Yoli's Strength

"Are you building a trellis?" Mo Lini looked over curiously.

"That's right." Joli nodded.

"Are you planning to plant grapes?" Lian Na asked softly.

"Yes." Seeing the two adorable young girls, Yorid seemed to be in high spirits.

"Can grapes actually grow well here?" Mo Lini looked up with some concern. Above them, the leaves of the giant tree blocked out most of the sunlight, stingily allowing only enough dappled light through to keep the ground from being pitch black. "The lighting is so poor, after all."

Even though Mo Lini lacked knowledge in this area, she still understood what sunlight meant to plants.

"It's no problem. We have this." Yorid fished out a fruit.

Those in the know recognized it as a fruit; those who didn't might have thought Yorid had just conjured a fireball.

The fist-sized fruit radiated a dazzling light in Yorid's hand.

Mo Lini blinked. She clearly had never seen these strange oddities of the Elven race before.

"It's a Sun Fruit." Lian Na wasn't surprised and explained to Mo Lini, "Sun Fruits are produced by our Elven giant trees... The trees store the excess sunlight absorbed during the day and concentrate it into these fruits. They can shine for months without issue."

"That really is magical," Mo Lini couldn't help but marvel.

Yorid took a mesh bag, placed the Sun Fruit inside, and hung it on the trellis pole they had just set up.

"Isn't it hot?" Mo Lini looked at the glowing fruit; she could feel the light, but no heat.

"It's just a glowing fruit... of course it's not hot." Lian Na shook her head. "Though if you eat it... your whole body glows at night. You turn bright red, and you can even see your internal organs squirming around."

"That sounds a little scary." Mo Lini shrank back slightly.

"It's actually not that bad. There are no side effects, and it digests by the next day... Besides, among the Elves, if someone suffers internal injuries, doctors have them eat this fruit to see inside and diagnose the condition. Mo Lini, do you want to try one?"

Mo Lini shook her head frantically. She certainly didn't want to see her own little heart thumping away.

"I recall that for planting grapes... isn't temperature also very important?" Mo Lini continued to ask.

With the towering tree providing shade, it was quite cool underneath. The Forest of Libya was warm in winter and cool in summer, making it very habitable. Humans would even specially travel here to escape the heat or spend the winter.

"To maintain the temperature, we can use nature magic." A glimmering green light flickered in Joli's hand, but it looked quite unstable, like a firefly that suddenly appeared and then instantly extinguished.

The Elves possessed a unique, innate advantage in using nature magic. Almost every Elf could use simple nature magic... even Joli.

A dense ball of light lit up in Yorid's hand, resembling an overloaded incandescent bulb. Compared to what Joli had released earlier... well, there was simply no comparison.

Joli gave a light cough, blushing slightly. He really was quite an anomaly for an Elf.

As Yorid pressed the ball of light into the ground, Mo Lini could feel the surrounding temperature rise slightly.

"That should do it." Yorid dusted off his hands, then looked kindly at the two little ones. "Thank you for your help. If you don't mind, come inside for some snacks."

"No... we didn't do anything, Mr. Yorid." Lian Na waved her hands.

Mo Lini's eyes, however, lit up instantly.

"Don't be polite, Little Lian Na. I've heard all about your situation... we'll be neighbors from now on." Yorid's tone was gentle. "It's good... My good-for-nothing son is leaving in a few days anyway. It would be wonderful if there was someone to keep me company in the future."

"I... I should be the one saying that, Mr. Yorid. Please look after me in the future." Lian Na hurriedly bowed.

Joli stood to the side, watching his father chatting and laughing with Lian Na, and suddenly felt a bit out of place.

It was as if he had suddenly become the outsider.

"Little Lian Na, are you interested in archery? If you don't mind, I can teach you how to use a bow... After all, a girl living alone out here should have some means of self-defense," Yorid suggested.

"Really? Mr. Yorid... wouldn't that be too much trouble for you?" Lian Na paused, surprised by Yorid's enthusiasm.

"It's fine. I'm idle anyway, so think of it as killing time... These days, my only task is basically watching these crops slowly grow." Yorid waved his hand dismissively.

"I... I'm very clumsy, Mr. Yorid," Lian Na said, lacking confidence.

"You don't need to worry about that... I don't believe anyone's talent could be worse than Joli's." As Yorid spoke, a hint of a smile actually appeared on his face.

Joli: ...

He was still right there. Could they not say things like that right in front of him?

Joli suddenly looked up.

Someone was coming.

It wasn't Xia Lun and the others; they had just left.

The figure was blurry and indistinct, weaving through the faint shadows cast by the giant tree, gradually closing in on them.

Who was it?

Joli looked at his father, subconsciously treating Yorid as the one in charge... It was the most basic reaction of a child seeing a guest arrive at their home.

However, his father was still chatting and laughing with Lian Na, already starting to design a training schedule for her, as if he hadn't noticed the stranger's presence at all.

"Um... Father, it looks like someone is coming," Joli scratched his head and offered a reminder.

"Hmm?" Only then did Yorid notice the black shadow rapidly approaching from a short distance away.

Yorid's expression changed instantly. As the former captain of the Elven Guard, he immediately realized something was wrong and assumed a defensive stance.

The black shadow seemed to ignore distance, arriving in front of Yorid in an instant. A figure burst from the shadows like a dolphin leaping from the water, a dagger thrusting toward Yorid's heart.

A longbow had appeared in Yorid's hand at some point. He used the body of the bow to parry, catching the dagger before shoving the figure away.

The figure dove back into the shadows, like a fish slipping into water.

Mo Lini and Lian Na hadn't reacted at all... They were just out for a visit, so Mo Lini hadn't brought Musen along.

"Joli! Take the two girls and run!" Yorid shouted, his expression tense as he scanned the surroundings.

The shadow behind Joli rippled and wavered slightly. Yorid's pupils constricted. "Joli!"

The assassin's figure emerged from the shadow, launching an attack on Joli from behind.

Yorid didn't hesitate for a moment, throwing himself toward his son.

Joli suddenly swung the longsword hanging at his waist. The scabbard flew back with the motion, and the blade accurately blocked the sharp dagger.

Joli scratched his head. "What's wrong, Father?"