Chapter 468: The Elven Race's Secret
Chapter 468: The Elven Race's Secret
At this moment, Ren had also returned to his normal size, and as he turned his head, he was met with a slightly stunned expression from the others.
Whether they were familiar faces like Anna, Delanna, Luther, and Lambert, or those he didn't know well, such as Loza and Reginald, they all looked at him as if he were some kind of monster.
Even the pure-blooded elves standing nearby shared the same reaction.
"Ahem, what are you all staring at?" Ren coughed awkwardly.
He knew exactly why they were reacting this way.
After all, the impact of seeing him transform into a two-headed dragon was truly overwhelming.
However, he had no intention of explaining himself.
"Right, shouldn't we tend to the wounded first?" Ren quickly changed the subject.
His words snapped the others out of their daze.
After the intense battle, despite their victory, there were numerous casualties, and most of the injured were pure-blooded elves.
"Ren, you..." At that moment, Anna approached him, her beautiful eyes examining him as if seeing him for the first time.
"I'm still me, aren't I?"
"Don't worry, I haven't been possessed by a dark god."
Ren smiled, ruffled Anna's hair, and embraced her, planting a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead to comfort her.
"Mmm," Anna seemed to relax as she snuggled into his familiar embrace, her eyes half-closed.
However, Ren's public display of affection made Anna blush, and she buried her face in his chest.
"Ren, you're not a member of the Dragon Empire's royal family, are you?"
After a while, Anna whispered in Ren's ear.
"Of course not," Ren chuckled.
He finally understood what the young girl was worried about.
Is she concerned about not being good enough for me? You're not Cinderella, and I'm not a prince.
Ren thought to himself.
Seeing Anna and Ren together, Luther and Lambert didn't interrupt.
Just then, several elderly druids, clad in fern-covered shoulder armor and crowned with leaf headdresses, supported each other as they approached, accompanied by Delanna, Anna's aunt.
Their gazes shifted between Ren and Anna, and the lead druid, the eldest among them, smiled kindly and said, "Lord Ren, thank you for your assistance in saving the elven race from a devastating crisis. You will forever be a friend and honored guest of the elven people."
As he spoke, he led the other druids in bowing deeply to Ren.
"Elders, this is the least I could do," Ren replied.
Their gesture startled Ren, who was still talking to Anna.
For a moment, he was at a loss for words.
Anna, too, seemed a bit dazed.
In fact, this was the first time Anna had met such prominent figures in the elven community.
Delanna broke the silence with a smile, "Ren, this is our elven druid, Elder Oban Moonblade."
"Greetings, Elder Oban," Ren quickly responded.
Ren could sense that these elven elders possessed epic-level strength, but their injuries were severe.
Otherwise, they wouldn't have been helpless during the previous battle.
"Elder Nisha?" Anna, standing next to Ren, looked at a female elven elder with a mix of excitement and nervousness.
Ren was puzzled by this, as he hadn't heard of any relation between Anna and this elder.
"Elder Nisha is the most legendary female druid among our elven people, and she was my mother's teacher," Anna explained, noticing Ren's confusion.
"Child, are you Dalene Hawkmoon's daughter?" The beautiful elven woman with faint fish-tail wrinkles at the corners of her eyes approached and took Anna's hand, smiling.
"Yes, I am!"
She was surprised by the elder's warm and friendly demeanor.
As a half-elf, Anna had always felt a bit insecure, even in the town of Bashalan, as the elves held varying opinions about half-elves.
"Good child, Delanna told me that you have a deep interest in the druidic path. Would you like to become my disciple?"
"Me? Can I really be your disciple?" Anna was overjoyed, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief as she glanced at Ren.
Ren smiled and nodded.
"But I'm a half-elf, and I'm not sure if my talent is good enough to be your disciple."
"Anna, you don't have to be nervous," Anna said, causing the people around her to chuckle.
Anna's words made it clear to everyone that the other party was reaching out to them.
Ren, of course, understood their intentions.
After all, he had helped the Elven Race enormously, and it would be strange if they didn't show their gratitude.
Even if Anna's Druid talent was lacking, there would still be a Druid Elder willing to take her as a disciple immediately.
In fact, if Anna hadn't mentioned Elder Nyssa, the Elder before them would have likely offered to take her on as a disciple.
"Such an innocent child," Elder Nyssa Nightgale smiled and gently caressed Anna's head. As a faint green light flashed, her smile grew even brighter.
"Don't worry, child. You have excellent Druid talent," Elder Nyssa encouraged her with certainty.
"Really?" Anna's eyes lit up with hope.
"Wonderful! Elder Nyssa, I'm willing to become your disciple!" Anna nodded eagerly, her eyes sparkling with determination.
Anna had always wanted to be of some help to Ren.
But even without this, the last time they were in Mayest, Ren's strength had already far exceeded her expectations.
This time, the power he displayed was likely something she could never catch up to, no matter how hard she tried in this lifetime.
However, Anna was determined to improve her strength as much as possible.
At the very least, she didn't want to become a burden to Ren.
Upon hearing Elder Nyssa mention the name 'Darien Hawkmoon,' Ren immediately recalled the clue about Anna's mother that he had obtained from interrogating the three brothers of the Dragon Scale Brotherhood, particularly Reagan.
'The Golden Age Bar in the fourth ring of the Imperial Capital, accessible through a teleportation array in the basement,' Ren silently recalled.
Previously, he hadn't acted due to his insufficient strength.
But now, he believed he had the power to begin his investigation.
This time, even if he faced the Second Imperial Prince directly, he was confident in his abilities.
Just then, a mature and feminine voice called out from the side, "Ren, do you remember me?"
A woman in a red wizard's robe, Lady Menya, approached with a smile.
"Lady Menya, greetings. It's been a while," Ren bowed slightly in greeting.
"It has been a while, Ren. Perhaps we should have a good chat later," Lady Menya suggested.
"Of course," Ren nodded with a smile.
In truth, Ren had anticipated that Lady Menya would seek him out.
When he decided to use the Dragon Transformation, he knew the royal family would eventually come looking for him, and Lady Menya, the 'Red Queen,' was the best person to communicate with.
However, for now, she likely had some matters to settle with the Elven Race first.
"Elder Auben, it's been three years since our last meeting, hasn't it?" Lady Menya turned to the Elven Elders and bowed slightly, a smile on her face.
"Yes, Lady Menya," Elder Auben returned the bow.
"By the way, may I ask, where is King Starrian?"
"With such a significant enemy threat, I haven't seen King Starrian anywhere."
Lady Menya looked around, her question hanging in the air.
"Well..."
Elder Auben and the other Druid Elders exchanged glances, their faces filled with hesitation. But after a moment, they sighed and continued,
"Lady Menya, we didn't intend to hide this, but when King Starrian left the Ferdinand Forest, he specifically instructed us not to reveal his departure."
Elder Auben looked at the fallen Mother Tree Andahill and the many parts of the palace that had been reduced to ruins, a look of loss on his face. "However, there's no need to keep it a secret anymore."
"Half a year ago, King Starrian left with his personal guard captain to search for the Mother Tree's seed in the legendary Silvermoon Grove."
Upon hearing this, Ren's expression changed as he realized why.
No wonder he hadn't seen any half-god-level powerhouses among the Elves.
Even in their weakened state, the ancient Elven Race should have had at least one half-god-level powerhouse.
Ren now understood why the Mother Tree Cult had gone to such lengths to seduce Prince Sedrin and lead him astray.
With King Starrian absent, Prince Sedrin, a prince with Elven royal blood, would naturally have a stronger voice among the Elves.
This was something that even King Starrian's arrangement for the Arch Druids to jointly govern couldn't prevent.
As for why the Elves had concealed the absence of their half-god-level powerhouse, it was simple: to avoid drawing attention from their enemies.
Even in the eyes of the Elven Race, the Dragon Empire, as a human empire, wasn't entirely trustworthy.
"Oh? The Silvermoon Grove?" Menya pondered aloud.
"Yes, it's the home of the Silvermoon Elves, another branch of our Elven Race. After the medieval turmoil over ten thousand years ago, we lost contact with them. This time, there's news that a passage to the Silvermoon Grove has been discovered in the Eagle Federation, so..."
"I understand. If there's one place where the Mother Tree's seed is most likely to exist, it would be the Silvermoon Grove," Menya said as if she had figured something out.
"That's right, wise Lady Menya," Elder Auben nodded.
Hearing this, Ren finally understood why King Starian was absent—he had gone to seek the so-called Silvermoon Elves to find the Mother Tree's seed and resolve the issue of their Mother Tree's impending lifespan exhaustion.
However, Ren felt that the timing of this matter seemed a bit off.
King Starian had only just left, and soon after, the Mother Tree Cult started seducing Prince Sedrin. The timing seemed too coincidental.
"Perhaps the news King Starian received wasn't necessarily true," Menya said, her face turning serious.
This was exactly what Ren was thinking.
"This..."
Upon hearing Menya's words, Elder Auben and the other Druid Elders seemed to realize something, and their faces changed in unison.
"However, King Starian's strength is such that he is unlikely to be in mortal danger. It's more likely that he's trapped in some secret realm," Menya added after some thought.
Her words caused the elves to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Seeing this, Ren couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
When it came to plotting schemes, the elves were still far behind humans.
The Mother Tree Cult's plan, if executed in a human empire, wouldn't be considered particularly ingenious. But...
"Right, why was it so easy for the Mother Tree to be successfully descended upon? Logically, Mother Tree Andahill's strength shouldn't have made it so effortless for them."
At this moment, Menya asked another question.
"According to ancient records, whether it's the Void Mother Tree Ganihil or our Mother Tree Andahill, if we trace their origins, they seem to have come from the World Tree Tareshil located deep in the universe."
Elder Auben pondered for a moment before slowly explaining.
"So, for the Void Mother Tree Ganihil to descend, Mother Tree Andahill, being of the same root and origin, is its best choice, allowing it to fully unleash its power."
Ren listened by the side, nodding in agreement.
No wonder.
It was no wonder that the Mother Tree Cult had gone to such great lengths with the Elves of Ferdinand Forest. Not only had they planned ahead, but they had also mobilized almost all their elite forces for this operation.
However, because of this, the Mother Tree Cult had also been effectively wiped out in one fell swoop!
All three Popes, both primary and secondary, had been killed.
In the short term, they should have no strength left to cause any further trouble.
Suddenly, Ren seemed to sense something and turned his head.
The others also turned to look.
They saw that Prince Sedrin, whose life or death was unknown after being defeated by Ren, was not dead.
At this moment, he was staggering, his hand on his chest, as he made his way towards the fallen Mother Tree Andahill, his expression one of utter despair.
However, there was a difference from before.
His eyes seemed to have regained clarity, no longer as empty and lifeless as before.
Additionally, his aura was extremely weak, so the Imperial powerhouses nearby didn't stop him as they watched this scene unfold.
As for the other Pureblood Elves, they watched their prince with complex expressions, unsure of what to say.
On the one hand, they already knew that their prince had been tempted by the Cult to give birth to a new Mother Tree.
On the other hand, it was also because of this Prince Sedrin that the tribe had suffered such a significant loss, further reducing their already scarce population by almost half.
"Plop!"
Prince Sedrin knelt beside Mother Tree Andahill, weeping and repenting, "It's all my fault..."
"I am the sinner of the Elven Race!"
"I've woken up, but it's too late! Please forgive me, Mother Tree..."
Just as Elder Auben and the others were moved and about to step forward to console Prince Sedrin.
Suddenly!
Prince Sedrin's body emitted a dense green light, and then he transformed into green starlight, seemingly merging with Mother Tree Andahill.
"Prince!" Elder Auben and the other Pureblood Elves exclaimed in unison upon witnessing this.
(End of Chapter)
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