Chapter 605: Sacred Land of the Elves (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Oh?”
Rhode was astonished. He wasn’t surprised that Corina had requested to report to the Elf Queen herself because he knew that the Elf Queen seldom met guests personally. Although this had nothing to do with the difference in viewpoints of each unique race, ident.i.ty, and arrogance, the Elf Queen actually demanded to meet him. Rhode swept a glance at Corina. He believed that she had reported to the Elf Queen about the entire happenings of Soraka Mountain. However, the Elves didn’t take any actions thereafter and it seemed that they were waiting for his arrival here…
Rhode hesitated no more and nodded before turning to his group.
“Wait here for awhile.”
“Alright, Leader. Come back soon. Ah…” Anne let out a huge yawn. She leaned on a tree, slid her b.u.m to the ground, and closed her eyes comfortably. “Anne will be napping for awhile. Anne’s too tired… Ah…”
Lize nodded in agreement. After the wild, crazy night, her condition appeared much better than Rhode’s. Not only was she in high spirits, but she also emanated an unprecedented, dazzling glamor. Rhode lamented. No wonder the ancestors said that there were no fields that were destroyed by constant plowing; instead, only cows died from exhaustion. He worked like a bull for the entire night and had even strained his waist, but on the contrary, Lize was bustling with energy. Rhode didn’t expect that Lize would be so alluring after she was released by the Mind Devil. Each time after Rhode ejected his warm desires, she would get him burning after she turned around and moaned seductively. Her moans were even more powerful than ‘love drugs’. Rhode had experienced this from Celestina, but it wasn’t anything strange because Demons were born to entice mortals using their thoughts, words, or bodies. There were some powerful Mages who caught some dainty Demons or Succubus and bound them as slaves using contracts. Most of the Mages were addicted after enjoying their bodies and headed down a road of destruction step by step due to the Demon’s enticement.
However, Lize wasn’t a Demon, but a mixed-blood of an Angel and Human. Therefore, this had nothing to do with bloodline and came totally natural from her. Come to think of it, perhaps it is due to this reason that it is so terrifying.
If it weren’t for the fact that black magic didn’t exist in this world, Rhode would’ve suspected that Lize had practiced some Taoist cultivation method that he had seen on the Internet.
Lize didn’t know what was going on in Rhode’s mind. She detected his gaze and lowered her blus.h.i.+ng face slightly. Last night felt like a dream for her. Although Rhode held back at the start, it was her first time, after all, and the painful experience left a lasting mark in her mind. However, she didn’t back down either, just like how the phantom behaved in the mental world. Lize had the tendencies of self-harming and she knew that she had done things that had let Anne and Rhode down. However, she failed to be frank with Anne, which was why she accepted such a method to punish herself. Although Rhode was violent in bed and every thrust gave her tremendous pain, she gritted her teeth and didn’t reject or scream in pain.
However, an unprecedented feeling replaced her suffering after the pain subsided gradually. It was a crazy feeling. There were many times when Lize felt that she had given up on her rationality. She didn’t know what she was saying or yelling as she laid before Rhode loosely like a puddle of mud. She couldn’t remember exactly how many times they had done it. Until the radiance of dawn spilled through the window and broke the melody in the darkness, both of them came to a shocking realization about how crazy they were.
What astonished Lize the most was that she felt extremely energetic. It was a miracle that they could still walk after a night of crazy activities and apart from the discomfort and soreness between her legs, she felt that she was in high spirits.
However, Lize’s personality was gentle and reserved, after all. She shyly nodded in response to Rhode.
In contrast, the little mermaid appeared reluctant to part and she laid against the wall of the water ball to gaze at her master. However, she had grown to be independent. Although she couldn’t bear to be separated from Rhode, she didn’t stick to his side stubbornly like a fish that had left its pond and couldn’t find a way to survive on the dry land. Although it looked like it, that was.
Rhode turned to Corina and nodded. Then, he followed her lead into the deep forest.
The Elf Forest was the Elf Queen’s palace despite it not being as grandeur as human palaces or as dignified as human temples. And now, Rhode was heading to the Elf Queen’s throne.
The tiny path ahead was hidden within the shrubs and shade-giving foliage. The long, intertwining vines were as though curtains draping from tree branches. As Corina stood before them, the vines and branches slowly withdrew and revealed the inner path. Although there weren’t any glorious buildings or perfectly polished ground that could reflect as a mirror, Rhode sensed a solemn and serene aura drifting toward him from the front.
Not only that, but Rhode also felt his daggers trembling to the aura. He had never felt this response in Gracier and Madaras where their spiritual powers rippled violently like waves cras.h.i.+ng and cleansing his soul… Suddenly, his vision whitened and he felt slightly dazed.
But it was only for an instant. Shortly after, he returned to his senses and felt two soft, ice-cold hands holding his. Rhode glanced with the corner of his eyes and saw two pet.i.te, whitish figures beside him. The Elf sisters looked the same as when they first met. Snowy robe and a wide hood that covered their youthful, adorable faces, exposing only their smooth chins. Even though the Elf sisters remained unfazed by his gaze, he felt their responses from the energy spreading from their tiny hands.
“Mr. Rhode, is anything the matter? Are you feeling unwell?”
Corina asked out of concern while Rhode shook his head.
“It’s nothing, Miss Corina. I was just feeling a little tired after the long journey.”
“I see.”
Corina nodded in relief and continued to move ahead.
This is crazy…
Rhode was astounded by her response. Although Corina had just entered the Legendary Stage, her awareness as an Elf was amazingly sharp and seldom would there be anyone who could hide from the Elves’ perception. But now, Gracier and Madaras were standing beside him, only two meters away from Corina, and she didn’t notice their presence at all. The [Stealth] Skill was too absurd. This had almost surpa.s.sed the technical limits and could be considered a system ‘bug’.
Rhode looked at Corina’s back and harbored some evil designs. Gracier was right behind her and if she launched forward to stab Corina in her back, would she be able to avoid it?
Rhode wasn’t sure of the Elf sisters’ specific strength as they hadn’t transformed into cards. However, he observed that they hadn’t transcended into the Legendary Stage yet so their strength hovered between the Peak Elite and Master Stages. But, even so, that would be terrifying enough because this was the real world, where no one, apart from Undead Creatures, could survive from getting their hearts pierced and throats slashed. This was the same for Corina.
As this thought flashed in Rhode’s head, they had arrived at the Elf Queen’s throne.
In a single glance, this place didn’t resemble a palace at all. A young woman who appeared to be in her early 20s sat quietly on a benched formed by the vines under an enormous, ancient oak. Rhode immediately recognized that she was the Elf Queen.
She had a full head of dazzling, long green hair that draped to the ground and her soft expression was filled with a holy, natural charm as though she were an elegant and refined byword in humanity. As long as she gazed at any ordinary folk with her thousand years old eyes, they would throw all the distractions in their heads away and serve her. She was like nature itself and could only be viewed from afar and not be disrespected. But Rhode preferred those that he could trifle with because it would be easier to get closer to them after intimate interactions, after all.
Apart from the two Elf Knights clad in gla.s.s armor who stood beside her, there were several elderly Elves standing around the Elf Queen. Witnessing Rhode’s arrival, the Elves s.h.i.+fted their attention to him and he sensed that their gazes were filled with complicated emotions: astonishment, confusion, and puzzlement. It seems to be a bad idea for me to come to this place.
“Your Majesty, I’ve followed your orders and brought Mr. Rhode Alander.”
Corina stepped forward and bowed respectfully to the Elf Queen before moving to the side. The etiquette and hierarchical system among the Elves wasn’t as distinct and complicated as the Humans where there were many times when one respected another due to their moral conduct and not their statuses. However, this was meaningless for Rhode. As a player who had built his reputation in the Country of Law after the Munn Kingdom was destroyed, he knew how he should behave before the Elf Queen. After Corina backed down to the side, he took a step forward and placed his right hand on his right shoulder and bent over slightly.
“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. The melodious tunes of the cheerful birds and the fresh green tender leaves swayed in the monsoon that blew through the forests, mountains, and rivers. It is of my utmost honor to be summoned by you.”
Not only did the Elf Queen’s mesmerizing eyes glint, but the other Elves who shot doubtful looks at Rhode also revealed friendly and astonished expressions. The tense atmosphere lightened instantly.
Rhode didn’t speak any further and he stood appropriately on the spot. He knew that the Elves loved silence and they disliked spontaneous humans because they deemed it as offensive and barbarous behavior. This could be considered the difference between the civilizations of Elves and Humans.
Perhaps an ordinary human would be at one’s wits’ end, but this wasn’t the first time the Elf Queen had summoned for Rhode. This was why he didn’t appear tense at all. He had even leisurely sized up the wide treetop that almost shrouded the entire sky and compared it to the scenery in his memories.
Not only did his calmness exceed the Elf Queen’s expectations, but even Corina was flabbergasted. After all these years, she had never seen a Human behave so calmly before the Elf Queen. The Humans usually appeared fl.u.s.tered as soon as they met the Elf Queen, but this wasn’t the case for Rhode. In an instant, Corina’s a.s.sessment of him had raised. But…
Corina puckered her brows and scrutinized the s.p.a.ce around him. Strange… Why do I feel like there is something unusual there?
“Hi there, Mr. Rhode. I’ve heard from Corina about you.”
As expected, the Elf Queen had taken the initiative and spoken shortly after.
“I want to thank you for your courage and resourcefulness. If it weren’t for you, we, Elves, would have lost an incredibly important soul and I would have lost my daughter forever…” The Elf Queen paused and turned to Corina.
“Corina is a good girl. Perhaps you aren’t aware, but I was so worried for her safety when I learned about the happenings in Soraka Mountain. The Chaos is evil and dangerous. The Duke Fiend is the most terrifying presence and threat of this world. Fortunately, it has been eradicated from this world. If not, I can’t imagine how many living things will suffer in its presence.”
“You flatter me, Your Majesty,” Rhode said without expressing any emotions.
“Although I’ve indeed done my part in eradicating the Duke Fiend, Miss Corina also performed outstandingly well. If it weren’t for her, perhaps I would have lost my life in its hands and everything would have ended for me right there.”
What Rhode said wasn’t false. Back then, if Corina didn’t offer her helping hand and drag him along, perhaps he wouldn’t be able to stand here in one piece. To Corina, perhaps the Duke Fiend would still be annihilated even if Rhode died during the battle, but Rhode knew that if he was dead, all the systems with him as the base would lose their effects and everything would be done for.
“I admire your humbleness, Mr. Rhode.”
The Elf Queen smiled and entered straight into the topic.
“I’ve heard from Corina about your intentions, Mr. Rhode. I have to put it up front that Ivory Valley is the sacred land of the Elves and our heroes are buried in that place. Ever since its existence, no humans have entered the place. This is why…”
The Elf Queen didn’t finish her sentence, but Rhode had puckered his brows. It seems that this is getting troublesome.
“… I can’t agree to your request just yet. But you’ve indeed helped us and saved the beautiful, determined souls of us Elves from the contamination of the Chaos and falling into an eternal abyss. For that, if you agree, we shall…”
The Elf Queen paused and expressed a difficult expression. However, Rhode understood that as a ruler of the Elves, the Elf Queen had to maintain the traditions while his actions were indeed worth the Elves’ praises. It was apparent that the Elf Queen was thinking of a solution that could satisfy both parties.
Suddenly, a voice sounded.
“I have a suggestion, Your Majesty.”