Chapter 172 An Elf's Cold Noodles, The Reason, The Map
Who are you? Where is this?
The young man frowned, looking wary at the three people sitting in front of him.
He could feel that his body was very weak. After standing for a short while, his legs began to tremble uncontrollably, and he also experienced waves of stabbing pain. He felt weak all over, his hands and feet were limp, and he even felt dizzy.
“This is a small mountain village. My brother saved you,” Neil replied, though he had a very bad impression of the man.
His brother rescued him and took meticulous care of him for over a month, yet he received no gratitude in return, and was even stared at with the eyes of someone looking at an enemy, which made him extremely unhappy. Heaven knows how hard his brother's life was during his absence!
"Thank you for saving me. I'm sorry, I mistook you for the bad guys who kidnapped me."
The young man sensed Neil's hostility and immediately apologized.
"It's okay, you just woke up and don't know the situation yet."
Lai smoothed things over by pulling up a chair for him to sit at the table. The young man looked at the cold noodles on the table with great curiosity; he had never seen such food before.
Guh—
His stomach growled, and the young man felt embarrassed. He had never been so disheveled and impolite in his life.
"Wait a moment, I'll cook you some noodles. You can't eat cold noodles right now since you just woke up."
Ray got up to cook noodles, but Neil stopped him with lightning speed.
"Brother, you eat, I'll cook." Neil called Lamb to cook noodles together, leaving only Ray and the young man in the living room.
"What's your name? I found you on the grass across from my house a month ago. You were unconscious from your injuries."
Based on Ray's words, the young man vaguely recalled the scene. He remembered that he seemed to be preparing to attack him with a dagger, and then...
That's right! This is a small mountain village, so we should be able to find Guge very soon!
Thinking of this, the young man finally regained some of his spirits.
"Thank you for saving me, Seya. My name is Seya."
The young man was clearly using an alias, but Lai didn't mind. Revealing one's identity in front of complete strangers was indeed an unwise decision.
"Hello Seya, I'm Lai. My two younger brothers, Neil and Lamb, were cooking noodles just now. They are both very good kids. I hope you don't mind what happened earlier."
"It's alright, after all, it was my rudeness first."
Lai didn't continue speaking, but waited for Seya to speak, certain that he would ask about Guge. Sure enough, Seya did.
“I am a distant cousin of Guge. Because we live far away, we have never met before. This time, I was unexpectedly kidnapped by bandits while traveling. After several twists and turns, I escaped and found out that a small mountain village was nearby, so I came to seek refuge with him.”
Saiya tried his best to come up with a believable reason for himself.
The truth was a mix of reality and illusion; being kidnapped was real, but so was the escape. Having encountered so many bad and good people along the way, he now dared not easily trust anyone. Western Europe hadn't lied to him; it truly was far too dangerous outside.
"I would like to see Guge."
"Okay, he lives nearby. We can go find him now if you want, but I suggest you finish your meal first."
Lei's friendly tone throughout made Seya feel much safer.
"Okay, thank you."
While the two were chatting, Neil had already cooked the hand-pulled noodles. A bowl of rinsed hand-pulled noodles with freshly stir-fried bird's egg sauce was placed in front of Seya, full of the aroma of eggs.
"Eat up first, we can talk about other things later."
Lei advised.
Seya watched as Lei and the others continued eating, picking up a large mouthful of noodles with two small wooden sticks and enjoying it immensely. He awkwardly picked up chopsticks, tried a few times, and finally managed to add a noodle, finding it all very novel.
"I forgot you can't use chopsticks, so I'll get you a fork instead."
Neil made a move to get up, but was stopped by Seyia.
"No need, I can already clamp it up."
After only a few practice sessions, Seyar quickly mastered the use of chopsticks, remarking that they were indeed much easier to use than forks. Lamb watched in amazement, having practiced for a long time before becoming accustomed to using chopsticks.
The table quieted down with the addition of a stranger, and everyone quickly finished lunch. After the meal, Neil and Lamb cleared the table together, and Ray brought out two bottles of potions and a clean spoon from the bedroom, placing them in front of Seya.
"Drink two spoonfuls for the brown ones and three spoonfuls for the green ones."
"good."
Following Lai's instructions, Seya obediently drank the medicine, and Lai then handed him a glass of warm water.
"Thank you. Have you been taking care of me all this time?"
"Hmm. Your hair was a bit long, and it's too hot now since you can only lie down, so I cut half of it off for you without your permission. I hope you don't mind."
Saiya picked up a strand of hair, looked at it, and didn't pay much attention. With his life hanging in the balance, what did hair matter?
"It's nothing, thank you for taking care of me for so long. I will definitely repay your kindness when I get home."
"Then you can pay my medical expenses and such in advance."
Ray made a little joke to ease the tension and try to make him relax.
"I'm sorry, my storage ring was stolen shortly after I came out, but I will definitely return it to you."
Having teased the honest child, Lei touched his nose, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Don't take it seriously, I was just saying. Come on, I'll take you to see Guge."
"OK."
Saiya stood up, feeling a bit better than before, but he still walked unsteadily and with a slight limp.
What's wrong with my leg?
"When you suddenly stood up, I thought your leg was completely healed. I'm sorry. Did you know you had a broken leg before?"
Black's magic was far superior to Ray's. Black used magic almost entirely to heal Gaia's leg. Ray subconsciously thought that magic had directly solved Gaia's leg problem, but he didn't expect that his leg was not completely healed.
"Um."
Seyia nodded, that terrible memory resurfacing in his mind. If only he hadn't secretly run away, he wouldn't have encountered that "madman."
"The doctor said your bone was misaligned, so he knocked it open and then put it back in place. He's a mid-level wood-type mage, so don't worry, he did a great job. It's just that your leg will need some time to recover."
This was discovered by Blake after another examination. As a doctor, he couldn't ignore the situation, so he treated the patient again.
“Your bones have just healed, so you should lie down. I’ll go get Guge.”
"Thank you."
Ray closed the bedroom door for Seya so he could have some alone time, then said goodbye to Neil and the others before leaving.
Seyia had mixed feelings.
He desperately wanted to return to his parents, but his leg was broken. His magic had also been sealed, making it impossible for him to cross the forest alone. His only hope was that Guge might have a way to contact others.
The Lai family lived very close to the Gug family, and the two returned shortly afterward. Lai knocked on the door and led Gug into the bedroom, bringing out a chair for Gug. Saiya sat upright on the edge of the bed, clearly waiting for them.
“Child, I heard you were looking for me. I am Guge.”
Saiya was stunned when he saw Guge's aged face; he had never imagined Guge would look so old. All the grievances he had suffered over the years welled up inside him, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
His hopes were shattered.
"Child, don't cry. Just tell me what's wrong, and I'll do everything I can to help you."
Guge patiently comforted him, just like he was coaxing his own grandson who had been wronged.
After a brief outburst of tears, Sai was somewhat embarrassed by his outburst. Lai handed him a tissue and left the bedroom, leaving the two of them alone to talk. He then took Neil and Lamb to the backyard to pick vegetables.
The family had a lot of green beans, more than he and Neil could eat. They picked all the ones they could and took them to town to sell, so as not to waste them.
"The strawberries are ripe too. Pick a lot later so you and Danny can eat them when you go back to the academy tomorrow."
"good!"
"Lamb, don't rush off after you finish your work. Take one of the watermelons from Jingli Town back with you so your family can cool off in the heat."
"Okay, hehe, bro, the watermelons you grow are the best!"
The three chatted while picking vegetables in the garden, trying to avoid talking about Gaia.
Guge and Sayya talked for a long time, but no one knew what they were saying. Lai, afraid Tata might overhear, led her to the vegetable garden. Tata ran around the garden happily for several laps, finally hiding under the persimmon vines to steal a bite, eating with great relish.
"Tata, eat less. If you eat too much, you'll get diarrhea and it'll rub off on your butt hair," Lei instructed.
"Awooo!"
Bad guy!
Hearing Tata's exasperated response, Lei raised an eyebrow.
"Lei, are you still in the vegetable garden?"
Guge stood at the edge of the field, searching for Lai among the vegetable racks. Lai worked diligently, and the rows of vegetables were pleasing to the eye. Lamb, with his striking red hair, stood out most among the vegetable leaves, easily spotted at a glance.
"Yes, what's wrong?"
"Come out first, I need to talk to you about something."
"good."
Lai came out from between the bean trellises and washed his hands in the jar.
"Brother, where do we put the vegetables after we pick them?" Neil asked Lai.
"Place a canvas flat on the living room floor as usual."
"good."
If you leave green beans in the basket after picking them, they will spoil. You have to bag them before selling them to avoid spoilage and make them look better.
Lai followed Gugge, but instead of going inside, he went to Gugge's house. Instead of talking to Lai, Gugge went outside, cut two bunches of grapes with scissors, washed them, and gave them to Lai.
"Try this year's grapes, and bring a few bunches home later."
"good."
Lai ate grapes, waiting for Guge to speak. The grape variety Guge picked didn't need to be peeled, and it had very few seeds, making it especially delicious.
Guge sighed and explained the whole story.
It turns out that Saiya is not human, but an elf.
Several years ago, he secretly ran away from the Elven race, was deceived by bad people who took all his belongings, and was even sold to a high-ranking nobleman as a slave for a period of time. Later, he took advantage of a break time to disguise himself and escape, hoping to work and earn some travel expenses, but was tricked by an unscrupulous boss into going to the Colosseum.
Fortunately, the elf could understand animal language. He organized a riot in the arena and finally escaped, overcoming numerous difficulties to reach Eton.
He had intended to use the road through Rosen Town to hire bounty hunters to return to the Elven race, but his magic was sealed, and he underestimated the ferocity of the magical beasts. He was unexpectedly attacked shortly after reaching the outskirts, and only managed to escape with the protection of the bounty hunters, but he was utterly exhausted. With his last bit of willpower, he crossed the forest and reached a small mountain village. Then he was rescued by Lai...
"I never imagined he'd been through so much."
"Alas, what a poor child. He has paid a heavy price for his willfulness. He wants to make contact with the elves through me, but I have no means of communication with them."
Decades ago, when I was young, I could go there by myself, but now I have to admit that I am quite old. Only a few old friends in Western Europe still remember me and come to visit occasionally, but I have no idea when they will come.
I can't help him with anything.
Guge told the truth and explained the whole thing clearly.
"Is there something you need from me?" Lei had a vague idea in his mind.
“Lay, could you help take care of him for a while until his leg injury heals? He'll try to contact his people and leave as soon as possible. Elves aren't a stingy race; they'll repay you handsomely. Actually, I'd prefer him to stay with me, but I feel like my time is running out…”
"Please don't say that. You will definitely live to be two hundred years old. I promise to help take care of him, but he can't do anything out of line."
"Okay, I'll tell him, and this too."
Guge took the strange painting off the wall, dusted it off, and laid it on the table.
"This is a map leading to the Hugo Elf tribe, and this stone is their token; you might need it someday."
Gug looked at Lai with a smile, his eyes full of affection.
“Originally, I intended to leave it to you as a legacy. If Seya wants to leave, give him a map. Eaton Forest is too vast; without a map, he won’t be able to find his way home.”
Lai looked at Gug, his heart filled with mixed emotions.
"Don't risk sending him back. Eaton Forest has its own laws, and it's too dangerous for us ordinary humans."
Gu Ge explained the matter in detail.
"It's been a long time since anyone listened to me ramble on about the past, haha."
"Sigh, if possible, I hope to see her one more time before I go to the other world. I'm sorry to her mother, and I'm sorry to her too."
Lai knew that the "she" Gug was referring to must be Gug's daughter.
Gug took out a packet of gold leaves and handed it to Lai.
"Consider these as expenses for Seya's food and lodging. The elves have been kind to me, and I can't let you suffer a loss."
Lai quickly refused Gug.
"Since I've already agreed, I won't go back on my word. You can keep these for yourself; I'll get them back from the elves. I've earned a lot of gold coins these past few years; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to buy this entire hill."
As you know, the situation over at Aishan is such that energy stones have become an indispensable energy source for glass lamps. In other words, you've given me a whole 'gold mountain,' so how could I forget your reminders and guidance?"
Every word Ray said was true, and he was genuinely grateful to Gug for his help. Now that Gug needed his help, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing. He only regretted that he couldn't give Gug more in return and help him find his daughter.
The two chatted for a long time about the orchard and vegetable garden, everything was understood without words.
Lai returned with a small basket full of grapes. Neil and Lamb had finished picking green beans and peppers and were busy bundling rapeseed and lettuce into groups of five. Seyia was also helping out, doing what she could.
When Lai returned, he put down his small basket and joined them. Gaia secretly glanced at him, but Lai pretended not to notice and everything seemed normal.
The four of them worked quickly and finished all the work in no time. Lamb tidied up and prepared to go home, and Lai gave him a watermelon and a few bunches of grapes.
“Neil will come to town with me tomorrow morning, and then he will go straight back to the academy. If Danny also wants to go to the academy tomorrow morning, he can come and stay with Neil tonight.”
"Okay, if Danny doesn't come, we don't need to wait for him."
"Okay, let's go back. The watermelon won't be cold in a bit."
After Ray and Neil saw Lamb off, Gaia was left alone in the living room, looking somewhat awkward as Ray entered.
"Shall we talk about this later?"
"good."
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