Chapter 62: You need to return the bird eggs to the mother bird to get a branch from the amethyst tree...

Mr. Serpent could be considered Shu Li’s pen pal in this other world, the two of them exchanging gifts through their letters.

Over the past five years, Shu Li had received many gifts from him. He did not even know what some of them were for—such as these five enormous bird eggs, which had arrived half a year ago and remained untouched in his storage ring ever since.

The Gu’ota Ring was a high-grade storage ring with preservation capabilities. Even after all this time, not one of the eggs had spoiled.

Fairies normally ate unfertilized bird eggs along with fruit and vegetables to supplement their nutrition.

Shu Li had assumed these were unfertilized eggs and thought nothing of them, leaving them in his storage ring for the time being.

Each egg was far too large for him to finish by himself, so he had planned to contribute them to the banquet at the next Midsummer Festival for the Fairies and Elves to enjoy.

Now that he had learned the five enormous eggs belonged to Sekern birds, he was dumbfounded.

The Sekern bird named Deklet had never returned to the Faerie Forest after abandoning Shu Li and fleeing five years ago. Its kin—the other Sekern birds living in the forest—had suffered because of its vile conduct and spent every day with their tails between their legs.

The guilty party’s kin were not to blame, so the Fairies naturally had not made trouble for the other Sekern birds.

Never in Shu Li’s wildest dreams had he imagined that Mr. Serpent would secretly steal the other Sekern birds’ eggs to “avenge” him.

Shu Li did not know whether to laugh or cry.

Magical beasts might possess intelligence, but their minds worked in peculiar ways.

If Mr. Serpent wanted revenge, he should have gone after the stupid bird itself. Its kin were innocent!

Fortunately, the Elven King had warned them. Otherwise, these eggs would have become scapegoats.

Unable to understand Elven, the young dragon grew frantic when it was stopped from eating. It paced in circles, beating its wings from time to time and letting out urgent cries.

It was hungry!

It wanted food!

Was the dragon going to get eggies or not?

The two little merfolk flicked their tails as well, propelling their water spheres forward while making childish noises. Every so often, they glanced at Ivy as though asking whether they were allowed to eat the eggs.

With a headache, Ivy reassured the three cubs separately in the dragon and merfolk languages, telling them that they could not eat these enormous eggs for the time being.

The Little Fairies landed lightly on the eggs and curiously scampered back and forth. They used the smooth shells as slides and had the time of their lives.

Budno lay sprawled over one of the eggs, his brown eyes sparkling. He swallowed, his face full of longing.

So these are Sekern bird eggs?

They look delicious!

One would be enough to feed me for several meals.

“Can little birds hatch from these eggs?” Angel asked an adult Fairy, patting a shell with one small hand and tilting up his head.

Shu Li froze, then immediately looked at the Elven King.

Bird eggs could be either fertilized or unfertilized.

Fertilized eggs could hatch into chicks and were not to be eaten.

Unfertilized eggs could not hatch, so eating them was fine.

Fairies paid special attention to whether an egg was fertilized when selecting bird eggs.

When Mr. Serpent had sent him the enormous eggs, Shu Li had instinctively assumed they were unfertilized. That was why he had classified them as food and brought them out for the little merfolk and young dragon to eat.

However, the Elven King had stopped the young dragon and specifically identified the eggs’ species, leaving Shu Li uncertain.

Were these enormous eggs fertilized or not?

“Let me take a look.” Ilio lifted his robe and crouched beside the eggs. Pressing a palm to one shell, he released his magic to sense what was inside.

The Little Fairies sat in neat rows atop the bird eggs, watching him expectantly.

The young dragon and little merfolk obediently waited nearby as well.

After a while, Ilio removed his hand. Meeting the little merfolk’s and young dragon’s shining eyes, he spoke to each of them in their native language. “Unfortunately, you can’t eat these eggs.”

They were the eggs of high-rank Sekern birds. The chicks would already be third-rank magical beasts upon hatching, so eating them would be a terrible waste.

“Awoo! Awoo!”

“Chirp~ Chirp~”

The young dragon and little merfolk burst into anxious tears, their eyes instantly turning wet.

Ilio hurriedly said, “Don’t worry. I’ll catch some fish for you once we go outside.”

At the mention of fish, the young dragon and little merfolk immediately quieted down.

Fish clearly held far more appeal for them than eggs.

Unable to understand their conversation, Shu Li tugged on the hem of Ilio’s robe.

Ilio lowered his head to look at him. “These eggs can all hatch into third-rank chicks.”

“What?” Shu Li scratched the back of his head. “Then... how worried must their mothers be after losing their eggs?”

And they had been missing for half a year.

Although he knew Mr. Serpent had only meant to avenge him, the other Sekern birds were not responsible for what Deklet had done. He had to find a way to return the eggs to their mothers.

Ilio said, “Once you return, ask the friend who sent them where he ‘found’ these eggs. Then find a way to return them to their rightful owners as soon as possible.”

Shu Li nodded firmly. “I will!”

As soon as everything here was settled, he would write to Mr. Serpent.

He did not believe Mr. Serpent would be wicked enough to steal the Sekern birds’ eggs without reason. There had to be more to the story.

After spending so long on the pirate ship’s lowest deck, everyone was beginning to feel stifled. The little merfolk and young dragon were also starving, so they left the ship and returned to the beach.

By then, dawn had arrived. The horizon was paling, the sea was calm, and brilliant rays of morning light spread across the sky.

Keeping his promise, Ilio caught more than a dozen ordinary fish, each about half an arm long, for the young dragon and little merfolk to eat.

Although the little merfolk were young, they ate fish with astonishing efficiency.

With their sharp teeth and claws, they effortlessly removed the heads, pulled out the organs, stripped away the bones, and picked out the most tender flesh, eating with great relish.

The young dragon was far less particular. It opened its enormous mouth and swallowed each fish whole, chewed two or three times, and gulped it down before licking its lips, plainly wanting more.

The Little Fairies had spent the entire night frightened and anxious. Watching the three cubs eat so heartily made their own stomachs growl.

Even so, they had no time to eat. They went to the amethyst tree first.

The best time to pray for a branch was when the rising sun touched the crown of the amethyst tree.

The adult Fairies hurriedly led the Little Fairies back to it.

Beneath the morning sun, the amethyst tree was dazzling. Every branch was as clear as crystal, and droplets of condensed dew clung to them like perfectly round pearls.

“Wow~~~~”

The Little Fairies gazed up at the amethyst tree, exclaiming in wonder.

Shu Li asked Kumandi, “How do we pray to the amethyst tree?”

Kumandi flew beneath the tree and sat down cross-legged. “Meditate.”

They had to enter a meditative state and communicate with the amethyst tree through their inner voices. If the petitioner was sincere enough, the tree would respond.

The Little Fairies immediately took action. They sat beneath the amethyst tree one after another, closed their eyes, cleared away distracting thoughts, emptied their minds, and entered meditation.

Shu Li’s senses instantly sharpened. He smelled the fresh grass of early morning and heard waves washing over the beach, along with the noisy calls of birds in the branches.

Sounds large and small converged, filling the Faerie Forest with the vitality of a new morning.

Shu Li’s consciousness gradually merged with nature until he could sense even the slightest disturbance. Following the method the brilliant student had taught him, he tried greeting the enormous tree behind him with his inner voice.

Hello, amethyst tree. I’m Sperien from the Faerie Forest.

He waited for a while, but the amethyst tree gave no response.

Shu Li did not lose heart and continued speaking through his thoughts.

I need a magic staff. Would you be willing to grant me one of your branches?

He assumed the amethyst tree would remain silent, but then an ethereal voice sounded.

Little one, the fluctuations of your magic are extremely faint. You have not yet reached the point where you need a magic staff.

Shu Li froze, overwhelmed with excitement.

The amethyst tree had answered him!

Wonderful!

Shu Li said earnestly, Yes, you’re right. I’m still only a Mage Apprentice who can’t even recite incantations properly.

The ethereal voice replied, Then you should return after you have learned magic.

Shu Li fell silent for a moment before answering with conviction, I know I’m weak, but I want to become stronger as soon as possible!

The image of the Dark Elf gripping his head surfaced in his mind, and he shuddered involuntarily.

Meditation made the memory even more vivid. The Dark Elf’s savage, bloodthirsty face assaulted his nerves, magnifying his fear of death.

Shu Li’s breathing suddenly quickened, and his consciousness nearly broke free from meditation. Yet his determination to become stronger allowed him to withstand the pressure and face the evil Dark Elf without flinching.

The more afraid he was, the more he had to overcome it. Otherwise, that moment would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Only by crossing this hurdle could he travel farther.

His turbulent meditative realm gradually settled, and Shu Li calmly expressed his wish to the amethyst tree.

I want to become stronger—much, much stronger—so I can protect my friends and defend my home.

The Faerie Forest was his home in this other world. The Elves and Fairies had given him a peaceful, loving place in which to grow up. He never wanted to experience another disaster like the one today.

Because he was weak, he had been powerless in the face of danger. Because he was weak, he had been helpless when threatened by villains.

The feeling of being completely at someone else’s mercy was awful.

I may be weak now, but one day, I’ll become very powerful. Amethyst tree, I need one of your branches. I’ll drive myself forward without rest and work hard to become worthy of a high-grade magic staff as soon as possible.

The Little Fairy’s young voice rang with power and unshakable determination.

After saying everything he wished to say, Shu Li waited quietly.

Whatever the outcome, he would accept it calmly.

If he failed this time, he would simply keep trying.

One day, the amethyst tree would acknowledge him and grant him a high-grade branch.

Siel and the others were more than a hundred years old and already adults, yet even they had to return and pray again from time to time!

Shu Li was only five. It would be perfectly normal for his first attempt to fail.

Peacefully, he waited for the amethyst tree to announce its decision.

After a while, the ethereal voice sounded again.

The forest at night is fraught with danger. You and your companions were very brave, refusing to yield even as the invaders pursued you and sought your lives. You are not weak, Sperien.

It is an honor to meet you, Little Fairy blessed by the Elven King.

I shall grant you my highest-grade branch. May you soon become one of the strong!

A flash of purple light appeared before Shu Li’s eyes. Before he could react, something heavy struck the ground beside him. His consciousness abruptly left meditation and returned to reality.

“Huh?” He opened his eyes in surprise and found himself staring at a branch resembling purple crystal.

The branch stood upright directly in front of him. Its cylindrical base was barely five centimeters from his face. If it had shifted even slightly farther back, it would have cracked his head open.

The amethyst tree’s “throwing” technique was impressively precise!

But this was not the time to think about that.

On his very first prayer, he had actually received a high-grade branch.

Shu Li shot into the air and flung himself at it with a jubilant cry, too excited for words.

Wow, wow, wow! He did it! He really did it!

The blond Little Fairy clung like a koala to the two-meter-long purple branch, happily rubbing himself all over it.

The surrounding Fairies fell silent.

Should they tell the little fellow that everyone was watching?

Anna winked at Ivy.

Forget it. Better not to remind him.

The little fellow had received a top-quality branch on his very first attempt. They might as well let him enjoy himself a little longer!

Good fortune came in pairs. Kumandi also received a top-quality branch. The branches awarded to the other three little fellows were slightly lower in grade but were still exceedingly rare.

Shu Li remained sprawled over his branch, rubbing against it in rapture for quite some time. Eventually, he began to feel as though someone was watching him. He stopped and raised his head in confusion.

“Uh!”

His eyes widened, and his entire body went rigid with embarrassment.

His three companions were crouched atop their respective branches with their chins propped in their hands, gazing at him with shining eyes.

Kumandi hovered in midair with his wings spread, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.

The three adult Fairies stood around Shu Li at their leisure, smiling kindly.

Even worse, the Elven King sat astride his unicorn on the grass ten meters away.

Shu Li would stake his life on the fact that the Elven King had witnessed every last bit of his foolish display.

Aaaaaah—

Why didn’t anyone warn me?!

Shu Li desperately wanted to turn into an earthworm, burrow into the ground, and bury himself.

Half an hour later, the Little Fairies, now well fed and rested, followed the adult Fairies on the journey back to the divine tree.

Meanwhile, the Elven King and Ilio took the young dragon and little merfolk back to the Elven Kingdom.

The Little Fairies were reluctant to part with their new friends, but the divine tree was not a suitable place for them to live. They had no choice but to let the Elven King take them back to Crystal City to wait for their families to claim them.

Before they parted, Shu Li flew up to the Elven King and said solemnly, “Your Majesty, I want to learn magic from you.”

The Elven King gazed gently at the grave-faced Little Fairy and nodded. “All right.”

And so Shu Li made an agreement with him: every half month, he would travel to the Elven Kingdom to study.

Once his resolve was firm, his heart brimmed with hope.

The journey had seemed so long on the way there, yet the return trip passed unexpectedly quickly.

Before the sun had even set, they arrived safely back at the divine tree.