This sudden "Pink Hair Party" completely shattered the tent's initially reserved atmosphere, churning it into a bubbling cauldron of joy.
Ilanier clearly adored her new hair color.
She even conjured a massive ice mirror with magic, eagerly examining her reflection from every angle. The genuine smile on her face was impossible to hide.
After her initial stiffness, Aeldara seemed to have given up all resistance.
Once the Queen stopped dragging her into the impromptu dance party, she quietly sat back down by the fire. With a deadpan expression, she accepted the roasted meat Lin Qingyue offered and began eating in small bites.
But the stark contrast between her dazzling cherry-blossom pink hair and her cold, imposing Death Knight Armor created a visual clash so absurd it was hard not to laugh.
Every time Lin Xiyue glanced at her, she couldn't help but stifle a giggle.
Su Wan and Xia Lian quickly accepted their new reality as well.
After all, with the Queen and the Captain of the Knights joining in the pink-haired shenanigans, it wasn't public humiliation—it was "sharing in the monarch's joy.
Su Wan even took the initiative to approach the ice mirror, carefully examining the sky-high pigtail Lin Xiyue had styled for her.
Though she muttered disdainfully, "So flashy and gaudy," her eyes sparkled with an irrepressible light of novelty.
At first, Xia Lian wished the ground would swallow her whole. Her face flushed crimson as she desperately tried to shrink into the background.
But when Su Wan, sporting her own sky-high pigtail, reached out with her "demonic claws," Xia Lian shrieked and bolted away like a startled rabbit.
"Sister Wan'er, stay away!"
Seeing Su Wan's relentless pursuit and the culprit, Lin Xiyue, still rolling on the ground laughing, the nerve in Xia Lian's brain labeled "shame" finally snapped.
"To hell with it!"
Her face, flushed either from embarrassment or anger, turned bright red. She snatched a clean, unused bamboo skewer and pointed it menacingly at Lin Xiyue.
"Today, either you end up with twin tails, or I end up with braided pigtails!"
Before her words even faded, she charged into the fray, joining forces with Su Wan. Thus began the year's greatest spectacle: "The Pink-Haired Nezha and the Mortified Ranger vs. the Arrogant Paladin."
After a long while, when everyone had laughed and played themselves to exhaustion, sprawled haphazardly on the soft blanket and panting heavily, Ilanier elegantly twirled a strand of her pink hair around her fingertip and sighed softly.
"It's been so long... since I've felt this happy."
Her voice carried a hint of nostalgia and wistfulness, deepened by the passage of time.
She looked around at the girls sitting beside her, her gaze softening exceptionally.
"Ever since I became Queen, the friends and companions I once had... their eyes gradually filled with nothing but reverence and distance whenever they saw me."
"They would bow flawlessly, speak to me with the utmost respect, but they would never again sling an arm around my shoulder or share harmless jokes like they used to."
"I know it wasn't their fault."
"It was the weight of the crown that carved an invisible chasm between us."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted unintentionally to Aeldara, who sat stiffly beside her, and she let out a soft sigh.
"Even Aeldara. I watched her grow up, personally promoting her through the ranks. Back then, she was nothing like the ice queen she is now."
"She was a little rascal, the kind who'd tear the roof off if you didn't keep an eye on her for three days. So mischievous she could have turned the entire Moonlight Forest Sea upside down."
Ilanier's voice was laced with the warmth of fond memories.
"When she was little, she beat Tholdrin from the next village black and blue just to get a single Moonlight Fruit."
"Later, she researched a way for the living to wield the Power of Death and became the first Death Knight. When some conservative elves criticized and slandered her, guess what she did? She marched right to their doorsteps and engaged in some very thorough 'physical persuasion.'"
She shook her head indulgently. "But now, even when it's just the two of us in private, she always sits with her back ramrod straight, meticulously addressing me as 'Your Majesty.'"
"She'll never again secretly tug on my sleeve, begging me to take her to the Moonlight Forest Sea to raid bird nests like she did when she was a child."
Aeldara's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.
She silently turned her head away, a suspicious blush creeping up her earlobes beneath her pink hair.
The Queen's voice was soft, yet it instantly quieted the boisterous atmosphere inside the tent.
Lin Qingyue listened in silence.
She understood.
It's lonely at the top.
When someone reaches the pinnacle of power, everything they possess takes on a special significance, but they lose the right to be just an ordinary person.
"Perhaps only you guests from beyond the heavens can truly see me as an equal."
Ilanier's gaze finally settled on Lin Qingyue, her beautiful wine-red eyes filled with pure, sincere warmth.
"You respect my status, but you don't fear my power. You dare to joke with me, invite me to eat this... hmm, delicious commoner's food, and even dare to change my appearance like this."
She gestured to her pink hair, her face showing no hint of blame, only pure delight.
"This feeling... it's wonderful. It makes me feel like I'm not just a queen, but also... a friend."
Looking into the Queen's earnest eyes, Lin Qingyue felt a warmth spread through her heart.
She smiled and raised her soup bowl. "Then, to our friendship—a toast?"
"Cheers!"
Ilanier smiled and raised her bowl, gently clinking it against Lin Qingyue's.
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, Xia Lian, and even Aeldara silently raised their own bowls.
The crisp sound of clinking bowls echoed through the tent.
At that very moment, a mechanical notification suddenly blared in Lin Qingyue's mind!
[Detected a significant change in your relationship with the key plot character 'Elf Queen Ilanier'. Favorability has increased to "Trust"!]
[Due to establishing a deep connection with the source of "Moonlight's Embrace," a new effect has been unlocked!]
Lin Qingyue's heart skipped a beat.
Holy shit?! Is this for real?
All I did was have a barbecue, dye Her Majesty's hair, and throw a party, and my favorability shot up?
I'd call this move a great victory for 'barbecue diplomacy'! Now, I wonder what this new effect is...
Suppressing her inner excitement, she pretended to be calm and took a sip of soup, while her thoughts raced to open her equipment panel.
[Moonlight's Embrace (Growth/Unique)]
[Quality: Legendary (Upgradeable)]
[Requirement: Lin Qingyue]
[Effect 1: Moonlight Affinity. The wearer regenerates 1% of their Health, Stamina, and Spirit per minute.]
[Effect 2: Moonlight Resonance. The wearer's all stats are increased by 20%. The wearer's highest stat gains an additional 20% increase.]
[Effect 3: ??? (Locked)]
The moment Lin Qingyue read the description for "Effect 2," her breath caught in her throat.
All stats increased by 20%!
And the highest stat gets an additional 20% boost!
What kind of god-tier stat is this?!
She immediately pulled up her character panel, her eyes locked on the attribute section.
Her current highest stat was Constitution, at 170 points.
According to Effect 2's description, her Constitution would receive a terrifying 40% increase!
170 points would skyrocket to 238!
Her other stats would also rise: Strength and Faith to 108, Intelligence to 96, and Agility to 72.
This was a massive, all-around leap in power!
Lin Qingyue's heart began to pound wildly.
She knew better than anyone what this boost to her Constitution meant!
Every 10 points of Constitution equaled 1 minute of permanent Character Card usage time!
With her previous 170 Constitution, she could only maintain her transformation for a maximum of 17 minutes.
But now, with 238 Constitution, she could sustain her transformed state for nearly 24 minutes!
That was a full 7 extra minutes!
In a fast-paced, critical battle, those 7 minutes could be enough to turn the tide of the entire conflict
Jackpot!
I've really hit the jackpot this time!
Lin Qingyue felt her blood thrumming with excitement.
Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that a barbecue and a party could lead to such an absurd upgrade!
If I'd known, I would have dragged Her Majesty the Queen to eat barbecue skewers every single day! Maybe even Effect 3 would have been unlocked by now!
She struggled to contain her wild joy, trying to force her expression into a semblance of calm. But the irrepressible curve of her lips completely betrayed her true feelings.
"Qingyue? What's wrong? You look so happy," Su Wan asked, her sharp eyes noticing the change.
"Ah? Oh, it's nothing," Lin Qingyue quickly composed herself, grabbing for an excuse. "I was just thinking how wonderful the atmosphere is tonight. It made me so happy I couldn't help but smile."
As she spoke, she felt the new, surging power coursing through her body. It was a solid, tangible sense of fullness. Her bones and muscles seemed to sing, as if she could shatter mountains with a single blow.
She even had the illusion that, with her physical strength alone, she could now wrestle an adult giant bear.
From this day forward, call me the Tanky Priest!
Lin Qingyue solemnly crowned herself in her mind.
Nearly twenty-four minutes of transformation time!
This terrifying boost was enough to let her forcibly rewrite the outcome of any desperate battle
She raised her eyes, her gaze piercing through the tent to stare into the dark depths of the forest.
The Dungeon Core...
No matter what lay ahead, she now had the power to flip the entire board.