Chapter Thirty-Eight: A Corner of the Multiverse

The two stepped out of the white mist, and before them stretched a sky stained blood-red. Amidst dust clouds that blocked out the sun, countless elves battled monsters on a desolate land, the sprawling battlefield extending beyond sight—a scene that left the two staring in stunned silence.

“What on earth is this?” Leopard couldn’t help but shout. The abrupt shift in atmosphere bewildered him; what kind of dream was that little fellow having?

“Don’t worry, it’s just an illusion,” Lin Wen regained his composure, realizing the surrounding scenes were all mirages. The elves at war were not real, yet the illusions were so vivid as to be nearly indistinguishable from reality.

“Really just illusions?” Leopard glanced around, then spotted a dragon descending from the sky not far away. A priestess rushed over, casting healing spells on the battered dragon.

“That’s…” Leopard recognized the priestess; rushing over, he exclaimed, “Her Majesty the Queen!”

A primitive elf with black hair and black eyes—Leopard could not be mistaken. She was the Queen of the Primitive Elves. But why would the queen’s illusion appear in Lin Lei’s dream?

“The little one has met our queen?” Leopard was astonished. Lin Wen approached slowly. “I understand now. This is the war from five hundred years ago. Lin Lei… he’s in a lesson.”

Above, gigantic black eyes watched the battlefield.

“Teacher, your sandbox game is impressively lifelike!” Lin Lei stared at the small box in his hand, teeming with people, oblivious to the fact that two hapless dolls had fallen into the box. His tone brimmed with awe—remarkable, the battles inside seemed almost real.

A sphere of light hovered beside Lin Lei, flickering gently. “What you see in the box is an evolution of my memories; each person has their real counterpart.”

It was teaching Lin Lei. In this dream world, Lin Lei still liked to play, but he spent more time learning.

The sphere was recounting the history of the elves.

Long, long ago, there was a beautiful and powerful queen among the elves—she lived for ages, her strength surpassing even the gods, enjoying a life of caprice and freedom on the planet.

“She was kind, beautiful, and omnipotent—her only worry was that no man seemed worthy of her.”

As the sphere spoke, Lin Lei clicked his tongue; the queen sounded intriguing.

The queen disliked the men on her planet. Through magic, she contacted a handsome man from another world, began a long-distance romance, and sent him her coordinates—inviting him to visit.

Then, the demons arrived. They treated elves and other intelligent beings as food, sparking panic across the globe. The elves raised the banner of rebellion without hesitation.

The leader of the resistance was chosen as the new Elf King; he slew the queen with a single stroke and led the allied forces to drive out the demons.

“That was your grandfather’s father… What do they call that in cultivation novels?”

The sphere faltered, unsure how to describe the lineage, since the forest elves had few generations.

“Great-grandfather, also called ancestor,” Lin Lei replied. That should be right; in his previous life, as an only child whose grandfather had died young, he wasn’t deeply versed in familial terms.

“Then let’s call him your great-grandfather. Your great-grandfather was the previous king of the primitive elves, but only held the position for a year.”

The sphere, an excellent teacher, paused the history to ask Lin Lei, “What did you learn from the queen’s story just now?”

Lin Lei’s expression grew heavy. “…Online romances are unreliable, after all.”

It was terrifying—the queen had contacted a handsome man, but instead, demons came; her death was truly undeserved.

The sphere hadn’t expected such an answer and paused, “Anything else?”

“Anything else?” Lin Lei pondered, his expression deepening. “…It seems women who’ve been single too long shouldn’t be trifled with. If they can mistake demons for handsome men, what else might they do?”

“Enough, I understand.” The sphere called a halt, feeling foolish for having asked Lin Lei that question.

“I’d better continue the story…”

After the demon war, the new Elf King made a decision: pursue the demons into their world.

However, the primitive elves had suffered heavy losses, and after finally repelling the demons, most didn’t wish to continue the chase. They were weary of war, and privately agreed with the gods to enclose the planet with a powerful protective barrier.

That barrier prevented strong demons from entering; if they did force their way in, their power would become negligible.

The primitive elves regained peace, but the Elf King disagreed with the new pact and led a group away from home—that was the origin of the forest elves.

“That Elf King was your great-grandfather, wasn’t he? Such a fragile-hearted elf—his plan to send other elves to die is no different from the wicked queen’s,” Leopard and Lin Wen watched the illusion in the box, trading barbed remarks.

“Foolish! Only by attacking can we solve the problem permanently. Only by leaving the planet can our race progress. If you lack the courage, just admit you’re cowards!”

“Hey, look at how many of those who left home are still alive? That’s the fate of traitors!”

“Short-sighted! Our ancestors gave up immortality to rely on their own strength and wisdom, forging ahead. Sooner or later, we’ll leave this planet. And you? What do you live for?”

Whenever history was discussed, primitive elves and forest elves could never coexist peacefully.

But their argument didn’t last long. Suddenly, sky and earth inverted, and the two screamed as they fell—then landed on a carpet.

“Ah, Xiaobai, Brother Wang, it really is you!” Lin Lei ran over joyfully; he’d noticed voices in the sandbox, tipped it over, and the two had tumbled out.

“Where are we?” Lin Wen stared, astonished, at the room: soft carpet underfoot, a luxurious bed beside him, and many unfamiliar pieces of furniture and machines.

“This is my apartment!” Lin Lei said gleefully, stroking Leopard, whom he hadn’t seen in ages.

“Lin Lei, since you have guests, today’s history lesson ends here,” the floating sphere beside Lin Lei announced. “Tomorrow, tell me—whose choice was right, that of the primitive elves or the forest elves?”

Lin Lei waved dismissively. “No need. I don’t know if the forest elves’ choice was right, but the primitive elves’ choice was definitely wrong!”

The sphere was startled. “Why?”

“Because their choice was to shut themselves away from the world. In my memories, tragedies caused by isolation are far too numerous.”

Lin Lei picked up Leopard and walked to the transparent window.

“Xiaobai, look, I made all this… Isn’t it beautiful?”

Leopard’s eyes widened. Before it appeared a glowing city beneath the night sky; every corner was illuminated by streetlights, and everything it saw was beyond its experience, even beyond imagination.

“What…what is this…” Lin Wen stood beside Lin Lei, staring in shock at the city before him.

“A replica of a corner of the multiverse,” the sphere explained. “Lin Lei created it from memory. Though there’s no life and the details can’t withstand scrutiny, its exterior faithfully recreates that world.”

“Is this the world of cultivation?” Lin Wen was dazed; these scenes were nothing like what he had imagined.

“No… The world of cultivation lies beyond the city,” the sphere looked into the distance, where a city shrouded in cloud and mist could be seen, statues of qilin beasts everywhere—a replica of the civilization of cultivation.

Yet the sphere knew, it was this street that was most astonishing.

“The people who built this city—they cannot cultivate, cannot use magic, their bodies are extremely fragile,” the sphere said. “Their civilization is founded solely on wisdom.”

“Indeed…” Lin Wen gripped the glass, his nails leaving marks. Forest elves wanted to venture into the universe because the world beyond held not only demons but countless other things; they could not choose isolation out of fear.

“No, impossible!” Leopard cried, his faith shaken. Short-sighted—was the primitive elves’ decision to remain on the planet truly wrong?

“I must leave, leave here!” Suddenly, Leopard bit Lin Lei, and when released, darted from the room. He sensed danger; if he remained any longer, he might become just like these forest elves.