Chapter 7

"Has my brother passed away?"

"Yes. His Majesty Lei Ming passed away eleven years ago," Duoduo answered.

The woman's feet touched the ground, and the Atmospheric Spirit slowly faded away.

"That makes sense. I've been away from the empire for nearly twenty years now." Her tone was somewhat wistful.

"Eldest Princess, you truly know how to preserve your youth. Decades have passed, yet you remain as young and beautiful as ever," Duoduo praised.

The middle-aged woman before Lin Hanxuan was the royal princess who had left without saying goodbye in Dead City and had been separated from Fields for twenty years. She was also the Thunder Eagle Empire's only Grand Summoner: Lei Xiaoqing.

The woman lost herself in thought for a while. Her gaze moved from Duoduo to Lin Hanxuan, then to Kubaka and Modo, before finally settling on Hal.

"Hm? You aren't a pure-blooded member of the Elf Race, are you? Have you met the Elf King?" Lei Xiaoqing asked Hal.

Duoduo sharply sucked in a breath. He had assumed the friend Lin Hanxuan mentioned was the Goblin King. He had never expected the one in the Rotting Swamp Forest to be the Elf King.

Hearing Duoduo's intense reaction, Lei Xiaoqing thought it would be better not to let him learn too much about these matters. She immediately decided to send him away.

"Duoduo," Lei Xiaoqing said. "Thank you for protecting Lin Hanxuan and the others tonight. I'll handle what comes next. You've worked hard all night too, so why don't you go back and rest first?"

Though Duoduo very much wanted to stay, the princess had given her orders, so he could only obediently comply.

"Yes, then I shall return to the academy first. Please rest assured, Your Highness. I know what should and should not be said," Duoduo said.

Lei Xiaoqing nodded and gave a soft hum. "These matters are something everyone will have to face together sooner or later. It simply isn't time to make them public yet. Before long, you may come to know as well."

"Yes, I shall take my leave." Duoduo bowed once more and turned to leave.

"Teacher," Lin Hanxuan said, "thank you for helping tonight."

Duoduo returned his smile, walked out of the forest, mounted the Two-Headed Giant Bird, and flew away.

After Duoduo left, Alef put her hands on her hips and asked Lin Hanxuan, "Hey, Lin Hanxuan, where did Fields run off to? Why couldn't we find him in Dead City?"

"Grandfather went to the imperial capital for a meeting. It's been so many days already—has he still not returned home?" Lin Hanxuan asked.

"Home?" Alef raised a brow. "This is the first time I've seen a tree planted inside a human house. Are you planning to live like the Elf Race?"

"Uh..." Cold sweat poured down Lin Hanxuan's back. He had nearly torn Grandfather's home apart, yet Grandmother had chosen this very moment to suddenly return. This would be hard to explain.

"Alef, don't worry about that for now," Lei Xiaoqing said. "Go help Sihaier and make things easier for her."

"Okay." Alef lightly floated across the Star-Language Flower Grove and headed toward where the Elf King was trapped.

"The Elf King... she's all right, isn't she?" Lin Hanxuan asked worriedly.

"She's fine." Lei Xiaoqing smiled, cupped Lin Hanxuan's face in both hands, and stared directly at him. Lin Hanxuan grew quite embarrassed under her gaze.

"You're very good." Lei Xiaoqing suddenly said this without any warning. Lin Hanxuan scratched his head, not knowing what Grandmother meant.

"Sihaier rarely trusts a human this much. I heard from her that you've even gained the World Tree's recognition."

"Grandma Lei," Lin Hanxuan asked, "do you know who invaded the Rotting Swamp this time?"

"Oh." Lei Xiaoqing stroked the fan in her hand and said nonchalantly, "They used Transformation Potion to disguise themselves as Orcs, intending to set an ambush in the Rotting Swamp, but Sihaier saw through them. I'd guess it was the Radiant Knights' doing."

"The Radiant Knights!" Lin Hanxuan's heart immediately tightened, and Hal swallowed hard as well.

More than a month had passed since the Elf King's plea for aid. Saguli Academy's new students had finished their basic training and were assigned to classes suited to their aptitudes to study different types of magic. Hal had been assigned to the Flame Flash Shell Class—a class named after a shellfish magical beast that lived on the seabed, renowned for its unique flaming tentacles and exceptional underwater mobility. The academy had originally intended to name the class primarily devoted to fire magic after the Flame Tyrant, but the empire refused. After much deliberation, Vice Principal Luo Lun Hobbs finally chose this magical beast, which was extremely rare on the Saint Rune Continent, as its symbol.

As for Lin Hanxuan, he had been assigned to the Four-Winged Light Tiger Class, becoming Chadman and Nora's classmate. Chadman's attitude toward Lin Hanxuan had not changed much. He neither bullied him nor treated him particularly well. Nora, like the other female students, would rather die than say a word to Lin Hanxuan. With everyone in class keeping their distance from him, Lin Hanxuan was more than happy to enjoy his freedom alone. Whenever he had time, he hid in his dormitory and devoted himself wholly to the Balance Summoning Technique.

Yi Junze, the Yi Family's second young master, still came to see Lin Hanxuan every few days. Sometimes he taught him a few support spells, and other times he simply came to chat. Gradually, the two became close friends who could talk about anything.

Over the past month, Lin Hanxuan practiced using his spiritual power to sense energy every night, refusing to rest until he had exhausted himself completely. Besides strengthening his mastery of the Fire Stone Technique, Hal also worked hard at making Rotting Water Bombs.

Lei Xiaoqing had taught him how to make Rotting Water Bombs. The principle was similar to the magical fireworks Fields made, except that what appeared after the explosion was not brilliant fireworks, but the stench of the Rotting Swamp.