The moment his palm made contact with the sub-link, Starlight felt a chill spread from the pages. He could clearly feel that this object called a “sub-link” was recording his information in a very specific way.
This wasn’t a simple record made of words; it used a person’s biological traits and soul aura to document what made each individual unique.
It could be said that once personal information was recorded this way, even the most powerful master of disguise would be unable to forge their data.
“Wuka~ come out! It’s your turn!” Seeing that Starlight and Po Kong had already begun inputting their information, Xia Duo tilted her head toward Moen, giving the signal.
“Yes! Master Xia Duo!”
Following her command, Wuka crawled out from the collar beneath Moen’s long hair. Looking like a slender wooden stick, it nimbly flew toward the shelf where Xia Duo had taken the sub-link, then inserted its hands into the vacant slot.
Starlight caught a glimpse of a faint green light emanating from Wuka’s body, as if it were performing some kind of operation.
“What is it doing? I’m starting to get the feeling you’re not using exactly official methods here,” Po Kong whispered, watching Wuka from a short distance away.
“Every sub-link is connected to the core of the World Tree in its own way. They convert the collected information and aggregate it at the source,” Xia Duo explained, tapping her finger lightly on the table while keeping a watchful eye on the busy Wuka. “What Wuka is doing now is finding the information we need during this period when the sub-link is disconnected from the main link. After all, some things just can’t be made clear through words alone.”
“Huh? What conversion... link?” Po Kong looked completely lost, clearly not understanding a word.
“I see... So they use this kind of storage method?” Unlike Po Kong, Starlight quickly sensed the energy flow within Wuka using his mana perception, which instantly made him understand the elven approach.
“Just imagine there’s a massive library behind this room, and the spot Wuka is touching is the book return slot,” Starlight explained, using a simpler analogy when he saw Po Kong was still confused.
The World Tree served as a massive vessel, acting as the terminal for the elven race’s information and intelligence.
It was like an infinitely large book where all information could be stored at its core. The sub-links were the media that connected to the World Tree, and the elves used their resonance to transmit and record data.
“That’s essentially it.” Moen nodded and added, “That’s why we call the World Tree the Mother Tree; it’s not just a figure of speech. Everything from food and clothing to housing and travel in the Star-Song Forest is closely tied to it.”
“And as a Wood Spirit born from the World Tree, Wuka can pass through the sub-link connection point’s detection with almost no obstacles, as long as we create an opportunity for it!”
Xia Duo’s gaze remained fixed on Wuka on the shelf. Although she knew the plan was viable, she couldn't be certain how long it would take Wuka to find what they needed from the vast sea of data.
“Whoa! That sounds pretty impressive! Then we—”
Just as Po Kong was about to continue, Noah, at Starlight’s waist, suddenly gave a violent jolt and warned in a low voice, “Someone’s coming! Watch out!”
Almost in the very next second, the door to the archives was pushed open, and a tall figure walked in from outside.
Starlight instinctively turned his head and saw a tall elven male entering the room.
He looked to be around fifty years old by human standards. Though he appeared somewhat aged, his features remained refined and deep. His sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he carefully scrutinized the four people in the room, his greyish-white hair and dark green uniform swaying gently behind him.
“This man... is very strong!” Starlight thought to himself.
He had encountered quite a few powerful individuals over the past few months, but this elven man gave him a completely different feeling.
Even with someone as unfathomably powerful as Grandmaster Mowei, Starlight could still detect a faint, lingering presence once he revealed himself.
This elven man, however, seemed to blend perfectly into his surroundings, with not a single trace of his aura leaking out. Had it not been for Noah’s warning and the sound of the door opening, Starlight wouldn't have even sensed his approach.
He was like a ghost, appearing before them without making a single sound.
“Eh...? Captain Ming Ye! What wind blew you here today?”
Upon seeing the man’s face, Xia Duo screamed inwardly—the newcomer was actually a veteran Saint Rank expert of the elven race, the Captain of the Third Ranger Squad, Ming Ye.
Nevertheless, she immediately stood up and gave him a salute, while inconspicuously closing the open sub-link on the table.
“As the captain of the duty force, is there something strange about me coming to the archives for an inspection?” Ming Ye’s voice was somewhat raspy, creating a slight mismatch with his refined features. His slow, unhurried tone placed an inexplicable pressure on the four people present.
“On the other hand, Xia Duo... shouldn't you, a Captain Candidate, be enjoying your vacation instead of running off to a place like this?” Ming Ye’s gaze swept over the four of them before finally settling on Xia Duo.
“It’s nothing. I have two friends who need to register their information in the archives,” Xia Duo explained calmly, her expression unchanged. “With things being so tense outside right now, it’s better to clear them of suspicion early.”
As she spoke, she walked toward the shelf by the wall, intending to tuck the sub-link back into its original place.
However, before her hand could even touch the shelf, Ming Ye’s figure appeared silently behind her, and he snatched the sub-link from her hand.
Under Ming Ye’s sudden, powerful pull, Xia Duo lost her balance and slammed into the shelf with a loud thud.
“You bastard! What do you think you’re doing?!”
Seeing the pained expression on Xia Duo’s face, Po Kong slammed his hand on the table and stood up, shouting at Ming Ye. The spirit armament on his wrist instantly transformed into a blade, looking as though he were ready to charge forward and fight to the death.
But before he could even take a step, Ming Ye’s figure appeared beside him like a phantom. A precise hand-chop struck his wrist, directly knocking the longsword from his hand.
By the time Starlight and the others regained their senses, Po Kong’s weapon had been seized by Ming Ye and was held against its owner’s throat.
Having had his weapon taken, Po Kong was forced to stop in his tracks. He still glared fiercely at Ming Ye, who was inches away, a faint golden light already surfacing in his emerald-green eyes.
“These are your human friends? They don't seem like much,” Ming Ye said, his cold gaze scanning the room before landing on Po Kong, his tone filled with condescending contempt. “I advise you to spend less time with these short-lived ones... After all, Xia Duo, you are a rare genius.”
“Now, with just a slight movement of my hand, your pathetic, brief life will end right here... I wonder how long you can keep up that tough act?”
Seeing that Po Kong had no intention of backing down, Ming Ye pressed the blade lightly, carving a shallow bloody mark into his neck.
Rate on N.U.
