Chapter 74: I woke up in the middle of the night to see the Elf King using magic to solve everything...

Shu Li woke from hunger.

He had spent the entire afternoon busily using magic to harvest ten enormous fruits. Exhausted, he had sprawled across one of them and closed his eyes for a short nap.

Who would have thought that he would fall asleep without even realizing it?

He had no idea how long he had slept. In his dream, he kept searching for food.

After searching for ages, he finally found a table laden with delicacies: braised pork belly, twice-cooked pork, Dongpo pork, poached fish in chili oil, giant lobster with garlic, steamed hairy crab, fried chicken wings, and more. It was all his favorite meat and seafood, and the sight made his mouth water.

He threw himself at the feast and began devouring it, only to discover in astonishment that the more he ate, the hungrier he became.

At last, a loud growl woke him.

Shu Li opened his eyes groggily and saw a familiar ceiling.

Huh?

This was... the Fairy cub’s room.

When had he come back?

Shu Li rubbed his eyes, rolled over, and sat up, looking around in confusion.

At some point, darkness had fallen outside the window. A magic stone lamp cast a dim yellow glow through the room, and a plate of food sat on the table, including kuku fruits, a favorite among Little Fairies.

Shu Li’s stomach had long since gone empty. His eyes lit up at the sight of the fruit, and he instinctively licked his dry lips. But his attention was soon drawn to the blond Elf sitting in the chair.

The warm yellow light fell over him, softening the sharp contours of his handsome face. His waist-length golden hair hung smoothly down his back, with a few strands spilling across his chest. Having removed his outer robe, he wore only a pure white inner robe. Its collar was slightly open, revealing a pair of winglike collarbones.

His eyes were closed, his expression serene, and his presence withdrawn. His arms hung naturally at his sides, his hands resting on his thighs as though he were meditating.

Shu Li stared at the Elven King in shock. After a long moment, he lay back down, burrowed deeper beneath the covers, and promptly shut his eyes.

He had to still be asleep. He had to be dreaming.

Absolutely!

How else could the noble Elven King be sitting in his room?

“Awake? Are you hungry?”

The Elven King’s heavenly voice rang out. Shu Li stiffened. He had no choice but to open his eyes and crawl out from beneath the covers. After fluttering the little wings on his back, he tipped his head up slightly and gazed at the blond Elf, who had ended his meditation.

“Um... Your Majesty... why are you here?” He sat obediently on his knees with his legs pressed together and asked the question awkwardly.

The Elven King merely smiled without answering and reached out to brighten the magic stone lamp.

The entire room instantly lit up.

Shu Li’s gaze drifted involuntarily toward the food, and his stomach growled twice more.

“Come here and fill your stomach first,” the Elven King said.

“Okay.” Shu Li did not stand on ceremony. With a flap of his wings, he swiftly flew to the table and landed neatly in front of the plate.

Wow, what a feast! It was all food he loved.

Although he was starving, Shu Li did not forget to wash his hands before eating.

A small dish of clean water sat beside the plate. He dipped his hands into it and rubbed them together. Once they were clean, he picked up a kuku fruit and took a fierce bite.

Fairy cubs had strong teeth and chewed quickly. He swallowed one bite and immediately took another. Before long, he had gnawed the cherry-sized kuku fruit clean, leaving only the pit.

After finishing one fruit, Shu Li picked up a boiled bird’s egg and nibbled away like a hamster. When the yolk made his throat a little dry, he drank some nectar to wash it down.

Mmm, mmm, mmm. So delicious.

Everything tasted wonderful when you were hungry.

“Burp—”

By the time half the food on the plate was gone, he was finally full.

Shu Li rubbed his round little belly and eyed the remaining food. Somewhat troubled, he said to the Elven King, “I... I can’t eat any more.”

The Elven King handed him a small handkerchief. “Then don’t force yourself.”

Shu Li accepted it and wiped the corners of his mouth and his fingers. Once he had finished, he held the little handkerchief in his hands.

The handkerchief the Elven King had used to wipe his sweat that afternoon was still inside the storage ring. Now he had been given another one. Should he wash them clean in the bathroom and return them?

While he was still hesitating, the Elven King picked up the plate and rose. “It’s the middle of the night. Go back to sleep.”

When Shu Li saw that he was about to leave the room, he instinctively reached out and called softly, “Your Majesty—”

“Yes?” Holding the outer robe and cloak he had taken from the clothes rack in one hand, the Elven King turned his head to look at the Little Fairy standing on the table.

Shu Li scratched his tousled hair in embarrassment and said shyly, “Th-thank you.”

It was unbelievable. The noble Elven King had specially stayed by his side until he woke and ate his fill, only then leaving with such thoughtfulness.

The corners of the Elven King’s lips lifted slightly. “Good night, little Sperien,” he said gently.

“Good night, Your Majesty.” Shu Li raised his right hand, placed it over his chest, and bowed respectfully.

Only after the Elven King had left the room did Shu Li straighten and stare blankly at the tightly closed door.

The Crystal Castle might not be as lively as the divine tree, but he had been surrounded by endless care and warmth. He did not feel lonely at all.

The day had been eventful and utterly exhausting. Even after his short nap, he was still tired.

He yawned and prepared to return to bed.

Before sleeping, however, he needed to take a bath.

Someone seemed to have wiped him down, and he did not smell sweaty, but it was a matter of peace of mind. He would not feel clean unless he bathed.

He spread his wings and flew into the bathroom.

The bathroom contained a large vat filled with clean water, along with toiletries suited to a Little Fairy.

Shu Li picked up a dipper, intending to fill the wooden bathing tub. Just as he lowered it into the vat, he stopped.

Make magic your natural instinct.

He remembered that line from the magic book again. Pursing his lips, he put down the dipper and touched his storage ring to retrieve his magic staff.

Huh?

Where was his magic staff?

Shu Li knitted his delicate brows, flapped his wings, and left the bathroom. After searching the room, he found the magic staff lying on the table.

He quickly picked it up. The Elven King must have placed it there when he brought Shu Li back.

He flew into the bathroom again, pointed the magic staff at the vat, and carefully rehearsed the entire process in his mind before reciting the incantation.

He wanted to draw water from the vat into the wooden tub.

Not too much and not too little. It had to be just the right amount.

After estimating the tub’s capacity, Shu Li confidently began, “Great Water God Hildani Gerti, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest. Please let the water elements aid me and fill this wooden tub with water—”

After practicing for so long that afternoon, he had already grown skilled at using his thoughts to give magic a concrete form.

The image instantly took shape in his mind.

As the incantation ended, a beam of blue light gathered at the tip of his magic staff. It fell into the vat, and the mirror-still surface suddenly began to churn.

Shu Li waved the magic staff. A small stream of water followed the blue light, arcing through the air and pouring into the wooden tub.

When the tub was four-fifths full, the blue light vanished, and the stream of water fell back into the vat.

Shu Li drew back his magic staff, exhaled, and broke into a grin.

Hehehe, it worked!

He swiftly stripped off his clothes, revealing his soft, fair little body. Hovering in midair, he pointed his head downward, pressed his arms and legs together, and struck a diving pose.

Splash—

He made a perfect dive into the wooden tub, sending water flying everywhere.

“Pfft~~”

Poking his head above the water, he shook himself like a puppy, scattering droplets all over the floor.

The water was a little cold for a nighttime bath. He rubbed his arms to warm himself up, but even after rubbing them for quite a while, he still felt chilly.

He wiped the water from his face, tilted his head in thought, and wondered why he did not simply use magic to heat the water.

No sooner said than done. He climbed onto the rim of the wooden tub and shook the wings on his back.

A protective membrane covered a Little Fairy’s wings, preventing them from getting wet. Droplets gathered on their surface and slid off automatically with the slightest shake.

He took the magic staff from his storage ring and stood naked on the rim of the wooden tub as he recited, “Great Fire God Afama Chips, I am Sperien of the Faerie Forest. Please command the fire elements to gather around me and heat the cold water in this wooden tub—”

The free-floating fire elements heard the Mage Apprentice’s voice and rushed over at once. The springy, slime-like elements squeezed together and ignited into a tiny flame at the tip of the magic staff.

Shu Li guided the flame toward the wooden tub. It immediately settled on the surface of the water and burned quietly.

A few minutes later, steam began rising from the tub, and the flame went out.

All done!

Shu Li put away the magic staff and mentally gave himself a thumbs-up for his cleverness.

First, he stretched out one tiny foot to test the temperature.

Just right!

Reassured, Shu Li slipped into the water. Hissing blissfully, he splashed some onto his face and began humming a song.

“Brave Sperien... Wait, no...”

He hurriedly corrected himself and switched to a children’s song from his original world.

“...I love taking baths, the turtle takes a fall...”

After happily finishing his bath, he climbed out of the tub, dried himself, and changed into a comfortable, loose-fitting set of pajamas.

His hair was still wet, and a towel would take ages to dry it, so he took out his magic staff and recited a wind incantation.

The wind soon carried away the moisture clinging to his hair.

Magic was so useful!

Of course, it would be even better if the incantations were a little simpler!

After putting away his bathing supplies, Shu Li washed both of the little handkerchiefs the Elven King had given him. He dried them with wind magic, folded them neatly, and placed them in his storage ring, planning to return them to the Elven King the next morning.

By the time he finished everything, the night had grown very late. He turned off the magic stone lamp, slipped beneath the soft, comfortable covers, and relaxed into sleep.

A moment later, his eyes opened.

Hmm... It felt like he had forgotten something.

What was it?

He tried hard to remember. After thinking for quite a while without success, he gave up.

He would sleep first and worry about it after he woke.

He closed his eyes again and went back to sleep with a clear conscience.

“...Mmm...”

A strange voice sounded. Shu Li jolted and abruptly sat up, turning toward the window.

The previous night, the Elven mother tree had spoken to him, and he had promised to look at her leaves this evening. But practicing magic that afternoon had exhausted him, and he had slept through the entire evening. Naturally, he had never gone to see her.

When he lay down earlier, he had felt as though he had overlooked something. Now that he heard the mother tree’s voice, he finally remembered.

“Little Sperien... I’ve been waiting for you for so long...”

Shu Li hesitated, then threw back the covers and got out of bed.

“I’m sorry. I was too tired this afternoon and accidentally fell asleep.”

He had failed to keep a promise. The fault was his, and he had to be brave enough to admit his mistake.

“It’s all right... Um... can you come and see me now?”

The mother tree asked the question cautiously.

Ordinarily, Shu Li would never have gone into the courtyard in the middle of the night to see the Elven mother tree. But he had broken his promise first, so he could not disappoint her again.

“All right.”

Without hesitation, he flew toward the window.

It was pitch-black outside and looked rather frightening. On top of that, he was the only Little Fairy living in the entire courtyard, so venturing outside alone required a little courage.

Still, this was the Crystal City of the Elven Kingdom, the safest place there was. Aside from the darkness, there was nothing dangerous about it.

Shu Li opened the window a crack, puffed out his chest, held his head high, and flew into the courtyard.