Night fell, and stars were scattered like crushed diamonds across the deep night sky.
Elves were not nocturnal creatures; they generally went to sleep quite early once night fell.
A pitch-black brand slowly emerged on Ning Busan's forehead.
It was the brand of Hell that Lucifer had placed on him during the Holy Spirit Festival.
After switching his attribute state, Ning Busan's perception of the dark element reached its absolute peak.
He discovered that the entire Elven Valley was shrouded in a gray mist, as if an invisible hand were choking the life out of this land.
There were three places where the dark element was most concentrated: the confinement rooms, the Elven Mother Tree, and the depths of the Elven Valley.
The confinement rooms held the elves infected with the plague, and as the pillar of the Elven Valley, the Elven Mother Tree was bound to be affected by the plague as well.
What about the last place?
Ning Busan concealed the brand on his forehead, quickly circulated light magic around his body, and then walked toward the depths of the Elven Valley.
He saw a building constructed of white marble and crystal, its walls covered in lush green vines.
Just as Ning Busan was guessing what this place could be, a voice came from behind him. “What are you doing, sneaking around like that?”
Ning Busan turned around and found it was an acquaintance.
When he and Isabella had first entered the Elven Valley, there was a hot-tempered elf named Talon following behind Lislene.
Ning Busan said without changing his expression, “I couldn't sleep tonight, so I wanted to take a casual stroll, but I ended up getting lost.”
Talon warned, “The Greenwild Royal Court is the residence of the King. You are not allowed to approach it as you please!”
Ning Busan countered, “I ended up here by accident because I got lost. Why are you near here then?”
Talon's expression became a bit uncomfortable. He said with forced bravado, “That's none of your business!”
Seeing Talon's hand hidden behind his back, Ning Busan immediately turned the tables. “What are you hiding in your hand? You're not here to steal something, are you?”
“Don't talk nonsense!” Talon felt insulted. “I didn't steal anything!”
Ning Busan pressed on. “Then what are you holding in your hand?”
Lislene had been patrolling nearby and rushed over after hearing the commotion. “What are you two doing here?”
Talon's face instantly flushed bright red. He thrust the bouquet he was hiding behind his back forward, not daring to look Lislene in the eye. His voice was so quiet it was barely audible:
“A Glazed Flower, for... for you. I hope... I hope you like it.”
Ning Busan was dumbfounded.
What was going on here?
Lislene did not reach out to take it, staring coldly at Talon instead.
Her gaze was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Talon's heart.
Finally, Lislene spoke, her voice cold and distant. “Stop wasting your time. I'm not interested in you.”
An awkward silence filled the air. Ning Busan shrank back, trying to minimize his presence.
Talon's hand froze in midair, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Lislene's gaze remained icy, without a hint of hesitation.
She turned to leave, but paused at the last moment, looking back at Talon with an indifferent voice:
“The King does not like to be disturbed. Stay away from the Greenwild Royal Court in the future.”
Lislene left.
Talon stood frozen in place, the bouquet in his hand drooping limply as his eyes began to sting.
Ning Busan tiptoed back two steps, intending to slip away quietly and pretend he had never been there.
Talon grabbed his arm, his eyes rimmed with red. “You are not allowed to tell anyone about my failed confession today!”
“I won't say a word. I'll keep your secret,” Ning Busan comforted him. “Don't be sad. Why not try sending a more valuable gift next time?”
Talon pouted. “Among the Elven Clan, the Glazed Flower is the flower of courtship. There is no gift more valuable than it.”
Realizing he had said the wrong thing, Ning Busan shut his mouth.
From now on, he would remain silent.
Talon cheered himself up. “It's fine! This is only my three hundred and seventy-second failure. I won't give up!”
Ning Busan's lips twitched.
It's already been three hundred and seventy-two times. Maybe you should just give up?
“Lislene rejected me before because she was betrothed to Elvin,” Talon muttered to himself. “But Elvin has already married another woman, so why is Lislene still unwilling to accept me?”
Ning Busan looked at him with pity.
Why else? Because she doesn't like you, obviously.
A simp will always end up with nothing.
Gossiping was one thing, but Ning Busan hadn't forgotten his main task.
He cleared his throat and asked with feigned curiosity, “Lislene told us not to approach the Greenwild Royal Court, so why did she head in that direction herself?”
Talon said, “Because Lislene is the only elf who can freely enter and exit the Greenwild Royal Court.”
“Why can she freely enter and exit the Greenwild Royal Court?”
“Lislene's parents passed away in an accident, and she was raised by the King. Compared to other elves, the King is much closer to her and trusts her more.”
Ning Busan said thoughtfully, “I see...”
Perhaps Lislene knows the truth about the plague?
Talon repeated once more, “You are not allowed to speak of tonight's events.”
Ning Busan nodded. “Don't worry, my lips are sealed.”
Talon was deeply moved. “Good brother!”
Ning Busan perfunctorily replied, “That's right, we are good brothers!”
With a personality like this, if he ever left the Elven Valley, he would probably be conned by humans until he didn't even have his underwear left.
...
By the time he returned, the night was already deep.
Ning Busan recounted his experience to the other two.
Elvin was utterly perplexed. “Didn't you promise Talon that you wouldn't tell anyone about his failed confession?”
Facing Elvin's accusatory gaze, Ning Busan, who possessed a rather low moral compass in this regard, felt no pressure at all:
“That's not the point. The point is that I discovered a dense concentration of dark element inside the Greenwild Royal Court. If we want to find out the truth, we cannot bypass the Greenwild Royal Court, let alone the Elven King.”
“Did you two discover anything?”
Elvin shook his head. “The confinement rooms have increased guards. I couldn't get in.”
“I have a major discovery,” Isabella said with a solemn expression. “The Mother Tree responded to me. I know what the deity worshipped by the Elven King and the others looks like.”
After saying that, she took out a pen and paper, sketching out a monster with a human upper body and a snake tail in just a few strokes.
Elvin cried out in shock, “Isn't this Satan?”
Ning Busan's eyes went completely wide.
He felt as if an incredibly massive scapegoat's pot was crashing down on him from the heavens.
Rate on N.U.
