Chapter 24: Bridging the Divide (Part II)

The farther south one traveled, the warmer the weather became.

Spring had arrived in the empire; the ice and snow had long since melted, and all living things were awakening. When Xiu Yi left, the seeds sown had already sprouted, some even ripening ahead of the season. An increasing number of rare creatures had appeared in the secret valley, attracting peculiar magical insects. A new pure land was gradually being born.

This made Xiu Yi somewhat reluctant to depart.

Thankfully, he still had the teleportation array at his disposal. Once a teleportation array was installed in the laboratory, he could teleport to a fixed point anytime he wished.

Sitting in the swaying carriage, Xiu Yi glanced at Lilith sitting opposite him. He was surprised because it was Lilith who had insisted on sharing the carriage with him.

“May I ask why?” Xiu Yi inquired. Though he did not voice it outright, he knew Lilith understood his implication.

Lilith shot him a sharp glare, yet Xiu Yi sensed she was not truly angry. The derivative effect of the sacrificial magic pattern acted as a barometer for the other’s emotions. With the ebb and flow of natural energy within himself, he could clearly discern her mood.

Currently, his power was limited, indicating she was not overly agitated.

Lilith finally responded, “There are two reasons. First, I need to train myself to control my emotions when facing you. This helps me maintain my combat effectiveness to the greatest extent.”

“That’s not good for me. The more agitated you get, the stronger our combined battle strength becomes.”

“The hatred is mine. I want to settle it myself.”

“You can’t rely entirely on yourself. So, what’s the second reason?”

“No matter what, we share the same enemy. If we fail, we all die; there’s no use in hating each other. If we succeed, we become comrades and shouldn’t harbor animosity. I’m trying to adapt to your presence. That’s the second reason.”

“That sounds reasonable,” Xiu Yi smiled gently.

Lilith raised an eyebrow. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.”

“How did you escape from that island? What exactly is the magic pattern experiment?”

“That’s a long story.”

“We still have a day’s journey to Royal City. There’s time.”

“But I’m not in the mood. Lilith, if you want to pry out someone’s deepest secrets, you have to be willing to exchange something yourself.”

Lilith fell silent.

After a moment, she finally said, “I’m a half-elf. But unlike most half-elves in this world, my father is an elf and my mother is human…”

Xiu Yi was slightly taken aback. Such a union was indeed rare. Usually, it was a human noble paired with an elven female servant, resulting in offspring.

“My father was a member of the Elven tribe in the Bilias Mountains. He was neither a champion nor a chieftain, just like most elves, silently guarding his homeland and living an ordinary life. There is a place in the Bilias Mountains called the Ancient Arch, where the rarest magical beasts and plants are found. It is also the territory of the Elven tribe. The elves trade rare materials from the Ancient Arch with humans in exchange for essential goods.”

“However, greedy humans often poached in the Ancient Arch. For them, it was cheaper, even though it was not their territory. My father, during a hunt in the Ancient Arch, accidentally encountered a group of poachers. To defend the dignity and rights of the elves, he fought them.”

“Unfortunately, he was accompanied by only a few comrades, and faced with a large group of ravenous poachers, they were severely wounded. What pained my father most was that among the poachers were elves.”

Xiu Yi was shocked. “Elves?”

“Yes,” Lilith replied coldly. “Without insiders guiding them, how could poachers have easily entered the Ancient Arch? They brazenly slaughtered in front of their masters with no shame and left triumphantly.”

“Why would elves betray their own tribe and land?”

“For what else but greed!” Lilith’s voice rose. “Not everyone has the right to hunt in the Ancient Arch. The elves test those who enter. Only those who pass can go there. Those without the right, though calling themselves elves, gain no benefits. They resent this. So why not betray their own? In fact, they are poachers themselves, but worse because they wear the skin of the elves. They join with the humans outside, draining the lifeblood of the elves to satisfy their shameless desires! They turn sin into virtue, existence into justice, without conscience.”

“And then?” Xiu Yi asked.

“Nothing. The elven tribes are loose, each with their own clans and lives. They cannot easily punish anyone. Without a unified whole, lacking enforcement power and marginalized by the state’s laws, what could my father do? He remained silent and continued his life. Fortunately, many legitimate merchants bought his goods fairly, allowing him to survive. But he hated the poachers more and more. Until one day, he met a young woman by chance; a misunderstanding sparked a romance… Later, he was expelled from the elven tribe. That’s all.”

Lilith looked at Xiu Yi with a teasing gaze. “Disappointed? No touching tales of love or vengeance, no elopements, just coldness and helplessness.”

“Yes,” Xiu Yi smiled. “A bit disappointing. You’re neither the daughter of an elven chieftain nor the descendant of a great human noble. It seems there was never a chance for us.”

Lilith’s expression darkened. “In fact, I am a descendant of a certain great human noble… Brian Buckler is my uncle.”

Xiu Yi stared at her in astonishment.

“Surprised? We never told you; it’s a secret. Many outside believe I’m his mistress. My mother was driven out after marrying my father because my grandfather considered her marriage to an elf a disgrace to humanity. My uncle acted for my mother… The rumors aren’t all true.”

“No wonder he cares so much about you. What happened next?”

“Then? A life of wandering and hardship. Until we settled in Acacia Town… Before my father was killed by Kevin Biles, his limbs were broken, and he lay helplessly, watching that beast violate my sister before his eyes… My motherI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.