Chapter 112: The Sorrow of Parting

“Legend has it that in the age of dragons, magical civilization flourished to its peak; elves danced with dragons, while the Crimson Spider Queen flew solo…”

“Enough!” Luo Yong abruptly interrupted the elven elder’s lengthy monologue. He thought to himself, it’s been a long time since he saw the elven lady, and now that he finally had some alone time with her, this elder just had to butt in. What a lack of tact.

“Let’s get straight to the point. You elves want to resurrect someone—who exactly?” Luo Yong asked.

“The Elven Queen Loya!”

Vera, who had followed the elder over, suddenly spoke up: “The elven race was once incredibly powerful, with a glorious past far surpassing any of your so-called ‘glorious sets’!”

“In that era, when the elven tongue was spoken, it swept all before it, invincible except to the dragons…”

“Stop!” Luo Yong interrupted again, feeling a bit helpless. Both the elder and Vera were usually quiet, but once they started talking, they just wouldn’t stop.

He had hoped to soothe the elven lady and enjoy some private moments to deepen their bond, but instead, these two oblivious light bulbs showed up.

“Cut to the chase—what’s wrong with the Elven Queen?” he asked.

“Let me speak,” the elven lady sighed, “After the ancient great war, the Elven Queen exhausted her divine power trying to restore the damaged Life Tree and fell into a deep slumber.”

“The Life Tree began to wither, which in turn affected the World Tree.”

“Originally, divine power flowed between the two in a cycle of endless vitality, creating immense prosperity. But over time, the World Tree began to collapse, and the order of space and time descended into chaos…”

“So,” Luo Yong thought, is this why he ended up stranded in this other world?

“Is the world about to end?”

So this was a story of saving the world—and he was the legendary savior. Luo Yong couldn’t help but feel a bit narcissistic.

But why was Bao’er crying?

“It’s not that extreme yet, but it’s close,” the elven elder glanced at Bao’er’s hand clasped tightly with Luo Yong’s, then sighed quietly.

Why couldn’t these lovers, truly devoted to each other, be granted the chance to stay together for life?

“The Elven Queen Loya remains in slumber, showing no signs of awakening, and is nearly fading away.”

“The succeeding queen, in order to sustain the Life Tree and the World Tree and ensure the survival of the elven race, chose to merge with her, uniting divine authority, which slowed the Life Tree’s decay and delayed the World Tree’s collapse.”

“But this was merely a drop in the ocean—everything is beyond recovery unless Loya awakens and her divine power is restored…”

“I can try. I’m level 15 now, and with rune gems…” Luo Yong began.

“No, you can’t take that risk now,” the elder cut him off before he finished, “Years ago, before you, similar situations occurred. Those powerful necromancers who attempted resurrection all suffered severe backlash—none survived!”

“This tragedy has repeated… ah,” Luo Yong sighed, “So much for destiny—turns out I’m just a placeholder.”

Cough.

That would be a death sentence.

Luo Yong didn’t believe he could simply try and accomplish what so many others failed to do.

Is it true that the more beautiful something is, the more poisonous?

Did the elven lady approach him and offer herself just to send him to his death?

With that thought, Luo Yong’s heart ached, especially since he had been so earnest and genuinely invested.

Just then—

A sudden coolness touched his forehead as soft, warm lips pressed against it, accompanied by the elven lady’s tears.

She said nothing, only looked deeply into Luo Yong’s eyes before turning and walking away without a backward glance.

“Huh?” Luo Yong was stunned. That move was incredible—he hadn’t even spoken; it was just a fleeting thought.

Could it be that the elves had some divine power to sense others’ thoughts?

“Alas!” the elven elder sighed deeply. When Luo Yong looked at her questioningly, she said, “The longest any queen has held on is a thousand years; then the time grew shorter—from 800 years, to 500, then 300…”

“The previous queen has endured nearly fifty years now, and today, the new queen will succeed her.”

At this, Luo Yong suddenly understood something and looked anxiously toward the direction the elven lady had gone.

“That… Bao’er, just now…”

“Bao’er is the new queen,” Vera said expressionlessly.

“What?!” Luo Yong was shocked. Though he had a feeling, hearing it confirmed was hard to accept.

“Don’t you have any other options? Maybe wait until I’m stronger, higher level…”

“There’s no time,” Vera said coldly.

“You—you—you—” Luo Yong pointed at them both, flustered and angry, “Don’t you have anyone else? Why must Bao’er—”

“I’m the next queen,” Vera said.

Luo Yong fell silent, unsure what to say.

So Bao’er’s kiss was a farewell.

“No! There has to be another way!” Luo Yong spun in place, desperate, but his mind was overwhelmed. How could he possibly devise a solution when he knew so little about this world?

“Luo Yong, I know this is hard for you to accept, but if we don’t do this, not just this continent, but other worlds—whether magic, battle qi, spiritual energy—everything in the entire cosmos will be destroyed, falling into eternal silence with nothing left.”

“You’re joking, right?!” Luo Yong couldn’t believe it.

Everything had been fine before—how could the whole world suddenly be on the brink of destruction?

“This fate is beyond anyone’s will,” the elven elder sighed one last time, shook her head, patted Luo Yong’s shoulder lightly, and left.

“Bao’er…”

Recalling their first meeting and the brief but joyful time with the elven lady, their secret bond formed for reasons she could not disclose, growing slowly…

“I was damn well intending to marry her! How could this happen?!”

Luo Yong shouted in frustration and anger.

…

In the sacred grounds of the Forest Elves, under a towering ancient tree that seemed to have witnessed countless ages, the elven lady Yan Bao’er sighed softly.

She turned and gazed deeply in a certain direction.

“Farewell, Luo Yong!”

Then, resolutely, she stepped forward, gently touched the ancient tree, and began chanting an ancient incantation. Strange lights ignited around her.

As she chanted, the light grew ever more dazzling.

At that moment, all the Forest Elves knelt on one knee, bowed their heads, and prayed quietly in the same direction.

Moments later, the elven lady’s figure vanished completely into the radiant light.

From the Life Tree came a powerful surge of vitality, with showers of light raining down like blessings.

At Luo Yong’s urgent request, the elven elder and Vera brought him to this place to witness the light showers.

“Bao’er!” Luo Yong called out, but the beautiful figure was nowhere to be seen.

Only the shadow of an ancient tree emerged quietly from the depths, gently swaying.

“No!”

Luo Yong screamed in heartbreak—for the elven lady and for his own doomed love.

He sat dumbfounded in the Forest Elves’ territory, silent for a long time.

Until some teammates arrived after hearing the news to check on him.

The elven elder arranged for Vera to take Luo Yong on a tour of the tribe’s treasury, telling him to take whatever he could use.

Luo Yong casually picked some scrolls and stored them in his space.

“Luo Yong, although Bao’er is strong, she is no match for the former queen. Conservatively, she can hold on for at most thirty years.”

Before Luo Yong left, the elder called him aside and handed him a mysterious book.

“If during this time you can collect everything listed here, you might have a chance to save Bao’er.”

“Really?” Luo Yong brightened instantly, feeling a ray of light in the darkness, as if hope had returned to his life.

But he also eyed the elder suspiciously—was this some trap?

She must have known this would happen and planned everything in advance…

Turns out, not all elves are trustworthy!

“That’s the legend. Whether you can collect them all depends on you. Remember, you have less than thirty years!” the elder warned.

“Got it!” Luo Yong waved his hand and took one last look toward the Life Tree.

“I’m not even nineteen yet,” he calculated carefully, knowing his birthday was still a ways off.

“Captain, are you okay?”

The Windstorm Squad members noticed something different about Luo Yong but couldn’t quite say what.

“What do you think?” Luo Yong replied with a hollow gaze.

“Uh…”

“We’ve all heard about you and the Elven Arbiter. Never imagined something like this would happen!” Wendy sighed, gently patting his shoulder.

“Ah, is it really public knowledge now?” Luo Yong smiled faintly, then noticed the looks on his teammates’ faces.

“Wait! What exactly have you heard?!”