The suffocating silence and oppression at the bottom of the giant pit were completely left behind as everyone returned to the Moonshadow Clan’s settlement.
Inside the hall of the Dark Elves, a sense of vibrant life mixed with a bit of post-disaster clamor filled the air.
Though every survivor wore exhaustion on their faces, a bright flame had been rekindled in their eyes.
Their gazes gathered on Lin En, filled with awe and hope, like believers looking up at a god who walked among mortals.
The shadows of battle were being dispelled by the dawn of hope.
Elena regained her dignity and composure as the High Priestess of the Hall of Life.
She walked to the center of the hall, her gaze gentle yet solemn as she swept over each clan member present, finally landing on Lin En, Elaine, and Fiona.
“People of the Moonshadow Clan,”
Her clear voice echoed in the hall.
“Please remember the faces of these three friends.”
“It was they who reached out to us in our darkest hour, helped us cut down the nightmare that plagued this place, and restored the Queen’s final peace.”
“They are benefactors the Moonshadow Clan will never forget for all eternity!”
All the Dark Elves, regardless of age or gender, bowed deeply to Lin En and the others, performing the standard elven salute.
Fiona returned the gesture solemnly, while Elaine waved awkwardly, flustered.
Only Lin En accepted the gratitude with a calm expression.
“Besides that,”
A meaningful smile curled at the corner of Elena’s lips.
She turned her gaze to the crowd, calling softly,
“Liya, come here.”
From the crowd, a figure stepped forward.
It was a female Dark Elf with a lithe build. She had changed out of her tight leather armor suited for stealth and into a more modest elven robe, yet the sharp aura, like a drawn blade, remained impossible to hide.
Lin En’s eyebrow lifted slightly.
It was her—the female assassin who had launched a deadly ambush from the shadows when they first entered the Ruins.
The assassin walked to Elena’s side.
Her gaze passed over Elena’s shoulder and landed on Lin En, filled with gratitude, awe, and a trace of…indescribable competitiveness.
Elena affectionately wrapped an arm around the assassin’s shoulder, a touch of motherly pride on her face as she smiled at the confused Lin En and others.
“I haven’t formally introduced her—this is my daughter, Liya.”
“D-Daughter?”
Elaine’s eyes nearly popped out.
Fiona also showed a look of surprise.
As Lin En was leisurely tasting the Dark Elves’ fine fruit wine, he failed to swallow a mouthful, nearly spraying it everywhere.
He forcibly swallowed it back, only to end up coughing so violently that his face turned bright red.
Daughter?!
At Elena’s gesture, Liya stepped forward and gave the three a formal elven salute of utmost gratitude, her respectful posture a stark contrast to the fearless assassin from their first encounter.
“Thank you for your help. Liya is deeply grateful.”
Lin En nodded woodenly, his mind still reeling.
His eyes couldn’t help but move back and forth between Elena and Liya.
Elena already looked like she was in her twenties, and with the nourishment of life energy, she appeared even more youthful and beautiful—a perfect face, graceful and elegant.
And her daughter Liya, aside from sharper eyes, had almost the same facial features and figure, as if they’d been carved from the same mold.
Standing together, the mother and daughter looked like a pair of stunning sisters.
“Immortals like elves…are really something else.”
Unconsciously, Lin En’s gaze slipped from their flawless faces to their slender necks, then downward…
Well, there were still some differences.
In terms of size, the mother was several notches ahead.
This subtle and swift comparison was precisely caught by Fiona nearby.
The always serious and rigid Knight Commander was momentarily stunned, then the icy mask of her beautiful face could no longer hold.
“Pfft—”
A very light laugh escaped her lips.
Fiona, startled by her own reaction, quickly covered her mouth with her gauntleted hand, forcibly suppressing the laughter.
However, her slightly trembling shoulders and the unconcealable mirth overflowing from her ice-blue eyes completely betrayed her inner amusement.
So, this legendary mage capable of crafting heavenly weapons by hand and destroying beast hordes with a laugh could also have such…earthly moments of embarrassment in private.
This discovery made Lin En’s image tumble from a divine pedestal and become vivid and real—also…incredibly interesting.
Sensing the subtle tremor and the irrepressible amusement beside him, Lin En immediately looked away, his face flushing as he coughed heavily, trying hard to hide his fleeting loss of composure.
The Dark Elves’ ceremony of gratitude came to an end, and the “fan meeting” immediately began.
Elaine nearly bounced over to Lin En, his aged face filled with fanaticism and worship, grabbing Lin En’s hand and spouting a torrent of praise.
“Lord Lin En! No, Master Lin En! Your Staff of God is the very embodiment of Truth! My admiration for you is as boundless as the rivers…”
After a long string of compliments, he finally got to the point, his eyes gleaming with curiosity as he fired off the classic fan’s triple question:
“Master, when might I have the honor to visit your Mage Tower, to admire your collection and laboratory?”
“And, and, regarding the application and principles of Truth Magic, you must find time to discuss it with me in depth—even a tiny bit would benefit me for a lifetime!”
Finally, he rubbed his hands together and leaned in with a fawning look, lowering his voice to a near whisper as he cautiously asked the question that everyone present was dying of curiosity over:
“That…Master Lin En, forgive my boldness. Are you perhaps a legendary mage in hiding? Or the secret heir of some ancient magic family?”
Beside him, Fiona maintained her knightly composure and upright stance, but the way her ears stood up and her body leaned forward betrayed her intense curiosity.
Facing everyone’s expectant gazes, Lin En calmly withdrew his hand from Elaine’s sweaty grip and answered quietly:
“I’m not some great mage, nor a family heir.”
He paused, then spoke the second half.
“I’m a freshman at Fran Magic Martial Academy this year.”
The air seemed to freeze in that moment.
All the expressions on Elaine’s face—worship, fanaticism, flattery, expectation—instantly solidified into a comically absurd mask.
His mouth slowly opened wide enough to fit a fist.
Fiona’s body stiffened sharply, her beautiful ice-blue eyes filled with utter disbelief—‘Are you kidding me?’
After a brief silence, Elaine erupted with a scream of disbelief:
“No—way!!”
He jumped up like a cat with its tail stepped on.
“Freshman?! Fran Magic Martial Academy?! What kind of joke is this! Old Furnace Morton?! With that rotten temper and rundown resources, could he really produce a student like you? The sun would have to rise in the west tomorrow!”
As the kingdom’s chief alchemist, he was clearly very familiar with Fran Magic Martial Academy’s principal, Morton, and his reaction was the strongest rebuttal to the truth of Lin En’s words.
Looking at Elaine’s world-shattering, faith-collapsing expression, Lin En could only shrug helplessly.
As for Fiona, her gaze toward Lin En had changed completely.
If before she felt awe for an unfathomable powerhouse, now she was looking at a complete, world-defying monster.
In the midst of this chaos, Lin En broke the absurdity.
“It’s getting late. I need to return to the Academy as soon as possible.”
With a single sentence, everyone snapped out of their shock.
“Yes, yes!”
Elaine slapped his thigh, his face flushing with excitement.
“Crown Prince! I have to hurry and bring this Divine Essence back to save the Crown Prince! This is a great achievement!”
Fiona immediately recovered as well, saying solemnly:
“I must also return to the Royal Capital to report everything to the Thorn Guard.”
Everyone was eager to return.
And so, in this slightly absurd yet light-hearted atmosphere, the time for parting arrived.
On behalf of the Moonshadow Clan, Elena once again solemnly pledged that they would forever remember this kindness and would always heed the call of their benefactors.
Bidding farewell to their new Dark Elf allies, everyone set out on their own paths home.