309 Plateau

The older Half-Elf was named Leishande. These stowaways brought down six elven children from the Pagisto Plateau; let's call them stowaways for now.

The slightly younger Half-Elf is named Lijiatu, and he is Leishande's nephew.

The Adventure Group rescued the two of them and six elf children from the Elf Headhunters.

The injured Half-Elf was Leishande's son, Langbo. They lived in a small village in a valley and would usually gather Magic Herbs to sell to caravans that came to the plateau from the Padesto City in exchange for some daily necessities.

Life here is very simple, and the food is very limited, consisting of only one type of deep purple berry, available year-round.

They were all Half-Elf who had left the Padesto City and wanted to live a peaceful life.

Some magical beasts live on the plateau, but they all chase after herds of bison or antelopes, migrating across the vast plateau and posing little threat to the elves who live in seclusion in the valleys...

In the twilight, a layer of orange haze enveloped the horizon, and the sky above took on an eerie pale purple hue.

The Adventure Group's temporary camp was located in a hilly area near the foot of the Pagisto Plateau, where the highland mountains shrouded in mist could be seen in the distance.

After the flames died down, only a few flickering embers remained on the campfire. The ash, white as frost, had long since vanished in the night wind.

The Adventure Group sat around the charcoal fire, listening to the elder, Leishande, recount the events of the Pagisto Plateau.

People knew very little about this plateau. Before this, Roy even thought that the Pagisto Plateau was an unexplored unknown territory, based on what he learned in the Padesto City.

It is said that only a few Adventure Group have ever entered the plateau, and at least three Adventure Group have gone missing there...

Some elves even speculated that the highlands were one of the griffins' territories.

It now appears that elves have long inhabited this plateau, and some have even established mines here.

Leishande rubbed his dry hands together, his eyes gazing at the highland mountains that seemed to blend into the night...

"That was a long time ago."

The plateau is rich in a type of Yellow Crystal Stone, which should be considered a kind of Magic Crystal.

The first Half-Elf to arrive here discovered these mineral deposits, and they occupied the areas with the deposits, becoming Mine Owners.

At first, these Half-Elf simply dug their own mines and extracted small amounts of Yellow Crystal Stone.

Later, they gradually accumulated capital, the mine developed, and slowly evolved into what it is today.

Later, the Mine Owners hired elves from the surrounding area to mine for them. However, the mines became deeper and more dangerous as they were dug, and no elves from the surrounding area were willing to work as miners anymore. So the mine owners found a way to buy some slaves from outside. They turned the mines into dungeons and locked the slaves in them. Only slaves who mined enough ore each day had the right to eat and bathe. Slaves who couldn't deliver the ore could only starve and wait to die.

Some time ago, unrest broke out in the Padesto City, which interrupted the slave trade among the Mine Owners.

Unable to buy slaves, the Mine Owners hired Elf Headhunters to capture the elves who lived a secluded life on the highlands. We could run into the mountains and hide when we saw the Elf Headhunters, but the children couldn't escape...

So we tried to send them to Padesto City for refuge, but there were too many Silver Pegasus Warrior there, and they would be arrested immediately if they were discovered.

Later, we settled for second best and sent the children to Rampart Town Rampart Town, where their lives were relatively stable. So we tried to send more children there, even though it was still somewhat dangerous, it was better than waiting to die on the plateau.

The older Half-Elf, Leishande, was getting a little hoarse from speaking.

He picked up the water bottle, took a big gulp, and moistened his throat...

Everyone listened quietly as Leishande recounted the lives of the highland spirits.

Roy, Sabrina, Moira, and Klayr, several elves, have lived in Castleton City since childhood. This city is divided into Lower District, and everyone has always felt that the Half-Elf in the Lower District have been treated unfairly...

But now, they feel that the Half-Elf living in Castleton City is the happiest.

Roy asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why haven't I heard anything about the mines on the Pagisto Plateau while I'm in Padesto City?"

Leishande smiled wryly:

"This was indeed a good place before the headhunters started arresting us indiscriminately. Nobody wanted the secrets of the Pagisto Plateau to get out."

Adventure Group have also come to explore the Pagisto Plateau, but it is said that these Adventure Group mysteriously disappeared deep within the plateau.

This secret is known to very few elves outside the region.

Even if some merchants knew, who would tell this secret to the Silver Moon Elf?

It's better for the mines to be in the hands of the Half-Elf than in the hands of the Silver Moon Elf.

But now the situation is different. The slaves in the mines are not being replenished, and the Mine Owners, blinded by greed, are sending headhunters to capture Half-Elf living a secluded life on the highlands. We have no choice but to find a way to rebel.

As seen on the map, the Pagisto Plateau is very large, covering an area roughly equivalent to the size of the jungle surrounding the Padesto City...

This plateau is surrounded by mountains, with dense forests only at the foot of some large mountains. Most of the area consists of endless grasslands, swamps, and lakes, with very few hilly areas.

The elves still prefer to live in the forests, and few elves pay any attention to the Pagisto Plateau...

Roy had always believed that only the Silver Moon Elf would constantly exploit the Half-Elf Half-Elf, making them do the hardest work, live in the worst houses, and eat the cheapest fruit.

Now he suddenly realized that the Half-Elf's methods of treating his own kind were even more despicable...

There are many Mountain Road leading to the Pagisto Plateau, and none of them are easy to travel.

The dirt roads on the ridges were narrow and rugged, and a slight misstep could send one sliding down the steep slopes. The members of the Adventure Group only dared to lead their horses and walk over these ridges.

Those argali sheep, however, really enjoyed walking along the steep Mountain Road...

The Half-Elf Leishande led his Adventure Group through a hilly area, then followed a canyon into the outermost mountains of the Pagisto Plateau.

Here you can see black, jagged rocks everywhere, and there are many branching paths in the valley.

Everywhere you look, there are gullies carved out by abundant rainwater, making this place look like a maze.

Even though Roy had been diligently drawing maps the whole way, when he turned around, he realized that the maps in his hands were completely useless.

After passing through the canyon, Roy discovered that the Adventure Group had officially entered the outermost mountains of the plateau, where the mountains were all taller and taller, piled up in layers.

The mountains are rich in plant species. Although there are no towering trees suitable for building treehouses, there are dense coniferous forests.

The forest was full of low-level Magic Herbs like Silverleaf Grass and Kudzu Root, as well as some magical herbs that Roy couldn't even name. Woods was making the most of his time to collect Magic Herbs almost every day.

Of course, occasionally you will encounter some monsters, some even hundreds or thousands of them, and you can only avoid them from a distance.

The Adventure Group even spotted a herd of Giant Deer on the opposite side of the mountain. The king of the Giant Deer, standing on the cliff face, had antlers that looked like two intertwined saplings.

As it ran on the mountaintop, the spiritual energy on its antlers transformed into white ribbons that drifted through the woods on the hillside.

Leishande was very familiar with the environment here. The elves rarely encountered other magical beasts on the route they took. Woods also discovered two very rare Vampire Vine in this dense forest. These types of plant-based magical beasts contain very precious magical materials.

It took the Adventure Group half a day to get their hands on a single Vampire Vine and collect a considerable amount of vines.

It took about a week to cross the mountains on the edge of the Pagisto Plateau, but ahead was still not the heart of the plateau, but rather a series of ribbon-like mountain ranges.

The ridges of these mountains are covered with bare gray rocks, while grass and moss grow in the lower parts. Dense vegetation grows at the foot of the mountains, but large groves of trees are rarely seen. Trees can only be seen around some puddles and lakes.

Riding on his argali sheep, Leishande addressed the Adventure Group, saying, "We have crossed the edge of the Pagisto Plateau. From here, we are officially considered to have entered the Pagisto Plateau."

"For elves unfamiliar with this area, crossing these mountains would require at least twice the distance. If they were even less lucky, they might be stopped by the magical beasts within, making it impossible for them to even get in..."

Leishande added another sentence.

After walking along the ridge for two more days, they finally arrived at a narrow canyon.

Leishande led everyone upstream along the only river in the canyon until Roy saw several low stone houses by the river. Surprisingly, there were some fences and flowers around those stone houses, and even some bushes laden with fruit.

Before Leishande could speak, Jiade and Langbo rode their argali sheep and charged out first, heading straight into the small village.

The two men's shouts summoned some of the Half-Elf.

The elves saw Jiade and Langbo and surrounded them, asking, "Jiade, did you take those children to Rampart Town?"

"It's been sent!"

Jiade jumped off the argali sheep, released it, and walked up to a female elf in a linen dress. With a mournful face, he said to the expectant elf, "I'm sorry, Aunt, we couldn't bring Pake back. We encountered a group of Elf Headhunters on the way. Pake and Langbo were killed by those hunters while covering the elven children's retreat."

He turned around, pointed at Roy and his group, and said to the elves around him:

"They saved Langbo, but unfortunately they couldn't save Pake as well..."

The linen fairy immediately covered her face with her handkerchief and wept.

A group of elves surrounded her, constantly comforting her.

This was their village. Roy discovered that the small village consisted of only a dozen or so stone houses, which were scattered along the riverbank.

Leishande released the argali sheep, letting them drink at the stream, and turned to Roy, saying, "I can show you around the village. This is our gathering place; there are only eleven houses here."

These stone houses are almost entirely covered by vines, with only the windows and chimneys exposed.

The yard was very tidy, and it was clear that the elves here knew how to enjoy life.

When the village elves learned that the Adventure Group had saved Leishande and his companions, they all expressed their gratitude to Roy and the others...

They also made room for the Adventure Group in a riverside cabin and asked them to stay in the village.

The group's dinner consisted of only some berries that looked like raspberries, which were obviously their usual food, as there wasn't a single fruit tree to be seen around the village.

It's clear that these elves live a very frugal life.

Roy's Magic Pouch was filled with plenty of apples and Breadfruit that were easy to store, so he took some out and shared them with everyone.

The village elves gathered together...

After nightfall, a small bonfire party was held by the river.

At the beginning, everyone had to recall some of Pake's past experiences and talk about his life. Then, Leishande publicly recounted Pake's cause of death, his enemies, and so on.

Later, the atmosphere lessened, and some elves began humming elven folk songs.

Klayr, the youngest musician in the Elf Academy, naturally joined in the singing, playing the accordion. He even helped with the harmonies, making the singing much more melodious.

And then the elves blew on the leaves, their melodious sounds filling the air with an almost magical quality.

"These young elves want to wander around the plateau. I will be their guide for the next couple of days, taking them into the heart of the plateau..." Leishande said to the elves around him.

"These days, you can see headhunters everywhere. Leishande, you'd better be careful when you're wandering around the heart of the highlands!" said a female elf opposite her.

"I will!"

Leishande said calmly.

The Adventure Group stayed in the elven village for one night and left the next morning.

This time, only Leishande left with the Adventure Group. Instead of leading everyone back along the valley, he crossed it.

The high plateau offers an extremely wide field of vision. Kaka rides his griffin across the sky, easily avoiding herds of animals on the grassland.

The land was much larger and more open Roy had imagined.

Two days after leaving the elven village, we haven't seen a single elf on the plateau, let alone encountered any Elf Headhunters...

"There is an elf village in the valley ahead. We can stay in their village for the night."

Standing on a hillside, Leishande pointed to the valley in front of him and introduced it.

"Are all the elven villages this far apart?" Klayr couldn't help but ask Leishande.

"That's considered close!"

After speaking, Leishande shook the reins in his hand and rode the argali down the hillside...