69novels Page 99
Page 99
A not-so-wide river separates the two places, and then a vast forest appears before Loran's eyes.
The moment Loran stepped across the middle of the bridge, the aura that had been following him and Estia finally breathed a sigh of relief.
These people are the royal guard of Avia.
That's understandable, after all, two seventh-tier beings crossed his border—and they weren't ordinary seventh-tier beings! One was an elven princess, and the other was a saintess acting on behalf of the emperor; neither of them would be easy to deal with if they encountered any trouble.
Previously, since Loran and Estia hadn't revealed their identities, everyone pretended not to know. But now that they had, Avia's side had to make a proper appearance as well.
At least it has to look presentable.
As for whether these guys, who are on average at the fourth or fifth rank, can protect the seventh-rank Loran and Estia.
Forehead......
At least they showed some attitude.
After crossing the bridge, you arrive at the territory of the elves, where the Elven Forest lies before you. The outermost trees here are mostly six or seven hundred years old, each requiring four adults to encircle it.
"Speaking of which, Estia, do you know..."
Loran pointed to the tree and said with a smile, "It is said that the elven race has a tradition that when each elf is born, a tree is planted in the Elven Forest, and that tree is his symbol."
"When the elf dies, he will also be buried under that tree."
Estia sighed: "If I remember correctly, I should be the one telling you this, just over ten years ago, when we were still on adventures."
"Well, that's true."
Loran looked at the huge tree on the outside, reached out and stroked its rough bark, and laughed: "I remember the last time I came, it was here, under this same tree."
"But there were four people last time."
Estia also looked at the tree: "There are only two this time."
"Is this what they mean by the unpredictability of life?"
"It's only been a little over ten years."
"More than ten years is a very long time for humans!"
Just then, a ripple came from the Elf Forest, and several elves dressed in elven robes and wearing white flowers in their hair came out.
"Lord Lorian, it's been a long time."
The leading elf bowed slightly. She was the Elf Queen's personal maid, and she was the one who received Loran and his companions when they arrived here more than a decade ago.
"Rachel, it's been a long time."
"By order of Her Majesty the Queen, we will lead you to Tinaq."
缇娜克，在精灵族的语言中是“永恒安宁之处”的意思每^日.发！书，群【6`5,0/5^0”2*3>3.8】，也是精灵族的首都。
The Elf Forest is so vast, roughly the size of a country, that it naturally wouldn't have just one city. Of course, because the number of elves is much smaller than that of humans, the elven race doesn't have that many cities either, but there are still four or five large cities.
Loran and Estia were heading to Tinaq, located in the heart of the Elf Forest, beneath the ancient Elf Tree.
Has Her Majesty the Queen received the news?
"The Elf Forest is an extension of the Ancient Elf Tree."
"Sure enough."
Loran recalled the first time they came here more than a decade ago, when the maids were just like they are now.
The Elf Forest is an extension of the Ancient Elf Tree, and the Elf Queen can wield the authority of the Ancient Tree. Therefore, there is almost nothing in the Elf Forest that can be kept from the Elf Queen.
Although both are at the eighth rank, in terms of combat power, the Elf Queen in the Elf Forest can defeat two Lundilans.
Ah, is it not nice to say that about Rentilan?
Then you can probably hit one and a half.
In short, the Elf Queen in the Elf Forest is definitely at the top level among the eighth tier, but she also has great limitations. Once she leaves the Elf Forest, the Elf Queen's strength can only be considered average among the eighth tier, on par with the Lord of the Lich King's Court.
"Now that Mother knows we've arrived, let's head straight to Tinaq."
Estia looked at Loran, and Loran nodded.
"In that case, please follow me."
Rachel raised the branch in her hand and gently slid it through the air.
A door slowly opened, and Rachel gave a slight bow: "Please."
"Oh? This is..."
Loran was a little curious. The last time they came, they went to Tinaq normally and didn't see this kind of magic.
"This is the authority of the ancient tree of spirits."
Estia explained, "As long as the branches of the ancient elven tree are within the Elven Forest, they can connect to the main body."
“What a powerful authority.”
Loran sighed for a moment, then stepped forward and entered the door.
Without any transition, as if the space between the two points had been cut open, the moment Loran stepped through the door, he was already in another place.
Towering ancient trees shade half the sky, and beneath them, uniquely designed palaces dot the landscape like real buildings.
"Welcome, little Lorian."
A soft, gentle voice sounded, and Loran looked up. The emerald-haired elf wore a white robe and a white flower crown. Her gentle face was endearing, and she resembled Estia, only her temperament was more elegant, with a charm that had been tinged with the passage of time.
"It's been a long time, Your Majesty. I'm so glad you still look as radiant as ever."
"Wow, little Lorian is so good at talking."
The Elf Queen covered her mouth and chuckled: "You too, more than ten years have passed, and you've become a mature man."
"Mother."
Estia's voice, tinged with a hint of helplessness, rang out: "Don't say things like that."
"Oh dear, is my lovely little Estia jealous?"
"You're talking nonsense again."
Estia glanced sideways: "Lorian and I have traveled a long way and are already exhausted. Let's talk about it tomorrow."
"Oh, I'm sorry, there are no rooms available in the palace. I'll have to ask little Lorian and Estia to squeeze in."
"No, that's impossible, isn't it? Lorian could change rooms every day for a month if he wanted to, right?"
Estia sighed and looked at Lorian: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
"No, it's wonderful to see that Her Majesty the Queen still has such a youthful spirit."
"That's it!"
The Elf Queen nodded: "Little Estia, if you always have such a cold face, be careful no one will want you in the future!"
Estia sighed, reached out, and the space around her rippled, revealing a jade-green bow and arrow.
"Oh! Mom was wrong!"
Seeing the dangerous look in her daughter's eyes, the Elf Queen quickly begged for mercy.
Chapter 168 Night
The maid Rachel led Loran and Estia to the palace.
The Elven royal palace was built atop the ancient Elven tree. How long has this ancient Elven tree existed? No one knows. Estia once said that the ancient Elven tree lives for three thousand years without dying, stands for three thousand years after death, and does not decay for three thousand years after falling.
Three thousand years... that's a very long time, even for elves, it's long enough.
Although elves are a long-lived race, very few elves actually live to be over a thousand years old. Perhaps even the elves, who were confined to a small corner of the world, suffered considerable losses during the three-hundred-year war a thousand years ago.
Elves are a race that dislikes fighting, but that doesn't mean they are weak. They simply enjoy wandering the world and doing things that pass the long hours.
Estia once said that the most pleasant thing for elves is to find a patch of grass on a sunny day, clear their minds, and just sit there doing nothing.
The elves love peace and tranquility, so they can even participate in wars, hoping only that the war will end.
It was precisely because of this that Estia left the Elf Forest that year, seeking an opportunity to resolve the war.
Then they encountered a dark force led by Messiah (not really).
However, Estia only considered this team as a temporary measure until Messiah's true identity was revealed.
Thinking about it this way, if Messiah hadn't been exposed, would Estia have said one day, "I'm here to leave the adventurer's party"?
That's quite possible. After all, Estia's main goal was to quell the war, so if Messiah wasn't a saintess, and if Loran and the others didn't intend to fight the Demon King, she really would have withdrawn.
Loran slowly walked up the ancient marble steps to the palace, and suddenly spoke: "Estia."
"what happened?"
"If Messiah weren't a saint, and if we hadn't defeated the Demon King, how would our story have unfolded?"
"what?"
"I mean."
Loran held his head in his hands, as if talking in a dream, and said, "If the war hadn't happened back then, and we had just been on an ordinary adventure, without a goal or direction, just going wherever the road took us, would the story be different? We would still be hiding things from each other, and you and Christine would occasionally quarrel, and Messiah would helplessly try to persuade you."
"Not knowing where to go, I used a tree branch to decide, freely exploring the maze, looking for interesting treasures, and encountering more interesting stories... If there had been no war, would the story have unfolded like this?"
"what are you saying."
Estia glanced at him sideways, while Loran stretched and said, "Fine, just consider it me talking nonsense... Maybe if there hadn't been a war, we would never have met..."
"Do not."
Estia shook her head and looked at Loran: "There is a proverb among the elves that says, 'All connections between individuals are predestined.'"
"Therefore, you, me, Messiah, Christine, we are destined to meet, no matter how things change, we will meet."
Loran was silent for a long time, then shook his head and laughed: "I was just overthinking things."
Rachel, who had overheard the whole thing, remained calm on the surface, but was filled with mixed emotions inside.
"Your Highness, you've finally learned to take the initiative... If you always perform at this standard, how could you possibly fail to defeat Lord Lorian? Christine and Messiah are no match for you!"
However, Rachel also knew that this kind of performance was a rare and precious moment of inspiration for Estia, and it was impossible to replicate.
Alas, there is still a long way to go.
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The Elf Queen arranged a very nice place for Loran's accommodation, surrounded by lush greenery and adorned with white flowers.
Although it was summer, Tinaq was nestled in a dense forest, beneath an ancient elven tree, making it feel like spring all year round. Loran opened the window, and a delicate, sweet fragrance wafted in. A branch nearby swayed slightly, extending towards the window, seemingly offering sake and sweets.
No matter how many times I see it, I still find it truly peculiar.
Loran thanked him and accepted the branch, which trembled slightly as if to say, "You're welcome."
Loran held her teacup, took a sip, and looked up. Outside, the clear night sky had a crescent moon hanging obliquely in the sky, followed by countless stars. Everything was exactly the same as it had been more than a decade ago.
Perhaps the night sky is no different in itself; it is only because of the fleeting nature of human life that the night sky seems to have changed quite a bit.
Music could be heard outside. Several elves were playing instruments in the square—violins, accordions, harps, flutes, and many others—making a racket as if they were celebrating some kind of festival.
But Loran knew this was just their daily routine. It was the same group of elves a decade ago, and it would be the same a decade later.
After all, for elves, a decade or so is not a very long time.
More than a decade ago, Messiah did play a duet with these people once and even wanted to bring Loran on stage, but Loran refused, since he didn't know how to play any musical instruments at all.
Messiah had always longed to hear him sing, but Loran refused, claiming he was tone-deaf.
Sigh, looking back, it was quite a noisy day.
Loran raised his glass and suddenly remembered a poem from his past life.
"Raise a glass to the bright moon and make three people in the shadows."
If it were a decade or two ago, Messiah would probably have already urged Christine to kick down the door and drag Loran out for a stroll, with a somewhat helpless Estia following along.
The music outside the window was still melodious. Loran sighed, looked up, and saw the moon and starry sky that were no different from ten years ago.
It's gotten a bit quiet.
There was a knock on the door suddenly.
"Please come in."