Forest Lord

Only after seeing Flamme off did Lin Yu suddenly remember that he had forgotten to warn her.

Of course, perhaps he had not exactly forgotten. Maybe even Lin Yu himself had not realized that he did not truly care much about this matter.

After all, the original work had made it very clear: only Flamme's three companions would face mortal danger on this journey. She herself would return safely and encounter an Elf Mage named Frieren in the future.

Flamme was the only one Lin Yu considered a friend.

It was indeed rather difficult to expect him to worry about three complete strangers he had never met.

"Forget it. In this timeline, Flamme has the Holy Scripture I compiled. No matter what trouble she runs into, she can at worst unleash a big move and run away, right?"

With that thought, Lin Yu put the matter out of his mind with a clear conscience and returned to the solitary life he had led five months ago.

But unlike five months earlier, his residence had become an ancient and magnificent Stone Castle. At his side was a fairly intelligent White Ape servant who could serve him tea and water, as well as a White Wolf far more suitable than Rolycoly as both pet and mount.

Besides that, Lin Yu had gained another hobby to pass the time—magic.

He needed neither food nor sleep, and he studied magic day and night.

This went on for roughly a week.

On the eighth day after Flamme's departure, a white-haired old man entered his territory. Holding a letter, he cautiously looked over his surroundings.

Lin Yu noticed the old man the instant he stepped into the territory, so he sent the White Ape to bring him over.

As expected, this white-haired elder was the village chief among those villagers—the biological father of that powerful warrior.

The letter in his hand was Flamme's handwritten letter, naturally meant to introduce him to the master of this forest.

"...You're the village chief?"

Beneath the soaring dome, the unquestioned king of this forest sat upon the Cast Iron Throne draped in White Bearskin. He lightly flipped the letter in his hand over and placed it on the broad armrest beside a teacup.

Following that slender yet powerful hand upward, one could see a young face that was calm yet oppressive.

His pitch-black pupils resembled the Starry Sky in the night. Together with the magical radiance of the Bronze Candlesticks on the surrounding stone pillars, they fell upon the nervous yet respectful white-haired elder below.

"Why did you come? Where's your son?"

Not daring to delay, the old man immediately bowed. "In answer to my lord, he has already left with Lord Fulamei."

"...That decisive?"

The youth suddenly dropped his previous demeanor and muttered in a low voice, "He didn't want to see for himself first?"

The old man froze slightly before coming to his senses. He hurriedly lowered his head and said, "Daimon values promises above all else. Moreover, Lord Fulamei has guaranteed this with her own life. Nothing could possibly go wrong."

"You certainly know how to talk."

Lin Yu studied the old man before him with interest.

The man spoke with a certain aristocratic elegance. Translated into modern terms, he sounded much like classical prose. Perhaps his ancestors had once been fallen nobles.

...No wonder he could raise a warrior even Flamme had to put effort into winning over. He really had something to him!

With that thought, Lin Yu waved his hand and had the White Ape bring over a cup of hot tea. Then he smiled and said, "Since Flamme has vouched for you, I will naturally protect your safety!"

"Thank you, my lord!"

Overjoyed, the old man hurriedly set down his teacup and bowed in thanks.

He had no doubt that this young-looking Elf Youth possessed such power, because before entering the Attic, he had already seen outside the Unicorn Giant Beast that resembled a small mountain.

That was the Spine Peak Lord that had once ravaged the forest and forced them to abandon their homes!

This Elf Youth had actually made it his pet and had it guard his home—at this point in time, not everyone understood the nature of Monsters as clearly as Flamme did.

To ordinary people like them, Monsters were no different from wild beasts.

That was also why Lin Yu dared to display the Monsters under his command before these people.

"However, there is something I must make clear first."

Lin Yu changed the subject and calmly looked at the old man. "I have no interest in the conflicts between human kingdoms."

"If members of the Demon Race or Monsters appear, I do not mind dealing with those troubles. But if you dare to use my name to take part in wars between human nations..."

Startled, the old man immediately dropped to his knees and promised, "Please rest assured, my lord. We seek only to protect ourselves and will never do anything unnecessary!"

"Very good!"

Lin Yu nodded and lightly raised a hand, helping the old village chief up from the ground.

Afterward, he asked the old village chief about various matters concerning the village. Once he had satisfied his desire for conversation that day, he contentedly ordered the White Ape to escort the old man out of the Stone Castle.

Watching the old man leave in delight, Lin Yu raised his right hand and brushed it past his ear. The illusion of pointed ears immediately melted away like ice and snow.

This had been Flamme's suggestion.

After all, he was an ageless, immortal being who would live for countless years. If he intended to interact with humans, it was best to disguise himself as an elf to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"The villagers' problem is finally settled!"

Lin Yu stretched lazily, reclined backward, and took out the Holy Scripture to begin inscribing it.

In an instant, magical particles in the air began to gather.

The White Wolf lying behind the throne lit up at the sight. It hurriedly got up and trotted over to lie at Lin Yu's feet.

Lin Yu paid no attention to the stupid dog's fawning behavior and continued inscribing the Holy Scripture.

He had already inscribed the first thirteen pages once before, so he was well practiced. In only a week, Lin Yu caught up to the progress of the Holy Scripture he had given Flamme.

Thus, Lin Yu's time swiftly passed in studying magic and inscribing the Holy Scripture, while the newly established village outside the forest had little impact on his life—

No, it would be more accurate to say that those villagers simply did not dare disturb the master of the forest.

After all, the gatekeeper of the Stone Castle was the very terrifying Monster that had once forced them to flee their homes.

For these villagers, fear of Monsters had long been deeply etched into their minds.

Unless absolutely necessary, they were unwilling to have much to do with Lin Yu...

This peaceful coexistence lasted for half a year.

Until one day, a powerful Monster burst in from the northern forest, threatening the village that had only been settled for half a year.

When faced with this sudden crisis, the other villagers instinctively believed they should first pool their money and hire Adventurers.

Only the village chief disagreed. He had met Lin Yu and believed that this Forest Lord was quite kind, so they should seek his help.

In the end, the village chief overruled the others and brought two young, able-bodied villagers to meet Lin Yu.

Lin Yu did not say much. He sent the White Wolf Guangzhi and the White Ape Guangmou to help them deal with the Monster.

In just one day, the village chief and the villagers returned the two divine beasts with stunned expressions and utmost respect.

The powerful Monster that had ravaged the northern forest had been like a toy before Guangzhi and Guangmou, unable to stir up even the slightest trouble.

There was nothing strange about that. After all, they had remained by Lin Yu's side for a full half year.

Over the past half year, every time Lin Yu studied magic or inscribed the Holy Scripture, he drew in countless traces of free Magic Power from the atmosphere.

The excessively dense Magic Power had even condensed into mist around the Attic. Calling it a magical Blessed Land would not have been an exaggeration.

Thanks to this mist of Magic Power, the three Monsters' strength advanced by leaps and bounds, and each possessed dozens of times the magical reserves they had had half a year ago.

Moreover, the newly inscribed Holy Scripture contained a spell called [Bai Ze Myriad Beasts Chart], inspired by the legendary Bai Ze Chart, which recorded 11,520 different kinds of spirits and monsters.

Any Monster listed upon it could block malice, gain intelligence, and be regarded as having formed a contract with the Holy Scripture.

Without question, both Rolycoly and the two little ones of the Guang generation were among the listed Monsters. At any time and in any place, they could borrow Lin Yu's power from the Holy Scripture.

Before such cheat-enabled monsters, a mere wild Monster was naturally no match.

After this incident, the villagers' attitude toward Lin Yu, the Forest Lord, changed somewhat.

There was less simple fear and more reverence with a positive connotation.

Over the following ten years, that reverence grew ever deeper and gradually transformed into something else...

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