Chapter 145: Chapter 34: The Egg of the Giant Dragon_1
The Elf Queen’s gaze softened as she clasped Ah Dai’s hand. "You were too impulsive then. Don’t you know how I feel about you? Even if your abilities are not advanced, I would still choose you. Reflecting on it now, I am still quite frightened."
Ah Dai let out a sigh. "Fei Fei, how could I be ignorant of your feelings for me? But as a man, how can I propose to you if I’m not the bravest warrior amongst the elves? That’s why I chose to train in the Death Mountains. When I first crossed the Tian Yuan Clan territory to the Death Mountains, I realized how miniscule my abilities were. The Death Mountains were filled with the stench of death, much like Hell on Earth. Upon first entry, it does not seem outstanding. But the deeper one goes, myriad monsters, zombies, and terrifying bone dragons are found. Often, I could barely defeat a few monsters with one spell before more would pounce on me. There was no way back, I was completely surrounded. Perhaps I was lucky – I would have been swallowed up by beasts if I hadn’t fallen into a deep pit. The entrance of the pit was small; the larger monsters were unable to enter. Only zombies, skeletons, and smaller beasts could pass through. I mustered all my strength to perform an illusion technique, sealing off the entrance, sparing my life. As elves, we do not partake in flesh, but to survive, I had to eat the stinking raw meat from those beasts. That feeling... I remember it vividly. Every day, I would practice my magic, time and time again trying to break through the enemy lines, but there were too many monsters, and many of them were too strong for me to handle. If it hadn’t been for that sturdy cave, I would have long become a meal for the monsters. Did you know? I lived in that cave for a whole year. One day, for some unknown reason, the number of monsters drastically decreased, and the powerful ones disappeared. Only then did I get a chance to escape back to the Elf Forest. For three consecutive years, I would wake up from nightmares every morning. The scenes still make my heart tremble when I recall them. Before I entered the Death Mountains, my magical power had already surpassed the so-called great magicians on the continent, and I was also one of the few warriors in the Elf Clan. You all combined might be able to match against me back then. But in the Death Mountains, unless you are exceptionally lucky enough to find a cave to hide, I fear..."
Listening to Ah Dai’s recollection of his time in the Death Mountains, Moon Scar and the others felt a chill run down their spines. Even Xuan Yue, who had recommended going to the Death Mountains, turned pale, as if an overbearing sense of impending danger was just about to pounce. Miao Fei asked hesitantly, "Is it really that terrifying?"
Ah Dai forced a bitter smile. "I have no reason to lie to you all. I’m not articulate; my description doesn’t even come close. What I had ventured into was merely the outskirts of the Death Mountains. I cannot imagine what lies within. Perhaps some of you are still sceptical; I’ll show you something." Saying so, Ah Dai deftly chanted an Elf spell, causing the space in front of him to distort. His eyes gleaming, Ah Dai swept his hand across the twisted space. A small crack appeared. Driven by the spell, a series of differently colored items flew out.
Ah Dai outstretched his hands and the objects gently fell onto his palms. Everyone saw them clearly: seven or eight gemstones of different colors. On the surface, these gemstones seemed unpolished, their edges in irregular shapes, but the faint energy pulsation clearly signalled their worth. Ah Dai said, "These minerals, I dug them out from the cave. They must be the top-grade magic crystals you want to find. We don’t have alchemist among the elves, and our specialty lies in the Magic of Nature. Keeping these items won’t be of much use to us. I shall gift them to you." With that, he placed the gemstones into Ah Dai’s hands.
Xuan Yue took a gemstone from Ah Dai’s hand. After careful observation, he injected his magic power in it. The gemstone suddenly bloomed with a bright light. He nodded and said, "Good, these are indeed top-grade magic crystals. These many pieces are probably worth several hundred thousand gold coins on the mainland."
Startled by Xuan Yue’s words, Ah Dai quickly handed back the gemstones to Ah Dai. "Uncle, these things are too precious. We cannot accept them."
Ah Dai faintly smiled. "Just accept them. To us, the lives of our clansmen are much more important than these items. You saved more than ten of our people, us offering some gifts in return is only right. Now that you have these things, consider your mercenary task completed. There’s no longer a need to venture into the Death Mountains."
The Elf Queen took Ah Dai’s hand. "Kind boy, accept them. Consider it a token from me. I genuinely hope that you can help us find the missing members and my daughter. I won’t let you take risks. If you find any traces of our people, I’m confident that I can guide you to saving them. Child, could you tell me your name?"
