Hearing Faen's words, everyone present froze slightly, then instinctively turned their gazes to Faen beside them.
Meeting the crowd's gaze, Faen spoke without stage fright: "Although Xayah attacked me, she did not know my identity or purpose at the time. In fact, after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Xayah explained a lot about the avian tribe and the disasters facing the Vastaya along the way, allowing me to view the events on this land more comprehensively. And now, we have become friends, and the previous misunderstanding has been resolved, so there is absolutely no need for Xayah to apologize to me."
Hearing Faen's words, the Great Elder nodded thoughtfully, and his previous dissatisfaction regarding Xayah attacking Faen dissipated significantly. Hearing Faen speak up for her like this, a moved expression surfaced on Xayah's face.
This human is different from the rest.
With this in mind, Faen dismounted and walked over to Xayah. Although they had been chatting happily just moments ago, after such an incident, feeling Faen's gaze upon her caused an inexplicable throbbing to churn relentlessly in Xayah's heart. For a moment, she didn't even dare to actively meet Faen's eyes.
But Faen didn't mind; instead, he gripped Xayah's hand even tighter. This sudden, aggressive action made Xayah shiver. Looking up at Faen, what met her eyes was a peaceful and composed gaze, seemingly saying, "It's no big deal, leave it to me." Faen then turned back to the Elder and said:
"Xayah is my friend. Moreover, her ability to communicate with the consciousness of nature will allow me to ascertain what exactly has happened in Oovi-Kat much faster. Feeling unable to let go of the harm inflicted upon nature's consciousness due to this ability is not Xayah's fault; it is the problem Ionia is currently facing, and precisely the issue I came here to resolve. Therefore, please do not blame Xayah, Elder."
Hearing Faen's words, the Great Elder nodded thoughtfully and then turned his gaze to Xayah beside Faen. This snapped Xayah back to reality, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand from Faen's grasp. However, after struggling twice, Faen showed no sign of letting go. Ultimately, Xayah just pursed her lips and stopped resisting. Allowing Faen to hold her soft hand, she stood there silently, her face flushed red, head bowed in silence.
Seeing that Faen had no intention of assigning blame, the Great Elder nodded. The reason the Great Elder demanded Xayah apologize was not only because Faen, as the Envoy of the Enlightened One, Karma, needed to be treated with utmost respect, but also because he feared Faen might harbor resentment and drag his feet in fulfilling his mission here. But now, since the victim himself didn't see an issue and even pleaded on her behalf, the Great Elder naturally wouldn't force Xayah's head down to make her apologize.
Nodding, he looked at Faen and said, "Since you are magnanimous enough to forgive her transgressions, I shall not interfere any further."
As he spoke, the Great Elder cast a glance at Xayah beside Faen.
Although Faen gave off a peaceful impression, acting like an honorable gentleman with no ulterior motives toward Xayah, merely handling things strictly as business, the Great Elder still understood Xayah quite well.
It was no exaggeration to say that Xayah's pride was evident to every member of the avian tribe.
Xayah was a Vastaya, so her connection to natural magic already far exceeded that of ordinary people. Furthermore, Xayah's innate talent was much stronger than typical Vastaya, making her connection to nature even tighter. Naturally, Xayah developed a pride in her identity far surpassing that of an ordinary Vastaya.
To be honest, the Elder wasn't surprised that Xayah attacked Faen. With natural magic weakening, every Vastaya felt panicked and uneasy as their connection to natural magic diminished daily. Under these circumstances, human traces appeared in the remaining sanctuary of Oovi-Kat, and the ones who discovered them were a group of young Vastaya.
At an age prone to impulsiveness, it was perfectly normal for a conflict to arise from this. Let alone the avian tribe living on Oovi-Kat Island with nowhere left to retreat; even other Vastaya living to the west and north of the Shon-Xan Highlands, who had closer interactions with humans, frequently clashed with them in similar ways.
Let alone the proud Xayah?
What truly surprised the Elder was Xayah's current state—Why are you acting so coy? Am I seeing things?
Seeing Xayah blushing with her head down, the shrewd old Elder nodded thoughtfully and proactively suggested, "Xayah's connection to nature indeed far surpasses ordinary Vastaya, but she is still young, and her potential has not yet been fully realized. Therefore, if she fails to satisfy you while assisting you, Lord Envoy, please be forgiving."
Actually, this remark from the Elder was already paving the way for Xayah to stay by Faen's side. This Envoy named Faen clearly valued Xayah's abilities, and Xayah happened to harbor some special affections for him. Under these circumstances, the Elder didn't mind doing her a favor to fulfill her wishes, while also allowing Faen to better focus on restoring the natural magic.
Who would have thought that while Faen understood the Elder's implication, the young, hot-blooded Xayah, eager to prove herself, completely missed it. Upon hearing the Elder's words, before Faen could speak, Xayah couldn't help but argue: "No, Great Elder! Actually, with... with Faen's help, I can now connect much more closely with natural magic! I can not only listen to the voices of nature spirits, but even converse with them!"
Hearing Xayah's words, the crowd erupted into a flurry of murmurs and gasps of surprise. Even the Great Elder was slightly taken aback. He quickly raised a hand to silence the crowd, a look of suspicion and gravity on his face as he said, "Are you saying... you can converse with nature spirits? This is no joking matter! Xayah, if it isn't true, you had best confess right now!"
The ability to converse with nature spirits was exceedingly rare, not just in the avian tribe, but across the entire Vastayan race. There hadn't been a single one in nearly a century. Xayah didn't realize how immense this was, but the Great Elder did, and he instantly became deadly serious.
And what about Xayah? She was still eager to prove herself.
Failing to grasp the Great Elder's main concern, the current Xayah hadn't yet debuted as the "Violet Raven" who would shake northeastern Ionia. Although her perception far exceeded that of her peers and even many tribe elders, Xayah lacked foresight. At her core, she was just a rebellious little sister, much like Akali.
So, hearing the Great Elder's skeptical inquiry, Xayah stated earnestly, "On the way here, Faen already told me my abilities hadn't reached the level of conversing with nature spirits because my accumulation in the Spirit Realm wasn't high enough. So, Faen helped me enhance my physical capabilities, allowing me to use bodily perception to compensate for my spiritual shortcomings. Although it's only just begun, I can already hear the voices of the nature spirits and converse with them!"
Hearing Xayah's words, a flash of deep astonishment crossed the Great Elder's eyes. He instinctively looked toward Faen. Seeing this, Faen nodded.
Witnessing this reaction, the Great Elder's gaze turned solemn. He looked back at Xayah and asked, "Is this truly the case, Xayah? You aren't just trying to show off?"
"Of course not!" Xayah responded earnestly.
Upon seeing this, the Great Elder reached out his hand and placed it on Xayah's forehead.
As the oldest elder of the avian tribe, age had granted him abilities ordinary Vastaya lacked. Although this didn't allow him to wield the forces of nature in battle like the legendary Vastayan heroes, he was perfectly capable of sensing others' spiritual realms and physical fortitude.
Now, in the Elder's perception, while Xayah's spiritual realm remained at the level of a Vastayan girl, her physical vitality far exceeded what it was before, even if her exterior hadn't changed much. Under the enhancement of her physical senses, the shortcomings of her spiritual youth were compensated for.
Spirit and body influence each other. A realm Xayah couldn't previously reach spiritually had been forcibly achieved through enhancing her perception of the material realm!
This made the Great Elder's gaze even more solemn. But filled with confidence in her current state, Xayah's face showed no sign of backing down.
After a long moment, under everyone's gaze, the Great Elder withdrew his hand with a complex look and said, "It is indeed true... You are now capable of conversing with the spirits of nature."
He paused, then cast a complicated look at Faen beside her, asking, "Just as Xayah said, is this due to your assistance, sir?"
"Yes," Faen nodded, then added, "But not everyone is as outstanding as Xayah. Her current ability to connect and converse with nature spirits is primarily because she possesses extraordinary innate talent that ordinary Vastaya lack, built upon her fierce devotion to the spirits of nature. For anyone else, this method would just be pulling up seedlings to help them grow; breaking the balance between spirit and body could actually cause irreversible damage."
Being old and shrewd, upon discovering Faen possessed such abilities, it would be a lie to say the Great Elder wasn't thrilled. After all, communicating with nature spirits was an ability that only existed in heroic legends, belonging to an extreme minority of great heroes. And now... she had reached this level just by receiving pointers from a single person? No matter how you looked at it, this far exceeded the Great Elder's imagination.
Understanding this, the Great Elder naturally began wondering if Faen could help more of their tribesmen, ushering in a prosperous development for the avian tribe.
But Faen's current answer undoubtedly shut that down: only Xayah possessed the talent to grow prematurely through such extreme methods. Anyone else without this gift would just be a waste of effort.
But even so...
After a brief silence, the Great Elder raised his head again and said peacefully, "Since Mr. Faen and Xayah work together so seamlessly, please allow Xayah to stay by your side for the foreseeable future. On one hand, this will help you understand Oovi-Kat's current situation and the state of the nature spirits more quickly. On the other hand, it will also be convenient for Xayah to attend to your daily life and basic needs, saving you from wasting time on trivial matters."
"Eh?"
Hearing this, Xayah froze in place. She pointed a finger at herself and asked, "Me? I'm supposed to attend to Faen's daily life and basic needs?"
To this, Faen, with a perfectly calm face, nodded as if he didn't mind at all and said, "I have no problem with it, of course, but it still depends on Xayah's own opinion."
Hearing this, everyone unanimously turned their gazes to Xayah.
Feeling everyone's stares, Xayah instantly felt an immense amount of pressure.
The first part was fine—helping Faen understand the state of the nature spirits and Oovi-Kat, guiding him around... Even without the Great Elder's order, Xayah would be happy to help Faen.
But the problem was, what did it mean for her to attend to Faen's daily life and basic needs?! What the heck was all this?! Why did she have to do it? While she didn't hate the idea, what would others think of her if word got out? In the eyes of people who didn't know the truth, wouldn't she essentially become this guy Faen's wife?!
At this thought, Xayah couldn't help but swallow hard.
Because Xayah realized that the immense pressure she was feeling right now wasn't dissatisfaction or reluctance, but rather... things were developing a bit too fast, and she hadn't fully processed it.
Snapping back to reality, Xayah discovered that she actually didn't have much dissatisfaction or reluctance regarding this...
With this in mind, Xayah swallowed hard again, then looked at Faen. Feeling the gentle inquiry in Faen's words, Xayah pursed her lips. Turning her head slightly, she said coyly with a bashful face, "I... have no objections."
"Excellent!" Hearing this, the Elder rejoiced. "Then it's settled! Come, come, I shall arrange rooms for you all right now!"
As the Envoy of the Enlightened One, Karma, Faen's status was incredibly noble. This was especially true since Faen wasn't just a regular envoy, but someone bestowed with the Mark of the Twin Dragons and recognized by the Spirit of Ionia itself. He also appeared refined, elegant, generous, and polite. He could even enhance Xayah's abilities. From any angle, he was a VIP that the avian tribe must treat with the utmost respect. If Xayah could develop a relationship more intimate than friendship with him, or even have a child... that would be the best possible outcome!