Chapter 88: The Truth Behind the Strange Events at Sefeng Plain!

“Will things take a turn for the worse?” Wang Chen asked.

“In theory, no,” the chieftain replied. “It’s like the tonics humans take—if a young person overindulges, at most they get a nosebleed. The benefits far outweigh any harm.”

Wang Chen nodded, quietly resolving to find a way to restore the vitality Na’er had lost.

After another round of casual conversation, Wang Chen rose to take his leave.

“Staying only for a while?” the chieftain asked with a smile.

“I have no choice. I have other matters to attend to. I need to make a trip to the secret realm today,” Wang Chen replied.

“Oh? Which secret realm is that? Is it dangerous?” The concern of an elder was clear on the chieftain’s face.

“I’ll head to Sefeng Plain first. If time permits, I’ll also visit the Lost Minewood,” Wang Chen answered.

“Sefeng Plain?” The chieftain frowned, thinking. “I recall a new group of elves recently arrived here from that very place.”

“Oh?” Wang Chen’s interest was piqued. “Could you introduce me to them? I’d like to ask about precautions for Sefeng Plain.”

“That’s no trouble at all.” The chieftain walked to his desk and took a token from a drawer.

This token resembled the elder’s badge given to Wang Chen, but with less ornamentation, more like a naturally formed piece of wood. Its green hue was even richer, as if it might drip sap at any moment.

The chieftain held the token in his palm and gently rubbed it between his hands. The token glowed softly, its light even visible through the chieftain’s hands by Wang Chen.

Moments later, the chieftain set the token down. “All right, they’ll be here soon.”

Wang Chen was a bit puzzled. Was that really all it took? The chieftain hadn’t written anything on the token—how could it summon people so easily?

Half skeptical, he waited with the chieftain for a while.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Wang Chen opened it to find several elves standing outside.

They looked at him in confusion and demanded to know who he was and where the chieftain was.

The chieftain stepped out from behind Wang Chen and rebuked them, “Show proper respect to the hero!”

He then explained Wang Chen’s identity to the elves, who immediately adopted a respectful demeanor toward him.

Everyone took seats inside the wooden cabin, those without a place stood by the side.

“I heard you came from Sefeng Plain?” Wang Chen asked. “I need to go there soon. Are there any precautions I should know?”

The elves fell into thought, whispering among themselves, before one stepped forward to answer on their behalf.

This representative was distinctive—their ears were much longer than those of typical elves.

“Honored hero,” he began, “the environment of Sefeng Plain is bitterly cold. If you wish to explore it, the first thing is to bring plenty of provisions.”

“Otherwise, you’ll have a hard time finding even a little food or water,” the long-eared elf replied respectfully. “Second, you must beware of a certain kind of beast in Sefeng Plain, one rather like a squirrel.”

“At first glance, these beasts may appear small and even cute, but in fact they are extremely bloodthirsty and vicious.” His tone grew grave. “They can shoot out their tongues, which are like hollow reeds, to suck out the brains of their prey.”

“Please be careful. If there is a higher vantage point above your head, they may well ambush you from there.”

Listening to the long-eared elf, Wang Chen pondered quietly.

This vicious squirrel must be the ferocious new beast Manager Liu mentioned that had appeared recently in Sefeng Plain.

But from the elf’s account, these squirrels had always been there. Why did humans say they’d only appeared recently?

Thinking of this, Wang Chen asked, “Have you fought these beasts before?”

“Yes,” the long-eared elf replied. “When our tribe lived in Sefeng Plain, we regularly culled the beasts to prevent them from attacking our young. The meat was also dried and stored as rations.”

That made sense!

Wang Chen realized the truth. It was the elves’ periodic culling of the squirrel beasts that kept them from becoming a problem for human adventurers. Even if a few people were attacked, it likely drew little notice. After all, these creatures were small, nimble, and quick to escape.

As Wang Chen was turning this over in his mind, the long-eared elf continued, “If you encounter them, use this flute. Its sound will temporarily stun the beasts.”

He handed Wang Chen a wooden flute.

Another flute? Wang Chen recalled the jade flute the chieftain had given him. With a flick of his finger, he took it from his storage space.

“By the way, chieftain, I almost forgot—I should return this jade flute to you,” Wang Chen said, handing it over.

The chieftain waved him off. “It was meant for the hero from the start. No need to return it.”

Stroking his beard, he explained, “This elven jade flute can have tunes inscribed in advance. The piece within it is a requiem that soothes the soul and counters mental attacks.”

Wang Chen inwardly admired the elves’ mastery of music. Instruments made for merrymaking became powerful tools in their hands.

He thanked the elves and rose to take his leave.

The long-eared elf and his companions accompanied him back to the settlement, then watched as Wang Chen stepped into the teleportation array.

…

Sefeng Plain.

A dry, cold wind swept across the sparsely vegetated plain, slicing at the skin like knives, its icy chill seemingly able to freeze the very marrow in one’s bones.

Yet the group striding across the plain seemed impervious to the cold, moving through the wind in little more than light clothing.

Each was a giant, two to three meters tall, with powerful, broad-shouldered frames.

At their head was a giant even more imposing, standing at least four meters tall. One of his eyes was blind, covered by a patch of animal hide.

Beside him walked another giant, slightly shorter, with three terrifying scars running across his forehead and over the top of his head—wounds that clearly came from a battle that had nearly claimed his life.

After a silent march, the one-eyed giant abruptly halted.

“How far are we from the starshard pines?” he rumbled, his voice deep and thunderous, like rolling thunder.

“About five kilometers,” the scarred giant replied. “When we see lichen and moss underfoot, we’ll know we’re close.”

The one-eyed giant turned to address two others in the group.

“Abel, Gona, scout ahead. Clear any dangers and set up a preliminary camp. Light a fire—we’ll follow the smoke to find you.”

The two giants stepped forward. Though a bit shorter than their companions, their muscular builds left no doubt of their strength.

“After the camp is set, should we start felling the starshard pines?” Gona asked.

“No need. Our first priority is to make the camp secure,” the one-eyed giant replied.

The two giants set off at a run, their strides immense, each footfall echoing like drums on the earth.