I reign supreme in the Western fantasy world for eternity.

The group walked through the streets of the royal court, which were formed by ancient trees growing naturally, toward the royal palace, and the surrounding buildings became increasingly exquisite and ancient.

The treehouses along the roadside gradually transformed from the simple wooden huts of ordinary elves into intricately carved pillars and arches. The road surface, woven from the roots of ancient trees, became smooth, with fine gold lines inlaid along its edges.

Ji Tian walked at the front of the group, his eyes sweeping over the ancient Elvish script carved on the buildings on both sides, mostly short phrases of blessing and praise.

Eileen Morning Dew walked to the side and slightly ahead, occasionally turning to signal to the others to pay attention to the approaching elven noble caravan.

The carriages were pulled by pure white deer, and each carriage was engraved with the crest of its family. When the coachmen saw the envoy badge on Eileen Morning Dew, they would nod slightly and make way for her.

Lilith's gaze followed the white deer until the last carriage passed by, then she reluctantly turned her head and asked, "Sister Elena, what kind of deer were those? They were so beautiful."

Elena recalled the knowledge she had read in "The History of the Elf King's Court" and answered softly:

"That's a moon deer, a creature unique to the Elven Royal Court. Legend has it that it once pulled the chariot of the Goddess of Life. Nowadays, only royalty and the five great noble families are qualified to tame them."

"I really want to touch it..."

"There is a chance."

"Great!"

Lilith's eyes lit up, and she jogged a few steps to catch up.

After walking for about 15 minutes, the outline of the palace finally came into view.

Two rows of elven guards, clad in light silver-white armor, stood on either side of the archway, each holding a halberd with a strangely colored crystal embedded in its tip.

Eileen stopped in front of the archway and showed a silver token to the captain of the guard. The captain glanced at the token, then at the holy sword at Ji Tian's waist, before stepping aside.

"Hero, please enter. There are many restrictions within the palace. Please do not touch the murals and statues without permission."

As Ji Tian passed through the archway, he clearly felt the energy barrier brush against his body, then silently retreat after touching the holy sword at his waist.

Light poured down from above, illuminating the walls on both sides of the corridor, where huge portraits, each the size of a person, hung in silver frames. The figures in these paintings all retained the distinctive features of elven royalty.

She had long, silvery-white hair, ice-blue eyes, and a refined and dignified face.

Their clothing has changed over time, from ancient leaf-woven robes to modern silver-embroidered gowns; almost every piece records the aesthetic evolution of the Elven court at a certain period.

Lilith slowed her pace and looked at each painting one by one.

When she came to a portrait that was larger than the previous ones, she instinctively stopped in her tracks.

The elf in the painting is a woman with long, silvery-white hair tied up with a silver crown. Her face is gentle, with a faint smile on her lips. Her eyes and brows do not have the majesty and aloofness commonly seen in the former kings, but instead exude a warm and welcoming feeling.

Her gaze seemed to pass through the frame of a painting, landing on everyone who stopped to watch.

"This queen looks so kind," Lilith tilted her head and studied her for a while, "she looks just like my mother."

Ophelia's voice came from behind her: "That is Her Majesty Serintil, the current Elf Queen, who has been on the throne for over six hundred years."

Elena walked over to her and followed her gaze. "Her eyes were indeed very gentle."

Lilith took a few more steps forward, preparing to look at the next picture, when she suddenly froze.

She turned her head, took a half step back, and made sure she wasn't mistaken, then let out a soft "Huh."

"This one... why is it just a tree stump?"

On the stone wall of the corridor, between the portrait of the current queen and the previous portrait, hangs a framed picture that is noticeably smaller in size.

The frame was just like the other portraits in the gallery, with a silver border and vine patterns, but inside the frame was only a section of tree stump painted in great detail.

The cross-section of the tree stump is flat and smooth, with clearly visible growth rings. There are no people, no background, and not even any decorative textures around it.

It stands alone in the picture frame, like an unfinished sentence, quiet to the point of being abrupt.

Lilith turned to look at Eileen Morning Dew, who was leading the way, and asked with a puzzled tone, "Is this also the Elf King? Why is the drawing a tree stump?"

This is a royal feud; how could I possibly discuss it?

Eileen Morning Dew paused, then politely shook her head and said:

"It is inconvenient for me to answer this question given my status. However, there is an elf among the heroes' companions, who may be able to answer your question."

Ophelia approached from behind, her gaze lingering on the tree stump for a few moments before she spoke:

"In the Elven language, a tree stump is usually a derogatory term: its roots are broken, leaving only ruins. It has neither the ability to stand up on its own nor the courage to admit defeat, leaving only a dead tree standing there, waiting for future generations to clean up its mess."

Lilith paused for a moment, then turned back to look at the tree stump again.

"So... this is a foolish and incompetent king?"

"You can interpret it that way, but there's another way to understand it."

"What interpretation?"

"The tree stump itself is not entirely useless. It was once a tree, just cut down. Its roots are still in the soil, and as long as the roots are intact, it will sprout new buds next spring."

"Oh, so does this painting mean that 'although the former Elf King was a good-for-nothing, fortunately, his descendants have an outstanding successor like the current Queen as a safety net'?"

You are being very presumptuous!

That is the truth, but can it be said outright?

If it weren't for the special nature of the Hero Squad, the Royal Court's Disciplinary Officer would probably have arrived by now.

Although the messenger who was leading the way was complaining in his heart, he could only pretend not to hear it and unintentionally quickened his pace.

As the group walked through the arcade, the light suddenly brightened.

They entered a large hall with a dome filled with glowing magic crystals, like a starry night under the moon.

Standing in the center of the hall was an elven man in a silver-grey robe, his light brown hair neatly tied back, and his family crest pinned to his collar. He was none other than Arwin Condé, the Minister of Ceremonies who had previously consulted with the Queen.

Seeing everyone enter, he first bowed slightly, then his gaze fell on Ophelia, and he said kindly:

"You must be Zeppelin Roland's daughter, the third in line to the Roland family? Time flies. I never imagined that the little girl who loved research back then would have such a big child."

Alwin had only found out this much, and he only mentioned it to get closer to the hero's team. He didn't talk much more, and turned to Ji Tian, ​​his expression returning to a formal demeanor:

"Her Majesty the Queen is too busy with official duties to receive you all personally. However, she has read the border war reports and is very grateful for the hero's assistance."

His Majesty, in His mercy, has permitted you to approach the Tree of Life accompanied by priests. However, there are some restrictions that must be informed beforehand.

"Please feel free to speak."

"First, no more than four people may approach the ancient tree."

Second, no ancient tree may be uprooted, cut, or injected with any external magic in any form.

Third, the entire journey must be accompanied by royal priests, and no one may deviate from the designated route without permission.

As long as you do not violate these three rules, you may enter the core area of ​​the ancient tree.

Ji Tian nodded: "Okay."

Alwin said no more, and stepped aside to gesture, "Please come with me."