The Heartbeat of the Cruel Elves

"However, precisely because of this," she stared into Du Feiya's eyes, a pleasant look flowing from her ruby-like eyes, "my magic does not belong to me -" she emphasized again, "and Princess Du Feiya, your superb flying knife skills are mastered entirely by your own talent and hard work, so the two are simply incomparable."

After she finished speaking, Du Feiya reacted and couldn't help but smile.

"You are still modest," she paused, "a princess of the noble Borgia family."

"It's a blessing for me to meet someone as interesting as you." She moved closer to Cassia, stroked her shoulder intimately, then put her forehead against hers and touched it lightly, smiling, which really had a bit of the bohemian and frivolous flavor of a dandy boy.

"Then..." Cassia remained calm, with her usual smile still on her fair and rosy face, "Honorable Princess Dufia, what can I do for you?"

"Just omit the word 'honorable'." Du Feiya waved her hand casually and said, "Honorable Princess Du Feiya, Honorable Princess Cassia... If you call me this, I have to call you that. It's so troublesome. I like you very much, and I think you feel good about me too. In this case, why don't we think about each other and save both of us a little effort?"

“As you wish,” Cassia smiled.

Du Feiya nodded, then kept silent for the time being, and even stopped looking at Cassia. Instead, she turned her head away, and her strange violet eyes swept across the faces of the elves around her one by one.

Myrcella thought that the princess was looking for her, and her body trembled again. At the same time, she felt very regretful.

Obviously, the princess heard her words just now, even though they were so far away, even though she had deliberately lowered her voice, even though the tavern was so noisy... Myrcella didn't know how she heard it. Maybe... it was the means of arcane magic, she thought, and at the same time, she regretted it even more. Princess Cassia was right, she shouldn't have looked down on a wizard...

Chapter 1: The Ghost Woman’s Son ()

However, those violet eyes only glanced at her face quickly, just like on the faces of other dark elves, without lingering for a moment.

Like other dark elves, Myrcella didn't dare to make any obvious movements with her head, but her eyes couldn't help but follow her gaze, trying to find the target that really interested her.

Then, she discovered that Princess Dufiya's undisguised, interested gaze was fixed on her side, slightly above her. That was -

Li Yin.

Her eyes swept across the crowd, but stopped at a slave. At this moment, anyone could see where her eyes were directed.

"A rare human slave, very good." She looked at Li Yin steadily and praised casually.

Her eyes were flirtatious and playful, just like usual, as if she was examining one of the many insignificant things in the tavern. However, being stared at by her like that, Li Yin didn't even dare to breathe.

"Have we really been discovered?" He felt a chill in his heart.

Damn it, if I had known I would not use charm so casually. Regarding the use of charm, he thought he had been cautious enough and always adhered to the principle of "good steel is only used on the blade".

However, it was precisely this principle that ruined him. When he found such a "easy to seduce" and respected target like Du Feiya, such a rare "good steel", he took action impatiently without even waiting for a moment...

"Thank you for the compliment," Cassia smiled slightly, and her scarlet eyes looked at Princess Dufiya and Li Yin meaningfully.

A princess would not pay attention to another princess's slave for no reason - although she admitted that her cute little slave was indeed worthy of attention, that was not a reason for another unrelated princess to come and watch through the crowded and noisy elves.

In addition, the pale face of his "good guy" also implies that things are not simple.

"Is Princess Dufiya also interested in training slaves?" Despite this, she still asked as if nothing had happened.

"A little bit." Du Feiya had dimples on both sides of her fair cheeks.

"However," she rolled her violet eyes and added, "Speaking of 'taming', Princess Cassia, you are not a very docile slave, are you?"

She turned her head slightly and looked up and down with a smile on Cassia's chest, which still had some wine stains on it.

"What a pity," she continued before Cassia could respond, "I didn't meet him and buy him before you did."

"Otherwise, maybe I could have stopped the harm he was doing to you."

"...or rather, potential harm."

Li Yin couldn't hear her next words clearly. When the word "hurt" entered his ears, it was like a thunderbolt directly hitting his head. He felt his brain go blank, and the world around him went blank in an instant. Only three words echoed in his ears: "exposed", "exposed"...

Now, it is exposed without a doubt!

What to do, what to do… His heart was in a mess.

He subconsciously raised his head and looked around, trying to find a possible escape route - but the reality was even worse than when he was in the slave market. The Night's Edge Hall was crowded with dark elves, and each of them was a soldier wearing armor and carrying a sword!

"Oh, what did you say?" As his sight returned to the real world, Li Yin's hearing gradually began to recapture the sounds around him. At this moment, he heard Cassia ask this.

His heart skipped a beat again.

What would happen if Du Feiya told Cassia the truth? Charm was not a spell that would become ineffective once it was revealed, but revealing the truth would indeed arouse the vigilance of the recipient. If Du Feiya told her the truth, this perceptive dark elf priestess would probably notice something was wrong at the first moment, and then break free from control with her strong willpower.

If that happened, I would be completely finished, truly sentenced to death.

No, this can't be the case... Li Yin shouted anxiously in his heart. But what could he do? What power did he have to stop what was about to happen?

At this moment, he was like a death row inmate who had been dragged to the gallows and tied with a rope. The only thing he could do was wait - wait for someone to kick off the stool under his feet, and then he would die with his eyes bulging, foaming at the mouth, and his hands scratching his neck...

No, no, in despair, he could only comfort himself with a very vague hope. Cassia was different from other dark elf priestesses. Since she could be charmed by him, it meant that she was weaker than other priestesses. Perhaps, she would not be able to break free from control so easily. As long as she refused to admit the truth after Dufia told her, and protected him, he could still have a way out.

No—another cold thought suddenly emerged from the depths of his mind, shattering his last bit of vague hope.

Du Feiya...she is a mage with "considerable attainments"!

Even if Cassia refuses to believe it, she can use magic to remove her own charm and make the other party regain clarity!

When he thought of this, Li Yin felt completely disheartened.

He raised his eyes and looked at Cassia blankly, waiting for her impending rage and final judgment, as well as the harshness, malice and cruel revenge contained therein... His back was wet and cold.

"Have you heard of the witch?" At this moment, a clear and graceful voice came from the side, so close that Li Yin, who was in a trance, almost forgot who the owner of the voice was, but after a brief blank, he finally remembered her.

Du Feiya, suddenly, she changed the conversation to an irrelevant topic.

Cassia frowned slightly, obviously puzzled by her action.

"A hag is a strange creature that wanders in the darkness." Du Feiya explained to himself, "They have a shriveled appearance like an old elf woman, but they are much more twisted and uglier."

"Don't be fooled by their weak appearance," she paused for a moment, and continued in an emphasizing tone, "They are actually very powerful, cruel and evil magical creatures, who are good at using their deceptive magical abilities to prey on, manipulate and corrupt elf-like creatures."

"Your extensive knowledge is amazing," Cassia waited patiently for her to finish, with an expression of sincere admiration on her face, "But I don't quite understand, Princess Dufia - what does this have to do with the topic we just discussed and my stupid and foolish little servant?"

Chapter 2: The Ghost Woman’s Son ()

"The problem lies in their reproduction method," Du Feiya smiled and said politely, "Princess Cassia, if you don't mind being too much of a bother, please allow me to continue."

Cassia nodded, assuming an attitude of listening attentively to the master's teachings.

"The ghost race cannot reproduce on their own because they are all female." Du Feiya said leisurely.

"They rely on the power of magic to seduce and charm the men of the elf race to have sex with them, thus giving birth to offspring."

"The offspring born in this way are called replacement children. Their physical characteristics are basically the same as those of their fathers, and they have no characteristics of their ugly mothers at all. Moreover, even among the father's race, their appearance is also very outstanding, usually tall and slender, with a very charming appearance."

"However," she paused, "this is only until they reach adulthood."

"The changelings not only inherited the outstanding appearance from their father's side, but also inherited the powerful magical talent from their mother, the hag. Under the guidance of this magical power, almost every changeling will eventually transform into a new hag."

"In this process, no matter what their nature was at first, it will be gradually distorted. In the end, not only their appearance, but also their psychology will become as dark, cruel, and evil as their ugly mother..."

After Du Feiya finished speaking, there was a sound of people gasping for air in the audience, as if many of the audience were shocked by the twisted and strange habits of this bizarre dark creature.

"So what?" Cassia remained calm and continued to ask in a calm tone.

"You still don't see how this long speech of mine has anything to do with our previous topic, right?" Du Feiya said with a smile.

"The problem is the identification mark of the replacement child."

"Most of the replacement children's physical characteristics are the same as their father's, which makes them extremely difficult to be identified and eliminated in time by the victim's race."

"But, in reality, they have one physiological characteristic that absolutely does not waver."

Du Feiya turned around, her violet eyes were as bright as a blade and as sharp as a sword. She stared straight at Li Yin, at his two eyes, one gold and one green.

"Two pupils of different colors are the most prominent feature of the son of a witch!"

"In other words," she turned around and made the final judgment to Cassia in a sonorous tone: "Your slave is actually a hidden replacement. It has inherited the powerful magical power of the witch and is a spellcaster. Moreover, it is a spellcaster with a cruel and twisted heart!"

Li Yin was horrified.

Du Feiya's reasoning was of course completely wrong, but this did not prevent her from reaching a correct conclusion - she was indeed a spellcaster!

The power of magic has always been feared by the elves, whether they are above ground elves or underground dark elves. But when this power they fear is transferred to their slaves, the fear turns into fear and terror.

Dark elves would hardly keep any spellcasters as slaves - such as the barbarian priest of the Quiggle who was repeatedly ordered by Cassia to be executed before the battle began.

Not to mention, at this moment, the princess of the Denitya family in front of him had direct evidence of his crime of using magic to confuse the dark elves!

"Therefore," just as Li Yin was trembling with fear, Du Feiya continued to advise word by word with a very firm tone: "For the safety of you and your family, I suggest that you execute this slave immediately!"

Li Yin covered his ears, and only the buzzing sound could be heard. His heart, which had been stretched to the limit, completely exploded in an instant.

"However," unexpectedly, her tone softened immediately afterwards, "For economic reasons, if you hope to recover a little of the loss caused to you by this lowly slave, Princess Cassia, I would like to offer you another more valuable suggestion."

"That is," she smiled, her violet eyes sparkling, and she regained her frivolous yet slightly friendly look, "sell this slave to me."

"I am willing to pay you three times the original purchase price to compensate you for the loss you have suffered."

Li Yin's eyes were slightly stunned.

Cassia also raised her eyes and looked at her in confusion.

"You know," Du Feiya seemed to see the doubt in her heart. She smiled softly and explained patiently, "I am an 'unlearned' wizard. Elves like me, in addition to serving the goddess, also have a strong interest in many other things."

She turned around and looked at Li Yin with interest, the corners of her mouth raised noticeably, almost ferociously, and her lavender eyes glowed with a cold light that made Li Yin shudder.

"In our language, this is called 'academic spirit'."

"Therefore, slaves, which are considered dangerous by many elves, are also valuable research materials in our eyes."

Li Yin felt as if he had fallen into an icy cave.

Research materials... He had been into the research laboratories of the mages on earth and observed the research experiments that used biological organisms, especially alien creatures, as samples. The bloodiness and cruelty of those experiments still made him feel uneasy when he thought about them.

And at this moment, becoming a research material for a dark elf, what a cruel situation that would be? Two words emerged in Li Yin's mind. Only these two words could match this situation - "Hell".

He couldn't help but shudder.

Sure enough, Du Feiya turned around and looked at Cassia.

"If you are worried that this slave who dared to deceive you will escape your wrath of revenge, please do not worry at all."

"Because, I assure you," she said with a cold smile on her thin lips, "Becoming our experimental subject is definitely not an enviable fate."

"I will do it without reservation," she tried to suppress her voice, but there was a strong excitement in it, and that excitement made Li Yin's heart palpitate, "while fully utilizing the research value of this body, I will also carry out your will for revenge!"

"Of course, if you insist," she licked the corner of her mouth, "I will make sure to keep at least one complete fragment of it throughout the research process, so that I can give it back to you as a souvenir after the research project is completed."

Her last sentence made Li Yin's legs go weak, his head went dizzy, and he almost fainted.

At the same time, he suddenly heard the sound of teeth chattering beside him. He turned his head and saw that Myrcella's mouth was twitching and her face was strange. It seemed that she also had physical discomfort about the brutal scene implied in the words of the dark elf of the Denitya family.

Chapter 3: The Ghost Woman’s Son ()

"Li Yin," at this moment, another voice suddenly came from the side.

Princess Cassia turned her head leisurely. She did not immediately respond to Du Feiya's proposal, but looked at Li Yin.

"The honorable Princess Dufia is accusing you of being a hidden replacement child," she said calmly, even with a hint of a calm smile. "Don't you have anything to say about this?"

"Your Highness," Li Yin was speechless. The huge fear even made him unable to speak fluently for a while. "I, I am certainly not a replacement child."

"What, what witch, what replacement child," he added immediately to make his words more convincing, "I, I have never heard of it! I know nothing about it!"

However, just as he finished speaking, a light suddenly flashed in his mind, and a more convincing evidence emerged from the depths of his memory.

At the same time, before he could speak, a hesitant voice suddenly came from the group of elves around him:

"Your Highnesses, please forgive me for my intrusion." A male dark elf in a black robe spoke very humbly.

"However, I happened to learn about creatures called hags during my course at the Warlock Academy."

"As far as I know," he paused, as if he was afraid that what he said next would anger someone, "hags and their offspring, the replacements, are all female without exception."

"You can tell from their names." He spread his hands nervously, as if trying to further strengthen the credibility of his words. "Ghost 'po', of course, is female. As for the replacement child who is destined to become a 'ghost po', of course it can only be female."

What the male dark elf said was exactly what Li Yin had just thought. At this moment, Li Yin was like a traveler who had run out of ammunition and food and had been walking for a long time in the wilderness and suddenly met a savior. He looked at the dark elf with extremely eager eyes. This might be the most intimate male dark elf he had felt since he came to the underground world.

"Yes," he agreed without hesitation, "Your Highness, as far as I know, that's also true. A ghost woman's child, a replacement child, can only be a girl, not a boy."

"Oh——" Cassia turned her head, her tone drawn out, and a look of surprise appeared on her cold face.

"But you just said, 'You know nothing about witches and replacements.'"

Li Yin was stunned and speechless. He was stunned for a long time before he reacted. He wanted to use time jump to travel back to the past and give his former self a slap in the face.

"I, I admit it," he said hesitantly. He had to tell another lie to cover up one. "I really don't know anything about ghosts. I... I just want to survive, Princess."

"Your innocent servant has done no harm to any elves. He may be a little special, but he is definitely not a 'replacement child'."