If you were to ask where the most lively and most watched place on the Aetheram Continent has been recently, it would undoubtedly be the Verdan Eternal Forest.
More precisely, it was the Elven Court and its surrounding satellite cities.
That area had clearly begun to take on the prototype of the continent's heart.
Since gaining fame from the battle with Doragon's army, reminding the world of the Elven Kingdom's power, and then revealing a magical alchemy technological foundation that shocked the world, the Elven Kingdom became a mysterious realm that everyone on the Aetheram Continent longed for.
The countless access requests from high-ranking officials of various nations further amplified this enthusiasm manifold.
And as the heart of the Elven Kingdom, and the core of the dramatic changes, the Elven Court attracted the attention of the entire world.
Especially since the Elven Court always remained like a cold goddess, refusing all entry applications from other races.
The innate human pursuit of mystery was magnified infinitely at this moment.
The longing and curiosity of the continent's inhabitants for the Elven Court also escalated like oil on a fire.
Until ten days ago.
The Elven Court's ban was completely lifted.
Any ordinary adventurer who did not hold official status from any nation, as long as they passed a review and were confirmed to have never done anything harmful to the Elven Kingdom or inconsistent with its ideals, the Elven Court would reopen its doors to them.
At this, the entire Aetheram Continent erupted.
From an aerial view, countless adventurer teams could be seen converging towards the Elven Court.
Among them were not a few legendary adventure squads that had not been active on the continent for many years.
The mystery of the Elven Court attracted all curious life forms across the world.
Of course, among these people were also spies from various nations, but at this moment, none of that mattered. Upon seeing the Hippogryph and Winged Serpent riders occasionally soaring above the Elven Court, and the newly installed, seemingly advanced Redstone Cannons on the city walls, all prying eyes turned into friendly, cordial, and cooperative gazes.
It's no exaggeration to say that if the Elven Kingdom had directly deployed such an army and Redstone Technology during the war with Doragon, Doragon would have retreated without a word and immediately issued a 'Declaration of Friendly Mutual Assistance between Neighboring Countries'.
Doragon also saw all of this, and after careful consideration, even that iron-blooded emperor couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
Powerful grassroots military strength; terrifying magical alchemy technology; plus the hidden group of ancient Elf Race— Back then, Doragon was truly dancing on a grave!
The domestic calls for revenge gradually weakened, and all signs of Doragon's external activities disappeared.
But the Elven Kingdom did not believe that this fanatical, war-founding armed empire would settle down.
After the calm, there must be a storm.
Doragon's revenge had not disappeared; it had merely been delayed.
But they were not worried. In Aelita's words, "As long as they dare to start another war, we can directly make Doragon a territory of the Verdan Eternal Forest!"
Aelita had comprehended the truth of the world.
Where there is life, there is conflict!
To achieve true peace in the world, there is only one way: Grand Unification!
Those who obey become vassal states, and those who don't are all planted as trees.
As long as there is only one voice in the world; only one script; only one civilization— then any struggle would only be an internal dispute.
Unify all cultural symbols, use the long lifespan of the Elf Race to leave their mark, and integrate cultures.
Peace will inevitably come!
But this dangerous idea she had only discussed with Su Lin. Unusually, Su Lin did not refute her, only telling her four words: 'Justified cause'.
More than ten days had passed since the Elven Court reopened.
The Elven Court now had many non-Elf Race presences. The influx of a large number of adventurers did not make the Elven Court chaotic.
Aside from being livelier, the public order remained as good as ever.
No one dared to cause trouble in the Elven Court, especially the current Elven Court.
And the busiest place in the entire Elven Court was none other than the Adventurer's Shop.
The goods there were treasures that adventurers would gladly empty their pockets for.
It is said that in just over ten days after the Elven Court opened, one Adventurer's Shop alone earned the Elven Kingdom the equivalent of the entire nation's tax revenue for the past month.
"Beautiful Elf Race sister, could you make it a bit cheaper?"
In front of counter number seventeen, a bearded, red-haired middle-aged man was bowing repeatedly, trying to curry favor with the Elf Race clerk in front of him.
"Can you round it down to a thousand gold coins?"
"—Sir, do you know what enchantments this iron sword has?"
"Of course!"
The red-haired man rattled them off like a treasure trove.
"Sharpness III, Knockback I, Fire Aspect I, and Durability II."
Even with the Elf Race clerk's excellent moral character, she couldn't help but want to call him crazy at this moment.
Just ask around. Outside the Adventurer's Shop, even an iron sword with just Sharpness III enchantment would sell for five hundred gold coins.
Adding the more precious enchantments of Knockback, Fire Aspect, and Durability, this enchanted iron sword, if not legendary, was at least a top-tier magic item.
It could easily fetch two thousand five hundred gold coins at auction.
The Adventurer's Shop selling it for only one thousand five was already very conscientious, and this guy still wanted to round it down.
Besides, is that how you round down?
"Beautiful Elf Race sister, please be kind. We really didn't bring much gold with us this time!"
The red-haired man blinked, but unfortunately, his unkempt charm was negligible in the eyes of the Elf Race.
"How about we put it on credit first? I'll take this weapon, and within three days, I'll hunt a Level 40 monster and use its crystal core to pay off the debt."
"I'm Gahaffa, captain of the Golden Village adventurer team. My character is guaranteed!"
The Elf Race clerk paused slightly.
Golden Village— It seemed to be a quasi-legendary adventurer team active on the continent four or five years ago. I heard they lost a teammate while fighting a Level 78 Mana Golem, which is why they disappeared.
They're actually making a comeback this time?
However, the Elf Race clerk didn't really care about these things.
So what if they were a quasi-legendary adventurer team?
The Elven Kingdom had recently hosted the Tasiniya Demon Subjugation Squad, which was above legendary, from the Second Demon Lord Army.
Didn't they also have to pay for their purchases obediently?
The clerk still offered a gentle, programmatic smile, but the words she spoke made Gahaffa somewhat frantic.
"I'm very sorry, no!"
Saying that, the clerk took the enchanted iron sword.
"If you can't produce the gold coins, then I regret to say, the right to purchase this sword will be transferred."
"No, no, no!"
Gahaffa immediately became anxious. He had stayed up three nights in a row just to secure the right to purchase this enchanted iron sword.
After all, the Adventurer's Shop only sold five enchanted iron swords a day, and whoever got them, got them.
"If you decide to purchase, please pay. According to regulations, special products at the Adventurer's Shop are not subject to discounts."
Gahaffa's face struggled. He slowly reached for the rusty broken sword at his waist.
It was inlaid with a top-grade magic crystal— but in The End, he withdrew his hand dejectedly.
"I'll pay for him."
Suddenly, a clear male voice sounded from beside him, followed by a bag being thrown onto the counter.
"Including these potions and supplies of mine, that's two thousand five hundred gold coins. Please count them."
The Elf Race clerk looked up.
It was a blue-haired young man, dressed in a luxurious, artistic-looking gold-trimmed robe, with a gentle smile on his face.
His beautiful eyes were curved like crescent moons.
To be honest, the Elf Race clerk felt that this young man fit the Elf Race's aesthetic.
She also recognized him: Fatz, the heir to the Misty City Opera House in the Olyana Kingdom, a rare musician professional.
After counting the gold coins and supplies, the Elf Race clerk handed the enchanted iron sword to the suddenly taciturn Gahaffa.
"Next."
Grade 8 ■ Leaving the Adventurer's Shop, Gahaffa clutched the enchanted iron sword tightly. The disheveled middle-aged man now had his head bowed, his entire being exuding awkwardness.
After a long silence, he said in a low voice: "Thanks, Fatz—"
"Heh heh—" Fatz chuckled softly, as gentle as ever.
"It seems you haven't been doing so well since we parted, Captain."
"Ah—" Gahaffa murmured.
"Well—you know, I've never been very good with money."
"That shouldn't be the main reason, right—Captain's luck is as bad as ever."
"I can't help it—I also want to ask the Lady Goddess of Fate what I did to offend her."
Seeming to sense Fatz's intention to change the subject, Gahaffa also relaxed considerably, lifting his unkempt face with a smile and saying: "Long time no see, Fatz. Weren't you studying at the Midgard Magic Academy?"
Fatz shrugged.
"The changes in the Elven Kingdom have startled the entire continent. Do you think I'd miss out on such a good thing?"
"That's true, but you're so far away—" Before he finished speaking, Gahaffa knew he had asked a very stupid question.
The Midgard Magic Academy had the most space mages, and its teleportation magic circles connected the entire world. Going anywhere only cost a tiny bit of gold coins.
Coincidentally, his former companion had no shortage of gold coins.
The scene became a bit awkward for a moment. Gahaffa felt like his toes were about to dig a three-bedroom, one-living-room apartment out of the Elven Court's ground.
This appearance, however, made Fatz unable to help but laugh.
"You've changed a lot, Captain. The old you wasn't someone who was good at letting conversations go cold—"
"Ah—after all, I've reached an age where it's not convenient to be hot-blooded anymore."
Gahaffa shrugged with some relief.
Fatz stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said: "Want a drink?"
Gahaffa was stunned for a moment, instinctively wanting to find an excuse to decline, but Fatz immediately cut him off.
"Let's just say it's for the long-awaited reunion of Golden Village—"
Gahaffa fell silent, then after a long while, he laughed freely.
"Alright, you're treating!"
MC Dungeon, fifth floor.
After preparing their resources, Su Lin led the main force here.
Their landing spot was on a beach, with the shimmering sea three hundred meters away.
Good news: the scenery was nice.
Bad news: they had made eye contact with a Siren.
"Mermaids!"
Tashiniya cheered, pulling Su Lin and jumping around.
"Pope! Mermaids! I heard their singing is beautiful, but it seems there aren't any mermaids on the Aetheram Continent." Su Lin's face darkened, and he tapped Tashiniya's head.
"Those are Sirens! Their singing is beautiful, but once you're dazed by it, they'll come to eat you! Have you even properly looked at the ice and fire legend bestiary?"
"Hehehe, just kidding."
Tashiniya rubbed her head with a grin, her head swiveling around.
Even though it was no different from the first floor of the MC Dungeon, in Tashiniya's words, even a drop of seawater became surprisingly new.
Su Lin waved his hand, signaling the army to act. One group went directly to deal with the Sirens, while another group set up a simple stronghold on the spot.
He hadn't brought many people this time. Besides high-tier combatants like Hilulele, there were only three hundred Dragon Rider Army members.
Fortunately, the Dragon Rider Army also had decent construction capabilities.
In the blink of an eye, the rudimentary outline of a treehouse appeared.
Tashiniya finally finished her excitement and ran back to Su Lin, excitedly saying: "Pope, who are we going to fight now? Just say the word! I'll have Lulu and them charge!"
"—Why don't you go yourself?"
"Please! I'm an angel! Angels don't go fighting themselves."
Tashiniya said proudly, hands on her hips: "Our duty as angels is to stand obediently in the back and sing hymns to buff the warriors!"
Su Lin silently scrutinized Tashiniya.
This guy's role somewhat overlapped with his own— Shaking his head, Su Lin looked at Lop.
"Throw an Ender Pearl and locate The End portal."
Su Lin was quite glad that each floor of the MC Dungeon was interconnected; otherwise, he would have had to collect Ender Pearls again.
"Pope, are we going directly to The End to find that so-called abandoned fortress and slaughter the Ender Guardians?"
Su Lin was startled, looking at Tashiniya in disbelief.
"Slaughter the Ender Guardians? How do you have the guts to say such a thing?"
What kind of thought process does this guy have? A level zero character rushing to fight a max-level, fully geared BOSS?
"Of course I can't do it alone!"
Tashiniya cast a trusting gaze at Su Lin.
"But aren't you here, and everyone else? We'll work together, and there's nothing we can't do!"
"Who's 'we' with you?!"
Su Lin rolled his eyes.
"I haven't lived enough yet. If you want to die, don't drag me with you."
Slaughter the Ender Guardians? If they went now, even the Ender Golems could wipe out this entire group.
"We'll go to The End to slay the Ender Dragon first. Then you and Veronika can make your move."
Hearing this, Tashiniya's angel halo brightened, and she clapped her hands with a look of great wisdom feigning foolishness.
"I understand! Pope, you plan for us to complete the Ender Dragon slaying achievement and, by the way, arm us with the broken Yamato!"
"Half right."
Su Lin looked at Tashiniya with a smile.
"The Ender Dragon is yours, but the broken Yamato is mine."
"What?! We work so hard to slay the Ender Dragon, and in The End, the Yamato goes to you? What about us? What do we get?!"
"Hmm—you get growth."
"We don't need that kind of growth!"
After a long fit of exasperation, Tashiniya looked at Su Lin pitifully.
"Pope, we're partners, aren't we? Besides, you already have Dragon Steel equipment. Do you really need to fight us for a small item like the Yamato? Sharing! Don't you understand that sharing is the most important thing between partners?!"
Su Lin pouted.
"I gave you equipment, gave you mounts, and even broke the rules of Ender Dragon slaying to bring you to the fifth floor. Do you still have the nerve to ask me if I understand sharing?"
"What about you? Do you understand filial piety?!" >