Two artifacts: one had been tossed away by Eriko to some unknown place, and the other was the unknown, Flora's necklace.
So now, the question is: what was the purpose of the people who launched the attack a few days ago?
It was very obvious that the target of that attack was not Eriko, but Xi Mengyao, who had been lured here.
But why?
Why attack Xi Mengyao?
Was there anything special about this person worth attacking?
No. Even before that day, Melanie and Leticia had only ever seen her on the big screen.
Knock, knock, knock. The urgent knocking interrupted Leticia's train of thought. Luna's voice rang out after the knocking stopped, "Two young ladies, may the guest from the Elf Race and I come in?"
Oh, the person from the Elf Race is here. Leticia glanced at Eriko and found that, other than being a bit nervous, the girl showed no unusual behavior.
Was she really not worried about being recognized?
Noticing Leticia looking at her, Eriko naturally assumed this was out of concern for her state.
Thus, she nodded at Leticia. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."
After saying this, she took a deep breath, suppressing the last trace of nervousness on her face.
Actually, I wasn't worried about you. Leticia opened her mouth, but in the end, she didn't say that sentence out loud.
Let her misunderstand if she wants to. It's a good thing if Eriko's favorability toward her is higher; that way, it would be very easy to gain her trust and assistance later on.
"Come in." Leticia called out toward the door.
The door opened, and Luna and a hooded Elf walked into the room.
After entering the room, the Elf took off her hat, revealing the highly recognizable face underneath the hood.
With features similar to Westerners, fair skin, green eyes and hair, and pointed ears—without a doubt, this was a pure-blooded member of the Elf Race.
Judging by her hair color, this Elf was likely not just an ordinary member of the Elf Race.
"I am Aierlinni, affiliated with the Elf Race's Elder Council, here to investigate the matter of the Half-Elf." Upon seeing Leticia, the Elf's pupils constricted, and she immediately introduced herself quite respectfully.
Although she didn't know who Leticia was, the girl gave her a feeling like the former Empress—no, even more oppressive than the Empress.
This young lady was definitely someone of high status; being polite was certainly the right thing to do.
"Aierlinni? I recall there are quite a few Aierlinnis in the Elf Race." Leticia replied casually. "Are you all one family?"
"More or less. May I ask, is this person beside you the Half-Elf taken in by Malanie?" Aierlinni nodded, shifting her gaze to Eriko, who was standing to the side.
Black hair and green eyes—only these points matched the characteristics of a Half-Elf. Her aura was that of a very pure human; if she were to walk past Aierlinni somewhere one day, Aierlinni would never think that this was a Half-Elf.
"Yes, it's her." Leticia nodded. "Is she the Half-Elf you are looking for?"
Aierlinni shook her head. "If judging by appearance, it's far off, but appearances can always be deceiving."
As she spoke, she took out an exquisite, small dagger from her pocket.
Luna immediately stepped forward, grabbing the wrist Aierlinni was holding the knife with. "What are you trying to do?"
Trying hard to pull her hand from Luna's restraint, Aierlinni was surprised to find that she couldn't do it; Luna's strength was much greater than hers.
This intelligence broker really was full of hidden depths.
"Appearances can be deceiving, but bloodlines cannot." She explained. "I need to take some of her blood to determine if she is the person I am looking for."
Eriko's expression became panicked in an instant; she seemed quite terrified of this method.
"What, are you feeling guilty?" Aierlinni naturally noticed Eriko's abnormality. She looked at the small knife in her hand and revealed a meaningful smile. "Don't worry, it doesn't hurt. Just one drop of blood will do."
"I..." Just as Eriko was about to speak, a gentle voice rang in her ears.
"Don't be afraid, you'll be fine."
"Hmm?" Leticia looked toward Eriko in confusion; she seemed to have just heard Flora's voice.
An illusion?
No, it shouldn't be an illusion. Eriko's state had improved significantly after that voice spoke just now.
It must be Flora comforting Eriko; that has to be it.
Although still a bit nervous, Eriko reached out her hand. "Come on, I'm not the person you're looking for."
Aierlinni frowned. What was up with this Half-Elf? She was so scared just a moment ago, but now she had become so confident.
Did she believe Malanie would protect her, or was it that she truly wasn't the person she was looking for?
"If you really were the person we were looking for, Malanie wouldn't protect you." Aierlinni still wanted to intimidate Eriko. "Her deal with us is to trade you for that girl's life."
"Enough nonsense. You are still as boring as before." Eriko gritted her teeth and squeezed out this sentence.
"You..." Aierlinni was momentarily speechless.
"What about me? I just hate you all! I hate the Elf Race! Is that not allowed?!" Eriko seemed to have opened the floodgates, releasing all her pent-up resentment at once. "On the surface, you act all noble, but in reality, you are filthier than Beastmen."
"Luna, why do I feel like Eriko's state is a bit off?" With Eriko still cursing over there, Leticia poked Luna and whispered.
"She should be venting. She has suffered quite a few grievances, and now, facing a haughty Elf, it's normal for her to vent these resentments." Luna also replied in a whisper.
While speaking, Luna's eyes were fixed intently on Aierlinni; if this Elf made any unusual moves, she would step in to stop her.
But the Elf held back. A few veins popped on her forehead, but she still restrained herself.
"I will remember these words," she said coldly. Right now, Eriko was still protected by Melanie, so it wasn't easy for her to make a move, but later, if Eriko were to leave Melanie's protection, Aierlinni wouldn't mind coming back to seek revenge.
The Elf Race were not as magnanimous as depicted in some stories; some of them were quite vengeful.
For example, Miss Aierlinni.
"And then what? Kill me? Just like you killed those Half-Elves you deemed useless."