Chapter 104: 103, is it really okay?
“A token of gratitude?”
Shane couldn’t help but stop in his tracks.
There was no helping it.
“…It can’t be a proposal through marriage, can it?”
Such a murmur rose faintly, standing out with unusual clarity on this silent path.
“Huh?” Merica was first taken aback, then she hastily exclaimed, “No… it’s not that!”
It seemed that the elf girl was quite clear about what a marriage proposal entailed.
“Then what are you planning to do?”
Shane turned back around, showing a face brimming with interest.
“That… um…” Under Shane’s gaze, Merica seemed to become very uncomfortable, stammering for a bit before finally pointing to the woods nearby and speaking softly, “Could you please come with me first?”
Hearing that, Shane had an exaggerated reaction.
In that instant, Shane felt hundreds of gigabytes of images flash through his mind at light speed.
Merica, unaware that Shane’s thoughts had almost run amok, began to head towards the woods while still casting glances in Magre’s direction.
“Is it really okay to just leave him here?”
Merica seemed somewhat concerned.
“It’s fine,” Shane rolled his eyes and said, “Don’t worry about him anymore. He’s someone who has thought about hurting you in the past and still wants to now. Why bother with the safety of such a person?”
Rather, in any book where Long Aotian is the protagonist, this kind of character typically meets a grisly end at the hands of the hero, becoming dust and serving as a stepping stone for the hero to impress a beautiful girl; they are standard supporting characters who usually don’t survive more than ten chapters. Shane was merely teaching him a lesson; compared to the heroes of past generations, Shane was practically merciful.
Of course, this was also because Shane and Merica weren’t on great terms; they couldn’t even call each other friends, at most they were temporary teammates, and unlike Vivian and Riley, who took good care of Shane, he was able to treat Magre with disdain and teach him a lesson simply because he disliked him.
If Magre had laid hands on Shane’s lover or even his wife…
Instantly, Shane’s mind was once again flooded with hundreds of gigabytes of images, but this time, they were not pink but red like fresh blood.
Magre, who was hanging from the tree, either tormented in a nightmare or sensing some chill, couldn’t help but shudder and let out an indistinct cry of misery.
Although Merica was somewhat concerned about Magre’s condition, perhaps recalling the trouble he had caused her this and last time, she eventually said nothing, lowered her head, and left, disappearing into the bushes.
Shane leisurely followed her.
Soon, only Magre remained, dangling there, swaying as if possessed.
On the other hand, Shane had followed Merica into the small grove.
But it wasn’t long before Merica stopped and crouched down on the ground.
No, that posture—it wasn’t so much crouching as it was kneeling, like a small animal, with even her hands resting on the ground.
Shane, walking behind her, froze in his steps, his face twitching repeatedly as he watched Merica suddenly get down on all fours, presenting her charming and enticing rear in his direction.
“Is this an invitation?”
“It is an invitation!”
“Of course it is! It must be a proposal of marriage, right?”
“No, no, no, it can’t just be a proposal… to start off in such a posture, is that really alright?”
Just as Shane was starting to waver, a strange disturbance arose from Merica’s direction.
“————Fairies, respond to my call————”
Amid the chant-like murmurs, magic power began to emanate from the small hands Merica placed on the ground.
It was an incredibly soft, warm, and uplifting magic power. It caused flowers to grow at a visible speed around the area beneath Merica’s palms.
Then, he remembered something.
“I think I’ve read about this before.”
It was a record about the Elf race.
It’s said that among the many Races of the Human Realm, Elves are not only extremely famous and noble magic Races, beautiful in appearance, with a high affinity for magic, but they are also adored and respected by other Races.
Because of their high magic abilities, Elves are almost all natural Mages capable of using various kinds of magic. Their magic power is also much higher than other Races, even rivaling that of the Demon Clan. As such, the Elf Clan is a race blessed by the Gods, with most able to receive the Blessing of Upper-level Gods. Members of the Royal Family of Elves have even received the Blessing of the Three Great Goddesses, and many have fought alongside Heroes from Otherworld, giving birth to various stories and legends.
Such is the Elf Clan, born naturally with high affinity to Nature; their magic power has a characteristic that others do not possess.
That is, their magic power is filled with abundant Life Force and can even affect the environment, causing vegetation to grow rapidly.
Now, it appeared that Merica was doing just that.
“Please wait for me a moment.”
It wasn’t long before Merica stopped and turned around, smiling at Shane.
It had to be said, that smile was ominous, really ominous.
How else could you describe the scene of an innocent and beautiful Elf girl sitting amidst flowers and smiling, other than being quite ominous?
Unaware of this, Merica began picking flowers, root and stem together, then quickly wove them into a garland with practiced hands.
Seeing this, Shane roughly understood what Merica intended to do.
“Are you planning to make a flower crown for me?”
“Yes… yes.” Merica nodded, speaking softly, “Although it’s my first time, I know exactly what to do.”
Because that was something every Elf knew how to do.
Elves, being close to Nature and inherently kind and conservative, would use their own magic to quickly grow magic-infused flowers and weave them into crowns as a sign of gratitude or affection when they recognized someone from another race.
The magic contained within these crowns would circulate indefinitely, allowing them to stay fresh and unspoiled even after ten or twenty years.
To possess such a crown meant gaining the trust or gratitude of a certain Elf, a highly boastworthy matter in the Human Realm.
In the kingdoms of Human, there were even Nobles willing to spend a great deal of money to acquire an Elf’s flower crown, indicating the significant value of such a crown.
Now, Merica intended to weave her own flower crown as a gift to express her gratitude to Shane.