The First Pope - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Since returning to the Elf Territory, Olivia had been constantly busy. Cynthia stayed in the Elf Territory for three days but had only seen Olivia twice, exchanging no more than five sentences. Every morning when she went to Olivia's dwelling to look for her, the elf guards at her wooden house would tell her that Olivia had already left.
If she didn't know Olivia's personality, she would have thought Olivia was deliberately avoiding her.
Late at night, a crescent moon hung in the sky. The bright moonlight scattered through the dense leaves, dappling the soft grass below. A pale green figure moved through the woods, the night adding a touch of coldness to her presence.
Elves who were still awake peeked out from their treehouses, secretly watching Olivia pass by their homes, only reluctantly retracting their gazes after her figure disappeared.
Olivia had been away from the territory for some time, and the state of the Tree of Life had worsened considerably since she left. The Tree of Life was crucial to her race's survival and reproduction, so the first thing she did upon her return was to stabilize its condition.
But that was no easy task.
Olivia reached up to rub the space between her brows, her lowered eyes hiding the exhaustion within them. A night breeze ruffled her long, pale green hair, but she paid it no mind.
Suddenly, a golden light descended from the sky, enveloping Olivia. A warm aura soothed her weary spirit. Her steps faltered, and she lifted her gaze slightly. A few meters away, the silver-haired God Race was watching her quietly. Only after their eyes met did she reveal a smile and elegantly wave her staff.
"What are you doing here?" Startled by Cynthia's sudden appearance, Olivia subtly straightened her posture after a moment of shock. She turned her head slightly, avoiding Cynthia's gaze, not wanting her to see her fatigue.
Cynthia walked over, discreetly looking Olivia up and down. Then, she raised the staff in her hand and used it to tidy Olivia's wind-tousled hair, saying nonchalantly, "The host invites a guest to her territory and then ignores her. Of course, I had to come and ask for an explanation."
The crystal at the tip of the staff was hard and cool. When it accidentally brushed against the side of Olivia's neck, her hands, hanging at her sides, curled involuntarily. She took a step back, avoiding Cynthia's staff, and said with a frown, "Didn't Polly attend to you?"
She had instructed Polly to take good care of Cynthia.
"Why should Polly be the one to attend to me?" Cynthia raised an eyebrow, her golden eyes looking somewhat serious. "Weren't you the one who invited me?"
She let out a deliberate sigh and said, feigning sadness, "I thought we were already friends."
Olivia paused, trying to explain, "I've been busy."
After saying that, she fell silent, hesitating internally about whether to say more.
The Tree of Life was a matter for the Elf Race. Cynthia, after all, was of the God Race—an outsider to them.
No matter how good their relationship with the Wolf Race was, no Wolf Race leader had ever seen their Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life was too important to their race; they could not afford betrayal.
Seeing Olivia's serious expression, Cynthia dropped her playful tone. She toyed with her staff, sized Olivia up again, and asked thoughtfully, "Is it the Tree of Life? Is something wrong with it again?"
Olivia frowned but said nothing.
Cynthia pondered for a moment, then suddenly walked toward Olivia. She put an arm around her shoulder and gently pushed her a few steps in the direction she had come from, saying, "Take me to see it."
Her tone wasn't a question but rather a command. Olivia was taken aback for a second before reacting, frowning. "That is the Forbidden Land. Outsiders are not allowed inside."
"I won't go in. I'll just look from the outside."
"You..."
"The Tree of Life's growth must be very dependent on the Power of Light, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have been so interested in the Sacred River outside the Temple of Light." Cynthia's hand on Olivia's shoulder slid down naturally to her lower back, guiding her forward as she continued with a smile, "I think you should take me to see it. What if it likes me?"
Olivia glanced down at Cynthia's arm around her waist, her eyes flickering. The silver-haired God Race's chatter filled her ears. She was silent for a moment before raising a hand to push her away slightly, saying with her eyes lowered, "You're too noisy."
Though she said this, she had already started to lead the way for Cynthia.
Cynthia looked at Olivia's profile and smiled faintly. She leaned her head closer and then raised a hand to her lips in a hushing gesture.
Olivia glanced at her before looking away, but her somewhat cold, pale green eyes had softened unknowingly.
Although Cynthia had said she wouldn't go in and would only look from outside the Forbidden Land, once they arrived, she "forgot" what she had said. While talking to Olivia, she naturally stepped into the Forbidden Land, observing her surroundings with great interest and even summoning a ball of golden flame for light.
Olivia had long expected that Cynthia wouldn't really just look from the outside. She watched Cynthia's back and shook her head slightly, but she didn't stop her.
The dense aura of light awakened the natural power within the Forbidden Land. A pale green glow emanated from the grass underfoot, the surrounding trees, and the hanging vines. Specks of green light gathered around Cynthia. The plant in the center of the stream also slowly awoke, stretching its long, slender branches and leaves toward Cynthia, seeming to adore the aura of light around her.
Cynthia's gaze fell upon the Tree of Life in the middle of the stream. The silvery moonlight enveloped it, making it look dreamlike and ethereal. It stretched its branches, and clusters of small green flowers and Elf Fruits, which exuded a thick aura of life, trembled with the movement.
Cynthia stared at the Tree of Life for a while before raising her hand, allowing it to wrap its branches around her wrist. She silently chanted a spell, and more Power of Light slowly gathered in her hand.
"See? It really does like me," Cynthia said, stroking the Tree of Life's branches with her other hand before turning to smile at Olivia.
The Tree of Life's affinity for Cynthia surprised Olivia as well. She walked over and, after a moment's thought, said, "Perhaps it's because it doesn't sense any danger from you."
She raised her hand to unwind the branches from Cynthia's wrist, then led her to the edge of the stream. She plucked an Elf Fruit and handed it to Cynthia, saying, "This is an Elf Fruit."
The Elf Fruit wasn't very large. Other than its incredibly dense life aura, it didn't look particularly special. Cynthia studied it for a moment and was about to speak when the fruit was suddenly snatched from her hand by the Tree of Life, which then thrust another Elf Fruit into her hand.
Cynthia froze, instinctively looking up at Olivia. When Olivia saw the Elf Fruit that the Tree of Life had forced into her hand, her eyes widened slightly. She reached out to take it back, but Cynthia raised her hand to avoid her.
"Is there something wrong with this Elf Fruit?" It was the first time Cynthia had seen Olivia's expression change so drastically. She looked down and carefully examined the fruit in her hand, quickly discovering the difference between it and the one Olivia had just given her.
The Elf Fruit the Tree of Life had given her didn't have as dense a life aura as the previous one. Moreover, the originally green fruit had turned a withered yellow and was faintly blackened for some reason. Cynthia could even sense a trace of a dark aura from it.
"A dark aura?" Cynthia looked up at Olivia questioningly, frowning. "What's going on?"
After giving the tainted Elf Fruit to Cynthia, the Tree of Life retracted its branches, becoming docile and still under Olivia's gaze.
Olivia hadn't expected the Tree of Life to show the tainted Elf Fruit to Cynthia. She was silent for a moment, and only after Cynthia asked again did she reply in a low voice, "This Elf Fruit has been tainted by the Power of Darkness."
She reached out and took the Elf Fruit from Cynthia's hand. After a slight hesitation, she added, "The current situation on the Sitatul Continent is too dire. The Tree of Life has also been affected."
"If the Elf Fruits are tainted by the Power of Darkness, won't that cause problems for your reproduction?" Cynthia's expression grew grave as a thought occurred to her. "Is this related to the Power of Darkness that invaded your body before?"
Olivia didn't answer directly. Instead, she said in a heavy tone, "An elf born from an Elf Fruit tainted by the Power of Darkness would certainly have an affinity for the Power of Darkness."
"That's why I must purify the Power of Darkness within them before they are born."
Olivia had no desire to know what an elf with an affinity for the Power of Darkness would be like.
But if it was a volatile factor that could disrupt the internal harmony of the Elf Race, she had to extinguish the source before it could emerge.
No matter the cost.
Olivia's answer confirmed Cynthia's suspicions. She stared at Olivia for a moment and sighed inwardly. No wonder Olivia had been so desperate to find the Temple of Light; the situation of the Elf Race was indeed not looking optimistic.
At a time when the Vampires controlled the Sitatul Continent, having a large number of clan members with an affinity for the Power of Darkness was certainly not good news.
But the price Olivia was paying to purify the Power of Darkness within the Elf Fruits was too great, especially since she also had to sustain the Tree of Life with her own life force.
Cynthia lowered her gaze to the Elf Fruit in her hand, pondering for a while before suddenly saying, "As long as the Power of Darkness inside it is replaced, the elf born from it will be normal, right?"
Olivia didn't answer, instead asking with a frown, "What are you planning to do?"
"When it comes to purifying the Power of Darkness, I'm better at it than you are." Cynthia caressed the smooth surface of the Elf Fruit and said softly, "Let me do it."
"You're not an elf, and besides..."
Olivia's words were cut short by Cynthia. Cynthia raised the staff in her other hand, pressing the Light Crystal at its tip against the Elf Fruit. While contemplating which spell would be most effective, she replied casually, "Aren't we allies? Besides, it's just purifying the Power of Darkness."
Given Olivia's strength, purifying the Power of Darkness in these fruits had already consumed too much of her natural power. Although the Power of Light was the nemesis of the Power of Darkness, Olivia was still worried that Cynthia might get hurt.
Besides, Cynthia was an outsider. Why would she go to such lengths for the Elf Race?
Perhaps guessing what Olivia was thinking, Cynthia looked up from her contemplation and met Olivia's gaze. Her exquisite, perfect features seemed even more dazzling with her smile. "Because you are the Elf Queen."
"Because I really like... the Elf Race."
The silver-haired God Race's tone was earnest, her gaze focused and tinged with a faint tenderness. Olivia met her eyes for a moment, and for some reason, her heart skipped a beat. She subconsciously looked away, her pale green eyes cast slightly downward, her eyelashes trembling gently.
Although Olivia had turned away, her attention was still on Cynthia. She then heard the silver-haired God Race continue in her gentle voice, "The Elf Race is the most beautiful race I have ever seen. I don't want this race to suffer any harm."
The most beautiful race... Olivia repeated those words in her heart several times, and the corners of her lips slowly curved upward. She turned her head back, her pale green eyes filled with a smile as she looked at Cynthia and said earnestly, "Thank you, Cynthia."
It was the first time she had heard an outsider say such a thing, and she knew that Cynthia meant every word.
Cynthia's gaze lingered on the smile at Olivia's lips for a moment before she looked down with a smile of her own and said softly, "I like this thank-you gift very much."
Olivia looked at her, confused. "What?"
Cynthia just smiled and shook her head. She watched Olivia for another moment before looking away.
The Elf Race was beautiful, and the Elf Queen was even more beautiful. She liked them both.
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