“If they have intelligence… then all we can do is hope that the intelligent individuals among the monsters aren’t too powerful…”
Ye Xingyao stuck out her tongue, speaking with great sorrow.
She now understood why Hongye Qiu had insisted on delivering this news in person.
‘This news has some weight to it!’
“Sister Xingyao, aren’t you a Star Elf? Have a little confidence in yourself—you’ll definitely defeat them!”
Even though Fumier didn’t quite understand why Ye Xingyao was so pessimistic, she still expressed support for the girl who had just realized, “Ah! I’m the savior!”
“A little confidence…”
Ye Xingyao gave a bitter smile.
“Hey, Miss Fumier, what level do you think my strength is?”
“Hmm…”
Fumier couldn’t bear to say it and turned her head away.
“Don’t run from reality! Fumier, just say it boldly—don’t worry about my confidence, really.”
‘This Fumier girl is surprisingly sensitive about certain things.’
“Hmm… okay, First Night Grade…?”
Fumier recalled this Sister Xingyao’s performance in battle… aside from a precise cut with a dinner knife that interrupted Mite’s magic… she seemed to have been fleeing in a panic the whole time?
“Saying First Night Grade is already overestimating me.”
Ye Xingyao leaned back, only to realize the stool she had brought had no backrest. Her heart jolted, and she nearly fell off the chair. Awkwardly, she rubbed her face.
“Well, in human society, having a Light-Containing Level is enough to be a squad leader in the Combat Department and make a living. By accumulating experience and participating in more battles, it’s not impossible to become some kind of officer.”
Ye Xingyao explained seriously.
“A combat power like Xiaoyue’s is top-tier in a place like Satellite City, you know? What do you think will happen if monsters with unique talents and strong aggressiveness… gain a certain degree of intelligence?”
“…”
Saying this, Fumier’s face also turned somewhat grim.
“Moreover, if some intelligent being used Mite to plan this, it’s even more terrifying. Its influence is enough to gather most of the high-ranking people in Satellite City, and we have no idea what its goal is…”
“Maybe it’s secretly preparing to destroy Satellite City without us even noticing.”
As she spoke, Ye Xingyao nearly talked herself into despair.
“Alright, don’t think of the Human Alliance as so useless. If those old geezers up top aren’t planning to move, then it’s not a big problem.”
Seeing that Fumier was about to sink into pessimism along with Ye Xingyao, Hongye Qiu quickly interrupted her.
“True, if the higher-ups aren’t worried, why should I be?”
Ye Xingyao recovered quickly, lazily crossing her legs like Hongye Qiu, as if she hadn’t been in despair just a second ago. The sudden change left Fumier a bit overwhelmed.
“As long as this information gets across. Oh, and the old geezers from the Human Alliance said…”
“If the Star Elf has any need to improve her strength, we can provide some assistance.”
Hongye Qiu recalled the old man’s stiff tone and mimicked it exactly.
“Huh? How can I improve my strength?”
Ye Xingyao’s eyes widened as she looked at her in surprise.
‘No one told her she still had room for improvement.’
“Improving strength—isn’t it just about increasing proficiency in magic and finding better ways to use it? I haven’t noticed any change in the capacity of my Starlight Magic these days.”
Come on, she was at least a Midnight Grade Hunter. She had encountered superpowers, elves, magical girls… oh, magical girls don’t count. The reasons for those girls’ promotions are more ridiculous than the last, almost all based on mentalism. No wonder many in the Human Alliance dislike magical girls, thinking they’re fools who got blessed by heaven but don’t know how to use it. In short, Ye Xingyao had already tried all the usual methods to improve her abilities, and there hadn’t been the slightest improvement.
“Xiao Yao, have you heard the word ‘ritual’?”
Yi Shiyue, who hadn’t spoken for a long time, looked seriously into Ye Xingyao’s eyes and said.
“What about that word?”
‘Of course she remembered that word. The first sentence from that thing inside the Star Elf Stone was exactly this. How could she not remember?’
“The promotion of High Elves requires a ritual. Star Elves, of course, count as High Elves.”
Yi Shiyue explained.
“Huh? There’s such a thing?”
Ye Xingyao’s eyes widened, and she looked at the other “High Elf” present, the Blood Elf lady, as if seeking confirmation.
The latter looked as if she had just realized something, and obediently nodded at Ye Xingyao.
“Sister Hongye?”
Ye Xingyao turned her gaze to Hongye Qiu beside her.
“I seem to have heard something like that?”
Hongye Qiu squinted, as if thinking.
“Ha… looks like I’ve learned some astonishing news…”
Ye Xingyao recalled the description of that ritual.
“Huh? Mana concentration? Mana attribute? Extreme emotions?”
Hongye Qiu raised her eyebrows, looking at Ye Xingyao with an expression that said “What are you talking about?” as she stammered out a bunch of abstract terms. It scared the latter, who shrank back her neck, not knowing what to say.
“What about you two? What are your rituals?”
Hongye Qiu pressed her aching temples, then turned to look at the other two elves in the room. She had never imagined such a small place could gather so many High Elves.
“…My ritual requires the full moon, proficiency in magic of each attribute, and the corresponding magic cores.”
“For me, it’s the blood of high-level monsters, and practicing magic, and so on…”
“Whew… it seems there are more and more things to prepare.”
Hongye Qiu’s already exhausted spirit and body were further burdened.
“Alright, alright, there’s nothing for you to do for now. I’ve passed along the message, so I should go rest. After I wake up, there’ll probably be a ton of trouble to deal with…”
Hongye Qiu stood up, glared fiercely at Ye Xingyao, who was all smiles, pinched her face for a while until she felt better, then left the safehouse.
“That Miss Hongye Qiu is truly a woman of action.”
Fumier remarked with emotion.
“She’s always been like this, but she’s also a warm-hearted person, you know? Miss Fumier, have you had breakfast?”
Ye Xingyao asked out of habit.
“Huh? Sister Xingyao… Blood Elves don’t need to eat, you know?”
“Huh? Is that so?”
“But… if Sister Xingyao wants to feed Fumier, that’s also possible? I’m actually a bit hungry.”
Fumier tilted her head and smiled at Ye Xingyao, a little shyly.
“Hmm… Blood Elves don’t… suck blood, do they?”
Ye Xingyao felt like she had discovered something astonishing again.
Fumier nodded obediently, revealing neat white teeth and prominent fangs at her canines.
“Gulp… Can I draw blood first and then give it to you?”
Ye Xingyao shrank her neck. In fantasy stories, vampires sucking blood seemed really painful…