"I'm a friend of Grandmaster Fenoya! I was invited to Silvermoon Fairy Capital!"
Chen Rui did not want to repeat the misunderstanding with the hill dwarves, and he was eager to learn what had happened to Stone Fist Village. He immediately raised the green-leaf map high and shouted, "This is the green-leaf map he gave me!"
Fenoya had said that the green-leaf map could not only point the way, but also served as proof of identity. So long as he reached an official elven settlement—such as Purple Orchid Port, where Chen Rui had gone with Socrates, the vice principal of Starlight Academy—he could present the map and receive the elves' highest hospitality, then be led to Silvermoon Fairy Capital.
However, Chen Rui's plans had changed along the way this time. Rather than going directly to an elven settlement, he had circled into the forest sea from another direction.
The whistling arrows abruptly ceased. After what seemed to be some form of communication, the treants slowly withdrew their roots as well. Yet the elves' bows remained trained on the pair from within the forest, and no one stepped forward.
Chen Rui gestured for Lola to land, then stood where he was and waited patiently. Before long, a familiar voice rang out in the distance.
"Old friend, is that you?" The voice was unmistakably Fenoya's.
"Of course!" Chen Rui was both startled and delighted. "Lord Fenoya, is this how you welcome your old friend Chen Rui?"
The name Chen Rui was utterly unfamiliar in the human world; only a few close friends knew its true meaning, and Fenoya was one of them. There could be no further doubt. He quickly emerged from the woods and appeared before Chen Rui.
"You finally came, my friend." The elven grandmaster stepped forward and embraced Chen