Chapter 72: The Elder and Viel

"Vera?"

Luo Yong paused for a moment—judging by the voice, it did seem to be the elf he had once met, the one with whom he had exchanged the wish scroll and rune gemstone.

"Eh? Aren't you... that wretched, damned—mmph!"

Before the elf could finish, Luo Yong swiftly covered her mouth.

"You know each other?" The slightly older elf beside them eyed Luo Yong warily, his expression unfriendly. These young outsiders, always so brash and quick with their hands—it did not endear him.

"My name is Luo Yong. I've met Vera before. I am the—"

"So you are Luo Yong, the one from the legends, the damned—mmph!"

The older elf, too, failed to finish before a hand clamped over his mouth. The person silencing him seemed to have appeared out of nowhere: another figure cloaked in a hood, their face concealed, though their tall figure suggested a woman.

"Bao'er? What are you doing here?" By now, Vera had recognized her and forcefully shook off Luo Yong's offending hand. Though Luo Yong was usually quite mindful of his hygiene, the overall standards here lagged far behind, and elves were notoriously fastidious. Thus, when Luo Yong's hand muffled her mouth, she immediately felt it was foul.

Ahem. Then again, to Vera, all men—indeed, all humans—smelled unpleasant. There was little distinction to be made.

"Hush!" Yan Bao'er made a silencing gesture, then led them away to a more secluded spot. There, she pushed back her hood, revealing a strikingly beautiful face.

"Bao'er, what's going on?" the older elf asked quietly.

"Someone is looking for Luo Yong."

"Huh? Someone's after me? Who?" Luo Yong was baffled for a moment, but then he realized who it must be—the old alchemist—and shrank back, glancing around nervously before hiding behind the elves.

"That old bastard tracked me down so quickly? But how did he even find a clue?" Luo Yong was puzzled. He was a master of disguise, unparalleled at concealing his presence, and had laid so many traps and used so many tactical scrolls.

Then suddenly, enlightenment struck. He had been too clever for his own good. A single tactical scroll would have sufficed to erase his tracks, but he had used far more. The resulting energy fluctuations were too concentrated in a short span of time. If the old alchemist was determined, he would eventually find a hint.

Luo Yong shook his head and sighed.

The three elves looked at him, utterly confounded.

This human is so dramatic, they thought. In mere moments, his expressions shifted through a dozen emotions, leaving the three of them baffled as to his meaning.

"What’s wrong, Luo Yong?" asked Yan Bao'er, her tone puzzled.

"Seems he’s gotten himself into trouble," the older elf remarked coolly before Luo Yong could respond.

"Hmph, I knew he’d be unreliable... Men—no, humans—are all terrible!" Vera declared, condemning the entire species in one blow.

Luo Yong was speechless.

What did I ever do to you?! If not for Bao'er...

For Bao'er's sake, Luo Yong swallowed his irritation. Otherwise, he might have—

Well, in a one-on-one, who knew if he could beat them? Most likely, he’d end up hurling insults—cough—offering some choice words about their ancestors and the lamentable state of their descendants.

"Here’s what happened..." Luo Yong began, pulling Yan Bao'er aside to whisper the details of his run-in with the old alchemist. He kept his voice low, though he had no idea if the two "pointy-eared" elves overheard.

"So that’s how it is." Yan Bao'er smiled and shook her head, glancing in the direction they’d come from. "But I was talking about something else. Ivan was arrested, right? He has a few blood brothers—sworn in with their heads to the ground. Since his capture, they've been moving heaven and earth to get him out, but Ivan’s crimes are beyond pardon. He’s sentenced to death, and the execution is imminent.

"Among his brothers, one called 'Elvin' is now near the Gaoge camp, asking around about necromancers."

"So that's the situation," Luo Yong nodded, narrowing his eyes. "So he doesn't know my name?"

"No. The Mage Guild is protecting the victims, so neither your information nor that of your team has been leaked," Yan Bao'er replied.

"That’s a relief. I’ll just avoid using that kind of magic for a while," Luo Yong said smugly.

"Then what kind of mage are you?" Vera sniffed, eyeing him with disdain. "Without magic, how will you manage? You might as well find a hole and hide like a turtle."

Luo Yong regretted having washed his hands after using the restroom earlier—why had he bothered?

"Tch! Don’t think everyone is like you. I told you before, I’m a Magic Swordsman. I’ve since trained in wind magic, and who knows, I might add more disciplines—no limits!"

He dared boast of his class to these elves only because, back at Roger’s camp, he had indeed met a real Magic Swordsman. Otherwise, he’d have felt too guilty to claim it.

"Hmph! Who knows if you’re telling the truth? Humans are the best at lying!" Vera turned up her nose.

Whoosh!

Luo Yong cast a wind blade right under their noses, letting the aura of an eighth-level hero surge from him.

"Oh?" Vera was surprised, looking at Luo Yong anew. This man, she thought, was clearly different from those she'd heard about or seen with the elders in the black market.

"Enough, keep a low profile," Yan Bao'er said, her manner official and stern. "Unless someone shows clear malice, even I can’t strike first. So don’t use that magic—don’t even mention it—and warn your teammates to be careful."

"Understood. They’re probably too busy right now anyway..."

"Speaking of which," the elf woman glanced around and then at Luo Yong, "where are your teammates? Why are you here alone again?"

"I came out to look for opportunities; they’re all relaxing in the secret realm, living the good life," Luo Yong replied, though the thought unsettled him. Duoduo was guarding the green crystal mine to master blacksmithing, but the others were freeloading—always after treats or stamina potions. He was sure Elia and the barbarian priestess wouldn’t be missing out. If the alchemy elf weren't a bound item, they would have taken her, too.

"A secret realm? Which one?" the elf elder sidled over, asking in a conspiratorial whisper.

"The spider realm in the Insect Island series," Luo Yong replied, after glancing at Yan Bao'er and getting her nod of approval.

"What?!"

"Spider?!"

Both the elder and Vera exclaimed, then fell silent, nervously glancing around before relaxing when they saw no one else was near.

"Another secret realm never before seen!" the elder said, moving beside Yan Bao'er, his low voice brimming with excitement.

"Spider..." Vera repeated, her expression complicated and hard to describe.

"When did this happen? Are all your teammates there?" Yan Bao'er was astonished. She’d known they were desperate to enter a secret realm, but hadn’t imagined they’d stumble into one previously unheard of.

"Who owns the secret realm now?" the elder asked.

"It’s mine, but the deputy captain, Wendy, is in charge at the moment," Luo Yong answered honestly. He trusted Yan Bao'er implicitly—she was the righteous elven adjudicator.

"Bao'er, could Luo Yong take us in for a look? You know how things are for our clan—the black market is a nightmare," the elder said, his tone almost pleading. Even as an elder, he would not go against the elven adjudicator’s wishes.

"Spider..." Vera muttered, as if spellbound.

"Luo Yong, what do you think?" Yan Bao'er looked at him, somewhat troubled.

"What do you want with my secret realm?" Luo Yong didn’t want to put Yan Bao'er in a difficult position—after all, she was his future wife: beautiful and powerful, a dream come true. But the secret realm was a massive trove of wealth, and he’d promised his teammates a share. He couldn’t go back on his word.

"We want the resources inside, of course," Vera said flatly, as if it were obvious.

"Luo Yong, this concerns all elves..." the elder began, sounding as if he meant to start from the dawn of time.

"I’ll explain," Yan Bao'er interjected, pulling Luo Yong aside to speak about the current plight of the elves.