His sharp gaze swept over the five elves surrounded in the center, his eyes lingering for a moment on the contours of Glenhill's forehead—a feature concealed by illusion but still somewhat "unnatural" in the eyes of a battle-hardened veteran like Astaire—before he spoke calmly, his voice not loud, but clearly carrying throughout the entire area:
"His lord has ordered that you distinguished guests be invited to the castle for a discussion."
He slightly raised his hand, gesturing to the bewildered caravan and crowd around him, "Please don't panic, this is just routine business."
The atmosphere instantly became tense!
Tal Salin's muscles tensed instantly, and his right hand instinctively reached for the longbow arm hidden behind his cloak! Iser and Feral also instantly went on alert, their eyes sharp as eagles.
Lyra Ryan's fingertips flickered with light, ready to tear through the illusionary defenses at any moment.
We've been discovered? And in such a forceful and unquestionable manner? The other side has strange equipment, and the leader's strength is unfathomable; a direct assault offers no chance of victory!
Glenhill was deeply shaken, but he maintained the composure of an elven leader.
He quickly raised his hand to stop his companion from retaliating.
The other side had clearly locked onto them, and it was the lord himself who gave the order.
Resisting in such a place is not only pointless, but will also confirm the "suspicious" label, bring unnecessary trouble to the elves, and may even become an excuse to attack Lind.
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and stepped forward to meet Aster's scrutinizing gaze. His voice carried the clear, melodious quality characteristic of elves, along with a deliberately maintained calm:
"We are just travelers from afar. We do not know why the lord has summoned us. But since the lord has invited us, we should obey."
He deliberately used "traveler" instead of "scholar," but Astaire didn't seem to care about this detail.
“Please.” Astaire said succinctly, stepping aside to make way.
The "Rock" guards behind him simultaneously adjusted their positions slightly, forming a "passage" leading towards the castle. This appeared to be a gesture of courtesy, but in reality, it was a clear sign of surveillance.
Under the watchful eyes of countless people, some curious, some fearful, and some inquisitive, Glenhill and his group of five, escorted by ten magically armored guards exuding a chilling aura, left the bustling trading district like prisoners being led away, heading towards the imposing castle that stood atop the hill, overlooking the entire Blackrock Territory.
…………
Blackrock Fortress, main hall.
This is not a formal council hall, but rather a place where Linde receives relatively important guests; the furnishings are solemn yet dignified.
The tall stone fireplace roared with flames, dispelling the winter chill and illuminating the young lord seated in the main seat.
Linde was not wearing an elaborate lord's robe, but a well-tailored dark purple casual suit, which made his tall and straight figure stand out even more.
He leaned casually against the high-backed chair, one hand supporting his chin, while the fingers of his other hand unconsciously tapped lightly on the smooth rosewood armrest, producing a rhythmic soft sound.
Those deep purple eyes were half-open, as if they were resting or deep in thought.
As Astaire's steady, powerful footsteps echoed outside the hall, Lind slowly opened his eyes.
His gaze swept over the five elves "escorted" in by the guards as if it were a tangible thing. His eyes passed over their illusion-enhanced appearances with utter naturalness, as if the disguise did not exist at all, and landed directly on the true nature of Glenhill, Tal Shalin, Lilarion, and the other elves.
The [Deconstruction Halo] operates silently. Under the [Magic Network Vision], five clusters of emerald green halos, representing powerful life origins and closely connected with natural magic, are clearly visible—that is the truth of the "homogeneous green light" he perceived.
The way their energy flows and their affinity with the magic network are completely different from the mainstream human mages or orc shamans on the continent of Til. They carry the rhythm of the ancient forest, pure and powerful.
At the same time, he also "saw" the details of the items they carried, which were sealed by powerful natural magic, as well as their tense muscles and rapidly circulating mental energy.
The details of these elves have been completely exposed by Lind's deconstruction aura.
A team of elves from the Emerald Forest...
They came to find the root cause of the natural anomalies...
"My lord, the guest has been brought in."
Aster placed his right hand on his chest, gave a military salute, and then retreated to Lind's side and behind him, standing like a silent iron tower, his sharp gaze fixed on the elves.
The hall fell silent for a moment, save for the crackling of the fireplace and the soft tapping of Lind's fingers on the armrest.
Glenhill, as the representative, took a deep breath, forcing himself to suppress the discomfort of being scrutinized and the sense of rejection he felt towards this hall filled with the oppressive aura of a human lord.
He bowed slightly, performing a standard aristocratic greeting, and tried to keep his voice calm:
“Your Excellency Viscount Linde, it is an honor to be received by you. We are travelers from afar, and we don’t know…”
Before he could finish speaking, Lind interrupted him.
Linde lowered his hand that was supporting his chin, leaned forward slightly, and locked his purple eyes, which seemed to see right through people, onto Glen Hill.
His face held no polite smile, only a condescending scrutiny and a hint of... knowing amusement.
"A traveler from afar?"
Linde's voice wasn't loud, but it had a peculiar penetrating quality, echoing clearly in the empty hall.
A slight smile curved his lips as his gaze swept over the invisible emerald aura emanating from the five elves, a power shared with his own.
"Friends from the depths of the 'Emerald Forest,' disguised as anthropologists, have traveled thousands of miles to infiltrate the Fortified City, gathering intelligence on my background, and then 'traveled' all the way to the trade zone of my Blackrock Territory to continue their 'observation'..."
Lind paused, each word like an ice bead striking the elves' hearts.
“Now, tell me,” his gaze finally settled on Glenhill’s shocked face, his tone icy and unquestionable, “what exactly does your Elven Council of Elders want to ‘observe’ from me by sending this ‘Emerald Leaf Eye’ on this ‘journey’?”
boom!
It was like a thunderclap exploding in my mind!
Glenhill, Tal Shalin, Lyla Ryan... the expressions on all the elves' faces changed drastically in an instant!
The disguise was completely torn off! Their origins were accurately revealed! Even the delegation's code name, "Eye of Emerald Leaves," was casually mentioned by the other party!
How is this possible?!
A chill instantly ran from the soles of his feet throughout his entire body! All the plans, all the caution, seemed to have become a clumsy joke in the face of this young human lord!
Inside the hall, the air seemed to freeze completely.
The fireplace flames seemed to sense the suffocating pressure as well, and their leaps became less joyful.
Only Lind's all-knowing purple eyes, illuminated by the firelight, gleamed with a cold and profound light, quietly awaiting the answer.
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