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Chapter 288, Part 287: The Engagement with Frilian, The Magical Artifact Successfully Forged—"The Ring of Decay" (Fourteenth Update)

The moment the words were spoken, the air seemed to freeze.

Wilmae's gaze darted between Gu Yuan and the village chief with difficulty. Finally, as if exhausting all her strength, she looked at Gu Yuan and asked, "Is there really no other way?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Yuan remained silent for a moment, his deep eyes revealing no emotion, yet he had already weighed all the possibilities in his heart.

The most direct way is to break the deadlock by force, forcibly take Wilmae away, and beat all the disobedient elves until they submit.

With his current strength, this would be effortless.

But this thought only flashed through my mind before being suppressed by reason.

The elves were simply protecting their ancestors' legacy; they had done nothing wrong.

Leaving the decision to time is the best solution at present.

Instead of answering Wilmès directly, he turned his gaze to the village chief, who was deep in thought, and conveyed a clear signal with his eyes.

Receiving Gu Yuan's signal, the village chief coughed lightly, looked at Wilme, and said in a tone that was somewhat helpless yet exceptionally clear: "Wilme, I understand how you feel. As a mother, who can easily accept their child's future being predetermined?"

"But for now, this agreement is the only way to appease everyone without bloodshed and return the final decision to Frilian herself."

He paused, then emphasized, "Its very existence is to resolve the irreconcilable conflict at this moment, not to force Frilian to accept anything."

"I assure you of this in the name of all my ancestors."

Upon hearing this, Wilma swayed, as if unable to bear the weight of the words.

After a long silence, she finally spoke in an almost inaudible voice, "I understand."

"However, it's best not to tell Frilian about this now."

"It's both to avoid her accumulating unnecessary pressure from a young age, and also—to keep it from your wives' knowledge."

As she uttered the last sentence, her eyes flickered slightly, revealing obvious worry.

She still felt uneasy, worried about Gu Yuan's attitude towards Frillie. But recalling that although he was usually ruthless, he always followed some kind of inner rule, her worries subsided slightly.

Gu Yuan met her gaze, taking in all her struggles, compromises, and final moments of persistence. Then, he nodded.

head.

Upon seeing this, the wrinkles at the corners of the village chief's eyes finally eased a little.

He stroked his beard and nodded, saying in a tone of reassurance, "Since you two have reached a consensus, then this matter shall be settled from this day forward."

"This matter is of great importance and must be kept strictly confidential. It is only to be known by a few of us."

"Let's wait until Frilian comes of age and then let her make her own decision."

After saying this, the village chief stood up and walked out with slightly hurried steps.

"I will go and calm those impulsive fellows down, lest they really cause trouble in the capital."

After the village chief left, a subtle silence fell over the house.

The village chief's wife silently poured Wilme another cup of hot tea and gently advised, "Now that things have been discussed openly, why don't you stay here a few more days and regroup before leaving?"

Wilmae shook his head slightly, his gaze already drifting towards the direction of the capital city outside the window, his heart yearning to return: "Thank you for your kindness, but I must go back as soon as possible. Frilian—she can't live without me."

Mentioning her daughter's name immediately triggered a maternal instinct that overcame her exhaustion.

However, the details of caring for her daughter immediately flooded her mind, and she turned to look at Gu Yuan: "Has Frillie been alright these past few days?"

"You—didn't do anything—that you shouldn't have done to her?"

She had to make sure that this "marriage agreement" was just a distant promise and would not have any impact on her daughter in the present.

"Of course not."

Gu Yuan nodded. "The engagement was a stopgap measure I came up with. Frilian is currently being well taken care of by Milieald and is safe and sound. You can rest assured."

Upon receiving this definite answer, Wilmae's tense shoulders finally relaxed, and he let out a long breath of pent-up air.

She didn't say anything more, nor did she have the energy to think any further. She simply nodded slightly to the village chief's wife and then fled the hut as if escaping.

She needed to process these complex and indescribable emotions on her own after everything that had just happened.

Gu Yuan understood her confusion at the moment, so he didn't say anything more. After sitting for a while, he got up and took his leave.

In the empty living room, only the village chief's wife watched Wilme's departing figure outside the window, letting out a long sigh mixed with helplessness and worry.

As his consciousness returned to his original body in the royal manor, Gu Yuan slowly opened his eyes and lightly tapped the table with his fingertip.

The turmoil in Elf Village has finally come to a temporary end.

Taking advantage of the rare tranquility of the manor while Wilmae was still on his way back, Gu Yuan's thoughts stirred, and his figure disappeared from the world of Freyren, appearing on the streets of Orario.

A few days after the wedding, he specifically asked Astraea about potential candidates to handle the "aging" curse.

Ultimately, after careful consideration, he set his sights on Hecate, the goddess of magic who was in charge of magic and the underworld.

Using Astraea's connections, Gu Yuan successfully made contact with her.

At that moment, he went straight to Hecate's residence and handed her the magical artifact that sealed the two demons.

His requirements were clear: to forge a weapon that could be used at any time, with controllable power, and would not easily harm innocent people.

The goddess Hecate took the magical artifact, examined it, and then, with a solemn expression, assessed it before speaking in a deep voice: "One month. This is the minimum timeframe, but to wield this level of cursed power, you need to understand the risks involved."

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Gu Yuan nodded to indicate that he understood, said nothing more, and quickly took his leave.

Leave the professional matters to the professionals.

Several days passed, and Vermeer returned to the manor, covered in dust and filled with complex and indescribable thoughts.

When she crossed the courtyard and saw Frilian still happily chasing after the ever-growing Sera, just as she had before she left, her little face beaming with smiles, her heart, which had been hanging in mid-air since she left the elven village, finally settled back down.

However, as she gazed at her daughter's happy figure, a more complex sorrow welled up in her heart.

When Frilian comes of age and learns of this sudden engagement, what kind of expression will she have on her face?

She only hoped that, in the long years to come, Frilian would gradually get used to and understand the helplessness she, as a mother, had.

A month passed quietly amidst this mix of mild anxiety and peaceful daily life.

Gu Yuan once again traveled to the Strange World and successfully received the new magical artifact, the Ring of Decay, which was forged into a work of art, from Hecate.

At this point, only three days had passed in the slime world.

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