Chapter 198: Rebirth

Chapter 198 Rebirth

The moon hung on the treetops, and Percy looked out through the barrier, seeing the flickering lights flowing in the river valley.

Those lights were lanterns held by the elves, who gradually gathered around the Mother Tree. This was the monthly full moon festival, where the elves sat in circles, illuminating the space under the tree. Then, the Elven King would lift his lyre and play beneath the Mother Tree.

Percy began to lose himself in thought.

In his previous life, when he was exiled and the new king ascended the throne, the deity had appeared.

The master of Pine Mountain perched on the treetop, listened carefully as the new king finished his tune, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Not bad."

News of the successful festival spread to the outside world, and Percy, who was wandering far away, also heard about it.

At that time, he had ventured deep into the heart of the dead zone, learning of the news from human adventurers. He wondered how moving the new king's music must be to attract the attention of the deity. If he had such skill, would his fate have been different?

So, he started to listen intently.

"..."

—It sounded a bit off.

A short melody, yet it contained many misplaced beats and wrong notes, played with clumsy hands and raw technique. Percy compared it in his mind and found it far inferior to his own.

Is this the taste of the deity?

Percy couldn't understand.

But if the deity liked it, there must be something commendable about it.

With this thought, he surreptitiously lifted his head to look at Iluvatar, hoping to find some clue on the deity's face.

But Iluvatar was asleep.

The deity was in the midst of a sweet dream, almost burying his entire face in the pillow. He hugged the light orb and rubbed against it, showing no sign of waking up.

"..."

If the deity could sleep during the New King’s Full Moon Festival, then had he done so during the countless other ceremonies he had presided over?

In other words, the deity’s indifference wasn’t out of disdain but simply because he was asleep.

Recalling how the deity had cherished and cared for him when he lay in his palm, Percy couldn’t help but waver for a moment.

He remained dazed for an unknown duration before retracting his gaze and continuing to listen to the music outside.

The more he listened, the tighter Percy’s brows furrowed.

With the deity’s prolonged silence, the musician seemed to grow increasingly agitated, unable to maintain a proper performance. The dissonance and wrong notes grew more frequent, and the sound of nails scraping against the strings occasionally disturbed the air, potentially disrupting the deity’s sleep. If Percy were still the Elven King, he would never have allowed such discordant music to be offered to the deity.

Percy tentatively struggled for a moment, then slipped out of Iluvatar’s embrace.

He drifted toward the window.

As he passed the desk, the light orb paused slightly, coming to a stop.

There, two notebooks lay.

Made of parchment, written in ink, every stroke was familiar to Percy—it was his own notebook.

The orb of light gently expanded.

Percy thought, "Has the young man arrived? Has he reached the elven race?"

Percy harbored mixed feelings toward the half-elf youth. On one hand, they had supported each other through the lows; without the young man, Percy’s life in South Lake would have been bleak and colorless.

On the other hand, he had lost composure in front of the youth.

As a senior, he had shown an unseemly expression, and his soul still trembled slightly at the memory of that pleasure.

It was strange, yet incredibly comforting.

Lord Iru lay behind him, and Percy dared not entertain impure thoughts, for it would be a desecration to the divine. He tried to forcibly push away the sensations buried deep in his memory, but the more he tried not to think about it, the clearer the memories became. In the end, Percy even began to scold himself out of anxiety.

...Damn it, how could he let his mind wander before the Mother Goddess? He deserved to be ignored. If Lord Iru found out, he would surely be scattered into oblivion, exiled forever.

But since the notebook had reached the divine table, there must be a reason for his sudden acceptance and pardon by the deity. It seemed the Mother Goddess found some use in the notebook, and considered his actions not entirely reprehensible, thus allowing his grayish-black soul to remain and recuperate, treating him with kindness.

Understanding the reason, Percy felt a slight relief. He thought the youth must have also received the clan’s forgiveness and was likely residing in the river valley now.

Percy wanted to take a look.

Iru had not restricted Percy’s movements, and his soul easily passed through the barrier, landing on a treetop.

In his previous life, after being exiled, Percy had received no communication from the elven race. The news of the new king’s ceremony came from human adventurers, vague and unclear, leaving him unaware of who the new king was.

By Percy’s original estimation, a king favored by the divine would certainly be dignified and solemn, far surpassing him in every way.

He looked toward the new king.

"..."

The new king is Kemi, his former assistant.

Kemi is a battle-type elf, serving as the assistant to the Elf King and the Chief Ranger. He spends his days patrolling the borders of Pine Mountain, with a lively and enthusiastic personality. Moreover, he has never learned to play the harp.

The Chief Ranger is an outgoing elf who enjoys moving freely through the forest, rescuing injured little animals, or drinking beer heartily with three or four other elves. Confining him in a room to learn the harp would be a great torment.

At this moment, the Chief Ranger was forced to take down his high ponytail and style it into a dignified and serious look. His fingers, accustomed to holding a bow and arrow and calloused, fumbled awkwardly over the strings, producing a cacophony of noise. He was now making exaggerated faces behind the backs of the other elves.

Percy, knowing his assistant well, could almost guess what he was thinking.

— What’s the next note? I just memorized the score last night, why can’t I remember it?

Percy: "."

But that wasn’t the worst part; the worst part was that Kemi had emulated his last festival outfit, wearing a top and back cut-out garment.

Having spent his life patrolling the forests, basking in rain and sunshine, the Chief Ranger’s skin was a healthy tan, unlike the pale complexion of most elves. Now, dressed in a pure white robe, large areas of his skin were exposed, with pearl chains adorning his chest, and only silver chains connecting his back and thighs.

In short, it had the peculiar beauty of a Roman gladiator trying to dress as a court lady.

Clearly, the Chief Ranger had never worn such clothing before, feeling uncomfortable everywhere. He pulled his arms close to his sides, modestly pressing his legs together, and held the robe in a bizarre posture.

— It had the peculiar beauty of a Roman gladiator trying to dress as a court lady, holding up the hem to curtsy.

Percy: "."

He was somewhat relieved that the gods were asleep and didn’t have to witness this spectacle.

After finishing the song, no deity appeared. Kemmi had to steel himself and continue. After playing several wrong notes in a row, he exerted too much force, causing the strings to tear with an unpleasant snap.

The clan fell silent for a moment, but Kemmi let out a sigh of relief as he stood up. "Ladies and gentlemen, the deity will not appear today. Please return."

Kemmi then packed away his harp and walked toward the seat of the elder on the far left.

Murmurs of argument could be heard faintly.

Kemmi was straightforward and spoke his mind. Percy, worried about a conflict, followed him.

The elders huddled together, whispering, "There were too many mistakes with the harp; it's no wonder the deity didn't appear. Kemmi, you need more practice."

Kemmi tossed the harp aside, "I've already said I don't want to do this, yet you insist. I've already said I can't play, yet you still make me. Even when Lord Percy played so well, you didn't like it. How can you expect Lord Ilu to like me? I've only been learning for two months. How can I compare to Lord Percy? Can you use your brain?"

He pinned his clothes with pine needles and stormed off.

Percy: "."

He aimlessly drifted through the river valley, listening to the elves discuss the events of the past six months—since Kemmi ascended to the throne, he had frequent conflicts with the council, and both sides often clashed during meetings.

In truth, the elders knew that Kemmi's impulsive nature made him unsuitable for the role of elf king. However, with Ilu in a long slumber and no new elves born in a long time, the clan was short of young talent. There were few who met the requirements, so they had no choice but to appoint him.

Now, with two successive changes in the elf kingship and the deity refusing to appear, the clan was in a state of unease, with rumors spreading widely.

Percy listened to all this but felt powerless to help.

Another issue was that he hadn't found the young man.

Neither in the territory under the sacred tree nor in the river valley could he find any sign of the half-elf. It was as if the person had vanished into thin air, with no trace of where he had gone.

The orb of light worried: "Was he not accepted by the clan? Was he driven out of Pine Mountain after delivering the notes?"

He searched every territory within the clan, but found no traces of a new resident anywhere. The clan was as peaceful as ever; if it weren't for those two notebooks, Percy would have thought the young man had never been there.

These questions remained unanswered for now. Percy looked around, then drifted back to the treetops through the window, landing again beside the deity's pillow.

Another question was whether Lord Ilu's sudden slumber had any particular cause.

Historically, deities had never slept for such extended periods. The elf was concerned but didn't know what to do. He watched the deity's slightly furrowed brow in sleep and his somewhat unnatural posture, then quietly squeezed between the deity's hands.

The moment he slipped in, the deity reached out and held him tightly, his furrowed brows relaxing, as if he were sleeping soundly.

Percy watched him quietly, thinking, "This is good too."

If he could remain by the deity's side in spirit form for a long time, without dwelling on the past or responsibilities, that would be fine as well.

But a week later, Ilu woke up.

He greeted Percy groggily, "Good morning, Percy."

The orb of light gently nuzzled him.

Sleep had restored Ilu somewhat. He pinched the orb and muttered to himself, "I should get you a body."

It wasn't good for the elf to remain in spirit form all the time. Percy needed friends, needed social interaction, needed to return to his people normally.

But when he finished speaking, the orb fell silent, visibly hesitating.

Ilu: "Percy?"

He gathered the light orb in his hands: "Don't you want a body?"

Challenging a deity's decision was certainly impolite, and the light orb nodded lightly before shaking its head.

Being in a soul state was inconvenient; having a body would be better. He was just a bit afraid.

His experiences in his previous two lives had been too tragic. Although the notes had improved the Mother Goddess's attitude toward him, even earning her affection, Percy didn't know how long this favor would last. He also didn't know what identity he should assume to face the elders again and integrate back into the clan.

Would the elves accept a soul that had already been tainted?

Eilu seemed to understand the elf's thoughts and gently rubbed the small light orb: "It's okay, I'll go with you."

Every elf, when matured from the tree and fell to the ground, was personally guided by a deity. The deity would hand over the still-naive elf to the Elf King, who would guide and teach the elf as they grew.

"Look," a faint glow emerged from the deity's fingertips: "This is the body I have shaped for you."

High above on the treetop, a fruit quietly ripened. Through the emerald, translucent skin of the fruit, one could vaguely see the figure inside.

Golden hair, azure eyes, a face of serene beauty, now curled up in the fetal position within the fruit.

—The deity had prepared a body for him, identical to his former self.