Wet Trash Can, with a scowl, watched Peach Blossom walk away irritably. He then turned to Oliang, his close friend, who was being accompanied by a stunningly beautiful dryad with long, curly green hair, resembling a fairy. When he glanced back, he saw a sight even more painful than before. Every man in the group, except himself, was flanked by beautiful dryads engaging them in conversation throughout the journey. This realization made him reconsider Peach Blossom's advice. He tried to walk more calmly and composedly like his friends. Shortly after, a sweet-smiling dryad approached him.

"It worked!!"

Wet Trash Can whispered to himself in ultimate joy as he maintained a composed face as he looked at the dryad.

"May I... accompany you and chat until we reach Eldar City?"

The beautiful dryad asked with a radiant smile, which nearly swept him off his feet.

"Oh... Ah, of course!"

Wet Trash Can hastily agreed, snapping back to reality, fearful that the beautiful dryad might leave in anger before he could respond.

Afterwards, everyone witnessed Wet Trash Can's absurd behavior. He spoke as if he had lost his wits, gazing dreamily at the dryad by his side without blinking, laughing loudly as if slightly unhinged. Peach Blossom glanced back at him with annoyance, while Oliang, walking beside Chang Long and the other four men trailing behind, looked at Wet Trash Can in confusion.

"Sozee, stop using your enchantment on that person immediately!"

Albeis commanded sternly without looking back. The young dryad clinging to Wet Trash Can's arm was startled and immediately let go of him.

"My apology, Master Albeis..."

Dryad Sozee said with a downtrodden voice, waving her hand to dissipate the faint pink mist hovering above Wet Trash Can's head, causing it to vanish.

Wet Trash Can jerked slightly, shaking his head to clear the confusion. He then turned to his friends, who were looking at him with amusement, still bewildered.

"What are you guys laughing at?"

Wet Trash Can asked, clueless about what had just transpired.

"Haha, you're really something, mate!"

Oliang slapped his friend's back.

"Can't believe you got bewitched by such a simple spell."

Rafael said with a smile, now devoid of any dryads by his side.

"What are you talking about? I don't get it."

Wet Trash Can frowned, then turned to look for Sozee, who had vanished.

"Don't bother looking anymore, Wet Trash Can. They've all left."

Chang Long hurried to inform him, seeing his futile search.

"How come? I only get to talk to her for just a few minutes!!"

Wet Trash Can exclaimed in protest.

"Let it go. Look over there!"

Draco attempted to console him, pointing towards something in the distance.

"Everyone, I welcome you to Eldar,"

Albeis announced, gesturing towards two towering trees that stood about ten meters apart. Their branches intertwined to form a grand gateway, guarded by two elf soldiers who knelt in respect upon seeing Albeis approach.

The guards each placed a hand on their respective trees, causing the entwined branches to slowly unravel, opening a large pathway into the city of Eldar. Chang Long and the group watched this spectacle in awe.

"This city is imbued with the essence of magic..."

Peach Blossom, the only mage among them, remarked.

"Indeed. We are masters of magic, not for combat but for healing,"

Albeis responded with a smile, as the others looked around excitedly.

Eldar was truly a city in harmony with nature. The elves lived in treehouses built high off the ground, resembling the leaf nests they had sheltered in to evade the goblins, but with doors and windows, on a much larger and more elaborate scale. Staircases made of intertwining branches led from the ground up to these homes.

"This is amazing,"

Chang Long muttered to herself, marveling at her surroundings. Elves, both men and women, passed by, bowing respectfully to Albeis as he led Chang Long's group to his home.

"Do you like it here?"

Siegfried, walking beside Chang Long, inquired.

"Uh-huh... I wish I had a home like this,"

Chang Long replied, smiling at Siegfried before turning her attention back to the environment.

"We're here!"

Albeis announced, stopping and turning to address Chang Long and her followers.

Before them stood an exceptionally large tree, far surpassing the others in the vicinity, adorned with various leaf nests and branches woven into the shape of a grand house.

"This is my home. Feel free to stay here without any reservations. Pick any room you like, and if you need anything, just ask Efae. I'll take the guardian spirit to her tree first,"

Albeis said, having led the group up to the treehouse where another elf, presumably Efae, stood by. He then took Sabia away.

"What should we do next?"

Oliang initiated the discussion.

"We better get ready first. Let's check our supplies and then rest for a bit. After that, we can ask Albeis for directions to the Goblin King, ok?"

Chang Long suggested.

"That sounds good! We've been constantly on the move and haven't really had a chance to fully rest. This will be a good opportunity for us to recharge,"

Oliang agreed with a smile.

"I agree,"

Siegfried added, and the rest nodded in approval.

The group then brought out their inventories to check how many crystals they had used. It turned out that the rejuvenating crystals were the most depleted, with each person having only a few left. The second most used were the mana crystals, heavily used for activating their skills to evade the goblins. The blood crystals were the least used since everyone's level were high, coupled with their rampant skill usage, hardly allowed the goblins to touch them.

"How come you haven't taken out your crystals, Chang Long? Have you used them all up?"

Wet Trash Can asked when he noticed Chang Long was the only one not checking her crystals.

"I checked them when we were in the leaf nest outside in the Fairy Forest,"

Chang Long replied, pulling out jars full of all three types of crystals.

"That's good then. Our rejuvenating crystals have dwindled to a worrying level,"

Oliang mentioned, looking distressed as he eyed his own jar containing less than ten clear white crystals.

"We did go all out with our skills, after all. Why don't we take a walk around the city? Maybe they have some for sale,"

Draco suggested, as his own supply of rejuvenating crystals was similarly low.

"Let's explore the city then. We've come all this way, after all!"

Rafael agreed.

"I think I saw a shop, but I'm not entirely sure,"

Aden added, prompting everyone to decide to explore the city together.

"Efae, do you know where we can refill our water bottles?"

Siegfried asked Efae, an elf woman standing nearby.

"You can do that at the well beside Master Albeis' house,"

Efae replied calmly.

"Thank you,"

Siegfried expressed his gratitude. The group then descended from Albeis' treehouse, stopping to refill their water bottles first. Everyone had several bottles each. Chang Long only had two, but she could only fill just one. The other contained black rose tea that Elder An had brewed for her.

"Do you only have one water bottle, Chang Long?"

Aden asked with surprise, believing his own three bottles were few compared to his friends. Yet, Chang Long had even fewer. She gave a faint smile, unsure of how to respond without lying.

"I've never traveled far, so I didn't think to buy more bottles,"

Chang Long half-truthfully replied. The real reason she did not buy more was because she possessed the Cone of Abundance, capable of magically refilling water without limit.

"Really? How many days have you been playing this game?"

Rafael inquired.

"13 days,"

Chang Long responded, as she packed her fully refilled bottle back into her bag.

"Is that 13 days as in the real-world time?"

Draco asked, puzzled by Chang Long's level that was quite high for someone who had only played for a couple of days.

"No, 13 days in-game time," she nonchalantly replied, causing her companions to gape at her in disbelief.

"That's only 13 hours in the real world then!"

Peach Blossom, who had decided not to speak to Chang Long anymore, could not help but exclaim.

"Guess so,"

Chang Long responded, unfazed.

"Oh my. How did you do it, playing only for 13 days in the game and reaching level 43?!"

Aden asked, amazed.

"Speaking of levels, we've killed so many goblin beasts, but why hasn't the system notified us of anything?"

Wet Trash Can pondered, prompting everyone to think.

"That's weird, isn't it?"

Draco commented thoughtfully.

"Maybe they'll announce everything once the quest is completed. Chang Long, you're the one who took the quest; did they mention anything about this?"

Siegfried asked. Chang Long shook her head, causing further contemplation among the group.

"Announcing after the quest? ...What if we die before completing the quest?"

Oliang voiced his concern.

"Imagine dying and not only not getting any experience but also being demoted!"

Peach Blossom speculated with a grim tone, making everyone look at her.

"It can't be that bad, Peach Blossom..."

Wet Trash Can replied softly. Everyone agreed but still seemed worried.

"You never know! This quest is insane. Who else has to be chased by a horde of goblins until they complete their quest?"

Chang Long shared her view.

"No way! We absolutely cannot die under any circumstances. To be on the safe side, let's find a potion shop as soon as possible!"

Wet Trash Can exclaimed, taking the lead towards finding a potion shop in Eldar City.

As Chang Long's group was organizing their newly purchased crystal jars into the automatic slots in their bags, the sound of battle reached their ears. They turned their heads to the sound as the elves in Eldar City started to panic. Armed soldiers rushed towards the entrance gate in haste.

"What's happening?"

Rafael frowned, looking towards the nearing source of commotion.

"Could it be that goblins have breached the city!?"

Draco stood up, gripping his sword with a worried expression.

"Let's go check it out!"

Wet Trash Can suggested, and they all agreed to follow a group of elves soldiers.

"Chang Long! Hurry over here!"

Albeis approached Chang Long's group urgently, calling her from behind.

"Master Albeis, what's happening? Why is the city in such turmoil?"

Chang Long quickly approached Albeis, accompanied by her friends.

"The goblins are about to reach our city. Hurry, follow me!"

Albeis said urgently.

"And what about Sabia?"

Peach Blossom asked, concerned for the little girl who was not by his side.

"She's with Efae. Quickly, follow me; I'll show you the way!"

Albeis hurriedly concluded, leading them behind the large tree that was his home.

Everyone promptly followed him, although they had many questions, they refrained from asking, seeing how stressed Albeis appeared. Albeis led Chang Long's group through the dense forest swiftly. They soon arrived at a large, light green lake covered in a thin mist.

"That mountain ranges! Head towards those mountains. You'll find the goblin's nest. The Goblin King resides deep near those mountains!"

Albeis explained with concern.

"How are we supposed to get there with this huge lake blocking the way, Master Albeis?!"

Draco inquired, looking down into the clear lake, so deep the bottom was invisible.

"By boat!"

The Elve Leader stated. He turned towards the lake and whistled a short tune. Soon, a large white rowboat, big enough for all of Chang Long's group, appeared and docked at the shore without a paddler.

"What about the oars?"

Chang Long asked, once everyone was seated in the boat, noticing there were no oars.

"No need. Just go!"

Albeis commanded the boat to start moving. The white boat carrying Chang Long's group swiftly moved away from the shore without anyone rowing. Everyone tried to find the mechanism that allowed the boat to move forward without a pilot but found nothing. The boat was just an ordinary rowboat.

"Let's stop looking. I think we should rest up. The path ahead will likely be much more challenging!"

Siegfried suggested.

"You're right. We need to conserve our energy,"

Oliang agreed. Thus, everyone stopped searching for the boat's mechanism and turned to relax and chat casually until it was time to proceed.

The pilotless boat continued to glide at a steady pace over the calm waters of the emerald mist lake. Peach Blossom, feeling bored since there was not much to do and not wanting to talk with her companions, especially Chang Long. As she was still unable to reconcile with the fact that the person, she intended to marry turned out to be a woman. She began to play with the water in the lake, before scooping up water and playfully splashing everyone.

"Hey, Peach Blossom! What are you doing? I'm all wet now,"

Draco, who was almost asleep, exclaimed in surprise.

"Teehee, sorry... Here you go,"

Peach Blossom pretended it was an accident before deliberately splashing water at Draco again. The others also got splashed. This sparked a water fight between Draco and Peach Blossom, escalating into a full-blown battle that disturbed the once peaceful lake, creating waves that spread far from the boat.

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