A Delicate Little Kidney

Although Li Ziran felt his abilities were limited and that he could never personally run into the Elven Tide to catch a High Wind Elf, he still wanted to do his small part for Nicole.

But he understood the laws of survival well.

After the Elven Tide came an inevitable frenzy to divide the spoils.

The Elves were powerful, but the Wasteland had its own laws of survival. When two forces collided, there were bound to be sacrifices.

In the future, Elves would surely flood the slave markets in terrifying numbers, and among those slaves, there would certainly be High Elves of exceptional quality.

Li Ziran had several friends in the slave trade. He figured he could secure a few slots.

The price to pay was nothing more than gold coins, and that was what Nicole lacked least.

Nicole gave Li Ziran a strange look, quietly edged closer, and smiled. "I knew you had the kindest heart. But after two years apart, your sights have gotten so low!"

"What?" Li Ziran did not understand. Surely this girl was not mocking him.

"An Ancient Wind Elf!" Nicole spoke very softly, her eyes darting about as though afraid someone might overhear. "How could you think I'm only worthy of a High Elf? That's way too low-class."

Li Ziran did not understand. If he had heard correctly, Nicole currently had an Ancient Wind Elf in her possession.

Within the Elven hierarchy, Ancient Elves possessed the purest bloodlines, known as the bloodlines of gods.

Of course, it was not that they worshipped gods. Rather, in their eyes, such bloodlines seemed as though they had been created by gods themselves, flawlessly matched with the elements.

That degree of compatibility allowed Ancient Elves to nurture the most extreme magical organs.

The Archmages of the Elven race today basically all possessed some Ancient Elf bloodline. The most renowned Neon-titled Archmage, Jon, was the one with the purest Ancient bloodline alive.

His magical organs could refine seventeen kinds of elements from the Elemental Tide, then use his organs to stack and recombine them into a unique Neon Element.

It was said that this spell could completely transform a living being's flesh-and-blood body into a pure form of luminous neon.

Precisely because Ancient bloodlines were so special, the Elves protected them with extraordinary severity. To this day, there had been no news of Ancient bloodlines leaking out.

Even Upper Elves were pitifully rare in the vast tropical rainforest, let alone Ancient Elves.

"Don't tell me you captured Jon!" Li Ziran asked with a strange smile. This girl always loved making jokes at the worst possible times.

Nicole shook her head, not the slightest trace of humor on her face. "Not Jon. Jon's wife."

Wife?

Jon had a wife?

At any rate, Li Ziran did not know. He had never paid attention to such gossip. The only reason he knew Jon at all was because of the man's peerless magical ability.

"You're not joking?"

Nicole gently pulled open the leather skirt across her chest and leaned closer to Li Ziran.

This time, Li Ziran did not avoid her. Looking down through her collar, he saw an emerald-green leaf resting against her rounded chest. The leaf glowed with a jade milky radiance and exuded a sweet, cloying aura of life.

Li Ziran merely took a light sniff, yet he felt as though he had slept for an entire day, refreshed beyond measure.

A Life Tree Leaf, from the Life Ancient Tree at the heart of Despair Forest.

Legend had it that once the Dream Ancient Tree's growth rings reached five hundred circles, it could be called a Life Ancient Tree. The leaves of such ancient trees could refine elements and transform them into rare life force.

Life Tree Leaves were the finest preservers for organs. One small leaf could preserve a dragon's heart for a hundred years without decay.

Li Ziran had once thought of getting a few himself, but unfortunately, the exorbitant price of three gold coins per leaf was enough to frighten off every living creature.

Anything preserved with a Life Tree Leaf was absolutely no ordinary thing.

Could it really be an Ancient Elf? That would be too absurd.

If it was, would the Elves not cough up blood in fury?

He subconsciously glanced at the Horse Dwarf. This lightbulb's presence was terribly ill-timed.

Nicole casually tossed a glittering gold coin over and ordered, "Wait for me at the mill. Book us a private room on the third floor, buy a bottle of the strongest rum, and prepare some fruit or something. The rest is yours."

The Horse Dwarf was not familiar with this girl at all, but the instant he saw the glittering object in his hand, he froze.

It was not the familiar gleam of copper, nor the silver he craved, but gold—gold that dared not appear even in his dreams.

A gold coin!

Money he could never earn in an entire lifetime as a guide was now resting in his hand.

He was rich!

He was truly rich!

Not only had he met a fine customer like Li Ziran, he had also run into a wealthy patron like the curly-haired girl.

He understood that he had finally encountered the great business others bragged about, where a casual deal involved hundreds of copper coins.

"Yes, miss. I'll go right away." The Horse Dwarf gave a respectful bow, then turned and ran into the windmill.

The street fell quiet. Li Ziran pulled Nicole directly into a corner, tugged open her high-collared leather jacket, and prepared to take a proper look at what was hidden within the Life Tree Leaf.

He carefully reached over, only to jerk his hand back sharply.

He could not be so rough and careless when touching a Life Tree Leaf.

He took out a pair of leather gloves from his pocket, then a bottle of Transpiration Potion, applying it to the gloves drop by drop.

Life Tree Leaves were exceedingly delicate. Any external force could disrupt the elemental balance within them.

The Transpiration Potion could make the gloves as clean as possible, but even so, it would still damage the Life Tree Leaf.

Only after completing the protection did Li Ziran reach inside again.

Nicole did not stop him. Instead, so that Li Ziran could see more clearly, she thrust herself upward slightly.

The leaf was thin, like a sheet of paper. Li Ziran used his fingernail to gently catch its edge and slowly peel it open.

The leaf had been folded into four layers, with a sheet of Mithril Paper between each layer. This was a highly professional method of sealing magical power. In the slave trade, people generally liked using Mithril's elemental conductivity to seal magical creatures.

At this moment, Li Ziran had basically believed Nicole's words.

This was an Ancient Elf.

Because an ordinary Elf simply did not warrant such rigorous sealing standards.

"Will it be all right?" Li Ziran asked. He feared that once he touched the Mithril, whatever was inside would trigger some extraordinary phenomenon. On this street right beside the market, it would definitely cause a tremendous commotion.

"Mhm, it'll be fine." Nicole nodded obediently and pressed herself even closer to Li Ziran.

Night had completely fallen. Only a few Moonlight Stones illuminated the street, casting a hazy glow.

People continually hurried past along the street. Occasionally, drunkards staggered out of the windmill, swaying east and west, while vulgar songs drifted from the various mills in the distance.

It was noisy, the best time for the ladies' business, yet also especially quiet. In this corner, everyone had enough sense not to disturb a couple's pleasure.

Li Ziran's hand was very gentle. He used his fingernail to pry open another layer and pressed the Mithril Paper against Nicole's chest.

This was already the third layer. A faint trace of azure could be seen within, and even the surrounding elements were rotating without order.

That was the ability of Wind Elves. All their lives, they refined wind elements. Their bodies instinctively influenced the flow of the Elemental Tide. Even without deliberately casting spells, the Elemental Tide would move with their magical organs, creating a faint breeze too subtle to notice.

Huff!

Li Ziran let out a long breath. He swore this was the heaviest cargo he had ever seen in his life.

He gently parted the oily green leaf, and a streak of blue light reflected into his eyes.

Azure, pure, like a gemstone.

Yet in the center of the leaf was an Elf, eyes half-closed, curled up within sapphire-blue radiance.

Her skin was sapphire-blue, thin as a layer of jelly. Through that jelly-like skin, her internal organs could be seen clearly.

A peach-shaped heart, tender curled intestines, a bright red little kidney, and a stomach that gave off a captivating sheen.

Every organ seemed as though it had been carved by a master craftsman.

With a faint breath from the Elf, he could see the airflow enter her nostrils, pass through her throat, enter her stomach, briefly swirl there, and then flow into her blood.

The blood entered her heart, and when it emerged, it had already turned completely sapphire-blue.

The blood flowed through all kinds of organs, and each time it passed through one, its color began to fade.

As Li Ziran watched the Elf, the instant the blood flowed through, specks of blue were secreted and settled along the surface, forming a membrane.

Those blue specks were tiny, but clearly visible.

Long and slender overall, thin as a shard of ice, with an obvious edge—they were unmistakably wind blades shrunk countless times over.

Clearly, in that brief instant, this child had refined wind elements from the Elemental Tide and compressed them into the most basic wind magic power.

Perfect!

Li Ziran could not help sighing. Both the refining speed and precision had reached the absolute pinnacle.

This kidney was unquestionably a top-tier organ for refining wind magic power.

As expected of an Ancient Elf.

"She isn't his wife." Li Ziran looked at Nicole.

Nicole stuck out her tongue. "I was just fooling you. Could I really capture his wife? But this is a Primordial Elf. So, do you have confidence?"

"What?"

"His magical organs. Give me that blue, shimmering one. That's top-grade wind affinity. And I want to replace the blood too. You know, my heart needs Elf blood to match it, right?"