Watching Kali's retreating figure, Lin Xiyue leaned closer to her sister and whispered, "Sis, why does it feel like everyone in this world is so eager to poach people from each other's teams? Yesterday it was a fox spirit, today it's a Leopard-woman and a Wolf-woman..."
Lin Qingyue patted her shoulder, speaking with mock seriousness, "That just proves how irresistible we are. It's a good thing."
Lin Xiyue pondered this for a moment, then suddenly, an idea lit up in her mind like a lightbulb.
"Sis! You know that missing Mage Karula? What if she was just too popular and some passionate Beastman woman kidnapped her to be her 'mistress of the stronghold'?"
Xia Lian, who was drinking water nearby, choked and spat a mouthful through her nose, her face flushing crimson as she coughed uncontrollably.
Su Wan shot Lin Xiyue a withering look.
She reached out and casually straightened the shoulder pauldron that had slipped askew from Lin Xiyue's constant looking around.
"Do you think an Intermediate Evocation School Mage who could become an instructor at the Magic Academy is just some courtesan from Tender Village?"
Though her voice was soft, each word cut through the air like shards of ice, piercing straight into the listener's ear.
"Even if she's outmatched in a direct confrontation, could a warrior ever stop a Mage determined to escape?"
"She has at least a dozen textbook methods of disengagement, not to mention the secret tricks she's undoubtedly been hoarding as an instructor."
Su Wan flicked Lin Xiyue's helmet lightly, a sharp clank ringing out.
"Use that brain of yours—the one that's good for nothing but 'fluff-rubbing' and 'muscle-flexing'—to calculate the odds. You'll find the probability of her capture is lower than the chance of you never wanting to touch a fox tail again."
A barrage of precise, logical analysis poured over Lin Xiyue like a bucket of cold water, instantly deflating her.
"I... I was just daydreaming..."
"Keep such daydreams to yourself from now on," Su Wan said mercilessly, pulling Lin Xiyue behind her and positioning herself to physically shield her from any potential furry creatures.
"These kinds of thoughts will drag down the team's overall IQ, making us look utterly unprofessional."
Lin Qingyue watched the exchange with amusement.
Oho, Su Wan isn't just jealous—she's already in full "henpecked wife" mode!
Nice, nice, the vibes are definitely there.
Once we leave the Dungeon, should I remind Xiyue to propose to the Su Family?
-
Having obtained critical intelligence from the Beastman Camp, the four didn't linger.
They bypassed the bustling camp, following an inconspicuous trail that marked their official entry into the Silent Forest.
One step inside.
Behind them, the clamor of voices and the aroma of roasted meat vanished as if severed by an invisible wall, plunging the world into sudden silence.
Towering ancient trees blotted out the sky, their massive trunks fracturing the sunlight into shattered patches that dappled the thick layer of decaying leaves on the forest floor.
The air carried a faintly fishy sweetness, a blend of damp earth and rotting vegetation that seeped into their nostrils.
Around them, the only sounds were the soft tread of their feet and their suppressed breaths.
"Everyone, stay vigilant," Lin Qingyue murmured, her voice barely audible. "Xia Lian, watch our surroundings."
"Understood," Xia Lian replied with a slight nod. Gripping her shortbow tightly, her entire aura sharpened, like a cat stalking through the forest.
Her footsteps were feather-light as her gaze darted across every shadow that might conceal danger.
Lin Xiyue raised the Immovable Mountain and walked at the head of the group, her expression focused.
Su Wan guarded their flank, ice-blue Magic Power flickering at her fingertips.
They followed a narrow path, almost completely swallowed by vegetation, deeper into the forest.
As they ventured further, the trees grew taller and older. Some of the massive trunks were covered in patches of moss and fungi that emitted a faint, ethereal glow, adding an otherworldly aura to the dimly lit forest.
"It's... so quiet here," Lin Xiyue murmured involuntarily.
"Silence is what makes it dangerous," Su Wan replied. "It means we've entered the territory of some powerful creature—one so formidable that even ordinary Magic Beasts dare not approach."
Lin Qingyue remained silent.
She could sense a dense, almost tangible life energy flowing through the air—pure, ancient, and strikingly similar to the aura of Silvermoon City.
This energy felt deeply comforting. Her Adeptus Breathing Method began to circulate unconsciously, greedily absorbing the vital essence.
At the same time, she clearly sensed countless hidden gazes converging on them from all directions.
These gazes carried no murderous intent, but were filled with scrutiny and vigilance, clinging to them like shadows.
It seems we've been discovered.
Lin Qingyue realized inwardly, yet she maintained her composure and continued leading the group forward.
After another ten minutes of walking, the path ahead was completely blocked by a fallen giant tree.
As Lin Xiyue moved to smash through it with her shield, Lin Qingyue raised a hand to stop her.
"Wait."
Before the words had fully left her lips, a figure materialized on the trunk of the massive tree, as if seeping from the shadows.
It was an Elf, clad in green leather armor and carrying a longbow on her back.
She had long, silver hair, pointed and slender ears, and a strikingly beautiful face, but the wariness in her eyes gave her beauty a predatory edge.
"Halt, humans," the Elf's voice was cold and aloof, carrying an innate sense of detachment.
"This is not a place for you. Leave immediately."
Lin Xiyue and Xia Lian's hearts clenched with alarm.
Are these the Elves of the Silent Forest? Their demeanor is completely different from the Royal City Elves we encountered in the last Dungeon!
Su Wan's Magic Power had already begun to surge within her.
Only Lin Qingyue remained as calm as ever.
She stepped forward, tilted her head to gaze at the Elven Ranger perched on the tree trunk, and spoke in a level tone:
"We mean no harm. We simply have urgent matters requiring an audience with your Garrison Commander, Lady Iris."
"Lady Iris's schedule is fully booked. She does not receive outsiders," the Elven Ranger replied, his gaze growing colder and radiating impatience. "Leave now, or I will consider you intruders."
Lin Qingyue smiled faintly.
Without replying, she lightly touched her earlobe and removed the earring.
The Moonlight's Embrace, woven from Moonlight Vine, suddenly radiated a soft, luminous aura in the dim forest.
A pure, sacred lunar aura silently washed through the air.
On the tree trunk, the Elven Ranger's sharp gaze froze instantly.
His icy face twitched, revealing intense shock and confusion.
"This... this is... the Moonlight's Embrace?!"
Her voice cracked, shattering its original icy composure.
"The Queen's sacred relic... how did a human come to possess it?!"
Without the Queen's blessing, this Sacred Relic was merely a lifeless object.
The Elven Ranger's question struck at the heart of the matter: What right does a human have to earn the Queen's favor?!
Her figure blurred as she gracefully leaped down from the towering tree trunk, landing silently before Lin Qingyue.
The longbow in her hand lowered toward the ground, signaling a temporary truce, but her voice now carried an undercurrent of suppressed caution.
"Human, since you possess this item, I can vouch for you."
This sudden shift left the three behind Lin Qingyue completely stunned.
Just moments ago, they had faced a deadly threat—"One more step and I'll shoot you dead!"—yet the mere sight of this earring had melted the Ranger's hostility into such mildness?
The equipment given by the Elf Queen from the previous Dungeon—do the Elves in this Dungeon recognize it too?
Could these two Dungeons share a common origin?
Lin Qingyue gazed at the Elven Ranger, whose expression was a mix of vigilance and confusion, and inwardly rejoiced.
Tsk tsk, Ilanier's "VIP Pass" is truly effective—though the security check is a bit strict. But I like it; it makes things feel professional.
Yet she suppressed her smile, neither retracting the earring nor withdrawing her other hand.
Resting gently in her palm lay a laurel leaf, its faint, moonlit fragrance drifting through the air.
"I am entrusted by Queen Ilanier to visit Lady Iris and personally deliver this to her."
The Elven Ranger's pupils constricted again when Lin Qingyue casually mentioned the Queen's name, speaking of her with the familiarity of an old friend.
But when she saw the Laurel Token—a symbol of the Queen's decree, crafted only by the Queen herself—the last shred of doubt in her mind vanished like smoke.
Combined with the gentle aura radiating from Moonlight's Embrace, perfectly harmonizing with its wielder without any hint of rejection...
She understood.
This was no mere holder.
This was a cherished friend, fully acknowledged by Her Majesty the Queen, and permitted to address her by name.
She scrutinized the pink-haired human woman before her with renewed thoroughness, finally lowering her bow and taking a step back.
Under the astonished gazes of Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian, she knelt on one knee before Lin Qingyue, right hand pressed to her chest, executing a flawless Elven ceremonial bow.
"Ranger Sular apologizes for her earlier rudeness!"
"Greetings, messenger of Her Majesty the Queen!"