“Even if it has a human upper body and a snake tail, it might not be Satan. We shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet,” Ning Busan said. “As everyone knows, Satan disappeared ten thousand years ago. There is no reason for the Elven King to worship a demon who has been missing for so long.”
Elvin did not listen to a single word he said, completely lost in his own brainstorming. “The Demon King of Gluttony, who wields the authority of gluttony in Hell, is best at spreading plagues and diseases. It must be Satan who ordered him to spread the plague to the Elven Clan!”
“Wait... the Demon King of Gluttony? What does this have to do with him?” Ning Busan pinched the bridge of his nose. “If this really were Hell's doing, the God of Light wouldn't just sit idly by. I think there's more to this than meets the eye.”
“What else could it be?” Elvin said, filled with resentment. “This is clearly a conspiracy by Hell targeting the Elven Clan!”
Ning Busan tried to sway his thoughts. “Is it possible that some unknown entity has stolen Satan's appearance?”
Elvin shook his head. “The whole world knows Satan has a human upper body and a snake tail. Who would dare to impersonate him?”
Ning Busan took a deep breath. “But Satan is missing! Since he's disappeared, it wouldn't be surprising if some random impostor used his name, would it?”
On the surface, Ning Busan seemed to be analyzing the situation rationally, but in reality, he was panicking inside. This was a massive, heavy scapegoat's pot falling from the heavens, and there was absolutely no way he was going to take the fall for it!
Elvin looked at him with disapproval. “Why do you keep defending Satan?”
Ning Busan felt utterly despondent.
Fine, fine, fine. This kid's logic was so self-consistent that there was absolutely no changing his mind now!
Elvin looked at the other person. “Isabella, what do you think?”
Isabella fell into a dilemma.
She finally understood. Of these two guys, one insisted that Satan was the mastermind behind the scenes, while the other was adamantly pleading not guilty on Satan's behalf.
“Both of you make good points, but if we want to know the truth, we still have to meet the Elven King first,” Isabella said.
Ning Busan calmed down. “During the Spirit Blessing Festival, I doubt the Elven King will keep hiding.”
“But even if the Elven King shows up, he won't meet with you,” Isabella pointed out.
Ning Busan narrowed his eyes.
That was not necessarily true.
“Isabella, Ning Busan, thank you for coming to the Elven Valley to find me, and thank you even more for everything you've done for me,” Elvin said, his tone gentle yet serious. “It is my good fortune to have met you, but after the Spirit Blessing Festival, the two of you should leave.”
Isabella's expression shifted instantly. “You want to stay behind? No, I won't leave you here alone!”
“I want to ask you to take the underage elves to the human world. As for me... whether the plague can be resolved or not, as the crown prince, I should face it alongside the King,” Elvin said.
Ning Busan could not understand. “Do all of you elves love self-sacrifice this much?”
In any case, Ning Busan definitely could not leave. The truth of the plague had not been uncovered yet. If he did not give Faelo an explanation, who knew what consequences would arise if that card went completely wild?
Ning Busan's eyes darted around. “Talking so much is useless. Once the Spirit Blessing Festival is over, none of us will be able to leave.”
Elvin froze. “What do you mean?”
Ning Busan said in a low, mysterious voice, “Exactly what I said.”
The Spirit Blessing Festival, was it...
He was going to stir up some major trouble!
...
The Spirit Blessing Festival.
Moonlight poured down like an inverted celestial river. The trunk of the Mother Tree resembled a jade pillar hanging down from the highest heavens, its pale green bark etched with winding silver runes.
Tens of thousands of leaf-blades floated with a cold emerald luster, their veins flowing with the nectar of condensed lunar marrow, rustling softly in the night breeze.
Ning Busan was admiring the beautiful scenery before him when his shoulder was suddenly slapped hard.
Talon slung an arm around his shoulders and said with familiar warmth, “Brother, you're incredibly lucky to have caught our Elven Clan's Spirit Blessing Festival!”
Isabella clicked her tongue. “Ning Busan, since when did the two of you become so close?”
Ning Busan smiled and said, “I'd like to know that too.”
Talon said with emotion, “The two of you actually look perfectly natural in our Elven Clan's clothes. If it weren't for your different hair colors, I almost wouldn't have been able to find you.”
Ning Busan said, “Perhaps it's because both of us are light mages.”
“Where is Elvin?” Isabella puffed out her cheeks. “He promised to accompany me during the Spirit Blessing Festival, so why is he missing again?”
Talon looked deeply melancholy. “The King will also attend the Spirit Blessing Festival. Elvin is probably by the King's side along with Lislene.”
Ning Busan looked at Isabella, then at Talon, and suddenly fell into deep thought.
Both of their crushes were accompanying the Elven King, so the real winner here was actually the Elven King, wasn't it?
Bang!
Magic fire soared high into the sky and suddenly burst open, like a blooming flower of light.
The Moonlight Priest began to play the harp, and the elves held hands and started to sing. Their soundwaves dispersed the golden spores suspended in midair, causing a rain of spores to fall over the entire Elven Valley.
Every single spore contained the warm and pure blessing of the Mother Tree.
The falling, glowing spores wove a net of light in the air, drifting down like golden raindrops onto every living being.
But there was one exception.
The moment the spores were about to touch Ning Busan, they rapidly flew away, forming a strange, empty void around him, like a starless shadow suddenly appearing in the night sky.
Talon and Isabella exchanged glances, their eyes filled with shock and confusion.
The nearby elves whispered among themselves, curiously sizing up Ning Busan as if he were some rare beast.
“Does the Mother Tree dislike him?”
“Of course she does. Otherwise, why would the spores avoid him?”
This was the first time they had ever seen the Mother Tree express her dislike for someone so explicitly.
Ning Busan rubbed his nose in embarrassment.
Why did the Mother Tree look down on him?
Could she not recognize that he was Faelo?
Please, no!
If she didn't recognize him, how was he supposed to stir up trouble in a bit?
Right then, the Moonlight Priest's fingertips plucked the harp strings once more, sending melodious notes flowing through the night air.
What followed was the true highlight of the Spirit Blessing Festival—the Mother Tree would bestow blessings upon the young elven children.
The elven children knelt barefoot beside the tree roots, pressing their palms together and closing their eyes in prayer.
The Mother Tree's roots slowly rose from the ground, wrapping around the children's ankles and transferring warm energy to them.
A faint silver mark slowly emerged on the children's foreheads, symbolizing their eternal connection with the Mother Tree.
The adult elves watched this scene, their eyes filled with joy, but also tinged with a faint sadness.
“During the Spirit Blessing Festival, the Mother Tree blesses all the elven children who have not yet received her blessing,” Talon said enthusiastically. “Even though the two of you aren't elves, by age standards, you're still children. Go give it a try. Maybe you'll receive the Mother Tree's blessing too.”
Rate on N.U.
