Sometimes Lin Xingchen felt that he deserved a life of hard work. It had been three months since he returned to Maple Leaf Territory.
Every day during these three months was very busy. Being out of touch with the outside world for ten years was like being released from prison. He needed to quickly familiarize himself with the outside environment and rhythm.
Fortunately, although the pace of Maple Leaf Territory is fast, it is not enough to make him feel that he is missing a generation. When he took himself as a child to the imperial capital, Queen Lydia gave him the highest courtesy.
Many nobles were chatting happily, but Queen Lydia felt old. After all, she was almost fifty years old, and her energy and health were not as good as she used to be.
"More than 20 years have passed in the blink of an eye. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I always miss the scene of you playing music in Avril's Chamber of Commerce. You and I were so young at that time.
It's a pity that I have reached the age of farewell and you have only become a little more mature. The blood of the elves is really enviable. "Lydia and Lin Xingchen stood at the highest point of the rebuilt palace, looking at the entire imperial capital and talking about the past.
"The most disappointing thing about life is that it cannot be repeated, but the most precious thing is that it does not need to be repeated. Your Majesty, you are overthinking. You are destined to be remembered by history!"
"Being with you always makes me feel young. You know, sometimes I always wonder if there would be a different ending if I had pursued you the first time I saw you." Lydia said with a smile.
"I think the current ending is better... The reason why I married Anna and Avril was not because I liked them so much, but to make up for the guilt I felt towards them." Lin Xingchen shook his head. Although he was promiscuous in some matters, he would never lie.
"Yes! If I had contacted you at the first moment, perhaps there would be no you and me today. Lin, you have the blood of elves flowing in your body. A hundred or two hundred years is just a small part of your life.
But for us, it’s several generations. I wonder if you have any good suggestions for the future of the empire!"
"Tell me the truth, Your Majesty! I really don't know how to say it. I remember that you are five or six years older than me! According to your current physical condition, you can definitely have children. If you are afraid of some problems, I also have medicine here to help you maintain sufficient physical strength and health." Lin Xingchen knew what Lydia wanted to ask.
“Forget it. I was so focused on governing the kingdom that I ended up wasting my time. It would be ridiculous to give birth now, and those people might not want me to get pregnant.
“It can be said that the Lin Empire has become what it is today with your help. I don’t want the empire to fall into a situation like Sharpnero, but now I have no descendants, and there are only seven people left in the entire royal family.
These seven people are eager to see me die soon, but I am unwilling to accept that. Neither my aunt Ellen nor my most active cousin are qualified heirs. Aunt Ellen has gotten what she deserves.
I don't think any of the remaining six are good. They don't have the ability to take over the empire. I even dare to assert that as long as I die, whether it's my cousin or other people in the tribe who take the throne, they will definitely conflict with you." Lydia's words were like gossiping about other people's private lives.
"Why don't you speak?" Lydia asked with a smile as she looked at Lin Xingchen who didn't say a word.
"I don't know how to say it! After all, the matter of empire inheritance has always been an internal matter of your Stephens family. It's not easy for an outsider like me to get involved!" Lin Xingchen shrugged and said with a smile.
"Do you want to hear my opinion or my thoughts?"
"I don't want to listen and I don't want to guess. It's better for you to handle your own affairs. I still have a lot of things to do. Don't add to my burden." Lin Xingchen shook his head like a rattle.
"Hahahaha... I can handle my own affairs, so you don't have to worry about that. By the way, how long will you stay in the capital this time?"
"I will be back in a few days. There are still many things I need to do in the territory. Many planning and some key technical issues require my help."
"That's fine! I won't keep you any longer. You can come whenever you want. I just hope you don't disappear for several years or even more than ten years every time. Your old friends can't wait for you!"
"Don't worry, I don't think I will disappear for a few years or even more than ten years in the near future." The two looked at each other and smiled in tacit understanding.
The snow in Maple Leaf Territory has already fallen in October, and it is time to enjoy the season every year. However, Lin Xingchen does not have this benefit. He and the night elf Shyvana once again came to the underground world.
With the sketch drawn by Shyvana and the markings along the way, the progress was still very fast. The benefits of space magic were now reflected. A mirror spell saved the two of them a lot of trouble.
"This is the deepest place I can reach. I'll feel dangerous if I go down further." Shyvana said, pointing to a cave not far away.
“Since I’m here, I naturally need to know what’s happening under our feet. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep well at night. So far, I’ve already sensed a strong breath of the earth element.
This feeling only appears in a few situations in the intelligence I have obtained, but no matter which one it is, we need to verify it. "Lin Xingchen has already found several situations about the gathering of earth elements in his mind.
Along the way, you have to maintain the mirror spell and occasionally perform teleportation. The passage is getting wider and the creatures inside are getting stronger. However, the earth creatures have a very good characteristic, that is, as long as you are not hostile to them, they generally will not actively attack you.
The underground world is like a maze, but Lin Xingchen has a unique sensing ability. In this maze, there is a being like a firefly in the dark night who guides him.
Looking at the huge creature in front of him, Lin Xingchen was a little scared. After all, no one could remain calm when facing such a creature, unless his strength was enough to deal with any situation. However, Lin Xingchen did not have that strength.
"Master! What kind of creature is this that is so scary!" Hei Mei's body began to tremble unconsciously.
"It's called the Guardian of the World, or you can also call it the Guardian of the Earth!" Lin Xingchen told Shyvana in a voice as low as possible.
"What is the Earth Guardian?"
"That's because my mission is to protect the entire Esdro continent from major destruction. Hello, I'm very happy to meet an elf with pure blood like you." The being who was originally lying on the ground and sleeping soundly greeted Lin Xingchen.
"The descendants of the high elves' star clan greet the guardian of the earth, the Earth Bear, His Excellency Gale." After saying that, Lin Xingchen led Hei Mei to perform a solemn ceremony.
Looking at this creature lying there like a mountain range is a very stressful thing. This Earth Bear not only gives people a sense of oppression because of its size, but also because of its extraordinary strength, which makes it invincible.
"Little elf, you can't just be persuaded by a compliment for running into my sleeping nest like this. And how do you know my real name? Even your first generation of elf ancestors don't know my real name." A pair of eyes as bright as the sun stared at Lin Xingchen.
"Sir Gail, I know your name only because of the inherited memory given to me by Sir Snake." Lin Xingchen replied respectfully.
"Snake... that stinky snake is not dead yet! How do you know him? You know, it's hard for us to meet that guy!"
Of course, a newbie would not accept the boss's words. If he offended the boss, it would be no joke.
"I met Lord Snake by chance, but he only passed on some memories to me and didn't say much else!"
"Although you can obtain his inheritance, which is only some memories, it is very good. As far as I know, the first person who came into contact with him was a little guy from the human race, named Luo Wen or Luo something!" The giant bear stretched out his fat paw in a humane way and touched his chin.
"That is Prophet Rowan, an elder among the human race who is highly respected by the orcs!" Lin Xingchen reminded.
"Yes, yes, yes... Rowan, this little fellow was favored by Snake and the rules of fate, and gained a rare ability to predict the future. Now that I think about it, the scene when that little fellow came to me is still vivid in my mind!"
"Your Excellency is right. For you it is just like yesterday, but for us it was already 30,000 years ago!" Due to the memories gained from Snake, the time-space snake, beings like them have no concept of time.
"Little guy, what do you want to do with me?" Perhaps he didn't want to go any further and stopped talking to Lin Xingchen.
"It's like this, Lord Gail. The place where you are resting now happens to be under my territory. I found your cave here, but I didn't know it was you, so I came in to investigate." Lin Xingchen explained his situation.
"Haha... Is that so? I don't know how long I slept and it buried me again." Big Bear's laughter was like a sonic attack. If Shyvana hadn't had Lin Xingchen protecting her, she would have bled from her ears and nose.
"Oops... sorry, sorry... I didn't notice your situation. By the way, little one, since you have already found out that this is my nest, can you leave so I can go back to sleep?"
"Sir Gale, I know that people like you are generally not very particular, but after seeing you, I have a good idea!" Lin Xingchen's eyes rolled and a plan came to his mind.
"You give me the impression of being cunning, little guy. If I hear one more word from you, I might be deceived. But for Snake's sake, I'll give you one more word."