The location of the Tree of Life was, after all, a Forbidden Land. Cynthia couldn’t stay inside all the time like Olivia, so she only went there after nightfall to discuss or test methods for purifying the Elf Fruits. During the day, she usually stayed in her wooden cabin to study Light Magic.

Hanni, who had been playing with her friends for several days, learned that Cynthia was cooped up in her room every day and took the initiative to come and take her out to have some fun.

The Elf Territory was vast. Although eighty percent of it was forest, the scenery was beautiful, lush, and full of life. In Hanni’s eyes, it was countless times more fun than the Wolf Race’s bare ice fields.

Cynthia was actually quite interested in the place where Olivia grew up. Coincidentally, her study of Light Magic had reached a bottleneck, so when Hanni invited her, she thought for a second before happily agreeing.

Nearly the entire Elf Territory was covered in soft, clean grass, with small white and yellow wildflowers dotting the lush green expanse. Hanni preferred her white wolf form here; the feeling of her paws on the grass made her happy. Occasionally, when the mood struck, she would even roll around on the grass, completely unconcerned with her image.

“Cynthia, do you like to eat leaves?” the white wolf asked, turning her head to look at the silver-haired God Race beside her with a serious expression. “Do you like branches? Do you like fruit?”

“Let me take you to eat something delicious.” The elves had a light palate and preferred a vegetarian diet. The things Hanni asked about were all on the elven menu.

Though it sounded a bit strange.

“Do you like to eat these things too?” Cynthia knew this was the elves’ diet, but she was a little surprised that Hanni, as a werewolf, seemed to have adapted well to elven tastes.

The white wolf wagged her fluffy tail, her sky-blue eyes as clear as the sky itself. She nodded and said, “I do. They’re much tastier than the medicinal herbs of our Wolf Race.”

When werewolves were young, they had to eat many medicinal herbs to strengthen their bodies, bones, and claws. Since the herbs were purely for increasing strength, their taste was not a consideration. In Hanni’s memory, they were all unbearably bitter.

Although Hanni had been to the Elf Territory a few times, she was really only familiar with the places where delicious fruits grew. That was the only kind of place she could take Cynthia.

She led Cynthia to the area where the elves cultivated their fruit trees, then transformed into her human form, leaped into a tree, and picked a pile of fruit, introducing them to Cynthia one by one.

Cynthia reached out and picked up a fruit that Hanni highly recommended, but instead of eating it, she held it in her hand, observing her surroundings with great interest.

The trees here were much shorter than those near their wooden cabins, and the open space was wider. Besides the green grass, there were also colorful flowers planted, creating what looked like a sea of blossoms from a distance.

The air was filled with a rich floral fragrance, smelling somewhat similar to the nectar Olivia often drank.

An elf maiden was teaching young elves how to collect dew. The arrival of Cynthia and Hanni interrupted their lesson. An elf maiden who recognized Cynthia saw her, handed the bottle in her hand to a young elf, and ran over to greet her.

It wasn’t just the Tree of Life that liked to be near Cynthia’s aura of light; the elves also loved to gather around her.

Soon, the elf maidens took over for Hanni, eagerly showing Cynthia around their territory.

Hanni sat in a tree, bored, chewing on a fruit as she watched the silver-haired God Race surrounded by elves. She shook her head with a sigh. Cynthia was just too popular.

Cynthia had experienced the elf maidens’ enthusiasm on her first day in the territory, and it was partly why she had been staying in her cabin for the past few days.

If it were just simple enthusiasm, that would be one thing, but Cynthia discovered that their enthusiasm didn’t seem so simple.

“Do you want to see my Twin Flower?” a red-haired elf maiden with a short haircut smiled brightly at Cynthia, not holding back her warmth as she invited her. “It’s not far. I can pick some for you.”

Cynthia had heard elves mention the Twin Flower more than once, but she still hadn’t figured out what kind of flower it was.

“Is the Twin Flower a species unique to the Elf Race?” Cynthia subtly slowed her pace, creating some distance between herself and the elf maiden. Although she was curious about what the Twin Flower looked like, given that the elf maiden had prefaced it with the word “my,” she didn’t rashly agree.

The short-haired elf nodded at Cynthia and explained with a smile, “The Twin Flower is a plant that only the Elf Race has. The elders in the clan plant one for each young elf when they are born. When the Twin Flower blooms, the young elves have come of age.”

That didn’t sound particularly strange, but… Cynthia glanced at the surrounding elf maidens and saw that upon hearing the words “Twin Flower,” their smiles were suddenly tinged with a hint of shyness. Her golden eyes narrowed slightly as she asked nonchalantly, “Does the Twin Flower have some special meaning for you?”

The short-haired elf exchanged a look with the others, her smile also becoming a bit shy. She cupped her face with her hands and said to Cynthia in a secretive tone, “The elders in the clan say that once the Twin Flower blooms, we can give it to the person we like.”

“And then we can procreate little elves.”

“Although you’re of the God Race, and it might be difficult for us to procreate, I still want to give it to you,” the short-haired elf said, her voice laced with anticipation.

Cynthia was speechless.

So, every time an elf asked if she wanted to see their Twin Flower, they were actually inviting her to procreate with them?

Thankfully, she had always been cautious.

“So the Twin Flower has that kind of meaning for you. In that case, I’d better not go see it,” Cynthia said tactfully. “I wish you luck in finding a suitable partner.”

The short-haired elf was a little disappointed by Cynthia’s refusal, but she quickly recovered, her enthusiasm undiminished. “Many elves in the clan have come of age in recent years, so the Twin Flowers have bloomed in vast fields. It’s a beautiful sight. Let me take you to see them.”

This time, her suggestion was purely to show Cynthia the most beautiful scenery of their elven race.

As she spoke, the short-haired elf seemed to remember something and added with a smile, “Even Her Majesty the Queen’s Twin Flower has bloomed.”

Cynthia, who had been about to change the subject, had her interest piqued. She asked curiously, “Olivia has a Twin Flower too? Has she ever given it to anyone?”

The elf maiden shook her head. “Her Majesty the Queen’s Twin Flower has only just bloomed.”

Cynthia suddenly recalled the uncomfortable expression on Olivia’s face when Helen had mentioned the Twin Flower in front of her. She raised an eyebrow slightly. “Does the blooming of the Twin Flower have any effect on your Queen?”

The elf maidens exchanged glances. The short-haired elf who had been answering Cynthia’s questions said uncertainly, “She might find a partner, I suppose.”

The elf next to her suddenly interjected, “I think it means she’ll look for a Guardian.”

“Oh, right, Her Majesty the Queen needs to find a Guardian.”

“Her Majesty can only procreate the next queen with a Guardian. But Her Majesty is still young.”

They had only recently come of age themselves and had only heard about these things from the older elves, so their knowledge was vague. Even when Cynthia asked what a Guardian was, they only had a partial understanding, knowing only about the selection of candidates.

“Look at those elf warriors.” An elf pointed Cynthia toward a squad of elf warriors who happened to be passing by on patrol, her tone filled with envy. “They are the most talented elves in the clan. Her Majesty the Queen’s future Guardian will be chosen from among them.”

The elf warriors were all very young, both male and female. They wore simple combat attire, their expressions resolute and their auras powerful. Some carried longbows, others held staves, but without exception, they all exuded the air of powerful individuals.

Cynthia only knew that Olivia had a very strong elven guard, but she hadn’t expected these guards to hold such a status.

One of them might become the Guardian who would procreate the next Elf Queen with Olivia… Cynthia watched the retreating figures of the elf warriors, her brow slowly furrowing.

After learning the reason for the elf maidens’ enthusiasm, Cynthia found a suitable moment to leave. These elves had just come of age and were in a state of budding romance; she didn’t want to create any unnecessary trouble.

Hanni had run off somewhere, so Cynthia had to walk back to the wooden cabin alone. But when she came to her senses, she found that she had somehow ended up near the Tree of Life.

Polly jumped down from a tree, looking a little surprised to see Cynthia. “What are you doing here?” She glanced up at the sky, where the golden sun still hung high.

Cynthia usually only came after nightfall.

Although Cynthia was also a bit surprised to have walked here, she showed no sign of it in front of Polly. Instead, she curved her lips into a smile and said, “I suddenly thought of a way to purify the power of darkness, so I came to try it.”

Polly looked at her suspiciously. “But didn’t you go out to tour the territory with Hanni today?” An elf guard had reported to her when Cynthia and Hanni left.

Cynthia remained perfectly calm. “I thought of it on the way.”

Just as Polly was hesitating whether to let Cynthia in, a green vine suddenly shot out from behind her and wrapped around Cynthia’s wrist.

Seeing the vine, Polly could only step aside and lead the way. “Come with me.”

Cynthia glanced down at the vine wrapped around her wrist and followed behind Polly.

When Cynthia followed Polly into the Forbidden Land, Olivia was observing the incubating Elf Fruits. In the clear stream, the greenish fruits floated quietly, and no one would guess that a new life was gestating inside.

The elves’ reproduction rate was extremely low, so every incubating Elf Fruit was incredibly important to the Elf Race.

Whenever Olivia was in the Elf Territory, she would observe the state of these Elf Fruits every day.

Footsteps approached from a distance. Olivia, who was observing the Elf Fruits, turned to look back, gave Cynthia a calm nod, and then turned her head back again, her eyes fixed on the fruits in the stream, though she was already somewhat distracted.

Polly left after bringing Cynthia over. Cynthia walked to Olivia’s side, also looking down at the floating Elf Fruits in the stream, and asked, “Are these few Elf Fruits alright?”

The Elf Race hadn’t had many successful incubations recently, and two-thirds of them had been contaminated by the power of darkness. The ones in the stream were uncontaminated, but… that might only be temporary.

“They’ve already entered the mid-stage of incubation,” Olivia said in a low voice. “If they can hold on for a while longer, they’ll be fine.”

She paused after speaking, fighting off her weariness as she raised a hand to rub the space between her eyebrows.

“You should rest.” Cynthia caught Olivia’s movement out of the corner of her eye, turned her head to look at her, and said with a frown.

Olivia lowered her hand and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

She could manage this bit of fatigue with a little adjustment.

After she spoke, she waited for a long time without a response from Cynthia. Puzzled, she glanced sideways and saw the silver-haired God Race pressing a hand to her own forehead. When Cynthia noticed her gaze, she said in a very weak tone, “I’m too tired. I need to rest.”

Olivia was speechless.

Cynthia deliberately leaned against Olivia’s shoulder and sighed, “I can’t use Light Magic today.”

For the past few days, Cynthia had been using the power of light to help her purify the dark energy within the Elf Fruits. If Cynthia wasn’t there, Olivia’s own purification efforts wouldn’t be very efficient.

This person was really… Olivia fell silent.

Seeing Olivia’s dark expression, a flicker of a smile passed through Cynthia’s golden eyes. She coaxed softly, “Rest with me for a while. Maybe I’ll be able to use it tonight.”

The silver-haired God Race remained pressed against her shoulder, Cynthia’s unique scent enveloping her and somewhat disrupting her thoughts. She wanted to pull away from Cynthia’s touch, but in the end, she didn’t move. Instead, she lowered her gaze and asked, “…For how long?”

Cynthia glanced up at the sky, thought for a moment, and said, “Until evening.”

With Olivia’s power, a few hours of rest would be enough to restore her condition.

Hanni, who had taken the initiative to invite Cynthia out to play but had no idea she had left midway, went to pick a lot of fruit and returned to find Cynthia gone.

Just then, the elf maidens and the young elves finished collecting dew and left. Hanni wandered around the orchard several times by herself, with no idea where Cynthia had gone. She could only sit alone on the grass, eating fruit.

The area for cultivating fruit trees and flowers was not considered the core of the elven territory; strictly speaking, it was rather remote. Therefore, the elven guards didn’t patrol here very often.

However, even if the elven guards appeared frequently, they couldn’t stop a Second Generation Vampire who had concealed her presence from slipping in.

Considering Olivia’s perceptive abilities, Avira only dared to wander the outskirts of the elven territory after concealing her presence. But as it happened, the place where Hanni was staying was very remote, and Avira caught her red-handed.

As Hanni was concentrating on eating her fruit, a sudden weight settled on her back. A few strands of red hair fell over her shoulder, and a familiar sweet scent made Hanni quickly cover her nose with her hand. She turned her head angrily, glared at Avira, and said, “How did you get in…”

Before she could finish her sentence, Avira forcefully pulled her hand away from her nose. Avira licked her lips, then directly covered Hanni’s mouth with her own, swallowing the rest of her unfinished accusation.

Hanni’s slightly parted lips made it convenient for Avira. Hanni was kissed until her face turned bright red. She raised her hands to push against the red-haired vampire’s shoulders, trying to push her away, but was instead pressed down beneath her.

With the soft body in her arms, Hanni habitually put her hands on Avira’s waist. She looked around nervously, and upon seeing that there were no elves present, she slowly breathed a sigh of relief.

Avira’s kisses slowly moved down from Hanni’s lips. She then reached out and impatiently tore open her collar, lowering her head to bite down on her neck. The sweet blood that gushed out made her eyes gradually darken.

This wasn’t the first time Avira had drunk her blood, but Hanni still felt the hairs on her body stand on end. Her body instantly tensed up, her long brown hair slowly turned snow-white, and a threatening growl rumbled in her throat.

Avira glanced at Hanni, then slowly released her bite. As she licked away the blood that trickled down, she complained, “Why haven’t you come to see me?”

The wound on the side of her neck was slowly healing. Seeing Avira unfastening her clothes, Hanni couldn’t help but shrink back. Faced with her question, Hanni felt bewildered. “Why should I come to see you?”

Avira’s clothes were loose and disheveled. She sat astride Hanni, and from Hanni’s angle, she could see everything she should and shouldn’t see. She blushed and looked away, pushing at Avira while saying, “Cynthia told me to stay away from you. She said you’re very dangerous. I think she’s right. You stay away from me.”

Avira narrowed her eyes, suddenly feeling displeased. “Cynthia?”

She pinched Hanni’s chin, turning her face back towards her, and said with a faint smile, “At a time like this, you’re mentioning another woman to me?”

“That God Race likes the Elf Queen. You should just stick to playing with me.”

The person beneath her suddenly fell silent. Avira frowned, thinking she had hit a nerve with Hanni. A strange anger rose in her heart. She let out a cold laugh and was about to speak when Hanni suddenly sat up, looking as if she had just heard a world-shattering secret. She stammered, “Cyn-Cynthia actually likes the Elf Queen.”

Avira was speechless.

Wasn’t that something everyone knew?