Life Gem

Kalei felt a surge of joy, but in its wake, the exhaustion from continuous spellcasting came crashing down. He only wanted to find a quiet place to rest; he could no longer bear to stay in this oppressive stone cave.

Clutching his Crescent Staff, he walked out of the stone chamber with unsteady steps.

Arenia and Jinli, who had been guarding the entrance, immediately stepped forward, their faces wreathed in relieved smiles. Jinli was the first to tease, "Kalei, you little one have given us another surprise! Tell us, how exactly did you heal him?"

Arenia also wore a rare, soft expression as she nodded in praise, "Well done. Very brave."

Kalei gave them a brief account of his healing process.

Jinli sighed, "So that's how it was. You possess both wisdom and courage; it is hard to believe this is the performance of someone your age."

Kalei grinned, momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Arenia, however, offered a rare note of reproach, "It was somewhat reckless. Do not do that again next time."

Kalei had not expected such a stern and serious sentinel officer as Arenia to speak words of concern. His heart warmed, and he nodded, "Understood. I will be careful next time."

To avoid disturbing Ugo's rest, the three of them led Linda and the others outside the cave, finding a flat patch of grass to wait.

Before long, Ulu ran out excitedly to share the news of Ugo's recovery with the other Furbolg. A chorus of "Awoo" cheers erupted throughout the valley.

Ulu specifically arranged for a few fluffy young Furbolg to bring over baskets of fresh wild fruit and clay pots of honey to entertain Kalei and his companions.

These wild fruits were tart, sweet, and juicy, and the honey carried the fragrant scent of the forest. They were considered top-tier delicacies in the wild, though to Night Elf like Kalei and his group, they were merely average.

However, as guests, they could not refuse the host's kindness and ate a little.

Kalei set down his staff and picked up a plump, round peach. As he took a bite, the sweet juice spread through his mouth. Suddenly, he heard Jinli ask, "What is this?"

Kalei followed her gaze and saw a bright red, gem-like object that had fallen from his staff.

Only then did Kalei remember that the angry life force he had extracted from Ugo using the staff had not dissipated, but had automatically condensed into a red Life Gem.

Kalei picked up the gem, and a line of information immediately appeared on his panel: "You have discovered a Life Gem."

Name: Life Gem Quality: Epic Description: A gem condensed from life force, containing potent life energy and the wrathful will of Ursoc.

Kalei was shocked; it was actually an Epic-grade item.

He sensed it quietly and could clearly feel a significant amount of life force within the gem. Absorbing it would certainly be of great benefit to his body, but because this life force carried the wrathful will of Ursoc, it would be troublesome to use.

He tossed the gem in his hand and smiled, "This is a Life Gem I condensed from the life force I extracted from Ugo earlier. Tell me, should I return it to him?"

Jinli scanned the surroundings, and seeing no other Furbolg nearby, she waved her hand, "Silly child, this is a rare treasure. If handled correctly, it will benefit your cultivation. Don't let it go to waste; keep it for yourself."

Arenia and the other four nodded in agreement.

Although the Night Elf were a wealthy race, they would not turn a blind eye to benefits placed right before them.

Seeing them all say so, Kalei kept the gem with a clear conscience, considering it his consultation fee for treating Ugo.

Just as Kalei put the gem away, light footsteps approached from the distance. Uerga came bouncing over, followed by a strangely dressed female Furbolg.

After some conversation, the group learned that this female Furbolg was Uerga's mother, Morissa.

Morissa and Uerga expressed their special gratitude to Kalei and invited him to their home as a guest.

Kalei couldn't imagine what he would do at a Furbolg's home, and since they had other matters to attend to, he had to decline their kindness.

Morissa did not insist, and after playing with Uerga for a while, she left.

Once everyone was full, they fed the Saber and the Stag, then sat down to meditate and recover their mana and stamina.

Not long after, heavy footsteps echoed from nearby.

The group turned their heads to see a massive Furbolg, four or five meters tall, walking toward them with heavy strides—it was the recovered Ugo!

He was now much larger than before, with knotted muscles, glossy fur, and eyes that shone with vigor. His entire body radiated an imposing aura.

The group was secretly astonished. Among the seven of them, even the most experienced Jinli had never seen such a large Furbolg in the Timbermaw Tribe, one of the largest Furbolg tribes. He was practically a King of the Furbolg.

Kalei had not expected that Ugo could grow to such a size just by relying on the trace of Ursoc's power in his bloodline; it was hard to imagine just how powerful Ursoc truly was.

He re-scanned the target's strength and discovered that this fellow had broken through the level 60 limit and advanced to a Champion.

Ugo was clearly very satisfied with his current state. He strode over, stopped before the group, and performed a bow that was, by Furbolg standards, quite elegant. In a voice like rolling thunder, he said, "Friends of the Night Elf, you have won the friendship of the Bristlelimb Tribe. Especially you, Kalei—you saved me, and you shall be my friend for life."

Kalei quickly returned the gesture, "My honor, Chieftain."

Ulu, who followed behind him, stepped forward and said, "And I as well, Kalei. If you agree, I am willing to fight for you for the rest of my life."

Kalei waved his hand, "There is no need for that, Ulu. Chieftain Ugo, you should understand the purpose of our visit. Time is running out, so please make your decision as soon as possible."

This time, Ugo's attitude was much better than before.

He did not hesitate, patting his chest as he said, "A decision, yes, I have already made my decision."

"I will lead my Champion to join you in this battle, but we need to discuss a new plan."

Kalei asked patiently, "Chieftain Ugo, do you have a good suggestion?"

Ugo sat down on the ground, pulled out a piece of animal hide from somewhere, and spread it before them. He pointed a long claw at the hide and said, "This is a map of the area around Bearclaw Valley collected by our ancestors. Your plan is feasible, but the enemies you face are too numerous; it is too dangerous."

The group leaned in and saw a rough topographical map of the area around Bearclaw Valley drawn on the smooth hide.

The group watched for a while, but could make nothing of it.

Jinli asked, "Chieftain, you know our goal. Do you know the location of the corrupted magic tree?"

Ugo said, "Of course I know. The magic tree is neither on the mountain nor in the valley, but underground, at this location."

The group followed his pointing finger and discovered that the magic tree's location was almost in the center of the map—meaning it was beneath this massive mountain—and their expressions couldn't help but shift slightly.

Ugo continued, "According to your plan, entering from the valley would lead you to this spot. However, the path is riddled with tunnels and forks dug by our ancestors, and every fork is guarded by corrupted Furbolg. I do not believe our current strength is enough to handle that."

Arenia studied the map for a long moment before saying, "Since the Chieftain disagrees with our plan, where do you suggest we enter from?"

Ugo grinned, extending a long claw to point at a spot on the map.

The group took a look and realized this place was behind the mountain, almost on the opposite side of Bearclaw Valley.

Kalei exclaimed in surprise, "This place is so far from the valley entrance; can we really get in from there?"

Ugo nodded. "This is a secret, a secret known only to the chieftains of each generation. I cannot tell you the specifics. In short, there is a secret passage here that leads directly to the valley entrance. We can enter from here, walk to this point, and then turn north to the location of the magic tree, catching the enemy off guard."

The group was astonished; if such a secret passage truly existed, their chances of success had just increased significantly.

Jinli couldn't help but say, "Since you have a secret passage, why didn't you say so earlier?"

Ugo and Ulu exchanged a glance, smiled, and remained silent.

Nonsense. If they had said so earlier, who would have healed Ugo?

Thus, one should not assume these Furbolg are stupid just because they look round-headed and honest; in reality, they are quite cunning.

However, Kalei and the others did not want to dwell on this issue for now. At the very least, they now knew of this secret passage, and with the help of the Bristlelimb Tribe Furbolg, their mission to purify the magic tree had a much greater chance of success.