“Then I'll go give it a try.” Isabella walked up to the Elven Mother Tree, clasping her hands together.
“Great Elven Mother Tree, you are the source of life and the protector of all things. Please grant me strength and wisdom. I want to protect the peace and prosperity of the Elven Valley alongside Elvin.”
As Isabella's voice echoed in the air, a gentle pillar of light descended from the canopy, enveloping her.
Isabella felt a warm current pour in from the top of her head and flow throughout her entire body, as if every single cell was rejoicing.
The pillar of light gradually dissipated. Isabella lifted her skirt and bowed to the Elven Mother Tree. “Thank you.”
Once Isabella returned, Talon asked curiously, “How was it?”
Isabella said excitedly, “The Elven Mother Tree has bestowed upon me the power of nature! I'm a dual-element mage now!”
Ning Busan smiled. “Congratulations.”
Talon looked at Ning Busan, hesitating for a long while before asking uncertainly, “How about... you go give it a try too?”
“Then I'll try.” Ning Busan walked forward slowly.
The nearby elves wore strange expressions. Their eyes held no great malice when they looked at Ning Busan, but they were filled with displeasure.
They had all seen the Mother Tree's spores avoid Ning Busan. Since the Mother Tree had clearly expressed her dislike, why did this human still ungratefully approach her?
What the Mother Tree loathed, they loathed as well.
Ning Busan looked up slightly at the colossal, emerald Elven Mother Tree, feeling inexplicably uneasy and guilty.
The Mother Tree possessed consciousness and thought.
When he thought about it from the Mother Tree's perspective, he suddenly realized that Faelo really deserved to die!
Ever since Faelo's birth, the Elven Mother Tree had showered him with unbridled favoritism.
No matter what difficulties he faced, Faelo had indeed committed regicide and fallen to darkness.
Even so, the Elven Mother Tree had merely treated it as the child she raised entering a rebellious phase, her pampering remaining unchanged.
But of all things, Faelo should never have disappeared for ten thousand years without a single trace.
What a devastating blow that must have been to the Mother Tree!
If he were the Mother Tree, there was no way in hell he would welcome Faelo back.
Ning Busan let out a sigh.
Fine. Faelo's sins, he would redeem them!
Back in the modern world, he had a younger sister at home and had never been the favored child. When it came to coaxing his own mother, he was actually highly experienced.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Ning Busan pressed his palm against the trunk, which flowed with glowing blue veins.
The surrounding elves all knit their brows.
In their eyes, this action was disrespectful to the Mother Tree.
Ning Busan caressed the trunk, as if hearing the Mother Tree's rapid heartbeat.
“I'm sorry for being gone for so long.”
“Mother, actually, I've always missed you.”
These words were spoken on behalf of Faelo.
The apology was real, and even the sadness was genuine.
In fact, this was also Ning Busan's constant, innermost feeling ever since he arrived in this foreign world.
The Elven Mother Tree could not bear to see Ning Busan's grief and bitterness. The moment his words fell, she responded.
Under the moonlight, the Mother Tree's growth rings began to spin in reverse, and a pulsation like an ancient whale song echoed from the depths of her hollow.
Double-petaled flowers slowly swirled open, looking like a shattered aurora, with each petal shifting through illusory colors from indigo to deep purple.
The flower buds that had slept for ten thousand years bloomed one after another tonight.
It was as if she were saying: Don't be sad.
The surrounding elves gaped, staring at the scene before them in disbelief.
The Mother Tree was blooming?
The Mother Tree was blooming!
They only knew that the Mother Tree could bear fruit; they had no idea she could also bloom!
Talon pinched Isabella beside him. “Am I seeing things? I... I think I see the Mother Tree blooming?”
With a fierce expression, Isabella ground her boot heel hard into the top of Talon's foot. “Are you awake now?”
“I'm awake! I'm awake!” Tears streamed down Talon's face, though it was unclear whether it was from pain or emotion. “By the God of Light, I never expected to see the Mother Tree bloom in my lifetime!”
If the blooming of the Mother Tree made the elves feel they were witnessing a miracle, then what happened next completely shattered their worldview.
Ning Busan said softly, “Mother, it's time to return him to me.”
A crisp sound like clashing crystal echoed from the canopy, and a fruit slowly lowered from the Mother Tree's branch.
The fruit was crystal clear, its surface shimmering with a faint golden light, as if condensed from moonlight and stars.
Ning Busan reached out his hand and gently caught the fruit.
The fruit trembled slightly in his palm, a thin crack splitting across its surface. Silver light poured out like a tide, illuminating the surroundings.
As the light gradually dissipated, a tiny figure crawled out from inside the fruit.
It was a little elf, only the size of a palm, with wings as transparent as gauze, and it possessed a miniature version of Ning Busan's face.
The Moonlight Priest's harp snapped a string.
All the elves stared at the scene in disbelief, their eyes filled with shock.
A guardian spirit?
It was actually a guardian spirit!
Every time a new King succeeded the throne, the Elven Mother Tree would bestow a guardian spirit.
What use did a guardian spirit have?
Uh... seemingly none.
The key point was that a guardian spirit was something only the Elven King could possess, symbolizing the supreme honor and power of the Elven Clan.
But the Elven King was currently alive and well, so why did the Mother Tree bestow a guardian spirit upon a human?
Flapping its wings gently, the little spirit flew in front of Ning Busan. Bearing a face identical to Ning Busan's, it opened its chubby little hands. “Hug...”
“Lobao, did you miss me?” Ning Busan cupped him in his palm and poked his cheek, finding it incredibly novel.
A tiny version of myself, materialized in the flesh.
Lobao pouted, feeling too aggrieved to speak.
Unsure whether he was heartbroken or panicked, the Moonlight Priest fell to his knees before the Mother Tree with a thud and asked, “Mother Tree, why did you do this?”
“The King is still alive. How could you establish a new King? Furthermore, he is just a human. He is simply not worthy of becoming the King of the Elven Clan!”
“Who are you calling unworthy?” Lobao bared his teeth and barked, “Old geezer, do you want to die?”
Ning Busan covered his mouth.
Tiny body, huge temper.
Suddenly, emerald-colored cracks burst open in the air, and vines like living serpents tore through space. A figure emerged, stepping on falling stardust, the silver runes on his forehead resonating with the Mother Tree to project a brilliant halo of light.
His features were exquisite and captivatingly beautiful, his pointed ears adorned with two thorned earring hoops.
His golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, tiny points of light intertwined among the tips as if starlight itself had been woven into his tresses.
With such a high-profile entrance, it was hard for anyone not to guess his identity.
All the elves bowed down in salute, crying out, “The King—”
Ning Busan was not surprised by his appearance.
Before Faelo left the Elven Valley, he would have definitely entrusted Lobao to the person he trusted most.
Without a doubt, that could only be the Mother Tree.
He had deliberately caused such a massive commotion at the Spirit Blessing Festival. If the Elven King still didn't show up, he would have had no choice but to break into the Greenwild Royal Court tomorrow.
The Elven King stared at Ning Busan's face and spoke slowly, “Salos. That is my name.”
Ning Busan smiled faintly. “Your Majesty Salos, shall we talk?”
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