Game of the World Tree
chapter-286

Upon witnessing the players’ actions and listening to their explanations, a burst of commotion swept through the rescued elves and half-elves.

“Lady Selena…”

Many turned their gaze towards Selena, with a subtle expectation that she would take on the role of decision-maker for their group.

The golden-haired elf, however, found herself bewildered by the players’ behavior. Yet, after observing the other parties’ earnest expressions and the weapons they freely handed to them, Selena suddenly felt something stirred within her heart.

Soon, she became contemplative once again…

Her eyes flickered for a few times, and then she cautiously reached for the weapon. Her eyes briefly lingered on it for a moment before a determined expression firmly etched upon her face.

She then turned to her fellow companions and declared:

“Let’s listen to them for now and escape to the Elven Forest together.”

“Lady Selena!”

Some elves showed a touch of uncertainty as they cast glances toward the players, still harboring suspicion and scrutiny, as if eager to voice their objections.

However, Selena firmly raised her hand to stop them.

“What…is worse than being reduced to a mere commodity?”

The Oakhand leader chuckled in self-deprecation.

“Furthermore…”

Selena shifted her focus, looking at the sword in her hand.

“They willingly handed over their weapons to us. Regardless of their real intentions and identity, at least for this moment, we both stand on the same front…”

“Our enemy’s enemy can tentatively become an ally, or at the very least… escaping our pursuers should be our shared objective for now.”

After listening to her words, although some elves still harbored some hesitation, they eventually accepted the weapons being given and stood alongside the players.

Seeing the elves finally listening to them, the players breathed a sigh of relief.

Anyhow, regardless of whether these elves believed them or not, once they listened to their instructions and witnessed their oncoming reinforcements, these NPCs would surely recognize them as genuine allies!

After the rescued elves gained their freedom and put down their guard to temporarily stand with the players, the latter could finally act upon their own discretion more freely.

“Let’s split up. Some of us will lead the NPCs back to the Elf Forest, while others should hop in the carriages, and move to a different route to throw off anyone chasing us. Leave behind some agile runners and tough tanks as rearguards!”

Boxlunch ordered in a concise and commanding tone.

This was probably the longest sentence he had uttered in a while.

“The First Legion will stay behind as the rear guard!”

Tomato suddenly spoke up.

This brought quite a few surprised looks.

“Don’t look at me like that. I might be a bit greedy, but I still have a sense of the bigger picture.”

Tomato grumbled.

After that, he sighed, “I figured it out already that this game is different from others and that it’s primary focus is PvE instead of PvP at its main content. Since that’s the case, I’m not opposed to cooperation.”

“Playing games is about enjoyment and fun after all, and doing PvE… can be quite interesting at times.”

“Moreover…”

Tomato released his aura.

With him being level 33, he could effortlessly outmatch everyone there in strength, except for Boxlunch.

“In terms of battle and endurance, who can match First Legion, which engages in field battles every day?”

He squinted whilst smiling arrogantly.

However, despite his arrogant demeanor, Tomato always had a somewhat gloomy expression, making him not appear entirely trustworthy, even when smiling…

Other members of the First Legion also laughed heartily, similarly displaying their domineering strengths.

“Hmph, we’ll be the bait. Leave the carriages protection to us and we will lure them away to another route!”

A high-ranking guild member of Heart of Nature made a decision without backing down.

Seeing two of the major guilds had made their own choices, Little Salty Cat and HootyBird didn’t say much.

Instead, Salty Cat hesitated for a moment and said:

“Then, we, Moe Moe Committee will go back with the NPCs.”

Afterward, her gaze swept over the players from other guilds, as a serious and earnest expression etched across her face.

“You…take your time, you foolish veterans. Don’t die too early.”

Players from Heart of Nature and First Legion: “…”

“Huh, and here I thought Ladyboss Salty Cat was going to say ‘take care’ and worry about us.”

“Hahaha!”

Having temporarily gained the trust of the rescued elves, the players’ atmosphere took on a more laid-back vibe as each of them engaged in a casual banter while organizing tasks and assigning personnel into smaller groups.

Meanwhile, this was all seen by the elves and the players carefree attitude despite facing insurmountable foes, gave the natives a strange, inexplicable feeling they could not fathom.

“Then, we shall also…”

Selena hesitated for a moment, preparing to say something, but was interrupted by the unanimous voices of the members of the three guilds:

“Don’t worry about anything, just run far ahead.”

Selena: “…”

She opened her mouth to say something, but the players had already begun to act one after another.

“Let’s go! You guys should understand everything once we reach the Elven Forest. Let’s just leave our pursuers to them.”

Out of nowhere, Little Salty Cat patted the Oakhand leader’s shoulder before winking at her guild members from Moe Moe Committee.

The players from Salty Cat’s guild then gathered around the elves and gestured for them to head towards the Elven Forest.

“They…”

Selena turned her head with a puzzled expression, whilst looking at Tomato and the others standing still, as well as the players from Heart of Nature who were already driving the carriages in another direction.

“Don’t worry about them. They will fulfill their purpose just as long as you guys can escape successfully.” Calabash whose standing on the side, chimed in.

Since Little Salty Cat had roped Boxlunch into Moe Moe Committee, it’s only natural that Calabash and the rest of Boxlunch’s team have also joined as well, following their leader.

Selena: “…”

So, under the leadership of the Moe Moe Committee, these rescued elves and half-elves began their journey towards the Elven Forest, feeling confused and bewildered.

After abandoning their heavy carriage and applying various acceleration magics such as [Light Body Technique], the pace of the players and elves was much faster compared to how it was at the beginning…

In this manner, over a hundred rescued elves and half-elves, while being accompanied by more than twenty players as their guards, sprinted through the densely wild forests without ever looking back…

They ran without stopping and as they progressed far ahead into their path, the hearts of the rescued elves became increasingly more and more confused.

“…I-Is this really the route to the Elven Forest?”

Seeing the increasingly familiar path in front of them, the faces of some of the older elves began to display looks of excitement.

Even Selena’s eyes sparkled with a bright luster akin to a child that had rediscovered a deep connection with her homeland after being away for a long time.

Although the Elven Forest still faces threats from its enemies, such as the half-orcs, at the very least…it remains the same, good old Elven Forest, which is far better than being caged within the murky dungeons of a Slavers’ Den!

Moreover, if everything these peculiar folks said was true…

—Faintly, a sublime sense of anticipation surged within Selena’s heart.

Could it be…the Divine Matriarch has truly revived?

Could it be… they truly are the heroes summoned by their Goddess?

The Elven Forest… could it really be restored to its former glory?

For a moment, Selena felt her heart, which hadn’t experienced intense fluctuations for many years, suddenly pounding with expectations.

Of course… it couldn’t be ruled out that it was just the result of them running too fast.

However, in contrast to the rescued elves, who were slowly growing more excited, the Moe Moe Committee players moving alongside them instead began to wear increasingly grave expressions.

After a moment, Little Salty Cat who was positioned at the forefront, abruptly came to a stop. This was then promptly mirrored by other players, who halted as well as serious expressions adorned their faces while they drew their respective weapons.

“W-What’s going on?”

Watching these strange folks suddenly stopping, Selena’s heart skipped a beat and a vigilant expression crossed her face.

“Uh… get ready for a battle.”

Little Salty Cat tapped the ground with her devil’s staff with some annoyance.

“The people in the rear who were acting as our bait were all wiped out…”

She then looked at Selena with a puzzled and sullen expression:

“Who are you really? Do these humans really care greatly so much about this whole Oakhand group you belong to, to the extent of even sending over a dozen Silver-rank experts after you guys?”

Selena: “…!?”

“I-If we were truly valued that much, then you wouldn’t have successfully exchanged us in the first place. In their eyes, we’re just commodities to be sold for gold coins.”

The Oakhand leader shook her head, then looked at Little Salty Cat with a strange expression:

“Should I say…I think it’s more of what you guys did in Maple Leaf City.”

“We?”

Little Salty Cat blinked, then suddenly felt a bit guilty.

“Oh….it wouldn’t be about the goods we illicitly acquired, right…Was it really…that serious?”

“illicity acquired…?”

Selena mumbled strangely, but soon, she noticed another sentence the other party said.

“Wait a minute…”

“You said… the people we left behind were all wiped out? Are you telling me they all… died in battle?”

Her expression changed slightly.

“Yeah.”

Little Salty Cat nodded with an unexpectedly calm tone, which surprised Selena a lot.

Why are they so calm in the face of death?

The petite girl’s sheer nonchalance about such grave matters confused the older blond elf to no end.

Then, she saw the this little lady and the others exchange brief glances, before walking behind them and pulling out their weapons.

“You guys should keep running. Spread out and head towards the Elven Forest. Soon, some of my colleagues will meet you ahead.”

For a moment, the gaze of the rescued elves became more complicated.

Selena remained silent for a moment and said:

“But… what about your group? Are you also… going to fight to the death?”

“Of course, our task this time was originally to save you guys anyway.”

Someone at the crowd of players said naturally.

The elves fell silent.

To the players’ surprise, this time the rescued elves did not take any further action. Instead, they also all drew their given weapons and stood amongst the players.

“Although we don’t know your true identity, at least for now, we are still allies.”

“We Elves…shall never abandon our allies!”

The natives said firmly.

Seeing them behaving like this, the group of players didn’t know whether to either laugh or cry.

“Damn, this is not the time for emotional scenes!”

“Just hurry up and run! It’ll be our win if you guys successfully escaped!”

“Yeah! We’re not afraid of death at all.”

However, the elves persistently shook their heads.

“We are not afraid of death either!”

The players: “…”

“God I swear, it’s really a miracle that the elves in this game have survive for thousands of years…”

Calabash muttered with a exasperated expression.

At this moment, Boxlunch suddenly spoke:

“They’re here.”

Serious lines etched across his face, revealing the gravity of the situation.

As soon as he finished speaking, the players sensed several powerful auras quickly approaching their location from the northeast…

Their opponents’ speed was exceptional, and players soon discerned multiple figures emerging within their field of vision.

There were seven humans, some dressed as mercenaries, while others as wandering mages, and some even sported attire similar to what thieves would wear.

There weren’t many of them, but the aura they were exuding was extremely powerful.

These were without a doubt…the seven Silver-rank experts they sensed before!

“S-Silver! Seven Silver-rank Experts!”

Seeing their approaching enemies, Selena’s pupils slightly contracted.

Despite their side having the numerical advantage, their overall strength still pales in comparison, as their strength merely ranges from low to high Iron-rank.

Facing seven fully equipped Silver-rank experts, the elves and players were no match at all.

For a moment, the players displayed resolute expressions as members of Moe Moe Committee suddenly stood forward.

Led by Little Salty Cat, they positioned themselves in front of the elves and half-elves, then spoke unanimously and earnestly:

“You guys run! We’ll stop them at all cost!”

“Your lives are the most precious, as you are the future of the elven race. We definitely cannot afford to lose you guys!”

“Yes, you must live on! The rise of the elven race still needs your efforts!”

“We came for you. It’s worth it even if we have to sacrifice our lives!”

“Yes, this time… even if we have to fight to the death, we’ll definitely protect your back!”

“Go for it! You can do it Aolìgěi!” ¹

Perhaps seeing the enemies, the players became more and more excited, as their words also became more and more earnest.

They donned solemn expressions, standing as warriors with unwavering determination in the face of impending doom.

For a moment, the gaze of the rescued elves towards them became more conflicted…

At this time, the leader among the seven human experts lightly sneered.

“Run?”

He was a silver-ranked warrior dressed as a mercenary, and on his chest was a symbol familiar to players—the black hawk emblem of the Sauron Trade Company.

He waved his longsword, the tip of which was faintly stained with blood, and his voice carried a trace of coldness:

“You… none of you should think about running away.”

However, just as he finished speaking, a loud dragon roar suddenly echoed in the sky as a gigantic dragon with wings spanning dozens of meters suddenly appeared in the sight of the human experts.

With a fierce looking skull, glossy black scales, sharp claws and majestic bat-like wings…

This was a black dragon!

It was Meryer.

Riding upon the black dragon’s back, Alice, Li Mu, and Demacia, tightly gripped Meryer’s scales, as they desperately struggled to maintain their sitting positions.

Observing the players below who were loudly speaking in a righteous manner, Demacia couldn’t help but wryly sigh.

“Well damn, these punks really are experts at gaining favorability…they’ve already long realized we’ve arrived yet they’re still pretending to be all cool like that…”

“Well, I goota say, their performance are much better than when I rescued the Rageblaze Clan back then. She may look quite innocent and but Salty Cat sure is quite scheming girl as well! Ah well…a woman’s heart is as deep as the sea! Can’t argue with that!”

But just as he finished speaking, he received a roar from Meryer below him:

“Shut your stinking mouth!”

Demacia: “…”

“Dammit! Meryer, why is my favorability with you dropped down again?”

Demacia’s face turned green.

Li Mu: “…”

Alice: “…”

¹ 奥利给 – This term is the anagram of the Chinese phrase “Aolìgěi” (pronounced the same as “给力噢,” meaning “awesome, cool”). This term often appears at the end of a sentence as an exclamation to praise other people or cheer them or oneself up.

— 286 —

【 DAMMIT! WHY IS MY FAVORABILITY DROPPED DOWN AGAIN? 】

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