Chapter 328 - 301: Pure-blood Elf

Chapter 328: Chapter 301: Pure-blood Elf

The group began to dig in.

The culinary culture of Sengu Town was quite distinctive.

The local cuisine was generally light on the palate, but by no means bland.

Instead, it brought out the natural flavors of the ingredients, whetting one’s appetite.

Zelir began to work on cutting up his beef stew.

However, a glance out of the corner of his eye revealed that Valles wasn’t eating or drinking. He was just staring dazedly at something.

"Valles, what are you looking at?"

Curious, Zelir followed his gaze.

The moment he saw what Valles was looking at, Zelir was also taken aback.

It was a figure sitting alone by the window.

In the warm light of the lamps, her skin was so fair it was nearly transparent, gleaming with the delicate luster of porcelain.

A cascade of long, smooth hair fell down her back, interspersed with a few exquisitely woven, slender braids.

Her hair was the color of an ice-covered lake seen through the morning mist, a shade very similar to Tiffany blue.

But what surprised Zelir the most were her ears.

Unlike Valles’s ears, which, though pointed, still retained a rounded contour.

Her ears were long and slender, with sharp, perfect lines that tapered to a fine point.

She was an Elf.

A Pure-blood Elf.

Gray, who was busy with his roast meat, noticed the other two staring and followed their line of sight.

Upon spotting her, Gray’s expression immediately grew mischievous.

"Aha..."

A playful smile crept across Gray’s lips.

"They say spring is the season for love... but it’s still winter, Valles. Getting an early start, are we?"

Hill was also sizing up the Elf.

"A Pure-blood Elf... You don’t see them very often," Marcus remarked.

As befitting her proud race, the female Elf possessed an ethereal beauty.

It was as if her mere presence cast a special filter over her surroundings.

"I mean... must you stare so blatantly? It’s rude."

Zelir was confused; he’d never seen Valles so flustered. "Have you really fallen for her?"

"No... that’s not what I mean..."

Valles shook his head slightly, a complicated look in his eyes.

"The way she’s dressed... it’s very characteristic of my homeland."

"I haven’t been around my own kind in so long... I wonder how everyone back home is doing, now that I’ve been away for such a long time."

"Oh... so it’s just a case of seeing someone from back home."

Gray’s face lit up in understanding. "Well, what are you waiting for? Pour her a glass of fruit wine and go say hello."

"I can’t..." Valles shook his head again, clearly conflicted.

"What on earth are you so shy about?"

Zelir was getting confused. "If you want to know what’s happening back home, just go up and ask her."

"It’s not that simple... Zelir, you don’t understand."

"Because I... I’m a Half-Elf..."

Valles looked vexed, and his tone carried an air of inferiority.

"In the traditional mindset of the Elf Race, bloodline is everything."

"Those proud Pure-blood Elves feel no kinship for those of us with mixed human blood. In fact... they utterly despise us."

"If I go over there, she’ll definitely ignore me..."

"Are the Elf Race really that stuck-up?"

Zelir frowned. "Looking down on this person, looking down on that person... Maybe you’re just psyching yourself out."

"But that’s how they are."

Valles sighed, clearly speaking from personal experience.

Still, after a moment of hesitation, it seemed Valles didn’t want to give up the chance to get some news.

He looked over at Marcus, Gray, and Zelir, his eyes filled with a hopeful plea for help.

"What is it..."

"How about you guys try talking to her first? See if she’s willing to engage with us?" Valles asked.

"Why us?"

Gray asked, confused. "If Pure-blood Elves look down on Half-Elves, wouldn’t they look down on humans even more?"

"No, no, no. They look down on Half-Elves the most, because they feel we’ve tainted their noble, pure bloodline,"

Valles said.

"But their attitude toward humans is less certain... after all, humans are their own distinct, intelligent race."

"Besides, the fact that she’s willing to come to a human town, and even sit here in the main hall of a tavern... that must mean her tolerance for humans is pretty high, right?"

"She looks down on Half-Elves that much, and you still want to go over there?"

Zelir shook his head. "Why humiliate yourself like that? Just ignore her."

"I just want to know what’s happening back home..." Valles’s voice was quiet.

It was the first time any of them had seen Valles look like this.

’This proud idiot,’ Zelir grumbled inwardly.

"Alright, I’ll help you out this once."

Gray gave a roguish smirk. "Take notes. Watch how a master works his magic on the ladies."

With that, Gray calmly straightened his collar.

He then used the reflection in his cup to smooth his hair, looking sharp and full of spirit.

"I won’t just find out about your hometown, Valles. I’ll get you her entire life story—birthplace, family background, the works!"

After shooting the rest of the squad a conspiratorial wink, Gray picked up a glass of fruit wine and headed toward the Pure-blood Elf.

Perhaps it was due to her high Perception, or perhaps it was because Gray’s intentions were too obvious.

He was only halfway there when the Pure-blood Elf turned her head and fixed her eyes on him.

Then.

What happened next took everyone by surprise.

An expression surfaced in the Elf’s clear, lake-like eyes—an expression that was utterly unmistakable.

Disgust.

Yes, that’s what it was: pure, undisguised disgust.

It was the look one might give something utterly vile—a toad on the side of the road, perhaps, or a sewer rat. The kind of look that makes you want to recoil.