Wind by the Furnace

Although the elf's transformation from a cross-dressing boy into a young elven girl caused quite a stir, it was not so hard to accept in this strange world; the wonders wrought by all manner of bizarre magical items are things you can never truly predict.

The Miracle of Agatha: A female elven mage named Agatha once crafted a mask possessing magical powers. The wearer could disguise themselves as someone else, including their height, build, scent, and race. However, after this elf passed away, the miraculous mask vanished along with her. Later, some elven mages produced several "knock-off" versions. These magical items, which possessed relatively weaker disguise capabilities, were dubbed the Mask of Agatha. They could hide a person's gender and appearance, but could not alter their build or scent.

After this brief interlude, the caravan continued on its way the next morning. The elf had changed back into her male elven appearance. When she once again tried to harass Chen Jinyang in an ambiguous manner, the lecherous man—knowing full well he had gained the upper hand—continued to put on a look of pained disgust. In reality, he was already beaming with joy inside; this naive little elf was simply adorably simple-minded, and Chen Jinyang felt as if he were teasing a toddler.

The mercenaries and guards watched the two's comical antics with amused and envious eyes. The elven maiden, thinking her scheme was working, continued her "revenge" operation with great enthusiasm. Chen Jinyang, however, felt a bit embarrassed by the onlookers. His old face flushed, and he could no longer keep up the act. He returned a particularly wicked grimace to the naive young girl. The elven maiden was startled with a "Yah!" and, amidst the laughter of the others, stomped her feet and ran off. Finding it amusing, Mishaer chased after the elf, mimicking Chen Jinyang's grimace. The embarrassed and angry girl reached out to pinch the little girl's tender cheeks and kneaded them hard, the two cute little things chirping and bickering in a ball.

With the attention of the mischievous elven maiden diverted, a somewhat awkward Chen Jinyang finally breathed a sigh of relief. He wiped the non-existent "cold sweat" from his forehead and finally began to focus on his responsibilities as the leader of the caravan, keeping an eye on the surrounding environment and estimating potential accidents. Phinia had been assigned by Chen Jinyang early that morning to stay by the little girl's side as her personal bodyguard, though more often than not, the giantess was less of a qualified guard and more of a warrior charging into the fray.

The little elf, Xingye, finally stopped pestering the group with her ridiculous revenge games and turned her sights on Mishaer's helmet instead. However, she completely underestimated the little girl's skills and willpower. When the elf first caught the Horn of Kor off guard, snatching it from the fiery red curls and marveling at its unique material and subtle magic, the little one utilized the combat techniques taught to her by her brother. She wedged her small feet between the elf's legs—which didn't seem much stronger than her own—pushed hard against the back of the elf's knees, and stuck out her little bottom. The careless elven maiden immediately lost her balance and fell face-first into the dirt. The little girl happily retrieved the helmet that had been knocked from the elf's hand, hid behind the giantess, and then poked her helmet-clad head out, grinning as she continued to make faces at the elf, who was lying on the ground in a daze.

The humiliated elven maiden scrambled up from the ground, claws bared, and lunged toward Phinia. The little girl hurriedly said to the giantess, "Sister Phinia! Don't let this hateful elf get close!"

Phinia agreed upon hearing this and very willingly raised the Frost Giant Axe in her hand. She swung it, and the biting, cold, broad blade blocked the path of the charging elf. She said excitedly, "You cunning little thing! A cowardly creature who only knows how to hide in the distance and launch sneak attacks! You were the one who shot my leg! Don't come any closer! Otherwise, I wouldn't mind chopping your head off those scrawny shoulders of yours! Hmph!"

Out of fear for the Frost Giant race, the elven maiden really didn't dare to test the possibility of Phinia's words. Intimidated by the threat of the Frost Giant Axe, she backed away a few steps and bluffed, "Brainless brute! You savage! I'm not afraid of you! Hmph!" Then, she threatened the little girl hiding behind the giantess viciously, "Little brat! Hand over the helmet! Or I'll twist your little face off!"

The little girl was so scared she quickly covered her cheeks with both hands, but then realized the elf couldn't get near her. She waved her little fists and said indignantly, "I'm not afraid of you! Elf coward! Come and twist it! Come and twist it! Hehehe!" Mishaer pinched her own little cheeks to tease the elf.

"The little brat is the most hateful! I'm going to get angry! Are you giving it to me or not? Are you giving it to me?" The elven maiden, whose little nose was crooked with rage, stomped her feet and circled the giantess.

"Not giving it! Just not giving it!" The little girl simply climbed onto Phinia's back, ignoring the near-berserk elf entirely.

The elven maiden, unable to get close, felt stifled for a good while. She then took a few long breaths to calm her surging anger. She took several exquisite items out of her small satchel, forced a reluctant smile, and tempted the little girl, "Cute little Mishaer! Let me see your helmet, okay? Look! If you let me take a look, I'll give you all these pretty hair accessories!"

The little girl turned her head and "hmphed," pretending to be disdainful, but the occasional secret glances she stole completely betrayed her inner thoughts. The triumphant elven maiden took a few purple berries the size of a fist and some exquisite little snacks out of her small bag, held them in her hands, and shook them at the little girl, saying, "How about it? The sweetest purple berries from the High Forest! And special snacks from our Star-Moon Elf Tribe! Just let me take one look, and these are all yours!"

The little girl nodded her head vigorously, then shook it again, saying, "No! What if you lie to me? How about you let me have a taste first?"

Alos, standing nearby, covered his forehead with his hand, sweating profusely: Mishaer is learning bad habits! I shouldn't have used these tricks to tease her before! I wonder if William will blame me if he finds out?

The naive little elf agreed immediately, fearing the little girl might go back on her word.

"Sister Phinia! Help me take those things over!" Mishaer directed the giantess to reach out and take the elf's bait. Phinia took the items from the elf with one hand and held them out in front of the little girl. The little rascal grabbed a purple berry and stuffed it into the mouth of her partner, Phinia. The two of them, one after the other, soon finished off the delicacies "contributed" by the elf.

The elven maiden watched with a pained heart as Mishaer slowly nibbled on the last purple berry, and asked impatiently, "You've eaten everything! You should let me see the helmet now!"

"Do you really mean just one look?"

"I really mean just one look!"

"Alright! I'll let you see!" Saying this, the little girl took off the Horn of Kor, shook it at the elf a few times, then put it back on her head and continued munching on the fresh fruit in her hand.

Seeing Mishaer's strange actions, the elven maiden asked impatiently, "What are you doing? Give it to me quickly!"

"Didn't you say just one look? You've seen it now! Hehe! I keep my word, you know!" The little girl replied with a triumphant look on her face.

Finally realizing she had been played, the elf was so angry she was practically fuming, and tears were almost streaming down her face: "You hateful little brat! How dare you lie to me! I won't let you get away with this!"

"Haha! I learned all this from Alos! Oh my, are you going to cry? Here! I'll give the hair accessories back to you! Sister Phinia! Don't let her get close!"

Coercion and bribery! Racking her brains and using every method possible, the elven maiden still couldn't do anything to Mishaer, who was protected by Phinia. The two little enemies, one high and one low, were like two chicks fighting over a worm, glaring at each other with puffed-up cheeks, neither willing to give an inch, which caused the others to burst into hearty laughter.

Perhaps because the cheerful atmosphere infected the entire caravan, everyone forgot the fatigue of the journey. When they set up camp to rest, the distance they had covered was more than double that of the previous day. Along the way, no monsters or beasts came to disturb them. Everyone relaxed their vigilance and enjoyed a lighthearted and pleasant dinner, except for the fuming moon elf in disguise—Arafel Xingye, or perhaps she should be called Aelf Star-Night.

The high-spirited mercenaries gathered around the campfire and sang an ancient ballad widely circulated in the North:

When you shiver in the cold and the dark

Watching the fire, looking at the sparks—

Those are my eyes

Watching over you

When you walk into the howling cold wind

Listening to the wolf's howl in your ears

This is my song

Singing for you

When you are lost in the trackless snow

Looking up at the soaring eagle

There are my stars

Twinkling for you

In the deep, dark mines, or on the crumbling peaks

Listen to the words of love I speak

My thoughts

Are with you

You are not abandoned

You are not forgotten

The north wind cannot devour you

The snowstorm cannot bury you

I will come to find you

Faerun is warmer.

The gods will reveal a smile.

But! Oh! My lover! Protect yourself well--

This may take a very, very long time to appear.

Everyone was immersed in this ancient and soulful ballad, including Chen Jinyang, who did not understand the meaning of the lyrics. The desolate and sorrowful melody shook his soul; it was the final sustenance and hope bursting forth from humble mortals facing a world filled with pain and helplessness.

No one noticed that the sulking little elf had wandered far away from the caravan, finding herself alone in the dangerous wilderness. The little girl, who had been confronting the elves all day, had fallen sound asleep in Chen Jinyang's arms amidst the singing, and was subsequently carried into the tent and covered with a soft Winter Wolf pelt.

The stifled little elf kicked aimlessly at the clods of dirt on the ground, equally unaware that she had strayed far from the camp. When she could no longer see the ground beneath her feet, she suddenly looked up and discovered that the campfire in the direction of the camp was smaller and dimmer than a tiny candle.

The poor little girl was instantly surrounded by the terror of the darkness. With tears welling in her eyes, she shivered and slowly shuffled toward the direction of the camp, yet she constantly felt as if something was following behind her. After a few steps, the elf's heart was completely occupied by fear. She tried to flee back to the camp at top speed, but she could not move her stiff legs. Aelf heard a faint rustling sound from behind; she whipped her head around, and a pitch-black beastly figure stood not far behind her, its amber-green pupils glaring at the isolated elf.

"Ah--!" The elven girl let out a shriek, suddenly finding the strength to bolt toward the camp. She looked back from time to time while running, only to find those greenish eyes still trailing behind her, which caused her to scream even louder and run even faster.

When she was still a hundred meters from the camp, the exhausted elf finally tripped over tangled tree roots and fell to the ground. A figure draped entirely in a deep cloak came to her side, leaned down, and reached out a dark, blurred arm. The elven girl lifted her chin to look up, and a pair of deep purple flames were burning beneath the dim hood.

The little elf Xingye let out a shrill, miserable "Ya--!" before her head lolled to the side, and she fainted from fright.