A wave of inexplicable emotion washed over him. Lin Yu stepped forward and hugged the girl tightly. This time, he didn't blush.
"My Lord!"
"This is so nice!"
The girl's soft murmur reached Lin Yu's ears.
After a long moment, Lin Yu let go of the girl. "See? You can rest assured now. I don't hate you!"
"Mhm!" The girl nodded gently. A breeze swept by, making her beautiful hair flutter. She seemed to love the wind, spreading her arms to welcome it and revealing her graceful figure in its entirety.
Lin Yu's eyes widened, and he froze on the spot, completely dumbfounded.
"My Lord, what are you looking at?"
Her ethereal voice snapped Lin Yu back to reality. The breeze had passed, and the girl had turned to look at him again.
"Oh, uh. Sorry, I zoned out for a second."
"Right, what's your name?"
Lin Yu quickly turned his head away, his face bright red as he gazed into the distance.
"A name? What's that?"
"It's what people call you. If you don't have a name, how should I address you?"
"We little elves don't use names. Everyone just naturally knows who I am!"
"But you're not a little elf anymore!"
"Oh? That's right!"
Only then did it dawn on the girl that she was no longer a little elf.
"My Lord, what am I now?"
"You're a person now, like me. You're an... elf," Lin Yu hesitated.
"Are you an elf, My Lord?"
"No, I'm human. But they're more or less the same."
"Oh, okay. So I'm an Elf-man?"
"That's right, an Elf-man."
"So, I have to have a name, and I have to wear clothes?"
"Yes, you need a name. As for clothes, you have to wear them when you're outside. You don't have to wear them at home, like when you're bathing," Lin Yu explained patiently.
The girl looked down in thought, then gave a slight wave of her hand. A breeze carried tender leaves to swirl around her body.
"Hee hee, I've got it! I can make my own clothes."
In an instant, the tender leaves transformed into a long, green dress that covered the girl's entire body. Lin Yu finally let out a sigh of relief. 'Having a beautiful girl standing beside him completely naked was way too much pressure.'
"But, My Lord, how do you choose a name?"
"Take me, for example. My name is Lin Yu."
"Aren't you called My Lord?" the girl asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Lord is my position, my status. Within the territory, you can call me My Lord, or Lin Yu, or Lord Lin Yu. Shadow calls me Master."
Lin Yu continued to explain patiently.
"It's so complicated, so difficult!" the girl muttered with a frown, looking utterly pitiable.
Lin Yu couldn't bear to see her looking like that, so he offered, "How about I choose a name for you?"
"Yes, please!"
"You're the first elf in the territory to evolve from a little elf. You represent the hope of the little elves and the rebirth of your kind. So, I'll call you Chenxi."
"Wonderful! I have a name! I'm Chen... xi!"
"Hee hee... Lin... Chenxi!"
Watching the girl—no, Chenxi—sound out her new name syllable by syllable, Lin Yu smiled happily as well.
After a while, Chenxi finally quieted down.
"Chenxi! Come here, let me see your stats."
Hearing Lin Yu's call, Chenxi cheerfully ran to his side.
[Name]: Chenxi (Hero)
[Race]: Primordial Elf
[Grade]: Legendary (Gold)
[Level]: 1
[Attack]: 2080
[Speed]: 5200
[Defense]: 2600
[Health]: 6240
[Skill]: Natural Energy Control
[Talent]: Child of Nature
[Natural Energy Control]: Control the natural energy within one's body and in the natural world. Natural energy will change in accordance with the user's imagination.
[Child of Nature]: When wielding the power of nature, energy cost is reduced by 50% and power is increased by 100%.
While in a natural environment, natural energy recovery rate is increased by 100%.
Is under the protection of nature.
*Hiss...*
Chenxi's stats were terrifying, and she was only level one. It was no exaggeration to say that if she'd used even a little bit of strength when she hugged him earlier, it would have been game over for Lin Yu.
Her only skill, "Natural Energy Control," was also incredibly powerful. One could say it had no limits, its only ceiling being the user's own imagination.
This was also how Chenxi had been able to conjure a dress for herself. As long as she could imagine it, natural energy could make it happen.
"Master, who is she? Where did the fruit go?"
A voice suddenly sounded from behind Lin Yu.
"Shadow?" Lin Yu jumped.
"Shadow, don't sneak up behind me and talk like that. It's really startling."
"Yes, Master!"
Shadow lowered his head, acknowledging his mistake.
"She's your wife's friend. Don't you recognize her? Since she's come out, the fruit is gone, obviously!"
Shadow's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Isn't she supposed to be one of those round, green little elves? How did she end up looking so much like you, Master?"
"Weren't you the one who said she was researching how to become a hero and ended up turning herself into that fruit?"
"Well, she succeeded, so naturally she's changed."
Lin Yu found this odd. 'Shadow was the one who brought me here, so how could he not recognize Chenxi now that she's emerged?'
"Wait, Master. Are you saying she's my wife's best friend, that she became a hero and turned into... this?"
"Of course!"
*Hiss...* "Little elves sure are strange. I didn't change my appearance when I became a hero."
"Uh..." Lin Yu didn't know what to say. "Maybe it's a trait of the little elves? They're highly malleable?"
"That's it!" Shadow suddenly understood. "It's just like when the little elves were researching how to reproduce, and a whole bunch of them turned into Slimes. So now, to become a hero, they turn into... they turn into..."
"Elves,"
"They turn into elves!" Shadow finished, then looked at Chenxi, who had interjected. "Can you still produce natural energy?"
"Not anymore," Chenxi said, sounding crestfallen. "I'm not a little elf anymore."
"Hey, it's alright! Those Slimes are living pretty well now, aren't they? Don't be sad."
"I'm not sad. I became a hero, so I can do more to help my Lord. I was just thinking that since I'm not a little elf anymore, I can't attend the Little Elf Council and persuade the others to become heroes."
Chenxi quickly explained.
"Hold on, what are you two talking about? Slimes? The Little Elf Council?"
Lin Yu, who had been listening from the side in a complete fog, interrupted the conversation between the wolf and the elf.
'It feels like the territory changed a lot while I was away,' he thought. 'I'm feeling a little behind the times.'
"My Lord, I can tell you! I took part in the Slime experiments, too."
Chenxi pulled Lin Yu aside and began to tell him everything: the changes the little elves had gone through since he left, why they started researching reproduction, how the Little Elf Council was formed, and what happened after.
Lin Yu's eyes lit up as he listened, completely fascinated by the story.
"Chenxi, you're good friends with Shadow's wife, right? Why don't you go to his home and see her? I'm going to head back to the heart of the territory to check on its status—I still haven't looked at the information from the upgrade. Tomorrow... no, the day after tomorrow, I'll have you both over again!"
"Okay! See you the day after tomorrow, My Lord!"
"See you the day after tomorrow, Master!"
"See you the day after tomorrow!"