TTGOL CH83

Chapter 83: The Elven Forest (1)

 The first sight upon entering the instance was a lush, verdant expanse—from pale green to emerald to deep forest green, towering ancient trees reaching hundreds of meters high supported the canopy of the forest. The setting sun pierced through the gaps in the trees, having traveled over mountains and rivers, but unlike the vibrant rose color in the Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight, here it was cloaked in a fine, gauze-like mist—noble, mysterious, and carrying a hint of chill.

Amidst the dual concealment of the mist and the trees, Tang Cuo could vaguely make out the pointed roofs of treehouses and palaces in the distance. Cloud bridges made of woven vines connected all the trees and buildings; some vines bloomed with white and pink flowers, blurred and indistinct.

The Elven Forest.

Tang Cuo silently repeated the name in his mind. He looked around but didn’t see Jin Cheng. Clearly, they had been separated again.

He opened his mission panel.

[Kingdom Hidden in Moonlight]
Phase Three: The Elven Forest
Main Quest: Visit the Secret Lake

Tang Cuo had no idea where the Secret Lake was, and wandering aimlessly in the surrounding mist wasn’t a good idea. Therefore, he decided to first head toward the populated area ahead to investigate.

He walked at a steady pace, keeping a close eye on his surroundings. Before long, he realized that the treehouses and pointed palaces, which seemed just a short distance away, actually took quite a while to reach.

There was something strange about this forest. Perhaps a maze had been set up, or perhaps it was an illusion caused by the mist.

Suddenly, Tang Cuo heard the faint sound of human voices coming from his right. He paused, thought for a moment, and decisively headed toward the source.

Parting the thick shrubbery, he saw a young man and woman standing face-to-face beneath a tree. The massive ancient tree, like a towering canopy, shattered the setting sun, scattering its light over their shoulders. Wind chime-like flowers hung upside down from the flourishing branches, swaying gently in the evening breeze. The white mist draped like gauze, picturesque and romantic.

One was a female elf with silver hair and pointed ears. She was tall, blessed with divine beauty, and though her aura was slightly aloof, the flush on her cheeks diluted the distance, perfectly blending nobility with a girlish charm. Her emerald eyes seemed to speak, easily capable of subjugating anyone to become a minister beneath her skirt.

The other stood with his back to Tang Cuo, but Tang Cuo could guess his identity without seeing his face, even if he was currently existing under someone else’s identity.

Jin Cheng.

So he was here.

And was this a scene of catching someone in the act of cheating?

Tang Cuo remained expressionless and wasn’t angry in the slightest; he even automatically entered “spectator mode.” He made no sound, quietly leaning against a tree, observing the man and woman in the distance.

The elf handed something to Jin Cheng and said something to him. Because he was too far away, Tang Cuo couldn’t hear clearly.

Jin Cheng accepted it, but the elf suddenly looked disappointed, as if she had heard something she didn’t want to hear. A moment later, she turned and left, lifting her skirt as she ran faster and faster. The instant she turned, there seemed to be tears glistening in the corners of her eyes.

Tang Cuo thought: If Jin Cheng is 100% straight, he’s definitely destined to die alone.

“Come out,” Jin Cheng’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Tang Cuo raised an eyebrow, unsure if Jin Cheng knew it was him or had merely heard someone approaching. As he pondered, Jin Cheng turned his head, his gaze landing accurately on him, a smile curving his lips.

Alright then.

Tang Cuo shrugged, walked over openly, and asked, “How did you know it was me?”

Jin Cheng: “Your footsteps sound different from others’.”

Tang Cuo tentatively accepted this explanation. After being tempered in Yong Ye City, Jin Cheng’s hearing had reached an abnormal level; being able to distinguish his footsteps was quite normal.

“What’s your mission?” Tang Cuo cut straight to the chase.

“Visit the Secret Lake,” Jin Cheng said. He raised a hand and pressed it against the tree trunk, blocking Tang Cuo’s path. “Aren’t you going to ask about what just happened?”

“Oh. Who was that NPC just now?”

“Wrong.”

“What quest item did she give you?”

“Wrong.”

“Did you trigger a quest plotline?”

“Still wrong.”

With that, Jin Cheng leaned in slightly. The distance between them closed infinitely, to the point where they could hear each other’s breathing. He deliberately lowered his voice, using an even more magnetic and alluring tone to coax him. “Think carefully.”

If the scar added a bit of mature charm to him, his current actions made him seem like a childish teenager in the throes of first love. He absolutely insisted on making him jealous, insisted on getting exactly what he wanted to hear, otherwise, he would throw a tantrum. He even laid his deliberate intentions bare, completely unafraid of being seen through.

As a rational and magnanimous boyfriend, Tang Cuo had no choice but to humor him. “What were you secretly talking to that female elf about just now? Why did you accept her thing?”

Jin Cheng smiled. “Are you jealous?”

Tang Cuo remained expressionless. “Yes.”

Jin Cheng lowered his head and kissed him. The smile in his eyes and his casually charming demeanor made Tang Cuo suspect he just wanted to act like a hooligan.

Shameless.

Fortunately, Jin Cheng didn’t push his luck, and their conversation returned to business.

The elf from earlier was named Sophia, the princess of the elven race, holding an extremely noble status. She seemed to have taken a liking to the bard Lancelot, specifically arranging to meet him here and gifting him a pendant. Through her, Jin Cheng also learned why Theodore and Lancelot had appeared in the Elven Forest.

The Elven Forest was located in the central part of the Sicilite Continent. If one traveled from the northern Principality of Falan to the southern Kingdom of Hundred Flowers, there was a high probability they would pass through here.

However, the Elven Forest was elven territory. Elves were noble creatures; unless someone was an acknowledged friend, they were generally not permitted to set foot in this sacred land. The Elven Forest itself harbored rich natural elemental magic, causing frequent mists. Ordinary travelers who wandered in by mistake could easily get lost.

Therefore, although many travelers passed by, very few truly managed to enter the Elven Forest. In the hearts of everyone on the Sicilite Continent, it represented sheer mystery.

But recently, the Elven Forest had encountered some trouble and issued a bounty quest through the Greenvines Alliance. Thus, Theodore, a young knight secretly gaining experience at an Greenvines Alliance branch office while hiding his true identity, accepted the quest and arrived here.

As for Lancelot, he likely came along with Theodore.

“You’re saying the trouble in the Elven Forest is related to the Secret Lake?” Tang Cuo pondered.

“Yes. The Secret Lake is deep within the forest and seems to be the sacred ground of the elven race. But three months ago, the mist there suddenly thickened, to the point where the Elven Royal Court lost contact with the Secret Lake. They couldn’t find a solution, so they had to seek outside help. Early tomorrow morning, our group will set off for the Secret Lake,” Jin Cheng said.

“What impact will the anomaly at the Secret Lake have on the Elven Forest?”

“She didn’t explain in detail; she only repeatedly emphasized that tomorrow’s journey will be very dangerous and urged me not to go. My main quest is to visit the Secret Lake, so of course, I had to refuse. She then gave me a pendant, saying it carried the Elven King’s blessing, and hoped it would protect me. I checked it; the pendant can’t be placed in the equipment inventory for now, and I don’t know its specific effect. It might be a quest trigger item.”

The Elven King’s blessing? Tang Cuo suddenly recalled a similar phrase in the description of the Sword of Judgment: The sword of His Grace Duke Theodore of the Kingdom of Hundred Flowers. Carries the blessing of the Thirteenth Generation Elven King, Aimya. Enchanted weapon (Damaged).

“Who is the current Elven King?”

“She didn’t say.”

With the clues interrupted, Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng discussed their next move and continued toward the treehouses. This time, walking together, they still walked for a long time. They seemed to have taken a few detours due to the mist, but they eventually arrived safely.

The mist gradually dissipated here, restoring a clear view and slowly unrolling a divinely gifted elven painting.

Elves, regardless of the story, were a race combining nobility and beauty. Reclusive in misty, mysterious forests, they rarely revealed their true faces to the world.

When all of this was presented to Tang Cuo with incomparable realism, he had to admit—it was indeed breathtakingly beautiful. It was a beauty that deterred any profane thoughts, as if it were the moon high in the sky, destined to hang loftily, untouched by a single speck of mortal dust.

As a result, a sense of unreality began to seep in.

In groups of twos and threes, elves with pointed ears walked past on cobblestone paths. They wore cinched gauze robes, walked barefoot, and carried woven bamboo fruit baskets or held water jugs. Most had golden or silver hair, emerald eyes, fair skin, and stunningly handsome or beautiful features.

On the outskirts, there were also many elves dressed as guards. They wore tall boots and exquisitely crafted vine armor protecting their chests and wrists. Carrying bows and quivers on their backs, they looked valiant and heroic.

Treehouses were scattered sporadically around, showing absolutely no signs of being carved by axes or chisels. They appeared to have grown naturally from branches and vines, yet their walls and windows were adorned with complex, graceful patterns.

The layout of the cloud ladders, the flowers cascading from the doorways, and even the patterns on a clay bowl all showcased the unique artistic aesthetics of the elves.

“Theodore! Lancelot!”

Someone suddenly called their names from ahead. Tang Cuo looked toward the voice and found an old friend—the Kelt knight from the Greenvines Alliance branch in the Principality of Falan.

Kelt was standing in the corridor of a treehouse, waving at them. Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng took the spiral staircase winding around the tree trunk straight up to the treehouse to meet him.

However, as they ascended the stairs, Jin Cheng glanced back in a certain direction, frowning slightly.

“Where exactly did you guys go? I was worried sick,” Kelt said as he led them inside.

“Nowhere special. It’s our first time here, so we were just looking around,” Tang Cuo replied.

“True. The Elven Forest isn’t a place you can enter just anytime,” Kelt said, his small eyes darting around. He then closed the door, lowered his voice, and added, “But I noticed something wrong.”

Tang Cuo: “What is it?”

Kelt: “When I was looking for you guys just now, I couldn’t find you anywhere, so I thought about asking the elven guards if they had seen you leave. But I noticed the atmosphere among them was extremely tense and serious, as if they’ve been constantly guarding against something, heavily burdened with worry.”

Jin Cheng: “Isn’t it normal for them to be worried about the anomaly at the Secret Lake?”

Kelt: “I originally thought it was normal too, which is why I didn’t think much of it when I saw this quest and came along with Theodore. But I just found this under the bed.”

Opening his palm, Kelt showed them a very small brooch inlaid with a feather.

He then explained: “This is a new item that only started selling in Little Windmill Harbor a few months ago. See the feather on it? It’s said to be plucked from the chest of a Du hunting bird. It’s very expensive.”

Tang Cuo understood. “This is a guest room. A brooch that only recently went on sale appearing here makes you suspect someone came to the Elven Forest before us.”

“Exactly,” Kelt frowned. “But we haven’t heard a single rumor about it.”

Jin Cheng’s eyes darted as he asked, “What about the others?”

Since they couldn’t be the only three people who came to the Elven Forest for the bounty quest, asking Kelt was the fastest way to find out. Suspecting nothing, Kelt said, “You mean those guys from the Little Windmill branch and the Black Mountain branch? Although we’re all part of the Greenvines Alliance, we belong to different branches. I can’t say for sure how much they know.”

It seemed quite a few people had come to the Elven Forest to help. Just from the Greenvines Alliance alone, people from three different branches had arrived. Jin Cheng suddenly thought of something. “I remember Little Windmill Harbor being very far from here?”

Kelt, still oblivious, replied, “Yeah. Who knows, maybe they just happened to be passing by and came in with us. Look at their flashy, golden gear; they’re practically terrified people won’t know the water in Little Windmill Harbor is made of honey.”

Happened to be passing by?

Tang Cuo and Jin Cheng exchanged a glance, then looked at the brooch in Kelt’s hand again. Judging by Kelt’s tone, the relationship between the various Greenvines Alliance branches didn’t seem very harmonious.

After a brief moment of thought, Tang Cuo probed, “But no matter what, we all belong to the Greenvines Alliance.”

“Yeah,” Kelt sat down like a deflated balloon, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of water, and downed it in one gulp. “Who told us to all be from the Greenvines Alliance? Even if we’re rural hicks and they’re soaring white sea eagles, in the eyes of those druids, dwarves, and scattered adventurers, we’re all the same group. If something goes wrong here, the budget for our Principality of Falan branch will be cut again next year.”

Kelt was busy worrying on his own. It seemed he really detested those guys from the Little Windmill branch.

Tang Cuo wasn’t worried, but he wasn’t optimistic about their current situation either. First, with so many people participating in the journey to the Secret Lake, the situation would be hard to control. Second, the elves seemed to be hiding something about the Secret Lake. Adding the discovery of the brooch and the princess’s words, the danger level of this trip shot straight up to three stars.

Third, and most importantly, the main quest this time was too simple.

He didn’t mean the difficulty of the quest itself, but the way it was presented. In the previous two instances, the system had provided Tang Cuo with extremely detailed, step-by-step quest prompts. For example: protect the Duke, then take the secret passage, then go to the church—even the route was planned out.

But this time? Only “Visit the Secret Lake.” The degree of freedom was too high, making it unnerving instead.

Tang Cuo took a step back to whisper to Jin Cheng, avoiding Kelt. “What do you think?”

Jin Cheng crossed his arms. “When we were coming up the stairs just now, someone seemed to be watching me. It’s about twelve hours until we depart tomorrow morning. I think we need to do something. Once we enter the vicinity of the Secret Lake, we might not be able to come back.”

Tang Cuo largely agreed.

Their gazes simultaneously fell on Kelt. Tang Cuo raised an eyebrow at Jin Cheng, signaling him. Jin Cheng spread his hands, feigning innocence. After exchanging glances for a while, Jin Cheng pulled out a Poke Ball.

Dizzy Egg—powered by 10086.

—

Author’s Note:

Many people might have forgotten the character Kelt. He’s a supporting character from earlier, routinely tricked by the protagonists. Consider him a helper-type character; no need to go back and reread specifically for him.

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