Even a newly adult elf is only three hundred years old; Lina doesn't look like someone that age at all.
Suddenly, An Ge realized that something was off about Lina when they first met.
It was her eyes! Lina's eyes didn't show the weariness of old age, nor did they resemble those of a world-weary old woman; instead, they held a clarity and innocence.
No wonder Lina seemed a little uncomfortable when she called her "Grandma".
Thinking of this, An Ge wished she could go back to her past self and slap herself. Although ignorance is no excuse, her unintentional words were like rubbing salt into her wounds.
A young woman in the prime of her life, yet possessing the appearance and body of an old person—it's simply terrifying. Even I, with my current level of mental cultivation, might not be able to face it with equanimity.
"Lina, she is protecting the Tree of Life of the Elven race with her life!" Nat exclaimed, and for this reason, all the elves' gratitude towards Lina was overflowing.
Ange knew that the Tree of Life was the sacred tree of the elves. It could provide the elves with a continuous source of energy, so how could it have turned people into this?
Perhaps sensing Ange's confusion, Nat explained, "This was originally a secret of my clan, never to be revealed to outsiders. But Lina said that the aura on you is helpful to her. For so many years, I have been searching for a way to stop Lina's life from fading away, but I have failed every time."
Only you can make Lina feel this way; perhaps you can help my people.”
"Yes, is there something wrong with the Tree of Life?"
Nat nodded painfully. "More than a hundred years ago, we discovered that the Tree of Life was suddenly showing signs of withering. At the time, we tried all sorts of methods but could not stop this phenomenon. As the Tree of Life grew weaker and weaker, our people thought of using their own lives to provide energy for the Tree of Life."
Like Lina, the spirits whose energy is absorbed become old and frail despite being young and strong, until their lives are exhausted. What's even more worrying is that not every spirit's energy can revitalize the Tree of Life.
The tribe tried many methods and discovered that only elves with exceptional talent could sacrifice themselves for the Tree of Life. Over the past hundred years, countless geniuses have perished within the tribe. Lina was a rare genius among the tribe, and she was the sacrifice of this generation.
Even so, no new elves have been born in the clan for the past hundred years, and everyone's talent has been declining.
After hearing Nat's words, Ange gasped. She finally understood why Nat had kept this secret so tightly; if outsiders knew that the Tree of Life was in trouble, the entire Elven race would suffer a devastating blow.
The Tree of Life not only provides elves with a continuous source of energy, but also plays a vital role in the reproduction of newborns.
Only with the blessing of the Tree of Life can two elves unite and give birth to a child. Therefore, for the elven race, the Tree of Life represents the inheritance and continuation of life.
If something goes wrong with it, the Elven race will perish on its own without anyone else having to intervene.
Based on Nat's description, if Ango didn't know that the other person was talking about the Tree of Life, she would have thought it was something evil.
How could such a sacred creature survive by absorbing human life force?
However, none of the elves objected to this, so Ange temporarily suppressed her doubts.
Do you know why this problem exists?
"We have been searching for a long time over the past hundred years, and we speculate that the Tree of Life may have been invaded by the Abyss Demons. But this is just speculation, and even with my legendary mage strength, I cannot find out the specific reason."
The Tree of Life clearly requires elves with exceptional talent, yet for some reason, my spiritual power cannot be used by it. Otherwise, so many geniuses wouldn't have perished in our clan.
Nat's voice sank as he spoke. Recalling the fate of the elves over the past century, he felt nothing but anxiety. He had been an incompetent Elf King!
"Abyss Demons?" An Ge was taken aback. Lu Yan was also a demon. She wondered if they were of the same clan.
Ange guessed that it might be because she possessed a seed from the Plane Tree, which could emit extremely strong vitality, and coupled with her own divine power of life, this allowed Lina to reduce the loss of her life force.
"If possible, I'd like to see the Tree of Life." Ange didn't guarantee she could cure the Tree of Life; she just wanted to try.
The Elf King didn't think Ango could do anything about the Tree of Life, since even their own race of elves couldn't heal it, let alone outsiders.
Lina's experience gave him a glimmer of hope; perhaps Ango could bring about a different change? But now was not the right time for Ango to explore the Tree of Life.
"I have already set up a restriction on the land of the Tree of Life, and it will take some effort to open it, which will also weaken my strength. At this critical juncture, I cannot forcefully open the restriction."
However, Lina is an elf recognized by the Tree of Life, and the barrier there will automatically open every so often. You can go there then.
An Ge nodded. "Since Lina said it works when she's around, I'll go see her whenever I have time. I'll try it out next time the restriction is activated. But I can't guarantee it will work." An Ge gave her a heads-up.
Nat looked deeply moved. "I thank you on Lina's behalf. We've gradually come to accept the fate of the Tree of Life. Don't worry, young friend, even if you don't succeed, no elf will blame you. In fact, we'll be thanking you."
Back at her lodgings, Ange recounted the day's events to everyone.
“It seems we can’t just sit here and wait to die. Once Fu’en has recovered enough, we’ll go to the capital,” An Ge declared decisively.
Hu Jiu nodded in agreement, "Although things have gone beyond expectations, it's not the worst-case scenario. However, if everyone goes, it will create too much of a target. It's enough for just me and the store manager from our team to go."
Liu Tingxue raised her hand, "I'd like to apply to come along too. What Fang Yuanyuan does is exactly what I do, so maybe I can be of some help."
An Ge nodded; she had originally planned to have Liu Tingxue go with her.
Although Lu Yan wanted to go out, he knew the importance of the matter and acquiesced to the arrangement.
Vaughn had worked in a laboratory before, so he must have some understanding of the environment and routes there. With Vaughn around, at least they wouldn't be wandering around aimlessly like headless flies.
Hu Jiu thought for a moment, "Don't spread this around yet. If we alert Fang Yuanyuan and she becomes wary, it will be much more difficult for us to get into the lab."
“Nat and I think so too. If we fail and we have to give up on Fang Yuanyuan’s hybrid experiments, I don’t believe the beastmen there will still cooperate with her without any reservations.”
An Ge guessed that the beastmen might no longer have the same attitude towards Fang Yuanyuan as they did initially. The two races were cooperating on an equal footing. Given Fang Yuanyuan's personality, how could she possibly be willing to have her power taken away?
If the beastmen can distance themselves from Fang Yuanyuan, it will be more beneficial to their plans.
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