Chapter 969 – Permanent Resident of the Association

“My psychic power has been like this since birth.” Mo Lan said matter-of-factly. “The elders in my tribe all said that because I’m a ‘child of the Tree of Life,’ my talents are far greater than ordinary Elves.”

The moment she said this, several mid-rank Elves instinctively objected, wearing expressions that said ‘what kind of reason is that?’—caught between laughter and exasperation.

“Which Elf wasn’t born from a tree? I’m a ‘child of the Tree of Radiance’ myself!” Tobias exclaimed.

“Exactly! I’m a ‘child of the Tree of Shadows’ too!” The other two mid-rank Deep Shadow Elves chimed in.

The mid-rank Astral Elves exchanged glances with one another. “We all grew from the Ancient Starlight Tree—we’re genuine children of the Ancient Starlight Tree! But our psychic power isn’t anywhere near this absurd!”

They chattered over one another, finding Mo Lan’s explanation far too dismissive.

However, after they finished speaking, they noticed that Celestian, Alfred, and Viola—the three high-rank seniors—not only hadn’t joined in the protests but had all fallen into deep contemplation.

Tobias sensed the shift in atmosphere. He looked at the grave expressions on the three seniors’ faces and couldn’t help asking in a hushed voice, “Instructor Celestian, Instructor Alfred, Instructor Viola… you don’t actually believe that’s the reason, do you?”

Celestian didn’t answer Tobias immediately. He took a step forward, moving closer to Mo Lan, his tone careful and deliberate, enunciating each word: “Mo Lan… are you saying… you were not hatched from a life cocoon formed by the fused soul energy of Elf parents, entrusted to the Tree of Life… but rather a child conceived and hatched solely by the Tree Spirit itself?”

The instant these words left his mouth, the mid-rank Elves who had just been protesting went silent, every one of them wide-eyed, mouths slightly agape.

Conceived and hatched solely by the Tree Spirit?

This method of birth, unique to first-generation Elves, had been extremely rare even during the golden age of the high Elves.

When the various Elf branches first diverged and the mother trees first split, there had indeed been first-generation Elves of those new branches. But by now, examples of Elves birthed directly by a Tree Spirit had become the stuff of legend in all their inherited memories.

Mo Lan gave a gentle nod.

“No wonder! No wonder your psychic power is so unfathomably deep! No wonder you can effortlessly master multiple high-rank professions simultaneously! If the very essence of your soul and your body both originate directly from the Tree of Life—if you’re a first-generation nature Elf—that explains everything perfectly. You would possess the most concentrated bloodline among all branch Elves. Innately powerful psychic power is indeed something that no amount of later cultivation can match.”

Instantly, every Elf present understood.

Mo Lan wore an expression that said she’d known this would happen.

Back in the Emerald Green Tribe, whenever she demonstrated learning speed far surpassing Elves her age, an instant grasp of complex heritage knowledge, or performed feats that nature Elves found quite astonishing, everyone would first be surprised—and then someone would say something like “Well, she is a child of the Tree of Life, after all…”

The moment those words were spoken, everyone would immediately adopt expressions of “Oh, well then that’s perfectly normal” or “So it’s a gift from the Tree Spirit”—as if everything unusual about her was automatically rationalized.

After the brief shock and understanding passed, an even fiercer, more burning desire arose in the hearts of every Elf present.

Tobias was the first who couldn’t contain himself. His fists clenched tight, golden eyes blazing bright, his voice trembling slightly with excitement: “If even a first-generation nature Elf is already this powerful… then true high Elves… at their peak, just how strong must they have been?!”

The innate talent and potential displayed by merely a first-generation Elf of the nature branch alone had already overturned everything they thought they knew.

What about high Elves who had perfectly mastered the power of stars, the power of radiance, the power of deep shadow, the forces of nature, and even psychic power?

Unimaginable! Yet the very thought sent thrilling shivers through their entire beings!

“We must succeed!” Viola’s eyes burned with an almost reverent flame. “No matter what, we must complete the bloodline atavism ritual and become true high Elves!”

Celestian nodded and turned to Mo Lan. “Now it’s your turn to share your heritage memories. Is that all right?” He wanted to supplement the nature Elf heritage as quickly as possible and study nature magic to see if it could meet the requirements of the bloodline atavism ritual.

Mo Lan met his eager, expectant gaze without the slightest hesitation, nodding readily and firmly. “Of course!”

In just a single day, she had obtained, through the Resonance Device, nearly complete heritage memories of the Astral, Corona, and Deep Shadow Elf branches up through high rank.

The gains far exceeded her initial expectations.

Not only had it vastly enriched and filled in her understanding of the Seran world’s mainstream magical civilization, but it had also provided crucial help in accepting the magical philosophies of each Elf branch, completing the bloodline atavism ritual, and obtaining the high Elf heritage.

Facing these Elf companions who had generously shared their own precious heritages and who shared the same goal as her, she would not be stingy in the slightest.

“Also, I heard from Tobias that the association has arranged exclusive rest rooms for each official member inside the Place of Convergence?” Mo Lan asked.

Celestian nodded. “Yes! They’re not very large, but they’re completely free.”

“Perfect.” Mo Lan smiled, then made a decision that moved everyone present. “From now on, I plan to take up permanent residence at the Place of Convergence.”

The moment she said this, everyone was taken aback.

Although the Place of Convergence did offer free rest rooms for members, for high-rank professionals, they were more than capable of securing much better accommodations within the Amethyst Ring.

Setting that aside, even the Instructor apartments provided by the Academy had better conditions than here.

Celestian, thinking she hadn’t noticed the Instructor benefits listed in her letter of appointment, emphasized them to her once more.

Mo Lan shook her head. “Living here is perfectly fine. From now on, whenever any of you need to receive nature Elf heritage memories, or have any questions in any area related to nature magic… you can come find me directly. I’ll do my best to help everyone.”

With the heritage memories everyone had given her, plus what she had gathered on her own and the Starlight Magic Academy’s library collection, her learning progress going forward would be extremely fast. She might soon be able to complete the bloodline atavism ritual, obtain the high Elf heritage memories, and even leave the Seran world entirely.

The Realm-friend invitation to the Seran world was incredibly precious. Once she left this place, she had no idea if she would ever have the chance to return.

Even if the opportunity arose, it would be a very long time from now.

By then, the Elves she had come to know might no longer be around.

So she wanted to answer as many of their questions as she could, to repay the Elves for all their help.

The Elves were overwhelmed by her decision, but it was truly what they needed right now.

The loss of the nature Elf heritage meant that nature magic had always been every single one of their weaknesses.

This much was evident from the sparse, scraggly plants growing in the flower beds beside the courtyard fountain.