ray's arms.
"I'm entrusting the cub to you for now. Make sure you protect his safety and heal the cracks in his magic core."
"good."
Lei took Tata and made a solemn promise.
After saying goodbye, Lai carried Tata and followed Seya into the magic circle.
After watching them enter, the magic circle vanished before his eyes, and he flapped his wings and left. He still had some matters to attend to.
A flash of white light, and when Lai and the others opened their eyes again, they found themselves in a completely different world.
They emerged from a large plaza paved with marble, with elves patrolling on both sides.
As soon as Lei and Sai appeared, the patrolling elves immediately surrounded them and questioned their identities.
Seya communicated with them in Elvish for a while, and they were soon invited into the house next door.
After a while, an elf who seemed to be of higher status came into the room, and Saiya had a long conversation with him.
Lei didn't understand Elvish, so he could only sit aside and observe their expressions.
Saiya remained confident and composed throughout, while the elf's face gradually revealed a look of joy.
After Seya finished speaking with him, Lei noticed that all the elves present were showing him an unusually respectful attitude.
However, the matter was not over yet. Not long afterward, it seemed that a higher-ranking officer had arrived.
Seya was asked to leave the room. After telling Lei that he didn't need to worry, he left the room with the other elves.
After a period of waiting under the watchful eyes of elven soldiers, an elf invited Ray to leave together in Common.
"Honorable guest, in gratitude for your help, His Highness invites you and your pet to the palace."
"good."
Tata was somewhat displeased when he heard the elf refer to him as a pet.
His relationship with Rae was more than just that of pets.
But this was the elves' territory, and he couldn't cause trouble for Laiyi, so he remained silent.
After arriving here, he regarded Lai as his only support and wouldn't believe anyone else's words.
Lai followed the elves into a carriage and obediently followed their instructions.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Saiya never revealed his identity to them, but judging from the elves' initial arrogance followed by deference, and the way they addressed him as "Your Highness," his identity must be extraordinary.
Upon arriving in the Elf Kingdom, he and Tata were merely outsiders seeking their help, and following orders was the best option.
Through the past year of living together, Lai believed that Saiya would never harm him and Tata and would find an opportunity to tell them the truth.
The carriage traveled smoothly for more than half an hour, winding its way through many places, before finally stopping inside a tall building.
When Lai carried Tata off the carriage, they didn't see Seya. Instead, they were led by the elf who had invited them to a very comfortable-looking guest room.
"Please rest here, esteemed guest. There is hot water in the room, and a maid will bring you clothes and food shortly."
His Highness should summon you at dinner time. Please wait patiently. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask your maid.
"Okay, thank you."
"It is my honor to guide you."
The elf bowed and respectfully left the room.
Elves are naturally beautiful, and with their refined speech and graceful demeanor, they easily win the favor of others and quickly put people at ease.
Before Lai could even sit down and properly observe the room, there was a knock on the door.
He opened the door, and there stood three elven girls in a row, each carrying a tray.
"Our master sent us to bring you clothes and food," the elven girl said gently.
Lai stepped aside to make room for them. After they put their things down, they bowed and left, treating Lai with great respect.
The room fell silent again.
The elf arranged a large room for Laiyi, fully furnished with all the necessary items.
The bed is placed by the window and separated from the rest of the space by a wooden screen. There is also a separate small room for bathing.
Since we're here, let's make the best of it.
Lei borrowed the bathroom to take a bath for himself and Tata, and then changed into the clothes prepared by the elves.
The food consisted of delicious jam bread, two small ribs, and a whole bottle of low-alcohol sweet wine.
It's rare to find ice cubes for chilled wine this time of year; the sweet wine provided by the elves has a rare refreshing coolness.
When Lai came out of the shower, the ribs were already a little cold, but that didn't affect their deliciousness.
The room has an excellent view; it's situated at a very high elevation.
Lai walked to the balcony, where he could see the entire Elf Kingdom at a glance.
This city is about the same size as Eaton and is built on a hillside. The houses are mostly made of stone, but you can also see many beautiful treehouses.
It feels like a tropical climate here, with flowers and greenery everywhere, and the air is filled with the scent of plants and a strong magical atmosphere.
If you didn't know better, you'd think you'd stumbled upon a famous tropical city on Earth.
The most striking places in the Elf Kingdom are two.
One is a black stone monument and a beautiful marble fountain located in the large square to the northeast.
The other is the towering tree located in the center.
It was such an astonishingly large creature that Ray could barely make out its overall shape from his high vantage point.
Beneath the tree, elves lined up to pray to it, its enormous canopy casting its shadow over an area of several dozen meters around it.
Ryan sat on Ray's shoulder, quietly watching the city in the forest.
This tree must be the legendary Fairy Mother Tree.
Lei guessed.
He couldn't sense any wood element from that tree, which was very unusual.
In this magical continent filled with the five basic elements, traces of magical elements can be found on the wildflowers and weeds by the roadside.
There is only one explanation for this phenomenon: the mother tree somehow managed to suppress all magical energy.
It is quite different from the Elf Tree in the Ray family's backyard.
"Is this the Mother Tree of the Elves?"
Ray turned his head to ask, and Ryan gave an affirmative answer.
"Yes, it is still young and in a dormant period, which is also the most vulnerable period in its life."
Ryan explained.
"Wouldn't it be very easy for bad people to destroy it?"
"Yes, but the elves will not allow such a thing to happen."
Lian floated back into the room and took over the spot above the chandelier.
The Elf Kingdom is much more developed than the small tribes below, and they have already started using glass lamps, which have only recently become popular in the outer towns.
These lamps were even more exquisite than any Ray had ever seen before, with flower-shaped lampshades woven from fine vines, and Ryan stayed in that spot.
The Elf Kingdom is far more modern than I imagined.
"Lay, Ri looks really good in that outfit!"
Tata circled around the human, offering sincere praise.
The elves' everyday clothing is very flowing, and because of the climate here, their clothes are very light and thin, somewhat similar to the attire of the ancient Romans.
Lai hadn't cut his hair in a while; he had just taken a shower, and his half-dry hair was loose down his back, making him look very handsome.
"You are beautiful too."
The little monster always smells sweet and soft after a bath, making you want to reach out and rub it again and again.
"Lay, where did Saiya go?"
The little monster couldn't help but ask, and proactively lay down next to Laiyi so that he could touch its plump little belly that felt best to the touch.
While inwardly condemning himself for being so sinful, Lei couldn't help but place his hand on the little monster's soft belly.
He must have been picked up by his family.
"Will we ever see Seymour again?"
Tata rolled over and looked at Lai with her big, round eyes.
The way the little monster looks is so easy to evoke the evil in people's hearts.
"Yes, he will come looking for us."
"That's for sure," Ray said.
A gentle breeze wafted through the curtains, filling the guest room with the fragrance of flowers.
The peaceful and serene atmosphere of the Elf Kingdom makes one wonder if they are actually in paradise.
This place is perfect for a wood-type mage like Lai.
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