Chapter 78: At the bonfire party on the grassland, playing the harp with the Elf King...

Shu Li slept until the afternoon.

When he awoke, he sat up in a daze and stared blankly at the familiar furnishings for several seconds.

This was... the Elf cubs’ room.

He was back!

Shu Li instantly came fully awake. Excitedly scrambling out from beneath the soft covers, he spread his wings, beat them several times, and darted to the window, where he stared at the enormous, ugly, barren tree outside.

After a long moment, he let out a deep breath.

It did not seem to have changed at all!

He had taken such a tremendous risk and worked so hard to purify the Mother Tree’s branch ten times, yet the main trunk remained as withered as ever.

Scratching his sleep-tousled hair, he stood quietly for half a minute. Then something suddenly occurred to him, and his gaze went blank.

How... had he returned to his room?

Could it be... that the Elven King had carried him back again?

Shu Li cupped his soft, chubby cheeks, utterly embarrassed.

Ever since coming here, he seemed to have caused the Elven King nothing but trouble. He felt terribly guilty about it.

But now that he thought about it, what time was it?

Shu Li raised his eyes toward the sky outside. The sun was crimson, its light gentle, while brilliant clouds filled the heavens with strange and mysterious colors.

What a beautiful morning.

Shu Li clasped his hands and faced the orange-red morning light. Watching the red sun slowly move across the sky, his heart filled with emotion.

Being able to stand here and admire the morning sun made him extraordinarily happy.

If the Mother Tree ever came looking for him in the middle of the night again, he would resolutely ignore her. Heaven only knew what remote corner she might transport him to next. If his luck ran out and he could not return, that would be disastrous.

Compared with the scorching sun in Dark Elf territory, he much preferred welcoming the slowly rising sun in the Elven Kingdom and the Faerie Forest.

Wait—

Rising?

That was not right!

Why was the sun sinking instead of rising?

Shu Li jolted, his eyes widening in astonishment.

That red sun on the horizon was not the morning sun. It was the setting sun!

Upon realizing this, Shu Li cried out and shot toward the bathroom as though his tail were on fire, muttering frantically to himself.

“Oh no, oh no! I overslept!”

He had certainly slept like the dead. He had slept straight through until evening and stood up the Elven King for an entire day.

Shu Li hurriedly tidied himself up in a fluster, without even taking the time to transform the little flower crown on his head. After changing his clothes, he rushed out of the room.

His little wings fluttered as he flew toward the library with an empty, flattened stomach and a heart full of apprehension.

“Sperien, you’re awake?”

Sayah’s eyes lit up when she saw the little fellow flying unsteadily toward her. She went to meet him joyfully and asked with concern, “Are you hungry? Shall we go to the dining hall?”

“There’s no time!” Shu Li said anxiously. “I accidentally overslept... Will the king be angry?”

Looking at the little fellow’s remorseful expression, Sayah could not help laughing. “Don’t worry. The king won’t be angry. Let’s go have dinner first.”

“But... I missed an entire day of lessons.” Shu Li lowered his head in shame. He had specifically come to the Elven Kingdom to study magic under the Elven King, yet after only one day of lessons, he had already “skipped class.”

Sayah regarded him gently. Unable to resist, she reached out and lightly touched his little head, soothing him in a warm voice. “It’s all right. If you don’t study today, you can study tomorrow instead. The king went to the pasture this afternoon and hasn’t returned yet!”

“Huh? The pasture?” Shu Li looked up in surprise.

The plains of the Elven Kingdom were vast, and a large herd of docile deer-cattle was raised there. All the dairy products ordinarily consumed by the Elves and Fairies came from them.

Sayah winked at him. “Come on. Let’s eat first.”

Shu Li finally relaxed and followed Sayah toward the dining hall.

They encountered many Elves along the way, every one of whom greeted him enthusiastically.

Shu Li responded as he flew. Seeing that their attitude toward him was no different than before, he dismissed his suspicions.

It seemed that last night’s events had not alarmed the other Elves.

Dinner was so lavish that Shu Li’s mouth watered at the sight of it.

The Mother Tree had worked him like a child laborer for half the night, and then he had slept through the entire day. His stomach had long since shriveled from hunger, and he wanted to take a bite out of everything he saw.

After eating his fill, Shu Li was thoroughly satisfied.

Sayah set down her utensils and asked whether he wanted to visit the pasture.

“Now?” Shu Li turned to look at the sky outside.

Only half the sun remained visible. The sky had turned bluish violet, and night was about to fall.

Sayah smiled. “There’s a bonfire celebration at the pasture tonight. Let’s go join the festivities.”

The words “bonfire celebration” immediately energized Shu Li.

“Yes, yes!”

Unlike the industrious Fairies, the Elves were few in number and had more resources than they needed. Every few days, they held another celebration where they sang, danced, ate, and drank. Their lives were exceedingly comfortable.

No wonder the Elven King had gone to the pasture. There was a “bonfire celebration”!

Shu Li happily left the Crystal Castle with Sayah. Sitting atop a unicorn’s head, he clutched a lock of its mane to steady himself.

Many other Elves traveled with them, each dressed splendidly and riding a unicorn with elegant poise as they flew toward the pasture.

The afterglow of sunset painted the land a beautiful gold. Herds of animals raced joyfully across the plains, and in the distance, a thin wisp of white smoke curled into the sky.

The bonfire celebration had begun.

Dozens of unicorns descended one after another, landing in turn on the open ground near the bonfire. Several hundred brightly dressed Elves were already dancing lightly to the rhythm of the music.

The noble Elven King held an elegantly shaped concert harp in his arms and personally played for them.

Ilio stood across from him, playing a silver flute.

Several female Elves held tambourines, shaking them as they danced and filling the air with the crisp chime of bells.

The newly arrived Elves joined the dance and quickly blended into the crowd.

As the only Little Fairy present, Shu Li received enthusiastic invitations from the Elves.

“Little Sperien, would you like to dance with us?”

“Little Sperien, have you eaten dinner? We have freshly milked deer-cattle milk here. Would you like some?”

“Hello, sleepy little fellow. Are you finally awake?”

“Little darling, bring out your harp and play the Song of Spring with us!”

Unable to refuse such warm invitations, Shu Li took a white twenty-six-stringed harp from his storage ring and sat on the empty chair beside the Elven King. After listening closely to a few notes, he deftly plucked the strings and joined the rhythm.

The newly added harp had a clear, delicate, and livelier tone. It gave the piece greater depth and made the music even more beautiful.

The Elven King turned toward the Little Fairy playing with complete concentration. The corners of his mouth curved upward slightly, and a trace of tenderness appeared in his emerald-green eyes.

Shu Li was completely absorbed in playing the harp and did not realize that the Elven King was watching him.

He loved music.

He loved living freely, without restraint.

Whenever he saw a beautiful scene like this, he felt immensely fortunate to have transmigrated into a Fairy.

Though there were endless languages and spells to learn, his life was carefree, easy, and free. He could do as he pleased without ever worrying about making a living.

If he had not encountered the humans pursued by the Black Knights, if he had not met those invaders with hidden motives, and if the Mother Tree had never transported him into Dark Elf territory, he might never have sensed the darkness of the other world.

They could sing and dance so happily only because they lived under the Elven King’s protection.

Shu Li remembered how urgently the Mother Tree had pleaded for his help with the purification and sensed the unseen currents stirring beneath the peaceful surface.

When the song ended, the Elves took a break, dispersing among the nearby tables to eat and drink.

Shu Li set down his harp and tipped back his little head, gazing pitifully up at the Elven King. Haltingly, he confessed his mistake.

“My king... I’m sorry... I... overslept today...”

The Elven King looked down at him without responding.

Shu Li grew nervous. Raising his right hand as though swearing an oath, he desperately tried to defend himself. “I didn’t do it on purpose! Please... hear me out! I had a good reason! The Mother Tree—”

“Shh.” The Elven King raised a finger to his lips, signaling for silence.

Shu Li immediately stopped talking. He glanced around and saw that the other Elves were all occupied with their own affairs. Secretly relieved, he put away his harp, fluttered up to the Elven King’s shoulder, and leaned close to his ear to whisper the “secret” they shared.

“My king, were you the one who brought me back to my room last night?” he asked.

“It was nearly dawn.” The Elven King held the harp with one arm, freeing his right hand to pick up a glass of fruit wine from the table. He took a small sip.

So it had been dawn.

Understanding dawned on Shu Li.

If dawn had already been approaching, then the Mother Tree had exploited him for the entire night. No wonder he had slept all day.

“Well... I want to complain to you about the Mother Tree!”

With a solemn expression on his chubby face, the Little Fairy lowered his voice and gave the Elven King a complete account of the Mother Tree’s misdeeds: how she had harassed him in the middle of the night, tricked him into casting purification spells, transported him into Dark Elf territory, and exploited him as “child labor.”

The Elven King listened attentively without interrupting, allowing the Little Fairy beside his ear to list every excessive thing the Mother Tree had done in an aggrieved voice.

“...To get home, I had no choice but to use all my strength to cast purification spells on the Mother Tree’s branch.” Shu Li sighed. “She was asking the impossible! Don’t you think that was outrageous?”

The Elven King nodded. “Yes. Extremely outrageous.”

Having gained the Elven King’s agreement, Shu Li clenched his little fist. “I suspect she’s been corrupted by the branch. It must have affected her mind and left her somewhat confused.”

The Elven King set down his glass. His long, well-defined fingers lightly brushed the harp strings, producing several crisp notes.

“I apologize on her behalf.”

“Huh?” Shu Li froze for a moment. “It has nothing to do with you... You shouldn’t be the one apologizing.”

The Mother Tree was the Mother Tree, and the Elven King was the Elven King. They were separate individuals. How could he allow the noble Elven King to apologize to him?

“Eunomysis cherishes every cub she has nurtured, including the Dark Elves.” The Elven King’s deep voice harmonized perfectly with the lyrical melody of the harp.

Shu Li had never been able to resist the Elven King’s voice. He instinctively scratched his ear.

Eunomysis... Was that the Mother Tree’s name?

“The Dark Elves are traitors. Why would she cherish them?” Shu Li frowned.

He remembered that the Mother Tree had said she wanted to steal the Dark Elves’ fruits.

The Dark Elf cubs nurtured by the severed branch were born tainted by darkness. Would bringing them back to the Elven Kingdom really turn them into White Elves?

“To her, every cub is innocent. Their environment is what made them evil.” The Elven King lowered his °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° eyes. “Newborn Dark Elves should not become pawns of the traitors.”

Resting his chin on his hand, Shu Li thought carefully before nodding in agreement.

That was true. Children had no choice over the circumstances of their birth and should not be reduced to accomplices of evil forces.

There was nothing wrong with the Mother Tree wanting to change the situation, but why had she chosen him?

Shu Li voiced his question to the Elven King.

The Elven King’s fingers paused on the harp strings before beginning a different melody. “Do you know how the Mother Tree’s leaf grew?”

“Huh? How did it grow?” Shu Li asked curiously. When he first saw the Mother Tree, she had been truly “bald,” without a single leaf!

Then, the very next day, he had discovered a tiny green leaf sprouting from her branches.

It had been quite miraculous.

The Elven King spoke gently. “She formed a contract with you and gained a sliver of vitality.”

Shu Li could not help raising his voice.

“A contract?”