"Welcome back. Judging by your expressions, it seems everything went well."
Elaria, who had been waiting patiently, sighed in relief upon seeing John and the others return safely.
"We did encounter some trouble and nearly got wiped out, but in the end, we still won."
"Too bad the reward was a pile of junk..."
Exiled Immortal pouted, clearly still upset about the first-clear reward from the dungeon. Seeing his expression, Helena impatiently pinched his ear and scolded, "If you keep whining, I'll twist your ear off! It'll only cost you ten percent of your HP, and you can reattach it. Want to test that?"
"No, no violence!"
Hearing this, Exiled Immortal quickly hid behind Qing, avoiding further confrontation.
Unfortunately, Qing was completely engrossed in researching handguns and sniper rifles with Old Mac and had no time to deal with him, so Exiled Immortal had to give in.
"In summary, our journey in Talcavano is nearing its end, and we'll soon be on the road again."
"Sigh... Finally leaving this place. Every day I open the door to endless sand and scorching heat. I can't take it much longer."
"Uncle Mac, you haven't changed your mind about joining us, have you? Are you coming with us?"
John glanced at Mac, who nodded slightly and smiled, "Of course. Spending time with you young folks makes me feel younger. Besides, I need to find my daughter. I won't leave until we get to Everglow."
"Then it's settled. We'll stay in Talcavano for another three days before we set off. Enjoy this rare moment of peace, everyone. Once we head to Spartonia, things won't be so leisurely.
That place... heh."
For John, it was a nightmare.
"Alright, dismissed! Free time, but be cautious of the [Divine Emissary]."
After advising everyone, John returned to his room to get some rest.
There were still many questions troubling John, including how to transform Elaria into a player, the item Seraphina mentioned that could track [Divine Emissaries], and most importantly...
"These two dragon eggs aren't duds, are they? Why haven't they shown any signs?"
John knocked on the shell of the dragon egg, but apart from the scorching heat, there was no response.
"Tsk, no one told me how to hatch these things!"
These were legendary dragons!
If both hatched, it would bring a significant increase in combat power. Besides, who wouldn't want to be a Dragon Knight?
John had been thinking about this for a long time, but the two eggs remained completely inactive...
"I should have asked [Deception] earlier; he might know how."
After dealing with the trouble caused by Kaldaram, [Deception] had left, saying he needed to go to Spartonia ahead of them to scout and check on [Rage].
If everything went as expected, that guy should wake up soon.
"Yeah, we have a few days of free time. Do you want to go back and check on things?"
"Yes! I've been worried and want to see how everyone is doing. Elowen should be an excellent leader by now, right?"
"Get ready; we'll leave in five minutes!"
John considered calling Exiled Immortal and the others, but then decided against it, relishing the rare opportunity for some time alone with Elaria.
He put away the two dragon eggs, and once Elaria had packed her belongings, he crushed the teleportation scroll.
The scenery around them changed dramatically, and when they regained their bearings, they were near the elven settlement in [Deep Forest].
As soon as they appeared, their presence was immediately detected.
However, upon recognizing Elaria and John, the elven scouts hidden in the treetops revealed themselves.
"Your Majesty! You've returned!"
"And Master John! Long time no see, Master John!"
"Perkins, Palmer, it's been a while."
Elaria correctly named the two scouts, making them feel extremely honored.
"Your Majesty, we thought you wouldn't come back..."
"How could that be? This is my homeland, our homeland. I'll always come back whenever I have the time. So, how have things been for the elves lately?"
Upon hearing this, Perkins' eyes lit up. "Your Majesty, after you left, Lady Elowen followed your instructions.
She expanded the settlement, strengthened our defenses, and engaged in friendly negotiations with nearby races.
Now, the size of the elven settlement has at least doubled!"
"There's more! People from many other races are now allowed to enter the elven settlement. As long as they verify their identity and don't carry weapons, they can stay temporarily.
If they want to apply for long-term residence, they need a guarantor from the elven tribe, two people responsible for each other.
Ah, I'm not very good with words, but the elven tribe is getting better and better. Your Majesty, you should go see for yourself!
Lady Elowen will be very happy to know you've returned!
My brother and I have tasks to attend to, so we can't escort you the whole way. We hope you understand..."
"It's fine, having a sense of responsibility is a good thing. John and I can go back on our own. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's no trouble at all! Master John, thank you for the armor. It has saved our lives more than once."
John smiled warmly. "This time, I'll help you make more life-sustaining armor. Look forward to it."
"Really? That's wonderful! Thank you, Master John!"
As soon as Perkins finished speaking, Palmer slapped him on the back.
"Are you stupid? Did you forget Lady Elowen's instructions? When you see Master John, you're supposed to call him the Elven King!"