Chapter 337 - 305: It’s Only Natural to Help

Chapter 337: Chapter 305: It’s Only Natural to Help

"My clan is from there."

A nostalgic look appeared in Valles’s eyes.

"Yesterday, I saw the cloud pattern embroidered on the hem of your clothes. That’s the unique mark of the Cloud Sleep Valley Clan... That’s why I was curious and asked."

"You said you were also from Cloud Sleep Valley..."

A Half-Elf from Cloud Sleep Valley...

Aidi suddenly thought of something, his eyes widening slightly. "Could it be... your name is Valles?"

Seeing Aidi connect the dots to his name so quickly, Valles had a complicated expression.

Every Elven settlement is very insular, so whatever happens in one household is basically known by all the Elves living in the area.

He gave a bitter smile. "Yes, I’m Valles."

Aidi seemed to want to confirm it, so he spoke tentatively.

"Ano’lamin, thero val’istar quessir?"

And Valles nodded.

"Sanya na’ruth, ilya quel, ilya quel."

"Vanya sulie?"

"Amin khiluva..."

Following that was another exchange that outsiders couldn’t understand at all. The expression on Valles’s face softened considerably.

He even tilted his head and began introducing his teammates to Aidi one by one in the Elven Language.

"All that gibberish, what the hell are they talking about?

Gray, who had perked up his ears hoping to eavesdrop on some drama, couldn’t help but frown.

"They’re not secretly bad-mouthing me, are they?"

"Who knows," Zelir shrugged.

The language of the Elf Race was different from that of goblins or other Demons.

Communication between Demons sounded more like crude roars, chaotic and disorganized.

Furthermore, the variety in syllables was extremely limited, so not much information could be conveyed.

But the Elven Language Valles and Aidi were speaking had a strange rhythm to it. Its syllables were rich and varied, at times flowing like a babbling brook, at others like the wind rustling through treetops.

Zelir was suddenly reminded of the ancient Elven Language book he had found in the Mage’s Guild library.

’Valles couldn’t read it... I wonder if Aidi can.’

But on second thought, since they both belonged to the same clan, their spoken language was the same, so Aidi probably couldn’t understand the ancient text either.

After they had been talking like this for a while, Valles finally switched back to the common human tongue.

"It seems everyone is doing well."

A gratified smile appeared on Valles’s face. "That’s good, that’s good..."

"I really didn’t expect this."

Aidi looked Valles up and down with great interest.

"Valles, you’re already a Middle Level Ranger, aren’t you? If they knew... they’d be completely shocked."

Valles just sighed and waved his hand dismissively.

"So... you really came to explore the ruins all by yourself? Without a single teammate?" Zelir asked curiously.

"Yes..."

Aidi now realized he had been reckless and felt a bit embarrassed.

"While I was training in the human world, I heard Sengu Town was a good place, so I came over..."

"I happened to arrive just as the ruins opened, so I thought I’d come see if I could make a profit or something."

"Then I spent almost all my savings on a permit to try my luck..."

"Who knew I’d run into something like this on the very first day? These ruins are way more dangerous than the Demon cleanup quests I’ve done before!"

’A newborn calf truly doesn’t fear the tiger...’ Zelir sighed to himself.

From the looks of him, Aidi hadn’t reached the level of a Middle Level Ranger yet. At most, he was a relatively strong Junior Ranger.

And yet he dared to venture into the ruins alone.

"If you can’t find a suitable party, you shouldn’t go any further," Marcus warned. "You ran into us this time. Otherwise, your life would’ve been forfeit."

"I understand."

Aidi nodded seriously. "I’ll go back and recover from my injuries first, then I’ll think carefully about what to do next."

’I have to earn back the Five Gold Coins I spent on the permit!’

Valles fumbled in his pocket for a moment, then pressed a few Gold Coins into Aidi’s palm.

"Take these."

"Valles..."

Aidi froze for a second, a flicker of panic in his eyes. "No, I can’t take your..."

"Take them. We are both children of Cloud Sleep Valley."

Valles’s expression left no room for refusal. "Prices in Sengu Town are so high right now. How could that little bit of money you have possibly cover your daily expenses?"

"Go to an inn, take a hot bath, eat a good meal, and then take your time to figure things out."

It was rare enough to meet another Elf out here, let alone one from his own homeland.

He had to help where he could.

"Valles..."

Aidi pressed his lips together, that stubborn pride of his finally dissipating.

"Thank you."

In a foreign land, to receive such warm care from a Half-Elf was truly a rare experience.

"Come here."

Zelir also beckoned to Aidi.

Aidi obediently stood in front of Zelir.

Zelir didn’t say anything, simply tapping his Night Peace Magic Wand.

A soft green light spread out.

Warm energy seeped through Aidi’s pores, a tingling sensation instantly replacing the burning pain.

Aidi lifted his clothes to look down.

The wound, previously corroded to a purplish-black by the slime, was now scabbing over and peeling off at a visible rate.

The new skin underneath was as smooth as before, without even a scar left behind.

Watching this, Aidi was so moved he was on the verge of tears.

For a race like the Elves, who placed extreme importance on appearance, such help was a tremendous kindness.

"Really... thank you so much! Zelir! I’ll never forget this debt of gratitude!"

"Alright, alright."

Zelir dispelled the Healing Skill. "Be careful on your way back. Don’t step into another trap."

"Mhm, I will!"

Aidi nodded vigorously. "May we meet again if fate allows!"

After bowing to Zelir once more, Aidi shouldered his pack and set off on the path back.

Watching Aidi’s figure gradually recede into the distance, Valles withdrew his gaze.

He turned his head to Zelir.

"Thank you, Zelir, for being so good to him."

Valles knew that Zelir had most likely helped heal Aidi out of consideration for him.

It was also he who had asked Zelir to help ask questions at the tavern last night.

"Don’t mention it. We’re teammates," Zelir said with a wave of his hand.

After briefly regrouping, the party continued on its way.

"Are all you Elves Rangers?"

Gray, who had witnessed the whole exchange, asked curiously. "It seems like you all use bows."

"There are quite a few Rangers. You could call it a racial talent, I suppose," Valles said.

"Elves have excellent dynamic vision and Perception, making them natural-born Rangers."

"There are also some Elf Knights and the like, but they also tend to follow a more agile and nimble path."

"What about Vanguards?" Marcus said.

"Vanguards are basically nonexistent," Valles said with a grimace.

An Elf holding up a huge shield to tank damage...

Just thinking about it feels wrong.

And no Elf would do something so undignified.

"What about Mages?" Zelir also asked.

He was quite curious about Elf Mages.

What kind of differences would there be between the Magic Power wielded by such a mysterious and isolated race and that of humans?

However, Valles’s answer was somewhat unexpected to Zelir.

He shook his head.

"There are some, but their skill level isn’t great. Compared to Human Mages of the same Level, they are far behind."

"Oh?" Zelir raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued.

"Among the Mages of all races, there’s no doubt that Human Mages have the highest overall skill level, and by a huge margin."

Valles explained at length.

"Because we established the continent-spanning Mage’s Guild."

"We have a comprehensive system for imparting knowledge, an academic educational system, and you can casually look up magical knowledge from hundreds of years ago in a library."

"The wisdom of countless people has been accumulated, revised, and passed down, snowballing over time."

"Furthermore, we possess vast resources, allowing us to cultivate large numbers of prospective Mages."

"But the Elf Race is different..."

"They live in relatively closed, small clans. If the geographic distance is even slightly large, they can’t even understand each other’s speech."

"In such an insular environment, magical knowledge naturally can’t be widely disseminated. It can only be passed down within a single clan."

"Add to that their limited resources, and their overall skill level is generally quite poor..."