I take back what I said about elves being such simple-minded creatures.
This kid clearly has his own schemes; he hasn't wasted nearly a hundred years of his life.
After confirming that the count was correct and that no other sprites had been missed, Sheng and I stepped into the open passage in sync. At the same time, we tapped the left wall twice as instructed, as a signal to close the entrance.
On the one hand, it was to prevent the thief who had not yet left from running away with the stolen goods; on the other hand, it was to prevent other teams from discovering the situation and forcibly breaking in, which would affect our subsequent plans.
Bringing the long-lost Sword Demon into the team was a risky move in itself, but fortunately, the disguise was quite good when he finally appeared, at least maintaining the first impression—although it quickly fell apart, at least no elf showed any overly obvious aversion.
A surge of magical energy, like an electric shock, rose in my senses once more, but this time the sensation was clearer and more distinct. It felt as if something had swept past me rapidly, seemingly to detect or identify something.
Of course, there are other differences as well.
"It feels somewhat like spatial teleportation... but not quite the same as teleportation to specific spatial coordinates. Is it some kind of sandbox technology? It's very complete, but not comprehensive..."
"Brother Uriel, are you saying something? Is it something I need to be careful about?"
Sheng, who was curiously peeking out from below, startled me, but seemed not to have heard my mutterings.
"nothing."
I calmly met his gaze, confirmed the boy's fleeting smile, and then turned my attention back to the distance: "This is just my first time visiting the place where the elves live."
It's also a place where houses are made of trees, and it looks somewhat similar to the Sacred Tree Fortress, but it's closer to nature.
Treehouses of varying heights and ziplines appear everywhere in the field of vision. Every now and then, beautiful elves walk nimbly on those narrow ziplines, completely oblivious to the empty and unprotected space below, maintaining their balance like ghosts.
"Yes, this is my first time too."
Sheng, shading his eyes with one hand, gazed excitedly into the distance. Feifei, echoing his words, twirled around on his head and landed neatly on the boy's hair.
"Hmm, it's turned into a bird's nest."
"What? You like this side more than Mom?"
"Not Mom."
To correct again, during the impromptu performance of the boy sticking out his tongue, we walked through the already mostly dispersed group and reunited with the other three.
The strongest shield in the squad stood firmly guarding the front of the team. An excited Xiaoxi had already taken out her notebook and started sketching a few lines. As for Shadow Butterfly, she was being pulled by the hand by one of the elves who had left the team and was walking away into the distance.
"I heard they're going to share some local specialties from the settlement, and they'll be back soon."
Shan Xiang shared what had just happened with us, who had arrived late.
But soon, we discovered another problem.
I couldn't find the Sword Demon anywhere.
"Ah, that dark-skinned guy."
Thrall, who had been circling around without moving, suddenly interrupted the conversation, his eyes gleaming as if he was about to shout, "I have something to say!": "Although I don't know where he's going, judging from the direction, it seems to be heading to the council hall in the settlement... Of course, he might just be wandering around, and it just happens to be going in a similar direction."
What was he going to the council chamber for?
A bad feeling suddenly arose.
Since they're familiar with the terrain, their movements will be easier. However, we're currently a team, so unless invited, it's best to act in unison for easier monitoring and control. If any of the guys who came in together cause trouble, it will inevitably drag us down, easily ruining any good impressions we've built up.
Furthermore, in this elven settlement, given the recent unexpected theft, and the crucial moment when the cause of the incident, the thief, and the whereabouts of the stolen goods are unclear, coupled with the presence of a strange outsider, it would be unwise to irrationally provoke the sensitive nerves of the locals.
Only by stroking a tiger in the right direction can you avoid being bitten and killed.
It's not too late to stop it now.
I exchanged glances with the rest of the team. The few who were good at reading the room panicked for a moment, but quickly calmed down and nodded to me affectionately, saying, "Big brother, you can go without worry. I'll take good care of things here."
Sheng suddenly burst into wild laughter, startling Feifei above him, who chirped and circled around in dissatisfaction.
That sounds like someone's going to their death. How unlucky.
Shaking his head with a sour face, he looked away from Sal's self-important expression and tactfully asked the forest ranger who had led the way for a favor. The ranger hesitated for a moment, clearly troubled, but ultimately couldn't resist his worry about a high-powered, unpredictable bomb who had wandered off on his own, and agreed to lead us to the council chamber.
It seemed to be somewhere in the center of the settlement, atop the canopy of that exceptionally tall tree.
I glanced at Sheng, who was easily ascending with the help of her long, flowing hair and even had the mind to tease Fei Fei. I sighed. I had been imitating Alice by stepping on magic balls for half a day, and my feet were almost tired. I had only just passed the first canopy. I really don't know what's so good about building a house at such a high place.
The forest ranger leading the way laughed awkwardly: "That's because when we chose this location back then, this tree wasn't nearly as tall as it is now. In the blink of an eye, it's grown this big. We've never planned to change the location, and since it's a place that's rarely visited anyway, we've been too lazy to make any changes."
Yeah, I understand, and then I ended up getting myself killed.
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