Chapter 351: Investigating Ansu?

Ansu saw her reaction and couldn't help but smile. “Don't be nervous. I'm not trying to steal your amulet.”

Altina was taken aback for a moment, seemingly realizing she had overreacted.

She loosened her grip on the pendant, her emerald green eyes flashing with a hint of suspicion. “How... how did you know my amulet had a special power?”

Ansu replied frankly, “You told me yourself.”

“Huh?”

Ansu continued, “I asked you who gave it to you, and you said you didn't know—that the amulet had been with you since you were born... You also said there are still many mysteries surrounding what happened in Elune, and though you've been investigating, you've never found any answers.”

Altina stared intently at Ansu, a flash of disbelief quickly crossing her eyes.

These words, these deeply buried details, were things she had never mentioned to any outsider.

Altina's gaze grew increasingly complex. “Did I really... tell you all that?”

“Yes.”

Altina's brow furrowed slightly, her fingertips mindlessly rubbing the edge of the amulet.

She would never easily share the secrets of this pendant with anyone else, but if it were Ansu...

He was Lord Hermit, the Chosen One, and the person who might actually save the elven race from their calamity. If he asked with sincere intent, she would probably... eventually give in and tell him.

“So you really can foresee the future...” Altina murmured in awe. “Three days ago at noon, you suddenly called everyone into the tent, said the original plan would lead to a total party wipe, and completely redesigned our strategy...”

“At the time, I just thought you were being overly certain. But looking at it now... you weren't guessing out of thin air. You truly saw some kind of future trajectory.”

Altina didn't press further about the source of this ability. In her eyes, Ansu was the Chosen One, and nothing that happened to him was worth getting shocked over. After all, the gods themselves were already beyond mortal comprehension.

Rather than obsessing over the why, she was simply glad this power was on their side.

“I didn't expect you to accept it so quickly,” Ansu said with a smile.

Although the elven lady was exceptionally guarded about her secrets, she wouldn't jeopardize the team's safety for her own private concerns. This was a rare and admirable quality.

Altina reached up to unfasten the amulet from around her neck and, just like in the simulation, handed it to Ansu.

The crescent-shaped pendant lay quietly in Ansu's palm, its intricate and ancient runes casting a soft, gentle glow under the firelight.

Just like in the simulation, she confessed that this amulet granted immunity to magic pollution, serving as her guardian through centuries of missions.

Every time Ansu looked closely at it, he couldn't help but marvel at its exquisite and profound structure. After studying it for a moment, he suddenly looked up. “Would you mind if I showed this to Celia and Professor Duncan's lab for some research?”

He handed the amulet back and added, “Don't worry, I won't take it away from you. I know how important it is to you. I just want to borrow it.”

He didn't plan on analyzing it right away. It was still unclear whether the amulet worked for anyone who wore it or if it only took effect when she personally held it. Besides, they already had a solution for their current mission to find the Filthy Heart.

“Once we're done here, come back with me to the lab in Norvigel. It might take a while.” He continued, “I want Celia and Professor Duncan to analyze the rune structure of this amulet. If we can decode and replicate it, it might open up a whole new approach to combating magic pollution.”

Altina nodded. “I agree. If we can truly and completely resolve the world's pollution problem, nothing could be better.”

She paused, as if remembering something, a trace of helplessness creeping into her voice.

“Actually, when it comes to magical research, I've tried before. I approached several quite famous magic masters, hoping they could unlock the secrets of the amulet. But without exception...”

“...they all said this pendant is entirely natural, like a gift from the gods, a miracle completely beyond mortal comprehension.”

“That powerful?” Ansu's curiosity grew even stronger. The origins of this item were likely far deeper than he had anticipated.

After chatting about the amulet for a while, a hollow feeling in their stomachs gradually made itself known.

Ansu pulled two pieces of rock-hard dry rations from his pack and handed one over. “Resources are limited, so we'll have to make do with this for now.”

The precious space in his 【Warehouse】 had all been used to store magic crystals.

Altina took it, holding the hard dry biscuit in both hands, and took a bite.

She chewed slowly, her expression remarkably peaceful. “It's fine. I've been through much harder times. Days when there is food to eat are already very good.”

The campfire crackled, sparks occasionally flying up only to be quickly swallowed by the churning crimson mist.

A kilometer behind them, there was a faint surge of mana.

It was the elders conducting their search around the previous teleportation node. Everything in Ansu's plan was progressing steadily.

Looking at her profile as she quietly nibbled on her dry rations, Ansu suddenly thought of her mysterious homeland, Elune.

“Altina, what is your homeland, Elune, like now?”

“The Sacred Tree has withered, and all life is decaying...” Altina sighed softly. “The elven royalty could not lead our people out of their plight. Our already dwindling population has fractured once more. The rebels are constantly seeking external support, like Barcas of the demon race. They've even gone as far as selling off Elune's mineral deposits, resources, and even elven citizens to the outside world...”

She stopped there, looking too exhausted to utter another word on the matter.

“In short, it's terrible. Things in Elune are always so terrible...”

Altina's fingers mindlessly rubbed her amulet. “If you are curious about Elune, Ansu, you will eventually see it with your own eyes.”

She looked up, squeezing out a smile for him. “After all, you promised me that once the crisis in the South is resolved, you will go back to Elune with me.”

Ansu nodded, not pressing further into the past she clearly preferred not to dwell on.

The campfire was warm. Altina stopped eating her rations, resting her hands on her knees as she watched Ansu with a thoughtful gaze.

She was actually quite curious about Ansu as well.

“These past few days... I've actually been secretly watching you.”

“Watching me? For what?” Ansu asked, slightly baffled.

“I've always felt... you're very strange.” Altina chose her words carefully, her tone holding no malice, only pure curiosity. “It makes me want to investigate you...”

“Strange?” Ansu raised an eyebrow. “Because of my status as the Chosen One? Or something else?”

“No, not that.” Altina hesitated for a moment before speaking honestly. “Ansu, do you know? Ever since I first met you in Norvigel, back when we investigated the crimson marrowstone together, I've always felt... an indescribable sense of familiarity from you. That's why I let my guard down around you so quickly, even sharing things about Elune...”

“Familiarity?” Ansu was genuinely stunned this time. “Could we have met before?”

He quickly scanned his memories and was absolutely certain that prior to Norvigel, he had never interacted with any elf.

After all, in the human world, just seeing an elf was a rare occurrence.

“We haven't,” Altina said, shaking her head, her expression even more bewildered than his. “This familiarity isn't the 'we've met before' kind. It's... well, it's just very, very strange...”

“Now you're making me feel strange too.” Ansu curled his lip and waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What exactly are you trying to say? You didn't start hallucinating from pollution and going crazy just because you took your amulet off for a brief moment, did you?”

“Of course not...” Altina pushed his hand away, a helpless yet amused light flickering in her emerald eyes.

She seemed to reorganize her thoughts in her mind before slowly speaking:

“I don't really know how to describe it... Let me use an analogy. Imagine you've been running around outside all day, meeting many people, saying many things, being incredibly busy... Then, when night finally falls, you return home, close the door, and stay in that little room that belongs only to you...”

“Even if that little nest is messy and old, there is a sense of peace. It feels like this is the only place that belongs to you, a place that completely shelters you...”

After finishing this seemingly random analogy, she looked up and gazed earnestly at Ansu. “That's the feeling I get when I look at you.”

Ansu was silent for two seconds before he finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.

“What kind of nonsensical analogy is that...”

“I...” Altina's cheeks flushed slightly. She quickly lowered her head, poking the campfire with a twig to hide her embarrassment. “Sorry, I suppose... I really am saying weird things!”

But a moment later, those emerald green eyes still held unresolved questions.

She would keep quietly watching Ansu, and she would continue to investigate him, until she figured out the reason.

Fortunately, Ansu was a good teammate. He probably wouldn't mind...

...