Chapter 26: Sadness
Few Minutes Later...
At such moment, Amy wanted to escape, but the fear of what might await her in the world was greater than her current condition. She knew of many stories about the depravity and evil of humans, and she did not dare to find out of they're real. Being a elf, a race with longer lifespan and loved by nature while at the same time not much in numbers and weak too, she knew without her teammates, the moment she step foot into society means being sold as a slave.
The elf was well-behaved. Zach watched as she stripped and cleaned herself, using what looked some grasses as sponge. He had expected she will run away after releasing her but as soon as she fetched some water, she turn and return making him look at her in a new light.
Now much cleaner, she looked even more beautiful. Zach felt he could stare into her vivid green eyes, like a forest itself, for hours. Actually, he had already done that, but he could do it countless more times.
When she returned to her room, she brought several bits and pieces of fruits, and wild grains with her. Out of kindness, Zach dug out shelves along the wall for her to place things on.
*Hmph, what are you surprised for? Did you think I wouldn't take care of my things? Just you wait, I'll give you an even grander room in the future after leveling up!* Zach thought with pride as he watched her look over the shelves, wide-eyed.
She took out a candle and lit it with a strange flint and steel contraption, filling her room with a soft, warm glow. According to her, it seems like one of her teammates backpack was still intact.
Zach wasn't sure what the world outside was like, but it seemed rather backward in technology. With magic so abundant, it was used as a substitute for many processes, leaving people without the drive to improve their lives with science and innovation.
Even Zach wasn't sure if that was normal or not, it was just something he observed while being escorted to his glorious death back then.
Amy had brought back a full bucket of water too, which Zach stored in his internal storage to keep it from getting dirty or stale, and he would give it back to the irate elf whenever she demanded it.
She neatly arranged her belongings on the shelves, most of them food, as if she were settling into her life under Zach. He was happy to see her so compliant and made sure to fulfill her requests—at least, the ones he understood.
Meanwhile, Zach kept digging, one piece at a time. His miners were excellent helpers, though they needed to be fed to survive. They didn't consume much biomass, and Zach gained more from wandering animals than they ate anyway.
He eventually dug out a massive chamber behind the three rooms. It took an entire day and measured twenty meters wide, thirty long, and ten high. While digging, he unearthed a new stone variant called *ardonite*. It had a bluish-grey texture and looked nice, though Zach had no idea what it could be used for.
He made a mental note to experiment with it later.
During the process, his mining skill increased to
He also sent the elf on several trips with two buckets to collect water. Storing it repeatedly raised his internal storage skill to
If Zach filled his entire storage with only water, he could hold a massive 20,000 liters.
When he had spare time, he would use his mana tendrils to explore the elf's mana network, trying to understand her better. But he still couldn't make sense of her words. Maybe, with enough attempts, he'd unlock a translation skill.
Her mana channels were wider now due to his constant meddling and intimacy. Her mana circulated faster and more powerfully, though they seemed strained.
Fearing he might damage her, Zach stopped stirring her mana and instead massaged her channels, filling them with his own mana. She had already grown accustomed to this sharing and offered no resistance, treating his mana as her own.
This time, as he focused on her mind, he suddenly heard a ding as the holographic screen appear before him.
*Ohhh, what's this?* Zach said, startled as he examine the elf more closely, watching how his mana curled inside her mind and made contact with hers. He could retract it anytime, and she could probably push him out if she wanted, since her natural mana dominated foreign mana. Still, if he tried, it could cause damage.
This was a surprising thing to him that Zach even wonder if maybe he leveled up this skill more and more he can even read her mind thought and use his own mana to completely kill anyone by putting it inside their body.
Unexpectedly, the elf shot to her feet, looking around in shock, calling into the darkness with her soft, twittering voice. She used her candles sparingly, they seemed too valuable to waste.
"Elf, are you trying to talk to me again?" Zach asked.
"Eh? Xo kina da ki," the elf replied quickly, glancing around her room, clearly responding to his voice with confusion.
"As nice as your voice is, I can't understand what you're saying! Speak English!"
"asbdueir English aslk ohifa—"
"So you can understand me, right?" Zach quickly asked with happiness.
"An," the elf said, then realized Zach couldn't follow her words and nodded instead.
"Excellent! This makes things much easier. Ahhh, voice commands are the best! Quick, climb the chair let's make babies~"