Gryphon City 2

Elufiel immediately shook her head, the tips of her ears flushing a vivid red. "Of course not. That was an accident! An accident, okay? I only need to absorb magic from some magical items to ease my mana addiction. In Azeroth, we have the Sunwell. Here, you can make some enchanted items for me, or I'll have to draw the magic from my earrings."

The elf sounded somewhat flustered and annoyed, but what she said pleased Odovish. He soothed the increasingly restless elf, then casually took out an emerald and began crafting an enchanted item.

As magic flowed out, Elufiel grew increasingly hungry. She said to the mage, "Quick, say something. I think I need to distract myself."

"Then let me tell you about the Sanctuary and the Temple of the Stars." The mage handed the elf the wooden plaque carved with a six-pointed star, his deep, elegant voice recounting a world known to only a small number of people in Kanado.

The Sanctuary was an extremely special place in Kanado. No one knew its true location. It was a paradise for divine casters and the holy capital of believers in ancient times. As early as three hundred years ago, the Sanctuary had faded from public sight. Now, the Holy See tightly controlled all information concerning it.

The Temple of the Stars was where all divine casters of the Sanctuary registered. Divine casters who emerged from the Sanctuary relied on the Temple of the Stars to stay connected. Unlike the ostentatious and high-profile Holy See, temples and churches of the Temple of the Stars were usually extremely remote, some even hidden deep in desolate mountains. Moreover, the Temple of the Stars and the Holy See did not have a harmonious relationship.

"Because of the formidable nature of the Sanctuary's divine casters, the Holy See cannot completely suppress news of them. So they tell their own people that the Sanctuary is a sacred place for divine casters to cultivate themselves, where they can hear divine revelations and bathe in holy light. But in truth, every Temple of the Stars is watched by the Holy See. It is a war of faith between divine casters." As he spoke, the mage infused the last trace of magic into the emerald, making the entire gem gleam brilliantly. He swiftly erected a magical barrier and sealed all the magic inside the gem.

Elufiel forced herself to look away from the gem. "It sounds like the Holy See won this struggle. Doesn't the Sanctuary resist?"

"It would be more accurate to say they cannot resist. The Sanctuary has far fewer divine casters than the Holy See, and over these three hundred years, they have completely vanished from ordinary people's sight. I'm afraid there are fewer than a hundred divine casters left in the Sanctuary now." The mage handed the gem to the elf.

Elufiel held the gem in her arms. Its rich magical aura was intoxicating. Like a drunkard receiving fine wine or a gambler taking a seat at the table, she sank into it with obsession and fascination. Because of her unusual body, she did not need to worry about becoming a mindless Wretched. Yet this indulgent state still filled the elf with deep self-loathing.

The gem was clenched tightly in her palm, its hard edges digging painfully into her hand, but Elufiel seemed not to notice. "I clearly hate this mana addiction, yet I can never stop myself from reaching for it. I can't bear a life completely cut off from magic. I always think I won't become a Wretched, so I indulge myself again and again, falling into the abyss of pleasure. Really... why am I saying this...?"

There seemed to be a glimmer of tears in the elf's eyes. Odovish looked at her. He did not understand what a mana addiction attack felt like, yet he deeply understood her self-disgust. He knew such feelings could not be dispelled by another person's comfort. He himself had buried his past in endless captivity, but he did not want the elf to become like him, wrapping herself in coldness and hardness as she walked numbly through the world.

He flicked his ring, and a round, chubby wind elemental made its entrance in a swirling gust.

"I said I'd introduce you to him." Odovish summoned Yano. He had intended to make the wind spirit cheer the elf up, but unexpectedly, her attention was completely drawn to it. Poking its plump, condensed body, she exclaimed curiously, "Hey, hey, hey, it's soft!"

Odovish watched Elufiel enthusiastically tease Yano. It seemed the elf was much stronger than he had imagined.

The wind elemental had already been chubby, but Elufiel's poking and squeezing made it puff up angrily. It now looked even more like a green ball.

"So cute. What's his name?" Elufiel held the wind elemental ball in her arms and rubbed his shiny little head. No longer being squeezed out of shape, the wind elemental rolled his eyes from side to side, then with a puff, changed back into a little ghost with a trailing tail.

"His name is Yano." Odovish glanced at the wind spirit comfortably nestled in the elf's arms and suddenly found him rather irritating. Perhaps he need not have summoned Yano at all. Roasting a rabbit might have distracted the elf just as well.

"Yano. He sounds like such a well-behaved child." Elufiel said, "Sometimes I really envy mages and warlocks, because they can always bring around pets that look so impressive."

"Warlocks?" Odovish caught a word in Elufiel's speech that he had never heard before.

"Hm? Kanado doesn't have warlocks as a class? In Azeroth, warlocks are mages obsessed with studying the source of demonic power. They specialize in curses and destruction, can summon demonic servants, and draw dark energy from them." Elufiel explained.

"Warlocks..." Odovish repeated the term once more. Kanado did not classify warlocks as a profession, but some mages did indeed conduct such research, and fallen mages often emerged from among them.

"In your world, aren't people afraid of warlocks?" Odovish asked.

Elufiel looked up at the sky, her voice sweet and melodious. "Warlocks... they are indeed a profession that walks the edge. But when faced with demonic power, when most people can only face death, they see a glimmer of hope. They make contracts with demons, seeking to command rather than submit. They are greedy spellcasters who crave power above all else, but when we fight beside them, warlocks become mad yet steadfast comrades. Their demonic servants clear away everything before them, while burning flames and tormenting curses fill their enemies with fear."