Bad News Brought Back

Neither of them could find a clue, so they had no choice but to return inside. Po Kong remained in that lazy state, not having moved even a centimeter. Meanwhile, Wuka, still at the dining table, was nearly surrounded by floating wood chips.

The wooden stake in front of it had been carved into Po Kong’s likeness; the image could only be described as lifelike.

Hilariously, however, the wooden Po Kong wore a completely dazed expression, with a long string of drool hanging from the corner of its mouth. It looked nothing like his usual sunny and handsome self.

“Pfft... Hahaha! I didn't realize you had such an artistic side! This is definitely a true-to-life portrait of that silly brat!”

Noah, who had been wondering if he had made a mistake, couldn't hold it in any longer upon seeing the sculpture. He burst into laughter, throwing his earlier sense of unease to the back of his mind.

Starlight looked at the laughing book and spirit, feeling caught between amusement and exasperation. He walked forward and hoisted Po Kong up from the sofa.

“Uh... Ah~~! Huh?? What just happened? This sofa... how can it be so comfortable? By the way, I think I heard someone laughing?”

The moment his backside left the sofa, Po Kong’s eyes cleared, though he was still a bit confused by the experience.

Starlight began to tell him what had happened, while Wuka, clutching the wooden sculpture that was larger than itself, scurried up the stairs. It even managed to clean up all the wood chips on the table along the way.

Po Kong wasn't angry that Wuka had recorded his embarrassing moment; instead, he felt a bit of regret that he hadn't seen the lifelike carving Starlight mentioned.

“Little Star, are you saying the senior felt someone spying on us?” Po Kong rubbed his chin and asked slowly.

“Yes! But we searched the area afterward and found nothing. We both think we might have been mistaken,” Starlight replied.

“Hmm... do you think it’s possible... it was those ‘Leaf-Cutter’ guys we met at the border?” Po Kong raised his suspicion. It wasn't unfounded; Gaila had indeed said something similar when they parted.

But they had just flown hundreds of kilometers on a Snow-Winged Eagle to get here. Even if the Leaf-Cutter people really wanted to monitor them, they wouldn't have caught up so quickly, would they?

“Hmph~ Is the silly brat doubting my abilities? Do you really think those people could hide from my soul power?” Noah snorted, his tone laced with dissatisfaction, making it clear that such a thing was impossible.

“Then I’m out of ideas. When we landed on the treetops earlier, I noticed that the elven houses are actually quite far apart. There aren't even any other residents within dozens of meters of Little Shadow’s place.”

After hearing Noah’s rebuttal, Po Kong threw up his hands, indicating he was at his wit's end. They could only wait for Xia Duo and Moen to return before discussing it further.

They had thought the two women were just doing a simple mission debrief and would return shortly, but Starlight and Po Kong waited in the small house for half the day without seeing them.

During that time, Wuka came downstairs to remind them that the second floor had been prepared and they could sleep if they were tired, but Starlight declined the suggestion.

And so, they waited until nearly midnight before the two women finally returned home, looking exhausted. At that moment, Starlight had just taken some food out of his storage space, intending to have a late-night snack with Po Kong.

Seeing them push the door open, Starlight quickly brought out two more portions and invited them to eat.

“You guys aren't asleep yet? Oh~ thank you! Honestly, I don't think we've eaten all day. We're starving!” Xia Duo finally perked up a bit upon seeing the food on the table. She pulled out two chairs and sat down with Moen.

For a while, no one spoke as the four of them ate in silence. Starlight glanced at the two women and sensed something was wrong from their expressions, so he spoke up.

“Moen, Xia Duo, are you two okay? I feel like you're both a bit distracted... Was the outcome not ideal?”

“Is it that obvious? Sigh... it’s more than just ‘not ideal.’ It’s downright bizarre!” Hearing this, Xia Duo sighed helplessly and put down her cutlery. She slammed her palm onto the table with a muffled thud.

“??”

“!???”

Her sudden movement startled Po Kong and Wuka, who instinctively shrunk back and turned their gazes toward the furious Xia Duo.

Seeing this, Moen quickly poured a glass of water for her sister and began to explain on her behalf. “Sister, don't be angry. To avoid being too subjective, I’ll be the one to explain.”

Originally, the two sisters would have completed their mission once they reported the news from the Violet City-State and the Central Spiritual Arts Academy to the Council of Elders. But just as they were about to leave, news from the Leaf-Cutter side held them back.

Given the recent situation in the Star-Song Forest, many Elders were very dissatisfied that they had brought two outsiders in. Even though the sisters had talked themselves hoarse explaining, it was to no avail.

Xia Duo had figured they wouldn't be staying in the city for long anyway, since they still needed to confirm the intelligence from the Crimson City-State. This return was supposed to be just a formality.

However, for some reason, the Council of Elders unanimously decided that, given the current circumstances, they—having brought outsiders—must undergo a period of observation within the Star-Song Forest.

At the same time, the entire Star-Song Forest had entered a state of martial law. All missions were to be postponed until internal issues were thoroughly investigated and cleared.

Xia Duo was far from happy with this result. She had spent dozens of days finally finding news about her kin's whereabouts, not to mention surviving a life-and-death battle in the process.

As a member of the Ranger Force, she knew the implications of martial law all too well. With the current manpower of the elves, trying to thoroughly investigate the entire Star-Song Forest in a short time was a pipe dream.

Furthermore, in the eyes of most elves, a few months or even a few years was just the blink of an eye. They didn't care whether the mission was reasonable or not.

But for Moen and Xia Duo, who had lived in the outside world for over a decade, this pointless waiting was an absolute waste of time.

Moreover, many of their compatriots were still missing, their fates unknown. Xia Duo, naturally impatient, couldn't hold back anymore. She had argued with the Council of Elders on the spot, firmly opposing the decision.

But the result was obvious; the Council of Elders certainly wouldn't change their decree because of Xia Duo’s personal opinion.

During the heated argument, the Council even temporarily suspended Xia Duo from her duties in the Ranger Force and ordered them to stay in the Star-Song Forest to await further instructions.

Not only that, but Starlight and Po Kong, who had returned with them, were also required to cooperate with the investigation and were forbidden from leaving elven territory until the entire incident was resolved.