Chapter 39 - The Tribe Elders

…

“I sealed her memories, healed her wounds and scars with some elixirs after she fell unconscious.”

Cal Cal shivered uncontrollably with tears still streaming down her face and asked Li Qu,

“Why… Why did you tell me this? Royal Mother would not like it, what if she knew?!”

“It is fine. I unsealed her memories after I felt that she was stable after a few thousand years. She was already the queen back then, the reason I told you this was because your mother had once told me in the passing that she had wished to tell it to her children, but could not bear to do so.”

Cal Cal was silent but she calmed down after a short while, she wiped her tears with her sleeves made of cotton. 100% tears absorbent.

“Royal Mother… I-I really don’t know what to say except that I respect her a lot more.”

“Now, back to the main point. I want to know if you or your guards gained any ‘special’ powers after all of you were sent here by that pebble.”

Li Qu wanted to know if they had anything like his own Celestial Teahouse System, or why was it just him?

“Special powers? Not that I know of, but our cultivations could not even advance by much on Earth as the natural energy was too little. The elders of the tribe are all in seclusion, recouping from their serious injuries from back then, I’m still currently only at 80% of my original power due to the hidden injuries.”

It seemed like the guards of Cal Cal were actually the elders of the Cal Cal Tribe, she explained and mentioned how the native elves on Earth had came to be.

“They were actually just souls of nature, wandering about the forests in the past, way before the so-called Evolver’s Era. When the Spiritual Qi had pervaded Earth, some transformed into elves while some morphed into the likes of werewolves, pixies, fairies and other supernatural beings. They were always hidden away from the human’s eyes.”

Li Qu was not interested in that topic in the slightest, he held his chin with his slender fingers and looked at Cal Cal.

“Then, during your stay here, have you ever heard news of people from any of the Realms coming here?”

“Not that I know o-”

Cal Cal blinked in thought when Melian Aelfis interjected all of a sudden.

“Ah, there’s something slightly peculiar, but I wonder if I should say…”

“Go ahead. Any news is news.”

Li Qu gave his permission.

She cleared her throat and spoke with some skepticism.

“I heard from the ambassador of humans that if we ever come across people from the Church Of Chaos, we should contact them through a ‘cell phone’. I was curious about what the Church Of Chaos was and he explained that the ultimate goal of those bunch was to summon an incomparably powerful demon above the Ascended stage to wreak havoc and chaos on Earth.”

Cal Cal tilted her head and asked innocently.

“Why would they want to do that? Are they similar to those demons in the Red Heaven Realm?”

Li Qu switched the topic and he instructed Cal Cal.

“This is a small matter. Little princess, I want you to summon your elders here right now.”

Cal Cal was puzzled at first, but her eyes slowly started to shine as she realized why he had instructed her to do so.

“Are you going to heal them?! Your Excellency is so nice!”

“Ahem, I just saw that I have karmic affinity with you. Furthermore, I do not want the daughter of someone I saved to die in an unknown place. Now go, stop wasting my time.”

“Alright, I’m going now. Wait for a while!”

Li Qu waved her off as he sipped on his wine when he saw the leaving figure.

Melian Aelfis was smiling and standing there while watching Li Qu sip on his wine.

“Your Excellency, deep down, you’re actually a really kind guy…”

Li Qu wanted to put the clay cup down but his hands paused mid-air when he heard Melian Aelfis’ remark.

A short pause later, he put the cup down as he gazed at the motherly elf in front of him.

‘This is the second time in a short while that someone said I was kind. How laughable.’

The people that he had banished and killed mercilessly would scream out and deny it vehemently.

Li Qu averted his eyes and shook his head lightly as he asked the System internally.

‘System, do you think I am kind?’

[Host, kindness is subjective.]

A short but straightforward answer was given by the robotic voice.

Li Qu chuckled to himself as he pondered.

‘Subjective… That is right. Millions have perished in my hands, yet millions more have been indirectly granted salvation from some of the people I have killed.’

He stopped his thoughts from delving in deeper than it should as he waited for Cal Cal and the elders to come back.

…

Two hours later, Cal Cal came back with a few of her guards and formally introduced them to Li Qu.

“Your Excellency, these are the guards that have protected me back in the pocket realm, they’re now the elders of the tribe.”

They all knelt down with a single knee without hesitation and greeted Li Qu excitedly, it was evident that Cal Cal had informed them in advance about the expert they were going to meet.

“We pay our respects to Your Excellency, the Karmic Banisher!”

“Rise.”

“We thank Your Excellency!”

Li Qu commanded them as they rose to their feet, he took a quick look at the elders in front of him and saw that there was one that particularly stood out, he marveled at the rarity.

“You, with the wooden staff and white beard. An Elf Magus?”

Donaer Cerle walked a step forward and saluted him with a short noble’s bow as he introduced himself.

“Your Excellency, my name is Donaer Cerle, but you can call me White Beard. When I was young, I stumbled onto an Inheritance Abode of a Ranked Magus. There was a spell and a drop of Essence Blood of that Ranked Magus to change my bloodline and have the ability to absorb Mana. My talents were poor and there was no potential to even reach the False Immortal realm, I took a gamble and succeeded.”

“Hmmm, an Elf Magus, as rare of a sight as the Fallen Udumbara blooming.”

“I thank Your Excellency for your praise.”

Li Qu commented on the rarity in front of him while White Beard bowed once again.

The Fallen Udumbara was a flower found in the abyss of the Red Heaven Realm.

When enough blood was shed around it during a short span of time, it would be absorbed by their roots, and when the blood eclipse was present, only then would it bloom.

It could be seen how rare an Elf Magus was. In the books found throughout the Heaven Realm, when the first war for the territory of the Green Heaven Realm was initiated against the elves, the Magus Race was one of the participants to join in the fray.

As such, elves had an innate dislike for the Magus Race, although there was a peace treaty now, who knew when those experimental maniacs would change their stance.

Li Qu cut the small talks short and smiled, he spoke with a teasing tone.

“I will be healing all of you now. However, I have a small condition.”

…