Chapter 2273: Elf and Mermaid

Chapter 2273: Chapter 2273: Elf and Mermaid

At this moment, the temperature Shard felt was about 60 degrees, which shouldn’t be too unbearable for him. However, the intolerable heat was clearly the supernatural power of this bizarre Sand Sea at play.

The Tree Father never places Shard in a safe spot initially. The thought of "desert" immediately brings "giant worms" to mind, yet Shard felt no vibration on the sand surface. Only later did he realize that the intense heat and sunlight threatening to melt him was the real danger; he couldn’t remain in place any longer.

There were no signposts in sight as the rolling sand dunes stretched to the horizon without change. So, Shard began running in the direction he faced, but he didn’t feel the wind could dissipate the heat from his body as he ran.

Fortunately, the Tree Father never puts him too far from the mission site. After tumbling down from the top of a sand dune, a structure finally appeared in the distance. The people within noticed him, and one person frantically waved at him.

Four strangers stood inside a square gray stone building not far away, resembling a dilapidated temple, more ruined than the [Church of the Forgotten] was initially because half of its main structure had already collapsed.

The entire building had only one level, which is why Shard hadn’t seen it from afar earlier.

At the door waving frantically toward him was a young girl with blue hair, behind her stood an elderly woman. In the left window stood a woman with light brown skin and black hair, dressed quite scantily, while the right window housed a tall woman with gray-white hair.

The blue-haired girl at the door instinctively wanted to step outside, but as soon as she touched the sunlight, she retreated indoors painfully, reacting even more than Shard did.

The lack of reference points in the desert made seemingly close distances actually far apart. However, spatial movement wasn’t prohibited in this bright desert, so upon spotting his destination, Shard gasped heavily, using "Lagre’s Leap" and "Red Butterfly Incarnation" in quick succession to accelerate, finally stumbling into the broken-down temple before being cooked alive.

He almost hurled himself into the doorway before collapsing inside, and as the building’s shadow blocked the sunlight, Shard nearly groaned appreciating the chilliness of the floor.

At this moment, even the Outlander’s recollections of his hometown summers were invoked; it truly seemed to be a thing of the distant past now.

"Are you alright?"

A very pleasant voice reached his ears, but it wasn’t a language Shard was familiar with. The current time was considered the mid-Fifth Era, and while Shard could understand their speech due to his "Linguistic Comprehension," he couldn’t speak their language.

After resting for a moment, he pushed himself off the slightly cool stone brick floor, supporting himself with one hand on the dusty ground, and looked at his four companions on this venture.

The details he had observed in the desert weren’t wrong; his companions were indeed all females this time.

The woman half-crouching beside him asking if he was alright was the same blue-haired girl who had signaled him over. Her blue hair had slight natural curls, her ears and the patterns in her blue eyes appeared different from a regular person’s.

She was likely a witch, around the Ninth Rank. Currently looking at Shard’s wrist with eager anticipation, Shard knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Not human?"

"Sorry, what did you say?"

The blue-haired girl asked curiously yet cautiously, clearly not understanding Shard’s words. The lady with light brown skin, dressed as scantily as a dancer, smiled and approached Shard, bending over and gently tapping Shard’s eyebrow with her finger:

"This gentleman probably went a little mad from the heat and spoke nonsense; are you feeling better now? Can you speak?"

[Outlander, you have accepted a blessing. Until you leave the "Gravel Golden Sea," anyone can understand what you say.]

Shard glanced surprisingly at the lady with light brown skin, who had already retreated behind the blue-haired girl.

"Can you understand what I’m saying?"

"Now we can."

The blue-haired girl replied, then rudely grabbed Shard’s wrist:

"Are you a man? This desert sure is peculiar, anything can happen. Ah! No reaction, indeed you aren’t a man."

She smiled, looking into her palm, giving Shard the opportunity to stand up:

"Sorry, I am indeed male. Also, thank you for allowing me to come here to avoid the sunlight."

He expressed his gratitude, the other two came over as well. Among the four women, three were witches; the one who wasn’t was the gray-white-haired woman over one meter ninety tall.

Though one could avoid the sunlight in this rundown desert temple, it remained hot. The regular woman thus shed most of her gear, but Shard still managed to see the full set of knight armor she had stationed where she stood.

Glancing around again, this was the interior of the desert temple, seen internally the partially collapsed temple seemed small. Only the entrance remained fairly intact, and even the sand could only invade up to it, thereafter merely dusting lightly across the brick floor.

The door of the temple had long since disappeared, rows of severely weathered long benches extended into the temple interior under the shade, soon illuminated by sunlight streaming in from the vanished ceiling.

From the entrance, the upper left section of this small temple had completely collapsed, becoming part of the desert, but the fallen building materials filled the gap, keeping the structure from being overly transparent.

Inside the temple, the wall where the Holy Emblem should be placed was empty, save for the sunlight beaming through the broken ceiling, making the wall appear reflective.

Old, shattered; compared to the Church of the Forgotten in Randall Valley Urban District, this church was truly forgotten.

Of course, this wasn’t the time for observation and exploration; Shard had to first manage his relationship with his companions for this venture.

"You say you’re a man?"

The blue-haired maiden stood up, scrutinizing Shard:

"I saw you using supernatural powers just now."

"Uh, this..."

Shard wanted to find an excuse casually, but the last member among them, an old lady with a cane, spoke with a smile.

Like the blue-haired maiden, she wasn’t human, yet she was of different race than the blue-haired girl.

Even in old age, Shard could discern her pointed ears and skin tone that indicated she was of the elven race. The old lady was the shortest among them, and considering elves’ long lifespan, this granny elf was certainly older than any mortal Shard had ever met.

"Leah, don’t be rude. I sense the blessing of the Tree Father on him."

The granny elf raised her cane, pointing the bottom towards Shard. Shard paused, grasping the cane. Some strange gray aura drifted from the wood connecting them, and the old elf confidently declared with a smile:

"This is one chosen by the Tree Father; there’s no need to probe his origins. He is here to help us."

She retracted the cane and inclined her head slightly to Shard, saying:

"Greetings, I am Yadlyn Sianod, an elf of the Moon Creek Clan, here to seek the Heart of the Oasis for the Saint Byrons Witch Academy in the Far North, to secure their protection for our clan."

She spoke in ancient Elvish, placing her left hand to her forehead as she performed a gesture of high respect towards Shard. Shard reached out to assist her, preventing the granny elf from bowing before him. From the surname "Sianod," she was likely Emilia’s ancestor.

The elves now living in Saint Byrons did not originate with Miss Feliana at the academy’s founding. Even the first librarian, Miss Orland, with one-eighth elven lineage, belonged to the Longleaf Elf clan. Longleaf Elves revered the Sage of Silvermoon and had little connection to the elves worshipping the Tree Father.

Therefore, Emilia’s clan joining Saint Byrons originally must indeed have a story.

"Greetings, Granny Sianod; I have indeed come because of that ancient deity. I am Shard Hamilton."

Shard introduced himself, then bowed slightly, speaking in ancient Elvish:

"May the World Tree protect us throughout endless time."

The granny elf avoided his bow and solemnly repeated the phrase, then signaled for the other team members to introduce themselves:

"I vouched he is trustworthy."

In this four-member squad, the old elf was evidently the most respected. She was a genuine Thirteenth Rank Witch, appearing stronger than the other three. Seeing she had accepted Shard, the other three ladies, though perplexed about Shard’s identity, were less guarded.

The blue-haired maiden pointed at herself with a smile:

"Although now I’m stranded, awaiting demise, this landing has brought increasing interesting encounters. Since Granny Sianod says we can trust you, then I do as well.

I am Leah Sander, a mermaid from the Outer Sea. I’m here seeking the Heart of the Oasis as a birthday gift for my father, but clearly underestimated the danger... You didn’t immediately look at my legs, which pleases me greatly."

"I know some mermaid lore, and it’s incorrect that mermaids need spellcasting to gain legs upon coming ashore as described in the tale ’Mermaid Princess.’ Though seldom done, I know you can shift your form at will."

Shard replied, causing Miss Sander to blink and inquisitively ask:

"The fairy tale you mention is... If there’s time later, could you tell me?"