Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Demon King? Elf King!
In contrast, the elf princess Vielsia, who should have received a "welcome home" or "long time no see", was now left out in the cold, appearing a bit superfluous.
This was certainly due to the fact that Vielsia's appearance had changed a bit after becoming an apostle.
But at the root of it all, the elves' attention was too focused on Reji. There was no helping it. The Grand Elder had given them a do-or-die order: if they saw the Demon King, they had to detain him no matter what, even if they had to be thick-skinned about it.
Every elf remembered Nazha's teachings.
For the elves, this was indeed the worst of times, but also the best of times.
Reji: "..."
"Alright, alright, don't worry. We're just here to find Elder Nazha this time. By the way, this person beside me..."
Reji felt a bit awkward. First, he clarified his intentions to calm the elves down so they wouldn't be so excited.
Then, just as he was about to draw the elves' attention to Vielsia, the real protagonist of this visit beside him, Vielsia directly put on her hood, concealing her face.
She was already not very eye-catching beside the Demon King, and now that she had put her cloak back on, Vielsia's presence was even lower.
The two patrolling elves only glanced at Vielsia again, failing to recognize her. They simply assumed she was some kind of attendant or bodyguard beside the Demon King.
Oh well.
Seeing Vielsia like this, Reji didn't reveal her identity either.
Actually, putting himself in Vielsia's shoes, Reji could understand her action.
As the elf princess, she had been fighting desperately outside, struggling with inner pain and getting involved in all sorts of time vortexes. Now, she had finally returned, only to find her tribesmen living in peace and tranquility here, even getting along well with the demon race ahead of her.
Vielsia did have some pent-up emotions in her heart.
Although she had overcome the will of the Wicked Demon, it still had some influence on her to a greater or lesser extent. Her personality was no longer as infinitely "tolerant" and "understanding" of others as before.
But very soon...
As they truly entered the fourth floor of the Demon Tower, as the full view of the "Emerald Forest" gradually unfolded before Vielsia's eyes with their entry, she suddenly began to understand why her tribesmen had become like this.
The first thing that greatly surprised Vielsia was that after just a few steps, she saw another group of patrolling guards in the forest.
But these were not elves.
They were a bunch of...
Treants.
Summoning treants was a third-tier nature magic spell. With her previous abilities, she could also do it. If she exerted all her strength, she could probably summon six or seven of them and maintain them for about half an hour.
But the treants before her eyes were not only taller and more robust in stature, but also had a high degree of intelligence. Upon seeing them, they actually took the initiative to approach. Following that, through the conversation between the two tribesmen and Reji, Vielsia learned...
"Demon King, these are Kaisa's treants! Kaisa just learned how to make them from the Wisdom Ancient Tree yesterday!"
One of the elf forest patrollers introduced to Reji proudly, like a student handing in homework, eyes filled with a certain expectation for Reji.
Reji naturally wouldn't disappoint. He reached out and patted the head of this young elf lady, smiling, "Mm, Kaisa, well done. With you guarding the fourth floor of the Demon Tower, I feel very reassured."
Having received the Demon King's praise as hoped, and even an extra reward of having her head patted by Reji, the elf girl named "Kaisa" was as if she had eaten from a honey pot, her face instantly flushed red with excitement.
At this moment, the other elf forest patroller, a young boy, seemed a bit jealous. He immediately said to Reji, "Demon King, Jeremy has also learned a new ability [Activate] from the Wisdom Ancient Tree! Now Jeremy can cast fourth-tier spells!"
[Activate] could grant elves additional mana values and spell insights, allowing them to temporarily "cross tiers" and cast higher-level spells.
Seeing that this young elf boy was about to demonstrate his [Activate] ability on the spot and cast a fourth-tier spell, Reji stopped him and gave appropriate praise, "You're also very impressive, Jeremy. I believe that with your efforts, the future of the fourth floor of the Demon Tower will have infinite possibilities and boundless prospects."
After praising Jeremy, Reji treated them equally and also patted the young boy's head. With this, the two elf forest patrollers were both satisfied, determined to become the pillars of the fourth floor for the elves, the demon race, and especially for Reji.
At this scene, Vielsia's inner emotions were indescribable.
The fact that her tribesmen were so close to Reji was secondary.
I... I didn't hear them wrong... right!?
The treants were actually summoned by Kaisa!?
The elf tribe was small to begin with, so Vielsia recognized these two completely. She knew very well that Kaisa was previously an apprentice mage, an apprentice.
But now, in the blink of an eye, she had summoned treants comparable to Vielsia's previous ones as a princess!?
And Jeremy, an elf whom Vielsia remembered to have only second-tier strength, could now even cast fourth-tier spells!?
He even learned [Activate]!?
Ancient, powerful natural spells like [Activate], [Wild Growth], and [Nourish] that allowed for "cross-tier power-ups" had all been lost, even she as the princess didn't know them. Where... where did they learn them from?
I had only been away from the tribe for less than a month, Not a year, not ten years, let alone a hundred years.
Wait.
Didn't they mention a term in their previous conversation?
Wisdom Ancient Tree!?
This was a very classic inheritance building of the elf tribe, but the problem was, without the World Tree and the "little elves", where did they get the ability to build a Wisdom Ancient Tree?
Vielsia's chaotic mind wasn't done yet. As they left the outskirts of the Emerald Forest and officially entered the elven camp area, this former elf princess beside Reji now widened her eyes, her rosy little mouth forming an O shape.
First were the Moon Wells.
Rows and rows of Moon Wells.
Moon Wells were an important basic structure within the elf tribe. Every evening, they could absorb the surrounding mana and condense it into spring water rich in natural magic. This spring water was of great benefit to the elves, an indispensable daily resource for them to practice spells and improve their strength.
Vielsia remembered clearly that in the past, their entire tribe had only a measly three Moon Wells. Each distribution had to be meticulously calculated, with each tribesman only getting a small mouthful of well water to train with.
Even as the princess, her weekly share of "Moon Well" spring water was no more than a bowl. Many times, she felt very guilty, thinking she had let her people down by occupying so much spring water alone.
But...
But now...
Vielsia rubbed her eyes.
Vielsia watched in disbelief as her tribesmen in the current camp took baskets woven from fresh flowers and green vines and began to draw water from the wells, basket after basket. Yes, they were not scooping carefully, but drawing water.
Moreover, after the tribesmen drew the spring water from the Moon Wells, it was not for cultivation or training, not for drinking, but actually for washing, for cleansing!....
Vielsia watched with her own eyes as a tribesman washed his face with the Moon Well spring water, which she considered precious in every drop, letting the used water fall to the ground and seep into the earth.
This was just the beginning. Vielsia turned her head to look in another direction.
There, dozens of elves were all sitting cross-legged under an ancient tree. The entire tree was an orange-red color like autumn maple leaves, like a learned and knowledgeable old man in late autumn.
The elves under the tree all had their eyes closed, emanating fluctuations of spellcraft, as if their minds were immersed in the world of this ancient tree, rapidly absorbing the various knowledge conveyed by it.
There was no mistake.
This was the Wisdom Ancient Tree!
And it was even the highest-grade Wisdom Ancient Tree!?
Vielsia remembered that throughout the entire history of the elf tribe, yes, including before they were destroyed by the demon race, there had never been more than ten Wisdom Ancient Trees with the color of "maple leaves".
Ordinary Wisdom Ancient Trees should have been emerald green. Only after a long accumulation and precipitation, and through the careful cultivation of their elf tribe, could they mature and become the current autumn harvest-like maple leaf color.
This wasn't over yet. It seemed that Reji and Vielsia, these two unfamiliar visitors, had been sensed.
Suddenly, there was movement from the small hills on both sides of the forest. When Vielsia looked over, she saw that the "hill" actually uprooted itself and stood up like a "person".
Sentinel Trees.
Although called trees, this was a habitual term. In fact, they were composed of sand, boulders, and wood. These few giant guardians emanated a powerful seventh-tier fluctuation. In the history of the elf race, they were all revered as "Door Lords", defensive structures that only the royal areas of high elves were entitled to have one or two of.
And it was these door lords that now, facing Reji's position, slowly bowed with their huge bodies before moving again, returning to their previous positions and sitting down again with a "rumble", once more becoming the shape of those "hills".
Vielsia: "..."
She now fully understood why her tribesmen were so close to her Demon King Teacher.
Rather...
The commotion caused by the Sentinel Trees naturally attracted the attention of nearby elves. More and more elves discovered Reji and began to swarm over quickly like sparrows, each chirping and clamoring to talk to him.
Looking at that stance, it was as if her teacher wasn't a Demon King at all.
More like another term.
Elf King.