The carriage Emil was riding was galloping through the forest, and their destination was a primeval forest in the north of the continent.

The place is inaccessible, the land is poor, and there are large areas of frozen soil, which is not suitable for human survival at all.

Therefore, in an era when most of the world was already occupied by humans, the elves were able to obtain this paradise.

According to Ophelia, if there is a chance, these elves still want to live on fertile land. Although they have eternal lifespan, it does not mean that they will not die. Like humans, they also need three meals a day.

However, in that barren land, the crops they could grow were limited, so supplies were always in short supply.

Hundreds of years ago, they would trade with well-meaning humans to obtain the supplies they needed. Later, due to the rise of the demons, humans were strictly prohibited from trading with other races in addition to dealing with the demons. The elves obtained

The channel for supplies was cut off.

However, not long after that, the daughter of the Elf King came out to rule. Under the protection of her magic, all the elves were able to live in the illusion.

It was simply a greenhouse, capable of producing most of the daily supplies and keeping out creatures other than elves. As a result, the elves, which were supposed to be declining, gradually became prosperous.

"That's it," Emil nodded and couldn't help but sigh, "it seems that this elf princess has more magic power than me."

"Indeed, this magic has lasted for more than five hundred years and was still functioning until I entered the Elf territory a few years ago."

"Then how did you get in? They don't show their approval to humans for no reason." Emil was curious.

"Haha, now that it's happened, I'm not afraid of your jokes. I actually got in based on my connections." Ophelia smiled bitterly.

"oh?"

"I should have mentioned just now that the original elves would still trade with humans, and the ancestors of my family happened to be the humans who helped them the most. So when I followed the records in the ancient books and went to the barren land, an elf elder

Sensing a familiar aura on my body, they made an exception and put me in. Later, they learned of my purpose, and with the consent of the Elf Princess, they let me drink the Elf Spring."

"That's it." Emil nodded thoughtfully.

"However, Cosette did this firstly to repay the kindness of my ancestors, and secondly to sell humans a favor, because she wanted to use this to establish contact with humans again. In fact, unlike the arrogant personalities of most elves, Cosette hoped

Humans and elves can get back together, of course, but the premise is that humans are no longer allowed to miss the Elf Fountain."

"If you have this kind of idea, you are bound to be disappointed." Emil couldn't help complaining, after all, he understood human beings too well.

"No," Ophelia shook her head and continued, "because she believed in me and the people I served, that's why she let me gain the power of the elves. If one day Byron becomes a wise man,

King, if I can stop humans from coveting the Elf Spring, then I, with the power of the elves, will become the bridge between humans and elves."

"Oh, I understand, she invested in you, right?"

"Well, you can say that." Ophelia nodded.

"Haha, I thought this elf princess was a pampered young lady, but I didn't expect that she still knows strategy."

Hearing his words, Ophelia couldn't help laughing.

"More than knowing strategy, I have to remind you that if you see her then, don't be deceived by her appearance. She is a rose with thorns, and she will be dead if she is pricked."

"It's okay," Emil said indifferently. "Isn't her purpose just to make the elves prosperous? As long as we don't stand against her."

"That's what I say, but it's inevitable that there will be people with bad intentions who will interfere with it. Then you won't be able to help it."

"Haha, as expected, I still hate this kind of intrigue." Emil smiled bitterly.

"Who isn't? But some things are destined to be unavoidable." Ophelia whispered, looking into the distance, as if she was speaking to herself.

…

Three days later, they finally arrived at the primeval forest where the elves were.

Although it is called a forest, in fact the trees are very short due to the poor soil. Coupled with the seasonal factors, all the trees in front of you are bare branches, like countless dry hands reaching for the leaden sky.

After a few days of turbulence, Ophelia became even weaker and needed Emile's help even to stand up.

Emil couldn't help but think that if she became like this when dealing with Cornes, the consequences would be disastrous, but fortunately, she survived.

Later, Ophelia searched in the forest based on her memory. Since three years had passed, the surrounding environment had changed, so it took a lot of time just to search for the entrance.

But hard work paid off, and they finally found it. There was a small pool between the dry trees, which was now completely sealed by a thick layer of ice. Through the solid ice, they could see a strange device at the bottom of the pool.

This put them in a difficult position. Ophelia came here in the summer, so she was able to sneak directly into the bottom of the pool and convey the information about the application for entry to the elves in the illusion through the device.

But this time Ophelia couldn't use her power at all, so she couldn't break the ice, and Emil's magic was water-based, so it was useless at this time.

Just when they were at a loss what to do, a lazy voice suddenly sounded.

"Oh, it turns out I still have to take action."

Emil looked back and found Alice with her hands on her hips, looking triumphant.

"You...why are you here?"

"It's not just me, Bailong is also here. Although I didn't obey your wishes, you still have to thank me, otherwise you will freeze to death here and not be able to get in."

"...That's right, thank you, Alice," Emil's attitude changed as expected, "We are worried that there is no way to remove these solid ice."

"Hey, it's not a big deal." Upon hearing the words of thanks, Alice immediately jumped up for joy, then turned into a giant dragon and spit out flames into the pool.

After a while, the ice layer melted, and Alice didn't think it was enough. She was about to evaporate the melted water, but Ophelia stopped her.

"That's enough. The water is also useful. The devices at the bottom of the pool must be submerged in water to function."

"Really? Okay then." Alice promised, but it was obvious that she was still unfinished.

At this time, Bailong may have sensed something strange at the bottom of the pool, so Bailong quickly called out to Alice.

"We have to leave, otherwise we will be misunderstood by those elves."

"Oh, it's so boring, Emil, if you need help with anything, just call me." Alice said not giving up as she evacuated.

"Oh, thanks to Alice," Emil couldn't help but sigh as he watched them leave. Then he returned to the topic, "So, what should we do now?"

"It's very simple. Just dive down and trigger the device. I can do this myself."

"How can that be done? Your current condition is not suitable for diving, so leave it to me."

"But, can you swim?" Ophelia suddenly asked.

"...Uh, no." Emil shook his head honestly, and then said sheepishly, "Sorry, I'm trying to show off."

"It's okay, thank you for your thoughtfulness." Ophelia smiled slightly.

So, she took off her armor, leaving only her thin underwear, and then warmed up on the shore.

Emil couldn't help but sigh at her physical condition. Even though she was so weak, she still dared to dive into the cold water in the winter. Of course, it was not ruled out that it was a matter of life and death, so she had to do so.

Next, with a splash, Ophelia plunged into the cold and biting water. Emil could see her turning a mechanism on the device underwater, and then a white light enveloped her body.

However, not knowing what happened, Ophelia was suddenly stunned for a moment, and then swam out of the water.

"What's wrong?" Emil asked quickly.

Ophelia looked at him helplessly, and then told the truth.

"I can't get in, my application was rejected."

"How is that possible? Don't you know the elf princess?"

"Yeah, I don't understand either."

"Then come up first, otherwise you will freeze. We will discuss it later." Emil quickly offered her a hand.

Emil was froze when he held her hand. You can imagine how low Ophelia's body temperature was. He quickly pulled her up and tried to find a place to light a fire.

At this time, a familiar figure jumped out again.

"Hey, Emil, I seem to hear you calling me."

Although he wanted to complain, the situation was urgent now and he had to rely on Alice.

So, with the help of dragon's breath, Ophelia's body temperature finally returned to the normal level, but the cold and heat still made her catch a cold.

"Thank you so much, Alice, and Emil, if it weren't for... Ah Sneeze..."

"Okay, okay, it's important to recover first," Emil quickly reassured her, then stood up, "You continue to warm yourself by the fire, I'll go catch some prey and come back."

"Well, go and come back quickly."

In the end, Emil still boasted that he was hunting, but in fact he couldn't even see the shadow of a living thing. The forest was absolutely silent.

He didn't know how the elves survived before the elf princess created the illusion. However, at this time, he didn't have time to think about it so much. He thought that no matter what, he would not refuse anyone as long as it was meat.

After a while, he finally found traces of the prey, which seemed to be a deer or something.

So, he quietly followed the footprints, and sure enough, he found his prey under a huge dead tree.

"That's great, he's actually a big guy."

Emil was overjoyed and directly attacked with magic. In order to prevent it from escaping, he also specially used a water prison.

However, under this seamless offensive, the deer unexpectedly rushed out. It looked around before discovering Emil, but did not stop for much, but ran away in a hurry.

Emil was surprised. He knew that even Cornes could not break through his water prison. Why was it now broken by a deer?
Chapter completed!