“So, in other words... the four of us are basically under house arrest here?” After hearing Moen’s explanation, Starlight’s brow furrowed slightly. He tapped his fingers gently on the table, his voice carrying a hint of concern. “Xia Duo, how long do you think it will take for the martial law to be lifted?”
This was not good news for them. After all, he didn't have that much time to waste on pointless waiting.
“Who knows!” Xia Duo curled her lip, stabbing a piece of fruit viciously with her fork, causing juice to splatter onto the plate.
Her tone was filled with disdain. “It could be a few months, or maybe a year or two... It’s not like we’re at war. Even if you count everyone available, there are only about a hundred thousand of us. Otherwise, they wouldn't have dispatched even the Divine Concealment Squad to conduct the search.”
“Oh~ that’s right. Since you mentioned the Divine Concealment Squad, Little Shadow...” Po Kong suddenly looked up, a trace of alertness in his eyes. “Do you think that gaze the senior sensed this afternoon could have been them?”
Prompted by Xia Duo’s mention, Po Kong quickly recounted the situation Noah had discovered that afternoon.
“You felt a gaze? Here?! ...Don't tell me those guys are actually behind this. That would be illegal under normal circumstances! No, I have to go out and check.”
After hearing their description, Xia Duo’s eyes widened, and her voice was laced with obvious anger.
She quickly dropped her fork and, without even wiping her mouth, rushed outside in a hurry.
“Wait, I’ll go with you.” Po Kong stood up quickly, his tone calm but firm. He glanced at the pitch-black night outside the window and added, “It’s late; it’s always better to be careful.”
Unlike Xia Duo’s restless agitation, Moen remained quietly at the table. She gently rubbed the rim of her cup with her finger, her gaze lowered as if she were deep in thought.
A moment later, she looked up and spoke reflectively. “I feel as if there’s an invisible hand behind our backs, pushing us forward... The Council of Elders’ attitude this time is also very strange. it feels very unnatural...”
“Rather than it being because of the martial law, it’s more like someone is keeping an eye on us, right?” Before Moen could finish, Starlight cut in, his tone certain, as if he had already seen through her thoughts.
“You think so too, Starlight?”
Moen’s eyes widened slightly as she looked at him with surprise, seemingly not expecting their thoughts to be so perfectly aligned.
“Yeah, Noah analyzed it with me as well. It’s unlikely that this situation is a coincidence,” Starlight nodded.
“But... that doesn't make sense.” Moen frowned, her voice filled with confusion. “The ones missing right now are all our fellow elves. You’re not suggesting... that someone on the inside is behind all this, are you?”
Starlight shook his head, his expression grave. “I’m not sure, but think about it. Even the human soldiers stationed at the border know that something happened in the Star-Song Forest. This shows that the elves haven't completely blocked the news; there must still be contact between the two sides.”
“And Flora also mentioned that for the merchant caravans stuck in the forest, you guys are only conducting strict inspections and have no intention of detaining them.” He paused, his voice tinged with skepticism. “If that’s the case, why did the Council of Elders specifically demand that we, who just arrived, cannot leave? It makes no sense at all...”
“So... you suspect there’s a mole within the elven race, and they might even hold a high position?” Moen quickly grasped his meaning, a look of shock appearing on her delicate face.
“At the moment, it’s just a guess. I know I’m not an elf, so these words might not carry much weight, but I believe we must prepare for the worst-case scenario.”
He finished and paused for a moment, seemingly observing Moen’s reaction. Although he wasn't entirely certain of this conclusion, he felt it was necessary to tell her these suspicions, even if it might cause her dissatisfaction.
However, Moen showed no sign of blaming him. She simply carefully processed his words and then gave a slight nod.
“I understand. It’s a good thing you didn't say this directly to my sister... otherwise, she might have flown into a rage.” Her tone carried a hint of helplessness. “After all, that’s the education she received since childhood... I’ll find an opportunity to talk to her later.”
For a moment, Starlight didn't know how to continue the conversation, and a subtle silence fell over the living room.
However, this strange atmosphere was soon broken. Xia Duo and Po Kong pushed the door open and walked in, their conversation shattering the quiet of the room.
“I’ve told you several times! Even someone from the Divine Concealment Squad couldn't wipe away every trace right under my nose! You two must have been mistaken!” Xia Duo’s tone was filled with obvious impatience. Her brow was tightly furrowed, clearly dissatisfied with the fruitless search.
“But... Senior Noah...” Po Kong tried to argue, but Xia Duo cut him off before he could finish.
“Didn't they also fail to find any clues? Besides, anyone can make a mistake, right?” Xia Duo stood with her hands on her hips, her tone carrying an unquestionable certainty.
“Alright then...” Po Kong shrugged helplessly, clearly not wanting to argue any further.
From their conversation, it was easy to tell that even Xia Duo hadn't found any traces of surveillance, eventually chalking the whole thing up to Noah’s misjudgment.
“I’m going to my room to rest. We’ll talk about anything else tomorrow!” Xia Duo rubbed her aching brow, her voice weary. She gave a simple wave to the group and walked straight toward the stairs.
Moen glanced at Starlight, and the two quickly exchanged a look. Then, she rose and said softly, “I’m heading up too.” With that, she hurried to catch up with Xia Duo.
Once again, only Starlight and Po Kong were left in the living room. Po Kong let out a yawn and looked at Starlight lazily, suggesting, “Should we go rest too? There’s no point in discussing this further.”
Starlight nodded, but his gaze remained fixed on the stairs, seemingly still deep in thought.
“Wait!”
“What is it? Little Star, did you find something else?”
“No,” Starlight shook his head and pointed at the dining table. “Help me clean up the table before you go.”
“...Fine. Can’t you just let Wuka clean it?”
“Stop complaining and hurry up.”
“Alright, alright~”
...
Amidst Po Kong’s quiet grumbling, the two cleaned up the utensils and scraps from the table and then headed up to the second floor.
The room Wuka had prepared for them was already set up, with two single beds covered in bedding made of giant leaves. The surface of the leaves was smooth and cool to the touch. Lying on them felt like being nestled in a soft jelly—both comfortable and novel.
After lying down, Starlight gently pressed the leaf beneath him. Feeling its strange elasticity, he couldn't help but marvel to himself: This is much more comfortable than ordinary bedding.
Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest, Noah’s voice suddenly rang out in his mind: “Little Star, don't sleep yet! That thing you asked me to do earlier is basically finished.”
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over his head, instantly driving away all of Starlight’s sleepiness.
Rate on N.U.
