(VOL.2) A Song, an Elf, and a Cabin

"What… exactly happened just now?" Lux leaned against a weathered, thick-trunked ancient tree, muttering to herself, her brow tightly furrowed.

The confusion from before surged back into her mind.

"Those talking fruits and vegetables… perhaps, this is just how the world outside the forest normally is? But now… what can I do?"

Lux, who hadn't read much and had an extremely limited understanding of this world, surprisingly accepted this reality that defied common sense rather quickly after the initial shock.

After all, this world, to her, was already full of unknowns and mysteries.

However, what followed was a deeper sense of powerlessness, engulfing her like an icy tide—yes, once again, she was completely lost.

Compared to those bizarrely shaped, even somewhat comical vegetable people, this boundless, seemingly peaceful and tranquil green forest, filled with the scent of nature and earth, made her feel a deeper, more helpless fear.

Surely she didn't have to get lost in here for another three months.

"Sigh… rotten luck! I even lost the rabbit I worked so hard to catch just now!" Lux kicked the decaying leaves under her feet in frustration, a strong sense of defeat welling up in her heart.

She didn't want to walk anymore, she really didn't want to walk anymore.

She even began to fantasize that if she could turn into a bird, perhaps she could easily fly over this bizarre and desperate forest.

However, just as she was disheartened, a faint, almost imperceptible sound once again reached her ears.

After being chased by that group of Plant People just now, Lux had already run for a considerable amount of time.

No matter how lost she was, she couldn't possibly have circled back to the same place.

Of course, Lux still felt a little apprehensive, fearing that she was indeed that "lucky" and had circled back near that Plant People village.

"Is that… singing? Is someone singing?" Lux held her breath, carefully trying to distinguish the sound.

It really was singing. A girl's voice.

Ethereal, pure, melodious, as if from heaven.

She sang in an ancient and beautiful language Lux had never heard before, her voice countless times more beautiful than any street singer Lux had heard in Purple City.

Like a nimble deer dancing gracefully on a snow-capped mountain peak, the song was full of joy, vitality, and a hint of indescribable sanctity.

Lux's heart leaped again.

This time, she approached the direction of the singing even more cautiously.

She lightly parted the tangled weeds, passing through leaves and branches that seemed to sway gently in an eternal tranquility.

That beautiful singing pierced the silence of the forest, like a clear, unique bell echoing in this still world.

She felt herself getting closer and closer to the singing, but the song, instead, gradually became softer, lighter, like a startled fish quietly diving, submerging into a sparkling, bottomlessly deep, clear pool of water.

Just before the singing was about to completely dissipate, Lux finally pushed aside the last large leaf obstructing her view—she saw the singer.

It was a beautiful girl in a light green long dress.

She stood lightly on a smooth green stone by the river, singing aloud to the morning sun.

She possessed skin as white and delicate as ivory, a pair of azure eyes as clear as the purest lake water, and smooth brown long hair that cascaded down her back like a waterfall.

She was wearing a pair of immaculate white soft shoes, made of some unknown material; though standing on this muddy and damp riverbank, her shoes were not stained in the slightest.

And most eye-catching were her… pointed ears, like… no—she was simply an elf from legend, existing only in the ballads of minstrels.

Even someone like Lux, who had never attended school and had never even left Purple City, immediately recognized her identity.

Lux hesitated for a moment, wondering whether she should continue to hide and observe, or go forward and greet her immediately.

But thinking of the indiscriminate attacks from those Plant People earlier, she decided it was probably safer to lie on the ground and hide a little longer.

Just then, the elven girl seemed to have finished her last song.

She gracefully composed her voice, turned slightly sideways, and prepared to jump down from the large stone back onto the ground.

However, an accident happened at this very moment.

Her foot seemed to have stepped on a loose small stone; her body suddenly slipped, and she was about to lose her balance and fall towards the jagged riverbank.

"Careful!" Lux cried out almost subconsciously.

She immediately activated the [Falcon's Leggings], and her entire body shot out from the bushes where she was hiding like an arrow loosed from its bow.

She wanted to rush over and catch her before the other person fell onto the hard stones.

However, the anticipated clumsy fall did not happen.

Just as her body was about to lose balance, the elven girl, in an extremely graceful and incredible posture, completed a perfectly smooth backflip in mid-air.

Her toes, as if a paintbrush dipped in starlight, drew a perfect arc in the air.

Though it was daytime, Lux felt as if, in that instant, she had seen a bright, full moon.

The elven girl finally landed steadily on the ground, her posture as light as a falling feather.

She turned her head, a clear trace of puzzlement in her azure eyes, and looked at Lux who had suddenly rushed out. "You are…?"

"Uh… Hello! I'm… a fleshy human… ahem! I'm human! Yes, human! Or… you can call me Lux!" Lux, who hadn't spoken to a normal person for a full three months, felt as if her tongue was tied in knots, her mind a blank, almost forgetting how to communicate normally with people. She explained flusteredly, her hands still gesturing wildly in front of her, trying to express that she had no ill intentions. "I-I just saw you seemed about to fall, so I rushed over! I didn't mean to eavesdrop on your singing! Really!"

The elven girl looked at Lux's flustered, incoherent, and disheveled appearance, and seemed to be amused. She extended a slender, fair finger, pointed at Lux's "laughable" outfit made of animal hide and grass threads, and asked, trying to suppress her laughter, "Why are you dressed like this? And you're so dirty all over."

Alright… Although Lux considered herself thick-skinned, being pointed out for her slovenliness by such a beautiful elven girl still made her embarrassed. However, she quickly composed herself and tried to explain, "Well… you might not believe this if I tell you. I think I've been cursed by some weird magic in this forest, or… am I lost? Anyway, I've been trapped in here for three consecutive months and can't get out…"

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about this for now." The elven girl interrupted her, a friendly smile on her face, and beckoned to her. "Looking at you, you must be tired and hungry, right? Come to my little cabin and rest for a bit first. I happen to have some clean clothes and food there, though mostly just some wild vegetables and fruits."

As she spoke, the elven girl's gaze inadvertently swept over Lux's chest, then she looked down at her own… well-endowed, rather ample bosom, and then added somewhat embarrassedly, "Hmm… However, my clothes might… not fit you very well. But it's okay, I can help you alter them a bit."

Yes, this elven lady's chest was very full, quite substantial, one might say.

And there was a reason why Lux had been mistaken for a boy for so many years.

"Then… alright. Thank you so much for your hospitality. But actually, I'm fine in these clothes," Lux said somewhat awkwardly.

"No!" The elven lady suddenly put on a stern face, speaking in an extremely serious, even severe tone, which startled Lux.

"In our Elven Forest, especially in Radiant Glade, being sloppily dressed and unclean is extremely disrespectful to others, and also to nature!" the elven lady emphasized with a serious expression. "And 'disrespect', here, is a very serious crime! Luckily, you met me first."

The elven lady seemed to remember something else, a friendly smile blooming on her face again as she said to Lux, "Oh dear, I was so busy talking, I forgot to tell you my name. My name is Sylvie. It's nice to meet you, Lux."

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm also very happy to meet you, Ms. Sylvie." Lux subconsciously extended her hand, wanting to shake hands with the other, but halfway through, she abruptly pulled it back—only then did she realize that her hand was now so dirty it was almost unbearable to look at, covered in dirt accumulated over the past three months and various "natural fragrances" that were difficult to wash off completely with water. Lux felt her cheeks flush slightly from this embarrassment.

However, the elven lady Sylvie paid no mind and took Lux's dirty hand, her face still wearing a warm and gentle smile. "It's alright. I also have a bathroom in my cabin. Although there's no convenient hot water, I have stored a lot of clean fresh water. When we get there, you can take a good bath first and clean yourself up."

"Then… thank you so much!" Lux also showed a sincere smile, her heart filled with gratitude.

Afterwards, this "savage" Lux followed the elven girl Sylvie step by step, across the muddy dirt road, over a verdant lawn dotted with small, unknown flowers, and finally arrived beside a peculiar wooden house backed by a towering ancient tree.

This was a small wooden house that looked very rustic and full of natural atmosphere, about two stories high.

It felt less like it was built from wood and more like it had naturally grown from this land.

The huge ancient tree beside it, its thick roots like a mother's arms, gently embraced the foundation of this small wooden house.

The windows of the wooden house had no glass installed but were hung with curtain-like coverings woven from wide, thick leaves.

The main door of the wooden house also appeared exceptionally "natural," looking like a movable, carefully carved huge wooden stake.

The entire exterior wall of the wooden house was entwined with vibrant morning glories and ivy, with colorful flowers dotting it, making this small wooden house, like an illustration from a fairy tale, stand beautifully and uniquely on this tranquil little hill.

"Welcome to 'Gaia', that's the name I gave my little cabin," Sylvie said with a smile, pushing open the heavy "wooden stake door" and inviting Lux in.

Walking inside the cabin, Lux saw that the interior decoration was equally simple and natural.

The space inside wasn't large, but it was arranged neatly and cleanly.

Simple log tables and chairs were placed in the center of the room; the table didn't even have a tablecloth.

In the corner were some pottery tableware and a coarse porcelain bottle for water.

Besides these, there were almost no extra decorations.

"Would you like some tea? Though I only have dandelion tisane that I picked and dried myself," Sylvie said, picking up a quaint wooden cup, pouring a cup of clear tea from the porcelain bottle, and handing it to Lux.

"Thank you." Lux took the cup and took a light sip.

Although it was a tisane, it had a strange, refreshing fragrance upon entering her mouth, containing not only a faint floral scent but also a hint of elusive, sweet taste.

"I secretly added a little bit of flower honey in there too," Sylvie said, winking playfully at Lux as if revealing a hidden little secret.

"It's very good," Lux commented sincerely.

"The bathroom is in this room," Sylvie said, pulling Lux to a smaller room next door.

In the room, there was only a large wooden tub barely able to accommodate one person bathing, and beside it stood a half-person-high wooden water tank, already filled with more than half a tank of clear, cool water.

"I also have some soap here, bought from a passing human merchant. And this, this is our Radiant Glade's special flower nectar essence, very suitable for washing hair," the elven girl enthusiastically introduced to Lux.

"Sylvie, you're so kind! I'm really, really grateful to you!" Lux felt as if she was about to be overwhelmed by Sylvie's sudden, unreserved enthusiasm, feeling somewhat at a loss for a moment, her cheeks involuntarily flushing red.

"It's nothing!" Sylvie waved her hands, indicating it was no big deal, then the smile on her face slightly faded, a hint of imperceptible loneliness in her tone. "Because it's been a very, very long time… since anyone has come to visit my little cabin. I'm really happy that you came."

Lux keenly caught that fleeting sense of loneliness in her voice.

So, she also nodded solemnly and said, "If there's anything I can help you with in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Mm! Then it's a deal!" Sylvie immediately regained her cheerful smile.

Then, she seemed to realize that Lux was preparing to bathe, so she left a clean, soft blue towel, a neatly folded light green short skirt and top, and a set of underwear that looked very clean and comfortable, then thoughtfully closed the door and retreated.

Lux took a thorough bath, completely washing away all the "natural essences" accumulated over the past three months with fresh water and soap.

After drying herself, she changed into the clothes Sylvie had left.

As expected, they didn't fit well at all.

Especially the chest part of the top, which was empty and looked exceptionally loose.

However, fortunately, the style of the clothes was relatively conservative and covered her well, so nothing inappropriate was exposed, it just looked… a bit strange overall.

"Sylvie, I'm done washing," Lux said, tidying her clothes and walking out of the bathroom door.

She saw Sylvie sitting by the wooden table, holding a piece of light green fabric and a needle and thread, seemingly sewing something.

"Ah, it still doesn't quite fit, does it," Sylvie said, her eyes lighting up at first upon seeing the refreshed Lux, then with a hint of regret.

However, she quickly held up the fabric she was sewing and said with a smile, "But it's okay! I think trousers would suit you better. Look, I'm preparing to make new clothes for you right now! Lux, come over quickly, let me measure your size properly."

"Uh… this… isn't necessary, is it?" Lux felt Sylvie's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, making her feel a little unable to cope.

But for some reason, refusing Sylvie's kindness felt even more difficult than the life-and-death battle she had fought against "Dire Beast" Kane and Grace Bather Brad simultaneously.

Finally, under Sylvie's insistent persuasion, she was half-pushed, half-pulled over, allowing Sylvie to take her measurements carefully with a soft ruler.