What caught the eye was a colorful flower bed, with the air filled with the fragrance of plants. The stone slabs beneath their feet were intricately carved with exquisite patterns. Bexia was immediately greeted by two little girls who had been searching for him for a while. They had collided with him while chasing two palm-sized elemental sprites.
"Oh! Big brother is here too," exclaimed Luo Cailin happily. It was rare to hear her address him as "big brother" after getting acquainted.
"Do you know how long I've been looking for you? You actually sneaked out to play!" Bexia, learning from the last time, quickly hugged Luo Cailin in his arms, rendering her unable to move.
"Ah! What are you doing? Let go of me!" Luo Cailin exclaimed in surprise.
"It was Lady Cloud who came to play with us, not An Xin's idea!" Luo Ningxian came over to rescue her sister.
Only then did Bexia notice Lady Cloud. She was sitting on an exquisite wicker chair, holding a gorgeous teacup, with an elf-like creature with pointed ears sitting across from her. The creature wore attire similar to human palace robes and had a golden laurel wreath on its head.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!" Bai Zhi and Hei Tong's behavior immediately revealed the identity of the elf. Thinking back to Lady Cloud's previous words, it seemed that she had already established a relationship with the host here while he was dealing with the little rascals.
As for Luo Cailin, Bexia knew that it couldn't be her fault this time. After all, they had used a spatial rift when they arrived, and Luo Cailin did not possess such abilities. Additionally, Luo Ningxian would not lie, while Luo Cailin would hesitate when lying—it was evident at a glance.
"I'll let you off this time!" Bexia released Luo Cailin. After all, he couldn't let the Elf Queen witness such a scene.
"You big bully!" Luo Cailin glared fiercely at him, then stomped on his foot before quickly running away. Seeing this, Bexia was somewhat distressed. Luo Cailin had quite a temper!
"This is my little brother, Betty. You can get to know each other!" Lady Cloud said calmly. Her small body wasn't actually sitting on the chair, but on the air itself, as she couldn't maintain the same height as the Elf Queen otherwise.
"Oh! But with so many people barging into my garden, I'm afraid the Council of Elders will say something if they find out," the Elf Queen spoke with a somewhat resentful tone, seemingly dissatisfied with the so-called Council of Elders.
"I apologize, they must have been a bother to Your Majesty," Bexia indicated the two little girls who were still chasing after the elemental sprites.
"Kiki! I really like them. If you think they're a bother, why not leave them here?" The Queen spoke with a slight smile on her face.
"That won't do. After all, I was entrusted to take care of them," Bexia shook his head. Although the two little troublemakers were causing a lot of trouble, he quite liked them.
"That's a pity then!" The Elf Queen waved her hand, and several vine tendrils climbed up from the ground, forming a new wicker chair on the other side of the table.
"Please, have a seat, honored guest who has come from afar!"
"Thank you!" Bexia wasted no time and sat down. As per the Elf Queen's indication, a small elemental sprite poured a cup of fragrant flower tea for Bexia.
"I wonder what business brings the esteemed guest from afar?" The Elf Queen casually asked, but her question went straight to the point.
"Well..." Bexia felt a little embarrassed by the question. It was easy to create an awkward atmosphere when starting a conversation so straightforwardly, just like the current situation. Bexia really didn't have the audacity to say anything at the moment.
"Exchange resources!" Lady Cloud's voice was concise, but it did save the situation.
"Exchange resources?!" The Queen of the Elves frowned.
"What do you think we need?"
"Desires cannot be satisfied without needs!" Lady Cloud casually replied.
"You understand the essence of life quite well. But unfortunately, our elven race doesn't have any special needs. At least, we are fairly content with our current lives!" The Queen of the Elves set down her teacup.
"However, I can make a deal with you. If you can accomplish it, I can provide you with a substantial amount of resources."
"Tell me about it!"
"Kill the Goblin King!" The Queen of the Elves said calmly.
"As easy as pie! But I want to know how much resources you'll give us."
"The place where the Goblin King resides is a special one. It has a large amount of magical energy stones, forming an entire vein. If you solve the Goblin King problem, we'll split the vein fifty-fifty, and I'll even give you ten thousand drops of Nethermoon Water!"
"Nethermoon Water can heal soul injuries. One drop can treat a top-level champion's soul trauma, and it's extremely valuable."
"That's not enough. After all, even with the power of all the five monarchs of your elven race combined, it cannot be solved. Just paying such a small price, do you think it's possible?"
"The magical energy stone vein will be ours, and you will provide labor for the extraction, while doubling the amount of Nethermoon Water!"
"That's impossible. Ten thousand drops are already the limit; it's impossible to have more!"
Bexia looked at the Queen of the Elves and her own sister trading barbs, feeling that she had no reason to be here. There was nothing important for her to do here. It would be better to just sit back and enjoy a cup of tea.
It seemed that the final negotiation had also failed. Although it was not very clear about the value of the Nethermoon Water, the Queen of the Elves was unwilling to relent. The magical energy stone vein had been discussed as a thirty-seventy split, but it still ended in failure.
"You all can take a stroll in our Elven City and let me fulfill my duties as a host!" Although the negotiation failed, the surface composure of the Queen of the Elves was still well maintained. After all, there was no need to keep such a tense relationship. Friends could still be made.
The most important thing was that the strength of Bexia's group was enough to impress her and show friendliness. After all, their elven race only had five monarchs, while Bexia had Christine and Konesi on her side. And Lady Cloud was definitely even more powerful, even casually mentioning the number of monarchs in their elven race. This was what truly annoyed the Queen of the Elves.
"I'll leave this matter to you. I will inform the Elder Council," the Queen of the Elves looked at Bai Zhi and Hei Tong, and spoke.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The two suddenly half-kneeled, accepting the command from the Queen of the Elves.
Everything was settled. Although the trade didn't succeed, at least the treatment within the Elven race improved slightly. There were no prohibitions, except that they couldn't go to the Elder Council, and now they were even allowed to enter the palace of the Queen of the Elves.
