Light and shadow tore apart, stretching out, then collapsed into a single point in an instant.
Her vision shifted from absolute darkness to clarity.
Beneath her feet lay smooth stone slabs, cool and damp with the night dew.
The breath of Moonlight Orchids and the Ancient Tree of Life intertwined, their crisp fragrance instantly permeating her lungs and completely cleansing the last lingering dizziness from the spatial teleportation.
This was the Elven Royal Palace.
The air was filled with a scent unique to Ilanier.
Lin Qingyue opened her eyes.
The garden under the moonlight was as serene as an oil painting, every leaf's veins clearly outlined by the silvery glow.
In a nearby pavilion, the soft light of a magic lamp cast a warm halo.
The scene there instantly melted Lin Qingyue's defenses.
The tall and elegant Elf Queen Ilanier sat sideways, her wine-red hair cascading down her shoulder.
Cradled in her arms was a small, exquisitely carved figure.
Cyrene.
Ilanier was softly recounting a tale of stars and ancient dragons, her voice carrying a soothing power that replaced the Queen's majesty with pure maternal radiance.
The faint ripple of the spatial teleportation did not escape her senses.
Ilanier continued her story without pause, but her wine-red eyes, flowing with starlight, had already pierced through the night and fallen precisely upon Lin Qingyue.
Almost at the same time, the little one in her arms also sensed something and abruptly turned her small head.
Seeing the figure standing by the flowerbed, Cyrene's jewel-like large eyes instantly lit up.
"Big Sister!"
A crisp and soft call, brimming with pleasant surprise, broke the silence of the garden.
Cyrene scrambled to free herself from Ilanier's arms, her small figure turning into a pink streak of light as she ran forward on her short legs, stumbling and tripping.
Lin Qingyue couldn't help but smile. She crouched down and opened her arms.
However, the expected light hug did not come.
Instead, her arms suddenly grew heavy as a soft, milky-scented weight crashed into her.
"Oof!"
The impact was solid, making Lin Qingyue grunt softly and fall backward onto the grass.
Yet she didn't mind at all, wrapping her arms tighter around the little one who had thrown herself into her embrace.
Something was wrong.
This weight... was more than just a little heavier than a few days ago!
She looked down. Little Cyrene was rubbing her soft little cheek vigorously against her neck, pouring out her deep longing.
Her height had indeed grown a bit.
She had been a tender little ball who looked four or five years old, but now she had the frame of a six or seven year old girl.
Her limbs had stretched out, no longer just pure baby fat.
It had only been a few days!
What kind of special Elven Royalty supplements had she been eating?
"Welcome back, my little pink fairy."
A languid voice, laced with amusement, sounded from above.
Ilanier had appeared before her unnoticed, bending over to open her arms and pull Lin Qingyue and the clinging Cyrene into a warm, spacious embrace.
The Queen's unique, delicate fragrance was a rich scent mellowed by time, almost intoxicating.
Drawn in by this aura, Lin Qingyue sensed it keenly: Ilanier had changed.
The power within her was no longer a rushing, torrential river as it had been before.
Now, she was a deep ocean.
Her surface was calm and serene, yet beneath it lay a vast, all-consuming, and harmonious strength.
As she was now, she could probably twist off the Goblin King's head with one hand.
The merging of the World Fragments had granted this Queen, who already stood at the pinnacle of the world, an unimaginable gift.
"You caused quite a commotion this time."
Ilanier released them, lazily tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, her gaze sweeping over Lin Qingyue with an all-seeing smile.
Lin Qingyue stood up while still holding Cyrene, brushed off the grass clippings, and replied with a smile, "The feeling is mutual, Your Majesty. You seem to be in a good mood."
The three returned to the pavilion, where the stone table was soon covered with the Elven Race's signature exquisite pastries and fruit nectars that emitted a strange, sweet fragrance.
Cyrene had completely turned into a little accessory, clinging to Lin Qingyue and refusing to let go, her little hand clutching a piece of flower nectar cake as she ate until her cheeks were stuffed.
"I haven't seen you for a few days, and it feels like you've grown a lot."
Lin Qingyue pinched Cyrene's chubby little face.
"Mm!" Cyrene nodded vigorously, saying unclearly, "Sister Ilanier tells me stories every day!"
"After listening to the stories, I feel... hungry, and then I eat!"
Ilanier lifted a cup of fruit nectar, took a sip, her eyes full of amusement: "This child, her appetite these past few days has almost caught up to an adult elf. She has to hear several stories every day before she can fall asleep."
Lin Qingyue understood.
Cyrene's essence was a Memosprite, so her growth could not be measured by common standards.
Stories from various worlds were perhaps the most unique "nutrients" for her.
It seemed that before long, this little one would be able to restore her lively and agile elf appearance from the game's plot.
Lin Qingyue's heart softened, and she told Cyrene a few more stories about "Havoc in Heaven" and "The Calabash Brothers."
The novel setting was so new and strange that the little one's brain clearly crashed, leaving her stunned.
After a while, her eyelids began to fight each other, and she let out a little yawn, taking the initiative to transform into a stream of light and return to sleep within As I've Written.
After seeing the clingy little one off, only the two of them remained sitting side by side in the Palace Garden.
The atmosphere also became subtly strange as a result.
Lin Qingyue took a silver emblem carved with a laurel leaf pattern from her Storage Space and handed it to Ilanier.
"This was given to me by Iris to pass on to you."
Ilanier accepted the emblem, her fingertips gently stroking the complex lines on the leaf, a look of nostalgia surfacing in her eyes.
"The Laurel Leaf Emblem... Finally seeing it again."
She sighed softly, then looked up at Lin Qingyue, a mischievous smile appearing in her wine-red eyes.
"The merging of the World Fragments is finally complete, and the world rules are tending toward wholeness. We have also re-established a stable connection with Iris's side. Thanks to you, our strength has all experienced an essential leap forward."
"Don't pop the champagne just yet, Your Majesty," Lin Qingyue waved her hand, smiling mysteriously. "We've barely scratched the surface. We're still far from the grand finale."
"Oh?"
Ilanier elegantly raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by her words.
"Let me put it this way," Lin Qingyue dipped her finger in the fruit wine, drew a large circle on the stone table, and then casually divided it into five pieces.
"This world used to be a complete, limited-edition figure. Later, it was shattered into five pieces."
She tapped two of the adjacent sectors.
"Now, we've just glued these two pieces back together."
Then, her finger traced over the remaining three sectors.
"See, there are still three pieces floating out there, waiting for me to 'purify' and collect."
"So, the idea of the 'world being complete' is currently still in the trailer stage."
Ilanier looked at the crude yet vivid "world map" on the table, the smile in her eyes gradually fading.
In its place, a more intense interest and deep contemplation took hold.
"So that's how it is... Perhaps there are other forgotten kin..."
She murmured softly to herself, then chuckled faintly and put the Emblem away.
She leaned in closer, her warm breath brushing against Lin Qingyue's ear, sending a shiver down her spine.
"But that doesn't matter."
The Queen's voice was lowered to a seductive, magnetic whisper.
"At the very least, the Elders and Ministers who once complained about my choice of an otherworldly human as a partner have all shut their mouths now."
"They all know now... that it was you..."
The Queen's breath almost touched her earlobe, each word like a feather lightly scratching the core of her heart.
"My omnipotent and extraordinary 'Beloved Consort', who reminded them of our kin in the Silent Forest and single-handedly accomplished the monumental feat of restoring the world."