Hai Er leads a few knights deeper into the cave to ensure there are no hidden dangers, but the cave is shallower than they expected.
The innermost part of the cave is blocked by many giant rocks piled together, their surfaces uneven.
Just as they are about to report to Audrey, Hai Er suddenly notices something strange on the ground.
Beneath their feet, there are several patches of ground with a purplish tint, clearly indicating large splashes of blood had been spilled here.
Hai Er looks up and scans the surrounding ground. Aside from the bloodstains, there are no animal skeletons here.
“Hai Er, could this be a monster’s lair, and the creature just hasn’t returned yet?”
“Yeah, regardless, let’s report to the Captain first.”
Hai Er withdraws his gaze, walks over to Audrey standing at the cave entrance, and reports the bloodstains he saw.
After thinking for a moment, Audrey decides to spend the night here. Finding another campsite to rest might not be as good as this place.
Even if the monster returns from hunting, she is confident she can block it or even counterattack and kill it.
Lu Xin glances at Hai Er and Audrey and chooses not to interfere in their conversation.
He picks up the honey jar, walks over to Raelin, and says apologetically:
“Um… would you like some honey? To replenish some sugar.”
Raelin turns her head to glance at Lu Xin, then turns away without even a reply.
Lu Xin: “(´-ω-ï½€)”
He slowly drifts back to a corner, seemingly understanding and keeping his distance, but in truth, he’s out of ideas.
He’s the type who doesn’t go out of his way to please others, and now he has to resolve a misunderstanding—it’s too difficult.
Lu Xin looks at Audrey, who has finished her conversation, and decides to start with her.
Audrey is pondering something when she suddenly hears someone calling her from behind. She turns around and, seeing it’s Lu Xin, walks over.
“What’s the matter?”
Lu Xin briefly explains the reason to Audrey and asks why Raelin is so angry.
Audrey glances at Raelin sitting alone, sighs, and asks Lu Xin in return.
“Do you know what race Raelin is?”
“Dark Elf.”
Lu Xin thinks for a moment and adds,
“I read about it in some books.”
Audrey nods and continues, “Dark Elves are a branch of the Elven race, but they were exiled by the Elves a long time ago.”
“The exiled Dark Elves are not welcomed by any race, and even so, Dark Elves still maintain the pride of Elves.”
“Raelin is a half-blood Elf.”
Hearing this, Lu Xin already understands most of it. He hesitates and says,
“Was Raelin exiled from her clan?”
Audrey nods, and she recalls the scene when she first met Raelin.
………
Over a decade ago, the Iron Wall Rose Knight Order was the elite of the Kingdom.
At that time, the Captain was her mother, Cecilia Wyatt.
Although she was only a little over ten years old at the time, her mother kept her by her side for training.
The Elven race always liked to cause trouble on the borders of the Delk Kingdom, challenging the Kingdom’s authority.
At that time, they were ordered to maintain border security and make those arrogant Elves recognize which race was the ruler of the Elasia Continent.
After completing a brief battle with the Elves, the Knight Order prepared to return to a nearby village to rest.
On the way back, they encountered a small Elf being coiled by a Tree Python, on the verge of suffocation.
The small Elf’s skin was grayish-purple, but her pointed ears still indicated she was an Elf.
After the Dark Elves were exiled, they lived underground. This was also the first time Audrey learned of the Dark Elf race.
Cecilia saw that this Dark Elf was still young, so she rescued her.
But unexpectedly, the girl followed their group all the way back to the village.
After that, it was simple. The Dark Elf was similar in age to Audrey at the time, and the two quickly became friends.
Cecilia, ignoring the protests of other Wyatt family members, adopted her as a foster daughter.
She named her Raelin Wyatt.
Lu Xin nods thoughtfully.
‘No wonder she reacted that way when I teased her about being a savage wanderer.’
‘Abandoned as a child, having to worry about monsters and almost being eaten—my words were not only triggering but also quite cruel.’
“Don’t worry. Raelin is still very caring. Just talk to her more and it’ll be fine.”
In the evening, everyone chats around the campfire, roasting food.
After trekking through the forest for a day, everyone is exhausted. A few people eat a few bites hastily and then fall asleep, snoring loudly.
Just then, a knight stands up, his steps somewhat hurried.
He first looks at the pitch-black environment outside the cave, then walks over to another knight and whispers something.
Then that knight stands up impatiently and follows him out of the cave into the nearby woods.
Two men sneaking off into the woods—probably to relieve themselves.
Lu Xin withdraws his gaze, picks up the honey jar, and sits down next to Raelin.
The campfire light shines on Raelin’s face, adding a hint of pink to her grayish-purple skin, giving it the moist look of a peeled purple grape revealing its flesh.
Raelin has Elven blood, so she has a slender figure and a beautiful face, but her aloof expression keeps people at a distance.
Raelin notices Lu Xin sitting beside her. She opens her lips slightly but says nothing.
Seeing this, Lu Xin offers the honey jar to Raelin again, placing it near her hand.
Raelin’s slender fingers tremble slightly. She looks up at Audrey, seeking help.
But who would have thought—Audrey has been watching them, yet when Raelin looks to her for help, she deliberately looks away.
After a moment of silence, Raelin gives a soft hum and reaches out to take the honey jar.
Lu Xin is overjoyed. It seems she has probably forgiven him, even though the result of this is breaking the Fluffball Monster’s heart.
In the end, the Fluffball Monster bore it all.
Just then, Hai Er speaks up,
“How long have those two been out?”
Hearing this, everyone stops what they’re doing and instinctively looks outside the cave.
Outside, it’s pitch black. Occasionally, the wind howls, but there is no other sound.
Raelin puts down the food in her hands, stands up, and says coldly,
“I’ll go check.”
As a Dark Elf, she not only has excellent eyesight but also possesses night vision.
So this kind of dark reconnaissance has always been her responsibility.
“I’ll go too.”
Lu Xin immediately stands up as well.
Raelin gives Lu Xin a surprised look. Going out now likely means encountering danger. Why would he want to go with her?
Could it be because of her? Thinking this, Raelin shakes her head, believing she is overthinking.
But when she comes back to her senses, Lu Xin has already reached the cave entrance. She hurriedly follows.
The two enter the forest. Raelin stays close to Lu Xin to guide him.
But Lu Xin also has night vision, so there’s no need for Raelin to stick so close to him. However, Lu Xin doesn’t say anything.
Since she didn’t ask him if he could see, he certainly won’t bring it up.