Chapter 566 - 564: The Patrol Squad’s Encounter

"So, you’re an elf born outside."

The whole elf squad suddenly understood.

Hilia noticed a hint of disdain in a few people’s eyes.

A thought flashed through her mind, and she immediately grasped their intentions.

"It turns out elves born outside are discriminated against too," thought Hilia.

Rose said, "Discrimination exists everywhere, that’s quite normal."

Hilia nodded but said nothing.

The leading female elf, on the other hand, didn’t show any signs of discrimination. She looked Hilia up and down, frowning: "Why come to the Elf Forest now? Normally, after birth, one would be sent to the Elf Forest for the blessing ceremony, never waiting until adulthood."

Hilia casually replied, "My parents are quite unique. They didn’t want to stay in the Elf Forest, so they waited for me to grow up, allowing me to come alone, thus completing both the birth blessing and the adulthood blessing."

This kind of situation, though rare, is not unheard of.

Elina had once told Hilia that some unusual elves only return to the Elf Forest after reaching adulthood for the blessing by the Elf Elder.

Moreover, some elves never enter the Elf Forest, living outside for years.

For instance, Elina herself.

She spends most of her time outside, seldom entering the Elf Forest.

As for why, Elina didn’t say.

"Oh, I see. Your parents are really irresponsible. Do they not know that only by receiving the Elf Forest’s blessing can one better practice natural magic?"

Hilia raised her hand, revealing a ball of icy mist, "I have a rare affinity for Ice Element, perhaps that’s why my parents didn’t insist on me coming to the Elf Forest."

The female elf suddenly understood, "Ah, that makes sense. Since we’re here, why don’t we escort you to the Royal City?"

The female elf invited warmly, but before Hilia could say anything, another female elf couldn’t help but say, "Lana, our task is to patrol the Elf Forest, not to help elves without blessings."

The female elf called Lana turned back to look at her and said, "Does the lack of a blessing make her not an elf?"

"Yes, but our task is patrol. Escorting her to the Royal City means abandoning our duties."

"Well..."

"Miss Lana, thank you for your kindness. But I can go by myself." Hilia said.

Upon hearing this, Lana nodded, "Alright then, but while wandering in the Elf Forest, you’ll likely encounter other patrol teams. So, let me give you the Forest Leaf, which carries my aura. With it, other patrol members shouldn’t trouble you."

Hilia looked at Lana, somewhat surprised.

So, there are elves in the Elf Race who are so warm-hearted, after all.

Finally, a typical image of an elf has appeared.

If not for her appearance, Hilia would’ve thought all elves were terrible.

Hilia didn’t hold back, thanked Lana, and then stored the Forest Leaf safely.

After bidding farewell, Hilia continued onward.

Meanwhile, among the group, the previously speaking female elf couldn’t help but say, "Lana, the Forest Leaf shouldn’t be given out carelessly. What if she’s a Dark Elf? Or pretending humans and beastmen?"

A male elf agreed, "Yes, we’re a patrol team of the Elf Forest, so we should consider every situation carefully. We should report her status and let those above decide, not just give her the Forest Leaf allowing her free movement in the Elf Forest."

Lana said, "She’s not a Dark Elf; I can sense it. She carries an aroma that makes me feel very comfortable."

"A comfortable aroma?"

"Yes, I don’t know exactly what it is. But, anyway, I don’t think she’s a bad person."

Saying this, before others could say more, Lana raised her hand, "Alright, let’s continue our patrol. I’ll write a report about this incident and send it up. If anything happens, the responsibility falls on me, don’t worry."

With Lana’s assurance, the others glanced at each other and stopped dwelling on the matter, resuming their patrol.

...

On the other side, after parting ways with Lana’s group, Hilia continued forward.

Along the way, she encountered several more patrol elf squads.

Due to Lana’s Forest Leaf, they sensed it and didn’t show themselves, allowing Hilia to pass.

If Hilia hadn’t activated Mage’s Hand continuously, some teams might not have even noticed.

The girl couldn’t help but marvel, "The Elf Forest’s defense is robust; patrol teams appear frequently, even though the strongest ones are just at the third level."

Rose’s spirit always accompanied Hilia.

Looking at the surrounding forest and sensing the lively natural elements, nostalgia appeared in his eyes.

"A thousand years ago, the Elf Forest was much larger than now. Back then, there were no patrols."

Hilia curiously asked, "No patrols?"

Rose nodded, "Yes, patrols were pointless. The Elf Forest had a powerful self-healing ability, even if some villain attempted something, it could swiftly send messages to the Watchtower, summoning the elves inside."

"Watchtower?"

"Think of it as a lookout, scattered around the Elf Forest. There’s one every certain distance."

"We haven’t seen such things along our way."

"Perhaps after the Era of Calamity, the Elf Race abandoned the lookout mode, like the Watchtower," Rose said, unconcerned.

Hilia pondered for a moment, murmuring, "I can’t shake the feeling that the Elf Race’s diligent patrolling isn’t that simple..."

Saying this, she suddenly shook her head awake.

"Whatever, it doesn’t concern me."

Upon entering the Elf Race’s territory, Hilia decided not to meddle in their affairs.

After all, elves differ from humans.

Back in the Blue Dragon Empire, when Hilia meddled, she got ’detained’ temporarily and was then expelled from Dragon Island.

Meddling in someone else’s matters on their territory is a thankless task.

"Although I’m an elf now, I’m just a ’normal’ third-tier elf. No matter what serious issues arise, it’s none of my business!"

Hilia muttered, quickly easing her mind and brightening up.

The girl hummed a tune, slowly heading toward her target area.

Unfortunately, her joy didn’t last long.

As she approached the area Rose mentioned, a faint pollution wave was sensed by her Mage’s Hand.

Hilia stopped and looked ahead.

"No way... On second thought, it’s quite normal."

This was what Rose mentioned, the other half of the Heart of the Death Element Puppet.

Which meant it could be Dusk Sect territory.

Dusk Sect territory having demonic qi pollution wasn’t surprising.

"Didn’t expect to have such luck, approaching it immediately,"

The girl smiled.