"En, I was also surprised before when I noticed Elysia's change. She is no longer that shy young girl, but Ely the wise. I didn't say anything and acted as if nothing happened because it might be comfortable if we behaved with her normally. I'm just thankful she's still the Ely I know regardless of anything." Ella clasped her hands and smiled faintly as she reminisced about the pleasant past.
"Yeah, who would have thought the young girl who enrolled on the magic academy as an Apprentice Mage was a master of the Goddesses. Ely was playing around with her Guardian Goddess at the time. The Goddess of Light was her master, and everyone else believed in that. Ely really plays deep to hide his identity." Sylvia couldn't help but laugh at the memory. It was hilarious when she thought back on it.
"Shh, our master doesn't want to play with a high-profile identity. She likes to keep it low-key. She used her Guardian Goddess's identity as her master for pretense and covers, right?" Yuuki slapped Sylvia on the back.
"Ouch! Well, that sounds like Ely. She doesn't like trouble." Sylvia rubbed her back.
"Our master was actually still at the Apprentice-level at the time. She confessed it herself frankly, right? She adhered to the law of never lying no matter what." Vanessa raised her hand and made a clarification to represent her master. She knew it was the truth.
"Let's say it's true, but Ely currently is already at the Saint-level you know? And I can feel a hint of divinity like the Goddesses radiating from her. She ascended from Apprentice-level to Saint-level in just a few months. Ugh, Ella and Eve are also Spirit-level now. These improvements are so crazy, I must say." Dori touched her forehead.
"Nothing is impossible~" Lynn hummed.
"Yeah, Ely never lies. But, please beware of her play of words. She is very clever and shrewd in conversation. If you need certainty, make sure she doesn't respond with vague answers. If that's clear, then that's the truth." Yuuki folded her arms and nodded like a wise sage.
"Oh~" The girls responded in unison. That information was precious for most of the girls, especially those who didn't know about Elysia's personality very well.
"Well, I'm the next one to talk about my impressions of Ely. At first, I--" Luna started to tell her fellow sisters about her point of view.
Even though it sounded like she was praising Elysia and Lynn, it could also be interpreted as showing how much she loved her daughters.
Just in case, Lynn immediately took a safe distance from her mother because she couldn't handle her mother's overflowing love. It might be presumed that her mother had something like a daughter complex. She hoped that Elysia could control her mother in her stead as well.
Yuuki then calmed Luna's enthusiasm down, and the exchange of points of view between the girls continued until night. It was not only limited to the impressions and experiences regarding Elysia, but the Goddesses as well.
Meanwhile, Elysia's adventure group had just arrived at the core region of the Eternal Winter Continents, the most extreme of the three major regions.
"Can you see the eternal blizzard there? Yes, that is the deepest region of this extreme north. The last and the most deadly place among other regions. You have collected many treasures and herbs from the two outermost continents, so could you let me Go now?" Lixue pointed at the distant region while grumbling inside her heart.
He still had to find the thieves who ransacked his nest, yet he was there to guide a group of adventurers in their treasure hunting and herb picking.
"Hmm, you don't want to come with us to the deepest region of the extreme north? I didn't know that the ancient ice dragon, the overlord of the north, would be afraid of a blizzard." Ai rolled her eyes.
"What!? Who's afraid of a mere blizzard? I can summon or vanish a blizzard if I so desire. The core region is dangerous not because the temperature is way below freezing, but because of the extreme suppression. Even an Emperor-level ancient dragon would find it difficult to get in there." Lixue cried out in self-defence.
"Have you ever been there? What's the most dangerous place in the extreme north like?" Elena looked at the white dragon aside curiously. They would let this ancient dragon go if he wanted to avoid coming with them, but not before they had squeezed out every piece of information regarding the core region.
"I've entered there several times in the past, but there is a forbidden ruin where no one can survive after entering. I got enlightened because I accidentally approached that place, and because of that, I cultivate to become an immortal to receive the qualification. Anyway, just stay away from the forbidden ruins in the center of the core region, and you'll be fine. That's if you can survive in that core region, hehe." Lixue chuckled like a villain who didn't care how these people would die there.
"Well, then thank you for guiding us this far. We were able to gather a lot of hidden herbs thanks to you. We forgave your earlier offensive actions, and your wounds have also healed. Let's say the problem is solved. Your seal has been released and you can leave whenever you want. But... You look in a hurry. Do you have something urgent? We might be able to help you out a bit." Elysia released the final seal that bound the white dragon's power.
"Hmph, you're quite talkative as if you care, but what can you do?" Lixue snorted and checked his newly released power. He felt relieved now.
"We won't know if you don't tell us. Don't think we'll read your mind, will you?" Elysia smiled awkwardly. It was lip service, and she didn't push to help either.
"Well, if you insist on it, then I will tell you. I came to you earlier too to ask you something because you are the one that I happened to first find not too far from my lair." Lixue thought for a while and decided to ask now.
The white dragon then spoke of a group of savage thieves who plundered his treasure nest clean. He was looking for them and wanted to know their traces from anyone he met on the way, but who would have thought he would run into this crazy adventure group.
'E-Eh? Is it possible that the thieves this ice dragon is talking about are us? I have confirmed that place is not inhabited by anyone. It has been abandoned for a very long time. That ruins can't be his nest, can it?' Ai asked in surprise.
'Hum, I've confirmed that too, but this ice dragon said that he was in deep special meditation at the time.' Fortuna thought it was a rather funny situation.
'So, what are we going to do? Should we return his belongings? But, it was partially his fault because it failed to protect his nest. Anyone can go in there and claim everything.' Zera was reluctant to return the treasures even if the original owner came to them.
'Yeah, that place isn't protected properly, and no one knows if he is the owner of that place. What if we ask this gullible dragon, I mean, this ice ancient dragon to be our pet or mount? He is strong enough, and it is a bit of a waste to let this powerhouse remain shut in his nest like a ignorant turtle.' Rhea had another idea in mind.
'Hum-mm~ It's about saving the world, after all. All parties participate and need to make efforts to anticipate the decisive battle in two months. Let's recruit him to be Gio and Cherub's little bro.' Elena glanced at Ai, then at Elysia. 'Ely, you speak for this. You are the best spokesperson.'
'Alright, allow me to handle this. He looks so poor, and we said we wouldn't let him suffer, didn't we?' Elysia agreed to the mutual decision but would play clean to keep everyone happy.
"Why are you all silent all of a sudden? You exchanged words secretly via telepathy?" Lixue squinted his eyes, feeling a bit suspicious.
"Hm, we may know who looted your treasures, and we can help you get your belongings back. However, we can't promise that everything will return to your hands." Elysia clapped her hands for attention.
"What!?? You know who they are? Did you happen to encounter a group of Ghost Emperors coming out of my nest? You were only a few kilometers from my mountain, and you must have happened to bump into them, right!?" Lixue was instantly excited. He had already guessed that this group knew something about the matter.
"Hum-mm, we will assist you to handle the matter reharding the so-called thieves after our exploration is complete. We need one more vitality herb and we might be able to find it in the core region. Guide us to the deepest place as well, and we will protect you're on our way." Elysia stretched out her hand with an open palm gesture, signaling an invitation.
"You want to protect me? It's like I need it." Lixue rolled his eyes as he couldn't believe this girl could do anything but take cover behind their dragons.
Those human girls might be pretty powerful, but it wasn't as strong as the ancient dragons accompanying them.
'We are going to return those treasures? My space stones... I want to craft something good and hoone my skill.' Fortuna was reluctant to give back the loot. They got them with effort and toil, after all.
'Let's say some of them will be returned, but we'll get more than we need in the core region. Anyway, Lixue will join us later. His belongings are also ours to use for the greater good. He will donate them voluntarily later. Trust me.' Elysia expressed her idea in a playful tone.
'Oh~' Fortuna was happy with that arrangement.
With that being said, they entered the eternal blizzard and stepped onto the most dangerous zone in the extreme north.
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