Asa's impression of the elves initially came from the dwarves. After staying for a few days, he discovered that the dwarves' strengths were not only in mechanics and forging, but also in literature, at least those satires and mockeries had portrayed the elves' personalities vividly. Indeed, they were rigid, self-righteous and lacked vitality.

  The spirits take great pride in their identity and the profound culture that has been passed down through the ages. The weight of their sacred history, which spans tens of thousands of years, is so heavy that every move they make must be done with caution, lest they offend it in any way. Every day, they spend a considerable amount of time on various prayers and rituals. Although Elder Kran said he would try his best to find a way to bring out the power within his body, even in the limited remaining time each day, if someone comes up with a new idea or plan, they must first hold a discussion meeting to see if it offends their glorious tradition or goes against the teachings of the gods. At this rate, he may indeed be stuck here for the rest of his life.

  But it doesn't matter, Asa knows what he should do.

  At first, he was worried that the spirits would imprison him in some way. But unexpectedly, they also allowed him to move freely, probably thinking that as a human being in this great place and plan, he would be honored and willing to obey. Probably also because they calculated that Asa wouldn't dare to act rashly. However, the most important reason is that they adopted a constraint method that is said to be unique to the cultural heritage of this spirit tribe for tens of thousands of years, asking him to swear in the name of his own faith.

  When Asa replied that he didn't have any faith in the gods, the spirits expressed great shock. Many of them whispered to each other, lamenting that humans had indeed fallen into chaos.

  Later, a few more academically inclined spirits stepped forward and said that due to the complexity of human living environments, humans have begun to believe in their own concepts, such as justice, fairness, money, technology, and hard work. The spirits sighed in agreement and agreed to let Asa swear an oath using his own beliefs and creed. Elder Kuran also solemnly told him: "Swear with what you believe in, and use it as the standard for your life, so that you will keep your promise because you fear being abandoned by it. Violence is despised by our noble race, and we absolutely will not use it unless there is no other choice. The gods teach us that 'restraining the body is not as good as restraining the mind'. So we use this civilized and effective method of restraint."

  A Sa originally wanted to use a casual promise to get past it, but seeing the elves being so serious, he felt a bit embarrassed, furrowed his brow and searched hard in his mind for what he believed in.

  Seeing his effortful expression, Elder Cran encouraged him by saying: "Think hard about it. It's what you believe in the most, the most important and trusted truth in your life, the creed you live by."

  Ah Sa thought hard and finally came to the conclusion: "I believe that if you don't eat, you'll starve, and if you starve for too long, you'll die." This was indeed his most deeply held conviction.

  The spirits were stirred up again, but after a fierce discussion, they also agreed with his statement. After all, this was also a belief. So Asa, under the guidance of the spirits, took a very strange oath in their ceremony: "I swear in the name of food, I will not escape from here, nor will I..." Then all the spirits recognized that this human had been bound.

  A Sa doesn't like to cheat, he's used to laying things out clearly and sometimes even takes a straightforward approach to solving them. However, he also won't get stuck on trivial matters, and it's okay if he can't solve something directly and needs to take a detour.

  The spirits had never given him an equal look, let alone trust. He could clearly feel that the spirits looked at him as if humans looked at livestock, openly considering him a lower-level creature. Of course, due to their self-proclaimed noble identity, they did not show any hostility, and their tone was always gentle with an unchanging expression. That kind of indifference that never showed any emotion was even more capable of expressing contempt from the bottom of their hearts.

  Asa was not too angry at such contempt, but made his voice more sonorous when he swore.

  These days he quietly lived in the residence of the spirits, just as they had hoped, as a simple vessel.

  The atmosphere inside the forest was completely different from the eerie silence felt on the outskirts. The interior of the forest was teeming with life. Various strange insects and flowers, as well as magnificent unicorns, roamed freely, and occasionally, small fairies like butterflies could be seen flitting about among the flowers. Here, too, no signs of human craftsmanship could be seen; the tree houses where the elves lived were purely grown from branches themselves, and various living utensils were cleverly made from insect shells and parts of plants.

  In some people's eyes, this may be a paradise that blends in with nature. But Asaba can't wait to leave here one day earlier.

  A month ago, I was still in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Wangdu, rubbing shoulders with people. But after coming here, first I bumped into zombies, then giant tree people, and then got caught up in some inexplicable ritual, tied to some responsibility of light and darkness. It's as if I've been suddenly thrown from real life into a nonsensical mythological story. My horizons have broadened, but more than that, I just want to return to my own life.

  Compared to the other spirits' dullness, only that girl, Rouya, showed some signs of vitality. She seemed curious about the outside world and often came to ask Asa strange questions about human life habits and society. Every time she heard what Asa said, she would widen her eyes in shock, finding it hard to believe that humans would kill animals just for their fur, or slaughter each other, or work like cattle to support people they didn't even know. After the surprise passed, she usually shook her head at Asa with disgust and threw out a sentence: "Barbaric, inferior." It was as if all these things were Asa's own doing.

  Although she also used some disdainful eyes and tone to talk to Asa, after all, it was the only emotional expression in this dull environment, which was much more lovely than the gentle but rigid attitude of other spirits.

  At first, Asa directly asked her about the Sun Well and the World Tree's leaves, but she would immediately become wary and say: "You humans can't know these things." Probably Kuran Elder had warned her. But as long as Asa used some indirect methods, she could almost ask anything and get an answer. The relationship between elves seemed very simple, never playing tricks like this, letting her live for nearly a hundred years without any cunning. Thanks to her, Asa didn't need to go around investigating, and she knew everything that needed to be known clearly and quietly.

  Now that intelligence has been gathered, it's time for action.

  The weather is fine, with not a cloud in the sky. Today is the full moon, and even though the branches of the ancient trees are very dense, the forest should still be illuminated brightly by the moonlight. It's a good opportunity.

  Asa stood on the high treehouse, watching the last rays of sunset disappear at the top of the forest, while the full moon slowly rose from the other side. Under the treehouse, the elves had returned, this was their third and final prayer by the Sun Well for the day, after which they would rest in their own treehouses. They wouldn't go to cut down trees or make other fuels, sunset just meant the end of the day to them, only waiting for the arrival of the next day in their own treehouse.

  The unicorns in the forest also went to their own nests, these very spiritual animals were not raised by the elves, but like the elves, they were the guardians of this forest since ancient times. Like the elves, they never had the habit of being active at night.

  A Sa walked into the tree house, sat down cross-legged and began to meditate.

  This was his first meditation since entering the Forest of Whispers. He had to adjust his physical and mental state to their peak, as spirits and unicorns slept, but those withered tree guardians did not. From Luya's words, he knew that except for the ones killed by the Red Cloaks that day, there were at least several hundred more in the entire forest.

  Closing his eyes, Asa quickly entered the state of meditation he was used to. He no longer felt anything from the outside world, all thoughts disappeared from his mind, and his entire spirit focused on the inside of his body, his senses becoming extremely sharp. Every organ could feel itself pulsating, coordinating with each other. Blood was squeezed out of the heart, carrying energy that permeated into every tiny place.

  Suddenly, there was an unprecedented feeling. A fiery yet scorching power naturally emerged from every bone, every muscle and every drop of blood. As the blood flowed through the body

  Constantly circulating, using heat to penetrate every part of the body. The original clarity that was present in every fiber of the body was overwhelmed by this powerful and chaotic force, and all parts of the body seemed to have merged into a single entity.

  He closed his eyes, but could see that his body was already a dazzling golden light, as if the sun was in his own body.

  The feeling slowly returned to calm, gradually disappearing. Asa opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. His body was filled with unprecedented strength, like a steady great river that flowed steadily in his limbs without waves or turmoil, yet still majestic.

  This is an unprecedented strange feeling, could it be the effect of meditation practice to a certain extent? Or is it because I've been soaking in the sun well for too long? Didn't Elder Kuran say that with his 'impure human body' he couldn't use this kind of power? Is he talking nonsense or does he not understand himself either?

  But now there's no time to explore this issue, and it's undoubtedly a good thing that has come at the right time, providing more assurance for future actions. Asa quietly walked out of the tree house, the moonlit forest was empty, with only insect sounds interweaving in the distance.

  He cautiously felt his way down to the ground and quietly walked in the direction of the sun well. Asa had never felt that his footsteps were so loud, as if they could shake the entire forest.