"?"
The air froze instantly upon hearing this, and Maggie's expression hardened even more. She stared intently at Ficklin's face, quite certain that his words were a sincere metaphor, devoid of any flirting or lewd intent.
His eyes were as innocent as a first-grade elementary school student reading a text.
Maggie's temple throbbed again. If she didn't know Ficklin's true nature, she would have definitely thrown a magic bomb at him and made him pay for his nonsense.
The key point is that it was really just a simple metaphor, without any other meaning.
This left Maggie completely at a loss for words, unsure how to even express her anger. Maggie guessed that if she were truly angry now, Ficklin would be completely baffled, wondering why she was angry.
Finally, Maggie could only reply with a forced smile.
"You look like a little rabbit to me."
After saying that, Maggie turned and left, not wanting to stay at Ficklin's place for another second.
She was afraid of getting a brain hemorrhage from anger.
Ficklin was left standing there, completely bewildered, watching Maggie storm off, his head covered in question marks.
"Why is she angry? Aren't little bunnies cute?"
Ficklin asked himself, looking frustrated.
After a long pause, he thoughtfully reached out, stared at his arm for two seconds, and finally brought it to his nose and smelled it.
"Not only is it very soft, but it also smells wonderful..."
If Maggie were still alive, she would definitely turn pale on the spot and completely equate Ficklin with a pervert.
Dragons and snakes share some similarities in their habits, such as their methods of tracking enemies, which are mostly based on scent or smell.
This can also be considered a way of memorizing.
...
The little incident with Fickling didn't affect Maggie's mood, and she quickly put it behind her.
More important than that, Maggie has to face another matter: Nesser's coming-of-age ceremony.
Since the day of the Dawn Flower Sea, Maggie has never seen Nesser again. One reason is that Maggie doesn't know how to treat Nesser, who is about to come of age. Another reason is that Nesser is busy with the battle for the Forest Spirit Seat.
But when the day of the coming-of-age ceremony arrives, there's no way to avoid it.
Since Maggie has agreed, she won't break her promise.
She washed and dressed early in the morning, then pushed open the door and walked towards the direction of the Elf Mother Tree.
She encountered several elven elders on the road. When they saw her, some of them would show strange expressions and then whisper to the elves beside them.
Maggie doesn't actually care about what others think, but there's clearly some reason she's unaware of.
She quietly noted everything down, planning to investigate the real reason after the coming-of-age ceremony. Maggie didn't believe it was simply because she was human.
If that's the case, then the strange looks she's received these past few days are probably several times more than they are now.
Not far away, Nesser was standing directly below the elven altar, looking around as if searching for her.
The moment his gaze fell upon her, his pale ruby-like eyes suddenly shone brightly, and he waved wildly in Maggie's direction, as if to tell her that he was there.
Maggie paused, then lifted her leg and walked towards Nesser.
A number of elf cubs, or rather, elves who are about to come of age, have already gathered over there. Most of them are quite petite, but Maggie stands in the center of them, making her appear enormous.
Maggie walked over to Nesser, a little puzzled, because she didn't see any other elves accompanied by their parents.
She was the only one standing next to Nesser, which looked a bit odd.
Not to mention the various gazes of the other elves, which seemed to be filled with curiosity about her.
Nesser, however, seemed oblivious to everything. He gripped her clothes tightly with his small hands, his face filled with anticipation and nervousness, his bright ruby eyes incredibly beautiful.
"Sister, if Nesser becomes a great elf, will you still like Nesser?"
He turned his head and asked Maggie somewhat shyly.
To be honest, Maggie was taken aback when she first heard the question, because she really couldn't imagine what Nesser would look like if he grew bigger.
So Maggie didn't say anything.
They simply fell silent.
Maggie could feel that Nesser's grip on her clothes was tightening, as if the lack of an answer was making him very disappointed, but Maggie couldn't bring herself to say that she liked him.
The difference between the adult and child forms is too great; they cannot be treated as younger brothers or sons, but rather as partners or friends.
"Okay, Nesser understands."
Nesser waited for a long time but did not receive a reply from Maggie. He lowered his head again, his voice tinged with reluctance.
Maggie remained silent. Agreeing to accompany him to his coming-of-age ceremony was already the limit of what Maggie could do. If she wanted any further guarantees, she probably couldn't provide them.
Imagine treating Nesser as an adult as before... the image was too beautiful for her to bear.
For the rest of the time, Nesser did not try to get an answer, but quietly waited for the coming-of-age ceremony to begin.
After a while, the chieftain of the elven race appeared in front of them. He was an old elf, very old, with a white beard, and he stood tremblingly in front of the group of elves.
When his gaze swept over Maggie, he gave her a very kind smile and nodded to her, indicating that he had met her.
In fact, Maggie didn't feel much of the privilege that belonged to the Holy Maiden of the Temple of Light in the Green Forest. After all, this was the territory of the Elven race, and her identity as the Holy Maiden of Light no longer meant absolute power, so it didn't bring much extra respect.
However, Maggie enjoys this feeling; the lack of constant attention makes her more comfortable than when she's outside.
She was still somewhat surprised that the elven chieftain would show her kindness.
Maggie nodded politely in return.
The blessing process of the Elven coming-of-age ceremony is not complicated. In addition to bathing in the Elven spring, one must also undergo the baptism of the Elven wood, which means receiving a branch from the Elven forest to gently touch one's forehead three times.
Next comes the highlight of the elven coming-of-age ceremony: going to the elven altar to receive the power of the elven mother tree.
Maggie knew it was because of Nesser that she followed him up to the Elf Altar. The structure was similar to an elevator, and as they gradually ascended to the altar, they could see the entire Green Forest from there.
However, the moment she stood on the altar, she seemed somewhat dazed.
Because everything in front of her seemed strangely familiar, as if she had been here before, including the Elf Mother Tree, which gave her a very warm feeling, like an old friend with whom she got along well.
It was clear that this was her first time visiting the Green Forest.
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