106 Clues

Several Silver Moon Elf sat resting under Banana Tree, spreading banana leaves on the ground and taking out many berries of various colors from their backpacks.

The uninjured elf lady even boiled water and brewed a pot of fruit tea for everyone.

The Silver Moon Elf captain was named Picor, and the four elves were not only new students at the academy, but had already been friends before they enrolled.

Bertha and another Silver Moon Elf are siblings.

Picor is more outgoing, so he's the one who handles all communication with the team when they need to interact with outsiders.

"Where are you two headed?" Picor asked Roy and Klayr.

Klayr glanced at Roy, indicating that he should answer. Actually, she wanted Roy to interact more with the Silver Moon Elf, since Silver Moon Elf made up three-quarters of the students at the Elf Academy, and he would inevitably have to interact with them in the Silver Moon Elf.

Roy replied, "We are finishing the geography assignment given by Master Harper and are heading to Checkpoint Two."

"Checkpoint Two?" Picor repeated, somewhat puzzled. He had never heard of any mission having Checkpoint Two.

Roy quickly pulled a Parchment Map from his backpack. It was a map that Master Harper had given to the students in geography class, with eight locations marked with red crosses.

He took out Charcoal Pencil and circled the red X in the northwest corner of the Malaga Jungle, explaining, "We're planning to go to this checkpoint. I've numbered all the checkpoints: 1, 2... 8!"

Looking at the markings on Roy's map, Picor said, "We just came from checkpoint number 2. The drop-off points we chose were closer to there, so we went there to check in first. To be honest... it's quite far from here. If we don't go the wrong way, even without taking a detour, it will take another two days to reach checkpoint number 2."

As he spoke, Picor also took out his Parchment Map from his Magic Pouch.

Unfolding the map, Roy and Klayr discovered that the Silver Moon Elf had meticulously marked out the terrain along their route, the various situations they encountered, and even clearly indicated the wild fruits that could be gathered in each location.

Perhaps to express his gratitude, Picor, upon hearing that the two were heading to checkpoint number 2, meticulously recounted everything they had encountered along the way.

"If you go another ten kilometers or so, you'll come to a cliff; it's right here..."

The Silver Moon Elf took out his map and not only explained it, but also asked Roy to record it on his map. He also gave very detailed instructions on how far to go, how to camp, and where to find more wild fruits.

It was then that Roy and Klayr realized something they had overlooked before: recording the details on the map...

Record the places you've been through in as much detail as possible. Then, when you encounter other elf teams, this incomplete map will become a trading resource, allowing you to exchange information from the map or other more valuable information with them.

This kind of communication will make the rest of the trip easier.

Furthermore, the teachers at the Elf Academy did not strictly prohibit it, which means that such exchanges are in accordance with the rules.

Roy and Klayr also marked out the route from here to checkpoint 1 and then to Ellington Castle, making some marks on the Parchment Map from memory.

Bertha and another Silver Moon Elf were responsible for storing the food for the four of them. The two took out some fruit from their backpacks and offered it to Roy and Klayr.

Klayr quickly said, "We also have wilderness survival training, so we can't eat food from outside the jungle."

"These fruits were all picked along the way."

The female Silver Moon Elf clearly had a good impression of Klayr; her eyes never left Klayr's exquisite face as she spoke.

Then she joked with Klayr, "There are no teachers from the Supervisory Team here, you guys are really disciplined."

Klayr said very seriously, "Since the instructor has made the rules, I think we need to follow them..."

At this moment, Bertha, the Silver Moon Elf with the injured leg, also sat opposite Roy and said to him very politely:

"I really want to thank you all. I thought this outdoor practical course was going to be forced to stop, and that I would also be dragging my classmates down with me..."

Roy quickly replied, "It's nothing."

Picking a few golden berries from the pile of fruit, Picor held them in his palm, selected a few plump ones, and handed them to Roy before asking Roy:

"Roy, are you Priest at the Goddess of Freedom Temple?"

Roy took the unidentified berries, picked one up and put it in his mouth. It was very juicy and burst in his mouth, with a great sweet and sour taste.

"Yes, I am a Novice Priest of the Goddess of Freedom Temple," Roy said.

Perhaps because they had chatted for a while and gradually become more familiar with each other, the Silver Moon Elf sitting next to Bertha seized the opportunity to interject:

"I know the Goddess of Freedom Temple, it's near Castleton Harbour."

Roy answered while eating berries, "Yes, that's it."

The Silver Moon Elf had a pointed chin, a typical oval face, and a very slender figure. She must have studied dance; whether standing or sitting, she possessed a unique beauty. She then said:

"I occasionally see your temple Priest Theodore; he's been coming to treat Master Claire Latin lately."

Roy never expected to encounter a young Silver Moon Elf who knew Priest Theodore, and this elf girl even seemed to know Master Claire Latin ...

Her mother, Ms. Belinda, happened to work at the Art Gallery of Master Claire Latin.

Come to think of it, Castleton City doesn't seem that big at all.

"Our temple does indeed have Priest Theodore who has been spreading the doctrine of the Holy Light in the Upper District recently..." Roy said tactfully.

Most of the Silver Moon Elf are followers of the Moon Goddess, and talking about this too much will inevitably cause people to feel disgusted.

Therefore, he rarely mentioned the Goddess of Freedom Temple at the Elf Academy.

Unlike other Silver Moon Elf, that Silver Moon Elf did not seem to harbor a deep aversion to the Goddess of Freedom Temple.

She continued, "Yes, Priest Theodore often goes to Master Claire Latin's house to demonstrate the power of the Holy Light. However, Master Claire Latin is getting old. Although he just took a drop of the Life Essence at the beginning of the year, it is now difficult to sustain his life with just the Tree of Life Sap. The Holy Water Baptism can only delay the deterioration of his body, but it cannot cure him. This illness has dragged on for more than a month..."

Bertha asked in a low voice, "Didn't Master Carlisle Latin plan to hold another art exhibition?"

The Silver Moon Elf pursed her lips and whispered, "The three main sculptures in the Art Gallery are still unfinished. The part that he was supposed to finish personally has been delayed until now..."

Roy didn't pay much attention to Master Claire Latin's physical condition; he only noticed the ' Holy Light Baptism ' that the Silver Moon Elf had mentioned.

At each gathering at the Goddess of Freedom Temple, after the believers finish their prayers, they receive Holy Light Baptism in the Side Hall and then receive a cup of holy water.

However, that kind of Holy Light Baptism is very simple. The Priest only need to dip their fingers in holy water and draw a horizontal line on the foreheads of the believers.

Master Claire Latin must be a Silver Moon Elf, since she needs the Tree of Life Sap to sustain her life every day...

Roy thought... what good would it do to simply draw a horizontal line with holy water on Master Claire Latin's forehead? "Holy water baptism? Is that all?"

As he spoke, Roy rubbed his thumb across Klayr's fair forehead.

The Silver Moon Elf paused, then shook her head before saying:

"As for the holy water baptism, what I saw was Master Claire Latin lying in a pool filled with holy light, receiving the healing power of the holy light."

"..."

Roy didn't say anything more, but sat under the tree lost in thought...

After waiting a little while, Klayr couldn't help but nudge Roy's shoulder and whisper:

"Roy, what's wrong?"

The other Silver Moon Elf also looked at Roy.

Roy snapped out of his daze and said, "Uh, it's nothing! I just suddenly remembered something."

At that moment, he thought of the Holy Grail that had been lost in the temple, but then he thought again, perhaps the Priest Theodore had poured the Holy Light Power into the pool, transforming it into holy water... who knows?

After all, Priest Theodore has rarely used divine magic in the temple recently.

It makes sense that Priest Theodore has recently been using holy light to heal Master Claire Latin in exchange for the artist's support of the Goddess of Freedom Temple.

Moreover, when Jasper was injured last time, Priest Theodore had mentioned it to High Priest Reed.

Roy had just fallen into deep thought, recalling these things.

After exchanging map information, the four elf students thanked Roy and Klayr before leaving together.

As Roy watched their retreating figures, his mind was filled with thoughts of Master Claire Latin, who, even as her life drew to a close, was still desperately trying to prolong it...

"Roy, let's go!"

Klayr nudged Roy, who was staring blankly at the Silver Moon Elf next to Bertha, and whispered in his ear.

Roy quickly dodged and replied, "Okay!"

Meanwhile, on the northwestern edge of the Malaga Jungle, a group of human adventurers followed a trail of footprints left in the bushes.

One of the rangers pierced a pool of bloody feces with his javelin, picked it open and saw that the fibers inside were fluffy. He even pinched a bit and smelled it before looking up at the warrior Chieftain behind him and saying, "Boss, this is the feces left by that big lizard. Its wounds are still getting worse, and I guess even its digestive system is affected."

"Our trap caused it serious injuries. If it weren't a lizard, it probably wouldn't have survived."

"But the tracks disappear here. I suspect it may have run into the jungle ahead..."

The warrior Chieftain, gripping the scimitar at his waist with one hand, squinted at the endless dense forest before him and calmly said:

"Just search the area. Even with the best Stealth Art, such a large lizard wouldn't disappear without leaving a trace... just vanish into thin air."

The dozen or so members quickly dispersed, searching for the large lizard among the bushes and grass around the jungle.

A magician walked up from behind, and if Roy were here, he would recognize him at a glance... it was the Benjamin the Mage.

And this Adventure Group... was formed by those sailors taking off their crew clothes, putting on some well-made leather armor, and transforming themselves into a well-equipped Adventure Group.

These people were all fully armed, carrying magical weapons, and even their leather armor had some magical runes.

Everyone used their weapons to pry open the dense bushes, and everyone seemed very careful.

"Do you think it might have gone into the jungle? These big lizards are masters of Disguise Art; their skin can automatically change color to match the surrounding environment. Once it hides, it's very difficult to find it again!" A member holding a spear whispered to his companion in front of him.

The shield warrior holding the Tower Shield glanced back at the spear warrior and said to the two younger members beside him:

"You two go look over there..."

He waited until the two young members were a little further apart before speaking:

"The hunt went wrong this time, but it wasn't our fault. We just need to cooperate with the search. This is a Petrification Giant Lizard. If it had been hiding in a corner and caught me by the greaves, it could have bitten them off and swallowed my leg whole!"

"So it's always better to be safe than sorry, and never be reckless!"

The spearman immediately leaned closer and whispered in amazement, "I never imagined that the magical beast resources in this canyon would be so abundant, and we can also find quite a few Magic Herbs. This is much more profitable than the slave trade."

"Do you know what that canyon is?" The shield warrior gave him a look as if he were an idiot before speaking.

The spearman immediately shook his head, indicating that he did not know.

"That rift is a hunting ground for the Ophelia Royal Family. Ordinary elves are not allowed to enter it. And look at this Malaga Jungle, you can't even find a trace of Magic Herbs ..." the shield warrior said in a low voice.

"So the canyon we went to... was for poaching?" the spearman asked, dumbfounded.

What do you think?

The shield warrior decided not to say anything more and quickly took a few steps forward, shield in hand.

At that moment, a comrade a hundred meters away sent a signal, and someone ran over quickly and said to the soldier Chieftain:

"Boss, someone saw that big snake over there. It ran into the jungle ahead."

The warrior Chieftain's face was rather grim, and he said with great dissatisfaction:

"What's going on? Can't we stop him? Chase him! The leather on this guy is valuable!"

Then he turned back to the Benjamin the Mage and asked:

"Benjamin, where is that ahead?"

The Benjamin the Mage unfolded a map, glanced at it, and said, "If you keep going forward, you'll enter the Malaga Jungle."

The warrior Chieftain called out to his men, "Let's go into the Malaga Jungle and take a look."

The Benjamin the Mage hesitated for a moment, then reminded the warrior Chieftain, "The magical beasts in the Malaga Jungle disappeared hundreds of years ago. We will gain nothing from this jungle."

"As soon as we catch that big guy, we'll head back the way we came..."

After the warrior Chieftain finished speaking, he led a group of his men into the dense jungle in front of them.

My fingers hurt from typing, so I'm being lazy today. I'll update normally tomorrow.