Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Clotina, a member of her tribe from afar whom she hadn't seen in a long time, attracted a great deal of attention.

But the night elves around her had not forgotten the one beside her...

The Shadow Clan with "unique" appearance.

More and more spirits began to curiously float around and observe the forest ghost.

The glass bead swayed gently, and a pale purple aura swirled around it.

My gaze fell on his face, on his pointed ears, and on his calm expression.

While Claudia and her friends were chatting happily, Lin Gui secretly touched her glass bead with his fingertip.

Claudia realized what was happening.

She floated back to Lin Gui's side and cleared her throat.

"And this is...?"

She hesitated for a moment, then proceeded to give her prepared speech.

"Lin Roland Camul Shadow. My fellow tribesman."

"Because he had previously encountered a human hunting party... in order to avoid attracting attention, he... deliberately disfigured himself."

As soon as he finished speaking, a low murmur arose from the surrounding crowd.

Several older elves drifted closer, their gazes landing on Lin Gui's face.

There was no mockery or disdain in those eyes.

Only deep sympathy and respect.

An elderly female spirit drifted closer, her voice gentle:

"My child, you've suffered."

"Appearance is but a shell, the brilliance of the soul is eternal."

A young elf boy added in a low voice:

"Actually, if you look closely... it's not that ugly."

"It's...it's quite unique."

Immediately, spirits chimed in:

"Yes! It's very distinctive!"

"Humanity's vulgar aesthetics cannot comprehend the profound beauty of us elves!"

It was clearly all out of care and encouragement.

But under the topic of "cosmetic surgery"...

Every word was like a dagger, precisely piercing Lin Gui's non-existent "elf pride."

Lin Gui's lips twitched slightly as he tried to maintain a calm expression.

"Haha..."

He chuckled twice.

"Thank you for your concern."

"Hurry up and finish delivering it, leave quickly," Lin Gui thought, believing that continuing to take him along would hurt his pride.

Claudia's voice immediately echoed in Lin Gui's mind.

"When expressing gratitude, use respectful language reserved for deities."

"The Night Elves worshipped the moon goddess Elune, but after the Elven Forest was unified, their official religion changed to the World Tree."

"Please use the honorifics for the World Tree first."

Lin Gui's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained expressionless.

Following Claudia's instructions, he bowed slightly and placed his right hand on his chest.

He spoke fluently using the elf greetings he had already learned:

"Thanks to the World Tree for its protection, I was able to return."

The movements were precise, and the tone was devout.

however.

The surrounding elves, however, did not reciprocate with the same World Tree etiquette as expected.

They simply watched Lin Gui silently.

A strange glint flashed in his eyes.

After a moment of silence, an elderly elf slowly raised his hand.

However, they placed their palms on their left shoulders, an ancient ritual practiced by Elune's followers.

May the moon goddess's radiance illuminate your journey home.

His voice was deep.

The other elves followed suit, performing Elune's greetings.

No one mentioned the World Tree.

Clotina's spirit trembled slightly within the bead.

She sensed something was wrong.

Lin Gui's "devotion" to the World Tree not only failed to gain recognition...

Instead, it added a sense of suppressed sadness to the eyes of the surrounding elves.

Even... anger?

A young elven warrior finally couldn't resist and stepped forward.

He stared at Lin Gui, his voice tense:

"Lin·Shadow"

"For you..."

"Are you a child of the Fairy Forest?"

"Still a child of the Shadow Clan?"

The air suddenly froze.

All eyes were focused on Lin Gui.

The subtle yet tense atmosphere was almost palpable.

Lin Gui raised an eyebrow and glanced at Clotina's glass bead.

Within the bead, Claudia's soul flickered rapidly.

She hesitated for a moment, then quickly transmitted her voice:

Answer him.

"Say you are a child of the Shadow Clan."

"She is Elune... a devout believer forever."

Lin Gui did not hesitate.

He raised his head and met the gaze of the elven warrior.

The voice was clear and firm.

"I will always be a child of the Shadow Clan."

"It's Elune, the moon goddess..."

"A devout believer."

The words fell.

The tense souls of the surrounding elves relaxed slightly almost simultaneously.

The wariness and scrutiny in their eyes melted away like ice and snow.

Instead, there was a soft, almost comforting feeling...

Agree.

"Good boy..."

The elderly elf nodded gently, his soul radiating warmth.

Welcome home.

The elves curiously gathered around.

They've been trapped here for far too long.

Unable to leave, unable to perceive the outside world.

They can only drift aimlessly in these desolate ruins, day after day.

"How's it outside now?"

An old elf asked softly, his soul light trembling slightly.

"How many Night Elf tribes are left?"

"Do we... still have any of our compatriots alive?"

Claudia was stunned.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

Because she was also trapped in the forest outpost.

Similarly...I know nothing.

It's not that there aren't powerful spirit warriors who have tried to cross the wilderness.

Arya tried it, and so did the strongmen of other tribes.

But no magic can completely conceal the fluctuations of the soul.

Even though the spirit demons near the Forest Outpost aren't too strong...

That terrifying number was enough to overwhelm even the strongest warriors.

They couldn't get out.

We also received no news from the outside world.

Claudia looked at Lin Gui.

Their eyes held the same bewilderment and longing.

Lin Gui remained silent for a moment.

He began to recall what he had heard from Shea along the way.

Fragments about elves.

"The Forest of Elves..."

His voice was steady, as if he were stating an objective fact.

"Because the 'End of Silence' has swallowed up the three border cities."

"That is... the Black Tide that caused you to become like this."

"The Elf Forest has been forced to continuously migrate northward."

"Conflicts broke out with several native races in the far north..."

He paused.

"Those races... Snow Elves, Ice Giants, Frostwolf Clan."

"Ten years ago, they joined the city-state alliance."

"With the support of the alliance..."

Lin Gui raised his eyes and looked at the elves around him.

"The Elf Forest has been defeated."

"Several core city-states have fallen."

"After signing a ceasefire treaty with the alliance..."

"The Elf Forest then closed off all external passages."

"Now……"

He shook his head gently.

"Nobody knows what happened inside."

After Lin Gui finished speaking, he waited quietly for a reaction.

However, the surrounding spirits simply listened quietly.

His face showed no shock, no anger, not even sadness.

There is only one kind of near-numbness...

dull.

even……

indifferent.