Chapter 56: An Alliance of Two

In the deepest part of the Whispering Forest, in the central conference hall of the elves' dwelling, several enormous and peculiar fireflies emitted a milky white light, illuminating the vast space within the ancient tree hollow. This prolonged meeting had been ongoing since the afternoon and had now reached this point.

During the earlier session, sounds of explosions and crashes were heard. After sending out scouts to investigate, they discovered that a magical explosion and an evil stone statue puppet had rushed into the barrier, causing the magical force above the barrier to dissipate and the puppet to revert to a pile of ordinary stones.

This result from the scouts further strengthened the conclusions drawn during the meeting.

Elder Cranford stood up to make a decision: "The recent incident has further confirmed that the great barrier of the Sun Well remains irresistible; no magical force can operate within the Whispering Forest. Although the barrier's deterrent effect on humans has significantly diminished, we have successfully removed many who entered the forest, so they should now be fearful. Therefore, we should maintain the status quo."

"Status quo? After discussing for so long, do we have no results at all?" The elven girl Ruya stood up, appearing somewhat agitated. "I will reiterate my suggestion: under the current circumstances, we should communicate well with humans to solve problems together. The evil aura emanating from those stone statues outside the forest, while humans may not feel it, is clearly the dark power coveting the leaves of the World Tree. Many foolish humans even worship them. We must take action; it's best to leverage human strength and clarify things with them..."

"Enough. We have already dismissed this," interrupted another elven elder coldly. "Those foolish and vulgar creatures have their beliefs manipulated by others. Do we really need to explain anything to them? Moreover, we do not need the help of such base humans. In direct close combat, no creature can match the wood guardians, especially with our assistance and that of unicorns. This method of guarding has been in place for over ten thousand years and can handle any enemy."

Ruya anxiously glanced around at the elders, her silver hair flowing gracefully. "But the situation is different now. With the loss of two leaves from the World Tree, the deterrent effect of the Sun Well on humans is nearly nonexistent. Their intrusion into our forest is only a matter of time."

"In order to prevent this from happening, all the withered wood guardians have been concentrated near the Sun Well. Absolutely no one can steal the leaves of the World Tree."

Ruya sighed deeply, scanning the faces of the elven elders with an expression of helplessness. "Why must we wait here passively for problems to arise instead of proactively solving them?" Compared to the cold expressions and tones of the other elves, she seemed to be the only living being in this ancient tree hall. The intensity of her emotions was more vibrant on her stunning face, even if it was laced with urgency and frustration. "Even without engaging with humans, we can temporarily expand the activity range of the wood guardians, allowing them to venture outside the forest to destroy those evil stone statues."

Elder Cranford dismissed her suggestion with a calm yet firm tone: "That is absolutely unacceptable. You know the rules of our clan. Neither we, nor the unicorns, nor the wood guardians are permitted to leave the Whispering Forest. Your last departure was already an exceptional case and must not be repeated."

"Rules." Ruya's tone and expression grew as cold as those of the other elves, but this was her own demeanor, not the common face of her kin. "I still clearly remember that when the human carrying the World Tree leaves escaped last time, he was severely injured. It was our rules that aided his escape, allowing him to flee slowly under our noses. It was our rules that caused us to lose that leaf from the World Tree."

This time, no one responded, and all the other elves maintained their icy, indifferent expressions. After a long silence, Elder Cranford coldly stated, "Rules are rules. They are the decrees set for us by the God of All Things, Fahma."

"If rules become a constraint, then they lose their meaning." Ruya looked around at her fellow elves, her eyes filled with a desolate beauty. "Having left the Whispering Forest to see the outside world, I understand that we have become far too rigid and conservative. We always consider ourselves superior and disdainful of mingling with other races, yet humans view us as merely a peculiar tribe, ignoring our voices. Even those inferior orcs, just because they established a powerful nation, forced humans to change their previous attitudes and acknowledge their status, even forming relationships with them. We must unite with our companions from the Turaleone Forest, ensuring our race has a place in the power distribution of this continent. Otherwise, all we can await is..."

"Please watch your words and actions, Ruya," Elder Cranford said coldly, staring at her. "You see, this illustrates the very purpose of the rule prohibiting us from leaving the Whispering Forest. Under the temptations of the outside world, your thoughts are teetering on the edge of danger. The great Fahma once said that the pursuit of power and progress is the prelude to decay and destruction."

"I am not denying the teachings of the great Fahma, just that in the current situation..."

"I declare this meeting adjourned." Elder Cranford cut off Ruya's words lightly but decisively.

The elven elders stood up together and filed out of the conference hall. Ruya and Elder Cranford were the last to leave.

"Do you know how many nations and races have been destroyed by humans over these thousands of years?" Cranford's tone was not as cold when it was just the two of them. "All because of the pursuit of power and progress. The quest for power inevitably leads to self-destruction, while the pursuit of progress leads to conflict. When these two pursuits continuously alternate, the final result must be destruction. Our seclusion and conservatism are the fundamental reasons our race has been able to live peacefully here for thousands of years; it is an unchangeable part of our civilization."

"But the situation is different now..."

"No matter what changes exist outside, we just need to do what we are supposed to do." Elder Cranford patted Ruya on the shoulder, speaking gently. "Go back now, and don't overthink things."

Ruya silently returned to her ancient tree. Upon entering the treehouse at the top, the stifling feeling seemed to extend into the room, which was also filled with an unpleasant odor.

She sat on a bed woven from intertwining vines and felt a sense of agitation. Just as she was about to rise to get some fresh air, a sudden feeling of danger surged in her heart—not born from her mood but from the real mix of a foul burning smell and another odor, a human stench.

She leaped towards the door, but the smell suddenly intensified, knocking her to the ground. One hand covered her mouth and nose, while the other secured her slender wrists together, pressing her body down.

After a struggle, Ruya found herself completely immobilized, as if nailed to the ground.

"Don't move, don't make a sound. I have something very important to discuss with you," said the voice, urgent and tense, even more so than Ruya's own. "You mustn't make a noise. If you call for others, I'll have to run. That wouldn't be good for anyone. What I need to tell you concerns your own safety, regarding those statues outside. Do you understand? Nod if you do."

Ruya nodded. The hand covering her mouth loosened slightly, and when it was clear she wouldn't scream, it slowly let go.

"You actually dare to come here?" Ruya stood up, filled with hostility as she took a step back. She recognized the voice. But for some reason, there was a peculiar burnt smell emanating from this person.

"Listen, I have something very important to tell you. The Necromancer Guild, the dark servants as you call them, will attack the Whispering Forest tomorrow at noon. Those statues outside the forest are set up by them to deal with you."

"Be clearer about what you're saying." Although this was the criminal everyone in the elf community dreamt of capturing, his words held more weight than his presence. Ruya waved her hand, and a small magical firefly flew out from her palm, illuminating the treehouse. She then saw the person before her: covered in ash and dirt, his clothes tattered and burnt, even his hair was singed.

Fortunately, due to the solar well's influence at the edge of the Whispering Forest, Asa was able to block the thunderous explosive spell cast by the necromancer with a fireball. But the shockwave and flames from the explosion had left him severely injured, causing him to crash deep into the forest. Thankfully, the healing spells were amplified in the forest, allowing him to recover quickly.

The withered wood guardians, usually omnipresent in the Whispering Forest, were absent, suggesting that something had indeed occurred. Asa pondered for a moment before heading towards the elven settlement.

Initially, he had only intended to quickly deal with the heretics, but he hadn't anticipated the vast conspiracy lurking behind the Necromancer Guild. All he felt now was a sense of helplessness.

Although he was currently an envoy with thousands of soldiers under his command, the situation had escalated to a point where, as the necromancer had said, there was truly no way to turn back. By noon tomorrow, at least five thousand devout followers would become food for those stone monsters. Then, those monsters would attack this place, killing all the elves and taking the leaves of the World Tree.

At first, he even considered revealing his identity to the two necromancers, telling them he was the candidate member invited by Vadenina. But he quickly sensed from their conversation that Vadenina seemed to act independently within the Necromancer Guild. While she had said she was "inviting you on behalf of the guild," others might not recognize her authority. Thus, revealing himself would be tantamount to seeking death.

Moreover, even if he successfully joined the organization as a comrade of the two necromancers, he could never persuade them to halt their plans. This was a collaborative effort among all members, and it would not be stopped due to the naive mercy of a newcomer like him.

If there was any glimmer of hope, it lay in finding a way to communicate with the elves, hoping they might cooperate. After all, the necromancers were targeting them.

However, he already knew how proud and obstinate the elves were. Given his status as a fugitive who had stolen leaves from the World Tree, they would likely not believe a word he said. Instead, he could expect a barrage of arrows in return. Now, without the King of Ghosts' robe, he no longer dared to risk becoming a porcupine by walking boldly into the elven settlement. After much contemplation, he had stealthily come to Ruya. Among all the elves, she seemed the only one with whom communication was still possible.

After hearing Asa's account, Ruya thought for a moment and coldly said, "Why should I believe you? Believe a despicable human who has broken his oath? How do I know you're not a dark servant sent to carry out some scheme? The forest's deterrent effect on humans has waned because you took the leaves of the World Tree, and now we still have to concentrate the withered wood guardians near the solar well."

Asa was at a loss for words. This anticipated question left him speechless. After a pause, he sighed helplessly and said to Ruya, "All I can say is this. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

Ruya remained silent, locking eyes with him. In the soft glow of the magical firefly, her eyes sparkled like precious gems sculpted by a master artist, while his were bloodshot, surrounded by dirt and burns, creating a silent standoff.

After a while, Ruya finally spoke, her voice low: "Even legendary dragons cannot withstand the sacred power of the solar well. Any foreign magic in the Whispering Forest will fail. No matter what evil arts they use, those wicked puppets cannot enter here. We have no reason to worry."

"I don't know if they can enter the forest. All I know is that those necromancers are definitely smarter than me, and smarter than you. They will not just be using those stone monsters to scare you," Asa explained patiently. "To resolve this, it would be simple for you; just appear before those followers, explain what the forest truly is, show them the withered wood guardians, and let them understand that those so-called nature gods are nothing but lies."

"Do you think we would purposely step forward to explain to those foolish humans and showcase our withered wood guardians like an exhibition?"

"If you disdain explaining, then you should command the wood guardians to eliminate those stone monsters. They've been lingering outside your forest for months. Why do you all just wait for problems to occur instead of taking the initiative to solve them?" Asa exclaimed in frustration.

"Neither we, the unicorns, nor the wood guardians can leave the Whispering Forest without permission; that is a decree set by the great Fahma." Ruya felt a strange sensation, as these words were what she had said to the elders earlier in the meeting, and now she was using their words to reject him. This unprecedented feeling gradually morphed into an expression she had never worn before.

The answer was incredibly frustrating, but the expression on the elven girl's face left Asa dumbfounded, and he couldn't muster any anger. In the faint light, although her smile held a hint of bitterness, it was enough to make anyone stop thinking.

Asa said nothing more. After a moment of silence, he slowly spoke, "I will lead my troops to destroy those statues before noon tomorrow. You can either assist us, or stay here in your mouse-hole-like tree hollows, clutching your outdated rules while getting killed and turned into undead skeletons. The choice is yours."

With that, he turned and slipped out of the treehouse, making no sound as he glided down to the ground, disappearing into the woods with a few leaps.

Ruya watched his figure vanish from the high treehouse and sighed. She didn't disbelieve him; she simply knew that the elders would never believe him.

Just as the first light of dawn appeared in the sky, the governor's residence was pounded loudly.

The governor struggled to rise from between two courtesans, feeling irritated. The pressure of dealing with the envoy had been immense these past few days, so he had hired two courtesans the previous night to relieve some of that work-related stress. Just when he was sleeping most soundly, he was abruptly awakened by this incredibly rude noise.

With a crashing sound, it seemed the door had broken from the incessant banging, followed by the servants' commotion outside. "Who is it?" "You're so bold, do you not know this is the governor's residence?" The noise, mixed with the cries of some servants, quickly approached the governor's bedroom door. Then, with a loud bang, a figure charged in like a mad bull, the two tightly shut doors seemed to fly open, crashing against the wall. The intruder was covered in tatters, as if he had just escaped from a furnace, with singed hair, black soot, and dirt covering him. The two courtesans on the bed screamed in fright.

The governor thought it was the heretics launching a major attack, intending to sacrifice him first. He ducked down, trying to hide under the bed, but the person grabbed him and pulled him up.

The intruder shouted in his face, "Gather all the troops in the city that you can and bring everyone who can be mobilized!"

The governor finally calmed his nerves and recognized the wild-eyed man as the envoy who had gone out to investigate the heretics. He quickly nodded in agreement, "Yes, I will dress and immediately mobilize people as soon as it's dawn."

"Put on your pants and get going," the governor's frail body was almost shaken apart. The envoy kicked one servant who had gathered the courage to rush in to rescue the governor out of the way. "Take all these people with you."

"Yes, yes." The governor's voice seemed disconnected from his will, purely a reflexive response. "May I ask, my lord, what are we doing?"