“……”
She stood there for a long moment, confirming that it wasn’t her imagination.
Then she was scolded by Selene, who had turned back after noticing she hadn’t followed.
The two continued following the young man in the tailcoat as before, weaving through the maze-like interior of the giant tree.
But this journey was markedly different from the way there—
They could clearly tell they were descending, moving to a level even lower than the bridge where they had first entered the giant tree.
They went down stairs, or rode some kind of elevator that looked like something from Northland’s industrial creations, slowly descending inside the body of the giant tree “Nelf.”
“Next, we’ll be going underground,” the tailcoat said to the two who were looking around.
“Underground?”
“Yes. Giant trees like ‘Nelf’ have complex, massive underground root systems. Those roots have also been remodeled into our… pardon me, into the elves’ living quarters.”
Hearing that, the two realized that the walls of the passage they were in no longer had windows. And the light was noticeably dimmer. The only illumination came from magic stone lamps set into grooves in the wall.
“That’s quite similar to your home,” Luc remarked.
“…Indeed,” Selene replied.
Luc knew Selene was referring to the Demon King Castle where she used to live. The corridors there were indeed as dim as this passage.
After passing through this passage, the three arrived at a vast hall. The hall connected to many other passages, and they had clearly come through only one of them.
At the top of the hall hung a giant magic stone chandelier. Its light illuminated the platform below. On that platform, eight spiral staircases descended deep into the earth.
“These stairs look ridiculously long… Isn’t there an elevator like before?” Selene frowned.
“Unfortunately, no. Because the place we’re going next can be considered the forbidden ground of the Nelf family,” the tailcoat explained to the frowning Selene.
“No wonder there have been fewer and fewer people around… Wait, forbidden ground?”
Luc and Selene quickly looked around the hall. This hall was at least four times larger than the dance party venue, yet in such a huge space, only a few scattered guards and servants were coming and going.
“Please trust me and follow me. Beautiful New Moon,” the tailcoat said without explaining Luc’s doubt. He simply walked toward the platform first. Luc and Selene had no choice but to follow behind him and step onto one of the downward staircases.
The deeper they went, the more spacious the surrounding area became. This vast underground space was lit only by magic stones embedded in the stairs… In the dim light, they could see the giant ancient tree roots stretching and intertwining in all directions, deeply penetrating the soil and rock walls at the end of the space.
“Oh my god… Does every giant tree in Fenglin City have a space like this under it?” Luc gasped.
“Look at you, so inexperienced. These underground roots are almost as extensive as the parts above ground—you should have guessed that just by looking at the size of these giant trees,” Selene shot Luc a glance.
But Luc couldn’t help exclaiming, “I’ve only read descriptions in books from the academy library… That book didn’t even have illustrations. This is the first time I’ve seen such a scene with my own eyes.”
As the three descended deeper, the surroundings fell into silence. In that stillness, only the echoing footsteps and their breathing remained—
Luc suddenly noticed they hadn’t seen anyone else for a while.
It was at that moment that the tailcoat finally stopped. Although the stairs continued downward, the bridge straight ahead, leading to the earthen wall, seemed to be the last stretch they needed to cross.
After crossing the suspended bridge, the three entered the earthen wall. Inside the wall was an artificial passage that closely followed a section of the giant tree’s roots.
“We’re here,” the tailcoat said, stopping in front of the roots.
The two saw a heavy door set into the roots. The door wasn’t made of metal, but of some material resembling wood. Its surface was covered with strange, fine patterns that looked like a complex magic array.
The tailcoat placed his hand on the door, and it swung open with a heavy creak.
The moment they stepped inside, even Selene, who had been mocking Luc for being inexperienced, froze.
This was a room hollowed out from a section of the roots. The ceiling was about three or four stories high, with countless vines hanging from the walls.
But what stunned Selene wasn’t the space itself, but the square magic stone arrays covering the entire space—
Hundreds… or even thousands.
The magic stones were crystal-clear in texture. Some were suspended in the air by vines, others embedded directly into the walls. On their surfaces, countless images flickered constantly—
Broad views of Fenglin City’s streets, the crowded central plaza, corridors where servants and guests chatted, and the dance party venue they had just left…
They recognized several places they remembered. Within those images were countless faces, different scenes…
And the expressions on those faces varied wildly. Joy, sorrow, anger… It was as if—
“It’s as if they’re talking to someone, right?” the tailcoat explained calmly. Even though they hadn’t said a word, he could guess what they were thinking from their reactions.
“These are the perspectives of Organization members. They monitor the entire city. Through specially made accessories they wear, they can transmit what they see and hear to these magic stones in real time.”
“E-each of these crystals is one person’s perspective? How many of you are there…?”
As Selene stammered, stunned by the Organization’s sheer scale, Luc focused on the center of the room.
In the midst of the dense forest of magic crystal screens filling the space, there was an empty area. On that empty ground lay a crystal coffin.
The coffin seemed embedded in the floor, roots and vines tightly connected to it… just like blood vessels connecting to a heart.
Inside the coffin lay an elf.
Her face was so aged it was barely recognizable as human. Her skin was like withered tree bark, her long hair a pale ash gray. Yet even so, her features still showed traces of an extremely delicate bone structure… merely eroded by the relentless passage of time.
Her eyes were closed, her chest barely rising. Looking at her, Luc felt an inexplicable fear… like the instinctive dread she had felt when looking down the stairs leading into the underground darkness.
Just then, footsteps came from the shadows in the depths of the room behind the coffin.
Luc quickly looked over. To her horror, the person emerging from the shadows was the servant girl she had seen in the crowd leaving earlier, whom she had thought was an illusion.
She still wore that inconspicuous outfit, still had that calm, ordinary face. But in this space, her presence was completely different.
The servant girl walked to the crystal coffin and stopped.
“Welcome, you beautiful New Moons.”
Her deep gaze fell upon Luc and Selene.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Irevelian Nelf. The current head of the Nelf family.”
“What did you say…?” Selene’s eyes flew wide.
“And at the same time—” Irevelian raised her hand slightly, pointing to the crystal coffin, “—I am your guide, the leader of the Organization ‘Moon’ in the Sea of Trees: ‘Nine Night Moon.’”
She gave them a very faint smile.
“Just call me Velyan. I like being called younger.”
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