Chapter 248: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

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Chapter 248: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

The Sacred Tree’s unusual reaction eventually alerted the Great Elder. When he hurried over with a group of mixed-blood elves, even he was stunned by the mass of vines that had suddenly grown across the ground. After the Sacred Tree revived, the consciousness belonging to the Sacred Tree Elf had disappeared. The mixed-blood elves prayed every day, yet had never received the slightest revelation. No one expected the Sacred Tree Elf to show signs of a new spiritual consciousness two years later.

The mixed-blood elves led by the Great Elder were beside themselves with excitement. They dropped to their knees one after another and prayed devoutly for the Mother Tree’s blessing. Shang Ke ignored them, however. In truth, in his current state, he had no way to communicate with them anyway.

The mixed-blood elves prayed for a long time without receiving any response and eventually left in disappointment.

“Great Elder, those little elves…” Mattie glanced at the children climbing through the branches and asked hesitantly.

“Since the Mother Tree permits it, let them be. When night falls, have the guards bring them back to sleep.”

Once the Great Elder and the others had left, the little elves finally relaxed completely and began calling Shang Ke’s name over and over. Shang Ke sat among them, smiling as he answered each one, even though none of them could hear him.

At that moment, Shang Ke felt one little elf edge closer and quietly sit beside him. He turned and found Michael staring fixedly at him, his emerald-green eyes gleaming like gemstones.

“Can you see me?” Shang Ke asked.

Michael neither shook his head nor nodded. He simply moved a little closer, wrapped both arms around his knees, tilted his head, and continued gazing at Shang Ke in silence.

Shang Ke smiled faintly and raised an index finger to his lips in a “shh” gesture. Michael was mute, so the gesture was actually completely unnecessary, but Shang Ke did it instinctively anyway.

Michael covered his mouth with both hands, leaving only a pair of smiling, crescent-shaped eyes visible.

Although Shang Ke could not speak directly with the little elves, he could communicate through magic—for example, by conjuring several tiny butterflies in the air or using vines to form a rope ladder for them.

Only after seeing the magic appear out of nowhere did the little elves become completely certain that Shang Ke had returned. Then they began bombarding him with questions from every direction.

Shang Ke could not answer them yet, so he simply committed every question to memory. Once they had calmed down a little, he used magic to form Ivan’s image in the air.

The little elves were clever and immediately understood what he meant. “Ivan went off to fight. He should be back in seven or eight days.”

Bubbles counted on his fingers and reported loudly, “Six days have already passed!”

Now that he knew where Ivan was, Shang Ke stopped asking. In any case, he would see him in a few days.

Just then, Mattie approached with several guards and called to the little elves, “Children, it’s time to go back to bed.”

The little elves stopped playing but remained hanging from the branches, showing no intention of coming down.

Mattie continued, “You already missed today’s lessons. Are you planning to slack off again tomorrow?”

The little elves immediately looked conflicted. After struggling internally for a while, they finally climbed down from the tree with obvious reluctance.

For some time now, Mattie had been putting the little elves through almost military-style discipline. Eating, sleeping, studying—everything followed a strict schedule. Any violation of the rules brought a corresponding punishment.

Shang Ke frowned. He did not mind a teacher being strict, but he disliked seeing timidity on the little elves’ faces. What they needed to learn was self-respect, self-love, strength, independence, and the ability to distinguish right from wrong—not rigid obedience, humility, and blind submission.

Shang Ke floated down from the tree and slowly drifted toward a nearby grove. Glittering motes trailed behind him, following the path of his movement until they formed a silver river stretching from beneath the little elves’ feet into the distance.

At the end of that silver path, the branches of several large trees spread outward while vines twisted between them. Beneath the glow of magic, they wove themselves into a cluster of charming tree houses. The vines continued extending from one house to another, coiling into winding bridges between them.

When the light faded, a delicate little village of tree houses stood before everyone. A tiny yellow flower suddenly bloomed on one green vine, followed by a second, then a third. Soon hundreds upon hundreds of small blossoms opened beneath the quiet night sky, displaying their beauty without restraint.

The little elves cheered and raced toward their new tree houses.

Mattie opened her mouth, but in the end did not stop them. She merely turned toward the Sacred Tree. Is this your will, Mother Tree? These little elves are destined to become warriors who protect you. Spoiling them this much may not be a good thing.

Although Mattie did not agree, she did not object. She turned toward the Sacred Tree, bowed respectfully, and then left with the guards.

Excited by the tree houses filled with natural energy, the little elves looked as though they might make noise until midnight. To Shang Ke’s surprise, however, they soon quieted down and fell asleep one after another. He retrieved blankets from their old residence and tucked each child in.

Good night, my little darlings.

As a spirit body, Shang Ke did not need to sleep. He hovered beneath the night sky, emptied his thoughts, sensed the natural aura around him, and continued condensing his physical form.

After an unknown amount of time, a faint sound came from below. Looking down, Shang Ke saw a small figure climb from one of the tree houses and wander sleepily into the forest.

Only after drifting closer did Shang Ke realize she was going to the bathroom. He chuckled, quietly cast a light spell to illuminate the way for her, then politely turned his back.

The toilets in this world resembled snail shells, half aboveground and half underground, with relatively complete drainage and ventilation systems. They were usually built near residences, while densely populated areas even constructed “public toilets” according to local population distribution.

After a while, the little elf came back out. Shang Ke listened to her footsteps, waiting for her to return to the tree house. Instead, the footsteps gradually receded in the opposite direction.

Shang Ke hurried after her and soon found the little elf wandering aimlessly through a thicket.

“Kanyo, where are you going?” Shang Ke landed beside her.

Kanyo could not hear him. She looked around in confusion, apparently unable to remember the way home.

Kanyo suffered from intermittent amnesia. She frequently forgot the people and events around her and sometimes could not even remember her own name. Worried that she might become lost, Shang Ke had hung a gemstone engraved with her name around her neck and assigned the other little elves to take turns acting as her guardian.

He wondered whether the little elves had continued keeping that promise after he left.

While he was thinking, Kanyo wandered farther and farther from the tree houses. She walked alone through the dark forest, not knowing who she was or where she should go, like a lost lamb drifting aimlessly toward an unknown world.

Shang Ke stopped hesitating and prepared to use magic to take her home.

Before he could act, Kanyo suddenly called something softly. Her voice was faint, but Shang Ke heard it with perfect clarity. She had called: Keke.

“Keke…” Kanyo looked around. Her eyes were filled with confusion, yet that name still fell from her lips.

“Keke… Keke…” Her trembling calls rose gradually from soft to loud, like a fledgling searching for its mother.

Shang Ke’s heart suddenly ached. She had forgotten everything else, yet somehow she still remembered him.

Shang Ke reached out and gently wrapped his arms around her small body.

Kanyo seemed to sense something and slowly stopped walking.

“Keke?”

“It’s me. I’m right here beside you.”

Kanyo opened her eyes as wide as she could, desperately searching for the figure she could somehow sense but could neither see nor touch.

“Kanyo!” An urgent voice suddenly came from the darkness nearby. A moment later, Wuyin ran up to her. “I’m sorry, Kanyo. I almost lost you.”

Wuyin spoke very loudly. Because he was deaf, he naturally had difficulty controlling the volume of his own voice.

Kanyo tilted her head and stared at him. “Who are you?”

“Come on. I’ll take you back.” Wuyin took her hand.

“Are you Keke?” Kanyo frowned. “That doesn’t seem right…”

“Kanyo, could you maybe not tell Keke what happened tonight?” Wuyin paused, then drooped in frustration. “Forget it. You should tell him. I really was careless.”

“Where is Keke? Will I see him when I go home?”

Shang Ke followed behind them, silently listening to their completely mismatched conversation as he escorted them safely back to the tree houses.

They had not forgotten. Even after he disappeared, they had continued honoring their promise and doing their best to care for one another.

The next morning, the little elves woke to the fragrance of fruit. The moment they opened their eyes, they found the tree houses filled with fresh fruit. Crystal droplets still clung to the skins, carrying the aura of the Fountain of Life.

Bubbles was the first to give in to temptation and immediately reached for one.

Shear smacked his hand away. “Wash your face and brush your teeth first!”

Bubbles complained, “Shear, I’m the eldest brother. You can’t be this mean to me.”

“I’ll be mean to anyone who refuses to be hygienic!” Shear replied sternly.

Bubbles rubbed his nose, shot out of the tree house in a blur, and obediently ran off to wash his face.

Shear had several of the little elves carry all the fruit outside before eating so they would not dirty the tree houses.

Shang Ke silently watched them divide the chores among themselves and manage the little details of daily life with the organization of adults. He felt both comforted and heartbroken—comforted by how sensible they had become, and heartbroken for exactly the same reason.

Just as the little elves were happily enjoying their fruit in the morning light, Mattie approached from the distance. She glanced at the fruit scattered around them and asked, “Who prepared this fruit for you?”

Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “You shouldn’t eat fruit in the morning. I prepared meat porridge and pasta for you. Come inside with me. You’re noble elves—what does it look like to sit on the ground while eating? I’ve told you before: unless you’re on the march, you must never forget proper etiquette.”

The little elves lowered their heads, their earlier happiness instantly disappearing.

“All right. Throw away the fruit in your hands and come with me.” Mattie turned and walked off without looking back, her rigid posture making it clear that refusal was not an option.

The little elves stared at the half-eaten fruit in their hands and could not bear to throw it away. They exchanged glances, reached a silent agreement, then stuffed the fruit into their mouths and finished everything in a few rapid bites.

“Perfect!”

Twelve thumbs shot up at the same time, gleaming beneath the vast blue sky.

Shang Ke had still been angry at Mattie’s inflexibility, but the sight made him burst into laughter again.

His little elves really were the cutest babies in the entire world.

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