Chapter 1065, Infiltrating from Within

Translator: Silavin

 

In the middle region of the Elven Forest, there lay a fiery red forest.

 

There, the trunk of every giant tree was not the verdant green that symbolised flourishing vitality, but rather a blazing crimson hue. The leaves upon the branches resembled tiny flames, swaying with the wind, creating a scene as beautiful as a dream-like fantasy.

 

This was the dwelling place of the Fire Elves.

 

Near the centre of this crimson forest stood an ancient colossal tree, atop which sat a majestic residence.

 

At this moment, upon the massive branches outside that residence, several old men sat casually conversing.

 

“That old Fiery, today’s his turn to bring out the thousand-year Elf Tea, yet the man’s nowhere to be seen.”

 

“*Hmph!* That shameless old dog must be deliberately hiding.”

 

These four or five old men spoke of Fiery with utter familiarity, calling him an ‘old dog’ without the slightest hint of respect, clearly indicating their status was no lower than Fiery.

 

Moreover, amongst these old men, only one was a Fire Elf. The other three were respectively a Wood Elf, a Water Elf, and a Light Elf.

 

“Honoured Sirs, Sir Fiery has gone to attend the Merchandise Fair…”

 

Hearing their words, a Fire Elf who appeared to be a guard of Fiery’s residence spoke up quietly from behind them.

 

“*Bah* What bloody Merchandise Fair! He’s definitely gone into hiding!”

 

“That’s right, that shameless old dog! The Merchandise Fair is definitely just a pretence. Every year at this time he’s already back from outside, yet today he still hasn’t returned. He’s definitely reluctant to part with that fine wine of his and has hidden away!”

 

Hearing the guard’s explanation, the several old men immediately bristled with indignation.

 

Their expressions made it seem as though they couldn’t wait to charge into Fiery’s residence and ransack all his fine wine.

 

Seeing their manner, the guards all sheepishly shrank back their necks, not daring to say another word.

 

These old men before them were significant figures amongst the various Elf Clans, their status completely no lower than Fiery’s. If they were to vent their anger upon the guards, their thin frames simply would not be able to withstand it.

 

*Whoosh!*

 

Just as the old men could not help but want to rush into the residence to turn it upside down, the urgent sound of wind breaking suddenly rang out from the distance.

 

Branches swayed and leaves rustled like a sea of flames. There, Fiery’s figure finally appeared in their line of sight.

 

When the Fire Elf guards saw Fiery’s figure, they finally quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“*Bah!* You shameless old thing! Must we tear down your broken house before you’re willing to return?”

 

Seeing Fiery, the old men laughed and cursed.

 

“Haha, you old dogs!” Fiery also laughed heartily, landing upon the branch without any formality.

 

*Whoosh!* Immediately after, behind Fiery, Qin Yichen descended with Little Ling’er.

 

“Oh? A Foreigner?”

 

“Fiery, have you gone mad? How can you bring a Foreigner here?”

 

Upon seeing Qin Yichen and his companion, these old men had their expressions stiffened slightly as they could not help but cry out.

 

Although the Elf Race held a Merchandise Fair each year specifically for foreign merchants, that was merely to pass the time and broaden the horizons of the younger generation. In truth, within the hearts of the Elf Race, they were extremely proud and exclusionary.

 

Even for Races like Mei Ler’s, which had obtained the qualification to establish an embassy, could only set them up in the outer regions where the Dark Elves dwelt. They were absolutely not permitted to enter the dwelling places of these High Rank Elves!

 

Yet now, Fiery had actually brought two foreigners to the very core of the Fire Elves’ dwelling place. Most critically, from the aura emanating from Qin Yichen and Little Ling’er, they could not discern which Race the latter belonged to. How could this not shock them?

 

“*Shh…* Keep your voices down!” Fiery’s expression changed as he made a silencing gesture, speaking quietly.

 

Even though he was one of the Fire Elf Clan’s Deacons, if other significant figures learned of his actions, he would still have to provide an explanation.

 

And the explanations those old ancient experts demanded were extremely troublesome. Fiery had no desire for such hassle.

 

However, bringing Qin Yichen here had been his idea, and he would not regret it.

 

“This Qin respectfully greets the Honoured Seniors.” Qin Yichen cupped his hands towards the old men neither humbly nor arrogantly. However, the latter seemed to have no intention of acknowledging this attempt at familiarity.

 

“Let’s go inside and talk.” Fiery waved his hand, leading Qin Yichen directly towards the residence.

 

The old men were quite puzzled. After exchanging glances, they ultimately chose to follow.

 

They had come to extort Fiery’s treasured thousand-year fine wine. If this fellow bringing two Foreigners in had no explanation, they would not mind using this as an excuse to extort even more.

 

“Fiery, hurry up and bring out your wine!”

 

“We’ve been waiting half the day, quickly!”

 

Just as they entered the residence, the old men’s demeanour completely lost its previous demeanour, instead resembling street ruffians as they shouted.

 

“Don’t be hasty, don’t be hasty…” Fiery said with a smile.

 

“Not hasty my arse! Are you trying to renege on your words? Let me tell you, not a chance in Hell!”

 

“This shameless old thing actually wants to renege! Believe it or not, we Brothers will tear down your broken house!”

 

Fiery’s unhurried manner nearly made the old men jump up. Pairs of eyes glared fiercely at Fiery, their stance suggesting they might roll up their sleeves for a proper brawl at the slightest provocation.

 

“Hehe… You can have that thousand-year fine wine, but as Brothers, I’m warning you, you better not regret it!” Fiery remained as ever without too much scheming, chuckling slyly.

 

Seeing Fiery’s manner, confusion flashed through the old men’s eyes.

 

When had this shameless Fiery become so forthcoming?

 

In their hearts, he did not seem to be this type of person. Every time they made him bring out fine wine, didn’t he act as though they were cutting flesh from his bones?

 

“Do you know why I brought this Little Brother back?” Fiery said with a mysterious air.

 

Only then did the old men finally look properly at Qin Yichen, whom they had previously ignored.

 

[Little Brother?]

 

This form of address was not something just anyone could bear!

 

“Fiery, stop being mysterious. Speak and stop barking, you old dog!”

 

“You’d better find a reliable excuse, otherwise don’t blame us for our big mouths spreading this matter around!”

 

“Right, unless you give us double the thousand-year fine wine, otherwise, *Hmph!*”

 

After examining Qin Yichen for a moment, the old men sneered coldly.

 

From Qin Yichen’s person, apart from being unable to discern which Race he belonged to, they discovered nothing particularly special.

 

“Hehe, you old foxes, what do you know? This Little Brother here has brought fine goods.” Fiery laughed heartily.

 

However, this failed to arouse the old men’s interest. Instead, they looked at Qin Yichen dubiously, then stared at Fiery with vigilance, their manner suggesting they feared he would find an excuse to save the thousand-year fine wine they coveted.