CA - Chapter 151
Chapter 151
Although Kama was a descendant of the God Race, she didn't have much of a concept of what those words represented. She didn't know what the God Race had experienced in the past, so she didn't react much to the conversation between Tang Qiu and Delphine. Her attention was entirely focused on the flower nectar. After finishing her own cup, she secretly took the one in front of Tang Qiu as well.
It was normal for a child of Kama's age to be innocent and naive, but Tang Qiu felt the child's vigilance was still very strong.
Although she was very clingy, Tang Qiu had never been able to get any information about her people from Kama.
Kama couldn't speak, but she was very smart. When she wanted to communicate with Tang Qiu, she would go to great lengths to make Tang Qiu understand. But when she didn't want to talk, she would just shake her head with a sad expression. That innocent little face made it impossible for anyone to even think of blaming her.
She was very carefully protecting her people, but Tang Qiu didn't know why she was always following her. Tang Qiu glanced sideways at Kama, who was happily licking her cup, and reached out to stroke her hair.
Bringing up the God Race to Delphine was just to give her a heads-up, to inform her of the relationship between the God Race and the Holy See. But seeing that she already knew quite a bit, Delphine consciously cut the topic short.
She was very resentful of the Holy See. Although she had a good relationship with Tang Qiu, it didn't change her impression of the Holy See. The blonde bishop was, after all, a person of the Holy See. Ending the topic in a timely manner would prevent any ill feelings from arising between them due to differing views.
"Actually, I invited you here because there's something I need your help with." After chatting with Tang Qiu about other topics for a while, Delphine got straight to the point. "You're the only person I know who can use high-level light magic, so I have to trouble you."
"I can pay you some remuneration."
Tang Qiu glanced at her, not concerned about the payment, but asked thoughtfully, "What kind of help?"
Delphine raised a hand to rub her brow, feeling that it couldn't be explained in just a few words. She rose from her chair and said softly to Tang Qiu, "Follow me."
Tang Qiu had Kama stay behind to drink the flower nectar, then followed Delphine out of the treehouse. The Elves had simple temperaments and were full of love for nature. Even living a life of seclusion deep in the forest, repeating the same things day after day, they remained optimistic and positive.
Tang Qiu looked around, watching the nearby Elves with great interest. Some of the older Elves had put down their bows and arrows, wearing simple dresses, collecting honey, brewing wine, and picking leaves in the woods. Meanwhile, some of the younger Elves were leading the little ones in climbing trees and practicing archery, training their combat skills.
This was a very beautiful race. It had been less than an hour since she arrived in their territory, but Tang Qiu had already felt so much warmth here.
Passing Elves greeted Delphine enthusiastically. Tang Qiu withdrew her gaze and looked at Delphine, saying, "The atmosphere here feels very comfortable."
Delphine smiled, but the fatigue in her eyes made her smile look a little weak.
Tang Qiu frowned, took out a bottle of Holy Water of Light, and handed it to her, asking in a low voice, "Are you okay?"
She had specifically observed Delphine when she first saw her. Although Delphine's mental state was not good, there was no residual dark aura on her body.
Drinking a bottle of Holy Water of Light made Delphine feel a little better. She tossed the empty bottle to a young elf. Watching the little elf hold the glass bottle and look at it with curiosity, the corners of her mouth curved up slightly. She joked to Tang Qiu, "If you gave me a few more bottles of Holy Water of Light, I might feel even better."
Seeing that she didn't want to talk more about it, Tang Qiu shook her head with a light laugh and tossed her a Space Gem.
Delphine raised an eyebrow. She checked the contents of the Space Gem, and her smile became more sincere. "Because of your generosity, our friendship is growing deeper and deeper."
They left the Elves' residential area and walked deeper into the forest. The further they went, the more they could feel a strong aura of life lingering around them. The air became fresher, the trees were sturdy with lush leaves, and the grass underfoot had been replaced by a carpet of colorful flowers. Unknown flowers climbed along the tree branches, their petals falling downwards even without a breeze.
The floral scent was rich but not cloying. Delphine led Tang Qiu to a stop in front of a small stream almost submerged in wildflowers. A few petals had landed on their shoulders and in their hair, but neither of them paid any mind. Their attention was entirely focused on the green plant standing in the middle of the stream.
Compared to the surrounding trees, the green plant was like a slightly shorter sapling. Its thin, long leaves drooped listlessly, yellowed and showing signs of withering at the edges. A few flower buds were scattered on it, but they showed no signs of opening.
This was the Elf Race's Tree of Life.
Tang Qiu's brow furrowed. She reached out and touched a yellowed leaf, a little surprised. She had seen the Tree of Life in Eden; it was vibrant and lush, with branches covered in Elf Fruit.
It was a world of difference from the state of the Tree of Life here.
Why was the Elf Race's own Tree of Life in such terrible condition, while the one in Eden was so full of life?
Filled with doubt, Tang Qiu withdrew her hand from the leaf. After a moment of thought, she asked directly, "I once saw a Tree of Life in the Holy See's nation. It looked very healthy, not like this one..."
It was as if it were sick.
Delphine was stroking the leaves of the Tree of Life with a sorrowful expression. Hearing Tang Qiu's words, her face darkened. The leaves sensed her aura and actively curled around her fingers, rubbing against them comfortingly. She took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in her heart, and said in a heavy voice, "The Holy See's Tree of Life was stolen from the Elf Race. It was the most important Tree of Life for our clan's reproduction."
That Tree of Life was over five thousand years old and could be considered the foundation of their Elf Race. Their clan mainly relied on it to reproduce. Moreover, the Tree of Life would emit a strong life aura that enveloped their territory, and being surrounded by this life aura was a necessary environment for them to practice their magic.
"Stolen?"
Delphine hummed in affirmation, her tone slightly cold. "The Holy See deceived us. Over a thousand years ago, the relationship between the Elves and the Holy See had not yet broken down. To find the Pope who had gone missing at that time, the Elf Queen led her people in turning the entire continent of Statu upside down. However, the Holy See took that opportunity to launch a surprise attack on our territory."
At that time, only a small number of Elves were left to guard their territory. Furthermore, the relationship between the Elves and the Holy See was close, so people from the Holy See could come and go freely in the Elven lands.
The uprooting of the Tree of Life shocked and enraged the Elf Queen, who was away. By the time she rushed back with her people, the tragedy had already occurred.
Not only did the Holy See dig up the Tree of Life, but they also killed the Elves who had stayed behind.
In a fit of rage, the Elf Queen broke off all ties with the Holy See.
The Holy See's seizure of the Tree of Life not only cut off the Elves' reproduction, but also enraged the werewolves, who had always relied on Elf Fruit to improve their clan's reproductive ability. The Elf Queen united with the werewolf clan leader of that time to launch an attack on the Holy See.
The Holy See at that time had already fallen into the hands of traitors and had the secret help of the Vampires. The Elves and werewolves attacked twice and failed twice.
In the final attack, the Elf Queen and the werewolf clan leader severely injured the Pope at the time, causing him to suffer from incurable internal injuries and abdicate not long after. However, the price the Elf Queen and the werewolf clan leader paid was also enormous.
This was the darkest period in the history of the Elf and Werewolf Races. Because of their attack on the Holy See, they lost a large number of their people. The Elves and werewolves had no choice but to retreat to their territories and find ways to solve their own reproduction problems.
Because of the Holy See, they had lost too much.
"The Holy See are betrayers." Delphine bit her lip, her tone laced with resentment. "They are robbers."
She hated the Holy See, but tragically, her Elf Race couldn't live without them. The growth of the Tree of Life, including the bearing of fruit, required watering with Holy Water of Light. Moreover, the Tree of Life was extremely fond of the light element, just like the Elves themselves, who were naturally drawn to people with a strong aura of light.
They didn't want to have any more dealings with the Holy See, yet they had to search for Holy Water of Light to water the Tree of Life. But even after obtaining enough Holy Water of Light, the Tree of Life still showed no signs of improvement.
That was why Delphine thought of asking Tang Qiu to try using light magic to see if she could "cure" the Tree of Life.
This Tree of Life carried too much weight. Delphine did not want the Elf Race to go extinct under her watch.
Tang Qiu had her own guesses about why the Elves had broken with the Holy See, but she hadn't expected the reality to be even heavier than she had imagined. She remained silent for a while, waiting for Delphine's emotions to gradually stabilize before asking softly, "How can I help you?"
Delphine let out a soft breath, dispelling the gloom in her heart. She glanced at Tang Qiu and said in a low voice, "Can you use the Light Purification Spell?"
The Tree of Life was a plant that was very close to the light element. Its growth required a large amount of the Power of Light. Although Delphine had been leading her people to search for Holy Water of Light, the quantity was far from enough.
After all, the Tree of Life they currently possessed had not yet fully matured. It would probably take another two thousand years before it could grow without the influence of Holy Water of Light.
The Light Purification Spell wasn't a particularly difficult light magic spell. Tang Qiu took out her staff and said to Delphine with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm very skilled with this spell."
Delphine smiled and took a few steps back to give Tang Qiu space.
Tang Qiu raised her staff and softly chanted an incantation. The light element gathered at the tip of the staff, then flew towards the Tree of Life like a shooting star. The aura of light made the Tree of Life's branches and leaves tremble, and then it began to stretch out amidst a white glow faintly tinged with gold.
At first, Delphine's attention was entirely on the Tree of Life. Seeing its branches and leaves begin to stretch, she felt a wave of relief. She turned her gaze to Tang Qiu, and a flash of astonishment crossed her eyes as she saw the Power of Light she was using.
The Power of Light, tinged with a golden glow, was clearly a symbol of a Red-robed Archbishop's strength... Had this person already cultivated to such a level?
Delphine was surprised, but also a little delighted. The stronger Tang Qiu was, the better it would be for the Tree of Life's growth.
A continuous stream of the Power of Light flowed into the Tree of Life. Its vitality was reawakened, the yellowed leaves turned emerald green again, and its branches began to spread out wantonly in all directions.
Watching the Tree of Life regain its vitality, the worry on Delphine's brow faded a little. She raised the corners of her lips slightly, her gaze on the Tree of Life exceptionally gentle.
Time passed bit by bit. When Delphine saw that the Tree of Life was no longer extending outwards, she called for Tang Qiu to stop.
Tang Qiu lowered her staff. She took out a bottle of Holy Water of Light while observing the Tree of Life's condition. However, just as she opened the stopper of the holy water, her movements froze, and her brow instantly furrowed.
Without the Power of Light, the Tree of Life actually began to wither. Its branches and leaves retracted to their original length and began to turn yellow rapidly.
Delphine's expression changed, and she muttered to herself, "How is this possible..."
The Tree of Life was withering too quickly, and it was even affecting the trunk. Just as Tang Qiu put down the holy water and was about to raise her staff again, a hand pressed down on her wrist. Delphine shook her head at Tang Qiu, then walked towards the Tree of Life.
She took out a dagger and slit her own wrist. Blood rushed out, dripping into the stream. The clear water was stirred and muddied. The Tree of Life suddenly stopped withering, and a faint green light flickered on its trunk and branches.
Tang Qiu was stunned for a moment. She quickly walked over and pressed down on Delphine's wrist, using a healing spell to stop the bleeding. Her gentle voice carried a hint of disapproval. "There's no need to do this. Things aren't that bad yet."
To actually use her own life force to sustain the Tree of Life... No wonder Delphine was in such poor condition.
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