Astrologer

"Lady Liyana, please do not cause trouble for others."

The astrologer walked over, grabbed Liyana by the back of her collar, and dragged her away.

The astrologer reminded her, "You are the future Elven Queen, and you must start paying attention to your image... First, you need to master elven court etiquette. In addition, since the elven race frequently engages in diplomacy with humans, you must also learn human court etiquette..."

"No! I don't want to! I'd rather die than learn those things! I am a free adventurer! I won't learn it..." Liyana, who was being dragged along like a mop, started to throw a tantrum like a child.

"You cannot be so willful, Lady Liyana. The elven race is facing a crisis, and it can only be resolved by relying on your power." The astrologer turned her head and glanced at Xia Lun and Aina.

"I'm too weak! I have no power! Don't look for me!" Liyana hollered loudly.

The astrologer bent down and whispered something into Liyana's ear.

Liyana instantly froze. Not daring to make another fuss, her face turned ashen, and the light gradually faded from her eyes.

Afterward, Liyana was dragged away like a corpse.

Aina tickled the palm of Xia Lun's hand and exchanged a glance with him.

"What do we do next?" Aina asked softly.

Naturally, they couldn't just abandon Liyana and leave the Elven Forest like this. After all, Liyana was their teammate.

Moreover... the responsibility for Liyana being chosen as the Elven Queen might actually lie with them. After all, anyone who knew Liyana was well aware that, despite being an outstanding archer, she was absolutely not cut out to be a queen.

Therefore, if this was the choice of the Divine Tree of Life, the reason Liyana was selected as the next Elven Queen was already quite clear.

The Divine Tree of Life did not dare to directly interact with Xia Lun and the others, but it could interact with Liyana... Liyana was an elf, and she had a high reputation among her people. Her becoming the Elven Queen was, on the surface, perfectly reasonable.

If Liyana faced a problem she couldn't solve, Xia Lun and Aina would not just stand idly by.

Liyana becoming the Elven Queen was merely a front; the Divine Tree's true objective was to borrow Aina's power.

This was an overt scheme directed at them.

Liyana was detained due to the elves' affairs. If the problem went unresolved, she wouldn't be able to leave with them... It was essentially forcing them to help.

However, what surprised Xia Lun was what kind of crisis could make the Divine Tree scheme against them so deliberately.

Perhaps it really was just as Aina had said earlier: "Maybe the elven race is doomed."

Xia Lun felt... the Divine Tree was going about this the wrong way.

There was absolutely no need for such scheming. If it had just directly explained the situation, Xia Lun, as a Hero, could not possibly have stood by and watched; he definitely would have been willing to lend a helping hand... Not to mention, he owed the Divine Tree a favor. His very heart belonged to it.

Could it be that it was so terrified by Aina back then that it didn't dare to take the initiative to negotiate? To the Divine Tree, its heart was the crystallization of its life force, yet it was directly snatched away by the Demon King...

"What is it, Xia Lun? You keep staring at me."

"Because you are beautiful, of course, Aina." Xia Lun stroked Aina's cheek.

Aina playfully scolded, "You're never serious."

Though she said that, the expression on her face showed she quite enjoyed the compliment.

"Aina, how did you take the heart of the Divine Tree of Life back then?" Xia Lun patted Aina's head.

"How else would I take it? I just asked it for it." Aina lifted her little head, speaking as if it were a matter of course.

Xia Lun was a bit surprised. "The Divine Tree of Life agreed?"

"Of course it didn't agree. So I beat it up, and then it agreed." Aina waved her little fists, looking incredibly cute.

Xia Lun: ...

He finally understood why the Divine Tree didn't dare to provoke them directly.

In the Divine Tree's heart... Oh, wait, it probably didn't have a heart right now.

In the Divine Tree's perception, Aina was definitely a terrifying Great Demon King. It couldn't defeat her in a fight, and it couldn't run away. It could only allow itself to be slaughtered by her... How could it possibly dare to ask Aina for help?

The crowd gathered in front of the council hall began to disperse, and the small street vendors also started to pack up and leave.

Several astrologers walked out of the council hall, whispering to each other about something.

"Lady Sletta seems to be in a very good mood lately."

"Is she?"

"Wasn't she always frowning before? Lately, she seems to be smiling a lot."

The blue-robed astrologers drifted further and further away, disappearing into the night.

Sletta must be the astrologer who took Liyana away.

Astrologers also held a pivotal position among the elves. The council was originally established by astrologers, and the plan to build Calanris was first proposed by them as well.

If the elven race were viewed as a nation, the astrologers would be akin to Grand Advisors.

Unlike witches, astrologers did not tinker with all sorts of potions. Instead, they focused more of their energy on exploring the Spirit Realm and making prophecies.

As for the "stars" that the astrologers divined... they were likely not just the stars in the night sky, but rather the Evil Gods in the Spirit Realm, residing beyond distant spaces, whose soul forms were so massive that they could be observed directly.

The Spirit Realm was an existence of disorder and chaos. However, everything that happened within it would, in one form or another, affect reality to varying degrees, much like the butterfly effect.

Astrologers, on the other hand, were able to observe the fluctuations within the Spirit Realm, or the movement trajectories and changes of the Evil Gods from other worlds. Through calculations, they could foresee disasters that might occur in the future.

This was undoubtedly an extremely dangerous undertaking. Those Evil Gods were not to be trifled with, and they could notice the gazes directed at them... If an ordinary witch dared to do such a thing, she would certainly meet a rather miserable end.

But astrologers worshipped the Divine Tree. With the protection of the Divine Tree of Life, their minds were shielded from being corrupted by the aura of the Evil Gods, allowing them to escape unscathed.

And in this world... there were also beings not to be trifled with. The Evil Gods did not dare to strike out rashly either; they could only endure being pried upon by these ants.

The very existence feared by the Evil Gods was currently enjoying head pats from Xia Lun.

"Let's go back, Xia Lun. I want it." Aina casually blurted out something quite outrageous.

"This... then what about Liyana?"

Xia Lun glanced toward the council hall. Within the hall's architectural complex, there was a tower-like structure that led directly to the upper levels, which was the royal palace of the elves.

"What's there to worry about with Liyana? She's not in any danger." Aina tilted her head. "We can just come find her tomorrow."

Xia Lun nodded.

Aina gave a light leap and climbed onto Xia Lun's back from behind.

"Hurry back, Xia Lun... I feel like I'm in good shape today."