Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter

Chapter 136: Spring Comes Upon A Withered Tree (III)

---

When Ivan woke up, he saw two little babies through his blurry vision, but they disappeared in the blink of an eye.

“You’re awake,” a gentle voice said. Ivan turned to the side for its source, and he saw a figure illuminated against the backdrop of the sunset.The figure was bent over, long hair gently swaying at his side. There was a small smile on his handsome face.

Ivan looked at him intently and said nothing.

Shang Ke squatted down. “I dealt with all your injuries, but you’re seriously injured and need a good rest.”

“Thank you,” Ivan spoke hoarsely. His eyes never strayed away from him.

Shang Ke said, “My name is Shang Ke. How about you?”

“Ivan.”

“Ivan, who are you? How did you get hurt?” Shang Ke began the necessary interrogation.

“I’m an alchemist. I got hurt because a traitor placed a bounty on my head for making oxygen spirit beads.” Ivan concealed nothing and spoke truthfully. On this continent, any race could become slaves of the specters, but not the elves.

“What’s an oxygen spirit bead?”

“A high-powered oxygen storage device that can reduce the fighting capacity of the specters and weaken them.”

Shang Ke remembered that the specters were a race that despised oxygen. Three-fifths of their bodies were made of metal, so a high concentration of oxygen would make them oxidate, slowing their reactions.

However, ordinary oxygen concentration levels had little effect on them, otherwise they wouldn’t dare approach the elves’ home.

“Can you show me the oxygen spirit bead you created?” This kind of thing that could threaten the specters greatly interested Shang Ke.

“I’m sorry, I don’t have any on me right now. I’ll show it to you when I get better.” Ivan felt around and found that all his belongings were in the same place, showing no sign of being rummaged through.

“Well, I’ll mentally note that down. Are you hungry?” Shang Ke pointed to a stone table nearby. “There are fruits over there. You’re welcome to eat them.”

“Thank you.” Ivan watched Shang Ke leave before turning his attention to the fruits.

He sat up with difficulty, before moving closer to the edge of the stone table and casually picking up a fruit to place in his mouth. He took a bite, and immediately, a fruity flavor overwhelmed his senses. The sweet juice slid down his throat, bringing an indescribable feeling of warmth and easing the pain in his body.

Ivan looked at the fruit in amazement. Its shape was no different from ordinary fruits, but the taste and quality were very different. Ivan raised his head and looked at the lush fruit trees not far away. The fruits on the branches were like pearls—round, smooth and full.

White fragrant fruits, red wild berries, purple grapes, green vegetables, as well as the vines and flowers swaying in the breeze—they all formed an isolated haven. He remembered that a month ago, this place was only a wild forest full of overgrown weeds. But after the elf cleaned it up, it became beautiful, abundant, and rich in life.

A gust of wind swept by, blowing petals through the air and rippling the still water in the lake. Ivan looked at the beautiful scenery and felt as if his heart had been baptized. Suddenly, all of his previous troubles vanished into thin air, leaving only peace.

“Keke, are we going to shelter that human?” Bubbles drew close and asked.

“Mmm.” Shang Ke leaned against the window with Gray, looking at the solitary man under the dim light of the night.

“He looks very scary.” Bubbles used his fingers to stretch his eyes, making a fierce expression.

“Yes, it is very scary.” When Shang Ke treated his injuries earlier, he took off the leather mask on his face. As a result, he saw the man’s half-disfigured face. The left side seemed to be occupied by dozens of small black snakes entangled and twisted together, looking very horrible.

“So let’s not shelter him, okay?” Bubbles also squeezed into Shang Ke’s arms, voice full of expectation.

“Don’t worry. Let’s observe for a few days. If he’s a good man, we’ll keep him. Otherwise, how about we drive him out again?” Shang Ke touched his little head and suggested, “You all supervise him. If he dares make any of you unhappy, I’ll help out.”

“Deal!” Bubble promised loudly.

Gray also cleverly nodded his head.

The next day, Ivan found himself with two little tails and four green eyes staring at him.

“This is… ” Ivan, sandwiched between the two elves on both sides, looked stiffly at Shang Ke.

“My children, Bubbles and Gray,” Shang Ke replied with a smile.

Where did these kids come from? Clearly, they hadn’t been there a month ago!

Ivan’s heart was in turmoil, and he scrutinized Shang Ke.

He was actually already married?

A burst of cruelty streaked across Ivan’s eyes before quickly dimming. His whole person suddenly became lifeless.

Shang Ke detected the change in his mood and was not surprised. Was the man’s new skill in this world to transform his scummy aura into a lifeless aura?

If he wasn’t sure himself, he would have nearly thought something strange possessed this man. When he rescued him, he recognized the man’s identity. It was his scumbag man with a charming mole on his palm.

However, in addition to his domineering manner, this was the first time he’d seen such a beautiful and sad temperament in his man.

“These children are lovely, and your wife… must be beautiful,” Ivan said expressionlessly.

This had to be the most insincere praise Shang Ke ever heard. Ivan seemed to have misunderstood something, but Shang Ke would not explain for the time being. After all, they had only just met. His knowledge of this man was limited to a few words.

Ivan’s recovery rate far exceeded Shang Ke’s expectations, and he was almost fully recovered in four or five days. In truth, it wasn’t Ivan who was recovering fast, but the environment and food that provided the best remedy to his condition. It was possible that Shang Ke himself didn’t realize what a remarkable natural talent he had.

Ivan never thought that this elf would accept his strange self without any hesitation. He found himself unconsciously integrating into their lives.

When Shang Ke taught the little elves to practice basic magic, he watched beside him. When Shang Ke took them to pick fruit, he watched beside them. When Shang Ke was knitting clothes for them, he was still watching. When Shang Ke went out, he handled the little elves’ safety. Gradually, the two elves stopped keeping their distance and supervising him, and they began to climb and roll across him without scruple.

Although Ivan didn’t have a good impression of the two elves born of Shang Ke and “another woman”, the two elves didn’t feel rejected at all. In but a few days, they became like a family with the man they once called “fierce.”

What happened to the agreed supervision? Shang Ke said nothing to the two unruly little guys.

After Ivan’s injury healed, he began to leave early and return late, occasionally going missing for a day or two. Nevertheless, his whereabouts couldn’t be concealed from Shang Ke, who was the spirit of Teldrassil. All the trees in the forest were his eyes, but searching required spiritual power, and Shang Ke rarely used it unless necessary.

Seven days later, Ivan came back from the deep forest and said to Shang Ke, “Didn’t you want to see the oxygen spirit bead?”

Shang Ke nodded.

“I’ve collected the materials for creating it. I’ll refine them for you now.” Ivan had no problem displaying the materials one by one to him.

It turned out that he went out these days to collect materials? Shang Ke looked at the variety of stuff laid out in front of him, most of which were rare materials. Ivan most likely spent a lot of time and effort to find them.

Shang Ke sat in a row with the two elves and watched him quietly refine the oxygen spirit bead.

Ivan’s palm suddenly burst into a golden flame, and the two elves dove into Shang Ke’s arms. Even Shang Ke felt a little uncomfortable under the hot temperature. He hurriedly cast a water mist magic to wrap around him and the elves.

Ivan noticed this and subconsciously distanced himself, making sure not to frighten them. He began to use a wonderful technique to smelt the materials skillfully.

After a few minutes, the materials gradually solidified into two golden beads under the astonished gazes of the three elves. Several dark lines weaved across the surface of the beads, giving off an aura the elves liked.

Ivan handed the beads to Shang Ke. “For you all.”

“Thank you.” Shang Ke curiously inspected the two oxygen spirit beads. It was hard to imagine that these tiny beads contained rich oxygen.

Ivan warned him, “There’s a sealing spell on the surface of the oxygen spirit bead. I’ll tell you what it is, but don’t open it casually, lest you hurt yourself.”

Shang Ke nodded in understanding.

Ivan gave him a deep look and declared, “I have to go. It will probably take a while before I can come back to see you.”

“Mnm, be careful.” Shang Ke smiled at him.

Ivan carved this smile into his heart, and then he reluctantly left the beautiful haven.

He wanted to stay with Shang Ke very much, but he didn’t want to destroy their quiet and peaceful life. In the future, if he were to ever be tired or injured, this would be his dwelling place.

Although he knew that they would meet again in the future, Ivan’s departure still left Shang Ke a little lost.

“Keke, that human is actually pretty good,” Bubbles evaluated while playing with the oxygen spirit beads.

Gray nodded silently.

“Keke, if he comes back later, let’s keep him.”

“Alright.”

A month after Ivan left, another elf was born. However, this elf drove Shang Ke all over the place in an effort to help her. She was born with fire poison in her blood, so rosy red spots dotted her entire skin. She often had headaches and ran fevers, and she couldn’t sleep at night.

In order to cure her fire poison, Shang Ke went deep into the forest every day to look for spirit grass.

It was a pity that all he could do was relieve her pain. The only thing that could cure her was the fountain of life. But where was the phantom jade that sealed off the fountain of life? Before, he asked Ivan about it, but he only knew that it was in the hands of a member of the specters’ royal family. He wasn’t sure which member.

Shang Ke began to consider the viability of living in seclusion. The advantage was that it could protect the elves to the greatest extent, while the disadvantage was that information was blocked, so he couldn’t grasp the current situation.

After thinking for a few days, Shang Ke decided to gradually come into contact with the nearby War Camp while keeping a low profile as much as possible. He would prioritize listening for intelligence, supplemented by material transactions. The identity of the pure blood elves also couldn’t be exposed, otherwise they would be hunted down by the specters at all costs.

---

Previous Chapter ◊ Table of Content ◊ Next Chapter