Chapter 143: Rest Time is Over

"Angry? How could I possibly be angry!"

Inside the rapidly descending elevator, Linlei said, "It's nothing secret anyway; if they want to jump, let them jump."

The royal mages breathed a sigh of relief, though something still felt off. Why was the little prince taking this so easily? Could it be that the Sky-Clearing Breeze Technique had an advanced version?

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. It had to be the case, which explained why Linlei remained so unconcerned.

"Dear guests, judging by your attire, you don't look like the kind of people headed to the eighth underground level."

At that moment, the elevator operator, a dwarf, suddenly spoke up, asking, "Do you even know what kind of place that is?"

Lady Bai frowned slightly. "What kind of place?"

"A place where men and women go to carouse and make merry."

The dwarf eyed them up and down. "This is the first time I've ever seen a large group like yours, with both men and women, heading down to the eighth underground level."

The elves were stunned. The king hadn't mentioned anything about this.

A flash of anger crossed Lady Bai's face. "We are here to see Countess Guinevere. Who is this lady, exactly?"

"Ah... so it's that lady. You're playing for high stakes this time," the dwarf said in astonishment. "Countess Guinevere hasn't received guests in a long time, especially not a group this large. Even for her, this is..."

"Stop!"

Eve quickly shouted to cut him off. She didn't want to hear another word; what kind of nonsense was this?

"Heh, alright, I won't say anymore... But I must warn you all, you had better be careful."

The dwarf continued, "Countess Guinevere is the master of that place. I heard she even nearly locked up the king himself, and it cost him a heavy price just to get away from her..."

The elves had a sinking premonition. Could that "heavy price" possibly refer to the communication crystal?!

Just who in the world was Countess Guinevere?

"Little Prince..." Lady Bai reminded Linlei, "I think we need to reconsider this."

"What is there to fear!" Linlei said dismissively. "She wouldn't dare do anything to us."

If Countess Guinevere were truly that terrifying, why would the dwarf king have sent them down to find her? And even if she was terrifying, she surely must be a woman of standing and propriety.

Just as Linlei had imagined, Countess Guinevere was not terrifying at all. On the contrary, she radiated hospitality.

"Welcome."

Countess Guinevere welcomed the elves in her palace. Every single servant in this palace was a man—ranging from humans to minotaurs of all different races.

Yet that was not what surprised Linlei and his companions. What shocked them was that Countess Guinevere turned out to be a female elf—and an exceptionally beautiful one at that.

The elves were utterly dumbfounded. How could an elf possibly be working here as a—

Only Linlei remained unsurprised. He sensed a formidable power emanating from Countess Guinevere, a power even more unfathomable than the demigod he had encountered earlier.

"You're not an elf. Who are you?"

Linlei demanded.

Countess Guinevere cast a slightly surprised look at his way, then a look of understanding dawned on her features.

"As expected of the Blue Sky's Song... Five hundred years, and I never thought I would lay eyes on it again."

Knowing she could not deceive Linlei, a wisp of pitch-black mist billowed from her body. "You will understand once you look at this."

Linlei gazed at the mist, which slowly condensed at a visible rate before transforming into a fist-sized baby black dragon perched atop the countess's head.

"A black dragon!"

The elves cried out in shock, while Eve finally let out a sigh of relief.

So she was a black dragon; no wonder there were so many men around.

Black dragons were creatures of absolute promiscuity, notorious for mating with all kinds of beings and engaging in wild orgies well-known across the world, to the point where even harpies mocked them.

"Countess Guinevere, we have come to retrieve the communication crystal," Eve said to her.

Guinevere's eyes shifted to Linlei. "I saw you and your master yesterday, but he was most impolite."

Linlei protested, "You were the one who spied on me first!"

"I merely wished to catch a glimpse of the Azure Dragon," Countess Guinevere smiled faintly. "As it turns out, you haven't inherited the Azure Dragon's true power, and heaven knows what those demigods are so afraid of."

Linlei's eyes lit up. "What is the Azure Dragon's true power?"

Countess Guinevere smiled without answering. She sensed the aura of a young dragon lingering around Linlei; although he had not yet obtained the Azure Dragon's true power, there was no telling if it might awaken one day in the future.

Every Azure Dragon possessed a different power. Had she answered Linlei now, it would only mislead him. This power was something Linlei had to discover for himself.

"Aren't you here for the communication crystal?" Countess Guinevere said. "It is indeed in my possession."

Everyone cast expectant gazes at her, yet the countess showed no intention of producing the crystal.

Of course she wouldn't just hand it over. This black dragon lady had been lingering in Sloca for decades, waiting specifically for the elves to arrive, all to obtain something else entirely.

"If you want the communication crystal, it's simple," Countess Guinevere said. "I require the World Tree's Seed of Fire in exchange."

The royal mages leaped up in agitation.

"The World Tree's Seed of Fire?"

"You must be joking!"

"We don't have something like that!"

"What even is that thing?"

Linlei asked Eve.

Eve pursed her lips. "An omnipotent treasure."

"Omnipotent?"

"The World Tree's Seed of Fire is the very life force of the World Tree; you can think of it as the World Tree itself," Eve explained. "With it in your possession, whether it's eternal life or anything else, practically whatever you desire can be granted."

"Good heavens, it's Aladdin's magic lamp!"

Linlei's eyes widened. "If I had that, why would I even need the communication crystal?"

The elves nodded in agreement. Who in their right mind would trade the World Tree's Seed of Fire for a mere communication crystal?

"Don't rush to refuse just yet, I haven't finished!"

Countess Guinevere rose from her chair. "I don't want the Seed of Fire for myself; I merely wish to borrow it for a single day... Let me use it for one day, and I will return it to you."

The mages furrowed their brows slightly. "What do you need to borrow it for?"

"That I cannot tell you."

Countess Guinevere shook her head.

"But we truly do not possess the Seed of Fire..."

"I know you don't have it, but you can go find it." Countess Guinevere snapped her fingers, and a scroll materialized in her hand. "I know where the seed is located."

She unrolled the scroll across the table, revealing a map.

"This is the map leading to the Fairyland. The Seed of Fire is located within. You elves share a close bond with the fairies, so you will surely be able to obtain it."

The Fairyland again.

Linlei reached out to grab the map, but suddenly, the entire palace began to shake violently.

"...The werewolves have arrived."

Countess Guinevere glanced toward the exterior of the palace, announcing that the elves' break time had come to an end.