Volume 4 Chapter 148

Volume 4 + Chapter 148: Plant People

What kind of transportation would the elves use?

This genuinely piqued Xia Yi’s curiosity.

Different races often used distinct modes of transport.

For example, humans preferred taming magical beasts and using them as mounts.

Creatures like goblins employed mechanical vehicles born from their goblin engineering.

As for the elves, Xia Yi truly had little knowledge.

She seemed to recall her teacher mentioning something about it in class once, but she had been dozing off and hadn’t paid much attention.

“Silver Dragon Princess, please follow us,” said the elven soldier.

“Mhm.”

Xia Yi nodded and signaled for all the dragon soldiers to revert to their humanoid forms.

Maintaining flight over long distances was quite draining. Having transportation to conserve energy and preserve combat readiness was a sensible choice.

Led by the elven soldiers, Xia Yi arrived at a lush forest.

Many elves were already waiting within the woods. Judging by their attire and equipment, these elves were not ordinary soldiers but mages.

Subsequently, the elven mages each approached different trees. Closing their eyes and spreading their arms, they released magical power. Their staves floated, channeling the elves’ mana into the trees.

Simultaneously, the elven mages chanted melodious, flowing elvish incantations, as if awakening the slumbering trees. The trees began to undergo a remarkable transformation.

“What is this?” Xia Yi blinked in surprise.

She watched as the roots of one tree emerged from the ground, freeing themselves from the soil. The tree morphed into a massive treant—its trunk forming a body, branches becoming limbs. Its leaves rose and fell rhythmically under the sunlight, as if breathing.

“The trees… they’ve turned into plant people!” Elly exclaimed in awe.

This was her first time witnessing such a phenomenon.

An elven soldier proactively explained, “We elves have a natural affinity for the flora of nature. Among us, those with talent can wield nature magic, granting plants the ability to move independently from the soil. However, achieving this level requires significant skill to reshape the plant’s form and sustain the magical consumption after it leaves the earth. It’s no simple feat.”

Xia Yi watched as, under the infusion of the elven mages’ mana, one treant after another broke free from the ground.

Was this the unique nature magic of the elves?

In Grant’s magic classes, Xia Yi had learned a bit about it. According to Grant, among all races on this continent, elven nature magic was the most distinctive. Their innate affinity for nature gave them a unique advantage in this field. Today, she was witnessing it firsthand.

“The elves’ nature magic is truly impressive,” Xia Yi remarked with admiration.

The elven soldier smiled. “Silver Dragon Princess, this is nothing. The nature magic wielded by the royal family of our Elven Kingdom represents the pinnacle of our race. In the Elven King’s prime, with a mere wave of his hand, he could command legions of plant soldiers into battle using nature magic.”

Hearing this, Xia Yi found it somewhat odd.

If the Elven King was so powerful, why send so many armies to the Sacred Crimson Empire? Wouldn’t it be simpler for him to lead the campaign personally?

With trees everywhere, he could use nature magic for limitless troop generation within vampire territory, easily overwhelming the Sacred Crimson Empire, couldn’t he?

Or perhaps, the current Elven King no longer possessed such strength? Maybe due to certain reasons, he couldn’t leave the Elven Kingdom and was forced to remain there, not by choice…

Alternatively, this elven soldier might just be boasting.

“Silver Dragon Princess, these treants will now escort you to the camp of our main elven army,” the elven soldier said. “This method ensures the vampires cannot detect you, preventing any interference with our planned offensive strategy.”

“Alright, thank you for the trouble,” Xia Yi replied politely.

Under the command of the elven mages, the treants lifted prepared platforms and carried them over. They knelt before Xia Yi and the other dragons.

Everyone boarded the platforms. The giant treants then hoisted them up and began carrying them toward the elven army’s camp.

“Your Highness, this is so cool!”

Elly stood up, spreading her arms as if to embrace the oncoming airflow, reveling in a sense of freedom.

“These treants look bulky, but they’re surprisingly fast! Carrying us so steadily means we don’t have to fly anymore. We can finally rest a bit~”

“So the elves usually use these ‘plant people’ as transportation?” Xia Yi observed. “It’s quite convenient. Not just on flat ground—whether it’s waterways, mountain paths, or even more complex terrain, they can traverse it all easily.”

……

The sun had long since sunk below the horizon. Night had fallen, and stars dotted the dark sky.

Under the moonlight, the giant treants, carrying the dragon party, sprinted across the borderlands of the Sacred Crimson Empire. Even the darkness of night could not hinder them.

“Your Highness, do you think these treants are heading the right way?”

Elly had lost her initial excitement and was now leaning listlessly against the edge of the platform.

“We’ve been traveling for so long. Shouldn’t we have arrived by now? Even if we convert the time to the speed of our true dragon flight, we should have reached the destination long ago. Yet, we still don’t see any sign of the elven camp.”

“That is a bit strange, isn’t it?”

Xia Yi pondered, it really did feel like something was off.

“Ah-ha~”

Perhaps the journey was too monotonous, or the continuous travel had worn them down. One of the dragon soldiers let out a yawn.

This action immediately drew the commander’s ire.

“What are you doing?! Yawning? Stay on full alert!! What if an unexpected situation occurs right now? Stay sharp!”

“My apologies, Commander!”

The dragon soldier hastily apologized, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Logically, these dragon soldiers accompanying Xia Yi were elite, meticulously selected. They shouldn’t make such basic mistakes. Even if they are tired, they shouldn’t yawn so openly in front of everyone.

Even the soldier himself was puzzled about why he had done it.

“Mmm…”

“Haa~”

After that first yawn, drowsiness seemed to spread like a contagious virus, uncontrollably creeping over everyone. It made every dragon’s eyelids feel as heavy as lead.

Xia Yi herself felt she could barely hold on. Her head drooped, leaning against Elly’s shoulder, as she considered dozing off for just a moment…

“Everyone, look!! Quick!!”

Suddenly, Elly’s sharp cry jolted Xia Yi awake.

“It’s a disaster!!”

Xia Yi scrambled to her feet, looking in the direction Elly pointed. Her expression turned to one of shock.

Enemies had appeared!!

——————————

[Author’s Note: Sob sob sob, Swiss Roll wasted so much and had to hit pity for Mika, sob sob sob.

A new month has begun, and the monthly votes have refreshed! Everyone, please encourage this sad Swiss Roll with your monthly votes~ Please, please, please~ Help Swiss Roll out~]