Chapter 251: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

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Chapter 251: Back To That Key Moment ⑨

Ivan’s eyes snapped open, still carrying the heat that had not yet faded. In his field of vision, a translucent figure stood quietly beneath mottled tree shadows. His posture was elegant and light, long hair drifting in and out of sight beneath the breeze like strands of silken mist.

The figure turned his head. His hair flowed with the wind, revealing a handsome face.

Ivan rose and walked to Shang Ke, gently cupping his face. There was no warm touch beneath his palm, only a faint coolness.

“Keke…” Crystalline light shimmered in the depths of Ivan’s eyes, overflowing with emotion.

Shang Ke gave him a radiant smile, raised a hand, and lightly flicked his forehead, scattering countless brilliant motes of light.

Ivan smiled as well, his gaze turning gentle. The missing piece of his heart seemed to be restored at that moment. Somehow, this feeling of regaining something once lost did not seem entirely unfamiliar. It brought overwhelming fulfillment, yet also a faint, inexplicable ache…

“Keke! Ivan!” Bubbles’s full-throated shout rang out from the distance, shattering the quiet of the early morning.

Shang Ke turned and found that all the little elves were awake. Some poked their heads out of the tree houses, some dangled from the vines, while others sat on the treetops waving cheerfully in their direction.

Shang Ke smiled and went to meet them. From today onward, he had officially been promoted to king of the children, leading this adorable little army on its glorious campaign to conquer the world.

Ivan followed closely behind him, gazing at the beautiful scene before him as tremendous strength rose within his heart.

He swore to fight for them. He swore to die for them.

Recently, the situation across the continent had shifted again. The Forge Wraiths had begun changing their strategic targets, launching attacks against the homelands of the various races and wreaking widespread destruction in an attempt to disperse the Alliance’s forces.

The tactic quickly produced results. When Alliance warriors learned their own homelands were under attack, many could no longer remain at their posts and demanded permission to return as reinforcements. In truth, even counting the puppet forces under their control, the Forge Wraiths’ total numbers amounted to less than one-quarter of the Alliance army. But their brutality alone was enough to terrify people. Even sending only a few thousand troops to conduct destructive raids against lightly defended towns could throw entire regions into panic.

With the memories of his previous life, Ivan knew perfectly well that this was only the beginning. The Forge Wraiths would continue harassing the allied races’ homelands, burning, killing, looting, and committing every atrocity imaginable. Within a single year, the Alliance had fallen apart into scattered factions. Then the Forge Wraiths deployed their elite forces in a fierce assault on Faesier Forest, attempting to destroy the elven Sacred Grounds. At the time, Ivan had left the little elves behind in Wasier Forest and come alone to join the battle. He had never expected the children to follow him, much less sacrifice themselves in that tragic manner to help the Alliance force the Forge Wraiths back.

Now that he had another chance, Ivan naturally would not allow the situation to deteriorate the same way.

If the Forge Wraiths dared use diversion and fragmentation tactics against them, he could repay them in kind.

Ivan leaned against a tree branch and watched Shang Ke sit by the lake braiding Erika’s hair. Erika’s hair was dry and hard as twigs, tangled into a wild mess. Even after being moistened with spring water, it softened only slightly. Shang Ke spent dozens of minutes finally combing it smooth and tying it into two thick braids. Once the hair dried again, those braids would become whips—perfectly usable as weapons…

Shang Ke carefully redressed the other little elves as well, replacing their elaborate aristocratic clothing with light, practical outfits. Most of the children favored green, so nearly all their clothes were green. When they gathered together in groups, they looked like clusters of lively lotus leaves swaying in the breeze.

Next, Shang Ke let them choose whatever personal equipment they liked: knives, swords, maces, hammers, forks, shovels, crossbows, darts, staffs, spears, mirrors, bracelets, all kinds of musical instruments, and many other odds and ends. Because Forge Wraiths could manipulate metal, every item had been crafted from nonmetallic materials.

The moment Shang Ke brought everything out, the little elves nearly went mad with delight. They picked through the collection again and again and spent two or three hours agonizing before finally making their choices.

Judging from those choices, most of them had little interest in close-combat weapons and were far more attracted to musical instruments, accessories, and similar objects.

Of course, Shang Ke had not refined these items because he wanted the children to fight. They were intended as mediums through which the little elves could channel the nature power within their bodies, helping them better develop their own abilities. Carrying them over long periods would also nourish their bodies.

The curriculum Shang Ke arranged for them was very “simple”: use magic to create their own “little base” and develop their own methods of combat. That included defensive positions, ambush points, lookout towers, underground passages, planting zones, trap zones, magic markers, information transmission, terrain design, and more. Every project had to be discussed and studied by the group, tested through small-scale simulations, and only then formally implemented.

Pure-blooded elves differed from other races in that they inherited a certain amount of innate knowledge. They learned written language and their natural talents extremely quickly. What they lacked most was accumulated experience, practical control of magic power, and the development of creativity.

Once preparations were complete, Shang Ke issued their first assignment: thoroughly survey the terrain, vegetation distribution, and animal species within the first magic formation, then turn the results into a map. They could work in groups or act alone. Shang Ke knew the surrounding environment like the back of his hand, so he was not worried about the little elves encountering real danger. Even if something happened, he could reach them in an instant.

Fully equipped and brimming with fighting spirit, the little elves called out to one another and excitedly plunged into the forest. Only Shear, whose legs were impaired, remained at the base camp. Shang Ke planned to make her a magic wheelchair and teach her how to carve and use levitation formations on objects.

Shang Ke’s body condensation had now reached 62%. On top of becoming visible, his voice could now be heard, so there was no longer any barrier to communicating with the little elves.

“Keke.” Ivan’s voice came from behind him. Shang Ke turned and found him fully equipped as well, dressed as though preparing for a long journey. “You’re going out?”

“Mm. About a month.”

“The Forge Wraiths?”

“Yes.”

Shang Ke took a small bamboo tube from the Sacred Tree subspace and handed it to Ivan. “This contains concentrated essence from the Fountain of Life. It can provide a large amount of natural energy.”

Ivan tucked the bamboo tube into his pouch, then stared steadily at Shang Ke. “Wait for me to come back.”

“Mm.” Shang Ke neither stopped him nor tried to make him stay. He simply saw Ivan quietly out of Faesier Forest.

He trusted Ivan’s abilities, and he trusted Ivan’s judgment. Besides, the System had just provided him with one important piece of information: Ivan retained the memories of his previous life.

“System, there’s something I’ve wondered about for a long time. Every use of the Return Key counts as a rebirth, so why does he sometimes retain his memories from before the rebirth and sometimes not?”

Because the artifact spirit had returned those memories to him.

The artifact spirit would never tell Shang Ke that those memories had originally belonged to him. He had given up merging back into the main soul and instead chosen to remain as the artifact spirit guarding them. The most precious thing he could obtain in return was the main soul’s memories from each lifetime.

The main soul’s feelings for Keke had already been carved deep into his very soul, yet he could neither retain nor savor those memories. Every reincarnation forced him to begin again from nothing. He never knew that he had lived before, loved before, been happy before, suffered before—because all those memories eventually became treasures collected by the artifact spirit.

The moment the main soul died was the artifact spirit’s happiest time. Receiving those memories allowed him to experience everything as though he had lived it personally: everything the main soul had felt, everything he had gone through—including Shang Ke’s love for him.

The artifact spirit would never return the happy memories to the main soul. But if sharing some of them could help Keke overcome a crisis and allow the main soul to protect him better, then the artifact spirit did not mind giving him a little. At the very least, he could let the man understand exactly what had happened and keep him from making the same mistakes again.

A man ought to be ruthless with himself!

【The answer is simple. Whether those memories survive depends on whether a certain someone is mentally impaired—or perhaps mole-impaired.】

Shang Ke: “…” He really should never have asked.

Ten days later, exhilarating news spread from outside. Several high-ranking Forge Wraith commanders had been ambushed inside their own camp, sealed one after another, and rendered unconscious. The incident caused a major shock among the Forge Wraiths. Their external raids temporarily stopped as they pulled their forces back together and tightened security against further attacks.

Shang Ke did not need to guess who was responsible. At present, throughout all of Anglorr, only Ivan’s Oxygen Spirit Art could inflict that kind of damage on Forge Wraiths within such a short period. The Oxygen Orbs and other aura-infused artifacts he refined could not directly seal Forge Wraiths. The enhanced version of the Oxygen Orb—the Oxygen Sigil—could, but it was complicated to refine, required rare materials, and placed restrictions on the user’s attributes. Even then, the chance of achieving a complete seal was only thirty-five percent. Most of the time, it could merely slow a Forge Wraith’s movements to the greatest possible degree.

Ivan’s Oxygen Spirit Art, by contrast, depended entirely on Ivan’s own strength. With his awakened dragon bloodline and the natural energy supplied by the Fountain of Life, he could bring the technique’s power to its absolute limit.

Ivan’s objective was harassment and targeted strikes. Every month or two, he would make a circuit through Forge Wraith territory and seal whichever targets he could, delaying their advance as much as possible and buying the Alliance and Keke more time to prepare.

Although the task was difficult, Ivan would rather cross enormous distances back and forth than fail to return within the time they had agreed upon and see Shang Ke.

The moment Ivan stepped back into this peaceful, beautiful land, the fatigue, killing, and bloodshed of war seemed to wash away. Familiar smiling faces welcomed him together with natural aura capable of dispelling every negative status effect imaginable.

【Body condensation has reached 97%. Physical materialization is expected in ten days.】

Shang Ke had not even had time to celebrate before the System added: 【During this period, Host may not dream, lose moral integrity, expend excessive physical strength, or waste any “essence.”】

Shang Ke: “…Putting everything else aside, whether or not I dream doesn’t seem like something I can control.”

【Host should not attempt to deceive System. System knows exactly how many hairs are growing on Host’s body.】

Could he please retain even a tiny shred of privacy?

Black lines practically covered Shang Ke’s face. “I’ll try to control myself…”

【Host need not worry. If Host cannot control himself, System will lend a helping hand. System exists to help Host resolve every difficulty—and every “man.” <(＾－＾)>】

Shang Ke had absolutely no desire for the System to help him “resolve” any man…

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