Magic Farm 182

Chapter 182

Qi Yu was startled as well.

An elf? Well, that explained it.

From the way Sean had treated him, it was clear enough—this world’s natives held elves in the highest esteem.

A race so mysterious and powerful, anything associated with them, let alone true treasures—even ordinary items, like that emerald crystal peach from before—could fetch a high price outside.

He believed he’d gotten the information he needed and was ready to leave.

But Dan Xingyu caught his sleeve and shook his head gently.

He turned to the staff member and said, “Since the main draw this time is an elven treasure, does choosing from the premium resource zone give us any particular advantage?”

The staff member gave a sly grin. “That question will cost extra, sir.”

Ten thousand gold coins had already found their way into its pocket; it could no longer be tempted by mere human offers.

Qi Yu: …This felt all too familiar.

Dan Xingyu, without hesitation, handed over another hundred gold coins.

The staff member beamed. “No, sir, there’s no such advantage. We don’t know where the elves’ treasure will appear, either. The premium resource zone only guarantees that you’ll be sent to a place already known to have relatively abundant resources.”

With that answer, the two of them walked into the passage on the right.

Emerging from the passage, they found themselves in a tranquil forest.

Dan Xingyu deftly pulled two sets of black cloaks from his backpack.

He said, “We were a bit too high-profile back on the square just now. Let’s change our look.”

He threw a cloak over himself, covering every inch from head to toe.

Qi Yu asked, “Do I need one too?”

Dan Xingyu nodded firmly. “That mage’s robe of yours stands out too much. It’ll only attract thieves.”

He thought for a moment. “Better put away your Mage Association badge too.”

Qi Yu obediently took the cloak and put it on. As soon as he wore it, he realized this was no ordinary garment; it seemed inscribed with some alchemical array, able to mask both his presence and his strength.

Mysterious strangers, plus two.

Dan Xingyu glanced at the little mage, then at himself, secretly satisfied.

Wasn’t this, in its own way, a couple’s outfit?

Gazing at the quiet forest ahead, he said, “The good news is, judging by what the staff just told us, those who got advance information don’t have much of an edge either.”

Qi Yu understood.

The alchemy staff had made it clear: even they didn’t know where the elven treasure would appear; it would be placed randomly. Even if outsiders had some inside scoop, once inside the resource zone, everyone started on equal footing.

No shortcuts—everything depended on luck.

And when it came to luck, Dan Xingyu cast a very optimistic glance at the little mage beside him.

With the biological child of the survival game right here at his side, how could he possibly lose?

Besides, he had confidence in himself too—though his luck with opening chests was average at best. But when it came to stumbling into all sorts of adventures, his “Dragon-AoTian” protagonist aura had never once failed him, had it?

He suggested, “Since we’ve just arrived and don’t know the situation, let’s scout ahead a bit.”

“You decide—which way should we go?”

Qi Yu asked, “Just pick a direction?”

“Just pick one,” Dan Xingyu laughed. “We’ve never been anywhere here anyway. At times like this, you just have to trust the lucky one.”

Qi Yu didn’t object. “Then let’s just head straight ahead.”

The two walked side by side.

They had gone less than ten minutes before Qi Yu’s expression grew odd.

He said, “Dan Xingyu, I think we really did pick the right path.”

Dan Xingyu hadn’t noticed anything amiss and asked curiously, “How so?”

Qi Yu affirmed, “There are more wood-elemental particles in the air.”

In truth, compared to before, the change wasn’t dramatic, but as a wood-element mage, Qi Yu’s sensitivity to wood magic was the keenest of all magical elements.

Still, he thought for a moment and said, “It might not be related to elves, but in places where magical elements are dense, even if there isn’t an elven treasure, there should still be some good things.”

The two continued forward.

The journey was far from peaceful.

The reputation of the black resource zone was well earned. Along the way, they encountered a massive green python, spiders whose faces were disturbingly close to human, and flamboyant plants with buds full of densely packed teeth.

“This is absurd,” Dan Xingyu exclaimed in shock. “Wasn’t this supposed to be elf-related? Shouldn’t elves live somewhere like a fairy-tale paradise? Why are there so many freakish things here?”

Qi Yu’s expression wasn’t good either.

These bizarre spiders and toothy plants inevitably reminded him of some unpleasant things.

Yet after trekking for more than an hour, even Dan Xingyu no longer doubted that there was something valuable ahead—by now, the wood element in the air was so thick that even a martial artist like him couldn’t ignore it.

From Qi Yu’s perspective, magical elements danced everywhere. Dan Xingyu couldn’t see as many, but his body didn’t lie: the environment had become so comfortable that every breath invigorated him, fatigue vanishing instantly.

Visually, every tree, every blade of grass he saw—he couldn’t quite say what was different, but he could feel it. They all seemed especially vibrant, brimming with a certain vitality.

It was much like the little mage’s territory, though the feeling was somehow different.

If even Dan Xingyu could sense it, how much more so for Qi Yu?

The discomfort from seeing those strange things earlier vanished completely. In fact, his mood was so good he almost wanted to just sit down and meditate right there.

They pressed on.

Dan Xingyu turned to the side. “What is it?”

Qi Yu leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

Dan Xingyu’s expression didn’t change; he smiled and said, “Then it’s settled—when we get out, you owe me several big meals.”

Qi Yu: “Mm.”

They continued forward, and Qi Yu picked a stalk of grass, telling Dan Xingyu it was ghost grass over a hundred years old, useful for brewing magical potions.

As he explained, he was crouched down, picking the grass as he spoke, while Dan Xingyu stood behind him, relaxed, as if listening intently.

It was at that moment—

Whoosh—

Two red-feathered arrows shot from behind them, one aimed at Dan Xingyu, the other at Qi Yu, both targeting vital points.

The two, who had just been chatting idly, reacted instantly. One drew a black sword and knocked both arrows aside.

The other already had a silver bow in hand.

Qi Yu’s eyes flashed with a faint silver light. In a heartbeat, he drew and loosed two arrows—faster than their attackers—sending two streaks of light shooting into the woods in opposite directions.

A muffled grunt rang out.

Qi Yu said, “No one left. Let’s go take a look.”

He had sensed someone nearby with his spiritual power, still at a distance. Normally, he wouldn’t have bothered them.

But soon enough, he realized the other side had noticed them.

And, apparently, they harbored hostile intentions.

The two of them had put on a little act, waiting for the attackers to strike when they seemed off guard. In truth, they were waiting for just that moment.

The would-be ambushers, thinking their sneak attack had succeeded, were at their most complacent—and thus, at their most vulnerable.

Dan Xingyu followed behind Qi Yu. A hundred meters ahead, under two trees, two figures lay sprawled, one left, one right.

Each of the two attackers bore a red mark at the throat—the spot where the star arrows had pierced. The arrows had flown so fast that only a bloody hole remained, not even enough time for blood to flow.

Clearly, both martial artists had been killed in an instant; one hadn’t even had time to react.

Qi Yu walked over calmly, confirmed they were dead, and began searching their bodies with his spiritual power.

Each had a storage pouch. Aside from that, the bows in their hands were their most valuable possessions.

He stripped the items off with practiced ease, glanced over them—both men were equally poor—and handed one set to Dan Xingyu at random.

“Half for you.”

Dan Xingyu: “…”

He was stunned by how smoothly Qi Yu went through the motions, dazed as he accepted the loot, before finally snapping out of it.

“Wait… you…” He nearly bit his tongue. “How are you so good at this?!”

It wasn’t that he thought the two attackers didn’t deserve to die, nor that there was anything wrong with looting the dead.

It was just that, in his eyes, the little mage had always been that silly, adorable, sweet-talking little sweetheart.

But now—turns out his little sweetheart was a real killer, looting bodies without batting an eye, and clearly no stranger to it.

Hiss.

Even more attractive.

Qi Yu saw his reaction and understood what he was thinking.

He remembered, back during his own novice survival trial, what Blue Star people were like.

They lived peaceful, happy lives, death a distant thing. Killing was rare and serious in their world.

He could recall that when he first entered the survival game, many people didn’t even dare kill mutated creatures.

Not long ago, when “My Fate Is Mine” went on a rampage in the regional channel, many still viewed him through a strange Blue Star filter, assuming he was soft, incapable of killing.

Even the friends in the 01 Survival Squad thought so.

He figured Dan Xingyu might well have the same misconception.

And perhaps Blue Star people preferred that kind of person.

If necessary, he could pretend.

But instead, he simply pulled down his hood, looked calmly at Dan Xingyu, and said, “Because I’ve done things like this many times before.”

He watched Dan Xingyu closely. “Are you afraid of me? Dan Xingyu?”

If Dan Xingyu was afraid, he thought with a touch of sadness, then perhaps they shouldn’t team up anymore.

Because Dan Xingyu might well be frightened by him often.

“Ah… not at all!” Dan Xingyu quickly denied it, murmuring, “I’m just surprised—how can one person have such a huge contrast inside?”

“Very cool!” He gave Qi Yu a big thumbs-up.

The faint anxiety in Qi Yu’s heart quietly faded, and he felt a sudden, inexplicable happiness.

But in contrast, Dan Xingyu seemed weighed down, his low spirits visible to the naked eye.

Even the ever-thickening wood element in the forest failed to lift his mood.

Qi Yu suspected he was lying about not being afraid.

He stopped. “Dan Xingyu, if you’re not comfortable with how I am, you must tell me directly.”

He said seriously, “Sometimes I don’t pick up on your feelings right away, but as friends, I hope we can be honest with each other.”

“If you can’t accept some of my actions, that’s perfectly normal. The resource zone is huge—we can always explore separately.”

Dan Xingyu realized he’d been misunderstood.

He hurried to explain, “Really, it’s not that. I genuinely think you look cool when you loot with a straight face!”

“Then why aren’t you happy?” Qi Yu asked, puzzled.

I’m just a little sad, Dan Xingyu thought. He remembered how, at first, he’d thought Qi Yu was just a down-on-his-luck kid from Blue Star.

Looking back, if only that were true.

He’s so young, and yet he can face assassination attempts without flinching, counterattack in an instant, and say, utterly calm, “I’ve done things like this many times.”

“I just feel sorry for you, Qi Yu,” he sighed softly. “You’re only a year older than me, but from what I’ve heard of your past, it sounds so hard.”

So that was it.

Qi Yu’s heart brightened at once.

He said cheerfully, “My past really wasn’t great. But that’s all behind me. Now, I live better than most people in the survival game.”

He seemed entirely content, his smile free of any bitterness or strain.

No wonder, since they’d met, the little mage would occasionally say, “I love the survival game.”

He’d even said he hoped to spend his whole life here.

“You seem to have let it go,” Dan Xingyu tried to keep his tone light, “but that doesn’t mean I can’t feel sorry for your past.”

Qi Yu was unafraid of facing malice—he’d even faced death before. He thought he’d long since lost all fear.

Yet this one sentence from a good friend, for some reason, made his heart tremble.

“It feels a bit uncomfortable,” he said softly.

Dan Xingyu was startled. “What’s wrong? You weren’t hurt just now, were you?”

Could those two have left behind some kind of mental attack?

Qi Yu shook his head and analyzed seriously, “I’m not hurt. I just feel a little sour in my heart. I think… this must be what they call being moved.”

Dan Xingyu: “…”

That really did make him laugh.

His heart felt sour, astringent, and amused all at once—such a complicated feeling.

“You know, my lord,” he said, laughing and sighing, “even that money-grubbing alchemy automaton at the entrance seems smarter than you right now.”

Qi Yu’s response was to turn away and say, “Let’s go. We only have twenty-four hours.”

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a pillar of green light shot skyward right in front of them.

A vast energy radiated outward; the two of them watched as the surrounding forest underwent a wild transformation, leaves and vines spreading madly, nearly blocking the road ahead.

Qi Yu absorbed the surge of wood element and vitality, feeling his own magical power rise sharply.

The pillar of light was directly ahead—clearly, Qi Yu’s “random choice” of direction had been correct.

They exchanged a glance—no hesitation. “Go!”

They’d known there was an elven treasure to be found, and now, with such pure power appearing out of nowhere, what else could it be but the legendary elven treasure?

At the same time, bursts of energy erupted all over the black resource zone; clearly, everyone had realized what was happening and was racing toward the green pillar.

Qi Yu and Dan Xingyu were lucky—they were close. In less than half an hour, they reached the source of the light.

A tree.

Such a vast, unending radiance was being emitted by a single tree.

Qi Yu felt an irresistible urge to approach. He didn’t know why, but the moment he saw the tree, a wave of inexpressible intimacy surged through him.

Dan Xingyu grabbed his arm. “Steady.”

He looked around—they weren’t the first to arrive.

Around the tree, several small groups had already gathered.

But no one seemed sure what was happening, so for now, no one dared make a move.

Someone noticed Qi Yu’s movement and sneered, “It’s useless. You can’t get within a meter of that light pillar.”

Otherwise, why would they all be standing here?

Everyone knew there was a treasure—first come, first served.

Another half hour passed, and more groups arrived. Qi Yu watched as people tried to approach, but as that earlier person had said, the pillar seemed to repel anyone who got close.

Someone grew impatient. “So what is this thing, anyway? Does anyone recognize it? Are we just supposed to wait here? We only get twenty-four hours per card—what if this thing stays here the whole time and never lets us near?”

A figure cloaked just as tightly as they were laughed and said, “If you don’t want to wait, friend, you’re free to leave. There’s plenty of wood element here—surely you’ll find some treasures nearby.”

The complainer snorted but didn’t budge an inch.

Qi Yu glanced around. Including himself and Dan Xingyu, there were forty-nine people here.

Suddenly, a whooshing sound—an ashen-clad, short figure landed nimbly not far away.

As soon as this person arrived, the pillar of light vanished abruptly. The tree that had felt so dear to Qi Yu dissolved in a cascade of green light, disappearing completely.

Where the tree had stood, there remained only an ancient well-like opening, its surface shimmering with a faint glow—a barrier, clearly.

Something inside the “well” was calling to him.

Qi Yu felt his magic, his very blood, stirring within him, yearning to respond.

He grabbed Dan Xingyu’s hand. “Come on!”

Dan Xingyu wanted to say, shouldn’t we wait and see? But the little mage had already seemed off just now. Had he sensed something?

He let himself be pulled along, and together, they jumped in.

From the moment the mysterious well appeared to when they jumped in, only a few seconds had passed.

The others were still observing the sudden appearance of the well. But seeing someone take the lead, afraid the treasure would be snatched, they all rushed in after, like dumplings dropping into a pot.

Qi Yu landed with a soft “thud” on a cushion of grass.

It was less a fall than a gentle descent—the earth received him tenderly.

He opened his eyes wide at the scene before him.

He’d expected some kind of underground ruin beneath the well.

But instead, above him was a bright sky, clouds drifting, wind blowing, sunlight warm on his skin, and lush grass beneath his feet.

It’s fake, he thought calmly, probing with his mental power for any flaws.

But he found nothing.

A voice sounded nearby. “You’re here.”

Qi Yu turned warily. He saw an elf.

Golden hair, just like Teacher Egnoir’s, braided prettily, a crown of woven plants nestled among the strands.

Pointed ears, but unlike Teacher Egnoir, he looked far less stern, his face gentle and smiling. “Ah, welcome, my little guest.”

Qi Yu had always had a good impression of elves.

He asked, “Hello, may I ask where this is? I came in with my friend, but he’s not here.”

The strange elf smiled and said, “The others have their own places to go. Here, only you may enter.”

Why?

Qi Yu asked, “Is it because I’m from the Forest of Stars? Or because I have an elf teacher?”

The stranger only smiled, not answering.

He seemed to want to take Qi Yu’s hand, but glancing at their height difference, sighed with some regret.

“Come with me.”

Qi Yu followed him to a tree.

Qi Yu’s eyes lit up.

It was the same tree that had become the ancient well!

Now it didn’t look so large—about the size of the war ancient tree in his territory.

He could barely restrain himself from stepping closer, his instincts urging him toward it.

This time, with no Dan Xingyu to hold him back, and the stranger encouraging him, “Go on, answer its call.”

Qi Yu walked forward, step by step, and slowly reached out, gently touching the tree’s trunk.

A gentle power flowed into him through his fingertips.

Suddenly, he felt overwhelmingly sleepy. His whole body slid down the trunk, settling at its base, and he yawned drowsily.

Then he curled up, utterly defenseless, and closed his eyes.

He didn’t see the youthful-looking elf watching him, a smile of genuine affection blooming on his face.

Radiant light poured from the tree, swirling around Qi Yu, forming a giant, glowing green cocoon that enveloped him completely.

.

Unlike Qi Yu, when Dan Xingyu jumped down, he landed hard on the ground.

Luckily, the ground was thick with fallen leaves, and as a martial artist, he wasn’t hurt—barely felt any pain at all.

He scrambled to his feet and looked around.

It seemed to be a dim forest of giant trees. Every tree he could see was at least five or six people in circumference, their canopies so wide they blotted out the sky.

Dan Xingyu suspected the darkness wasn’t due to a lack of sunlight, but rather that sunlight simply couldn’t pierce the dense leaves.

The little mage was nowhere in sight.

Nor were the other forty-eight people who had come with them.

Could it be that this so-called elven treasure was a secret realm that only allowed solo challengers?

As he was thinking this, a figure suddenly appeared before him.

It really was sudden—no footsteps, no sense of any presence.

An elf, bow and quiver on his back, dressed in dark green close-fitting robes, stared at him coldly.

“Human, did you come here on a mission?”

Dan Xingyu considered, then nodded. “Yes.”

He instinctively sized up the elf before him, unable to help but compare: not as good-looking as the little mage’s elf form.

The elven archer said coldly, “If that’s so, head north and kill fifty evil spiders. Then come back to me for your reward.”

Dan Xingyu: ?

This sounded just like some random NPC quest in an online game. Would such a quest really yield any treasure?

He asked curiously, “Are everyone’s quests the same, or are they random?”

But this elf was not only issuing quests like an NPC—he acted like one, too. Having said his lines, he fell silent, ignoring Dan Xingyu completely.

Dan Xingyu had no choice but to accept the quest and head north.

He couldn’t help worrying about Qi Yu: he wondered how the little mage was doing.

On the bright side, since he lived in the Forest of Stars and had an elf teacher, he probably wouldn’t get a tough quest, right?