Chapter 425: Elven Reincarnation

It all seemed to be over.

The patterns on Jilannis’s gauntlet seemed to come alive, flowing nimbly up from her palm and finally settling into the lion’s head. The creature’s eyes flashed abruptly, then the blue glow faded, and it fell silent once more.

But for some reason, Ron felt as if the lion’s head had truly come to life. Even though it was perfectly still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that it was staring at him.

“You really didn’t pull any punches back there,” Jilannis said, glancing at Ron with a wry smile. “Even I felt the pain just watching those hits land.”

‘That was another me, after all! Even without any Telepathy between us, just seeing her get beaten like that made it feel like I was the one suffering.’

“Cut the crocodile tears, hmph,” the lion’s head on the gauntlet suddenly snapped, its voice identical to Jilannis’s. “You’re not the one who got beaten up!”

“What do you mean by that? Weren’t you the one who said we’re one and the same?”

“Then you get in this damn armor! Let me wear *you*—and see how you like it!”

Perhaps because she was freed from the burden of a physical body, the Jilannis housed within the Magic Item as its intelligent core had completely let herself go. Her already impolite tone grew even more acerbic.

“I’d be glad to, but you don’t know how to maintain and repair the Sword-Singing Lion Armor,” Jilannis said, a faint smile on her face. “Don’t worry, I have no inclination to torture myself. There will be plenty of adjustments to make once we’re back in the lab.”

“But for now, you lead the way. Where are all those clues you found earlier?”

“Just head out and go underground, tsk,” the Sword-Singing Lion Armor’s voice rang out. A mote of light flew from the lion’s mouth, dancing before them like a firefly. “Follow this. I’m not responsible if you get left behind.”

“W-wait, Jian,” just as the group was about to venture deeper into the cave, the two Old Elves spoke up hesitantly. “What about me? What am I to do?”

“You’re useless now, of course, Teacher,” the voice came from the Sword-Singing Lion Armor. “You’re not going to live much longer anyway. Why not enjoy this extra life you fought so hard for?”

“I’d rather not have this extra life,” the two Old Elves exchanged a look, both smiling wryly. “This humanoid body is as old and frail as I was just before my death, and the spider-like one isn’t even shaped like a person. What is there to enjoy?”

“Sirs, if you do not wish to linger in the mortal world any longer, I believe I can help with that.” Ron said, sizing up the two Old Elves. He raised a hand, and Gray Mist swirled between his fingers.

“Have you heard of the Death Realm? How would you like to go there?”

“Well…” The Old Elf hesitated. “I have, of course, heard of the Death Realm. But an Elf’s life cycle is slightly different from that of other races. To be specific, death is not truly the end for us.”

“After we grow old and undergo the Transformation known as Transcendence, our souls return to our Divine Kingdom, Avando. My first death was not a natural one, so I was not permitted to enter. This time, I still wish… I still wish to return to our beginning and our end, if at all possible.”

“It’s just… I don’t know if Shahanni Moonbow will accept a soul that’s been dismembered into two halves, heh heh.”

Ron didn’t quite understand how the Elves’ esoteric cycle of life and death worked, so he was hesitant to act rashly. Fortunately, the Gray Mist itself was an extension of the Death Realm and the will of Ernest. Just a few seconds later, a block of knowledge simply appeared in Ron’s mind.

Call it an anointment or an Oracle; either way, it just happened. But compared to those two overly mystical terms, Ron felt it was more like a simple “info-dump.”

“You needn’t worry about that,” Ron said with a small smile. “In fact, if you wish to return to Avando, the most convenient path is through the Death Realm. After all, only Deities can interfere with one another. And as for the matter of your soul, the Final Lawgiver is, of course, the expert of experts in that field.”

“Your soul will return, perfectly whole, before the throne of the Elf Gods. You will enjoy your rest in the Wilderness of Freedom until Adrienne Fanya, the Winged Goddess of the air and sky, brings you forth from paradise to begin your mortal life anew.”

As Ron spoke these words, he failed to notice the faint light that had begun to emanate from his body—a form of sacred proof, indicating that every word he spoke carried divine authority.

Ernest was no god of trickery. Although his own renown and power were perhaps somewhat less than those of the mightiest Deities, his decrees were still highly credible.

“Since that is the case… I will have to trouble you, my Lord.”

Upon hearing this, the Old Elves let out a long sigh of relief. They sat cross-legged on the ground and allowed Ron to envelop them both with the Gray Mist. Ron felt his control over the mist gradually weaken until it vanished entirely from the Material Plane. Where the Old Elves had been sitting, no trace of them remained.

“Safe travels, Teacher,” Jilannis sighed softly, shrugging her shoulders and causing the armor to shift with a hint of complaint. “Honestly, why did you have to bother him? Why not let that vicious woman from the Laine family suffer this ordeal?”

“It would have made things simpler.”

“By simpler, do you mean you could just kill her on sight?” the Lion Armor retorted. “What makes you think you’d be the one to do it? We’re the same person!”

“Besides, that fool… heh. Without the restraints of the Hailan Empire, she is utterly unworthy of enjoying the fruits of my labor! Letting her wear the Pride of Hailan is the greatest of wastes!”

In Jilannis’s eyes, the Pride of Hailan, the amethyst slates, and those other Gemstones were all more or less in the category of toys. It’s just that even with toys, it matters who gets to play with them.

‘Ron and the others had found most of them, and she wouldn’t say a word about it. But that hag—may her soul never return to Avando for all eternity!’

“Besides, you heard what Teacher said. He had some kind of accident and was refused entry by the goddess. I was just letting him be of some final use—he’d just be lying around otherwise. What good would it do to go directly to another plane? It would be suffering no matter where he ended up.”

For an Elf, the only true paradise was their own heaven. While other planes had their various pros and cons, they were all more or less the same in the end.

“The only thing you haven’t said is that Lord Ron being able to send Teacher back to paradise was also part of your plan,” Jilannis said, shaking her head helplessly. “Forget it. Just keep leading the way. We still have work to do in the mortal world.”