CHAPTER 558: CHAPTER 291: IN THE WANLING MOUNTAIN RANGE, AUV, ISN’T THIS...

Early the next morning.

Just as dawn broke, the prepared Shami and Lureya left the villa, heading towards the Wanling Mountain Range.

"Not feeling well?"

The two quietly advanced along the path, the Elf Maiden curiously looking at Shami, who was puffing his cheeks from time to time, and asked in confusion.

Shami nodded and shook his head.

"My tongue is sore."

The Elf Maiden’s face flushed, and she almost tripped while walking, clearing her throat with a cough.

"But to research which flavor of candy you like, we had to do this."

"You don’t have to try every single flavor, especially with such huge hard candies! I’ve consumed so much sugar that it’s over the limit!"

"I helped too, you know, so don’t make it sound like you were the only one eating the candy."

"You seemed to be thoroughly enjoying yourself! After bringing the candy tray over, you perched on the stove like you were ready for a long haul! At dinner, I couldn’t even taste the food anymore."

Shami sighed.

He and the golden-haired elf had spent too long in the kitchen yesterday, and though it was enjoyable at the time, his muscles were genuinely sore from the overexertion afterward.

"This is what they call the spirit of research!"

The blushing yet undaunted Elf Maiden put her hands on her hips, speaking with righteous vigor.

"Then why did you place the salad I made on your body for me to eat? Lying on the dining table pretending to be food was pure play, wasn’t it!"

"Shh, shh, shh, shh!"

The Elf Maiden hurriedly covered Shami’s mouth, wisps of steam practically rising from her head.

Just then, a noise from a distance caused the bantering duo to fall silent and hide.

An Elf lady, carrying a basket of freshly picked fruits and vegetables, slowly walked down the path, oblivious to the two hiding in the bushes.

"Elves have already started their activities outdoors by now."

Lureya murmured and pulled out some disguise tools from the Elf Ring, beginning to disguise Shami.

Specifically, she placed a wig of golden hair on Shami’s head, then attached two pointed ear extensions.

After draping a cloak with a hood over him, the disguise was pretty much complete.

The two continued moving forward.

Shami was able to experience the natural world within the Elf Forest up close.

All around was nature teeming with vitality; the elves’ houses seemed to be built seamlessly into nature, harmonious and unobtrusive.

Numerous glowing insects flew slowly in the low air, landing on various types of vegetation planted on the ground.

Shami looked at the sides of the path; whether shrubs or grass, they were more lush and verdant than those in the Human World, emitting a faint glow.

"Did you see that?"

The Elf Maiden pointed to an orchard they passed by, where trees were laden with large, red fruits, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"Aikoya Fruit?"

"That’s right. It’s the fruit I often carry with me and have given to you to eat, remember? In the Human World, a single Aikoya Fruit can sell for 5~10 Gold Coins."

The Elf Maiden nodded.

Shami looked at the orchard ahead in astonishment.

What kind of orchard is this, it’s clearly a gold mine!

"Eh, eh, eh, where are you going?"

Lureya quickly grabbed Shami as he stepped toward the orchard.

"I wanted to borrow a couple of trees to plant in the Demon Realm."

"They won’t survive. The Aikoya Trees can only thrive in the soil of the Elf Forest."

The Demon King looked regretfully at the plentiful fruits for a long while before reluctantly leaving.

"Lureya, why isn’t your family in the fruit orchard business?"

"Why are you suddenly complaining about me, hey!"

The Elf Maiden was startled by the Demon King’s tone, as if he was longing for an easy life.

With the cloak and disguised headgear, Shami wasn’t recognized by any passing elves as they continued forward.

Soon, the two arrived at the inner forest of the Elf Forest.

The Elf Forest was vast, with a dense ring of forest on the outermost part isolating the Elf Realm from the outside world. This feature gives the Elf Forest its name.

Inside the Elf Forest, despite still being primarily forested, there were various terrains and landscapes.

Currently, the two were heading toward the innermost part of the Elf Forest, the Forest of All Things; beyond this forest, they’d traverse a small stretch of prairie before encountering the towering mountains where spirit beasts resided, known as the Wanling Mountain Range.

Entering the Forest of All Things, Shami saw all sorts of animals moving through the forest, and towering trees that were each hundreds of meters tall, blocking out the sky while still allowing sunlight to miraculously reach the ground.

"Don’t disturb the animals here. Legend has it this place is the Forest of All Things, born of the Elf Forest’s consciousness. Somewhere in the forest, there’s a supreme ancient tree, usually in a dormant state, and disturbing it can lead to terrifying events."

The Elf Maiden pulled Shami close, the two walking side by side.

Exiting the Forest of All Things, the two traversed a wide expanse of grassland.

As they got closer to the Wanling Mountain Range, Shami could see natural hot spring pits on the grassland, some only a few square meters wide, others as large as small lakes, with steaming hot spring water.

Shami reached out to touch a nearby hot spring, the warm water enveloping his fingers.

"This is the natural hot springs deep in the Elf Forest. Due to the abundant geothermal energy here, the hot springs can surface on the grassland. The water in the Elf Forest isn’t connected to external water sources, so it’s said to be the purest on the continent, safe to drink directly."