svetikya Page 418
Page 418
Latis stood up, watching the Void Rays joyfully begin to fly around, and fell into deep thought.
Unable to communicate with the Void Ray, he couldn't very well ask it what it meant. Did it want him to finish his business before going to the Void together? Or would they encounter the Void along the way?
But then again, what exactly is the void?
He shook his head and glanced at Lady Rosette, who had a hopeful smile on her face. He knew that this clan matriarch had to remain a recluse to protect the tribe, and she probably couldn't answer questions about other details about the underground world.
"Anyway... let's leave the team like this for now."
Latis clapped his hands, looked at the two great knights, two little knights, a little priest, and a fish surrounding him, and was taken aback.
Why does it feel like a large-scale attack by the Church of Light?
“By the way…” Latis shook off the strange feeling in his heart and looked at Holnet, asking:
"By the way, your original goal seemed to be to find clues about the Will of Light..."
“Yes, but it seems to align perfectly with your current plans.” Holnet lifted her helmet visor, looked at Latis with her slightly dark eyes, and said with a smile:
"Besides, it seems I haven't had enough pleasantries with Janet's apprentices yet, so let me lend you a hand?"
"It's Jennifer!"
Jennifer scratched her head, turned to look at the two shy knight girls beside her, and couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright, alright, let's go."
Latis stretched lazily, then strode towards the forest exit of the night elf territory. He glanced up at the dark sky and murmured:
"It's rare to have so many teammates... It's a pity that the underground turbulence can easily blow people away, so I can't transform into a dragon and carry them. Otherwise, it would probably be quite a lively journey..."
Behind him, a group of girls exchanged glances, and couldn't help but show a hint of excitement at the upcoming adventure before following him.
"Um... Your Excellency."
With a conflicted expression, Geeta ran to Latis's side. After hesitating for a long time, she finally couldn't help but ask:
"By the way, could you... give me back my secret stash of money?"
"what?"
Latis raised an eyebrow, glanced back at Leafa, and instantly understood that the girl must already know his identity. Thinking this, he immediately tightened his lips, crossed his arms, and shook his head, saying:
"You want money from me? No way!"
"Ugh..." Geeta's face fell immediately, and she said softly:
"But... Leafa is also your apprentice! You usually bring her desserts, right?"
“That’s different.” Latis suppressed a laugh and said without changing his expression, “I’ll tell her which pieces you gave her.”
"This, this...I..."
Geeta couldn't think of a reply for a moment, but the thought of Leafa's silver coins being gone made her increasingly sad, and she couldn't help but weakly sob as she said:
"Then, you must keep those two silver coins safe... I'll definitely earn them back from you in the future..."
"Okay."
Latis raised an eyebrow, subconsciously rubbed the silver coins in his pocket, thought for a moment, and smiled:
"I was just teasing you and was planning to pay you back, but it seems I don't have to now."
"...?"
Geeta froze for a moment, then her eyes widened instantly, and she gritted her teeth as she shouted, "Lord Latis! I challenge you to a duel!"
"It's not impossible."
Latis glanced at the longsword on Geeta's back, which he couldn't pull out with one hand, and laughed:
"Young lady, please draw your sword?"
"I'll pull it out... eh?"
Geeta tried to pull her sword out, but it wouldn't budge. She froze, realizing she was completely manipulated by Latis. She cried out in grief and anger:
"You bastard... You've gone too far! I'll make you pay when I grow up!"
Chapter 411 The Naga Tribe Quietly
Kiriko stared blankly as the figures of Latis and his group gradually disappeared at the end of the path in the Thousand Hands Demon Tree Forest. She subconsciously lowered her head and looked at the road in front of her, which was paved with rough ore and sleepers. For a moment, she felt a complicated feeling.
He didn't know what he was complicating. As an ordinary villager, even if he was involved in such an event, even if he was the cause of it, he was just a passerby, a marginal figure.
Because they lack the strength and determination of Latis and his ilk, they remain stagnant; because it is safe, they have no glory.
Thinking of this, Kiriko couldn't help but feel a little ashamed. Even that ordinary girl from Isopin Village could embark on an adventure with a bright faith, but he could only return to the village and start a mediocre life again.
He also wants to...
"Mr. Kiriko, hello, let us take you home first."
The Night Elf's Common Tongue, tinged with a slight accent, rang out in front of Kirito. He looked up at the somewhat familiar Night Elf, composed himself, and then remembered that this seemed to be the squad leader who had brought him underground, the one who had appeared at the ritual site.
"Oh well."
Kiriko scratched her head, as if she wanted to say something, but then sighed and followed the night elf.
The two walked in silence for about ten steps, then the night elf suddenly chuckled softly, saying with a strange expression:
"To be honest... this is the first time I've ever seen you humans walk normally. It turns out you're not much different from us night elves."
"..."
Kiriko was a little tense, thinking to herself, "Isn't it always the same thing that you put people to sleep before bringing them here? Do you want to see them sleepwalking?"
He chuckled, a hint of exasperation in his eyes, but quickly relaxed, shaking his head as he said:
"You all have two arms and two legs. Apart from your skin color and pointed ears, you are no different."
"...Is that what you think?" The night elf looked at Kirito with some surprise and said:
"Although the successive village chiefs of Shuluan Village have maintained a cooperative relationship with us based on mutual benefit, they have ultimately maintained the tradition of letting you fall into a deep sleep and then bringing you here. So I have always thought that there is no possibility for us to coexist."
"Perhaps keeping secrets is more important to us."
Kiriko shrugged uncertainly.
After passing the cleaned-up ceremony site, Kiriko subconsciously looked up at the wooden boat on the Bird's Nest platform, and remembering how she had tumbled down from it, she couldn't help but laugh and asked:
"Um, can I go up and take another look? I'm a little curious."
“It’s possible…” The night elf scratched his head, but before he could finish speaking, Kirito quickly ran up to him.
Looking back now, it actually seems quite comfortable here...
Kiriko stood in front of the wooden boat, bent down and looked at the grass and leaves laid out inside. It sank slightly, as if being lifted up by large hands from all directions, giving it a mysterious and sublime feel.
Suddenly, his gaze froze, fixed on a spot inside the wooden boat, his eyes widening in shock, and he murmured:
"Wait... what's that?"
Kiriko quickly walked half a circle around the wooden boat, bent down, and reached out to gently touch a carving on the inner wall of the boat.
The shallow engravings looked quite old, yet they remained clear. He hadn't noticed them earlier because he was so tense.
"It's...human writing?" Kirito was stunned for a long time before gradually coming back to his senses. A strange feeling made him involuntarily lower his head to decipher the content of the writing. As he touched the engravings, he murmured:
"Don't... be nervous? These are night elves... a tribe of law and good..."
Suddenly, his voice paused for a moment. After recognizing the content of the text, he instantly understood that it was comforting words left by the human predecessors who had come before, after they regained their senses.
Kiriko subconsciously looked to the side following the order of the messages, and then he recognized countless characters of all sizes from the deep and shallow wood grain on the inner wall of the wooden boat.
These texts include descriptions of the Night Elf tribes, joking notes of one's own visit, accounts of physical enhancements granted after rituals, seemingly profound philosophical reflections that are actually nonsense, and even records of recent questions awaiting answers from future generations.
Of course, the most common comments were slightly sarcastic and risqué remarks such as "Night elves taste really good."
Kiriko felt her mind suddenly filled with deep confusion. It turned out that so many villagers knew about this matter, but why hadn't any nobles come to seize this area until now? Everyone was keeping their mouths shut!
However, despite his inner complaints, he inexplicably felt a mutual understanding for the sake of the village and the continuation of the race.
"Mr. Kiriko, have you finished looking? Ahem, while our place isn't as sophisticated as human cities, it's not exactly shabby either..."
Kiriko turned to look at the night elves who were somewhat awkwardly introducing the tribal territory, and suddenly realized that they might be able to speak, but not understand, human writing, which is why these messages have been preserved so perfectly over the decades.
He couldn't help but let out a strange smile, straightened up, glanced at the night elf at the stern of the wooden boat, and said something that left the night elf completely baffled:
"Thanks to you, Tree Peak Village was not lost forever in the scorching heat of the Wilderness Territory!"
……
……
"Is that the abandoned ruins Ms. Rosette mentioned? It looks like a circular open-air theater!"
Jennifer's curious words brought Latis back to his senses. He glanced at the abandoned building that resembled a Roman Colosseum in the distance, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes. He murmured:
"Goodness, the underground world isn't as desolate as I imagined... It seems that the civilization here may have existed for quite some time."
“Yes.” Holnet slightly lifted a corner of his cloak, extended his armored right hand, touched his chin, and said:
"Although none of the monster territories I've explored so far have the habit of recording history, the many old and miscellaneous items piled up in their territories show that even a chaotic race like goblins has been establishing a unified territory for no less than a hundred years."
“wee!” The Void Ray flew beside them and called out with disgust.
"I see."
Latis held the Thousand-Handed Demon Leaf in his hand, lost in thought.
His development of the Forest Dragon form is not yet very advanced. At present, he only knows that he can plant sample plants on his body and can temporarily activate life energy to generate the plants he already owns.
However, since he had planted those plants haphazardly on the dragon's back, it was somewhat unsightly. Therefore, he planned to ask Ate to help him adjust the plants on the dragon's back when he got back.
He shook his head, put away the Thousand-Handed Demon Tree Leaf, and glanced at the small bags carried on the backs of the two girls behind him.
Before leaving the Night Elf territory, he happened to come across a drifting magic net, so he quickly used his remaining magic net points to exchange for two shelters, which he gave to Leafa and Snyder respectively.
Including the shelter that Holnet and her group already had, there are now three shelters in total, so they basically don't have to worry about the underground turbulence anymore.
The shelter looks like a small tent that can be folded up and unfolded at any time. When folded up, it is only the size of a magic book, making it a very magical item.
According to Holnet, her shelter was found in an ancient ruin. After extensive research, she concluded that the shelter's materials came from an extinct monster, the legendary "Starry Mayfly," which was said to be immune to spatial turbulence. Only a tent made from materials derived from this monster could withstand the underground turbulence.
After trekking for an hour or two, the group finally arrived at the abandoned ruins that lay at the edge of their sight.