novel bin Chapter 51 Sesame Paste
Chapter 51 Sesame Paste
"I think I can sense the presence of gray elves up here."
No one spoke in the palace.
Chu Sheng looked at the puddle of ash on the ground, then at the silver leaf: "Are you sure? This thing looks like spoiled sesame paste. Its only connection to you gray elves is probably the word 'gray,' right?"
Yinye looked up and glared at him: "You're the one who's just sesame paste!"
Then she shook her head: "No, I didn't express myself clearly. It doesn't have the feel of our people, but it has something of the Gray Domain in it."
"Something from the Gray Area?" Arthur's ahoge twitched.
Yinye nodded, then shook her head: "I can't explain it. It's like... like you're eating a piece of jerky made with my grandmother's recipe, but the person who made the jerky wasn't my grandmother. You know what I mean, right?"
Everyone present fell silent for a moment. Although the metaphor was somewhat abstract, everyone understood it.
Someone took something from the gray area and made this piece of junk.
Chu Sheng looked down at the dried, grayish-white slime on the ground: "How far is the Gray Domain from the Royal Court?"
Silver Leaf replied, "It takes half a day to travel along the hunting trail southwest of the royal court. Taking a carriage would be a detour and would take about a day."
"Then let's go to the Gray Area," Audrey said impatiently. "The cat-people I brought are familiar with the hunting trails. As long as there are still living people there, we can find them; even if there aren't, we can find things left behind by them."
The black leopard cat-man sheathed his knife: "Your Majesty, the road to the Gray Domain is difficult to traverse."
Audrey glanced at her: "Can't cats walk?"
The black panther cat-man immediately shut up.
Yinye stared at the pile of ash, her face pale.
Chu Sheng reached out and patted her on the head: "Don't scare yourself."
Yinye's lips moved slightly: "But what if..."
"There's no 'what if'," Chu Sheng said. "Trust me."
Amber stood to the side watching them, her eyes filled with envy, kindness, and relief. But she quickly sensed something was amiss and went to the window.
The white figures under the tree all raised their heads at the same time.
Countless eyes opened in the moonlight, all turning to look at the Queen's bedroom.
Ella was the second to make the discovery; her tail suddenly whipped open, and she growled, "Holy shit!"
Chu Sheng glanced at her, wondering where this silly dog learned to swear. It couldn't have been him, could it?
Arthur raised the holy sword, and holy light shone inch by inch along the spine of the blade: "Retreat to the inner chambers."
Without waiting for orders, Audrey's cat-like assassins darted up the beams and broken window frames, taking up all the possible entry points.
The black leopard cat-man crouched at the highest point, looking down outside: "Your Majesty, the quantity is incorrect."
"What's wrong?"
"Those whose legs we broke earlier have all gotten back up."
The white-dressed elves outside slowly parted to make way. At the very front of the procession, an elf stepped forward.
She originally had a face that Chu Sheng had never seen before: blonde hair, a white dress, beautiful features, and an empty expression. But with each step she took forward, the appearance of her face changed slightly.
Her blonde hair turned silver-white, her eyes became light gold, her figure became taller, and her dress fit her body perfectly, creating a familiar curve at the chest.
When she stood below the Queen's bedroom, the face had transformed into Estádio's!
Chu Sheng glanced down at the puddle of mud that Audrey had trampled on, then looked up at the brand-new Estella outside the window, and felt his blood pressure rise instantly.
"Damn, there's a second phase?"
Estella looked up from outside the window, her smile gentle, her voice exactly the same as before: "Mr. Chusheng, your words are still so interesting."
The Holy Sword of Arthur rose slightly: "What exactly are you?"
"You've already asked this question once," Estelle replied softly. "Unfortunately, the answer is meaningless to you."
"It means something to me," Silverleaf suddenly spoke up. "What's your relationship with the Gray Domain?"
Esta's gaze fell on Silverleaf: "Miss Silverleaf, you've been away from home for too long."
Yinye trembled: "How do you know my name?"
"I know the name of every Tree of Life in the Gray Zone," Estelle smiled. "Don't be too surprised."
Estelle continued, "Your grandmother hasn't been feeling well lately. She still likes to hang the dried meat outside the treehouse to dry in the early morning, but now she climbs the ladder very slowly and often has to hold onto the railing to rest for a while."
Yinye trembled uncontrollably, her teeth grinding together.
Chu Sheng reached out and pressed her shoulder, whispering, "Don't be impulsive, she's trying to hook you."
Yinye gritted her teeth: "What did you do to my grandmother?"
"I didn't do anything to her," Estelle replied with a smile. "The Gray Area has always been fine. As long as you all leave it alone, it will continue to be fine."
Audrey said coldly, "That sounds like a threat."
"Your Majesty Audrey, you have only just ascended the throne. You should know better than anyone that knowing too much can bring unnecessary trouble," Estád said, looking at her.
Finally, Esta looked at Ambermind: "Your Majesty, you are free. Congratulations."
Amber stood by the window, her long hair blowing in the night breeze, her back straight.
Esta stretched out a hand, pointing to the dilapidated royal court around her: "But look at what the royal court has become since you were freed?"
She waved her hand, and all the white-clad elves in the royal court moved simultaneously.
Thousands upon thousands of white figures moved forward simultaneously, their silhouettes visible everywhere.
The cat-man hunters suddenly started blowing short whistles, their voices urgent.
The black leopard cat-man turned around, his voice urgent: "Your Majesty, the sisters can't hold them off any longer and are requesting a retreat."
Estelle's voice came again: "Stop wasting your time."
"Going to the Gray Zone is pointless; going to the Empire is pointless; killing me is pointless. What you see before you is merely the outermost layer of my skin."
She stretched out her arms as if embracing the entire forest.
"I am everywhere." She tilted her head slightly. "You may all leave now. I will not chase after you."
Chu Sheng sneered: "It's as unbelievable for a villain to say he won't chase after them as it is for Ella to say she'll only eat one bite of grilled fish."
Ella paused for a moment: "Sometimes I really do only eat one bite."
Yinye glanced at her: "Eat half a piece in one bite."
Ella turned her head away guiltily.
Estelle, though embarrassed, wasn't angry: "You only get one chance. If I lose patience, you'll have no other choice."
Amber suddenly raised her hand and placed it on the window frame. Slender branches sprouted from the wall, one after another, quickly wrapping around the broken window sill. The giant tree outside the palace began to tremble slightly, its bark cracking, and greenery gushing out from the fissures.
Estelle's smile faded: "Your Majesty, how much magic power do you have left?"
Amber ignored her. She turned around and looked at everyone in the palace: "You may leave."
Chu Sheng frowned: "Where to?"
"The Gray Area," Amber said. "If she won't let you go, then the answer must be there."
"And what about you?" Chu Sheng pressed.
Amber looked up out the window, her emerald-gold eyes showing no fear, only a hidden anger.
"I stayed."
Ella panicked: "Why? Let's go together!"
Amber was much taller than Ella, and she reached out and gently touched Ella's head. Ella was stunned, and her tail wagged.
"She wants me," Amber said. "As long as I'm still in the royal court, they won't immediately come after you."
Audrey said in a deep voice, "Ambermind, you can't stop so many people by yourself."
"I didn't intend to stop them all." Amber turned and walked towards the bedroom door, stepping barefoot through the mess on the floor. "Stopping them all tonight is enough."
Arthur stepped forward: "Your Majesty, Imperial Knights have no reason to leave the victims to cover their retreat."
Amber stopped and turned to look at her: "Miss Arthur, I am the Queen of the Elves."
"This is my royal court. My people have disappeared before my eyes. I have been bound for three whole months and have been unable to do anything. Now, at least let me buy you some time."
She looked at Chu Sheng, her gaze softening slightly: "Chu Sheng, take them to the Gray Domain."
Chu Sheng opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Amber turned and slowly walked out of the bedchamber. Outside the door, countless white-clad elves looked up at the same time.
Esta's smile vanished: "Your Majesty, are you sure you want to do this?"
Amber raised her right hand. At that moment, the roots of all the trees in the royal court broke through the ground, their thick roots surging up and separating the Queen's palace from the white crowd outside.
"I'm sure."
She stood on the steps of the palace, her white dress billowing in the night breeze, highlighting her mature and alluring tall figure, yet she did not inspire any evil thoughts.
But she was no longer a locked-up prisoner.
She is Ambermind, the queen of the Sacred Tree Forest.