The elves enthusiastically crowded around Reji.
Judging by their behavior, it seemed they were determined to make the Demon King stay and lure him back to the elf tribe today. The two patrolling elves were just short of grabbing Reji's legs, one on each side.
In contrast, the elf princess Vielsia, who should have received a "welcome home" or "long time no see", was now left out in the cold, appearing a bit superfluous.
This was certainly due to the fact that Vielsia's appearance had changed a bit after becoming an apostle.
But at the root of it all, the elves' attention was too focused on Reji. There was no helping it. The Grand Elder had given them a do-or-die order: if they saw the Demon King, they had to detain him no matter what, even if they had to be thick-skinned about it.
Every elf remembered Nazha's teachings.
For the elves, this was indeed the worst of times, but also the best of times.
Reji: "..."
"Alright, alright, don't worry. We're just here to find Elder Nazha this time. By the way, this person beside me..."
Reji felt a bit awkward. First, he clarified his intentions to calm the elves down so they wouldn't be so excited.
Then, just as he was about to draw the elves' attention to Vielsia, the real protagonist of this visit beside him, Vielsia directly put on her hood, concealing her face.
She was already not very eye-catching beside the Demon King, and now that she had put her cloak back on, Vielsia's presence was even lower.
The two patrolling elves only glanced at Vielsia again, failing to recognize her. They simply assumed she was some kind of attendant or bodyguard beside the Demon King.
Oh well.
Seeing Vielsia like this, Reji didn't reveal her identity either.
Actually, putting himself in Vielsia's shoes, Reji could understand her action.
As the elf princess, she had been fighting desperately outside, struggling with inner pain and getting involved in all sorts of time vortexes. Now, she had finally returned, only to find her tribesmen living in peace and tranquility here, even getting along well with the demon race ahead of her.
Vielsia did have some pent-up emotions in her heart.
Although she had overcome the will of the Wicked Demon, it still had some influence on her to a greater or lesser extent. Her personality was no longer as infinitely "tolerant" and "understanding" of others as before.
But very soon...
As they truly entered the fourth floor of the Demon Tower, as the full view of the "Emerald Forest" gradually unfolded before Vielsia's eyes with their entry, she suddenly began to understand why her tribesmen had become like this.
The first thing that greatly surprised Vielsia was that after just a few steps, she saw another group of patrolling guards in the forest.
But these were not elves.
They were a bunch of...
Treants.
Summoning treants was a third-tier nature magic spell. With her previous abilities, she could also do it. If she exerted all her strength, she could probably summon six or seven of them and maintain them for about half an hour.
But the treants before her eyes were not only taller and more robust in stature, but also had a high degree of intelligence. Upon seeing them, they actually took the initiative to approach. Following that, through the conversation between the two tribesmen and Reji, Vielsia learned...
Even as the princess, her weekly share of "Moon Well" spring water was no more than a bowl. Many times, she felt very guilty, thinking she had let her people down by occupying so much spring water alone.
But...
But now...
Vielsia rubbed her eyes.
Vielsia watched in disbelief as her tribesmen in the current camp took baskets woven from fresh flowers and green vines and began to draw water from the wells, basket after basket. Yes, they were not scooping carefully, but drawing water.
Moreover, after the tribesmen drew the spring water from the Moon Wells, it was not for cultivation or training, not for drinking, but actually for washing, for cleansing!....
Vielsia watched with her own eyes as a tribesman washed his face with the Moon Well spring water, which she considered precious in every drop, letting the used water fall to the ground and seep into the earth.
This was just the beginning. Vielsia turned her head to look in another direction.
There, dozens of elves were all sitting cross-legged under an ancient tree. The entire tree was an orange-red color like autumn maple leaves, like a learned and knowledgeable old man in late autumn.
The elves under the tree all had their eyes closed, emanating fluctuations of spellcraft, as if their minds were immersed in the world of this ancient tree, rapidly absorbing the various knowledge conveyed by it.
There was no mistake.
This was the Wisdom Ancient Tree!
And it was even the highest-grade Wisdom Ancient Tree!?
Vielsia remembered that throughout the entire history of the elf tribe, yes, including before they were destroyed by the demon race, there had never been more than ten Wisdom Ancient Trees with the color of "maple leaves".
Ordinary Wisdom Ancient Trees should have been emerald green. Only after a long accumulation and precipitation, and through the careful cultivation of their elf tribe, could they mature and become the current autumn harvest-like maple leaf color.
This wasn't over yet. It seemed that Reji and Vielsia, these two unfamiliar visitors, had been sensed.
Suddenly, there was movement from the small hills on both sides of the forest. When Vielsia looked over, she saw that the "hill" actually uprooted itself and stood up like a "person".
Sentinel Trees.
Although called trees, this was a habitual term. In fact, they were composed of sand, boulders, and wood. These few giant guardians emanated a powerful seventh-tier fluctuation. In the history of the elf race, they were all revered as "Door Lords", defensive structures that only the royal areas of high elves were entitled to have one or two of.
And it was these door lords that now, facing Reji's position, slowly bowed with their huge bodies before moving again, returning to their previous positions and sitting down again with a "rumble", once more becoming the shape of those "hills".
Vielsia: "..."
She now fully understood why her tribesmen were so close to her Demon King Teacher.
Rather...
The commotion caused by the Sentinel Trees naturally attracted the attention of nearby elves. More and more elves discovered Reji and began to swarm over quickly like sparrows, each chirping and clamoring to talk to him.
Looking at that stance, it was as if her teacher wasn't a Demon King at all.
More like another term.
Elf King.