“What role does a Priest actually play in the Elf race? How come these young elves are both buttering you up and talking back to you?”
Ye Xingyao watched the Moon Elf maid she had just taken in walk off into the distance, looking at Ilaira with confusion.
Priests and such, in organizations with faith, are usually figures whose authority is second only to bishops and godfathers. An Elf Priest, though, was something she’d never heard of before.
Among the materials about elves that her parents had left her, this position had never been mentioned. Perhaps it was because the tribe her mother came from didn’t have such a thing?
“If this were in the past, a Priest would have been an absolute authority in our Elf Forest. But in recent years, ever since the previous Priest took office, people have quietly stopped holding this title in such high regard. On the surface, though, the Priest is still considered the highest will of the Elf Forest.”
Ilaira answered truthfully. She didn’t want any more concealment to create a rift between her and the Star Elf Miss. This Star Elf Miss was far too perceptive.
“I don’t know if it’s because we’ve failed in our guidance, but in any case, everyone is growing more and more restless.”
Ilaira let out a sigh filled with worry, but she didn’t let these emotions spill over to the girls around her, stiffly changing the subject instead.
“Next, I’ll arrange for someone to take you all to see the place where you’ll be staying. Lady Yi Lin, we’ve kept your house for you. I’ll have someone clean it up shortly.” “Mm, that would be fine.”
Yi Lin gave a slight nod. She was very unwilling to let Ye Xingyao and her party learn too much about the situation in the Elf Forest. Better to treat this as a trip, then pack up and leave in a couple of days.
This place had long since ceased to be the home they depended on for survival.
After the girls nodded in agreement, Ilaira bowed slightly, signaling them to wait here for a moment, then took her leave.
“What do you all think of this place?”
Seeing that Ilaira had already walked far away, Ye Xingyao crossed her arms and started chatting with the girls beside her.
She pretended to be deep in thought as she examined the surrounding buildings. Every now and then, elves with light gray hair would hurry past them, casting a surprised glance their way before continuing on with their own business.
The reassuring part was that they didn’t show any obvious hostility. However, Ye Xingyao was curious about what kind of elf race those with light gray hair belonged to.
They weren’t as luminous and refined as Moon Elves, nor did they have Western-featured faces like Forest Elves and Earth Elves, making it hard to tell who was who.
“Hmm… the air does feel quite fresh, and the mana concentration around here is far higher than in the Satellite City?”
Yi Shiyue wiggled her fair, delicate nose and squinted her eyes. The place was filled with the breath of nature and mana, which brought comfort to her, a Moon Elf who was still young in age.
“Fumier doesn’t have any particular feelings, but Fumier is very interested in the collection of books Lady Ilaira mentioned.”
Fumier tilted her head, looking expectantly in the direction Ilaira had departed.
“Indeed. As expected of elves. Living in an environment like this, it’s no wonder elves can wield mana with such ease.”
“It’s like people who live in high-altitude regions. Because their ancestors and they themselves grew up in environments with slightly lower oxygen levels, their physical functions are also stronger.”
Afraid that the two girls beside her wouldn’t understand, Ye Xingyao thought for a moment and gave an example.
“As for the book collection…”
“Forgive me for interrupting. Might I ask if you all are the guests the Priest spoke of? Ah! You must be Lady Yi Lin!”
Before Ye Xingyao could finish, a beige-colored figure rushed over from not far away, flustered, stopping right in front of them. Her face was slightly flushed, and she was panting heavily. Upon seeing Yi Lin’s appearance, a hint of delight showed on her face.
“Wonderful, I found you all! No wait, how was it said… My apologies for the earlier neglect. The Priest still has matters to attend to, so please allow me to serve as your guide to show you the place where you’ll be staying!”
The beige-haired girl, who was short in stature and looked quite young, put on a performance of nervously reciting her lines for them.
“Um, why isn’t anyone saying anything… what am I supposed to do in this kind of situation!”
Seeing that no one was speaking, the girl’s face visibly turned red, and she grew as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
“How about starting with an introduction? We don’t even know your name yet.”
Ye Xingyao reminded her with a smile, taking on the responsibility of communication.
Yi Shiyue looked to her as the main pillar, Fumier wasn’t very articulate, and Yi Lin had a hard time speaking in front of younger folk. It seemed she was the only one who could take on the role of communicator.
“Ah! Thanks for the reminder, human miss? Anyway, my name is Christie. Please take care of me from now on!”
Reminded by Ye Xingyao, the clumsy girl named Christie suddenly seemed to remember something. Her body snapped straight and stood at attention, then she bent over and gave them a bow.
“Alright, let’s skip the unnecessary formalities. How about taking us to drop off our luggage first?” Ye Xingyao tested the waters with a command.
“Yes, yes!”
Christie immediately perked up and walked ahead with some excitement, leading the way for them.
“Um, I’m a new attendant, and I’m not very familiar with a lot of the work yet. Thanks to this human miss for helping me out of that jam…”
On the way, the young elf maiden Christie took the initiative to strike up a conversation with them. The girl who seemed a bit clumsy in her actions surprisingly didn’t show any stage fright at all after that blunder.
“It’s no trouble at all. But, after learning I’m a human, why aren’t you afraid of me?” Ye Xingyao waved her hand and casually chatted with her.
“Huh? I didn’t really pay much attention to that… but is there really that much of a difference between humans and us elves? This human miss, you have a very warm feeling about you.”
Hearing Christie’s explanation, Ye Xingyao finally understood why Ilaira had sent this young girl over. She had her reasons.
At the very least, this young girl didn’t harbor hostility toward humans.
Though Ye Xingyao didn’t know if she could even be considered human anymore, a rough guess told her that without the pointed ears that marked elves, she would be categorized as human at first glance.
“Don’t keep calling me human miss. I have a name. You can call me Ye Xingyao. The Moon Elf holding my hand is Yi Shiyue, and the golden-haired girl by my side is named Fumier.”
Ye Xingyao nodded and introduced their group’s names.
“Oh, right. I’m actually not entirely human, to be honest. Strictly speaking, I should be a half-blood of human and elf.”
A flash of inspiration struck Ye Xingyao as she patched up her identity.