Elves have exceptionally sharp hearing. Olivia wasn’t intentionally listening to Cynthia’s conversation, but the sound reached her ears all the same.

However, she wasn’t one for gossip like Darcy, nor did she understand the relationship between Betty and Eunice as Cynthia did, so she couldn’t discern the hidden meaning in their words.

But she knew what a “close friend” was.

Cynthia had someone she wanted to become a close friend to… Who was it?

Olivia gazed at Darcy, who stood beside Cynthia. Her expression was as cool and clear as the night sky. Was it this member of the God Race?

The members of the God Race were all exceptionally beautiful, and this one was no exception. Furthermore, beyond her striking appearance, her personality also seemed to be very much to Cynthia’s liking. The two of them often spent time together discussing the development of the God Race.

Back when they were on the bridge, whenever Cynthia spoke of the God Race, she was sure to mention Darcy’s name, her tone filled with admiration.

She and Cynthia were allies; Cynthia and Darcy were close friends. The subtle difference in the words left Olivia feeling somewhat uncomfortable. But instead of pondering the source of this negative emotion, she wondered why she even cared about Cynthia’s relationships with others.

They were merely allies, after all.

Olivia did her best to ignore the faint displeasure in her heart. She glanced at the two members of the God Race chatting and laughing, then coldly averted her gaze and turned to walk into the darkness behind her.

Seeing Olivia suddenly turn and leave, Polly instinctively took a couple of steps after her. “Her Majesty the Queen, where are you going?” she asked, confused.

Olivia’s tall, slender figure vanished into the darkness. A cool voice drifted back to Polly’s ears. “To rest.”

The witches’ teleportation array wouldn’t be ready for some time, and with the sky now dark, they did indeed need to find a place to rest.

Just as Polly lifted her foot to follow Olivia, a fierce gust of wind appeared without warning. It whipped Polly’s long hair into the air, and loose stones and dirt were swept up, scattering everywhere.

Polly was first startled by the gale, then stood rooted to the spot in a daze until a piece of gravel struck her, snapping her back to her senses.

She rubbed the spot where she’d been hit, a hint of confusion in her eyes. “Is Her Majesty the Queen angry?” she murmured to herself.

As an elf, she could tell at a glance that this gust of wind was not a natural phenomenon.

Elves cultivate the power of nature, and the natural elements-wind, water, fire, and earth-are arguably the most common on the Sitatul Continent.

Olivia was the youngest and most talented queen the Elf Race had known since its inception. Her power was immense-so immense that her emotions alone could influence the surrounding natural elements.

However, Olivia was naturally composed, and her emotions rarely fluctuated to such a degree. When they did, it was usually for the better. A fierce wind like this, and the sudden downpour back in the God Race’s territory, were things Polly was witnessing for the first time.

Everything was fine just a moment ago, Polly thought, gazing in the direction Olivia had disappeared, feeling bewildered.

The gale interrupted Darcy and Cynthia’s conversation. Cynthia raised a hand to smooth her windblown hair, then turned and scanned the area, but she couldn’t see Olivia.

“Why is the weather so strange?” Darcy asked, frowning as she sidestepped a small stone kicked up by the wind.

Hanni, who had been dozing off not far from the witches, was jolted awake by the gale. She shot her head up and looked around, asking blankly, “Are there enemies? Why are the elves kicking up a wind?”

Although the Wolf Race couldn’t use magic, they were highly sensitive to the elements and could immediately tell that this gale was not a natural occurrence.

Hearing Hanni’s words, Cynthia turned to look at her and asked thoughtfully, “Did you just say this sudden wind was caused by the elves?”

Seeing the wind quickly die down, Hanni slowly lay back down. “Yeah,” she said, her eyes narrowed. “It’s so convenient for the elves, making it rain or blow whenever they want.”

Hanni had envied the elves for this since she was a child. The Wolf Race’s territory was on an ice field where the weather was often poor, making it impossible to even bask in the sun.

Meanwhile, the elves’ territory was sunny year-round. Because they disliked humid environments, it never rained there.

So the elves’ power over nature can also control the weather? Cynthia was a bit surprised. She turned to look again but still couldn’t see Olivia. She did, however, spot a grove of trees not far away.

Cynthia said a word to Darcy, then turned and walked toward the woods.

Influenced by the dark aura emanating from the slumbering monster, the area was devoid of life. The vicinity of the Magic Dragon’s cave was deathly still, and the grove of trees Cynthia had seen was, in fact, a cluster of long-withered trunks.

But upon entering the woods, she discovered that some of the withered trees were once again tinged with green.

Elves favored environments brimming with life, and in their presence, even dead wood could be rejuvenated. The deeper she walked into the forest, the more green filled her vision.

But after wandering through the woods for a while, she still hadn’t found Olivia. Cynthia stopped, puzzled. She closed her eyes for a moment, channeling the Power of Light to sense her surroundings, then walked to the base of a particular tree and looked up at its crown, which was obscured by dense foliage.

She stood beneath the tree for who knows how long before a vine suddenly descended from above.

A faint smile touched Cynthia’s lips. She opened her arms, allowing the vine to wrap around her and lift her to the top of the tree.

Olivia was sitting on a branch, watching her with a blank expression. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

The thick branches intertwined, creating a surprisingly spacious area at the top of the tree. Cynthia walked over and sat down beside Olivia. “I came to rest,” she said with a smile.

It would seem odd to send her away after just letting her up. Olivia frowned, slightly regretting her decision to lower the vine for Cynthia.

While the treetop area was large, the space on the branch itself was not. Once Cynthia sat down, their shoulders were barely a fist’s width apart.

The night breeze lifted Cynthia’s long silver hair, and a single strand drifted onto Olivia’s arm. Olivia glanced down at it, and just as she was debating whether to move, Cynthia suddenly spoke.

“I have something I want to show you.” Cynthia turned her head, her golden eyes seeming especially gentle in the dim light of the evening.

Under Cynthia’s gaze, Olivia instinctively stiffened her expression. She stared straight ahead and asked in a distant tone, “What is it?”

As if not noticing Olivia’s aloofness, Cynthia took out the carapace she had found in the Magic Dragon’s cave and dangled it in front of her. “I found this in the Magic Dragon’s cave.”

“It was mixed in with a lot of gemstones.”

The carapace caught Olivia’s attention. She reached out to take it and studied it for a moment. “Is this the carapace of a giant spider?” she asked, uncertain.

It looked somewhat similar.

Cynthia nodded. “It’s a giant spider’s carapace, but it’s also a little different.”

She took out a piece of carapace from the giant spider she had killed in Nobi City and gave it to Olivia. “This one is empty,” she explained. “The one from the Magic Dragon’s cave contains elements.”

The reason she had taken notice of these carapaces in the first place was because she had discovered the first one was empty.

The sturdiness of a giant spider’s carapace goes without saying, and its hollow interior makes it an ideal vessel for storage.

She had been wondering if these carapaces could be used to store elements.

“I discussed it with Chelsea before, wondering if there was anything suitable for storing elements, but such a medium is incredibly difficult to find.” Ordinary objects are easily destroyed by elemental power. This carapace is certainly durable enough, but they couldn’t figure out a way to infuse elements into it.

Olivia compared the two carapaces, her gaze lowered in thought for a moment. “You want to store the Power of Light inside?” she asked.

Cynthia shook her head. “Not the Power of Light. A teleportation array.”

The God Race and humans lack the speed of the Wolf Race, elves, and vampires. This is a significant weakness for them.

Therefore, having an instantly usable teleportation array is crucial. It would significantly reduce their casualties and allow for much faster reinforcements.

“A teleportation array generates elemental energy when activated, so I was wondering if we could put it inside this shell.” Cynthia gestured, mimicking the shape of a scroll. “We could make it like a scroll,” she said with a smile. “Unfurl it, and you can teleport.”

Olivia’s hand, holding the carapace, clenched and unclenched a few times. “That’s not realistic,” she said flatly.

Cynthia blinked. “It will be once we make it.”

She deliberately leaned closer to Olivia. “Her Majesty the Queen, please help this weak little member of the God Race.”

Olivia raised a hand to stop Cynthia from getting any closer. After a moment of silence, she said in a low voice, “I’ll look into it.”

The silver-haired woman beside her let out a soft chuckle, as if she had known all along that Olivia would agree, and then settled back into her original spot. As Olivia put the carapace away, she wondered why she yielded to this member of the God Race time and time again.

As she thought this, she couldn’t resist turning her head to look at Cynthia again. The night was dark, but the moonlight was bright and clear. Under its glow, Cynthia’s long silver hair seemed all the more sacred. Her exquisitely delicate features, whether due to the moonlight or her smile, had softened considerably.

Olivia watched for a moment before looking away, but it was as if a pebble had been dropped into the calm lake of her heart. Though small, it sent ripples spreading outwards.

Olivia hadn’t concealed her gaze, so Cynthia noticed it quickly. The moonlight was hazy, and with just the two of them atop the tree, Cynthia, perhaps influenced by the atmosphere, suddenly recalled Darcy’s earlier question.

She reached out and touched a strand of Olivia’s pale green hair that had fallen near her hand. Her voice held a soft gentleness as she asked, “Her Majesty the Queen, do you have a close friend?”

Olivia’s brow furrowed in displeasure. “No.”

Due to her status as the Elf Queen, Olivia had very few people she could even call friends.

Knowing that Olivia couldn’t possibly understand the hidden meaning behind “close friend,” Cynthia stopped concealing her intentions. “Then let me be your close friend,” she announced with a beaming smile.

Olivia froze. Words of refusal were on the tip of her tongue, but seeing the smile on Cynthia’s face and the earnestness in her eyes, she swallowed them back down. In the end, she simply turned her face away and muttered, “…As you wish.”

The difference between “close friend” and “ally” was subtle, after all. She could let this member of the God Race call her whatever she pleased. Olivia gazed into the night, and her tightly pressed lips curled into the faintest of smiles before quickly vanishing. The faint displeasure in her heart slowly dissipated.