A wide-open terrace in the Elven Royal City.
“I actually thought you’d finally co to your senses and ask out for a walk,” Gelladriel — who had once accompanied Saryan in receiving the human envoy and was the Elven King’s daughter — teased, watching Saryan who had co asking for help, a playful smile at the corner of her mouth. “Turns out you just want to take your kid with ?”
“I’m not a kid.” Elawen protested, but neither of them paid her any mind.
Faced with the teasing, Saryan sighed helplessly. “Don’t joke. I can’t beat the Sword Saint…”
When he said that, Gelladriel’s bright smile visibly collapsed; her gaze turned dangerous.
Saryan quickly cleared his throat and awkwardly changed the subject, turning to his quiet younger sister Elawen with a serious tone: “Elawen, you know things outside haven’t been safe lately. Stay with Gelladriel, don’t run around the palace, and don’t cause trouble, understood?”
“I told you, I’m not a kid!” Elawen, who already knew the general situation, didn’t fuss; she only looked at her brother with so worry. “Will this trip… be dangerous?”
Before Saryan could answer, Gelladriel beat him to it, comforting in a light tone: “Little Elawen, your brother’s going with his master, Master Iros! With that great mage along, what danger could there be? Don’t worry.”
Elawen nodded obediently, seeming reassured.
Soon after, as if rembering sothing, she picked up the scout Puji that had been perched atop her head, cupped it with both hands, and offered it to Saryan. “Big brother! Take this little Puji with you!”
“???”
Not only Saryan froze, but even Gelladriel showed a puzzled expression.
Seeing them like that, Elawen hurried to explain, “Little Puji is very clever! It was the one who found and saved ! Also… the Divine Wood Dungeon is its old ho! I already talked to it — it’ll help! It knows the way and can help you spot danger!”
Saryan instinctively wanted to refuse, but when he t his sister’s stubborn, deeply caring eyes, his heart softened.
He sighed and took the round Puji in his hand.
Mainly to put his sister at ease; as for the Puji, he planned to put it in a cage and have soone watch it, returning it after they ca back.
As soon as he took the Puji, the little creature nimbly wriggled free from his not-very-firm grasp, scampered up his mage robe sleeve in three light steps, and settled squarely on his head.
Saryan froze. For the first ti in his life he experienced sothing sitting on top of his head; his smile turned strained and extrely unnatural.
Gelladriel outright laughed.
At last, bearing the odd little Puji on his head, Saryan left the royal district, his sowhat ridiculous silhouette watched by elven guards who did their best to restrain their curiosity.
No sooner had he left the city limits than Saryan reached up to remove the Puji from his head.
But the scout Puji acted first: it extended a mycelial tentacle and pointed in a direction!
At the sa ti, several other tentacles kept lightly patting his cheeks and forehead, trying to turn his head toward the way it pointed.
“What’re you trying to say? You want to go that way?” Saryan asked in surprise.
He planned to forcefully remove the Puji, but rembering his sister’s words and that it was still early, he couldn’t help but obey the little creature’s direction.
So, under the Puji’ persistent guidance, he stopped by an ancient tree and — to his shock — dug up a flawless magic crystal refracting a pure purple light from the soil.
“An B-rank magic crystal?!”
For an elven mage of Saryan’s rank, a B-rank magic crystal wasn’t extrely valuable; he couldn’t understand why one would be buried here.
But the fact the Puji could find it already said sothing.
He grabbed the Puji down from his head and examined it up and down in disbelief. “You can sense mana from afar?!” The most update n0vels are published on n͟o͟v͟e͟l͟f͟i͟r͟e͟
Saryan hadn’t linked to the mycelial network nor had animal-talking gifts, so the scout Puji didn’t answer.
Still, as if he’d found so incredible treasure, he turned the wriggling Puji over in his hands and clicked his tongue in wonder. “I never expected… that little thing she picked up would have this ability?!”
He had previously thought it rely a rambunctious, semi-wild mushroom pet.
Now it seed bringing the little creature might not be entirely unreasonable.
He tucked the struggling Puji under his arm, ignoring its attempts to clamber back onto his head, and hurried to his master Iros’ residence.
…
Lin Jun had his own reasons for encouraging Elawen to stuff the Puji into her brother’s hands.
He mainly wanted to take the chance to poke around, see how the Divine Wood Dungeon was faring, and maybe pick up any treasures the elves overlooked.
He was very good at scavenging.
More importantly, if there really was so danger even the elves hadn’t noticed, Lin Jun could prepare in advance instead of being forced to react later.
Besides, he’d grown sowhat attached to Riel from the potion shop and Elawen’s two pets after all this ti — if possible, he wanted to protect them rather than leave them to fend for themselves.
After all, information is king.
At the current tense state guarding the Divine Wood Dungeon, dispatching Dylan No.2 would be suicide—elven arrows would shred them into a sieve.
So the Puji ended up tucked at Saryan’s waist as they threaded through the clustered treehouses.
When Saryan t his master Iros, the great mage’s gaze imdiately snagged on the restless Puji at his student’s waist.
A faint glint of magical insight flashed and vanished in Iros’ eyes; he lingered two seconds longer on that round cap, but ultimately asked nothing and first discussed the mission details with Saryan.
anwhile, Lin Jun casually opened Iros’ panel and saw the highest level so far!
[Level: LV87]
[Status: Scout Concealnt, ntal Protection, Insight, Trigger Shield…]
[Skills: Mana Storage LV10, Mana Manipulation LV10, Nature Magic LV10, Fire Magic LV10, Abyssal Magic LV10, Abundant Life LV10, Multiple Wills LV10, Toxin Resistance LV10…]
Lin Jun noticed several skill nas he’d never seen before that sounded strangely intriguing at first glance.
He also spotted so unfamiliar but oddly familiar skills.
…No way — you elven archmage, secretly dabbling in [Abyssal Magic]?
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