Ordos

The village chief of Moonshadow Village was a woman named Suvia Night-Song, who looked to be in her forties.

Kalei went to the village chief's house and explained why he had come.

Suvia smiled. "Kalei, this place is called Green Pine Valley. Why are you asking about it?"

Before he understood what was going on, Kalei naturally couldn't tell her the details. He made up an excuse and said, "Lox and I went out to play today, and we passed by the valley. I felt like there was someone inside, so I went in and looked around. I only saw a few houses and didn't see anyone. I got scared and ran back out, so I wanted to ask what's going on in there."

Suvia smiled. "It's nothing, really. Someone lives there."

Kalei's eyes widened. He hurriedly asked, "Who?"

Suvia hesitated for a moment, but then answered, "His name should be Ordos Stardew."

Ordos Stardew? Kalei knew there were plenty of people in the village with the surname Stardew, but he had never heard of anyone named Ordos.

Curious, he asked, "Why does he live in that valley? Why doesn't he live in the village with everyone else?"

Suvia sighed. "That's a long story. Do you know about the War of the Shifting Sands?"

Kalei nodded. "I've heard lots of people talk about it. It was a brutal war between us Night Elves and the Qiraji Insectoids."

"That's right. Anyway, about nine hundred or a thousand years ago, many of our Night Elf warriors died in the War of the Shifting Sands. Ordos's parents were among them.

"Ordos was young at the time, and his parents' deaths hit him hard. On top of that, he went through all sorts of hardships afterward, and became very withdrawn. He didn't want to talk to anyone."

"Later, about three hundred years ago, he was forced to leave the village and moved to that valley on his own. The houses there had been built by his parents while they were alive. He's lived there ever since and hasn't come out again."

Kalei asked, "Is that all?"

Suvia nodded. "Yes, that's all. Is something wrong?"

Kalei shook his head slightly, then spoke.

Suvia smiled. "You little rascal, don't tell me you think it's strange that he's lived in there all this time? There's nothing strange about it. We Night Elves are different from other races. Many of us live in seclusion in the forests and mountains. You might not understand now, but in a few hundred years, you will. So if you don't have a reason to, it's best not to disturb him."

Kalei understood that she meant the Night Elves who had lived too long and endured too many emotional upheavals, and had become reclusive. Those weren't the people he was worried about. He was concerned that Ordos might be hiding in plain sight, just like Sain of Bristlelimb Village, while secretly siding with demons.

But Kalei couldn't explain all that to the old village chief just then, so he said nothing more.

By the time Kalei left the village chief's house, the eastern sky was already growing pale. He followed the familiar path home, his steps heavy as he turned over everything that had happened that day in his mind.

When he got home, his mother had already made breakfast and was waiting for him.

"Kalei, why are you back so late? Come sit down and eat. I made pine nut bread tonight, along with your favorite wild boar sausages."

Kalei sat across from his mother, distracted, still thinking about what had happened. The delicious food in his mouth tasted like sawdust.

Velina noticed something was wrong and asked, "Kalei, what's the matter? Is something on your mind?"

Kalei froze for a moment, then quickly pulled himself together and lied. "It's nothing, Mother. I just haven't heard anything from Maestra, and I'm a little worried."

Velina smiled. "So that's what you're worried about. You need to be more patient, dear. Don't always be in such a hurry."

"Do you know why your cooking is always missing something? It's because you lack patience. You get too impatient and can't control the heat."

"Cooking is just like everything else. You have to take your time. Once it's ready, the flavor will come together."

Kalei knew that he really could be too impatient sometimes. Whenever something happened, he wanted to figure it out immediately, which could end up having the opposite effect.

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and nodded with a smile. "I understand, Mother. I'll wait patiently."

"That's more like it." Velina nodded in satisfaction and pushed a golden-brown wild boar sausage toward him. "Hurry up and eat. If you wait any longer, the food will get cold and won't taste as good."

"Mm!" Kalei picked up the sausage and took a big bite. Its crispy casing cracked, and the juices spread through his mouth. At last, the familiar taste returned to his tongue. As he ate, he smiled at his mother and said, "This roasted boar sausage is delicious—crispy and savory. Would you like one, Mother?"

"No. You know I rarely eat meat." Velina smiled and shook her head, then picked up a piece of pine nut bread and began eating slowly.

The delicious dinner ended amid laughter and conversation.

After Velina had tidied everything away, she went to her room to rest as usual. Kalei returned to his own room, sat on his bed, and meditated as he waited for daylight.

What he had discovered that night made him desperate to find out what was really going on with Ordos, the man living in the valley. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to sleep.

When the first ray of morning light came through the window, Kalei opened his eyes and got out of bed.

He changed into a light green fitted leather outfit and strapped a sharp dagger to his waist. Then, holding the Crescent Staff, he climbed quietly onto the windowsill and waved the staff, casting Slow Fall on himself. He drifted down from the window like a feather.

Standing beneath the window, he glanced around and made sure there was no one—or any panther—nearby. Only then did he set off without worry.

Listening to the sound of the river and the birdsong, he hurried to the Purple Sand River. He didn't see a single person along the way.

The sun climbed higher in the sky, and bright light filtered through the layers of leaves, illuminating the world before Kalei.

Night Elves usually didn't like being out in the sun. For one thing, they weren't used to it; for another, staying in the sunlight too long made them tired.

Kalei was different, though. He had known since he was little that the battlefield of the future wouldn't be limited to nighttime. So from a young age, he had often forced himself to go out during the day and get used to the sun.

At first, he really did feel dizzy and weak. But as time passed, his body gradually adapted to the sunlight. Now, he could spend an entire day in the sun without feeling uncomfortable.

Still, to be cautious, Kalei did his best to stay in the shadows of the trees, in case someone spotted him.

Fortunately, the Night Elves lived among tall trees, and there were shadows everywhere.

Using the shadows, Kalei leaped along the upper reaches of the Purple Sand River and soon arrived outside Green Pine Valley.

He stopped at the entrance to the valley and used natural energy to sense the surroundings. Once he was sure no one was nearby, he cautiously followed the river into the valley.

The air inside the valley was colder than outside, and even the birdsong had grown scarce. Only the gentle flow of the river stood out in the silence.

After walking through the valley for five or six minutes, he reached the far end. The riverbed beneath his feet gradually narrowed, and a vast pine forest lay ahead.

The pines in this forest were nothing like ordinary pines. Each was so thick that two or three people would have to join hands to encircle it. Their trunks were straight and sturdy, their bark patterned like dark brown scales, and their crowns stretched dozens of meters into the air like enormous umbrellas, their dense branches and leaves blocking almost all the sunlight.

At a glance, the towering pines looked like countless iron spears thrust into the earth, stubbornly stabbing toward the sky. They gave off a solemn, ancient feeling.

Through the gaps between the trees, a few wooden houses could just barely be seen, hidden behind the pines. Thick pine needles covered their roofs, and dark green vines crawled across their walls. The houses blended almost perfectly into the surroundings; without a close look, they were hard to spot.

When Kalei saw the houses, he knew he had reached his destination. He quietly raised his guard.

He still didn't know the truth about Ordos, but he had a strong feeling that something was wrong with him!

Ordos was hiding here, and there was probably more to him than met the eye. He might have sided with the demons, just like Sain of Bristlelimb Village. He might even be the Satyr who had been hiding in their village all along—the Satyr leader Kalei had encountered in Bearclaw Valley.

Kalei had no choice but to be careful and make every possible preparation.