DKIE CH51: Unmasking

He spoke with great nobility, but in reality, Luka was still dizzy.

The songs of elves naturally had a certain hallucinogenic effect. To put it bluntly, whether they sounded good or bad, they were essentially a form of mental pollution that placed a burden on the soul.

He sighed lightly.

The dragon race had physical bodies, the elf race had sonic weapons, and he, he only had a head of beautiful, glossy black hair.

Heh heh heh.

Luka amused himself, and a strange smile appeared on his lips, which inexplicably added a certain convincing power, as if he truly had a different understanding of art.

The High Priest looked down on him for showing off his clever but unorthodox tricks.

Just as he was about to say something, the leaf mark on his brow reverted to its original state. The same happened to Luka.

A leaf floated in front of them, indicating they were qualified to negotiate.

Without any further verbal sparring, Luka and the High Priest both seized the time.

Before coming, Luka had brushed up on information about the elven race. Using his finger as a pen, he began to write down what he needed on the leaf.

The High Priest finished writing quickly, his peripheral vision discreetly observing the person beside him. The other person clearly had a lot to write, constantly using a shrinking spell to make more space.

Unfortunately, when he wanted to take a closer look, a figure silently blocked his probing gaze.

The Quill Pen stood between the two of them.

After finishing and submitting the leaf, Luka returned with some uncertainty. He had written down the matter of establishing a network in full detail, and stated why he had come. He didn’t know if it was the right or wrong thing to do.

The Quill Pen nodded slightly, giving a silent affirmation.

The Astrologer had only said that the key lay with the Elf King. When talking with the powerful, being roundabout was a major taboo.

Of the two leaves, the Elf King first looked at the High Priest’s brief one.

“The Wisdom Fruit you ask for is much more precious than the Life Elixir.”

The High Priest: “The two have different uses. One hundred drops of Life Elixir are definitely worth the price.”

The Elf King did not give an immediate answer and looked at the other leaf.

At first, he showed some interest, but since the elven race had little contact with the outside world, this interest was limited. It was only after reading the entire thing that his cold, turquoise eyes darkened.

Luka could feel that, in that instant, the Elf King had genuinely felt a flicker of killing intent.

The High Priest’s gaze became somewhat meaningful.

Even the Wisdom Fruit hadn’t caused much of a reaction from the Elf King. What exorbitant demand had this sinful son made?

“As this involves an important transaction, Your Excellency need not decide immediately. You can take a few more days to consider.”

He had a gut feeling that this matter was not simple. The extra few days could be used to investigate what tricks Luka was up to.

The coldness in the Elf King’s eyes had not yet faded. A moment later, he summoned the guards to lead them away.

At the entrance, a guard took out two wooden plaques. “The light on these will guide you to your treehouses. Do not wander around. Most elves do not like outsiders.”

Except for the rangers and guards who often dealt with visitors, other adult light elves were very hostile towards outsiders due to a dark period in their history.

The guard returned to his post inside the hall.

On the path following the light source, the group indeed encountered many unfriendly stares.

Luka had a look of enjoyment on his face. “I love this.”

Regardless of race, whether mixed-blood or pure-blood, everyone here could enjoy that equal-opportunity loathing.

Nice!

The High Priest: He’s sick.

Seeing the elves coming and going on the cobblestone walkways in mid-air, he suppressed the gloominess in his expression. It wouldn’t be long before these self-proclaimed proud elves would be completely erased from history.

Accustomed to being an honored guest wherever he went, the High Priest, now facing cold shoulders everywhere and unable to act out, returned to his treehouse early, too lazy to wander around anymore.

After the High Priest left in a hurry, Luka felt the air become much fresher.

Every time he encountered an unfriendly elf, he would greet them amicably.

The adult elf who deliberately blocked his path, seeing this smiling human, didn’t know how to react. He huffed twice in anger and ran off to another cobblestone path.

“These light elves are really simple-minded,” Luka shook his head.

The Quill Pen reminded him, “Their arrows are not simple.”

After breathing in the fresh air, much of the damage from the earlier song was offset.

Luka’s mind became clear again.

He didn’t immediately start worrying about the fated treasure that would bring the network into being. Instead, he frowned. “Don’t you feel like something is off?”

Especially the matter of the High Priest offering the Life Elixir.

The Quill Pen asked, “You suspect the Holy Court has a scheme?”

Luka shook his head, then nodded.

His dislike for the Holy Court was a fact, but he rarely let his prejudice affect his judgment.

“Life Elixir…” Luka muttered for a long time. As he repeated the words, the ferret on his shoulder left a message with its paw, the handwriting very messy:
Curses, divine sense, old ailments, hidden magical injuries… Life Elixir is indeed said to cure everything, and there have been no problems with it so far.

Seeing that Luka’s frown hadn’t eased, the Quill Pen said, “Let’s go rest first. We can think about it later.”

But Luka stopped in his tracks. “Wait, how long has the Tree of Life existed?”

The Quill Pen, ignoring the ferret’s presence, said directly, “It was already there in the age of the Human Ancestor.”

Luka’s eyes lit up. “Let’s go, back.”

The Quill Pen raised an eyebrow. He didn’t think the other was the type to give up easily.

“Back to see the Elf King,” Luka said. “I’m going to file a complaint.”

In the palace, the stage was empty. The Elf King sat below the stage, occasionally humming a few lines.

When there was no performance, the light in the hall was a reddish-orange hue. Paired with the off-key singing, it had a sense of pre-curtain-fall absurdity.

The sound of footsteps stopped the singing.

The Elf King knew who was coming without turning around. He didn’t turn, his tone as hazy as ever.

“I was originally curious as to what kind of person could be regarded differently by both the dragon race and the Saint.”

Luka smiled. “I’ve disappointed you.”

There was some disappointment. Luka did indeed have a talent for music, but the Elf King could see through his utilitarian personality at a glance.

There was no superior or inferior personality, he just didn’t like it very much.

Luka made no attempt to remedy this point.

If you think being utilitarian is bad, it just means the scope of your projected interests isn’t wide enough.

After getting a little closer, he sang a few lines a cappella.

The Elf King, who had been sitting quietly, had a strange light burst forth from his turquoise eyes.

He subconsciously sang along.

With just that casual hum, the guards at the door were all greatly alarmed. The Quill Pen and the ferret thought there was something wrong with their ears.

Is the Elf King possessed? Not only was it not unpleasant to listen to, but it was melodic and soft.

Luka: “There are many more such approachable songs.”

Even if one was tone-deaf, one could sing them, and sing them quite well.

It was just a pity that the currently popular pieces tended to stack up every possible technique. The Elf King, already troubled by the curse, naturally produced a soul-stirring effect when performing them.

“Music belongs to all groups,” he emphasized. “As long as the melody is suitable, your pitch won’t affect you.”

The Elf King tried again and was deeply amazed by the effect.

After a long while, he finally said, “The dragon race indeed did not misjudge you.”

A change in mindset can happen in an instant.

Luka had brought him a completely new way of thinking. Perhaps composition and songwriting didn’t need to pursue so much embellishment.

In the past, the Elf King might not have appreciated these catchy songs. Under the influence of traditional thinking, everyone’s subconscious equated “easy” with “cheap.”

Only after experiencing the curse could one appreciate the beauty of returning to simplicity.

Seeing that the prejudice had been dispelled, Luka stated the reason for his return. “Your Excellency, the Life Elixir brought by the High Priest may be problematic. I hope you will be cautious before using it.”

This was a rather serious accusation.

The Elf King returned from the beauty of the music, his gaze sharp and piercing.

Meeting his gaze, and seeing not the slightest evasion in the youth’s eyes, he finally said, “Explain in detail.”

The bottle emanated a continuous stream of vigorous life force. The possibility of the Life Elixir being fake was slim.

“Legend says that Life Elixir can purify curses, rejuvenate the body, and even restore youth. It’s strange that something so good has no side effects at all.”

It was a weak reason. The Elf King shook his head. “Not all items have side effects. For example, the Wisdom Fruit. I know you have a bad relationship with the Holy Court…”

“It has nothing to in with the Holy Court,” Luka suddenly interrupted the Elf King, startling the guards first.

So bold.

“I once saw the Demon Ancestor during my blood pool baptism.”

The Elf King’s slender eyes narrowed. “The Demon Ancestor told you there was a problem with the Life Elixir?”

“The Demon Ancestor didn’t say.”

He could have made that up, but it would have been easy to backfire.

Luka first mentioned his ancestral bloodline, which was no longer a secret, and then said that black hair was the sign of an ancestral bloodline.

The Elf King subconsciously denied this answer, for the same reason Luka had initially thought. “Black hair is so special. There should be definite records.”

Luka took a deep breath. “Because the Demon Ancestor… was bald.”

To save the Demon Ancestor some face, he hadn’t fully disclosed this matter to the public. The demon folk also thought that the identical hairstyle was just a parody of the royal capital’s nobility and were even less likely to spread ‘rumors’. As a result, most of those present were stunned.

“The statue can only ever be looked up to. The rules imbued with the Demon Ancestor’s will were also to prevent the public from seeing his baldness.”

It was so ridiculous, yet the logic lined up perfectly.

Luka: “You can use the Eye of True Sight or an appraisal spell on me.”

His frankness had already convinced the Elf King eighty percent of the way. Even if he were lying, an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to come up with such an exaggerated lie.

Luka continued, “The Demon Ancestor personally said that baldness was a side effect of cultivation. Life Elixir can promote the rejuvenation of the physical body. He cared so much about this matter, why didn’t he try the Life Elixir back then?”

There would certainly be strict records of both the gifting and use of Life Elixir.

If the Demon Ancestor had ever visited the Holy Court, historical records would also mention it.

The Elf King said helplessly, “The two races were not on good terms at the time. Besides, it didn’t affect cultivation.”

It was just a lack of hair.

Luka asked firmly, “What if it were you who was bald, and the dark elves happened to have Life Elixir?”

The Elf King: “…”

I’d march out to war immediately.

Luka then looked at the Quill Pen and the ferret.

The Quill Pen didn’t actually care about appearance; he himself was in an incomplete state. But to be unable to grow only hair… he’d have to think of something.

The ferret imagined itself bald and silently covered the top of its head with its paws.

Finally, Luka looked at the elven guards at the door.

He used magic to sketch a few bald heads in mid-air.

The guards swallowed hard, their blood running cold.

We must use every means possible to grow hair!

Luka inwardly chuckled.

See, you say you don’t care, but you don’t know the pain until the knife cuts you.

Let’s see you try being bald.

There was no evidence, but after putting themselves in that position, everyone, including the guards, began to feel that this transaction wasn’t right.

The Elf King pondered for a moment.

He had noticed one more detail than the others. When Luka mentioned that the Demon Ancestor had wanted a remedy, he had said that his physical body was too strong and completely immune to high-level potions.

If he wanted a cure, there was no reason not to try Life Elixir.

And Life Elixir had only begun to be auctioned in the last three hundred years. The Saint had pressured the Holy Court, causing some of their industries to shrink significantly. In the Demon Ancestor’s era, it was impossible to obtain it through auction.

If he had ever tried it, there would definitely be a historical trace.

So what was the reason that made the Demon Ancestor not even consider using it?

Luka said with a smile, “You might as well agree to the transaction, and then give the Holy Court a fake Wisdom Fruit. If they don’t demand an explanation for a long time, then this matter becomes interesting.”

The Holy Court suddenly wanting to exchange a large amount of Life Elixir for a Wisdom Fruit would normally mean they had an urgent need.

If they didn’t use it for a long time, it would mean the transaction was a sham.

“If they do demand an explanation, you can compensate them tenfold with ten more fake ones.”

“…”

Losing the gamble would only mean compensation and loss of face. Winning the gamble… that would be no small problem.

The Elf King lowered his head, lost in thought.

After voicing his doubts about the Life Elixir, Luka didn’t forget the true purpose of his trip and once again tentatively mentioned the network.

The Elf King asked in a deep voice, “Do you know what the terminal platform you are looking for, the one that can connect all visitors, is?”

Under the oppressive atmosphere, Luka shook his head.

He did not show fear, nor could he. He looked directly into those cold, turquoise eyes and said, “What do I need to exchange for it?”

“Exchange?”

With those two light words, the Elf King’s brow grew three parts colder. “There is no need to mention this matter again. I will have the elders prepare a generous gift, so that you will not return empty-handed…”

His slightly deep voice paused. At some point, a few green, crystalline points of light had appeared in the air.

They were very beautiful, with an indescribable sense of vitality.

Luka was certain that the points of light did not originate from any person, nor had they drifted in from outside. They seemed to have been generated out of thin air.

The points of light came to the Elf King’s side and vanished in an instant.

The Elf King’s expression suddenly became a little strange. After silently watching Luka for a few seconds, he said with some surprise, “It wants to see you.”

Luka looked puzzled.

A quarter of an hour later, after navigating through layers of white staircases down into the palace, an even more magical world presented itself.

The surroundings were almost completely cut off from most magic. Even the most basic illumination spell was difficult to use. Countless dark rivers flowed. Since ‘it,’ as the Elf King called it, had only requested to see Luka alone, the Quill Pen and the ferret could not go deeper. Luka followed the Elf King forward, carrying a lamp by himself.

The environment was dark and damp, yet it did not feel cold. Green points of light floated everywhere. When approaching these fluttering fluorescences, one could even feel a faint warmth.

When he saw clearly where all the light converged, Luka’s hand holding the lamp trembled.

What a huge tree!

Before today, he never thought he would one day use the words “majestic and spectacular” to describe a tree.

Unlike the Tree of Life in the Demon King’s dream, this one did not have a sense of otherworldly detachment. Instead, it radiated an approachable aura.

Many strangely shaped mushrooms grew around the large tree, and small animals could occasionally be seen.

“Go on, don’t be nervous.”

As they approached the base of the tree, the Elf King said softly, “This is the Tree of Wisdom, the true pillar of the elven race.”

Luka’s throat moved. He had a bad premonition.

Recalling the fleeting killing intent from the Elf King earlier, could the object of his quest be related to this Tree of Wisdom?

He suddenly felt that the Elf King’s previous coldness was a sign of his good temper.

The Elf King: “The Tree of Wisdom is a divine object of innate wisdom. The vastness of its consciousness space is far beyond the limits of your imagination.”

Standing truly under the massive tree, Luka felt a little helpless for the first time.

Modern people often talk about tree networks, and many signal base stations are camouflaged as large trees. Who would have thought that one day he would be facing a concrete tree?

How do I interact with it?

I can’t just sing “Wisdom fruit on the Tree of Wisdom, under the Tree of Wisdom, you and me,” right?

The Elf King: “Tell it in detail about your network.”

Luka slightly delayed closing his eyes to calm his mind.

Since the Tree of Wisdom was willing to meet him, there must have been something that moved it. He had to find that point and amplify it.

“In the future, the network will greatly change this world…”

He spoke at length. When his mouth was almost dry, Luka finally discovered a pattern. When he spoke about the network’s effect on the world, the Tree of Wisdom’s reaction was calm. But when he mentioned people communicating on a common platform, the Tree of Wisdom’s branches and leaves would sway slightly.

This is the key point!

Luka immediately described in detail, “With the help of the network platform, different races can communicate at any time. In the past, this kind of opportunity was only available at the Ten Thousand Courts Assembly. At the same time, it can also inspire them to make some creative inventions…”

After dictating a ten-thousand-word essay, he finally stopped. A branch swayed.

The Elf King stepped forward at the right time.

His forehead rested against the bark, his long golden hair swaying, the point of light on his brow flickering. The scene was sacred and beautiful.

When he opened his eyes again, the Elf King’s expression had become serious.

“Three days. Find a way to prove the influence of the network you speak of.”

He stared at Luka, and the dense leaves seemed to be staring at the youth under the tree as well.

Luka couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

It was almost certain now that the fated opportunity the Astrologer had spoken of was related to this tree. However, without the Tree of Wisdom’s cooperation, he couldn’t prove it.

This was the limitation of the era.

No matter how eloquently he spoke, unless they experienced it firsthand, others would find it difficult to truly understand the value of the network.

“Alright, but I will need to use the elven race as a pilot. This way, you can also see the most authentic feedback. At the same time, I will need to bring in another outsider…”

Amidst the rustling of leaves, Luka communicated back and forth.

Having spent a long time with the elves, he had also picked up a natural aura.

The small animals running around nearby were no longer afraid of him. Some lay on the glowing mushrooms, while others directly pawed at his trouser leg to play.

…

As the sky grew dark and tree lanterns lit up in the forest, Luka finally returned to his treehouse.

From a treehouse just a few hundred meters away, a gaze watched him in secret.

Luka’s perception was extraordinary. He didn’t need to guess to know it was the High Priest spying on him.

After tightly closing the doors and windows, he set up another barrier.

The Quill Pen was sitting at the wooden table writing something. Under the light, his hair was grayish-silver, closer to his original hair color.

“You should also develop the good habit of keeping a diary.”

Luka: “…”

Thanks, but no thanks.

Upon closer inspection, Luka discovered he wasn’t writing a diary, but some magical frameworks.

The Quill Pen said lightly, “The construction of a network will inevitably require a large amount of magical frameworks for support.”

This feeling of not fighting alone allowed Luka’s nerves, which had been tense all day, to relax slightly.

He took out several palm-sized oval objects and recounted the situation from the earlier meeting.

“The leaves of the Tree of Wisdom are embedded inside. They can connect to the tree’s consciousness space.”

The Wisdom Fruit was the fruit of the tree. The existence of the Tree of Wisdom was not officially public, but it wasn’t a complete secret either.

Luka lamented, “The leaves of the Tree of Wisdom can actually survive without the main body. No wonder our every word and deed on the island couldn’t be hidden from it.”

“I have asked a forgemaster. By tomorrow night at the latest, a portion of the elves will be able to get this minimalist mobile terminal.”

Neither the Elf King nor Luka were skilled in smelting. Fortunately, the elven race had many forgemasters from past failed transactions who could produce them in large quantities.

But to further break through spatial distance limitations, it would still require embedding inscriptions, magic stones, and other things to support the kinetic energy, which certainly couldn’t be done in a short time.

After speaking, Luka let out a long sigh of relief.

“I thought it would take a lot more effort to persuade the Tree of Wisdom.”

It wasn’t easy now, but it was already the best possible outcome.

The Quill Pen pondered for a moment before saying, “All things will grow old. In the end, they can only choose between seeking a breakthrough and waiting for death.”

Judging by the time the Tree of Wisdom had existed, it might have entered a period of decline.

Luka had also considered this point. Throughout the entire conversation, the Tree of Wisdom had shown an extraordinary interest in absorbing the different civilizations of various races.

This must be of extraordinary significance to itself.

The Quill Pen asked, “Have you thought about how to prove the influence of the network?”

Luka nodded. “Of course.”

Proving it to the elven race only required three steps.

Question the network, understand the network, become net-addicted elves.

__

Author’s note:
Excerpt from Luka’s diary:
Thank you to the Demon Ancestor’s light of wisdom for shining upon me.
High Priest, prepare to die!
Demon Ancestor: …[Involves insulting language] [Demon-body shaming] [Reported]

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