Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Before Arnold could get a word out, he saw Pelan give a slight nod, indicating he had no objections.

Huh? Arnold stared at Pelan in astonishment, unable to believe that this seemingly overly young necromancer was actually a Magic Saint—a being of immense power.

Is this a joke? At his age, becoming a Grand Mage capable of using super-tier magic would already be exaggerated enough. That magic apprentice beside him, well, maybe a warrior? He doesn't look burly enough, nor does he seem like a Martial Saint... He must have created this misunderstanding somehow... Arnold silently grumbled to himself.

Stevie took a few steps forward, wanting to have a word with Pelan, but upon meeting Lou Guanyue's deep, nearly black eyes, he instantly felt the blood in his body rush wildly to his head, and an uncontrollable fear rose in his heart.

Instinct told him he must immediately distance himself from this man. Stevie stiffly turned his neck away, no longer entertaining the thought of striking up a conversation.

Lou Guanyue subtly withdrew his gaze and looked at Pelan with a smile. "Teacher, didn't you take some magical items from them before? Since we have no use for them and happen to run into their original owners here, why not let them pay some money to redeem their belongings?"

Re... redeem them back?

Is that even allowed?

Pelan's eyes widened instantly. A few days ago, outside the barrier of the small cabin, Stevie and his companions had handed over their possessions as compensation.

Among them were a few profession-specific weapons that Pelan hadn't had time to consign for sale at Glen's shop.

But even if he consigned them at Glen's shop, they'd probably be hard to sell in this small town. For example, that warrior's greatsword—most ordinary warriors would have a hard time wielding it...

Yet these drawbacks simply don't exist for their original owners!

Pelan thought Yue's suggestion was excellent. He felt relieved; he had been troubled by this matter for a while.

They probably haven't had time to find suitable replacements yet, right?

However, such matters also require their agreement. He turned to look at Stevie and the others. "Do you still want your things?"

Stevie opened his mouth, anger welling up inside him: Seriously? Just got robbed a few days ago, and now you want us to pay to buy our own stuff back?

This is just adding insult to injury...

"Yes, yes, we do! Thank you for your generosity. We are willing to redeem them!" Stevie replied with a flattering smile in his uniquely somewhat shrill voice, though his heart was bitter.

Lou Guanyue noted the expressions of Stevie and his companions, the corner of his mouth curling up slightly.

Seeing Pelan lower his head to fiddle with his dimensional pocket, picking and choosing as if wanting to "return" even the previous miscellaneous items to them, he sighed helplessly.

He leaned in and whispered in the youth's ear, "Teacher, we should keep the useful stuff. Just take out those few weapons that are hard to sell."

Any more, and they probably couldn't afford them anyway.

Hearing Lou Guanyue's words, Pelan's eyes lit up. He dumped out the items that had been tossed in the corner and pushed them all in front of Lou Guanyue.

"Yue came up with the idea, so the money is all yours."

The implication was that whatever amount they sold for would belong to him alone.

The curve of Lou Guanyue's lips lifted a bit more. He didn't refuse. Looking up at the adventurers with their strained smiles, he asked, "Hmm? This greatsword, I remember it's yours, right? Want to buy it?" He casually picked up a heavy sword, twirled it in a flourish, and pointed the tip at Joe, whose smile looked more like a grimace.

"I..." He'd barely gotten a word out when the female assassin elbowed him in the back. He could only grit his teeth and say, "I'll buy it! Heh, I've missed my old friend... No other sword feels as good in my hand."

"250 gold coins. That should be a fair price, right?" Lou Guanyue kept his gentle smile, unsurprised to see Joe's face turn pale.

Where would he have that much money! Back in the forest, he had already handed over all his coins and alchemical tools!

Joe shot a pleading look at his companions, hoping those with more funds could help him out.

Everyone instinctively avoided his pleading gaze. It couldn't be helped; they weren't well-off either. Who knew if the price would be jacked up when it was their turn?

With no other choice, Joe looked at Stevie. This Divine Mage came from a Divine Envoy Family; he certainly wouldn't be short on money.

"I'll lend it to you. Here are 250 gold coins." Stevie said grimly, tossing out a cloth pouch.

True to form for a member of a Divine Envoy Family, he's certainly well-off... Lou Guanyue took the money and raised another item, smiling. "This magic staff, 2000 gold coins."

2000? Why don't you just rob us!

Stevie's face flushed red. He gritted his teeth. "... I'll buy it!"

Arnold watched for a long while but still couldn't figure out what was going on. Seizing the moment when everyone's attention wasn't on him, he tugged at Pelan beside him and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Why are you suddenly selling things to them?"

Pelan gave a brief explanation, startling the half-elf into quickly covering his own money pouch.

While thanking Pelan for sparing his own savings, Arnold glanced at the amiably smiling Lou Guanyue and couldn't help but break into a cold sweat for Stevie and the others.

Running into this devil, they could only blame their own bad luck.

After the "transactions" were completed, the group stepped into the hall's teleportation array under a rather bizarre atmosphere.

Incidentally, the fee for the teleportation array was also paid by these unlucky adventurers. Stevie and his group didn't dare ask these two to chip in!

As the countdown ended, the massive teleportation array in the center of the hall suddenly lit up. A powerful energy surged into their bodies from beneath their feet, and the surrounding scenery began to twist and stretch.

The process seemed long, yet also as if only an instant passed. The sensation underfoot became solid again.

A brief dizziness made Stevie shake his head. Before he had fully steadied himself, he was already eagerly rushing towards the exit of the teleportation array.

Just as one foot stepped out, he heard a voice from behind that made him tense up. "One more thing, you—"

"Your Excellency! We really have nothing of value left on us." Stevie couldn't help but interrupt him, his expression looking as if he might burst into tears the next moment.

To redeem his own staff, he had not only handed over all the money he had except what was needed to activate the teleportation array but also given two magical items to cover the debt.

Pelan pursed his lips. Noticing his hesitation, Lou Guanyue spoke for him. "I've heard the Rodney Family has always had trade dealings with the elves. I'd like to know how to reach the Elven Forest."

Stevie was taken aback for a moment. His gaze swept almost imperceptibly over Arnold's distinctly pointed ears. He weighed his words before speaking. "If Your Excellency wishes to go to the Elven Forest, you can seek out a lady named Judith Owen at No. 13 Ningkang Fort."

Pelan made a note of the name and nodded to Stevie. "Thank you."

Stevie breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly left the hall.

Next time before going out, I must use magic to divine today's luck!

"Yue, how did you know the Rodney Family has trade dealings with the elves?" Pelan withdrew his gaze from their hastily departing figures and turned his head to look at Lou Guanyue.

Lou Guanyue chuckled lightly. "Guessed."

"Guessed?" Not expecting that answer, Pelan repeated in surprise.

"Mhm. Having trade with elves isn't uncommon in Hoplar. After all, elves can't truly achieve complete isolation from the world; they would always need to exchange goods with humans. The Rodney Family is an ancient lineage from the last century. It wouldn't be surprising if they had connections with high-ranking members of the elven race." Lou Guanyue explained.

"Isn't he a highly regarded Divine Mage within his family? So I guessed that as a core member, Stevie would likely know some secrets."

Hearing this, Pelan looked at him admiringly. "Yue, you're incredible."

He gave a slight smile. "Let's go to Kangning Fort Street first. The most important thing right now is to find Mr. Sipo."

As one of the cities closest to the royal capital, Port Gulent was far more prosperous than Gero City.

Even its size—this major city was at least five times larger than Gero City.

They inquired with the staff at the guild and purchased a map of Port Gulent there.

Fortunately, Kangning Fort Street was not far from the guild.

Without wasting any more time, once they'd confirmed the location, Lou Guanyue took out a tracking compass and, along with the map, headed to No. 13.

"Mr. Sipo did come here, but because too much time has passed, the aura here is very muddled, and the remaining traces are extremely faint." Lou Guanyue put away the compass and added in detail.

Pelan perked up. This proved they were in the right place. Sipo and the two elves likely went to the Elven Forest!

They arrived in front of the 13th building and gently knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" a cheerful voice came from inside.

The door opened from within, revealing a pretty girl. When she saw Lou Guanyue, her eyes lit up with interest. She asked curiously, "Who are you looking for?"

Lou Guanyue smiled at the girl. "I'm looking for Ms. Judith Owen. Does she live here?"

"Yes, wait a moment. I'll go ask Grandma," the girl replied with a smile.

After a while, the girl opened the door again. "Come in."

In the living room, a white-haired lady sat in a reclining chair, holding a scroll of parchment.

Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, she didn't look up. "Don't beat around the bush. What brings you here?"

"Ms. Judith, we heard you know the way to the Elven Forest. We have a compelling reason to go there and hope you can tell us how." Lou Guanyue wore a polite smile.

Upon hearing "Elven Forest," the old lady looked up, her gaze sharp. "Who told you to come?"

"Stevie Rodney," Lou Guanyue replied without changing his expression, showing no intention to hide the truth.

"Hmph, that brat from the Rodney family!" the old lady snorted coldly and turned her attention back to the parchment. "I do know how to get there, but why should I tell you?"

"Ma'am, before coming to Port Gulent, we accepted a commission." Lou Guanyue repeated the story he had casually made up for Arnold earlier.

"A human woman and an elven man fell in love and spent a sweet time together. But when the woman became pregnant, her husband suddenly vanished without a trace. Even after the child was born, the elf was never seen again."

"We felt sorry for the woman, so we decided to help her find this elf. Following the clues, we discovered the child's father had returned to the Elven Forest." At this point, Lou Guanyue sighed softly. "We have no choice but to go there to seek an answer. We hope you can tell us how to reach the Elven Forest."

Tears welled up in Ms. Judith's eyes, and her gaze toward them was no longer as guarded. "So that's how it is."

As she spoke, she glanced at Arnold, her expression filled with pity and a hint of anger. She snorted coldly, "He hasn't gone back to see the child even after all these years. What a failure of a father—no, he doesn't even deserve to be called a father!"

Arnold's face stiffened slightly.

Ms. Judith's gaze softened. "Don't be sad, child. I can tell you how to get to the Elven Forest, but before that, I need you to help me with a small task."

-----------------------

Author's Note: Arnold: Seriously, why does he always get used as the prototype?

Poor guy, Yue's casually made-up story deeply wounded the innocent half-elf. [Let me see]

Thank you, dear readers, for following along. Guess what task the old lady is going to assign?