The little girl's eyes were brimming with curiosity, "Are Combat Artisans really that amazing?"

"You can call me Ade," Fang Hong said, sweating profusely, "and who is Miss Atira?"

"Okay, Combat Artisan—no, Mr. Ade," the little girl winked at him playfully, "then as an exchange, you must call me Tianlan."

But she suddenly stopped, her gaze shifting to something behind Fang Hong.

Fang Hong followed her gaze, turning around to find himself enveloped in a massive force. It wasn't that the person hugging him was particularly strong, but their excitement was so intense that it bordered on trembling.

The gentle scent of a woman—subtle as that of laurel—surrounded him.

He felt as though he had collided with a soft wall, a gentle ocean, with a vigorous heart beating underneath. He could even feel the trembling chest through the thick layers of cloth, which made the French girl seem rather trivial in comparison.

But Fang Hong had not a single whimsical thought. His mind went blank, practically asphyxiating from the lack of air.

The system popped up a red warning, informing him that his vital signs were becoming unstable due to oxygen deprivation—

He could clearly sense the woman's excitement, her reluctance to let go. Then a voice laden with emotions came from below—excitement, relief, sorrow, and disbelief. Fang Hong never imagined that so many emotions could be fused into a single cry:

"Kid, is it really you?"

"..."

Fang Hong wanted to speak, but he couldn't utter a word.

Thankfully, Tianlan was beside him. She cautiously reminded, "Miss Atira, I, I think you've mistaken someone..."

"Ah?" The girl holding him snapped out of her daze.

Only then did she let go and push Fang Hong away slightly, looking down to scrutinize his face—Fang Hong saw those striking green eyes and realized she was the same Elf Hunter girl he'd encountered before. However, she was a Forest Elf and much taller than him.

The wild green depths of the girl's eyes slowly froze over.

"This is bad," Fang Hong thought, knowing full well how formidable the Elf Girl was. He obediently closed his eyes, bracing for a smack.

He was familiar with this routine, a standard prime-time drama scenario.

Strangely, nothing happened for a while—

Until he heard a sound of uncontrollable sobbing. Driven by curiosity, he squinted his eyes and was astonished to see the girl clutching his shoulder, already weeping uncontrollably.

"What's this...?"

"Miss Atira must have mistaken you for her brother, Combat Artisan—sorry, Brother Ade," Tianlan said with a tongue-tied expression as she revealed what had occurred: "...my apologies, Brother Ade."

Thus, through Tianlan's explanation, Fang Hong finally understood the whole story.

The Elf Girl's name was Atira, a seventh-generation Forest Elf born about a hundred and thirty years ago on Giant Tree Hill—obviously, a first-world Native.

She came to Elpaxin to search for her brother, who had run away from home six months earlier.

"...In fact, the body of Mr. Kid was found last month, along with a group of Adventurers in the ruins beneath Traveler's Forest," Tianlan added softly.

Fang Hong couldn't help but look sympathetically at the Elf Girl not far away, thinking she must be unable to accept this outcome.

Tianlan shook her head, "It's not like that. Miss Atira has been following her brother's traces all the way here from Giant Tree Hill, but she only found one record of Mr. Kid's resurrection at the Holy Sanctuaries across the lands."

"Ah?" Fang Hong was stunned, "How is that possible? Natives can be resurrected five times, right, and the Dead Silence Zone has no effect on them, doesn't it?"

"That's why Miss Atira is still here," Tianlan replied, "She won't leave until she's uncovered the truth—" She paused, "And we happen to be here investigating the Obelisk issue, completing our Trainee graduation exam. Miss Atira is truly a kind person. She and Mr. Parker agreed to help us complete a three-month pilgrimage at no cost, so we're all supporting each other—"

"Wait, what's this Obelisk thing?"

"You've never heard of the Obelisks, Brother Ade?" Tianlan looked at him quizzically.

Fang Hong shook his head blankly.

He had spent an entire Long Summer in the Forest Sea of Tarun, his mind preoccupied with the Descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance, as well as the Elf Ruins. Suddenly hearing others mention different matters reminded him that Eteliria was more than just Tarun.

Of course, the Battle of the Long Summer between the Descendants of Flor and the Rainbow Alliance was also a significant event among the first-world Chosen, but from Tianlan's tone, it seemed that other even more eye-catching events had taken place during that time.

"It's about the legend of the seven Obelisks, which started circulating around Rainbow Bay about six months ago. You really haven't heard anything, Brother Ade?" Tianlan furrowed her brow, "...wait a minute, how does that song go again?"

As if answering the question, someone began to sing a gentle ballad. The singing voice carried over from not too far away, "Beneath the seven Obelisks, the secrets of the Elf Holy Grail Numelin are buried, in the land where twelve stars shimmer, Eternal life, infinite wisdom."

The two other figures appeared from the bushes, a tall Trainee carrying an unconscious Papalar Crossbowman, and the youngest Trainee who was softly singing the song.

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