Chapter 37

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Chapter 37: Pact

Tasha was a bit confused.

The aunt with pointy ears took the initiative to follow Marion to see the oak trees, the underground city, and its residents. She behaved like an invited guest, being generous and at ease.

She visited the Amazonians during their training, remained quiet when they aimed, and applauded warmly when they hit the target. Although she didn’t shoot arrows, she knew many tricks of archery. The Amazonians subconsciously gathered around her, engaging in archery discussions, with others craning their necks to get a better view.

She instantly hit it off with the Craftsman Dwarf upon meeting. The dwarves proudly promised to customize furniture for her on the spot, eagerly asking about her preferences. "You’ll stay, right?" a thoughtful person asked, "Rooms are all prepared for you!" The aunt with pointy ears nodded and started handing out bag after bag of tea bags from her parcel, filling the air with rosy fragrance even before they were brewed.

She gave Marion a big hug, almost engulfing her. Tasha could hear Marion mentally screaming "So soft like a blanket" as she sat down next to the sleeping Oak Elder, placing her palm on the tree trunk, as if meditating or conversing with an old friend. She managed to persuade Ahuang with a seed half the size of a fist, even though Ahuang was supposed to eat Magic Stones. Ahuang held onto the seed and followed her eagerly, seeming eager for more rewards.

She even bumped into Samuel, the Pastor of Saro, who was exhausted after overusing the Prideful Sun Rod, and couldn’t yell "demon spawn" at her ears. Instead, he stumbled a few steps out and stared at her. Ignoring the pastor’s resistance, she took out a cupcake from her bag, opened his fist, and stuffed it in.

"Poor child, don’t starve yourself no matter how busy you are!" she sighed. "Look at you, you can barely walk from hunger!"

After exchanging some pleasantries, she waved goodbye, leaving Samuel’s feeble protests behind. The limping pastor looked at the small cake in his hand, considering that Tasha had stopped the relief after he refused to associate with beasts. For this poor man, resisting the tempting smell and enticing look of the cake was a tough struggle.

Eventually, a pointed-eared aunt approached Tasha. Standing next to the wolf skull, she introduced herself with a warm smile, "Hello, I’m Mavis, a half-elf. I saw the light of nature from afar, so I came. I have these pair of tiny elf boots – my mom bought them from a fairy craftsman. They are snug and perfect for long-distance teleportation, but I’ve just used up the teleportation limit. I heard we need to sign an agreement? Let’s do it!"

Tasha was a bit confused.

The aunt’s appearance was far from the agile and graceful elves in legends. If she were to jump around in the forest with a bow, the twigs she stepped on would immediately collapse. The contrast between Tasha’s imagination and the aunt herself was as drastic as that between a Wei and Jin beauty painting and a Tang dynasty court lady.

However, Mavis, despite not being slender or tall and aging, was still very attractive. She had a round face like a full moon, always smiling, and plump like a well-rounded fluffy goose-down pillow. She couldn’t float ethereally, hence exuding a grounded sense of warmth, like the owner of a handmade café, who made you unknowingly share your life and troubles with her. This elf descendant had a comforting aura that could make even the sternest Amazonian smile during their interaction.

Therefore, Tasha’s astonishment wasn’t due to Mavis’ race.

Look at the people and tribes she has signed agreements with so far: Victor was forced to sign a contract by her, despite having ideas of defiance; Marion ran eight hundred miles away at their first meeting, then tragically sold her soul when faced with a life-threatening crisis; Oak Elder was initially cautious and even the Craftsman Dwarf fled with his entire clan; Amazonian initially avoided any connection with her before being maimed, and now remains in a semi-free state; Captain Halite’s troops fought them at first, and without the help of human pig teammates, it wouldn’t have been easy to capture them. Moreover, the resolute Pastor of Saro recently joined them, none of them being easy to handle. Tasha feared that if this continued, her patience would soon run out.

Suddenly, someone showed up on the first day and asked to join, like a salesperson showing product pictures before even starting to talk, the customer took out their wallet directly.

It all went so smoothly, almost unreal, right?

The wolf-headed figure faced the generous customer and said, "Are you sure? Even if the price of protection is your soul?"

This was just a test, trading was nothing more than a sky-high demand for immediate repayment, if the other party didn’t agree, the terms could still be negotiated. Mavis smiled cunningly and said, "I’ll sign up for the Oak Guardian type."

It seemed she really had a way to communicate with the sleeping Oak Elder, this time no one could be tricked into giving up their soul.

It was only when the contract was completed that Tasha realized that the "half-half-elf" wasn’t stuttering.

"Quarter-elf Mavis, under her mother’s guidance, became an excellent apothecary and an outstanding cook, dedicated to turning thousands of herbs into delicious potions, sometimes being a bit too forceful. A potion master who can use all kinds of strange ingredients, if there are some mindless food-loving races lurking near her apothecary, be careful of their mouths, eating medicine when not sick might kill them."

"Mindless food-loving races" was underlined with two lines, quite noticeable.

This was the first time Tasha had seen a clear explanation of a quarter-bloodline, previous contracts with non-human races had already mixed bloodlines to an unknown fraction. The benefits of signing with higher beings were immediately apparent, even the buildings were upgraded simultaneously.

"Pharmacy, there is a suitable pharmacist in your group, she is willing to work in the Medicinal Herb Garden. The advanced building of Medicinal Herb Garden has been unlocked."

"Chef, there is an outstanding chef in your group, she is happy to work in the kitchen. The kitchen has been upgraded, with new varieties of ingredients appearing."

The kitchen, which used to only serve bread, meat, white melon, and water, suddenly added a long list of new ingredients, such as live chickens, ducks, fish, eggs, milk, and vegetables. Although these are just ordinary foods that do not provide any additional benefits when consumed, they are likely to boost the morale of residents who are tired of the same old dishes. Similar to the craftsmen’s workshop, Tasha can delegate this responsibility to Mavis in the pharmacy, allowing her to regulate production.

The pharmacy is equipped with a complete set of tools for processing medicinal herbs, advancing from the primitive age of chewing herbs in dungeons to the modern age of processing medicinal herbs into finished products. The pharmacy will record the formulas created by the pharmacist, as well as the steps and ingredients needed, in Tasha’s pharmacy records. Once successfully produced and with sufficient ingredients, the pharmacy can produce medicines on its own, although the quality may be one to two levels lower than the pharmacist’s work. Tasha envisioned a future where her soldiers would wield mass-produced healing potions in battles, a beautiful scene that she eagerly anticipated.

However, for Tasha, the most important reward was not something indicated by the system.

Being a quarter elf meant that in her grandparents’ generation, they had purebred elves, unlike the mixed-blood individuals who received information from grandparents or even further back. Compared to those, Mavis was closer to being a firsthand witness. She was like a delivered answer.

"You are the first elf I’ve met," Tasha finally asked the question that had been on her mind for a while, "Where did the other elves go?"

"They left," Mavis replied. She looked at Tasha for a moment, a hint of sadness crept across her face. "Forgive my intrusion," she regretfully said, "Are you unable to eat?"

Tasha nodded inexplicably.

"Unfortunately," Mavis sighed, reaching into her bag, "We could have been chatting while having tea and snacks together, but now you can only watch me eat."

…Are you feeling down for this reason?!

Mavis invited Tasha into the room prepared by Craftsman Dwarf, where the dwarfs quickly placed a round table and chairs inside. A quarter elf brewed tea with hot water from a kettle, set up cups and cakes, sat on a chair, and gestured for Tasha to sit across from her.

"My grandfather was a Forest Elf, he met my grandmother at the signing of the Aryan Declaration."

With this as the introduction, Mavis began her story.

Long, long ago, there was an ordinary Forest Elf, not particularly powerful or noble, who happened to be on duty as one of the guardians of the Forest Elf princess, and came to the Druid’s sanctuary. There, the princess signed the Aryan Declaration on behalf of the Forest Elves. It was there that the ordinary Forest Elf fell in love at first sight with a human adventurer.

In the following decades, the Forest Elves collaborated frequently with humans, and Mr. Grandfather succeeded in marrying Miss Grandmother during the honeymoon period between the races. Mavis’s mother was born during this time, and her childhood stories came from her parents’ firsthand experiences, which were later known as epic tales. She was quite lucky to witness the exile of the Abyss before reaching adulthood.

Of course, this "not yet an adult" is based on the standard of a half-elf.

Four hundred years ago, the Abyss was exiled. The light elves who believed in the god of elves joined forces with various tribes on the surface to seal the dark elves, a fallen branch towards the Abyss, who were both proud and noble, but mourned their kind. After the Abyss departed, they all moved to the Divine Kingdom. Mr. Grandfather was very grateful because the Forest Elves no longer had to venture far. "No more fear of demons!" he said, hugging Miss Grandmother, "What happens next is not our concern, we can retire now, do you want to go east or west?"

Mavis’s mother was young, but her human grandma was getting old. Her grandparents decided to leave the Heavenly Realm and live quietly together. Soon after they left, the Heavenly Realm got cut off and no one could use divine spells. This caused chaos among the professionals in Aryan, with rumors spreading everywhere.

Meanwhile, a family of young elves, old humans, and a half-elf child were traveling west, enjoying the peaceful scenery. They had no idea about the troubles happening in eastern Aryan.

When the news finally reached the western part of Aryan, Mavis’s grandfather only had half a day to say his goodbyes.

Disasters struck the Eastern Continent – some blamed demons, while others thought it was punishment for abandoning the gods. Rumors spoke of the sky cracking open, hail and lightning falling freely, seas boiling, and death creeping across the land. Mavis’s grandfather received a simple message urging him to return immediately.

The Forest Elf king and the Great Druid urgently called for everyone to return to their homeland. There was no time to explain or hesitate, and the leaders of these free-spirited groups raised a frantic alarm to go back.

Mavis’s grandfather had to leave his wife and daughter behind but promised to return with an amazing story. However, he never returned, and neither did his people. The Forest Elves and Druids all left, leaving behind only a small oak tree with the Heart of Nature hidden inside.

The Great Druid shared this secret with Mavis, unaware that her mother had no knowledge of these events. The half-elf took care of her mother but never saw her father return after the funeral.

This was all that Mavis knew.

"My mother didn’t hear much news back then," Mavis said. "Information wasn’t easy to come by, and she stayed put."

Now Tasha can roughly figure out this schedule:

Four hundred and fifty years ago, various clans signed the Aryan Declaration. In the following fifty years, Victor was wounded and fell into a deep sleep.

Four hundred years ago, the battle against the Abyssal plane was declared victorious. The Abyss was isolated, dark elves were sealed, light elves went to the Divine Kingdom, and the Heavenly Realm was isolated within one to two years.

In the following years, abnormalities appeared on Aryan’s Eastern Continent. The aquatic tribes in the East Sea suffered a catastrophe (uncertain, did merfolk and other aquatic races disappear at this time?), Forest Elves and Druids from various places were recalled, the Heart of Nature was surrendered, and then these two races disappeared.

Over two hundred years ago, humans and orcs engaged in a large-scale war.

There are some answers and too many blanks.

Where did the elves go? Where did the Druids go? They left. To the Divine Kingdom, to the Abyss, to unknown spaces. During that time, no one wrote the Aryan chronicles from a god’s perspective, whether it be the immovable Oak Elder waiting on the Western Continent for the return of a father whose arrival time is unknown or the half-elf who only knew a piece of the puzzle while waiting. When one question is answered, ten more appear.

The epic encountered by Mavis’s family ends here, after which only ordinary family stories remain.

The mother who spent her whole life waiting for her grandfather’s return did not bear deep grudges in the story. She lived happily on the western edge of Aryan, inheriting the legendary alchemist mother’s knowledge and the forest elf father’s natural affinity, and also excelled in her remarkable cooking skills. She got along well with the people around her, who called her the Forest Fairy. Hundreds of years later, she married a food enthusiast who wandered into the forest and gave birth to Mavis.

"After my mother passed away, I left there and opened a bakery," Mavis said. "This rolling pin is a branch from the Sacred Tree. My grandfather left it to my mother, saying it could be her lifelong companion no matter what career she chose – though he probably originally wanted her to make a bow or a wand. But a rolling pin accompanying a cook for a lifetime is not bad, right? Anyway, this rolling pin still carries some natural magic, which can disguise my ears and make me look like a baker. No one has ever suspected me."

She proudly smiled, and Tasha realized that Mavis was happy to be a baker. Her elven heritage did not make her a great archer or wizard, nor did it give her a slender beauty (considering Mavis was a good cook, plus the child of a super chef and food lover, her body shape was not surprising at all), but she did not feel any regret or waste. Who says that having talent and bloodline means you must live according to genetic determinism? In Tasha’s view, being able to do what she and her mother liked was the best choice.

"I’m sorry about your mother," Tasha said discreetly. "I heard that half-elves also have long lifespans."

Forest Elves, like their brethren who serve gods or worship the Abyss, are naturally gifted. It takes them a hundred years to reach adulthood, and then they remain youthful and strong for seven to eight hundred years. Elves have long lifespans like the Druid Sacred Tree. Most members actually can’t stand living to that age unless they die unexpectedly. They depart early to the Divine Kingdom, the Abyss, or transform into trees – no wonder their relationship with Druids has always been good. The lifespan of a half-elf is equivalent to that of an elf, plus half of another kin’s lifespan, then halved. In theory, Mavis’s mother could still be alive.

What made her unable to wait any longer?

"Oh, it was just an accident," Mavis said. "One day she tried to make a new poison. Well, I guess she shouldn’t have added that many white berries. The thing became too fragrant before it was even finished, and birds from half the forest flew to peck at the windows. She had to close all doors and windows tightly, trapping the scent in the house. She couldn’t resist and took a small sip."

"…"

"The poison was very strong," Mavis said sadly, taking a sip of tea, "and the taste wasn’t perfect enough, she thought she should add more sugar."

Mavis’s mother, a legendary half-elf alchemist, died from her own potion being too strong and smelling too good. She was 361 years old and her last words were "Should add more sugar."

If that bonehead could show emotions, Tasha would definitely have a very puzzled look on her face right now. She suddenly understood why the skill that Mavis passed down had such a strange and unrelated name.

[Add One More Spoonful of Sugar]: Get ready to cook! Your delicious food can even move the earth! The food you make has powerful healing effects that can drive away all negative conditions from the person who eats it. Huh? Why do some people vomit blood and die after eating it? Because the effects are very strong. Maybe you should choose a stronger eater, like a dragon? Hehe.

Knowing the truth, the description of this skill seemed even more irritating, showing people’s expressions vividly, making Tasha suddenly want to bash Victor.

(Victor: ???)

In Tasha’s territory, there is only a group of mixed-blood individuals. If the skill’s "healing effects" can even knock out a half-elf, it probably doesn’t work for any of the members. But… while the skill description mocks, it never exaggerates.

Can food really move the earth?

Give it a try.

A wolf-headed figure entered the kitchen. With a thought, a plump live fish appeared on the cutting board. Tasha waited, but there were no signs of the skill controlling her body. So, she proceeded like in the past, picking up the knife to scale, gut, and fillet the fish for a pot of fish soup.

Living alone for over a decade, Tasha’s cooking skills were not bad to begin with. She was neither obsessed with cooking nor had any special talents, making ordinary home-cooked dishes. But this time, when she cooked, it felt like she had divine assistance—perfect timing, excellent knife skills, as if she had lived in the kitchen all her life. It seems like [Add One More Spoonful of Sugar] and [Excellent Reserve Soldier] are passive skills, able to be used without consciously activating them. Before the fish soup was ready, a group of drooling Craftsman Dwarves surrounded Tasha. Occasionally, Amazonians peeked in from the doorway, but they finally left without lingering too long.

To be honest, the smell is really nice. Even though it’s just fish soup with a bit of salt, it looks like something from a fancy restaurant. Tasha ignored the longing looks, walked out with the pot, and people kept staring as she walked by.

Eventually, she arrived on the ground that used to be Angaso Forest.

The curse of the Blight Convention may have expired, but the creepy atmosphere lingered on the polluted ground, reminding Tasha of a radiated land. After a recent heavy rain, the dead trees and grass were reduced to debris, and the land was eroded like sand, with no new leaves growing back from the ruins. Tasha stood in this mess, put down the big pot, picked up a ladle, scooped some fish soup and sprinkled it on the ground.

The fish soup was no longer hot, but when it touched the ground, it sizzled as if poured on a red-hot iron pot, bubbling up. White foam appeared, grey smoke rose, the milky soup quickly turned as dark as ink, and then disappeared.

"Marion," Tasha called through the link, "Is the pastor still there? Bring him up."

The Pastor of Saro, brought by the Worgen girl, looked reluctant. But as he walked through the passage to the ground, his face turned pale, he looked around in horror, almost falling to the ground. "My goodness, what is this!" The priest who could see evil exclaimed, waving his hands in the air as if battling the wind like Don Quixote. When he finally calmed down, he breathed heavily and shrank to the place where the fish soup had just been poured, saying, "Evil as tall as trees are everywhere! Only this two-meter area is spared!"

Indeed it was.

The effect of "removing all negative conditions from the user" was just as effective on lifeless beings, and the earth could undoubtedly bear this remedy. Tasha satisfied, put away the ladle, and said firmly, "This kind of evil must not stay on the earth."

"Absolutely not!" Samuel clenched his fist, determinedly agreeing aloud.

Alright, the humanoid detector is ready.

"A two-meter diameter isn’t too bad," Tasha thought. With the detector in hand, she could borrow some people from the captain and turn this deadly area into something useful in a few days.

As she thought about this, rain started to fall from the sky. Tasha walked towards the dungeon entrance, while Samuel followed behind, complaining nervously about the dirty evil flowing in the rain. Tasha suddenly turned to look at Angaso Forest.

With no plants to stop it, the rainwater quickly gathered into streams. These muddy waters flowed freely, heading towards lower ground.