Summons and Negotiations

While the two were chatting idly, the door to the room was suddenly burst open again. A small brown shadow flew in like a bullet and slammed headfirst into Po Kong’s face, nearly making his nose bleed.

“Wuka!! You did that on purpose, didn’t you!?”

Po Kong snatched the little wooden figure off his face and roared while clutching his nose.

“No, no, no! Master Moen sent Wuka! She said she has matters to discuss with the two human guests... What just happened must have been an accident!”

The little figure in Po Kong’s hand wriggled its body incessantly, defending itself in a high-pitched, shrill voice.

“Hmm? Little Crescent is calling for us? ...Wait, you just used the word ‘must,’ didn’t you? That means you definitely did it on purpose!” Po Kong was about to teach the little figure in his hand a lesson when Starlight reached out to stop him.

“Stop messing around, you two. Wuka, explain things more clearly. What exactly is going on?” Starlight stepped forward and asked seriously.

“It seems to be an urgent summons from Lady Angela to relay important information. Master Moen has already gone ahead!” There was a hint of urgency in Wuka’s shrill voice.

After hearing Wuka’s words, Starlight frowned slightly and shared a silent look with Po Kong.

“So urgent? Then let’s go quickly. You can move now, right?”

“Of course. Although I can’t fight at full strength yet, traveling is a small matter that won’t trouble me.” Po Kong blinked, his tone full of confidence.

Wuka had been brought back a few days ago by Xia Duo, who had been out on a mission. Due to the betrayal of Ming Ye and Yuta, the personal information of most priests within the elven race had been leaked, and they had been attacked almost simultaneously that day.

This naturally included Moen and Xia Duo’s treehouse, but the monsters had found it empty.

After searching the house thoroughly and finding nothing, they turned their attention to Flora’s home nearby.

Although Flora was only a trainee priest and had not yet been formally registered, the life aura emanating from her home attracted the monsters like a bright beacon.

Fortunately, her monstrous beast companion—the Snow-Winged Eagle, Da Bai—also noticed these uninvited guests and immediately launched a counterattack. At the same time, Wuka, sensing the critical situation, also quietly followed and joined the battle.

Through their combined efforts, they successfully stalled several monsters, preventing Flora from the misfortune of being kidnapped.

The next day, when Xia Duo returned from her mission and approached her home, her heart sank at the sight of the shattered roof and scattered branches.

After searching for a while, she finally found Flora and Wuka curled up in a tree hollow nearby, allowing her to breathe a sigh of relief.

So Xia Duo brought them all back and borrowed Da Bai as a means of transportation for the past few days. Wuka was left near the temporary camp to serve as Moen’s messenger.

The two quickly prepared and left the camp, hurrying toward the destination Wuka pointed out—the ruins of the former Elven Council Chambers.

This island, isolated in the center of the lake, had seen almost all its buildings frozen into crystal-clear ice sculptures after Saint Archmage Ryan’s self-detonation. At a mere touch, they would shatter into countless pieces, making it unrealistic to reuse them.

But to maintain the stability of the elven race and discuss decisions, Angela had grown several sub-trees around the perimeter of the lake to serve as a temporary administrative hub.

By the time Starlight and the others arrived, they found that the white ice and snow within the hemispherical barrier had mostly melted, but the lake surface was still covered with a thin layer of frost, radiating a piercing chill.

Outside the temporary buildings by the lakeshore, a crowd was gathered, noisily discussing something.

Looking closely, there were many Night Elves among the crowd. It seemed that the conflict between the two races had indeed surfaced.

While the two were worrying about how to bypass the bustling crowd to get inside, Wuka, perched on Starlight’s head, had already contacted Moen through some method.

Not long after, Moen hurried out from the side of the building and quietly led the two inside.

Although this temporary Council Chambers building could not compare to the glory of the past, its interior still featured a spacious City Hall, with a layout that largely preserved the old style.

Upon entering the City Hall, Starlight immediately saw many familiar faces.

Angela was seated at one end of the conference table, acting as the chairperson, while the high-ranking members of the Night Elf race were on the left side of the table.

The Night Elves clearly placed great importance on this meeting. Several Saint Rank experts Starlight had seen before were in attendance, and even You was present.

Although he had lost his power, he still held a pivotal position among the Night Elves. Especially on major issues concerning the fate of the entire race, he had to step forward once again.

As Starlight and the others appeared, You’s aged face turned slightly, acknowledging them with an inconspicuous nod.

In contrast, on the Tree Elf side, although there were several Saint Rank Ranger Captains present, the rest were newcomers who seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.

Fortunately, the atmosphere in the meeting room was unexpectedly peaceful. Both sides displayed a commendable level of restraint, which allowed Starlight to breathe a secret sigh of relief.

Once Moen had led the two into the room, Angela rose at the appropriate time, her voice clear and powerful as it echoed through the chamber: “Fellow kin, these two are the witnesses who resisted the foreign enemies that day; I am sure you have all heard of them. If not for them, the elven race might have faced immeasurable losses. Now, please let them recount the events of that day for us.”

After saying that, Angela cast an encouraging look at Starlight, signaling him to once again recount the beginning and end of the events from a few days ago.

Starlight nodded in agreement and then proceeded to detail everything that had happened from the moment the first monster invaded.

...

After Starlight finished his narration, a Night Elf elder let out a contemptuous snort. “Hmph. In the end, it’s just the one-sided account of two outsiders. Lady Priestess, if you intend to fob us off with this, I’m afraid it’s a bit too reckless.”

“Lest we forget, Elder Ryan of our clan met an unfortunate end at your headquarters, and Princess Lian remains missing to this day. The statements of these two humans alone are far from enough.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Xia Duo’s voice came from the other side of the conference table. As the Acting Captain of the Ranger Force and one of the parties involved, she naturally had the right to be there.

“It seems the members of the Dark Tribe still have doubts about us. You must know that we also lost several Saint Rank elders, and you have all seen the state of Divine Tree City. We wouldn’t destroy our own home for something like this!”

However, the Night Elf elder only gave a dry laugh and retorted, “The losses you speak of—I assume you’re counting those two shameful traitors? Since there is already the precedent of those two pieces of scum, who can guarantee the security of your internal ranks? Furthermore, you intend to seal off the entire forest right now. Who knows what you’re really plotting!”

“You... you’re just using twisted logic!” Xia Duo was momentarily at a loss for words, unable to find a retort.