Chapter 936 – The Chosen Location

What followed turned into a joyful game of chase.

Mo Lan was pulled along by Polly and Celine, tiptoeing as they tried to get close to the nimble wood sprites. But these little creatures were extraordinarily alert, always vanishing in a flash of light into the mushroom clusters at the very instant they were about to be touched, leaving behind only a string of laughter as crisp as wind chimes echoing through the air.

Though they never once managed to actually touch a wood sprite, the process itself was filled with laughter.

Gradually, Mo Lan let herself go, moving her little short legs to run and hide across the soft moss, feeling the wind brush past the tips of her ears, listening to Polly and Celine’s suppressed giggles, and Dominic’s frustrated yet excited grumbling after missing his target time and again.

This kind of pure, childlike joy was something she hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

In Valen, her heart was always preoccupied with Earth, and her time was always filled with studying and self-improvement.

Though she had found joy in the learning process itself, immersing herself in it, she had gradually forgotten how to simply enjoy life.

When gathering with friends it was still alright, but whenever she was alone, she always packed her schedule to the brim, feeling uneasy if she wasn’t studying something.

Yet here, in this ancient forest, accompanied by the fragrance of flowers, the laughter of little elves, and the mischievous wood sprites, some forgotten corner deep within her heart seemed to be gently stirred.

By the end of their play, she had completely cast all thoughts of studying from her mind.

After all, she couldn’t practice magic right now anyway. Once she grew a bit bigger and her body could support independent action, when she could use the mirror space away from the other elves’ watchful eyes, she could make full use of its time-flow adjustment function to make up for the time she was “wasting” now.

When that time came, there would be more than enough hours to conquer any amount of knowledge. There was truly no rush over these fleeting moments.

Having thought this through, she simply opened her heart entirely, and like a true little elf, savored this rare, carefree time.

When the setting sun began gilding the canopy of the Tree of Life with brilliant golden edges, and those mischievous wood sprites quietly hid themselves among the dense treetops, transforming into indistinguishable leaves, the little expedition party finally set off on their way home.

By the time they returned to Chieftain Matil’s treehouse, Mo Lan’s little face still bore the healthy flush of exercise, and her vine-woven outfit was dotted with specks of emerald moss and bright yellow pollen.

That evening, soaking in the small bathing tub that Grandma Matil had specially prepared for her, her mind still lingered on the feeling of running freely and single-mindedly across the mossy ground that afternoon, chasing wood sprites.

Early the next morning, Celine came as promised to make water-wash ink together. After a moment’s thought, Mo Lan picked up her little basket and ran out after her without hesitation.

On the evening of the third day, Polly came running over excitedly, mysteriously inviting her to go into the forest together to catch lantern fireflies — floating specks of starlight that they could use to decorate their treehouses. Mo Lan didn’t hesitate. After telling Grandma Matil, she joined this little nighttime adventure with great enthusiasm.

On the morning of the fourth day, she had just been splashing and having a water fight with her friends at the stream, coming back completely soaked, with water droplets still dripping from the ends of her hair and a beaming smile spread across her face.

Just as she was wondering which kind of berries to have for lunch, Grandma Matil called out to her.

“Moira, don’t worry about changing clothes just yet.” Matil’s voice pulled Mo Lan back from the lingering afterglow of play. “The Tree Spirit has sent down a revelation today. It has chosen the location for building your home.”

“What?” Mo Lan froze, her little face still dewy with moisture tilted upward, caught completely off guard. “Build… my own home? I can live on my own now?” The news came so suddenly that she almost thought she had misheard.

After all, Grandma Matil had told her long ago that she was only temporarily caring for her on behalf of the Tree Spirit. Once she had grown a bit older, she would move out to live on her own, and at that time the Tree Spirit would personally teach her.

With this in mind, she pressed eagerly, “What about magic? Will I be able to start learning soon?”

She felt as though she had only just managed to shed the burden of being a relentless overachiever and had thrown herself wholeheartedly into the role of “mischievous little elf” for barely a few days!

Looking at her expression of surprise and delight, Matil smiled and crouched down, using magic to dry the water from Mo Lan’s body, then patiently explained:

“Yes, you already speak Elvish very fluently. Once your home is built and you’ve settled in, the foundational magic knowledge from the inherited memories should be just about ready to unlock. When that time comes, the Tree Spirit will teach you personally.”

“Wonderful!”

Whatever small reluctance she felt about leaving these carefree days behind was instantly swept away by her thirst for magical knowledge.

Mo Lan eagerly grabbed Grandma Matil’s hand, shaking it vigorously as she asked in a bright, urgent voice:

“When do we start? Can we go see the spot the Tree Spirit chose right now? Please?”

Matil was amused by her impatience. “Alright, since you’re in such a hurry, let’s go now. The place the Tree Spirit has chosen will surely delight you.”

She led Mo Lan straight to the base of the Tree of Life’s main trunk, stopped, and looked upward, her gaze settling on a spot roughly ten meters above the ground. “Look up there, child.”

Mo Lan craned her little head as far as she could, peering in the direction indicated, but couldn’t quite see clearly.

Matil scooped her up and swiftly climbed to the spot.

It was the junction where the massive main trunk met a great branch extending outward horizontally, and there sat a natural tree hollow.

The edges of the hollow were smooth and rounded, as if carefully polished. The opening was roughly as tall as an adult elf, and the interior seemed to hold a world of its own.

Beside the hollow, the enormous horizontal branch stretched flat and wide, like a natural terrace. Some smaller aerial roots had already draped down naturally, forming a faintly visible railing.

“This is the location the Tree Spirit has chosen for you,” Matil said.

“This tree hollow was specially created by the Tree Spirit as a meditation chamber for you. Inside, you can better commune with the forces of nature, and communicating with the Tree Spirit will be much more convenient.

The branch platform outside is very spacious. Building a treehouse for living right next to the hollow would be perfect, and there’d still be room for a small terrace — great for enjoying the view, practicing magic, or entertaining friends.”

Mo Lan nodded. After spending these past few days playing with Polly and Celine, she had come to understand just how great an honor it was for an elf to live on the Tree of Life itself.

In the entire tribe, only Matil had been permitted by the Tree Spirit to reside at the base of the trunk. All the other elves could only live in the surrounding woodlands.

If the elves were to learn that she was not only allowed to build a home on the Tree of Life, but that the Tree Spirit had even personally carved out a hollow deep into the main trunk just for her — they would be green with envy!