Chapter 285 What Does Death Mean? A Carefree and Happy Life
As soon as Shu Xin passed through the spatial rift opened up by the stream, she felt herself being engulfed by a white mist rushing towards her.
She was enveloped in thick fog, where she could barely see her hand in front of her face, but the moment she flew into the depths of the fog, she sensed the presence of the Tree of Life—just like the sun, which, even when covered by dark clouds, is right above her without her having to look up.
Shu Xin flew directly towards the Tree of Life.
As we flew, the thick fog around us gradually thinned, and our vision slowly opened up.
The flower fairy, who was always sparkling and radiant, lost her dazzling brilliance without anyone noticing. The antennae on her head and the wings on her back slowly disappeared like mist.
As she landed on the soft, thick grass, her originally slender and upright figure quietly shrank, and what finally stood on the grass was a young elf with flowing red curly hair and a pair of watery green eyes.
The little child loved this vibrant meadow. Every time she came, she would roll around on the soft grass. But not this time. She had something very important to do this time—she had to hurry and collect dew for the visiting naked apes!
As she talked to the birds that flew by, she summoned gusts of wind, using the wind to blow the dewdrops off the grass blades, then using the wind to lift up the falling dewdrops, and finally using a whirlwind to gather all the sparkling dewdrops together, collecting a large handful of clear, transparent dew, which she could take back to cook a delicious mushroom stew for her guests.
These dewdrops, which she had to collect specially, were remnants of the receding magical tides. The magical concentration was actually quite low. To be honest, she thought stews cooked with seawater from the Sky Sea tasted better. However, she also remembered that her mother, Bratzman, had said that the magical concentration in the Sky Sea was too high, and that naked apes would suffer greatly and even die if they drank it.
Young elves can't really understand what discomfort or pain feels like.
From birth until now, she has lived a carefree and happy life. Her biggest trouble is that the sweet fruits that the bighorn deer bring are always eaten up in just a few bites. Then her mother, Bretzman, will ask the little goblins with beautiful wings who live underground to play hide-and-seek with her, and she will quickly become happy again.
But she knew what death meant.
Death is the withering of flowers and the fading of leaves; even if the magical tide returns, no tender green buds will sprout. Death is the ceasing of the breath of a singing bird, never to utter another sound. Death is also the turning of a warm, soft fawn into a cold, stiff body, never to leap lightly again…
She was the third child raised by Bretzman's mother, and she knew that Bretzman's mother's time was also coming to an end, and the end of time meant death.
Bretzman's mother told her that death means rebirth, that death is the end of one period and the beginning of another. When that time comes, she will return to the embrace of the Mother Tree with a feeling of complete happiness, and new primordial spirits will be born on the branches of the Mother Tree. If she wishes, she can become a mother like herself, passing on the love she received from her, and her child will love her as much as she loved herself.
She thought she understood: withered flowers cannot bloom again, but new plants will grow and continue to bloom in the magical tides; dead birds cannot sing, but the chicks they hatch and raise will one day sing again; dead fawns can never move again, but new fawns will leap and frolic in the forest.
She would love to be a mother!
Happily covered in dew, she said goodbye to the birds and flew back to her tribe's territory.
On the way, she glanced at the whirlwind in front of her, which was covered with dew. After thinking for a moment, she picked a large leaf, folded it, transferred the dew onto the leaf, and dispersed the small, steady whirlwind.
She didn't find it strange to use a whirlwind to hold a water balloon, but the group of naked apes would definitely scream if they saw it. Their emotions were always rich and varied, which was very interesting, but sometimes they were really noisy.
Unlike the primordial elves who are born with the ability to use various natural magics, orcs find it difficult to cast spells because the elemental spirits in the air are not very friendly to orcs. She can understand this very well. After all, the bodies of orcs are like big, hard, and thick bottles. Once an elemental spirit is trapped inside, it is difficult for it to get out. If she were an elemental spirit, she would not want to play with orcs either.
The orcs seemed quite obsessed with magic, especially the naked ape-men among them. Their bodies weren't as hard or heavy as other orcs, making it easier for them to approach elemental spirits. Some naked ape-men even possessed exceptionally pure and clean souls. She pondered this seriously, and realized that this was probably why Bretzman's mother had befriended the naked ape-men.
She pouted at the thought of Bratzman's mother's orc friend.
The female naked ape-woman named Delia had visited the primordial elves' territory before she was even born. It's said that the treehouse and vegetable garden were built and cultivated by Delia and everyone else together. She also taught Mother Bratzman how to make delicious stews and salads. Delia knows so much! Will she be like Delia when she grows up...?
Delia was one of the few orcs who was loved by the elemental spirits. All the primordial spirits liked this orc. Although she had only met Delia once, she actually liked this orc quite a bit. Delia had a very bright soul and her whole being exuded an exceptionally strong vitality, just like the lush and vigorous green meadow that she particularly liked.
But the thought of Delia taking Bretzman's mother away made her less happy. Humph!
The naked apes visiting the elven territory this time were not the same group she had seen before. They were all quite quiet, but the fluctuations of their magical artifacts were too strong, making them noisy on another level.
I wonder why Delia didn't come this time. It's not that she misses the honey Delia brought before! The berries from the Great Deer are delicious too! It's just that they're not as sweet as Delia's honey...
However, they have a very close blood relationship with Delia, so they must be Delia's relatives, right? Before coming out, she secretly listened, but the fluctuations of the magical artifacts were too strong, and she couldn't hear anything clearly. Were those magical artifacts researched by Delia? Could she ask for one to play with for a while?
The young child flew joyfully towards their homeland, and Shu Xin finally regained her consciousness. Perhaps Ganar had done something to her; she had almost become one with the young elven child, clearly sensing his thoughts and feelings, yet now she was detached from his mind, forced to watch the unfolding events from an outsider's perspective.
Strangers, naked apes, brought a message from Delia and Bratzman, inviting the primal elves to go out for a stroll.
Shu Xin: ?
Shu Xin: [Don't agree! No! Don't go out! Don't go out—]
The primordial elves beneath the Tree of Life couldn't hear Shu Xin's shouts. After serving the guests from afar a delicious mushroom stew with just the right amount of magic, they discussed the matter amongst themselves and then accepted the naked apes' invitation. They decided to send some of their people out, partly to learn more about the outside world and partly to visit Bratzman, who was still outside as his time was about to end.
The little elf with bright red hair and emerald green eyes was also one of the original elves who went out, and she was also the only underage elf.
Only the children, as tall as adult elves' calves, skipped and hopped to say goodbye to their animal friends in the forest.
She muttered to herself, talking to the grass swaying in the wind, to the birds fluttering by, and to the deer chewing on the tender leaves of the bushes. She said she was going to find her mother and that she would soon be able to eat very, very delicious honey!
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