Bearclaw Valley

Kalei followed Arenia's instructions and hurried to the home of the village elder, Bebo.

Pushing open the door, the aroma of food rushed to meet him—the old elder had long since had roasted meat, golden and crisp, prepared, along with bowls of soft, glutinous wild fruit porridge and plates of pickled wild vegetables; everything was food meant for rapid stamina recovery.

Kalei had been hungry for the better part of the day, so he didn't stand on ceremony, sitting down to wolf down the meal until his stomach was rounded and full before finally setting down his bowl and chopsticks with satisfaction.

Kalei had enjoyed a wonderful meal, and before leaving, he asked the elder for some extra food and Moonwell water, which he strapped onto Big Black's back.

Big Black was very reluctant to have its load increased again, but there was no helping it; who told it to follow such a bad master?

Kalei had no choice either; the real world was not like a game where one could have a magical backpack, a space-defying artifact. In the real world, such an item was far more precious than the Crescent Staff in his hand. With the financial means of a rural farmer like Kalei, how could he ever afford one? He could only let Big Black suffer a little more.

After securing the supplies on Big Black, Kalei rode the mount to the village entrance, where he found that Arenia had already arrived with Linda and the others, waiting for him atop their own mounts.

Arenia remained her usual taciturn self; seeing him arrive, she merely nodded slightly before waving her hand to signal their departure. Linda and the other three immediately spread out with practiced coordination, shielding Kalei in the center of the formation.

The group of six, accompanied by the villagers' blessings, passed through the valley entrance where they had fought a bitter battle the day before and entered the forest of towering ancient trees.

Tonight's sky was veiled by dark clouds, making the moonlight in the forest appear exceptionally dim, barely enough to illuminate the path a few meters ahead.

Fortunately, the Night Elf were indeed the favorites of the Moon Goddess; even in places where the moonlight could not reach, a faint, soft glow always appeared before them, preventing them from having to grope their way forward in the darkness.

The party marched forward in silence for four or five kilometers until a series of owl hoots suddenly echoed from the dense forest ahead.

In Ashenvale, magical creatures like owls were a common sight, so Kalei paid no mind to it.

But upon hearing the sound, Arenia immediately patted her mount, bringing the group to a halt.

Following that, the owl in the dense forest hooted twice more.

Arenia kept a vigilant watch on the path ahead while signaling behind her.

Sera, who was following closely behind her, understood the gesture, cleared her throat, and mimicked the owl's call twice.

Only then did Kalei realize that the sound ahead might not be an owl at all, but someone using the call as a signal.

Sera used the owl calls to exchange a few words with the forest, then said to Arenia, "It should be Jinli Darkriver ahead."

No sooner had she finished speaking than a silver-white figure darted out from the darkness in the distance, moving as fast as lightning. As the figure drew closer, everyone could see it was a silver-furred Saber, carrying a tall, robust woman on its back—it was none other than Jinli Darkriver.

Kalei noticed that, unlike her appearance in the village yesterday, Jinli had shed her usual linen robes, replacing them with a set of black, form-fitting leather armor, wrapped in a light green cloak designed for Prowl. Her hood obscured most of her face, leaving only a sharp, clean jawline visible, making her look both like a dashing ranger and someone shrouded in mystery.

Kalei took a moment to scout her strength and found that she was indeed formidable; beyond being a Hero-class ranger, she was also a level 41 Rogue.

Jinli stopped her Saber in front of the group and pulled back her hood, revealing a rare, pale-yellow hair, and smiled. "Good night, everyone."

The group returned the greeting in unison: "Good night, Jinli."

Jinli said, "Tell me, what is our plan moving forward?"

Arenia turned her head and said, "Kalei, you explain it."

Ugh... why is it me again? Kalei grumbled inwardly—why did this group of "veterans" love to slack off? But he had no choice; who told him to be the only one in the squad who knew the full sequence of events from start to finish?

Seeing his awkward expression, Jinli couldn't help but laugh. "Then I'll trouble little Kalei to tell me about it."

Kalei is Kalei, can you not add the 'little' part?

Kalei really wanted to argue this point to avoid being perpetually relegated to a lower seniority, but there was no way around it; as a member of the new generation of Night Elf, he truly lacked the standing to argue with these old hands.

Kalei could only honestly recount everything that had happened in the village, including the conspiracy of Sain, the pollution of the Moonwell, and the group's plan to go to Bearclaw Valley to purify the Corrupted Magic Tree.

Jinli listened carefully and smiled. "That's a coincidence; I just came from Bearclaw Valley."

Arenia's eyes, hidden behind her helmet, brightened. "Oh? You had results tracking that priest?"

Jinli nodded. "You guessed right. I originally intended to kill him, but later I spared his life, hoping to follow him to their lair."

"I didn't expect this guy to be so cunning. He deliberately led me in circles through the forest and secretly commanded Furbolg to ambush me; I almost fell for his trap."

"Later, I decided to play along, pretending to be wounded by the Furbolg and fleeing, only to double back and track them, which is how I discovered they were active in Bearclaw Valley."

Arenia asked, "Have you scouted Bearclaw Valley?"

Jinli replied, "I went in for a look. There are many Furbolg inside, and the defenses are tight; it's hard for one person to accomplish much alone."

Arenia pondered for a moment and asked, "Did you see any Satyr inside?"

Jinli shook her head. "I didn't see any Satyr; perhaps they are hiding elsewhere."

Arenia sighed. "It seems our mission this time won't be so easy."

"How about this, sister: you lead the way, and we will find a place to lie in wait near Bearclaw Valley, then search carefully for that Corrupted Magic Tree."

Jinli said, "Very well, follow me."

The group set off again under Jinli's guidance.

The distance from where they met Jinli to Bearclaw Valley was about five or six kilometers. If they had ridden at full speed, they would have arrived in ten minutes, but to conceal their tracks, the group spent a full 30 minutes traveling through the mountain forest before reaching their destination.

Bearclaw Valley was backed by towering mountains, with cliffs over a hundred meters high on both sides. The cliff faces were as steep as if carved by a blade; it was hard to imagine what immense strength the ancient Wild God Ursoc had used to carve such a valley out of the mountain.

Kalei and the others were in no mood to admire Ursoc's might. Taking cover behind trees in the distance, they quietly observed the valley and found that there had indeed been traces of artificial construction outside, though these marks had long since been swallowed by flowers and grass with the passage of time.

At this moment, Bearclaw Valley, having only recently recovered from the corruption of fel energy, was now being eroded by shadow power, presenting a scene of decay everywhere.

Within a kilometer of the valley, there were no tall trees, only some hardy shrubs and wild grasses. The interior of the valley was even more barren, with only a few Furbolg moving about; there was nothing else to be seen.

Fearing exposure, the group did not dare to get too close to the valley, and after watching from the edge of the forest for a while, they retreated back into the woods.

The group found a secluded spot to discuss their next move.

Arenia looked at those present and asked, "What are your thoughts?"

Linda said, "There are only seven of us in total. A frontal assault is impossible. We must first locate the Magic Tree and scout the situation around it before taking action."

Felicia said, "How are we supposed to find the Magic Tree under these circumstances? I took a look just now; there are quite a few Furbolgs in the valley, including many Furbolg Champion, not to mention that cunning Furbolg Priest. Going in there to find the Magic Tree is no different from seeking death."

Arenia frowned and looked at Kalei, asking, "Can you use your Druid powers to sense the location of the Magic Tree?"

Kalei shook his head and said, "I cannot. Much of the natural energy here has been corrupted by shadow energy; it is very difficult to get them to help."

Jinli raised her hand and said, "I could use stealth to get in. Those Furbolgs have limited perception and shouldn't be able to detect me. However, if there are indeed Satyr present as you say, it would be hard to say."

"I have no problem dealing with one or two high-level Satyr on my own, but if I have to face the Satyr and the numerous Furbolgs together, that would be beyond my capabilities—unless you can attract the attention of those Furbolgs from the outside."

Arenia pondered for a moment and said, "That is certainly a viable plan, but it is still too dangerous."

The group racked their brains, but for a moment, no one could come up with a safe and reliable method.

After a while, Kalei's eyes suddenly lit up. He looked up and smiled, "I think we are overcomplicating this."

"I observed earlier that entering from the front of the valley is indeed difficult, but we don't necessarily have to use the main entrance! Bearclaw Valley is backed by a mountain and flanked by cliffs. We can follow the cliff face to circle around to the back of the valley, climb up to the cliffs to observe the situation inside, and then descend once the Furbolgs are changing shifts or have let their guard down. Wouldn't that allow us to bypass the defenses at the valley entrance?"

The ladies looked at each other, surprised as they gazed at Kalei. They hadn't expected that, despite his youth, he possessed such keen observation skills and a sharp mind.

Jinli nodded with a smile, "Hmm, little Kalei, that's a good idea. Arenia, what do you think?"

Arenia said, "If the Furbolgs haven't set up defenses at the back of the valley, this is indeed a feasible method."

Luna said, "Since that's the case, let's not hesitate any longer. If we delay any further, I fear the Moonwell won't hold out."

Arenia pondered for a moment and said, "Since no one has any objections, let's proceed with Kalei's plan. Jinli, you go ahead and scout the path first. We will follow behind you at a distance, ready to provide immediate support should any accidents occur."

"No problem!" Jinli responded, leaping onto her panther. With a flash, her figure vanished into the night.

Arenia glanced at the group: "Get ready, everyone. Move out!"

The group nodded, adjusted their gear, and followed in Jinli's wake, creeping toward the cliffs at the rear of Bearclaw Valley.