Delicious Slime

Order Era, Year 1137.

"And then? What happened to Ancestor Moke?" Mo Lini asked Liyana nervously, clearly fully immersed in the story.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Ancestor Moke! Didn’t he tell Xia Lun he wanted to leave the group…?" Mo Lini murmured timidly.

"Of course Xia Lun didn’t agree," Liyana said matter-of-factly.

Mo Lini: "Eh?"

"Since Xia Lun refused, Moke didn’t leave the group in the end." Liyana chuckled. "That guy even tried to slip away without saying goodbye, but Aina caught him, and we dragged him back."

Mo Lini: "Eh?!"

"I was surprised too. I never expected Aina to do something like that… Who knew she was already the ‘cold outside, warm inside’ type back then."

Now, she’s warm outside and even warmer inside… though only toward Xia Lun.

Liyana didn’t hesitate to gossip about Aina behind her back with Mo Lini.

No matter how powerful Aina was, she probably wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation right now.

Because Liyana knew Aina was far too busy at the moment—only Mo Lini would believe she was resting right now.

Besides, every time they arrived at a new place, those two shameless couples would… Well, Liyana had long figured it out. She just chose not to say anything—that was her wisdom.

"Liyana… where are you taking me now?"

Mo Lini followed behind Liyana as she led the way up the tree.

A spiraling path had been carved into the bark of the giant tree’s trunk… It would be a hassle for a carriage to ascend, but walking side by side was quite easy.

Mo Lini glanced down, but after just one look, she quickly pulled her head back and edged closer to the inner side. Unknowingly, they had already climbed very high.

"Liyana… are there any elves who are afraid of heights?"

Liyana walked ahead, whistling nonchalantly. "Of course there are. Elves are people too. In fact, most people nowadays are afraid of heights—those inhumane training methods from the past have been abolished. Why are you asking such a weird question?"

"Then… aren’t they scared living up here?" Mo Lini looked up at the city above.

"It’s not so bad. It’s actually very stable up there—no different from being on the ground. You’ll see when we get there…"

The city above was far from the ground, nearly 800 meters in vertical height. Climbing up was no easy feat.

If Mo Lini hadn’t been training in the carriage these past few days, she might have embarrassed herself halfway.

But for Liyana, an adventurer, this distance was naturally a breeze.

Finally, Mo Lini stepped onto solid ground, panting heavily.

"So… so tired."

The ground beneath her feet was rough and solid, the bark like a layer of concrete, making it hard to believe they were standing on a giant tree branch.

Elven houses were quite distinctive—their roofs seemed to be made of translucent resin woven with vines, a lush green that, from below, could easily be mistaken for the tree’s leaves.

"Is this the elven sky city?" Mo Lini murmured as she took in the sight before her.

"Welcome to the Elven Sky Capital—Calanris!" Liyana announced proudly.

The elven population paled in comparison to that of humans, and according to records, nearly 70% of the world’s elves gathered in Calanris.

Whoever had the time to compile such statistics was beyond her, but there was no doubt—this was the elves’ cherished home.

Mo Lini suddenly noticed a platform nearby, positioned close to the edge of the giant tree. On it stood a massive mooring post wrapped with thick iron chains.

"What’s that?" Mo Lini asked curiously.

"Ah… that? That’s… Mo Lini, you know, it’s just…" Liyana suddenly stammered, unable to get the words out.

Mo Lini: Staring—

"What is it?" Mo Lini pressed.

Liyana: "It’s… probably a magic-powered elevator."

Mo Lini: "What’s it for?"

Liyana looked a little guilty. "Uh… it’s used to pull people up from below."

Mo Lini: "Then why did you make me climb all the way up the trunk, exhausted?"

"Think of it as exercise, Mo Lini. I did it for your own good." Liyana’s gaze drifted away.

Mo Lini: "You just forgot about it, didn’t you?"

Liyana tapped her head and stuck out her tongue. "Ehehe…"

Mo Lini sighed but didn’t press further.

"It’s been so long since I last came back… Back in the day, we didn’t have this kind of luxury. Everyone climbed up that path, even carrying loads of stuff." Liyana shook her head with a sigh. "Kids these days just can’t handle hardship."

Thwack!

Mo Lini smacked Liyana hard on the back in frustration. Liyana didn’t dodge, letting out a comical yelp.

"Come on, Mo Lini, I’ll treat you to some elven delicacies!"

Mo Lini’s eyes lit up, seemingly having already forgiven Liyana.

A short while later, Mo Lini blinked at the green, jelly-like blob in her hand.

The blob was elastic, its shape eerily similar to a slime. Mo Lini poked two small holes in it, making them look like eyes…

Now, the only differences between it and Little Blue perched on her head were color and transparency.

Little Blue bounced on Mo Lini’s head, as if also thinking this thing resembled one of its kind.

"What is this?" Mo Lini asked. "It looks like a green slime."

"It’s called a ‘Green Dumpling.’ The outside is made from leaf extract and glutinous flour, with sweet bean paste inside," Liyana explained.

Before Liyana could finish, Mo Lini eagerly took a big bite, devouring nearly half of it in one go.

Little Blue seemed startled, tumbling off Mo Lini’s head and landing on the ground with a splat, motionless.

"It’s delicious! So chewy." Mo Lini mumbled with her mouth full, having taken such a big bite that it stuck to her lips.

She glanced at Little Blue on the ground and offered the remaining Green Dumpling. "Want to try some?"

Little Blue shook itself slightly, as if saying no.

Liyana gave her a strange look—Mo Lini’s obliviousness in certain aspects was still surprising.

Then again, slimes consuming their own kind wasn’t anything unusual. It even made them stronger.

Mo Lini quickly polished off the rest of the Green Dumpling, licking her fingers with satisfaction before glancing at Little Blue again.

Green slimes… tasty.