When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already showing the first light of dawn. Maggie sat up groggily, and the familiar dizziness hit her, almost causing her to fall off the hammock made of vines.
Fortunately, Nesser, who had been watching her, noticed in time and grabbed her waist to prevent her from falling.
Still a little dazed from just waking up, Maggie looked up blankly and met Nesser's bright, ruby-like eyes, which were now fixed on her intently.
Only then did she belatedly realize that she seemed to have slept all night, and Nesser did not wake her up to keep watch in the latter half of the night, but let her sleep until dawn.
Because now, by all accounts, it's time to harvest the accompanying golden leaves.
Maggie's expression revealed a hint of helplessness, and her voice, though gentle, was slightly hoarse.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
She stood up from the hammock. The tree hollow was quite spacious, and the vines were very soft, so she actually slept quite comfortably.
For some reason, she not only felt uncomfortable in her head, but also felt something strange in her arms.
“I’m fine, but my sister looks very tired.”
Nesser explained earnestly.
But he didn't say that he had been watching Maggie intently all night, afraid that everything before him would vanish like a dream bubble.
"...Don't do that again next time."
Maggie rubbed her temples and spoke softly, but her gaze did not fall on Nesser. Instead, she looked at her arm, where she could still feel the sensation of something binding it.
It's hard to tell if it's a snake or... something else.
As she thought this, her gaze unconsciously fell on the rattan hammock, and her mood became inexplicably complicated.
Maggie felt she must be dreaming, but she had no memory of dreams. Even if she was dreaming, would the feelings from the dream still linger in her real body?
That's strange.
There was a vague image in her mind of something, like vines wrapping around her wrist and spiraling upwards, affectionately brushing against her, but when she tried to recall it carefully, she couldn't remember it at all.
"Of course, don't worry, sister."
Nesser noticed Maggie's absent-mindedness. He took a step forward and instinctively reached out to grab Maggie's hand, but hesitated for a moment in mid-air before silently withdrawing his hand.
Maggie doesn't like him now.
However, Maggie had no idea what Nesser was thinking. She simply looked up at Nesser, glanced at the sky, and started walking out of the tree hollow.
"Let's go. The companion golden leaves outside are about to appear. It will be troublesome to compete with other elves for a spot later."
Maggie was still thinking about the value of the golden leaf, and she was even very interested in the Forest Spirit Sacred Fruit. Of course, it would be best if she could get first place.
Although a minor incident occurred yesterday, preventing Maggie from mastering the essence of picking golden leaves.
But Maggie has now adjusted her mindset.
If Nesser is willing to teach her how to pick them, that would be best; if not, Maggie can try to figure it out herself.
For those who are forever trapped in their memories, time stands still, leaving them stagnant and unable to move forward.
But she was never that kind of person. Although sometimes she was hard to realize, once she did, she would save herself from danger time and time again.
Whether in the material world or the spiritual world, she is her own savior.
As Maggie thought about it, she felt much brighter.
A few days ago, Maggie was like a caged bird, lonely, dark, and not free.
But no one could help her escape the cage, because the key was originally in her own hands.
At this moment, just by looking at Maggie's back, you could see her relaxed and carefree aura. Finally, she chose to fly out of the cage.
Nesser watched Maggie's hurried footsteps, a smile flashing in his eyes.
Finally, Maggie no longer had that faint gloomy aura about her.
Although he didn't know the reason, he was happy as long as Maggie was happy.
...
As dawn approached, all the spirits participating in the battle for the Forest Spirits in the entire Green Wilderness Forest began to move, and rustling sounds could be heard from time to time in the dense forest.
That was the sound of elves moving through the forest, rustling the leaves.
At the same time, a hastily assembled team was heading towards the location where the Elf Wood was most abundant and where the Gold Leaf yield was usually the highest.
The location where the battle is to be held is some distance from the depths of the Green Forest. Yesterday, everyone could only pick gold leaves nearby, but only by going deeper into the forest will the probability of obtaining high-quality gold leaves be higher.
Therefore, almost all the elves were rushing inwards at high speed.
"Boss, do you think we might run into the distinguished guests and that alien species?"
One of the male elves in the group was winking and nudging the leader, an indifferent-looking elf, with his elbow.
"Forest Outsiders" is a derogatory term used by elves who grew up in the Green Forest to refer to elves who grew up outside.
For elves raised in the Green Wilderness Forest to have a child, at least one parent must hold a Forest Spirit Seat.
Therefore, they actually looked down on the foreign elves, considering themselves of noble birth.
And this is indeed the case. The mortality rate of elf cubs raised in the wild is extremely high. Coupled with hunting by humans, their situation is even worse, not to mention that things like advancing a mage's level and practicing magic are extremely time-consuming.
The elf cubs of the Azure Forest are the complete opposite. They have top-notch resources from a young age and are free from external threats and pressures, so they generally grow into very excellent magicians.
"I would like to run into them. We can have our distinguished guest come over here. That alien species looks very weak."
The male elf, referred to as the 'leader,' did not answer, but another elf in the team curled his lip, seemingly quite disdainful.
"That's what I think too. If our esteemed guest is willing, we can give her a portion of our score so that she can also have a place."
The elf who had just started the conversation immediately began to discuss it with great interest when someone chimed in.
"Don't do anything unnecessary. Our distinguished guest is already of high status. How could a mere Forest Spirit seat possibly be worthy of their attention?"
The "boss" finally spoke, his calm voice carrying a subtle warning.
"Hey, that's not how it is, boss. Even according to human habits, when participating in a competition, of course you want to get a ranking. That's how you feel involved and it's not shameful."
"We can also take this opportunity to win the favor of our distinguished guest. Perhaps if the guest is pleased, he will speak well of us to the Forest God."
The elf immediately shook his head and waved his hand, giving a "you don't understand, boss" look, and then started daydreaming again, his face showing excitement.
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