Chapter 159: The Elf's Surprise

Chapter 159: The Elf's Surprise



"Oh, and Ragle has already left Shangjin Town and returned to the Frostwind Tundra," Rain repeated.

The atmosphere at the dining table suddenly became tense, and Mother Emma said in a soft voice, "Rain, did you do something to upset her?"

Rain's heart skipped a beat at her words.

"Otherwise, why would she not even say goodbye to us? Usually, when Ragle sees me, she always smiles and greets me, calling me Aunt Emma."

Mother Emma thought for a moment and then looked at Rain suspiciously, adding, "It's strange that she didn't even say goodbye."

This left Rain at a loss for words, but he knew he couldn't possibly admit to it.

"Maybe Ragle didn't want the farewell to be too emotional," Rain said, but before he could finish, Anna looked at him with her bright, sparkling eyes.

Suddenly, Rain felt a strange sense of unease.

"Then why did Ragle only say goodbye to you? Wouldn't it be less emotional to say goodbye to you?" Anna said in a low voice.

Once again, the entire family's attention was focused on Rain.

For a moment, Rain felt like he had no way to defend himself.

After quickly finishing breakfast, Rain went upstairs to the second-floor storage room.

According to his previous agreement with Jenny, the Crowley family's carriage would arrive to pick him up later.

Before that, Rain wanted to test how many Will Runes he could visualize at once with his current mental attributes.

After the Night Song Forest battle, Rain had gained three points in mental attributes, bringing his total to 23 points. This was a significant improvement compared to his previous 20 points.

Rain clearly remembered that the last time he had just advanced to Beastmaster, reaching 20 points in mental attributes, he was able to visualize and complete sixteen Will Runes in one go, entering the common understanding of a 'Second-Level Wizard Apprentice'.

Therefore, Rain was also aware that even with 23 points in mental attributes, it was unlikely that he could directly visualize and complete all twenty-four Will Runes of the basic meditation technique, reaching the level of a 'Third-Level Wizard Apprentice'.

However, when one sees that the gap between themselves and their goal is gradually shrinking, or in other words, when they are getting closer to their goal, the motivation to strive becomes stronger!

A minute later, Rain opened his eyes with delight.

This time, he directly visualized and completed twenty Will Runes, getting closer and closer to his ultimate goal of twenty-four.

Don't forget that Rain currently still has three free attribute points.

However, after some thought, Rain decided not to allocate points to his mental attributes just yet.

After all, the 'Breaking Limit' ability, when used well in combat, could be as powerful as a killer move.

This was further proven in the battle against the Flesh Tree Spirit, so waiting until the next battle to add attribute points would be a better choice.

With that in mind, Rain decided to test the changes in the power of his witchcraft after the mental attribute boost.

Since he had burned a wooden table in the past, Rain had obtained a heat-resistant clay mold from the blacksmith shop a few days ago. The mold was dark gray and shaped like a large baking dish.

Rain placed a small piece of hardened refined gold fragment from last time into the clay mold and began to cast the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft.

As the deep chanting sound echoed, the hardened refined gold fragment in front of Rain's palm began to rapidly heat up, turning red and smoking after a few seconds.

With Rain's continuous guidance and mental power, the hardened refined gold fragment completely liquefied after about a minute. This sight brought a smile to Rain's face.

Previously, the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft, after about ten seconds of maintenance and guidance, could reach a maximum temperature of around 1400 to 1500 degrees.

Now, this maximum temperature had increased to around 2000 degrees.

The melting point of hardened refined gold was around 2000 degrees.

Rain remembered that the last time he had melted hardened refined gold in the blacksmith shop, he had to use the blacksmith forge in combination with the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft.

But now, the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft alone was sufficient.

The increase in witchcraft power was evident, rising with the growth of mental power. However, Rain also keenly noticed that the proportional increase in power was not linear with the growth of mental attributes.

In simple terms, at the beginning, assuming that for every point of growth in mental attributes, the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft's maximum temperature would increase by 100 degrees. But gradually, as mental attributes increased, the temperature growth of 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft decreased to 80 or even 70 degrees.

This trend of decreasing amplification was slow but present.

Rain frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and felt that this might be due to some reason related to the witchcraft model itself.

From this perspective, it meant that in the future, he would need to further select witchcraft suitable for his current strength level.

However, Rain soon touched his nose and laughed at himself.

Currently, he was a 'poor farmer' in terms of the number of witchcraft he possessed, so he had no right to be picky. Even though he had the highest affinity with the fire element, he only mastered two witchcraft spells.

One of them, the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft, was an entry-level contact-type witchcraft with many limitations in practical combat.

For example, in the battle against the Flesh Tree Spirit, he had relied on the 'Extreme Cold Wind' witchcraft scroll to find an opportunity to cast it.

Additionally, the 'Scorching Touch' witchcraft required continuous guidance and maintenance to maximize its damage.

In comparison, the 'High Temperature Field' witchcraft was much easier to cast and take effect.

Once successfully released, the 'High Temperature Field' witchcraft could generate a high-temperature field within a certain range around Rain for about a minute.

Just as Rain was about to test the power of the 'High Temperature Field' witchcraft, he heard the sound of a carriage approaching.

Rain looked out the window from the second-floor storage room and saw the Crowley family carriage, adorned with a rose-shaped kite shield emblem, slowly arriving at his doorstep.

After quickly gathering his belongings, Rain went downstairs.

As he reached the carriage, one of the maids quickly opened the carriage door, revealing Jenny and her close friend Agatha, both wearing woolen skirts and cloaks.

Upon first sight of Rain, the two noble ladies' eyes lit up with admiration.

"Sir Rain, you've become even more manly in just a few days!" Jenny praised him without hesitation.

"Thank you!" Rain's mood naturally improved upon hearing the young lady's compliment.

Manly?

Well, in Rain's opinion, this must be the result of his enhanced Mental Power, which had increased his charm.

"By the way, Sir Rain, this is my best friend, Agatha Wiggins. You remember her, right?" Jenny blinked and introduced them.

"Of course, the beautiful Miss Agatha Wiggins. It's nice to see you again!" Rain smiled and greeted her.

"Hello, Sir Rain," Agatha said, her freckled face slightly blushing as she performed a lady's curtsy.

Despite the freckles on her nose, Agatha's beauty was undeniable, and it even gave her a vibrant and youthful aura.

"Sir Rain, shall we depart now? My father isn't home today, so you can spend more time in our library," Agatha suggested.

"Okay, thank you, Miss Agatha." Although Rain felt that Agatha's words were a bit odd, as if they were a young couple sneaking around behind their parents' backs, he appreciated her good intentions.

Moreover, Rain was quite eager to see if he could find something valuable in the Wiggins family's library, so he didn't mind these minor details.

The three of them promptly boarded a carriage and headed towards the Wiggins family estate.

Once inside the carriage, Agatha removed her mink fur stole, revealing her fair shoulders. Her fully developed curves were both youthful and alluring.

"Sir Rain, Jenny has been talking about you a lot these past few days..."

"Agatha, don't say such things in front of Sir Rain."

Jenny's face turned red, and she immediately covered Agatha's lips.

Agatha quickly 'retaliated' by tickling Jenny's ribs, and soon, the two beauties were giggling and playfully tussling with each other.

Rain watched this scene with a gentle smile, shaking his head slightly without saying a word.

A few minutes ago, when Rain had gone downstairs, a squirrel had swiftly leaped from a tree branch and slipped through the half-open window into Rain's bedroom.

After searching for a while, the squirrel's large eyes expressed a very human-like look of confusion.

It hadn't found the Dark Mother Tree Seed it was seeking, and it hadn't even sensed its aura.

The squirrel, of course, was the transformed form of the Black-Haired Elf.

It wore a thoughtful expression, recalling its journey thus far, during which it had followed Rain from a distance.

The night before, it had checked on Rain every few minutes.

Therefore, it was certain that if the Dark Mother Tree Seed hadn't been hidden by the young knight, it must be carried by him!

Understanding this, the squirrel quickly decided to leave.

But the next moment, it froze. The bedroom door had quietly opened, and a human girl wearing a pale gray, layered corset was staring at it with wide eyes, curious about its presence.

Its gaze, however, was fixed on the wooden amulet hanging from the girl's chest—an amulet it knew all too well.

Anna had heard strange rustling noises coming from Rain's room, which piqued her curiosity, so she opened the door to investigate. To her surprise, she found a cute squirrel.

Seeing the squirrel rummaging through things, she assumed it was looking for food.

"What a cute little fellow. Are you hungry? There's not much to eat here, come to me." Anna crouched down and spoke softly, extending her arms as if to embrace the squirrel.

The squirrel paused, but then quickly turned and ran towards the open window, disappearing from Anna's sight.

This left Anna feeling a bit disappointed.

The squirrel had given her a sense of familiarity, but it had run away.

The Black-Haired Elf, still in squirrel form, was now leaping along the roadside trees, chasing after Rain's carriage.

The elf had originally planned to find the Dark Mother Tree Seed first and then search for the amulet, but she never expected the two items to be so close together.

Moreover, she sensed a special bloodline connection from the human girl.

In an instant, she understood some things.

However, the urgent task at hand was to catch up with the young knight named "Rain."

If he was carrying the seed, it was likely that he intended to sell it.

Once this matter was resolved, she would return immediately.

As the carriage left Shangjin Town and traveled along the suburban road, Rain's keen ears suddenly picked up the coachman's voice from outside the carriage, expressing surprise: "This weather is so strange. It was clearly a sunny day earlier, but now, after just a short while, fog has appeared."

The word 'fog' immediately caught Rain's attention, making him vigilant. Whether it was the dense fog that accompanied the Iron Lady Doll or Adams' 'Black Fog' spell, both were cause for concern.

Rain turned and looked out the carriage window.

Indeed, a thick fog seemed to be rising along the road, dense in some places and thinner in others.

The carriage soon entered a particularly dense patch of fog, and visibility dropped from tens of meters to just a few meters.

The coachman sighed, and the carriage slowed down.

But the next moment, Rain felt a sudden dizziness, like the sensation of being on a boat in rough seas. He felt his head spin for a second, and then everything around him went quiet.

The crisp voices of the two ladies, which had been audible a moment ago, were now strangely silent.

Rain was perplexed and immediately shifted his gaze from the window to inside the carriage. Instantly, his pupils constricted in shock!

To his astonishment, he found that he was now alone in the carriage, and Jenny and Agatha had disappeared without a trace.

This eerie scene caused Rain's hair to stand on end.

Despite his peak knight strength, for someone to kidnap the two ladies right under his nose required a level of skill that even a Grand Knight would struggle to achieve.

In that instant, Rain thought of Adams, the master of the black fog.

Clearly, only a wizard or someone from another mysterious profession could have accomplished this.

Rain reached behind him and gripped the hilt of his greatsword, on guard. He found it strange that his Level 3 'Danger Sense' had not warned him this time.

The Carriage Stop

Before long, Rain felt the carriage gradually come to a halt. Suddenly, a knock sounded on the carriage door.

"Knock, knock!"

Rain was startled and tightened his grip on his sword hilt.

The anticipated attack didn't occur, and instead, this 'enemy' politely knocked on the door.

Rain thought for a moment and opened the carriage door.

Standing a few meters away from the carriage was a tall and slender woman in a gray robe, her face partially hidden by a hood, revealing rare black hair.

The next moment, perhaps noticing Rain stepping out of the carriage, she removed her hood, revealing a beautiful female face.

Her pair of pointed ears, unique to female elves, instantly caught Rain's attention.

A black-haired elf? Rain's eyes widened in surprise, and his body froze for a brief moment.

The elf, with long lashes framing her expressive eyes, appraised Rain and said, "Young man, there's no need to worry about your two friends."

"We are currently in the Fog Dream, and they are in a deep sleep, with no danger."

"I'm here to ask you to hand over the Dark Mother Tree Seed. It's too dangerous for it to be in human hands."

"Of course, I'll offer you some compensation."

Rain was taken aback but quickly understood. "The Dark Mother Tree Seed? You mean that pale golden sapling?"

A flash of joy lit up in the black-haired elf's beautiful eyes, as if confirming, 'It's indeed with you.'

"Yes, that's it."

Rain was stumped.

He couldn't very well say that the system had absorbed the sapling and transformed it into an excellent effect, boosting all his attributes by one point.

"I did see the pale golden sapling, but it disappeared from my hands after a while!" Rain decided to tell the truth.

After all, it was the truth that the system had absorbed it, and it was also true that it had vanished from his hands.

The black-haired elf's thin eyebrows furrowed in displeasure. "How is that possible?"

"If you don't believe me, feel free to search me," Rain said, spreading his hands.

The black-haired elf gave Rain another appraising look. "Young man, I saw you release a spell scroll the other day, a smart move. Clearly, you're no stranger to wizardry."

"I have a Nature School Spell Scroll, 'Life Blossom,' which I'm willing to trade for the Dark Mother Tree Seed in your possession."

"I'd love to acquire your spell scroll, but the Dark Mother Tree Seed is truly not in my possession," Rain said earnestly, looking into the black-haired elf's eyes.

"Hmm?"

Perhaps it was Rain's sincere expression, or maybe the black-haired elf had some mystical means of detecting lies. She furrowed her delicate eyebrows in confusion, then slowly approached Rain. Circling him, she inhaled, taking in his scent.

The black-haired elf nodded, perplexed. "I can't sense the Dark Mother Tree Seed's energy. Could it have truly disappeared?"

"Perhaps it's not the former, but the latter," Rain suggested, inhaling the pleasant scent of grass and wood that seemed to emanate from the elf. "It's an unlikely explanation, but it seems the only reasonable one."

The black-haired elf paused, considering Rain's words. She eventually accepted his explanation.

"Young man, if the Dark Mother Tree Seed is destroyed, that's for the best. Here's the spell scroll I promised you, 'Life Blossom,' and thank you for your honesty."

She handed Rain a spell scroll.

"Thank you, elf," Rain said, bowing slightly as he took the scroll. He was surprised by its unique texture, unlike any spell scroll he had encountered before.

It felt like it was made from the leaves of some large tree, emitting a faint natural aura, unlike the usual beast hide material.

As Rain looked up, intending to inquire about the scroll's specific effects, he was astonished to find that the black-haired elf had vanished.

After a moment's thought, Rain stored the scroll in his waist pouch.

He returned to the carriage and began pondering the strange occurrence.

Suddenly, the faint dizziness returned, and Rain watched as the fog outside the window quickly dissipated. Jenny and Agatha, who had been leaning against each other in the carriage, sleeping soundly, stirred.

Their long lashes fluttered, and their eyes moved rapidly beneath their eyelids. Soon, both women woke up almost simultaneously.

"Rain, were we asleep just now?"

"Yes," Rain nodded, his right hand reaching for the spell scroll in his pocket.

Thankfully, the scroll was still there, confirming that what he had experienced was not a dream.

"This is too strange; I slept so well last night," Jenny wondered.

"I fell asleep in front of Rain; how rude of me," Agatha added, equally puzzled.

Rain smiled slightly. "Perhaps the carriage ride was too smooth, lulling you both to sleep."

Though he said this, Rain was amazed by the black-haired elf's dream manipulation spell, seemingly capable of controlling the dreams of different individuals within its range.

Soon, the road became busier with pedestrians and carriages, and the familiar tall, dark gray walls of the county city came into view.

They had arrived at the county city.

This was Rain's second visit to the city.

After entering the city, the carriage continued for about half an hour before stopping at the gate of a grand manor with a garden.

"We're here; this is my home," Agatha said with a smile as the carriage came to a halt.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end