444 The Exchange Students
Selma Payne’s POV:
With the Elf King in a coma and the elven race without a leader, the Great Elder, the only person who could take the lead, suddenly resigned. This was bound to be another major upheaval for the elven race. Normally, I would have paid close attention to this and analyzed all the possible outcomes of this matter and the opportunities and hidden dangers it could bring to the werewolf pack.
But I was not in the mood for that right now. I couldn’t even deal with myself. What did the matter of the foreign clans have to do with me?
So, I just watched everything happen in a daze, like a stone man in silence.
The only thing I was concerned about now was the palace that had been reduced to ruins. Was Leviathan still there?
Looking at the ruins, anger suddenly ignited in my numb chest. Everyone was bearing the consequences. Everyone was lost, so what about the main culprit who caused all this? Did toys have to be left to fate? Couldn’t a toy spit on the murderer’s face?
I ran toward the ruins of the palace, but when I arrived, it was already empty. There was no Kafka, no Leviathan, and even the evil aura had disappeared. It was as if the two had never existed, and everything was just a nightmare for the entire city.
However, Locke’s body was still there. After Leviathan broke out of the cocoon, the rotten container was heartlessly abandoned. It was a pile of mud mixed with blood, flesh, and smoke, making people hate it so much that they couldn’t start.
Leviathan left. I could feel that she didn’t just leave the Elven Capital City but the entire elven territory. It was a mysterious feeling that came from New Flow. I had never been wrong in my ability to capture power.
Even if I could no longer believe my arrogance, I knew Leviathan had left.
After causing all this, she didn’t even look at these pitiful bugs trying to please her with their lives. She just walked away like a feather.
How ridiculous and laughable.
However, I soon discovered something even more ridiculous was yet to come.
When Nature flew over, I realized that Leviathan might not have left of her own will.
Would the Goddess of Nature allow other gods to cause trouble in her territory?
Leviathan was expelled. Perhaps the process was not as embarrassing as ‘expelled’, but the fact was that Leviathan would leave when the time was up, even if nothing were done. Perhaps the ‘one hour’ wasn’t a time limit for me, but for herself. How long could she hide it from the Goddess of Nature?
I laughed out loud at this absurd realization.
I should be sad, fearful, fragile, and discouraged because I got into a few significant troubles, my husband’s life and death were unknown, a group of conspirators was eyeing my throne, and not long ago, I found out that I was still a waste, just from inferior trash to a waste who thought highly of herself.
But I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
I just wanted to laugh. I just wanted to laugh out loud. Many things came together and blocked my brain, making it impossible for me to give instructions other than to laugh.
My strange laughter caused the people who had followed me here to be confused. Master Hayley walked up to me and put her arms around my shoulders. She seemed to want to say something, but in the end, all she could do was remain silent.
The flood swept away everything, leaving only laughter and a pitiful worm curled up in ruins.
We didn’t stay for long.
Even though everyone was exhausted and no longer had the high-spirited look they had when they first arrived at the elf territory, no one had the mood to stay for another night to rest and recuperate. It was as if the once prosperous and old city had become a terrifying beast in the middle of the night. Whoever got close to it would become the beast’s dinner.
Before I left, the Great Elder came to see me. He wanted me to take a group of little sprites that looked like middle school students.
Before I rejected him, he took out a document signed by both my father and the Elf King and said, “Exchange students... This is a tradition between the two races. It’s held once every five years, and this year is the new batch.”
“You’ve seen the current situation. In our current state, it’s not suitable for us to escort these children. Why don’t you wait for me to return to the werewolf pack and send someone to pick them up? That way, you can have more time to rest and recuperate. These children must be frightened...”
However, the Great Elder’s insistence caused me to look askance at him. No matter what, he insisted on giving us these little elves as if this was some sacred mission he had to complete before stepping down.
Despite my repeated rejections, these little elves became our companions in the end. This was because Dorothy had coincidentally brought back the people who had left the city earlier to meet up with us. She had also brought news from my father, requesting that I get the little elves back with me.
It was only then that I realized that my communication device had died without me even realizing it. All that was left was a half-empty outer shell hanging by my tactical belt, comically maintaining my last bit of dignity.