A few days later, on the hilly outskirts of Cartier.

The bright sunshine was illuminating the land.

Birds were fluttering overhead, the green paths on the ground were swaying, and herds of peculiar creatures with wings but unable to fly, and four hooves, were running across the fields.

Having left the shadowed area of the Giant Tree's canopy, the whole world seemed to brighten up all at once.

The surroundings were expansive, with none of the crowded feel of downtown Cartier.

Hmm... actually, there's still a bit of it. For example, when you stand on a hilltop gazing far towards Cartier. You'll see the enormous Giant Tree blocking out the sky, and see the dense constructions built around its roots. All of a sudden, that oppressive feeling returns.

On the hills was a long cobblestone path.

A carriage drawn by a unicorn slowly passed by, the Elf carriage driver sitting at the front holding the reins.

Because unicorns are very intelligent, much stronger than horses, he didn't need anything like a whip.

The carriage window was open, and Qili leaned out to gaze far in the direction of the Giant Tree, taking a deep breath of fresh air, then turned back to speak to Angel, who was sitting in the carriage: "This is my fifth time seeing the Giant Tree from this distance. Actually, I think this is the best view of the Giant Tree."

"The fifth time?" Angel looked towards her.

"Yes, just the fifth time. I wasn't born in Cartier, the first time I saw the Giant Tree from this distance was when I came to the Magic Academy for the entrance exam. The second time was coming to school, and the other two times were when I went home and when I came back to school."

"So... you've only gone home once?" Angel hesitated to ask.

Qili nodded: "There's not much to do when I go back, sometimes my parents come to Cartier to see me. Don't you remember? Last time they came too, I asked you to meet them, but you were busy and didn't come."

"Oh?" Angel tilted his head slightly, trying hard to recall.

The little demon hanging from the carriage ceiling quietly said: "Probably about two months ago. Yes, around that time. You two had just started seeing each other."

That time, Angel was actually in the library reading, simply didn't want to meet them.

"Oh! I remember now." Angel said insincerely: "I'm really sorry, that time... I was quite busy."

"It doesn't matter." Qili said with a smile: "They'll come again anyway, we can meet then. But..."

"But what?"

"But... shouldn't you introduce your parents for me to meet? I've never refused you, you know. And they're in Cartier, aren't they?"

"There will be a chance." Angel nodded, returned a "courteous" smile, then deliberately looked elsewhere.

Qili's gaze dimmed slightly, disappointedly watching Angel.

Bumping along, the carriage continued to move forward slowly.

...

The birds in the sky were fluttering.

On the grassy hillside, the carriage door slowly opened.

Qili, carrying a large basket, got off the carriage, looking excitedly towards the distant Giant Tree.

Behind her, Angel also got off the carriage, casually pulled out two silver coins and three green coins from his pocket and handed them to the carriage driver, speaking softly: "Come to pick us up in the evening."

"Alright." Taking the silver coins, the driver got on the carriage, gave the reins a heavy shake.

The carriage departed.

Qili, carrying the basket, happily twirled around, laughing. Looking at the sky. Her red long dress fluttered in the wind.

Angel quietly watched from the side.

Today, Qili was meticulously dressed.

A red long dress, long hair braided into long braids, tied with orange ribbons. Those smiling eyes appeared even more captivating and dazzling in the sunlight. Especially when looking at Angel.

While spinning, it was like a fluttering red butterfly.

However, Angel just stood there quietly. Lowering his head, he secretly pulled out from his pocket a small transparent bottle, thumb-sized. Inside the bottle was red liquid.

"I feel like he's teasing me." Angel whispered: "Giving me such a little thing, is this to dismiss a beggar?"

"This is what you requested." The little demon muttered: "I said from the beginning, we should exchange the Magic Masters' information for something that could enhance Magic Power, not for something supposedly 'helpful for task execution.'"

"I thought if I asked for something 'helpful for task execution,' he would be a bit more generous. After all, I'm doing things for him, these should be provided to me for free. Is every demon so stingy? If so, I'll never qualify for transformation."

"Hmm... so what do you plan to do?"

Angel remained silent, not answering.

"Angel, are you coming?"

In the distance, Qili had already laid out the picnic blanket and was arranging the food from the basket one by one.

Angel glanced at her from afar, then turned his face to look to the left.

About a hundred meters away was a construction site-like area, piled high with sandbags and sand. A group of Centaurs were busy acting as miners.

Gazing at the place, Angel slowly walked towards Qili.

"What's up?" Qili asked softly. "Shall we change places? However, it seems that all the places with good views around here have been mined. Many people oppose it, but it's useless. The Queen insists on doing it."

After hesitating slightly, Angel replied softly, "Let's move to another place."

"Alright."

Qili lowered her head, ready to pack up, when Angel added, "Move over there."

Angel was pointing to a place closer to the mining area, right above the entrance to the mining site.

"Over there? Won't we be watching them the whole time?"

"What does it matter? What's important here is the sunshine and the air, isn't it?" Saying this, Angel glanced at Qili.

Qili hesitated but eventually nodded.

So, the two of them took their baskets and began to walk step by step to higher ground.

In the school, Qili was originally quite a sensation. Mainly because she was cute, even by Blood Elf standards. She was also very lively and active. This made her the backbone of the Silent Spellcasting Group and eventually its leader.

The so-called Silent Spellcasting Group was actually a group mainly focused on studying instant magic. Simply put, it was about casting spells through gestures without the need for any incantation time.

It was an academic group, so Qili, naturally, was not low in level to be the leader. Level seven. Before Angel took over the Vein Council, her magic power level was even higher than Angel's. Even now, she's only one level lower than Angel. And if nothing unforeseen happens, she'll be able to pass the level eight evaluation in a few months. By then, Angel might not even reach level nine.

Of course, she's much older than Angel.

Don't be fooled by how she stands next to Angel and is nearly two heads shorter, almost like brother and sister, but she's already sixty-three. Yes, almost double Angel's age.

What was I saying just now?

Qili used to be quite a sensation, yes, she used to be. Not anymore. Ever since she became Angel's girlfriend, her reputation has plummeted. Even the council of the Silent Spellcasting Group organized an impeachment against her.

Hmm... but Angel suppressed it for her. From her standpoint, she feels it's Angel's care and help for her. From Angel's standpoint, it was just to avoid the emergence of a powerful enough force to challenge him. After all, the Silent Spellcasting Group is a long-established group, even if the leader has problems, the framework is still there. As long as someone else is put in charge, it could rise again at any time.

Groups with a long history, strong power, and an academic focus are not like those fringe groups like Midnight Singing that can be uprooted at any time. If it really came to tearing down the façade completely, although with Angel's hard-handed means, it could still be suppressed, there would inevitably be significant damage.

As they walked step by step, the two of them finally arrived above the pit entrance.

Angel stood there, slightly lowered his head to watch the Centaurs going in and out, carrying sand and mud.

Qili stood by his side, dumbfoundedly watching, although she had no idea what Angel was focused on.

Turning his face, Angel said to Qili, "Let's stay here."

"Mm." Qili nodded, silently starting to spread out the blanket. From time to time, she glanced at Angel, who remained standing still.

To be honest, if it were anyone else, not Qili, or not Angel, any other couple would've probably blown up by now.

A pleasant spring picnic was ruined by Angel's cold face, draining the mood completely. Not a single smile was seen from beginning to end. One should know that the Blood Elves claim gender equality, but in reality, female Blood Elves are more dominant.

However...

How to put it, every couple has their own way of interacting. From the moment Qili confessed, she was actually the loser, losing completely.

Love looks beautiful, but in reality, it's also a game. The one who speaks first loses. Once you lose the beginning, normally you lose all the way to the end. This is no different for Blood Elves and humans.

After setting everything up, Qili raised her head, about to invite Angel to sit down, but before she could speak, Angel already said, "You sit here for a while, I'll take a walk."

With that, Angel turned and left.

"Ah? A walk?" Qili quickly said, "Shall I come with you?"

"No, you stay here and wait for me. I'll be back soon." Angel didn't turn his head and soon walked away.

Only Qili remained there, sitting alone on the blanket, facing the carefully prepared circle of food.

...

As he walked, Angel secretly sneaked around to a corner below the mining area, cautiously peeking around the corner at the busy Centaurs.

"What do you want to do? Didn't you say it's enough to just drip it on the land where the ores are produced? You're standing right on top of it," the devil whispered.

"Do you think that will really work?" Angel retorted.

"Why not, he himself said so."

"Heh... Even when mining Moda Ores, you have to dig a pit, but to destroy the Moda Ore vein, we just drip it on the ground? Then why doesn't he do it himself? Can't he? I've tested this thing, and its effect isn't great. If we do as he said, how much will seep down below? How much will the production reduce? One? Or two? Then for this thing I traded intelligence for, it only reduces one Moda Ore?"

"Then... what do you intend to do?" the devil asked quietly.

After thinking for a moment, Angel answered, "Drip it on the root of the Sacred Tree underground."

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