Chapter 122: Back to Sperry, where the Divine Tree was almost rubbed bald...

The Snow Kingdom’s snowy mountain labyrinth?

Shu Li stared at the chaotic jumble of lines drawn on the paper. No matter how he looked at it, he could not make out a treasure map.

“Why would the queen give us a treasure map?”

Shouldn’t the Snow Kingdom keep its own treasure safe? Why would they give the map to outsiders?

“The snowy mountain labyrinth has existed for nearly ten thousand years.” Ilio stroked his smooth chin thoughtfully. “The Snow Kingdom has always kept the entrance open, allowing expedition teams and mercenary groups to enter in search of treasure. Unfortunately, no one has succeeded in finding it in all that time.”

“Then now that we have the queen’s map of the labyrinth, does that mean we can find the treasure?” Shu Li rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Ilio looked up and mercilessly shattered the Little Fairy’s greedy fantasy. “The snowy mountain labyrinth has nine levels. This map only goes as far as the seventh.”

“Ah!” Shu Li immediately deflated in disappointment.

Ilio folded the map and placed it back inside the silver box. “This is probably the most comprehensive map of the labyrinth in existence. It’s extremely valuable.”

“Really?” Shu Li asked. “Is it that difficult to draw?”

Ilio pushed the silver box toward him. “Mapping the first seven levels took at least a thousand years and cost the lives of countless adventurers.”

Shu Li was astonished. The look he gave the silver box instantly turned solemn.

He had never imagined that a single treasure map could be the culmination of countless people’s efforts over a thousand years. It truly was priceless.

“Is it really appropriate for us to accept this from the queen?” Shu Li asked in confusion.

“Do you think a treasure map is more valuable than her life?” Ilio asked.

Shu Li shook his head.

Her life was obviously more valuable.

Ilio crossed his arms. “So she came out ahead by exchanging a treasure map for our goodwill.”

After hearing Ilio put it that way, Shu Li no longer felt burdened about accepting the map.

“Keep it safe. When you travel the continent on your own someday, you can try exploring the snowy mountain labyrinth. If you’re lucky, you might find the treasure.” Ilio patted the little fellow’s head.

“Mm.” With a clear conscience, Shu Li put the silver box into his storage ring, grabbed a handful of nuts, and began cracking them open like a little squirrel.

The coachman in the front compartment flicked his whip, urging the two horses onward. The carriage left the broad main road and turned onto a remote trail that led into the desolate wilderness.

In truth, the coachman was panicking inside.

He had been driving carriages for ten years, but this was the first time he had met an employer who insisted on taking minor trails instead of the main roads.

Even more surprising was the employer’s demand that they avoid every major city and small town, head west, and reach the Cesis Mountains as quickly as possible.

What kind of place were the Cesis Mountains?

They were the famous mountain range separating the Faerie Forest from the Human World.

Aside from adventurers and mercenaries, who often traveled there, ordinary humans did not dare go anywhere near them.

What could an adult and a child possibly want in the Cesis Mountains?

However, he was only a humble coachman. He did not dare investigate or ask questions.

In any case, the pay for this trip was generous. Fifty gold coins would cover half a year of living expenses.

Once the carriage left the main road, the ride became bumpy.

Shu Li grew dizzy from all the jolting and simply lay down. The carriage had padded seats, so lying down was much more comfortable.

The farther they traveled, the more remote the road became. Yet when they passed through the woods, they miraculously encountered neither magical beasts nor wild animals. The coachman went from being constantly on edge to completely relaxed.

He had to admit, the scenery along the way was lovely.

They ate travel rations at noon and camped in the wilderness at night. Nothing happened after dark.

Their first day passed without incident, but on the morning of the second day, they unexpectedly ran into bandits.

The coachman trembled in terror.

I let my guard down!

The journey had gone so smoothly that he had forgotten about bandits.

However, his fear lasted only three minutes.

After the two employers stepped out of the carriage, they faced the dozen or so bandits with brilliant smiles.

The next moment, the bandits were on their knees, weeping and begging for mercy. The older employer tossed aside the branch he had used as a sword, while the younger employer put away his magic staff and ordered the thoroughly beaten bandits to get as far away as possible.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, the bandits did not hesitate for even an instant before fleeing in panic.

The coachman was utterly awestruck.

The rest of the journey passed without incident, and on the morning of the third day, they successfully reached the foot of the Cesis Mountains.

Shu Li jumped down from the carriage and stretched his aching limbs. Looking up at the seemingly endless mountain range, he let out a long sigh.

It had not been easy, but they had finally reached his “doorstep.” Once they crossed these mountains, they would be in the Faerie Forest.

Ilio pulled a handful of gold coins from his belt pouch and handed them to the coachman. “Here is your payment.”

The coachman accepted the coins and counted them roughly before asking in surprise, “Oh! Honored guest, haven’t you given me too much?”

There were at least sixty gold coins in that handful.

“You can keep the extra.” Ilio smiled. “If you’re not in a hurry to return, you might want to wait here for a while.”

The coachman looked baffled. “Wait? For what?”

Ilio narrowed his eyes slightly and looked toward the mountains. Suddenly, the corner of his mouth curved upward, and he pointed at several black specks in the distance. “There they are.”

It was not only the coachman who was confused. Shu Li was baffled as well.

What’s coming?

Soon, he saw what the black specks were.

A group of people.

A group of injured people.

Understanding dawned on Shu Li.

These people were adventurers who had trespassed into the Faerie Forest.

The fact that they had emerged alive meant they were not utterly wicked and had not become lost in the forest mist. Though injured, they had at least escaped with their lives.

When the adventurers saw the carriage, they were ecstatic and offered to pay a substantial fee for a ride to the nearest town.

Once the coachman recovered from his astonishment, he demanded the exorbitant price of one hundred gold coins per person.

The adventurers had nearly lost their lives. Why would they care about a mere hundred gold coins? They readily agreed and began stuffing money into the coachman’s hands.

The coachman earned almost a thousand gold coins in one stroke and was so delighted that he could not stop grinning.

When the adventurers saw a young man leading a child toward the mountains, they kindly warned the pair not to throw their lives away.

The young man and child paid them no heed and continued walking. The adventurers shook their heads, gave up trying to dissuade them, and urged the coachman to leave at once.

After the carriage disappeared into the distance, Shu Li asked Ilio, “Want to race?”

Ever since learning that physical training could strengthen his defenses, he had spent the past several days improving the circulation of vital energy through his body.

Crossing mountains was one of the best ways to train it.

Although his strength was certainly no match for that of an outstanding Elven warrior, even a Little Fairy could have a competitive streak.

Ilio gazed at the eagerness written across the child’s lovely face and agreed.

“Let’s see whether you can catch me.”

The instant he finished speaking, he gathered his vital energy and took off running.

“Hey! You cheated!” Shu Li shouted. “You didn’t even say start!”

He skillfully circulated his vital energy and chased after him with all his might.

The first time he had climbed a mountain, he had been exhausted beyond belief. The second time, he already knew exactly what he was doing.

By using his vital energy efficiently, he kept his body in peak condition. Coupled with the Little Fairy’s extraordinary jumping ability, he bounded swiftly along the steep and treacherous mountain trail like an antelope.

Ilio remained far ahead, but Shu Li did not lose heart. He maintained his own pace and gradually continued the pursuit.

By the time the sun had crossed from east to west, they had finally traversed the mountains and entered the Faerie Forest.

“Haah, haah, haah, haah—”

Shu Li leaned against the trunk of a towering tree, panting heavily. His clothes were soaked with sweat and clung uncomfortably to his body.

Ilio, on the other hand, looked perfectly refreshed and composed. “Want me to carry you?”

Shu Li slowly waved his hand.

No way!

The last time, he had been so exhausted that he had fallen asleep on Ilio’s back. This time, no matter what, he was determined to make it all the way to the divine tree on his own.

Once he had caught his breath, he wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve and declared firmly, “I can walk by myself.”

Ilio was rather disappointed. He had missed an opportunity to cuddle the Little Fairy.

Completely unaware of Ilio’s thoughts, Shu Li straightened his back and trudged deeper into the Faerie Forest.

The mist of the Faerie Forest had no effect on Fairies or Elves. They easily crossed the boundary and reached the wooden cabin.

They needed to dispel their disguises inside the cabin and return to their original appearances.

Shu Li drank the dispelling potion Ilio gave him, washed the dye from his hair, rinsed himself off with water magic, and changed back into his comfortable clothes, soft and light as gauze.

Whoosh—

He spread the wings he had kept hidden for more than ten days, withdrew the power sustaining his disguise, and returned to his Little Fairy form. Then he flew gleefully up and down around the cabin.

“Waaah!”

It had been so long since he had flown with his wings that he had almost forgotten how.

Hiding his wings was far too cruel to a Little Fairy!

Shu Li twitched his long, pointed ears and flew a lap around the cabin before finally landing on Ilio’s shoulder. Grabbing a lock of Ilio’s hair, he thrust one hand upward and shouted with tremendous vigor, “Onward! Back to the divine tree!”

A hint of amusement flickered through Ilio’s blue eyes.

Did the little fellow not realize that returning to this tiny form only made him even more irresistible to cuddle?

Ilio left the wooden cabin, locked the door, and concealed it with magic. Standing in the clearing outside, he let out a piercing whistle.

Several minutes later, a pure white, sacred unicorn descended through the glow of the setting sun. It landed lightly in front of Ilio, its flowing mane and tail rippling in the air.

Ilio swung handsomely onto the unicorn’s back and stroked its neck. “Lixia, take us to the divine tree.”

The unicorn neighed and spread its wings, instantly taking to the air and soaring above the Faerie Forest.

Seated on Ilio’s shoulder, Shu Li gazed at the towering divine tree in the distance, its crown piercing the clouds. His nose stung with emotion.

He had only been away for a little over ten days, yet it felt as though several years had passed. He wished he could return to the divine tree in a single second.

Night gradually fell. Surrounded by a faint halo, the unicorn flew swiftly through the darkening sky.

Closer. Closer still. They had reached the divine tree.

Shu Li excitedly tugged on Ilio’s hair. “We’re home!”

Ilio pressed a finger lightly against his little head. “Yes. We’re home.”

The divine tree was brilliantly illuminated. Light spilled from countless little houses, adorning its branches and trunk like a host of dazzling stars.

The unicorn flicked its tail and partially folded its wings as it descended. Its four hooves touched down lightly on the grass beneath the divine tree in an elegant landing.

A group of Elves and Fairies had already been waiting in front of the trunk for quite some time.

Shu Li spotted the Elven King at the very front with a single glance.

As always, he wore a pale purple robe. His golden hair fell smoothly down his back, and the silver crown upon his head gleamed brilliantly.

Shu Li released Ilio’s hair, beat his gauzy wings, and flew straight ahead, plunging headfirst into the Elven King’s embrace.

“My Kiiiing—waaah! I’m back!”

He pressed himself against the Elven King’s robe and rubbed against him vigorously, his eyes brimming with tears.

The Elven King cupped the clingy Little Fairy in both hands and affectionately rubbed his cheek against him.

Shu Li immediately took full advantage of his indulgence, rubbing enthusiastically against the Elven King’s smooth cheek while his little mouth poured out an endless stream of complaints.

“Those coarse clothes were awful! They rubbed my skin raw!”

“The mountains were so high, and climbing them was exhausting!”

“The carriage was uncomfortable, the food tasted terrible, and ordinary humans live under such harsh conditions...”

“We met so many people along the way. Some were good and some were bad.”

“I listened to Ilio and behaved myself. Oh, right! I passed the test and got my Mage Apprentice badge!”

He jumped from subject to subject, speaking so quickly that, after going so many days without speaking Elven, he even mixed in a few phrases from the Continental Common Language.

The Elven King listened patiently. Once Shu Li had finished pouring out his grievances, he gently stroked the little fellow’s head with the pad of his finger.

“You did very well.”

“Hehehe!” Delighted by the king’s praise, Shu Li sat in his palm and grinned like a fool. He raised his right hand to reveal the pristine white skin on its back. “Look, the curse is gone.”

The Elven King stroked him again, his emerald eyes as gentle as water. “Welcome home.”

The heart that had been unable to settle finally found peace in the Elven King’s soft words. Shu Li spread his wings and flew into the air, looking around—only to discover dozens of pairs of eyes fixed on him.

His entire body instantly went rigid.

Huh?

He had been so excited upon seeing the Elven King that he had thrown himself into his arms and rubbed against him with complete abandon, utterly forgetting about all the other Fairies.

Elder Fudero, Siet, Aisha, Lia, Oress, Doxia, Kumandi... Disio and the other twenty-four Little Fairies, plus eight newborn Fairy cubs.

Blink, blink—

The Little Fairies and Fairy cubs stared at him with eyes as bright as lanterns.

Shu Li swallowed and raised one little paw to wave at them.

“Hiii—I’m back!”

Those words seemed to open the floodgates. The twenty-four Little Fairies surged toward him, crying and shouting.

“Sperien—you’re finally back!”

“Waaah, Sperien, you were gone for so long!”

“We missed you so much! You were cursed, and you didn’t even tell us! Sob!”

“Is the Human World really scary?”

“Thank goodness you came back safely!”

“Ilio was a little mean! He actually made you wear coarse clothes!”

“Exactly! And Ilio made you eat that horrible paste!”

“Human mages are terrifying! They can even place curses—”

“Thank goodness the curse is gone!”

The Little Fairies crowded around Shu Li and hugged him, one rubbing against him and then another, until his cheeks turned red.

Misina and the other seven newborn Fairy cubs anxiously flitted around the outer edge of the crowd.

“Brave Sperien, brave Sperien...”

“Hey, make room! Make room! We want to hug brave Sperien too!”

“I really want to hear brave Sperien tell us a brave story!”

“This is terrible! We can’t squeeze in! Waaah—”

At the words “brave Sperien,” Shu Li’s face turned as red as a monkey’s backside.

The scene descended into utter chaos, leaving the adult Fairies thoroughly amused.

Aisha smiled and asked Kumandi beside her, “Aren’t you going to hug Sperien?”

Kumandi pursed his lips. “There’s no hurry.”

Aisha looked at his tense, handsome face and covered her mouth with a laugh.

Ilio glanced at Sperien, who had been completely “submerged” beneath the Little Fairies, then cleared his throat several times. He approached the Elven King and bowed respectfully. “My King, I have successfully completed my mission.”

“You’ve worked hard, Ilio,” the Elven King said gently.

Ilio had not forgotten how little Sperien had used his complaints to tattle on him to the king moments ago. He humbly lowered his head. “No, it wasn’t difficult at all. On the contrary, since this was my first time taking a child outside, I failed to care for him properly.”

“In that case, Ilio, why did you make little Sperien wear coarse clothes?” Aisha demanded like a concerned parent.

There were many kinds of clothing in the Human World. Even if they had to disguise themselves as ordinary commoners, there had been no need to dress him in the poorest-quality coarse cloth, had there?

The mere thought of rough fabric rubbing red marks into the Little Fairy’s delicate skin made Aisha’s heart ache.

Ilio’s expression stiffened beneath the reproachful gazes of the adult Fairies.

“Well... as you all know, I haven’t visited the Human World in nearly three hundred years. I didn’t have many human clothes left for disguises,” he explained sheepishly. “To prepare something suitable for Sperien, I stayed up all night altering some of my old clothes to fit him. I overlooked how delicate his skin was.”

“But don’t worry. I’ve already taught him how to use vital energy for physical training, and I bought him new clothes.”

He hastily added that last part in an attempt to make amends.

The adult Fairies snorted and temporarily let his carelessness slide.

Having escaped disaster, Ilio secretly breathed a sigh of relief and moved to stand beside the Elven King.

The Elven King looked at Shu Li, who remained completely surrounded by the Little Fairies and cubs, and said to Ilio, “The farm has been short-handed lately. Go help with the work there.”

“...Yes, my King.”

A huge bead of sweat slid down Ilio’s temple.