Chapter 171: A Strange Girl

"Did you give up?" Ye Tian suddenly asked.
"Perhaps," Taya said softly. "I learned from my mother's diary that they met and fell in love at Fepri College, so I wanted to go and take a look. But now it seems unnecessary, as that was more than a hundred years ago."
"Taya, do you know why I came to the City of Elves?" Ye Tian asked. "Because you said you wanted to go to the college, we should have appeared at Fepri College together. But now that you've given up, was everything I did in vain?"
"I'm sorry," Taya lowered her head and said.
"Don't say sorry; that's meaningless. I can not care, but what about Alansa? What about Rolora? What about Mina? Do you not care about them?" Ye Tian said angrily.
"But—" Taya raised her head.
"There are no buts. As long as you are willing, our agreement remains valid," Ye Tian said earnestly. "So tell me, do you really want to give up?"
"No! I want to see the world! I want to go to Fepri College!" Tears streamed down Taya's face.
"I will help you," Ye Tian said sincerely.

In the morning, Ye Tian woke up to Alansa's bustling shouts.
"What is it?" Ye Tian asked, opening his eyes.
"Gel, Gel, let's go out and play!" Alansa said excitedly. "I heard today is very lively!"
"Alright, but can you get off me first?" Ye Tian said with a depressed expression.
"Why?" Alansa asked, looking puzzled.
"You'll understand when you get married." Ye Tian truly felt helpless when dealing with this innocent girl.

"Morning!" Ye Tian greeted Mina and the others with a smile. Rolora and the others were yawning, looking as though they had been thoroughly exhausted by Alansa.
"Alansa says she wants to go out and play. What do the two of you think?" Ye Tian asked.
"Can we not go?" Rolora sighed. "I'm afraid this little troublemaker will cause trouble again."
"Do you think she wouldn't cause trouble staying in the palace?" Ye Tian retorted.
"Then let's go out. We'll just keep a close eye on her," Mina said.

"Your Excellency, are you heading out?" Alessia suddenly appeared.
"Hey, hey, can you stop acting like a ghost? You scared the life out of me!" Ye Tian said, pretending to pat his chest.
"Oh, please. Even a ghost would run away in fright if it saw you," Alessia exposed Ye Tian without the slightest bit of politeness.
"Am I really that formidable?" Ye Tian asked with a grin.
"Pretty much!" Alessia said bluntly. "You can go shopping, but no causing trouble. Other elfin tribes are arriving today, so please behave yourselves."
"Other elves? Are there other elven races?" Ye Tian asked, scratching his head.
"You mean the Night Elves?" Rolora chimed in.
"Yes, exactly. They are the Night Elves. Today is the New Moon Festival, and all elves must gather to worship the Moon Goddess, so the Night tribe will be coming as well," Alessia explained.
"I see." Ye Tian thought for a moment. "Does that mean there's some kind of event today?"
"Yes. How did you know?" Alessia asked in surprise. "Today, the Elven Bow—the supreme treasure of the elven race—will be confirmed as to whether it remains with the Night tribe or our own elven race."
"Hehe," Ye Tian chuckled sneakily.
"I have a bad feeling about this. I think we shouldn't go out," Alessia said, her inner guard rails shooting up several yards upon seeing Ye Tian's mischievous grin.
"It's fine, let's go out. I still want to taste the elven wine!"

Events proved that when going out with girls, a man completely loses his free time. Ye Tian was now acting as a qualified porter, his body covered in items bought by the three girls—all specialties of the elven race. Of course, the three girls weren't empty-handed either; each of them was holding a large pile of snacks, eating away with great delight.

"I say!" Ye Tian squeezed his head out from a pile of parcels.
"What do you say?" Alansa came over and casually hung two paper bags on Ye Tian's neck before scurrying away like a puff of smoke.
"Nothing." Ye Tian immediately shut his mouth.

"Mina, Mina, look at how beautifully they made this!" Alansa said to Mina beside her. "There are even gemstones!"
"Our elves have our own gemstone mines, so gems aren't very expensive," Alessia explained from the side.
"This—this is a real ruby!" Rolora picked up an exquisite ring embedded with a ruby the size of a pigeon egg, which sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.
Noticing that the person who came to his stall was actually a human girl, the stall owner was stunned for a moment before enthusiastically introducing the item.
"If you like any, just buy it!" Ye Tian suddenly poked his head over. Rolora was startled, and the ring slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Rolora quickly apologized.
"It's no problem." The stall owner smiled, picked up the gemstone ring, and gently wiped it clean with a piece of silk.
"See? They're all genuine gems," Ye Tian smiled.
"Really!" Alansa's eyes instantly lit up.
"Let's get this straight first: you're only allowed to choose three items. The rest of you can pick whatever you want," Ye Tian pouted.
"Why?" Alansa immediately protested.
"I'm afraid you'll pack up the stall and carry it back!" Ye Tian said fiercely. "Look at the pile on my body—how many of those belong to Mina and the others?"

"Who told them to make things so nice!" Alansa complained with dissatisfaction.
"Our elven race is renowned for beauty, and all our handicrafts are perfection itself, so it's no surprise you'd have such thoughts," Alessia said proudly.
"Yes, yes, I know, no need to keep showing off," Ye Tian sighed helplessly. "If you keep talking, you'll be the one carrying what she buys!"
"What does that have to do with me?" Alessia protested.
"It truly has nothing to do with you, so please close your cute little mouth. I can't hold anymore!" Ye Tian said in despair.

"Where are we going next?" Seeing that there was truly no space left on Ye Tian's body to hang anything, Alansa finally restrained her hands with some regret.
"Let's go take a rest. How about tasting some of the elven race's unique delicacies?" Alessia asked.
"Sure, anything is fine. I can barely hold onto these anymore!" Ye Tian lamented.
"Up ahead, there's a café. Their pastries are quite good," Alessia said.
"Alright, lead the way!" Ye Tian sighed.

It was a very tranquil café with only a few couples of elves whispering sweet nothings to each other.
"Welcome!" an enthusiastic waitress greeted them.
"Heehee!"
Ye Tian awkwardly found a place to sit down.
"What would you like to order?" a waitress stepped forward and asked.
"Gel, I can't read this," Alansa said, looking troubled.
"Humans?" The waitress was slightly taken aback.
"They are Her Majesty the Queen's guests," Alessia explained.
"Oh, I see. Then please wait a moment, and I will prepare the house specials for you," the waitress said.
"Sorry to trouble you," Ye Tian quickly replied. He had no interest in food; if it wasn't good, they could just order something else later.
Before long, several waitresses emerged carrying trays. "Dear guests, these are our signature pastries and coffee. Please enjoy!"

"Wow, Gel, Gel, look!" Alansa pointed at the pattern on top of the coffee.
"This is latte art. Pretty, right?" Alessia smiled, then gently picked up her cup and took a sip. "The taste is quite good."
"What is this?" Ye Tian had tried coffee once before and didn't like it. Seeing the waitresses bring over some colorful beverages, he asked out of curiosity.
"Try it and you'll find out," Alessia said, keeping him in suspense.
"I'll try it then!" Ye Tian picked up a cup of green liquid and took a sip, whereupon an indescribable sourness instantly rushed to his head.
"Ugh!" Ye Tian let out a loud burp.
"Heehee, how is it?" Alessia asked.
"Great!" Ye Tian praised.
"It's soda water with added carbonation, so it has a special taste," Alessia smiled. "Try the cake; it's also quite good."
"Delicious!" Alansa's face immediately broke into a wide smile as she stuffed her mouth with a large bite.
"Slow down, no one's fighting you for it!" Ye Tian said helplessly.
"Mhm, it's really good." Rolora also took a bite and smiled at Mina, saying, "You should try some too."
Mina took a bite, nodded, and then sliced off a piece to hand to Ye Tian.
"What is this pure white stuff on top?" Ye Tian asked.
"This is cream, made from milk," Alessia said in astonishment. "Have you seriously never eaten it?"
"Never. How many of the dishes from last night's dinner had you ever eaten?" Ye Tian retorted.
"Seemingly none of them." Alessia recalled yesterday's grand feast. Although she recognized most of the ingredients, such novel cooking methods were entirely new to her. Yet, they seemed exceptionally delicious because Her Majesty the Queen had eaten a lot—very much indeed.

"Dear guests, are you satisfied with your meal?" A beautiful female elf walked over and asked respectfully.
"It's so delicious I can't help wanting to eat it again!" Alansa blurted out.
"Shut up, you foodie!" Ye Tian sighed.
"It really is delicious!" Alansa shrank her head back and said.
"Mm, it truly is delicious," Rolora said. "Thank you."
"This is only right," the female elf smiled. "I also heard about the matter regarding the ancient tree. Thank you all so much. If possible, please come to our shop every day, and we will serve you the finest pastries."
"We couldn't do that. We have a pig right here; she might end up eating you out of house and home," Ye Tian refused.
"I protest!" Alansa immediately shouted.
"Protest denied, unless you don't want to go shopping anymore later!"
"You jest. Being able to come to our shop is our honor," the female elf said, reaching out to present a golden card. "This is our VIP card. With this card, no matter how many people come, it is entirely free."
"Then thank you!" Alansa happily snatched it up. "Wow, pure gold!"
"Well then, if you need anything, please don't hesitate to mention it. Our shop will surely satisfy you," the female elf nodded. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll leave you to enjoy yourselves."
"Please go ahead!" Ye Tian quickly stood up to see her off.
The female elf smiled and walked away.
"Hehe, how is it? Are our elven people hospitable?" Alessia asked proudly.
"Mm, quite hospitable," Ye Tian smiled. "Let's get going."
"Why? I haven't finished eating yet!" Alansa complained with dissatisfaction.
"Fine, if you want to die, go ahead and keep eating," Ye Tian whispered.
"What?" Alansa was startled and hurriedly dropped her spoon.
"What's wrong?" Alessia asked quietly.
"Nothing, just saw a pig," Ye Tian said casually.
"A pig? Where would there be a domestic pig here?" Alessia looked around curiously.
"Let's go. It would be a waste not to go out and look around when it's so lively today," Ye Tian called out.
"Yay, I still want to buy things!" Alansa bounced right back up.
"This is strictly forbidden!" Ye Tian said through gritted teeth.

Facts proved that getting girls to go shopping without buying anything was nearly impossible. In the end, Alessia had to help carry things so they could continue moving forward.
"My dear ancestor, are you done yet?" Ye Tian asked bitterly.
"Sorry, but there are still so many good things waiting for me!" Alansa said pitifully, looking at Ye Tian, who only had his two eyes exposed from behind the mountain of packages.
"Fine, from now on you'll pay for everything yourself," Ye Tian grunted.
"No! I'm very poor!" Alansa immediately turned her gaze toward Mina.
"If you are willing to help her carry them, then pay for them," Ye Tian scoffed. Mina immediately turned her head the other way.
Alansa turned to Rolora, who only shrugged and said, "I have no money."
"Wuwu, you're all bullying me!" Alansa covered her face and ran off.
"Mina, hurry up and follow her, don't let her cause trouble!" Ye Tian shouted.
Rolora and Mina hurriedly gave chase; without someone watching this little demoness, goodness knows what trouble she might stir up.
"I'm going too, they don't know the way!" Alessia shoved the items in her hands into Ye Tian's arms and ran off after them.
"Hey, hey, I can't hold all of this!" Ye Tian sighed helplessly, then lifted his leg to nudge up a parcel that was about to slide off, intending to call out to the girls.
Suddenly, absolute silence descended all around. Ye Tian felt as if he had been plunged into a soundless world.
Ye Tian looked around in astonishment; everything seemed frozen, as if time had stopped at this very moment.
"Hello, Destroyer."
Ye Tian turned his head to see a girl standing before him, completely wrapped in a cloak, with only two glowing eyes visible.
"Who are you?" Ye Tian asked curiously.
"I am a god," the girl said.
"Oh, so God, is there something you need?" Ye Tian asked.
"You don't believe it?" the girl asked.
"How should I put it? Somewhat unconvinced," Ye Tian continued.
"Destroyer, what kind of destiny will you ultimately choose?" The girl stared at Ye Tian and suddenly uttered these words.
"My destiny can only be controlled by myself," Ye Tian smiled. "Besides, if you truly are a god, you should know that I am not from this world."
"Of course I know you are not from this world; there is no trajectory for you on the River of Fate," the girl continued.
"I don't understand, and I don't want to understand," Ye Tian smiled. "By the way, can you help me lift this state, or do I have to handle it myself?"
"Aren't you afraid?" the girl asked.
"Why should I be afraid?" Ye Tian smiled. "You're just a girl playing at being a deity; why should I be afraid?"
"What did you say?" The girl was taken aback.
Ye Tian's body suddenly moved, appearing right in front of the girl in an instant.
"Illusions, when stripped down to their core, are just deceptions." Ye Tian smiled and snapped his fingers, and the surroundings instantly returned to normalcy.

The bustling crowds, enthusiastic vendors, bargaining customers, and Ye Tian covered from head to toe in parcels, standing opposite a girl completely wrapped in a cloak.
"Hello, nice to meet you," Ye Tian smiled. "You'd better not move, or I won't know what might happen."