Chapter 467: The Liberation Cause Gets on Track

Lothlorien Capital, Clear Spring District.

This district was not far from Secret Spring Square in the Royal Capital, just a short walk away.

This was the area with the highest concentration of half-elf residents in the capital, with many half-elves having made their homes here.

Rows of white poplar trees lined both sides of the streets. The houses were only two stories tall, most of them wrapped in green vines and grass, with terracotta flower pots on the windowsills containing a few lavender or mint plants.

Compared to the noisy dwarf streets, this place was tidier and more livable, giving off an indescribably comfortable feeling.

Leaf of No Distinction's gathering headquarters in Lothlorien was situated at the very center of Clear Spring Street, with a newly painted wooden sign hanging on the door, bearing the name of Leaf of No Distinction carved in both Elvish and the Common Tongue.

The headquarters' front door was wide open, with half-elf figures occasionally lingering at the entrance.

Most of them would stand there for a while, craning their necks to peer inside, hesitate for a moment, then timidly walk in.

Before long, they would file back out, heads lowered, and leave along the street.

Some elves passing by would also slow their pace to steal a few glances inside, curiosity flickering in their eyes before they walked on as if nothing had happened.

Outside the headquarters' entrance, Natalis stood on a wooden scaffold, on her tiptoes, struggling to paste a new poster onto the wall.

The poster bore the oak leaf emblem and a line of bold text—"Leaf of No Distinction, a voice for all the oppressed"—with the headquarters' address and meeting times printed below.

Salemir stood beneath the scaffold, arms crossed, looking up as she wobbled precariously on the rickety wooden frame, ready to catch her at any moment if she slipped.

Several days had passed since that speech.

Although quite a few half-elves had visited the headquarters during these days and the doorstep was hardly deserted, Natalis still felt disheartened.

On the first day after the speech, the half-elves who came to visit had indeed been numerous, so many that the room couldn't hold them all, and plenty of people had to stand at the door just to listen.

But those truly willing to leave their names and join the organization? Not that many.

By today, the number of visitors had dropped significantly compared to the previous days, almost returning to the quiet state before the speech.

She sometimes couldn't help but wonder—was the headquarters' location too remote? Could nobody even find the place?

Or maybe she should set up a bigger sign at Secret Spring Square, so everyone would know there was a half-elf organization here waiting for more people to join.

"I refuse to believe it... with a poster this big, they still can't see it."

She muttered under her breath, pouring all her strength into pasting the poster, slapping the wall with loud smacks.

The poor poster was thoroughly pressed down from the center to all four corners, every single edge and corner patted firmly into place, as if she feared it might fall off at the slightest provocation.

Salemir stood below, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

It wasn't that he worried Natalis might fall off the scaffold—no, he was afraid that with the way she was slapping, that wall wouldn't hold out much longer before she brought it crashing down.

"You could look at it from another angle," he couldn't help but advise. "His Majesty said the speech actually had a great effect."

"But you also know, most of those newspaper headquarters are concentrated in Dawn City, and Dawn City isn't exactly close to here. Even if half-elves over there read the reports and wanted to rush over, they'd still need several days of travel."

"Moreover, the news circulation in the kingdoms around Leaf of No Distinction is even slower than Dawn City's—it's actually abnormal that this many people have come already. It'll take time for word to reach those places."

"Really?" Natalis turned her head back from the scaffold to look at him, half in doubt.

She thought for a moment, then deflated. "But quite a few people came on the first day, and you only added eighty-one new members."

"Thirty-seven people. With that many, forget about going up against the Ancient Tree Council—we'd barely manage against a slightly bigger adventurer guild."

Orion walked out and explained patiently: "Try to think about it. For those half-elves in kingdoms farther from Lothlorien, if any of them truly wanted to come and join us, think about how many hardships and dangers they'd have to endure along the way."

"Someone willing to walk that path—their resolve is far stronger than those local half-elves standing at the door hesitating and watching."

He shrugged: "After all, most of the half-elves here are just here for the excitement, or they're still weighing their options. What they're not short on is time; what they're short on is courage."

"And those warriors truly willing to travel from afar—the moment they arrive, they'll immediately become the backbone of our organization."

"Then..." Natalis tilted her head. "When exactly will those warriors you mentioned come?"

Salemir chuckled from the side: "Soon. Maybe within the next day or two."

Seeing how confident they were, Natalis felt somewhat reassured. She jumped down from the scaffold, dusting the dirt off her hands: "Alright then, you two go on in and get busy. I'll stay here and make sure nobody dares to cause trouble."

Salemir let out a helpless laugh and shook his head: "Fine then. Orion, let's head inside."

The two turned and walked through the headquarters' door.

Natalis found a shady spot by the entrance, dragged over a table and a chair, and set them up under the big tree. She plopped herself down, her gaze starting to sweep back and forth across the street, watching the passersby.

She stared for a long time. Finally, she spotted a few half-elves lingering at the mouth of an alley, craning their necks to peek toward the headquarters, looking like they wanted to go over but didn't dare.

Overjoyed, she sprang up from her chair, about to rush over and greet them.

But the moment those half-elves saw her stand up, they darted back into the alley with a whoosh, faster than rabbits, vanishing in an instant.

Natalis stood frozen in place, her mouth still hanging open. She could only sit back down in her chair in silence.

She rested her chin on her hand and muttered gloomily: "How come this scene isn't quite matching what Salemir said..."

Sunlight filtered through the poplar leaves, warming her skin and making her drowsy.

She idly sprawled across the table, watching the pedestrians pass by one after another.

This time, she didn't dare call out to anyone. She could only watch, watch those half-elves linger at the alley mouth, then walk away disappointed.

Throughout the day, dozens of people came and went through the headquarters, but almost all of them just took a quick look around before leaving.

From morning until dusk, the sky gradually darkened, and the street lamps lit up one by one.

Natalis waited until her eyelids were heavy, then finally couldn't hold out anymore. She slumped onto the table and drifted off into a hazy sleep.

No telling how long passed, when a voice sounded beside her.

"...Hello?"

Natalis jolted awake from her sleep. She rubbed her eyes and looked up.

Standing before her was a half-elf uncle.

He looked around thirty, with handsome features, dressed in a worn leather ranger outfit. A hunting bow was slung diagonally across his back, and a short blade hung at his waist.

Seeing that Natalis had woken up, the man asked: "Hello, excuse me, is this the Leaf of No Distinction headquarters?"

Natalis wiped the drool from the corner of her mouth, quickly stood up, and nodded vigorously: "That's right, this is the place. You are..."

"Legolas Silverblade," the man gave his name. "From a border town in the Kingdom of Lyle. I'm a ranger."

He pulled a crumpled newspaper from his chest, unfolded it—there on the page was that very illustration of Orion shouting at Secret Spring Square.

"I want to see the person in this newspaper."

Natalis glanced down at the newspaper, then looked up in surprise: "The Kingdom of Lyle? That's so far from Lothlorien. How did you get here so quickly?"

Legolas explained simply: "The Moonlight Elf bloodline grants me the ability to draw on moonlight. Even without sleeping, I can stay full of energy."

Natalis opened her mouth but couldn't find the words for a moment.

She knew very well what the Moonlight Elf bloodline meant.

What shocked her wasn't the way he traveled, but that this man had actually traveled for several consecutive days just to see someone he'd never met before—all for the sake of a half-elf organization he'd only just heard of.

Her eyes inexplicably grew a bit hot. She nodded firmly: "Orion is inside. I'll take you to him."

"Hold on a moment."

Legolas glanced back at the poster on the headquarters' door. After confirming the location, he suddenly said: "Since the location checks out, I need to go back first and inform my fellow travelers."

Natalis was stunned: "Fellow travelers? There are others with you?"

Legolas maintained that calm, indifferent tone: "Mm. You inevitably cross paths with travelers on the road; it's normal to make a few friends."

"I'll be back later."

Natalis watched him turn and leave down the street, her heart a mix of anticipation and unease.

Watching that figure disappear around the street corner, she couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes, craning her neck for a good look several times.

After a while, Salemir appeared beside her without her noticing—he'd come out of the headquarters and was standing next to her, following her gaze toward the end of the street.

"Salemir, do you think he was just being polite? That he's gone and won't come back?" Natalis couldn't help asking.

Salemir withdrew his gaze and looked at her: "He has no reason to lie."

"Why?"

Salemir pulled a yellowed old paper from his chest and handed it over.

It was a wanted poster. On it was drawn a half-length portrait—a half-elf with sharp eyes, wearing a dark green cloak, his face identical to that half-elf ranger's, only looking even younger.

Several lines of text were printed beneath it:

Legolas Silverblade.

Crime: Assassinating a noble on the street.

Bounty: One thousand gold coins. Capture alive or kill without exception.

Natalis's eyes widened instantly.

"He... he killed who?"

Salemir said slowly: "Count Aldric Wayne."

"A nobleman who, under the guise of taking in half-elf orphans, actually enslaved them."

"Two years ago, on the streets of Lothlorien, Legolas ended his life in public, then escaped Lothlorien with those children. His whereabouts have been unknown ever since."

"He's a genuine Extraordinary professional."

Before Natalis could say anything, the sound of wagon wheels rumbling came from the street.

She looked up to see a long line of carriages slowly passing the intersection. The flatbed cargo carts were piled high with neatly bound goods, their canvas covers dusted with the grime of travel.

The convoy stopped right in front of the headquarters.

Sitting on the driver's seat of the lead carriage were Legolas and a human merchant.

The merchant jumped down from the carriage, looked up at the wooden sign on the headquarters' door, then glanced at the giant poster on the wall beside it. He turned and shouted toward the rear of the convoy: "We've arrived! This is the Leaf of No Distinction headquarters."

"Everyone get off! And remember to pay your fare—I don't do free rides!"

Legolas tossed a pouch of gold coins from his chest to the merchant: "Keep the change."

He vaulted down from the driver's seat and walked toward the rear of the convoy.

Behind him, figures of all kinds of dress hopped down from the long line of carriages one after another.

There were elven rangers carrying longbows, human mages wrapped in worn cloaks, and half-elf hunters in simple leather armor.

Men and women, tall and short, but most carried an aura of steady composure.

Natalis did a rough count.

Over forty.

A full forty-something people, just like that, standing at the headquarters' door behind Legolas.

"You... you're all here to join Leaf of No Distinction?" Her voice sounded a bit floaty.

A young woman carrying a longbow stepped out from the crowd, a relaxed smile on her face: "What, did we come to the wrong place?"

"No, no!" Natalis shook her head vigorously, beaming with joy: "You came to the right place. Please, come in, come in!"

She led the group streaming into the headquarters, where they met Orion, who was organizing documents inside.

Salemir methodically laid out a registry book, recording their names and origins one by one.

The names in the registry grew longer and longer, and as the registration progressed, the air in the room gradually grew heavier.

Among these forty-three travelers, the vast majority turned out to be Elite Professionals.

Their combat capability was enough to form an elite legion by any kingdom's standards.

And even more astonishingly, aside from Legolas, there was also an Extraordinary elf mage in a gray robe.

When Orion laid out Leaf of No Distinction's goals, stance, and the Ancient Tree Council they would be facing, in full detail to these forty-plus people, the entire headquarters hall fell silent for a moment.

But surprisingly, not a single one of the forty-plus people left.

They simply nodded, registered, then sat down along the walls, chatting pleasantly with one another, showing not the slightest intention of leaving.

Natalis watched the hall gradually fill with seated figures, and suddenly she understood what Salemir had meant.

The warriors were truly gathering.

The next day, Natalis didn't sit under the big tree at the door idling like she usually did.

Because too many travelers had arrived from out of town, she was completely swamped.

Registering names, arranging lodging, answering all sorts of questions, taking newcomers on tours of the headquarters... She spun around like a top, so busy her feet barely touched the ground.

Clear Spring District had never been this lively.

Wave after wave of people from all directions converged on this street.

They gathered here for a single shared cause, making the very air of the entire district feel hot with energy.

The nearby residents who had been hesitating on the sidelines, seeing this scene, actually began to push open their doors one after another, and cautiously stepped through the headquarters' entrance.