Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

Chapter 339: Chapter 338: Remnants of the Star Festival in the Deep Night

Chapter 339: Chapter 338: Remnants of the Star Festival in the Deep Night

The elves’ banquet is very different from that of humans.

Human banquets are usually very lively, more akin to some kind of carnival. In contrast, the elves’ festival is filled with a “petite bourgeoisie sentiment,” without large meats or heavy drinking. It’s more like a small self-service feast—soon after Fang Zheng and the others arrived, the elves began their banquet.

Of course, even though it’s called a banquet, it was mainly about the Elf Captain expressing gratitude to Fang Zheng and the others for rescuing their kin from the threat of evil. After which, all the elves sang a song for them, and then everyone was free to do as they pleased, like at a buffet.

The elves’ “buffet,” naturally, did not contain large meats but consisted mostly of fruits, desserts, and fine wines brewed by the elves themselves. For Fang Zheng, this also had a unique charm.

And the elves’ way of hosting guests was also different from that of humans; they did not show excessive enthusiasm, yet they weren’t aloof either. Regardless, they could always find a topic to make their guests more comfortable. At the same time, this was also their way of showing gratitude and returning the favor to their guests.

At least, in Fang Zheng’s view, the girls currently were chatting quite happily with the elves.

Hailien was chatting with an Elf Druid, not just idle conversation, but serious tutelage regarding the understanding and sensing of fire elements, a closely guarded secret passed down from generation to generation among the elves on mastering the elements. And Hailien was listening very seriously, clearly realizing the significance of the knowledge she was facing.

The Astrologer sisters were discussing the topic of astral changes with two elf Priests, even bringing out a star map used by the Elf Race, correlating it with the search for constellations’ orbits. Fang Zheng couldn’t understand what was fascinating about this, but judging by the Astrologer sisters’ expressions, they were obviously very interested in this gift.

As for Katie’s situation, it was quite exceptional. Fang Zheng had to admit, this Young Lady from nobility must have invested all her talent points into Stealth from birth, as not even elves specializing in Stealth and tracking could accurately detect Katie’s whereabouts. This piqued the elves’ interest in Katie’s potential as a Ranger, and Katie seemed to be quite interested in this career path as well. At the moment, she was following a few Elf Rangers, attempting to communicate and connect with nature.

As for Nymph and Little Fire Dragon, they became the center of attention among the elves, especially the adorable appearance of Little Fire Dragon, attracting many Elf Maidens to flutter around it. It appeared that Little Fire Dragon also enjoyed this environment, flapping its wings and dancing while playing hide-and-seek with the Little Fairies.

However, Fina was not present here; she had been invited by the Priest of the Elf Clan to enter the Natural Temple when the festival began. Fang Zheng was not worried about Fina’s safety—after all, according to Fina, she had visited this place during her pilgrimage and had some interactions with these elves. This time, aside from the exchange among Holy Practitioners, she also hoped to gain some information from the Natural Temple.

“Are you satisfied with this banquet? Guest?”

Just then, a pleasant voice came from beside Fang Zheng. He turned his head and saw an Elf Maiden standing next to him, wearing leather armor like that of a Ranger, but without weapons—after all, even for elves, it wouldn’t be appropriate to carry weapons at a banquet.

“Quite nice. On their behalf, I thank you for your generosity,” Fang Zheng said, raising his glass to the Elf Maiden. He felt that she looked somewhat familiar but wasn’t sure. To Fang Zheng, elves were like foreigners; it is inevitably difficult to distinguish someone at a first meeting.

But Fang Zheng was not just being pretentious in saying these things. As he mentioned, the seemingly inadvertent information shared by the elves during casual conversations with the girls was in fact part of the elves’ secret traditions, and the value of this knowledge could not be measured by wealth. Fang Zheng had once read about this in the White Tower; the elves are very protective of their heritage, and they wouldn’t reveal even a bit of it, even for all the gold and silver in the world.

And now, the knowledge the girls were learning, even if it was just the tip of the iceberg of elf traditions, was already a tremendous fortune.

“This is what we should do. Compared to what you have done, what we can offer is just these insignificant tokens of our appreciation. However…”

At this, the elf maiden blinked, gazing curiously at Fang Zheng.

“I’m very sorry, it seems we haven’t prepared a guest gift that you would be satisfied with.”

“It’s not your fault, and in fact, I don’t really have any special needs… After all, I am also barely a paladin, and helping others is a source of joy. When you suddenly ask me about a reward… I don’t really have any particular desires.”

Facing the elf maiden’s apology, Fang Zheng simply waved his hand.

“Are you really a paladin?”

Hearing Fang Zheng’s answer, the elf maiden looked at him with curiosity.

“Please forgive my impertinence, but you seem quite different from those paladins of the rumors…”

“I’m certainly not a qualified paladin, at least I don’t think I have the ability to sacrifice myself to save others. I can only do what I can within my capabilities. And as it happens, this matter is within the scope of what I can handle.”

“Indeed, that doesn’t sound like something a paladin would say,”

At this, the elf maiden smiled slightly.

“But I think you are right, as we elves say, as long as one is alive, there is hope… although, before the dawn’s light, there may be a long night…”

While saying this, the elf maiden lowered her eyelids, revealing an expression tinged with a bit of unease and pain. Then, she lifted her head and looked at Fang Zheng.

“The night has grown deep, if you are planning to rest, please allow me to show you the way.”

“Thank you for the trouble.”

Hearing the elf maiden speak, Fang Zheng nodded. He had grown a bit tired of just sitting and eating cookies and drinking wine here, and he had been thinking about finding an opportunity to take his leave. Now that the host herself had spoken, he didn’t need to worry too much about these troubling matters.

“Then, please follow me.”

After receiving Fang Zheng’s response, the elf maiden gave him a slight smile and then turned to lead him away from the banquet hall. She took Fang Zheng to a treehouse located behind the village. This room was clearly prepared for visiting guests; not only was the space much larger than that of the elf clan’s own rooms, but the decor also bore a few more luxurious touches. The room also had bright, radiant ferns hung up for lighting, which could have rated it as five-star level accommodation if judged on an eco-friendly basis.

“How is it? Are you pleased with this place?”

“It’s very nice, I quite like it, thank you.”

After glancing around at the decorations, Fang Zheng nodded in satisfaction. However, upon hearing Fang Zheng’s response, the Elf Maiden slightly shook her head.

“No, it is I who should thank you.”

“Hmm?”

At this point, Fang Zheng turned his head curiously towards the Elf Maiden. She lifted her head, quietly looking at Fang Zheng.

“Perhaps you no longer remember, but in fact, I was also among those whom you rescued.”

“Is that so… You’ve already… No, it’s nothing…”

Upon hearing the Elf Maiden’s reply, Fang Zheng paused for a moment, then he remembered seeing her among that group of elves, although at the time they were all naked, and he hadn’t looked closely, merely glancing quickly, so he did not have a strong impression of her features.

Fang Zheng had wanted to ask her if she had already cheered up, but considering that bringing up such a matter would be like rubbing salt in her wounds… As an outsider, it was best not to delve too deeply into such personal privacy.

“Actually… I have a matter for which I hope to get your help.”

“What is it?”

This time, the Elf Maiden did not answer immediately. She bit her lip, her face turning slightly red as she lowered her head.

“…Please hug me.”

“…Sorry, the wind is too loud, I didn’t hear you clearly. What did you say?”

“…Please hug me…”

“…Why…”

Faced with this unexpected reply, Fang Zheng was completely dumbfounded. What was this? Repaying a life-saving grace by offering herself? This wasn’t typical of elves, right?

“I… I can’t forget…”

As she spoke, the Elf Maiden’s slender body started to tremble.

“I can’t forget everything that I went through before. Although you helped us heal the physical scars, when I close my eyes, I remember those creatures, their hideous and evil forms, and the terrifying things they did to me… I want to forget it all, but I can’t. No matter how I cleanse my body, how much I meditate, I cannot escape these terrible nightmares, so…”

Having said this, the Elf Maiden lifted her head, her eyes brimming with tears as she gazed at Fang Zheng.

“Please help me, let me escape from those terrible nightmares…”

There was such a move?

Looking at the tearful Elf Maiden before him, Fang Zheng was utterly bewildered.

“Can you… help me?”

Faced with such a request from a beautiful and lovely Elf Maiden, Fang Zheng had only two choices in front of him.

Was it to act like a beast, or to be even worse than a beast?

There was no need to think about it, right?

“It would be my honor.”

Fang Zheng smiled slightly and then walked over to the Elf Maiden. He extended his arms and embraced her slender, soft body.

“Ah…”

Feeling Fang Zheng’s embrace, the Elf Maiden’s body tensed for an instant, then gradually relaxed.

“What’s your name?”

“Molly…”

“Molly, lift your head and look at me…”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing Fang Zheng’s whisper, the Elf Maiden seemed to be enchanted, slowly lifting her head to look at the man before her. A blush surfaced on her cheeks, and her eyes started to moisten. Right after, Fang Zheng lowered his head and sealed her lips with his.

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