Chapter 48: The Hidden Lair and Elven Fears

“This cave is so deep! What manner of magical beast could possibly dwell within?”

Although Mao Yuxia had read many books on identifying magical beasts, the world was simply too vast.

Furthermore, places inhabited by magical beasts were often forbidden territories, making it impossible to document every single species within a book.

Consequently, it was incredibly difficult to ascertain which magical beast’s lair the trio had now entered.

However, there was no need for concern, as all the magical beasts had already been summoned away.

They would encounter no dangers here.

****

After journeying for a while longer, they finally spotted some shimmering crystals.

It seemed they were at last approaching the magical beast’s den.

“Hehehe! I’m eager to see what treasures await us.”

Ahoge Dragon, impatient to claim some valuable treasures, immediately dashed forward.

“Ahhh… Mmph… Let me go!”

However, before she could get far, Yao Yueli’s slender, heart-tipped tail coiled around the dragon horns on Ahoge Dragon’s head.

Ahoge Dragon nearly lost her balance completely, almost landing squarely on her backside.

Fortunately, her wings allowed her to hover in mid-air.

“Some clever magical beasts set traps, you silly thing! What do you know about anything? Just rushing in like that!”

Once dragged to Yao Yueli’s side, Ahoge Dragon found her head firmly pressed down by Yao Yueli’s hand.

Having been thoroughly subdued, Ahoge Dragon lost all her temper, no longer feeling rushed or panicked.

‘After all, with only them present, any good things found here would eventually be hers.’

Yao Yueli was momentarily taken aback by Ahoge Dragon’s sudden docility.

‘What on earth caused this creature’s sudden change in behavior?’

“Wow, there are so many herbs, meow!”

Mao Yuxia had gone ahead and soon cried out with delight.

Only then did Ahoge Dragon and Yao Yueli follow.

Gazing at the herbs before them, Ahoge Dragon merely gave them a dismissive glance.

‘What is this nonsense? Just some Tier 2, Tier 3, or even lower-grade herbs?’

‘These are barely better than the herbs Tailang found!’

‘Not even a single Tier 4 herb.’

‘It feels like coming here was a complete waste of time.’

“You seem rather displeased.”

Noting the frown lines on Ahoge Dragon’s forehead, Yao Yueli surmised that they hadn’t found anything good this time.

“They’re all just Tier 3 junk, practically worthless.”

Ahoge Dragon scoffed, then, still unwilling to give up, she began scanning the surroundings, hoping to discover something truly valuable.

“Huh? Little Ahoge, Sister Yueli, it seems there’s something amiss here, meow?”

As for the laborious task of gathering herbs, Mao Yuxia felt rather useless and believed this was the only thing she could contribute.

However, while pulling out herbs, she noticed several freshly dug holes.

The soil was still fresh, suggesting that something had only recently been planted there.

“These are Great Strength Flower seeds, look!”

Ahoge Dragon examined a peanut-like seed in Mao Yuxia’s hand, then, stroking her chin thoughtfully, she mused aloud:

“Something’s wrong. Could this cave be the lair of the same Great Strength Bear we encountered earlier?”

“If it were that Great Strength Bear, we should have seen paw prints all along the way! But there’s nothing.”

Mao Yuxia shook her head, observing that it seemed as though nothing had entered this cave for a very long time.

Yet, how were these seeds planted then?

Many questions remained unanswered.

“Perhaps that Great Strength Bear suddenly learned to fly!”

“It could be the Elves. With a defensive tree tower here, it’s impossible for there to be no Elves.”

A wave of heightened vigilance washed over Yao Yueli as she considered this; if Elves were truly involved, they were in grave danger.

“Elves… *whimper*~”

Upon hearing ‘Elves,’ Ahoge Dragon’s body reacted abnormally.

‘Those detestable Elves have caused her no small amount of trouble!’

“Aside from these herbs, there’s nothing valuable here, and I’m getting a creepy feeling from behind us. Let’s just leave…”

The mere thought of Elves potentially being nearby made Ahoge Dragon eager to depart quickly.

“Hold on a moment, I need to collect all these seeds.”

Mao Yuxia was slowing them down, but Great Strength Flower seeds were genuinely precious!

Almost every single one could be cultivated to around Tier 4.

She couldn’t leave even one behind.

“*Whimper*~ The chill behind me is growing colder and colder~ You two can busy yourselves here, I’m heading out~”

Feeling deeply uneasy, Ahoge Dragon decided to leave the place.

“Don’t wander off!”

Yao Yueli once again coiled her tail around Ahoge Dragon’s horns; this creature was always trying to run off and cause trouble!

‘There are still some silver-grade materials here; they mustn’t be wasted.’

“Ah… I just wanted to get some fresh air outside!”

Ahoge Dragon was utterly displeased, and the fear in her heart swelled increasingly.

“What exactly is wrong with you? You seem troubled, has something happened?”

Yao Yueli also sensed Ahoge Dragon’s unusual behavior.

“I’m scared… I keep feeling like some danger is about to descend…”

Ahoge Dragon frantically glanced left and right, her vigilance absolute.

“The Elves might appear, but they would need to use a defensive tree tower to confidently repel us.”

“Even if Elves do come, they surely won’t be too formidable!”

Yao Yueli observed Ahoge Dragon’s appearance, noting her extreme fear.

‘She must be terrified of the Elves! It’s undoubtedly a lingering trauma from being captured by the Blood Elves before!’

“You should rest by the side for a bit! If the Elves come, I’ll help you drive them away!”

“…I understand.”

Given the current situation, with her dragon horns still grasped by Yao Yueli, she couldn’t leave even if she wanted to.

Spotting a protruding rock nearby, Ahoge Dragon decided to sit upon it and rest.

“*Thud*~”

“*Hiss*~”

Ahoge Dragon sat down, but the stone beneath her seemed to sink slightly.

In the past, Ahoge Dragon would have undoubtedly attributed this to her own excessive weight.

However, Ahoge Dragon was now exceedingly cautious, and gazing around the cave, she couldn’t shake the feeling that an Elf might leap out from any tiny crevice.

When she felt the stone beneath her move, Ahoge Dragon’s nerves frayed, and she sprang up in fright!

“Waaah, waaaah… There’s something down here! Something’s down here! Big Sister… Big Sister… come save me!”

She then bolted towards Yao Yueli.

Hiding behind Yao Yueli, she tightly clutched her slender waist.

Ahoge Dragon’s reaction startled both Mao Yuxia and Yao Yueli.

They too nervously stared at the large stone.

A genuine fear arose that something truly was hidden within.

“Meow~ What should we do?”

Mao Yuxia stopped gathering things and likewise hid behind Yao Yueli.

“Let’s test it out!”

“Lightning Twin Blades!”

The Flash Lightning Dragon Sword was drawn from Yao Yueli’s chest.

With a swift swing, two arcs of purple lightning blade surged towards the massive stone.

‘Boom, boom, boom~~’

A series of violent impacts resounded, and a cloud of dust billowed up from the spot!

‘Rumble, rumble, rumble~~’

Immediately after, the sound of falling stones echoed.

The stones had fallen, indicating that something truly lay hidden beneath!

“Ah~ ah!!!”

However, the faint voice of a young girl reached them, and judging by her pained tone, she must have been injured…