Enya narrowed her eyes slightly, sizing up the two Gold Elves before her.
By sensing the lingering fluctuations of their Magic Power, she could discern their strength.
Nina’s magic power fluctuated at a high frequency, and with two short swords hanging at her waist, she was clearly a warrior-type elf who excelled in speed and burst damage.
The taller elf girl, Sophia, possessed a Five-Tier Magic Core.
Judging by the soft and sustained waves of her magic, Enya guessed she was a mage—if an elf, likely an elementalist.
Especially Gold Elves…
Gold Elves and Forest Elves belonged to the same nation, that being the Forest Elf Kingdom on the Northern Continent.
Forest Elves greatly outnumbered Gold Elves, with their ratio surpassing double digits and even approaching triple digits.
As for how to distinguish them, it was simple: just look at their color.
Forest Elves were verdant green,
while Gold Elves gleamed with golden hues.
Outside the Forest Elf Kingdom, encountering a Gold Elf was extremely rare.
Most of them were homebodies, making such encounters as unlikely as meeting a female Dragon Tribe member in a human nation on the Southern Continent.
Enya approached the table, pulled out a chair, and sat astride it with her legs apart.
Resting her arms on the chair’s back and leaning her chin on them, she adopted a leisurely, lazy posture.
She looked at Sophia and Nina and asked, “You came through the window to find me. This isn’t just an ordinary visit, is it?”
“Hmph, of course not, Mother Dragon!” Nina pouted, hands on her hips, lifting her small head arrogantly. Despite her tiny size, she spoke with such boldness, but her demeanor only made Enya smile softly.
“Hehe, you’re quite the cute little girl. Come here and let big sister spank your bottom.”
“Sorry.”
The corner of Sophia’s mouth twitched beneath her veil. She reached out and grabbed the little elf’s ear, lifting it slightly.
Nina winced in pain, scrunching up her little face. “Ouch~ that hurts!”
“If you can’t keep quiet, then don’t talk, got it, Nina?”
“Got it…”
“Hmph!”
Sophia snorted, then sighed softly. She turned to Enya and bowed slightly. Her movements were polished, and the flowing robe she wore concealed a graceful figure beneath, giving an impression of elegant refinement.
In terms of demeanor, Sophia was clearly not the mischievous elf brat that Nina was.
“Ain Lady, you must have figured out that we are Gold Elves from the Forest Elf Kingdom.”
Sophia had also been studying Enya closely.
A Dragon Tribe lady appearing here naturally piqued curiosity.
Dragons were a rare presence on the Northern Continent, with only scattered legends told about them, all without exception portraying them as a powerful warrior race.
Yet in Sophia’s eyes, this lady before her didn’t quite match those tales of every Dragon Tribe member being incredibly strong.
She was only Fifth-Tier, and Sophia herself was Fifth-Tier. Enya didn’t emit the kind of overwhelming pressure typical of elf elders.
This left Sophia a little disappointed…
After a brief pause, Sophia continued, “Our purpose here is to investigate the recent movements of the Mist Lord Church occupying this area.”
“So?”
Enya straightened from her leaned position on the chair’s back.
Even the black-scaled tail behind her, which had been swaying gently, came to a still.
She quietly waited for Sophia to speak.
But Sophia did not hastily reveal her purpose. Instead, she calmly asked Enya a question.
“Ain Lady, you haven’t told us about your situation yet.”
“Oh, right.”
Enya smiled awkwardly, rising from the chair to face the two elf girls.
“I’m just a traveler, or adventurer? Sometimes I do other things. The reason I’m here is to find something, but I’d rather not say what.”
“I understand.”
Sophia nodded, not dwelling on the vague “rather not say,” but moving on swiftly to another topic.
“I’d like to hire Ain Lady to protect me and Nina. Would you be interested? If so… I’m willing to pay ten Gold Coins.”
Sophia held up five fingers, then clenched them into a fist and placed it near her mouth, lightly clearing her throat.
She rarely spent money herself and wasn’t quite sure how valuable ten Gold Coins were.
“Ah, you can’t be serious!”
Nina suddenly jumped up. Just as she was about to protest, Sophia covered the little elf’s mouth.
“Mmm…”
“So, Ain Lady, what do you say?”
Sophia looked through her veil at Enya, who stood not far away.
Enya stepped forward and extended her hand.
Sophia didn’t quite understand what this meant.
She glanced at the helmet on Enya’s head, then at the hand being offered, tentatively reaching out.
Just as their hands were about to touch, Enya suddenly lifted her arm and firmly grasped the elf noble’s delicate, small hand.
Enya chuckled lightly and said, “Deal. I’ll be your bodyguard.”
“Huh?”
Sophia was stunned at Enya’s quick acceptance. She stared blankly at the hand being held for a moment.
Enya released her grip, and Sophia snapped back to reality, quickly withdrawing her hand and hiding it beneath her robe.
For elves, hands were more than just hands…
Lowering her head, Sophia spoke softly, “Since you’ve agreed, then we shall meet tomorrow. Tomorrow we set off.”
Enya nodded in agreement.
Sophia’s other hand rested on Nina’s shoulder.
A gust of wind stirred in the room. Just as Sophia was about to disappear the way she came, Enya interrupted her spell.
“Wait, you should leave through the front door.”
“Oh.”
Sophia paused, then nodded lightly.
The gust of wind swept the two Gold Elf girls out the door.
Enya stepped forward, catching the door leaf as it was about to slam against the frame, preventing a loud noise that might attract unwanted attention.
Once they were gone, Enya secured the door.
She sat back on the bed, her Armor transforming into a pair of earrings.
As her helmet vanished, her long, straight silver hair fell like a waterfall.
She shook her head lightly, then ran her fingers through the slightly messy strands, tidying them.
Enya then lay on her side, murmuring to herself, “I’m starting to feel some of the sensations I had during my travels before.”
In the Sea of Consciousness, at the center of that library, the Black Dragon Princess Pandrake, sitting cross-legged on the floor, looked up and teased Enya aloud.
“An ‘accidental’ meeting deliberately arranged by following someone—can that really be called a coincidence?”
“Heh, what do you know?”
In reality, Enya gave a disdainful smile, rolling over to lie on her stomach. With wings and a tail, lying face down was the most comfortable.
Pandrake gave her a sideways glance.
“By the way, how many human women have you fooled with that trick before?”
“Shut up! I didn’t!”
Enya retorted in embarrassment, then blocked out Pandrake’s voice.
Just as she was about to nap, she suddenly felt something trembling against her upper thigh.
Reaching down, Enya found the mirror clamped on her thigh by a leg ring.
The mirror bore the word “Princess,” followed by a big question mark.
Enya squinted and began writing on the mirror.
Enya: “It’s me.”
Princess: “?”
Enya: “Is there something you need?”
Princess: “Where are you?”
Enya: “Right here.”
Princess: “Where?”
Enya: “Right here.”
Princess: “…”
Sophia and Nina returned to their room.
As soon as they stepped inside, Nina couldn’t hold back. She bounced around in front of Sophia.
“Lady Sophia—”
Stare!
Sophia gave a sharp glare, and Nina immediately shut up.
Then Sophia pinched the little elf’s face and, feigning anger, said, “Didn’t I tell you? Call me Missy!”
“Okay, Mil—uh, Missy!”
Nina lowered her head, eyes looking up, fingers intertwined, putting on a show of being “well-behaved and adorable.”
But Sophia knew her too well; she was the type to stubbornly refuse to change once she’d spoken wrong.
With a helpless sigh, Sophia said, “Remember, call me Missy.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Sophia released her grip, and Nina dashed off like a wild colt, her small yet agile body darting about. After running a bit further, she called back to Sophia.
“Missy Sophia, why did you spend money to hire that Mother Dragon?”
“Nina thinks she’s not even strong.”
“Hmph!”
“And besides, Nina alone can protect you, Missy. If we get into trouble, maybe Nina will have to protect you!”
Nina simply couldn’t understand why Sophia would spend ten Gold Coins hiring a foreigner.
That much money could buy so many delicious treats.
Even skipping stones would be a better way to spend it than letting that Mother Dragon make off with it!
“I’m not really counting on her to protect us.”
Sophia smiled and didn’t refute Nina’s words.
But what she said only deepened Nina’s confusion.
Curious, Nina moved closer and asked, “Then why hire that Mother Dragon at all?”
“Because we’re unfamiliar with this place. Finding the Mist Lord Church could take a long time, so we need a local guide.”
“But why not find the local humans?”
“Dragons are far more trustworthy than treacherous humans. And Ain Lady looks like she’s traveled through human nations for a while. She’ll definitely do as a guide.”
Sophia’s hand rested on Nina’s head, stroking the soft elf hair. Beneath the veil covering her face, a gentle smile appeared.
“Besides, doesn’t Nina dislike humans?”
“Humans? Yuck.”
Nina pouted. Now she thought having the Mother Dragon as a guide was pretty good. She didn’t want to work with those evil humans!
“Oh, Missy Sophia, that Mother Dragon always wears her helmet covering her face. Could it be she’s so ugly she’s afraid to show herself?”
Sophia pressed harder on Nina’s head, making the little elf’s skull ache. Nina begged her sister repeatedly.
“Wah, Nina was wrong!”
Nina had forgotten that her Missy Sophia also covered her face all the time!