Minghe and the other woman exchanged a glance, then secretly looked at Ye Shang before bowing slightly: "Yes, Elder."
After the two left, the Grand Elder stood up, turned to look at Ye Shang, and said, "Guest, please have a seat."
Her voice was powerful, and she didn't seem very old. Ye Shang had just met some elderly elves.
Ye Shang sat on a stool made of lotus leaves and asked, "Do you know why I have come?"
The Grand Elder also sat on a lotus leaf stool to the side and brewed a cup of lotus leaf tea with water that had already been boiled.
She poured a cup of tea and placed it on the table beside Ye Shang before replying, "Guests have come from afar, isn't it for the treasures of this underground world?"
Ye Shang thought to himself, that makes sense. They did come here initially because of some of the ancient artifacts.
The elder said slowly, "Please have a cup of tea, guest."
Ye Shang glanced at the lotus leaf tea, reached out and picked up the teacup, took a sip, and felt the faint fragrance of lotus leaves travel from her throat to her stomach, making her feel as if she were in a lotus garden in summer.
"Not bad tea," Ye Shang said casually.
She had tasted many fine teas. Her senior brother, the sect leader, loved collecting all kinds of tea. Every time he talked to her, he would bring out a new tea. This lotus leaf tea was quite good.
The elder took a small sip before continuing, "May I ask how the guest is addressed?"
Ye Shang calmly replied, "Ye Shang."
The elder was taken aback. Although she didn't know which "Shang" it was, she didn't know many human characters either.
"May I call you Ye?"
Ye Shang smiled and nodded: "Mm."
The elder's transparent wings fluttered unintentionally twice, and he smiled slightly, "Ye, although we are elves, we live in the underground world. Humans have accidentally fallen into this place before, so we are not very unfamiliar with humans."
Despite their small stature, this clan has a very long lifespan.
Ye Shang thought for a moment, recalling that he had already learned about it during his conversation with Ming He, and said, "Yes, I know."
The elder continued, "Although I don't know if we have what you want here, I hope that after you leave, you will not mention this world to anyone."
Ye Shang said, "No, what I want is very simple."
Moreover, this world is not entirely an underground world; it can be said to be another space, similar to the Xuan Tian Continent, only the area here is not as vast.
In her understanding, the world inhabited by the elves was the purest and kindest race, and everything she had seen and heard along her journey had indeed proven this to be true.
Although no other elves approached, their peeking glances from afar revealed that they were curious but not malicious; they were simply looking at her, this outsider.
The elder pondered for a moment and said, "Actually, we have thought about moving to another world, but the barrier left by our ancestors has always protected us."
It's not entirely about protection. Because of the barrier, they live in this single world forever, facing only this simple lotus pond, lotus flowers, and large lotus leaves every day. These things have become their home.
The rest of the area is just a lawn, unchanged for millennia.
There was an elf who once tried to leave, but when he returned, his wings had disappeared, leaving only bloody wounds on his back.
He died not long after.
This incident dealt a blow to the Elven race, and no one dared to sneak out again.
Ye Shang thought for a moment and said, "The other worlds are very cruel. Isn't it good for the elves to live in this simple world? At least they don't have to experience the changes of the times and the wear and tear of the years."
Although her chibi-style body was not as powerful as her original form, she could still easily tell how long these elves had lived.
For example, the person in front of us doesn't look very old, but is actually over ten thousand years old.
Having lived in this singular world for tens of thousands of years, it's no wonder they yearn for the outside world.
The elder's lips curled into a gentle smile, tinged with the wisdom of time: "Perhaps. The elves are not suited to the outside world."
Ye Shang thought for a moment, "I wonder what I can offer in exchange for what I need?"
The elder thought for a long time before replying, "A promise, I want a promise of a new world."
Ye Shang was taken aback. She stared intently at the elder. "You mean to change the environment in which the elves live?"
The First Elder looked at Ye Shang gently and nodded: "That's right. I knew you would come, and I know the purpose of your visit. I even know what the world is like now. Although I have never been out to experience it firsthand, I can see it in the clan's treasures."
Ye Shang smiled then, realizing that every race indeed had its own treasures.
It seems that this elven treasure is quite extraordinary.
She thought for a moment and said, "But I'm not even sure if I can help you live in a different world, and you trust me that much?"
The elder said, "I believe in the revelation given to me by my clan's treasure."
Ye Shang stopped dwelling on it and simply said, "I see that this place is still full of greenery, but the outside world is still rotten and desolate. Unless it is a mutated plant, you can hardly see any normal green plants."
"I understand." The Grand Elder nodded calmly, as if he knew what Ye Shang wanted.
"I agree to your conditions." Ye Shang looked into her eyes and said, "But how can you be sure that I'll take the things and disappear without keeping my promise?"
The elder pondered for a moment and said, "I believe you, because none of the humans who have come to our world in all this time have been bad people."
For example, the humans who came here before not only taught them to read, but also taught them many other things.
Ye Shang said, "Alright, this isn't too difficult, but I need to see if your race's treasures are worth it."
Finding another space for the elves to survive is perhaps not too difficult, given that we are at a critical juncture in the world's evolution.
The elder smiled kindly, a smile that was much more sincere than during the previous negotiations. "Please follow me."
After saying that, she stood up, and her transparent wings fluttered as she flew away.
Seeing how straightforward she was, Ye Shang couldn't help but think, "Aren't elves supposed to be guileless? They're also said to be very simple-minded."
It doesn't seem like that at all. At least she thought these elves were very smart and knew what to exchange for.
Ye Shang summoned Qingying, stepped onto the sword, and followed behind the Grand Elder.
The elder glanced at the sword at her feet, said nothing, and led Ye Shang to a secluded place.
Ye Shang looked around and saw that this place was a lotus pond that was a little further away from the elves' habitat. Below the edge of this lotus pond, there was a giant lotus stem with a dark tree hole hollowed out inside.
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