Chapter 614: Punishment
Although the Queldana Family was the mightiest family in the Elven Kingdom, the loss of ambition would cause them to move dangerously close to decline. The recovery of their sacred weapon would no doubt bolster the position of the Queldana Family in the kingdom.
The Dark Blade could only venture further with the help of the Queldana Family. At the same time, the Queldana Family would require timely information from the Dark Blade as they searched for their lost relic. Since the goals of both parties were not clashing, they knew that they had to rely on each other. Therefore, a secret pact was signed between the two.
Borg’s gaze landed on Cheyenne, who was standing a distance away. He smiled when he caught the deep frown on the forehead of his foe. Although it was not the time to take action against Cheyenne, Borg was ready to bring him down after they get hold of the treasures.
Lin Li could sense the presence of many powerhouses in the vicinity. He knew that the elder and his right-hand men from the Queldana Family were armed with Legendary-level power. Yet, this knowledge did not convince Lin Li to restrain himself. He proceeded to tighten the Hand of Nihility.
Just when the onlookers were guessing how the elves would be settling the matter, they were shocked that the high-level elves did not stop Lin Li when they arrived. They paid full attention to the other elves who were injured and asked them about the situation patiently.
The gaze of the elder swept past the elves. His calm and gentle disposition was like the water of life that helped them forget their injuries. Their negative feelings such as anger, anxiety, and fear subsided immediately. All of them were united by the same thought: everything will be fine if our elder is here!
“You have to be the elves on patrol duty. Can anyone let me know what had happened?” That was one of the higher-ups standing beside the elder. He was composed, and his tone was unrushed.
The elves stopped feeling anxious. Although Jacques was still under Lin Li’s control, the presence of the elder and the higher-ups convinced them that the human mage would not have the guts to kill their friend.
They gave the older elves a respectful bow before fixing their glares on Lin Li. “It’s like this. We are in charge of tonight’s security duty. When we were patrolling the grounds earlier on, we noticed a Vampire who tried to trespass our campsite. As our best archer, Jacques intervened immediately. He injured the Vampire with his Seven Star Archery Skill,” an elf whose name was Troy said. He was donned in a leather armor.
The higher-ups nodded, gesturing for the elves to continue with the explanation.
“Of course, we did not kill that Vampire immediately. That’s because we suddenly remembered that one of our human guests had a Vampire buddy. In order not to create any misunderstandings, we were trying to get this Vampire to tell us his origins,” Troy said plainly. He did not even blink upon mentioning the words “kill” and “injured”. It was as though that was not a bloody conflict, but a drizzling rain in the campsite.
Furthermore, Troy appeared to be equipped with the art of eloquence… or the skill to deny responsibility. His words transformed the bloody conflict into a rationalized act of self-defense.
The most important thing was his repetition of the word ‘Vampire’…
“Vampire?” As expected, the word put a frown on one of the higher-ups. A glint of disdain flashed across his face. “Who brought the Vampire into our campsite?”
“It is that mister mage over there.” Troy pointed to the silent Lin Li. “This is actually a misunderstanding. We did not know that the Vampire we had injured was the buddy of this mister mage. But, the mage did not give us any opportunity to explain ourselves when he arrived. He targeted Jacques immediately and wanted to kill him…”
“Is that so, Mage Felic?” the high-level elf inquired with furrowed brows. It was a fact that they were in the Haiga Mountain Range, a holy place the Goddess Monferra endowed to the elves. It was blasphemy for the human mage to bring a Vampire here. Moreover, he nearly killed Jacques!
If not for their partnership, and the good relationship the elves had with the Dark Blade, the human mage would have become the enemy of all the elves.
“Human, if you do not stop now, you are really going to commit an irreversible mistake.”
Lin Li did not respond to the senior elf. It was as though nothing had been said. Lin Li proceeded to increase his magical force when he discovered that Jacques had become weaker. Jacques, who had begun to lose his consciousness, could only continue to vomit more blood.
This scene carved a deeper frown on that senior’s forehead. He realized Lin Li’s determination to kill Jacques. He really could not understand the thoughts of that human mage. How much did that dirty Undead creature mean to him? What made him act upon such irrationality?
The high-level elves could sense the rapid decrease in Jacques’ life force. They knew that the most important thing they had to do was to get Jacques down. If not, they were really going to lose him. It would be too late to save Jacques even if they were to punish that human mage then.
“Mage Felic, if you do not agree with what they were talking about, you can let us know about your point of view. We will certainly make a fair judgment of the situation. Before that, can you let Jacques down? Even if that Vampire is your partner, this is after all a sacred mountain range that belongs to the elves. Hence, I’m sure you can understand Jacques’ actions,” the higher-up said gently as he tried to persuade Lin Li to let Jacques down.
At last, Lin Li shifted his gaze onto that elven leader. “I only know that anyone who dares to harm my teammates will have to pay for it. It does not matter who he is. I don’t believe in the sacred mountain range. If it really is a sacred place, the elves would not have to seek refuge in the Emerald Forest,” replied Lin Li plainly.
Lin Li’s words stabbed the elves’ old scars. Not only did the higher-ups have a change in expression, the elder who had been looking composed also started to frown.
The elves had been announcing that the Haiga Mountain Range was a sacred mountain range bestowed to them by the Goddess of Forest. What was eerie, however, was that Nature Magic failed to work in the Haiga Mountain Range. The elves could only guard the Emerald Forest at the Haiga Mountain Range, and not take over the entire sacred mountain range.
Everyone in Anril knew about this awkward situation. This became an embarrassment for the elven race. Yet, there were no one person or force that dared to speak of it.
Lin Li’s words angered all the elves on the scene. However, the senior elf knew that the priority was to save Jacques from Lin Li. Hence, he suppressed all his anger as he prepared to persuade Lin Li further.
However, before that senior managed to speak another word, the elder who had been standing in the center spoke. “Human mage, Jacques is indeed wrong as he has injured your friend with his arrows. Yet, as your friend is still alive, it will be too overboard if you are to kill Jacques. Since you want an answer to this issue, I will give you a satisfying answer.”
Lin Li diverted his gaze onto the elder. Instead of putting Jacques down immediately, he waited silently for the elder to continue with his conditions.
“Your act of targeting Mage Felic’s friend presumptuously has damaged the friendship between the Tower of Dusk and the elves tremendously. You have created a misunderstanding due to your recklessness. It seems that you are not suitable to undertake the heavy responsibilities of a guard for the campsite. As the eighth elder of the elves, I order you to give up 10 years of your Heart of Nature.” The words of the elders stunned everybody, including the higher-ups, yet no one dared to defy him.
The elves who were punished turned pallid. They did not dare to show any signs of weakness in front of the elder, though. Otherwise, their legs would have given way and brought them to the ground. None of them dared to talk back as they knew it would not bring them anything but further embarrassment.
The loss of the Heart of Nature was a very grave punishment for the elves. It only started appearing after the elves migrated to the Emerald Forest. The Heart of Nature was akin to the magical crystals of magical beasts. It was a seed of the Trees of War that was integrated into each elf from their birth. Although the seed would not grow stems and leaves like an actual plant, it would grow alongside the elves. To the elves, the Heart of Nature was like their second source of energy.
The elves constantly nurtured their seeds with their energy as they grew older. The seeds not only accumulated the energy passively, but also helped to give the elves a stronger set of powers. They could allow the elves to master the special Nature Magic and allow their lean bodies to possess their magnificent powers. The power generated by the seeds played a critical role in helping the elven race settle down in the Emerald Forest as a formidable force.
The elves passing away would make the seed within them transform into pure energy that’d return to the Trees of War. It would not only help to sustain the life of the Trees of War, but also allow them to grow more seeds. This helped to establish a mutually beneficial relationship between the elves and the Trees of War.
However, if the elves had to surrender their Heart of Nature before their death, the most obvious impact would be a drastic decrease in ability that would take away most of their powers. Hence, the punishment to take their Heart of Nature—even for just 10 years—would be one of the harsher punishment the elves faced.
The elder recited a short spell as he reached his wrinkled arm out toward the elves. Instantly, glowing milky seeds flew out of each of the elves’ bodies. The sudden loss in energy brought all of them to the ground. Each of them gazed with soulless eyes at their seeds as they drifted further and further.
Only then did Lin Li loosen his grasp on Jacques and place the out-of-shape Jacques down. Lin Li was aware of the severity of the punishment to the elves. It was akin to taking away the Warriors’ combat energy and the mages’ ability to use magic.
While Lin Li was satisfied with this punishment, all the other onlookers had very complicated expressions. No one had expected such a conclusion to the commotion.
The other elves naturally felt indignant for their peers. None of them could understand how injuring a disgusting Undead creature would lead to their elder taking away their Heart of Nature. Furthermore, other than Jacques’ high status in the family, they knew that Jacques’ outstanding talent portrayed his tremendous potential to excel in the future. What would be of him after his Heart of Nature was taken away?
Yet, no one dared to question the decision of the elder. Since the punishment had already been decided, there would be no way to reverse it. The elves could only help each other up and leave the scene quietly with the elder and the higher-ups.
Is that all? Cheyenne smiled bitterly. Although the present situation made the Malfa Family in need of an ally like the Tower of Dusk, the closure of this conflict was not what he wished to see. To him, the best way to end it was not to make it too much of a great deal. If the arrival of the elder had managed to convince Lin Li to let Jacques down immediately, no one would’ve felt embarrassed, and everyone could’ve treated the matter as though it had never happened.