Chapter 955 – Disposing of the Captives

Such pure, highly concentrated anti-magic tree sap — a single small vial would be enough to buy every premium slave their mercenary company owned.

It was typically only used against extremely dangerous spellcasters, applied by coating weapons or crafting a small number of arrows.

Yet these nature Elves before him had splashed it on him as casually as throwing water!

In that moment, the mage’s shock actually surpassed his fear and despair.

He let Lila manipulate the newly grown vines on the ground to truss him up like a Rice Dumpling Corpse, his mind in complete disarray.

He couldn’t decide whether to worry about the miserable fate awaiting him in the Elves’ hands, or to marvel at the sheer extravagance of these Elves.

The Elves clearly held no overwhelming advantage in numbers or average class level, yet through their seemingly inexhaustible supply of plant materials, they had swiftly seized the upper hand and dismantled this secret outpost that had been in operation for years!

In fact, throughout the entire engagement, the Elves had used very little offensive Magic.

From paralysis arrows and sticky spider webs, to animated vines and paralysis arrows, to sleep-inducing pollen and anti-magic tree sap, to the animated roots and various potions Mo Lan had used… all of it leveraged the material advantages that nature Elves had accumulated in the forest to their fullest extent.

When the last stubbornly resisting slaver was tripped by a ranger’s vine snare and finished off with a precisely aimed paralysis arrow, the cavern fell completely silent.

The slavers lay strewn about in disarray, most of them unconscious. The few who remained conscious were either paralyzed or bound too tightly to move.

Rhindor quickly took a headcount. On their side, only two rangers had sustained minor injuries, and after Lila treated them, they were no longer in any danger.

“It’s not safe here. We’ve rescued our people — prepare to withdraw immediately!”

At Rhindor’s command, several rangers drew daggers or short swords and moved toward the slave-catching party captives who were bound by vines and mostly incapable of resistance.

To the Elves, the best fate for villains who violated the forest and abducted their kin was to return to nature — their corpses nourishing the earth.

“Wait!” Mo Lan hurried to stop them, then addressed Rhindor: “We rescued Polly and Celine this time and destroyed this outpost — that’s certainly a victory.

But think about it, everyone. Would a slave-catching party with a high-ranking mage, operating with such meticulous cunning, really consist of only these dozen or so people? This Underground Waterway outpost has been in operation for a long time. It’s clearly a carefully chosen transit station, and behind it there’s very likely a larger organization, a broader network for fencing their captives.”

She surveyed the group and saw thoughtful expressions appearing on many Elves’ faces before continuing:

“If we kill them now, it would certainly be simple, but we’d also be cutting off an important lead.

Where did they come from? Which faction do they belong to? Are there other accomplices? Why did they dare target Elves? Besides this place, do they have other outposts or hideouts? We don’t know any of this.

Better to take them out of here, interrogate them with truth serums, and then use that information to trace everything back to the source. Only by catching them all in one sweep can we truly eliminate the threat for good.”

The Elves fell into a brief silence upon hearing this, but none of them supported Mo Lan’s proposal.

It wasn’t that they didn’t understand the reasoning behind her words, nor that they hadn’t considered the potential follow-up threats at all.

But leaving the forest, taking the initiative to strike, pursuing the matter to its end — this option fundamentally violated the life philosophy and survival strategy that nature Elves had followed for generations.

Nature Elves were accustomed to living, growing, and fighting under the forest’s protection.

The forest was their homeland, the source of their strength, and a natural barrier.

Unless absolutely necessary, they rarely left the forest voluntarily for extended periods to venture into unfamiliar, complex regions fraught with unknown dangers.

To them, the best way to deal with external threats was to strengthen the forest’s defenses, ensuring that any malice daring to intrude would “return to nature” and become the forest’s nourishment.

Polly and Celine had been successfully rescued, and the immediate threat before them was about to be resolved.

In the Elves’ view, this crisis was already over.

Increasing patrols and vigilance afterward would be sufficient to handle similar incursions.

Proactively investigate a potentially larger mastermind beyond the forest?

That would mean placing themselves in a completely disadvantageous environment to face unknown enemies and conspiracies — in their eyes, the risk was far too great.

Rhindor looked at Mo Lan’s young face and sighed inwardly.

He admired the child’s talent and sense of responsibility, but he also had to remind her of practical considerations.

“Moira, your idea… is very courageous. But the forest is our home turf, the root of our strength, and the place we know best — where we can best leverage our advantages.

Away from the forest, our capabilities would be greatly diminished. And the world outside is far more complex than the forest; danger doesn’t only come from blades in plain sight.

What we need to do next is strengthen patrols and vigilance in the forest, heighten the tribe’s alertness, and ensure that everyone who enters the forest with ill intent ‘returns to the forest’ to nourish the earth.

That is our most reliable, most effective way to protect ourselves.

Recklessly leaving the forest to pursue enemies would more likely put everyone in danger.”

“That’s right, Moira!”

Polly and Celine also urgently grasped Mo Lan’s hands. Their faces still bore the lingering fear and exhaustion of captivity, but right now they were filled with nothing but concern for Mo Lan:

“It’s too dangerous outside the forest! Those people are cunning and cruel — don’t go taking risks! Staying in the forest, together with everyone, is the safest!”

Mo Lan had originally planned to uncover the forces behind the slave-catching party, escort Polly and Celine back to the tribe, and then leave the forest to investigate the matter and thoroughly root out everyone connected to the slavers, eliminating the threat once and for all.

But now, looking at the expressions of her kin — some silent, some cautioning, some worried — the remaining words she’d wanted to say could no longer leave her lips.

The nature Elves had chosen a survival strategy of inward guardianship and passive defense, born from their history, traditions, and profound dependence on the forest.

They were neither shortsighted nor cowardly — over long ages, they had developed what was, in their view, a proven philosophy of survival.

She could not and should not force everyone to change their way of thinking and follow her on an uncertain “expedition.”

It wasn’t quite disappointment — just… a certain helplessness.

But as a member of the Verdant Elf Tribe, nourished by the forest and cared for by the tribe, Mo Lan could not sit idly by while a potential threat continued to exist.

The tribe’s Elf population was already small to begin with; every single member was precious beyond measure. They’d been lucky enough to rescue them this time — but what about next time? What if the enemy was more cunning, their methods more covert?

She could not stake the tribe’s future on the enemy’s mercy or on their own side always being vigilant in time.

Since everyone was unwilling to leave the forest and take the initiative… then this responsibility would fall to her alone.

After all, she had already planned to venture out after coming of age to train herself, learn more magical heritage, and complete the inherited memories of the high Elves. Investigating this matter would simply be along the way.

It was just that now was not the right time to reveal this intention openly.