“Get up, it’s time for us to set out.”
Yun Ruoxi withdrew her right hand.
“Miss, where are we going?” Genbeier got up and asked.
“To there!”
Yun Ruoxi pointed into the distance, in the direction of the nearest red dot, “I’m going over there to find someone.”
“And that place is…?” Genbeier scratched the back of his head in confusion, plucked a leaf and tossed it to the ground.
He apologized, “Well, Miss, before I go with you, I need to head to the captain and formally resign from the army.”
“Mm, go ahead. I’ll wait for you outside.”
“But if I want to resign, Miss, I’ll need you to show up…” Genbeier had already decided to pledge his loyalty to Yun Ruoxi.
He had resolved to give up his still-decent status in the Insect Hunter Army.
But his decision alone wasn’t enough; he had to go through the resignation process, erase the record on his Treefolk Card, or he wouldn’t be able to go anywhere.
And resigning from the army was a troublesome matter.
In the Green Forest Empire, joining the army was a sacred duty.
It required training, exams to enter, and only with significant reasons could one resign.
Especially for someone like him from the lowest class—unless he was so crippled he couldn’t fight, he’d never be allowed to leave the army.
That’s why it was necessary for a noble lady to show up.
He believed that once the haughty captain saw Miss Yun Ruoxi’s emerald green skin, he’d agree to anything she asked.
However… Though Genbeier’s plan seemed good, the noble lady didn’t seem interested in showing up herself, and said directly:
“Ah, do I have to show up myself? I mean, isn’t there any other way?”
“None.” Genbeier shook his head.
“I do know a few unorthodox tricks that could erase the military mark from your Treefolk Card, but your origin would still be there, and the military would issue a warrant for you.”
“But it’s not convenient for my identity to be revealed for now.” Yun Ruoxi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly, “Otherwise, we’ll bring trouble upon ourselves.”
Hearing this, Genbeier scratched his head. Instantly, countless infamous noble scandals flashed through his mind.
He never even considered the possibility that Yun Ruoxi wasn’t a noble, or even not a Green Elf.
After all, even an alien would have trouble imagining what’s beyond their understanding.
So, after thinking for a while, he looked up and smiled, “Miss, I have an idea, but it might be a little aggrieving for you.”
“Speak. A little grievance is nothing.”
“I can get someone to forge a Treefolk Card for you, but you’ll need to disguise yourself as a noble lady from another family, so I’m afraid you’ll have to suffer this indignity.” Genbeier said solemnly.
Suffer? … Although Yun Ruoxi was deliberately probing him, she found this a bit strange.
It’s just a disguise. Is that really such an indignity? That’s a bit much.
But perhaps this was a custom in their civilization. Bloodlines are everything, so impersonating another noble’s name was a kind of disgrace to them.
After all, even in some of the empire’s old noble families, this belief was still prevalent.
“I don’t mind.”
Yun Ruoxi shook her head, her eyes determined, “As long as I can return to that place, I don’t care about anything else.”
「Xiaoxi’s acting is actually really good」
「Obviously honed during brainwashing and knife-dancing days」
「Wait, doesn’t anyone think Lao Xi’s alias is kind of spicy?」
「Agreed, Gan Ruoxi, tsk tsk, this Green Elf race really are incarnations of lust, always getting with others at the drop of a hat」
“Then, Miss, please come with me.”
Genbeier put away his spear, slung it on his back, and led Yun Ruoxi quickly into the shantytown.
Because she had turned her skin back to bright green, she attracted quite a bit of attention from the lower class along the way.
Jealousy burned in their eyes for Genbeier, who walked beside her—each one wishing they could take his place.
Luckily, it was deep night and the sky was dim. Otherwise, Yun Ruoxi wondered if she’d be blocked here.
“Miss.”
Genbeier walked to a wooden hut at the base of a tree root, opened the door, and took out a gray hooded cloak, handing it to her.
“Even among the Trugan Layer, your skin color stands out. Here, you draw even more attention, so please wear this.”
Yun Ruoxi took the cloak, and subconsciously glanced at Genbeier’s tattered leather pants.
He scratched his head, embarrassed, “I originally planned to wear this when I went hunting earthworms, but never got the chance.”
“You’ll get your chance.” Yun Ruoxi put on the cloak, then added lightly, “Middle class status, proof of knighthood, a house built from precious wood, clothing made of Chansilk…”
Although she didn’t know what Chansilk was, she guessed it must be a rare material.
A flash of excitement crossed Genbeier’s eyes, but he quickly suppressed it, knelt on the ground, and softly swore loyalty to Yun Ruoxi.
Not long after.
The two stopped in front of a shabby hut cobbled together from wooden planks.
Yun Ruoxi gave Genbeier a questioning look, and he hurriedly explained, “They’re doing illegal business, so they usually hide underground.”
“I know, entering underground is a disgrace for someone of your bloodline… but it’s the only way.”
“No problem!” Yun Ruoxi waved her hand.
She had just wanted to ask Genbeier if this was the right place, but didn’t expect him to misunderstand.
Still, the class system here was truly rigid, almost like India in her previous life.
Caste system, isn’t this just that?
Yun Ruoxi bent down and followed Genbeier into the hut.
Genbeier moved aside the leaves covering the middle of the hut, revealing a dark tunnel before them.
“Don’t be afraid, Miss. I’ll go first.”
Genbeier clenched his fists and spoke with resolve.
Such a noble lady trusting him so much, willing to follow him to a dangerous place after only knowing him for an hour.
Even if it cost him his life, he wouldn’t let Miss Gan Ruoxi come to harm.
“Alright.”
Yun Ruoxi nodded lightly, her gaze drifting to the upper right, busy catching up on her shows.
On Lin Zhen’s side, he and the Huang Elf had already found the entrance to the underground world and were exploring it.
They’d made some progress.
So the perspective shifted to the others.
Zi Jiu was following a Green Elf child, walking and chatting through a field.
Naturally, she was also disguised as a Green Elf, and her skin color adjusted to look like a lower class member.
Yun Che, Kaos, Anvil, and Aili were no exception, all choosing to disguise themselves as Green Elves.
That’s because the Green Elves ruled the surface.
If, like Lin Zhen, they hadn’t run into a Huang Elf upon landing, most people would have taken quite some time to discover that there was a race almost identical to Green Elves living underground.
So, unlike the others, this was the protagonist’s privilege.
“We’re here, Miss.” Genbeier suddenly stopped.
Before them was a large hall, with more than a dozen Green Elves dressed as lower class folk moving around inside.