Su Cheng sorted out the contents of the book, then briefly recounted it, adding some of Gerald's and her own thoughts.
Ian listened attentively, grasping her meaning with an astonishing speed of comprehension, and even raised a few crucial questions.
She answered them one by one. "Wow, looks like you're getting the hang of it too."
"Well, it's actually similar to some ancient magic I've encountered," the blond boy mused. "Although my time learning it was limited, during those years I was in Asenlos..."
Seeing the confusion on the girl's face, he explained.
"That's my father's hometown, and the territory of the Duskwind clan. It's located in the Honeydew Plains, one of the most fertile places in the empire..."
"Oh," Su Cheng felt the clan's name sounded familiar. "So your father was a prairie elf."
Ian nodded gently, a melancholy look on his face. "He tried to analyze a forbidden soul-related spell and caused irreversible damage to himself. Even with the many precious potions in the clan's lands, it was hard to heal. So he passed away when I was seven. I... many elves there didn't like humans, so they didn't like me either. Later, I wrote to my mother, and she took me away."
Su Cheng said, "I'm sorry."
"It's nothing," Ian said calmly. "If it was because I did something wrong, that would be my problem. But if they disliked me just because I have human blood, that's their problem. After all, they hadn't been harmed by humans—humans don't even have that ability—but there are always some elves who think humans are stupid and lowly."
Su Cheng hesitated before saying, "Then just ignore them. Anyway, you're not the only half-elf in this world, and there are always plenty of elves with a normal head on their shoulders."
"Yes," he said cheerfully. "I think so too, and I love adventuring with my mom!"
Su Cheng watched a smile appear on the boy's face. His beautiful golden eyes held a pure vitality that had not yet been worn down by the world.
At this moment, he looked so familiar yet so strange.
It was clearly just a younger version of the face in her memory, but his aura was completely different. That man never smiled like this.
Su Cheng asked, "... Speaking of which, what exactly is the thing you're looking for on this quest? Should I help you look for it together?"
She had already demonstrated her strength. It was obvious she didn't need their help and could leave this mountain range on her own.
However, she was truly curious about the person in front of her—she felt ninety-nine percent certain that he was the future Ian.
Even if there was a slight possibility he wasn't, there had to be some connection.
"Actually, we've pretty much found what we need for the first quest."
Leia hadn't participated in the two young people's conversation, and only now called them over.
She was sitting by the campfire drawing a map, seemingly recording their current location, and she took out a guiding crystal to bury in the ground.
"You go to Turquoise City to turn in the quest," Leia said, then turned to Su Cheng. "Let him show you around there. It should be your first time in the Crimson Sun Empire, right?"
Su Cheng asked about her itinerary, and Leia stated that she wanted to complete another quest while she was at it, so she would stay in the mountains for a few more days.
Ian seemed used to this.
"Let's go," he beckoned to her. "We should be able to get out in about a day, you can hold off on using magic for now..."
The two hit the road while chatting. Ian continued to ask questions with great interest. At first, Su Cheng just answered, but later it turned into a mutual discussion.
However, not long after they left, perhaps only half an hour later, the blond boy's face changed drastically, and he pulled a pendant out from under his clothes.
The crystal pendant on the necklace was originally transparent, but now it was glowing with an ominous blood-red color, with wisps of red mist dissipating inside the crystal core.
"...My mother is injured!"
He said hastily, turning around to run.
"I'll teleport you there!" Su Cheng said immediately. "Do we go back the way we came?"
Ian gripped the necklace to sense it, then raised his hand and pointed. "First, go that way—"
They stopped and started. Su Cheng activated her ability several times in a row, maximizing the distance each time under safe conditions, and they found it in just a few minutes.
A strong stench of blood permeated the forest, along with a sweet, putrid smell that made the base of the tongue tingle.
She didn't know how to describe this bizarre smell; just taking a whiff was incredibly nauseating.
The woodland ahead was a mess. Bloodstains as thick as bowls were splattered across the ground, soaking into the dark green moss and soil. The surrounding trees were almost all snapped or shattered, and terrifying gouges were left on the rocks.
The massive corpse of a snake-like magical beast lay slumped there. It was over fifteen meters long, with a head that closely resembled a human's, and its lower body was covered in dark green scales.
Its head faced upwards, its gaping maw revealing several rows of sharp fangs. Some of the teeth were broken, and the longest venomous fangs still had glistening green slime on them.
The magical beast's body was covered in crisscrossing wounds. Several terrifying slash marks had directly sliced open its waist and abdomen, causing its internal organs to spill out.
The closer they got to the corpse, the stronger the foul stench became.
Near the dead magical beast, Leia leaned against a cracked rock, panting heavily.
Her clothes were almost completely dyed red with blood. A huge wound tore from her collarbone to her right shoulder, and there was a piercing hole in her abdomen.
These two wounds were the most severe. Next to the curled flesh, bizarre dark green veins were spreading, and the oozing blood carried green bubbles.
Her limbs also had various deep and shallow scratches, and her exposed skin was densely covered with web-like dark lines.
Leia turned her head slightly to look at them. Her face was an ashen, corpse-like gray. She seemed to want to say something, but only let out a hoarse gasp.
Then she fainted.
"Mother—"
The blond boy stumbled forward, his strikingly handsome face filled with agony, tears bursting forth like a broken dam.
"No—"
He had no wounds on his body and seemed unafraid of touching the venom. He bent down and hoisted her onto his shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay, I'll take you to Asenlos..."
The discolored poisonous blood also stained him. He looked a bit uncomfortable, but he still didn't put her down.
Su Cheng also felt sad, but after all, they had only known each other for less than a day, so she remained relatively clear-headed. She quickly took out a bottle of universal antidote from her bracelet.
She hesitated for a moment. "I don't know what kind of snake that is, but this potion definitely has no contraindications—"
"Thank you!" Ian took it with red eyes. "We have medicine too, but it's all ineffective against the venom of the human-faced python. I swear, whatever the consequences, it has nothing to do with you—"
Su Cheng was a little surprised.
He looked like he was about to break down, but he still acutely sensed what she was worried about.
However, this bottle of antidote, worth thousands of gold coins, was not a targeted magic potion, and its effect was very limited.
Especially against the venom of a high-level magical beast.
"...Judging from the corpse, that human-faced python wasn't in its fully mature form. If it hadn't fully grown, its toxicity would be somewhat weaker; otherwise, my mother wouldn't have held on for this long."
Ian said this on their way to the Meadow of Nectar.
The two quickly left the forest behind, teleporting and sprinting across the sandy terrain under the cover of night, until the first rays of dawn fell upon the vast wilderness.
She crossed a turbulent, surging river and saw the boundless prairie reflecting sunlight like molten gold.
"This is the Land of Nectar and Dew," the blond youth said, looking up at the sky. "If it weren't for my mother, I truly wouldn't want to come back here."
As the sun fully rose, Su Cheng caught sight of the ancient elven habitat.
Dozens of massive moonstone structures stood in the lowlands of the plains.
Those stone towers curved high into the air, shimmering with a silver-gray light. From a distance, they looked like silent tombstones, or perhaps the severed fingers of a giant reaching for the firmament, exuding an oppressive sense of solemnity.
Scattered among the tall towers were various wondrous flower beds. Some were planted directly in the soil, while others were circular pools of water. Elves sat around them in twos and threes, observing the condition of the magical plants while chatting easily.
"...This is it."
Ian stopped at the entrance. "We have to wait a moment. The magic array here only allows our kin to enter—"
Clearly, his mother was not included in that category.
Ahead was an entrance sealed by a magic array. Faint, water-like ripples shimmered in the air, and a certain magical energy rolled forward like an invisible tide.
Su Cheng sensed that it was an exploratory kind of power.
The blond boy looked highly anxious, constantly glancing at Leia, who was leaning against his shoulder.
The latter had been in a semi-comatose state almost the entire time, rarely regaining consciousness, and had been unable to speak from beginning to end.
Su Cheng suddenly wished she were a cleric.
—That way, perhaps she could purify these wounds.
However, after completing the dragon clan's trial, she knew she no longer needed to worry about getting injured or poisoned, so she hadn't bothered to collect any similar scrolls.
Then again, the Holy Church no longer existed today, and the God of Light had not manifested either. Whether light-element holy magic could even be used remained unknown.
"...It's you."
The water-ripple barrier ahead abruptly parted, and several elves walked out.
They had pale gold or silvery-white long hair, and their pristine white skin was shrouded in a hazy, soft glow. They wore silk robes of a strange texture.
The leading elf frowned and scanned them. His gaze paused on Su Cheng for a moment before turning to Ian.
"When you left, you said you would never return," the elf said flatly. "And now you have brought such a guest back to our clan's lands—"
"Are you serious?" Ian said in disbelief. "My mother is dying, can't you see that? This esteemed mage is only helping! Besides, what I said back then was that I didn't want to come back!"
"A mage?" The elf slightly raised the corners of his mouth, his expression somewhat sarcastic. "For such a distinguished guest to grace our doors—"
He was still staring at Su Cheng.
He hadn't even given Leia a proper look, as if the critically injured, dying human was merely an ant on the side of the road, completely unworthy of his attention.
Let alone discussing her existence.
"Good lord," Su Cheng flared up as well. "Stop wasting time. Are you doing this on purpose? I'll leave right now."
She wasn't sure what the other party was trying to do, but she didn't want to give them an excuse to make a fuss. It would be terrible if they missed the window for treatment.
The next second, the black-haired girl's figure vanished from the spot.
"...I beg you, Elder," Ian looked at his mother on his shoulder. "She killed a human-faced python and was struck by its venom—"
"I can see that," the elf said with an indifferent expression. "A mere seventh-tier magical beast. Your father chose such a fragile companion; this is what you must face."
"She's only in her forties!" Ian hissed. "How many humans can reach the sixth tier before the age of fifty? Do you think she's too weak and therefore unworthy of the Trace Light Floral Dew? Or do you want money? We have plenty of money, I can give it all to you. And me, myself, you can use me for all your bizarre magical experiments!"
"She can indeed be considered a powerhouse among humans, because most humans are simply foolish. Without a talent for resonance, they cannot learn elemental magic—"
Another elf sneered, "What laughable existences. The fact that His Holiness Logos bestowed knowledge upon them and allowed them to be civilized is already the highest grace granted to them."
"I'm begging you—"
The blond youth set his mother aside and fell directly to his knees on the ground. "I am willing to do anything. Just name it, and I will do it with all my might. I only need a single drop of Trace Light Floral Dew."
"You know the rules. Humans are unworthy of using the dew crafted from our sacred flowers and divine springs."
The elder said casually, "Furthermore, I admit she is considered strong among humans, and such a person is fully qualified to determine her own path. Evidently, she chose to face those magical beasts rather than taking up safer pursuits like teaching at an academy or managing a manor. This was done of her own free will. Unless she is an absolute fool, she must have anticipated such an ending."
The other elf nodded. "And you, Ian, even though you are tainted by human blood, you are still highly talented, the rare kind. So if, after your mother dies, you wish to return to the clan lands and serve the God of Truth alongside us—"
"Give me one drop of floral dew," Ian said in a low voice. "I will do whatever you ask."
The elder shook his head coldly. "That is impossible, and besides, she is already dead."
The blond boy looked at them calmly for a few seconds, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.
"Hah," he looked at his mother beside him, who had already breathed her last. "...That Guardian of Endless Wisdom is nothing more than a two-headed maggot. He taught you arrogant, cold-blooded, heartless animals. I am ashamed to share the same bloodline as you!"
"I can see that you harbor resentment," the elder showed a look of disdain. "Is that why you brought your friend to our clan's lands and revealed our magically hidden entrance to her, an ancient dragon speaking broken Elvish?"
