Luo Yan looked forward. The trees were tall and thick, their branches tightly woven together, blocking out the sky. A thin mist curled around the roots, giving the ground a ghostly look. The air was still, filled with the scent of damp earth and sothing faintly rotting.
The silence was unsettling, broken only by the occasional rustle of unseen movent, as if the forest itself was quietly observing them.
This place was still as creepy as he rembered it.
"This forest is vast. Without knowing precisely where to go, we could waste a lot of ti wandering in there," Su Yuqi said, her eyes scanning the dense, shadowy expanse before them.
Luo Yan nodded in agreent. Even with the clue they had and his own interpretation, pinpointing the exact location of the clue for the next checkpoint would be challenging. The entire forest was cloaked in darkness, so how could they possibly determine which area was the darkest of all?
But he had already thought of a redy for that. "Why don't we ask Lhoris? He should still be here."
Lhoris was the moon elf they found here while doing the 'Awakening Dragon' quest. From his mory, they discovered the connection between Dusk and Eclipse's mother, Kagetsuki. Having lived in the Forest of Darkness for a long ti, Lhoris would probably know which part of the forest had the darkest area.
"I had the sa thought," Shen Ji Yun agreed. "I've marked the location of his cabin on my map, so we can head straight there."
"Oh, I rember him!" Eclipse exclaid suddenly. Then, as if sothing occurred to him, he glanced at Dusk and leaned in to whisper to Luo Yan. "Master, do you think it will be okay for that old man to see Uncle Dusk?"
Luo Yan recalled how terrified Lhoris had been at the re thought of Dusk attacking him just for accidentally glimpsing his mories. He cast a quick glance at Dusk and said, "Considering how your uncle is now, I don't think it'll be an issue."
Compared to when they first t Dusk, he was much calr after regaining his mories. Before, without his mories, he had been like an immature child with a quick temper. Now, with his mories restored, he seed more like a weary old man, mature and unfazed by anything.
"It would be good if soone actually explained to what's happening," Su Yuqi said.
"I'll explain everything as we go," Shen Ji Yun replied. "We'll move quickly, so stay close." Then he turned to Luo Yan. "Yan Yan, jump on my back as soon as I transform."
Luo Yan nodded in agreent. Shen Ji Yun then transford into his Qilin form, significantly smaller than his usual size, now just a bit larger than a regular horse. As soon as he finished, Luo Yan quickly jumped onto his back without hesitation.
Eclipse transford into his kitsune form, while Su Yuqi and Dusk unfurled their wings and lifted off the ground. The three of them followed closely behind Shen Ji Yun, just as he had instructed.
As they moved, Shen Ji Yun began explaining to Su Yuqi who Lhoris was. anwhile, Luo Yan discreetly watched Dusk, trying to gauge his reaction. He breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed Dusk remained calm. The last thing they needed was for Dusk to suddenly lash out at Lhoris.
On the way to Lhoris' cabin, they encountered far fewer monsters than expected. It was likely because both a dragon and a Qilin were in their midst, and the monsters knew better than to challenge them. It felt like a ga where lower-level monsters instinctively avoid high-level players. Well, this was technically a ga, so there's that.
As a result, their journey was unexpectedly swift, and they reached Lhoris' cabin in no ti.
Unlike before, the area was no longer surrounded by a barrier. Lhoris probably no longer saw a need to hang the wind chi that once attracted monsters and drove them into a frenzy. After all, when they left, they had assured the moon elf that the black dragon wouldn't co to attack him.
Luo Yan jumped down from Shen Ji Yun's back just as Shen Ji Yun shifted back into his humanoid form.
"Brother Ji Yun and I will go talk to Lhoris since he's already familiar with us. He's a bit high-strung, and if he sees unfamiliar faces, we might not get the information we need," Luo Yan suggested. Then he turned to the black dragon. "Dusk, I know this is a strange request, but could you turn around so your back faces the cabin?"
Dusk frowned visibly but complied with Luo Yan's request. Luo Yan quietly sighed in relief. Although it was unlikely, there was still a chance Lhoris might panic at the sight of Dusk. It was safer if the moon elf didn't see Dusk's face.
With that, Luo Yan and Shen Ji Yun began walking toward the cabin.
Luo Yan stepped up to the door and knocked. It didn't take long for the door to open, but to his surprise, it was a handso elf with blond hair and green eyes who greeted him.
"Mr. Alen?" Luo Yan automatically blurted out.
The elf was an NPC who worked as an actor at Tropical Land's amphitheater. He had been the one who told them where to find Lhoris before.
The elf looked just as surprised to see them. "It's you two! Are you looking for Lhoris? Did the elder of the moon elves send you again?"
Ah, that's right—Luo Yan had used that excuse before to make it easier for the elf to reveal Lhoris's location.
Luo Yan smiled. "No, not this ti. We're here to get so information about this forest. We're in the middle of the Arcadia Cup, and we could really use Lhoris's help."
Yes, it wasn't just the players who knew about the Arcadia Cup; the NPCs in Arcadia were well aware of it, too. This wasn't surprising, given that the Cup's hosts were NPCs themselves.
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