Chapter 206

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Chapter 206: Elven Haven

Quel’danil is an elven settlement located beneath Aerie Peak, so the straight-line distance between them is not far.

It was surrounded by a thick and unnatural forest. Jesse could see what seemed like a faint purple roof at dusk, but once they entered the forest, they couldn’t see any trace of it anymore.

As a mediocre mage who had dabbled in arcane magic at the Wizard’s Sanctum, Jesse keenly sensed a strong arcane energy surrounding the area, indicating that it had been modified by elves.

"The elves might have set traps here, Greed," he warned.

Greed agreed, saying, "Amani Trolls rarely dare to directly invade this forest, so there must be a reason."

The two of them walked in the forest for half a day, always heading towards the direction of the purple roof they saw, but it felt like they had been walking for a very long time with no end in sight.

Just as Jesse was about to suggest trying a different approach to find their way, he suddenly noticed a figure ahead.

"Hello, we’re lost," Jesse tried to say.

"We’re not lost!" Greed shouted.

"Isn’t this considered lost?" Jesse gestured towards the sky. "It’s getting dark, have you ever been to Quel’danil…"

"I have been here before, of course!" Greed licked his lips and said, "But I have never come here alone…"

The person got closer step by step, indeed a fairy. She was wearing a dark green short robe, holding a silver spear in her hand, and keeping a close eye on Jesse’s magic wand.

"Hello, ma’am, can you take us to Quel’danil?" Jesse asked.

The fairy said, "Explain your purpose, both of you. Even though we are allies now, it doesn’t mean you can freely come and go here."

"Quick, Jesse, tell her who sent us." Greed patted Jesse’s large shoulder.

"Mrs. Vereesa Windrunner told us to come here to find a botanist named Vernal Sunseeker."

Jesse was a bit relieved that he still remembered the name.

"I understand." The fairy’s gaze shifted back and forth between the two of them and said, "Tell me your names."

"Jesse Seso."

"Greed Thunderfist."

The elf nodded and said, "Follow me."

"I can’t believe it…" Greed looked surprised and whispered, "That young woman’s words really worked!"

Jesse glanced at him and asked, "So you only truly believe me now?"

"You have to admit… you weren’t fully convinced either, right?!" Greed remarked, "That Vereesa Windrunner doesn’t seem very reliable."

"Do you have a grudge against her…" Jesse squinted and said, "Don’t forget, if it wasn’t for her, you wouldn’t see any hope for solving your problem."

"Oh, I am truly grateful to her, really thankful," Greed scratched his head and added, "But I just can’t shake off the feeling that she wouldn’t put in this much effort to help us, although I am starting to believe more now."

"Maybe she’s just a good person!" Jesse muttered.

He remembered that night when he used Life Tap, which was much scarier than any game, to restore some energy and Shadow Power. Vereesa seemed to notice him during the battle.

At that time, he urgently wanted to cast a spell at Teron Gorefiend, focusing his attention on holding the magic wand tightly to avoid being captured again. After being busy for several days, he didn’t have time to recall the situation properly and almost forgot the shocked look on her face back then.

She didn’t know if she was surprised by the sudden eruption of evil Shadow Power, worried about being tortured to death by the darkness, or both.

Then, Jesse remembered what Greed had told him earlier in the ancient troll ruins and felt that he shouldn’t keep everything to himself.

"Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you."

"You have a succubus?" asked the dwarf.

"Huh?" Jesse stared at him and said, "No… I don’t have any other demons. I mean that night, the night we faced Teron Gorefiend."

"You, indeed," Greed said. "I knew Windrunner wouldn’t help us as you said."

Jesse lowered his voice and said, "I have another spell, besides Fear, weakness, and life-draining, that even the demon you saw earlier found a bit evil. It’s using your life energy to exchange for shadow power, seeking a chance to survive in the most extreme situations. I used this spell that night. I didn’t plan to tell you, Greed, but as you said, I shouldn’t keep secrets from you."

Greed fell silent for a moment and muttered, "Exchanging life for shadow power, even demons think it’s evil. Your description makes me feel uneasy, Jesse Seso…"

"I know it’s not good, but that’s Teron Gorefiend, Greed," Jesse said. "I’m ready to pay a big price to deal with such a being, otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to stand here."

"Alright, as long as we survive," Greed said. "I haven’t faced Teron Gorefiend myself, but I’ve heard of his bad reputation countless times. If it were me, I would fight with all means necessary. Since Vereesa is willing to help you, she must understand what you have sacrificed. She’s a good girl, understanding the importance of gratitude. I thought such qualities had disappeared in Quel’Thalas long ago."

As the elves moved forward, they soon left the forest and arrived on a beautiful cobblestone path.

Jesse and Greed wandered around the forest and couldn’t find their way, at one point, they thought they might have to spend the night there.

So, the so-called magic trap might be the forest itself, a place where one can never escape without a Quel’danil elf guiding the way.

Compared to the extravagant buildings in Dalaran’s elven district, Quel’danil appeared much simpler, like an elven village built from materials found in the Hinterlands.

The main structure of this village was a tall, two-story elven wooden hall built by a pond, with some delicate wooden houses forming a square below it. In the square was a stone pillar shrine, emitting a faint glow even at night, resembling a group of fireflies fluttering around.

A sword-wielding elven guard exchanged some words with the female elf leading the way, then glanced at Jesse and Greed, making way for them.

Behind the hall, Jesse noticed some beautiful wooden posts, one of which had a magnificent giant bird perched on it, even larger than a gryphon.

It coiled its whole body on the wood, looking like a tangled vine of red and gold, with a huge and heavy vulture-like head adorned with two curved horns.

Its movements on that piece of wood strangely reminded Jesse of the black dragon on the watchtower.

This is a Dragonhawk.