Chapter 129: The Green Elf

“Tel-quessir, the People of the Grace—I never thought I would hear that name again!”

The elderly elf bowed his head, muttering to himself, his eyes welling with moisture. This sudden shift caught the surrounding crowd completely by surprise.

Having quickly regained his composure, the old elf looked up. His eyes, no longer clouded, now shimmered with a sharp, piercing light as he stared directly at Born, as if trying to see right through him.

“How do you know that name?” asked the elder, whose name was Hill.

Born was not surprised by the old elf’s sudden change in demeanor, but he did not answer the question directly. He simply replied, “My mother was a half-elf.”

The old elf narrowed his eyes. Only then did he notice that, compared to a typical human, Born possessed a remarkably handsome appearance: fair skin, pale blue eyes, and a brow that indeed carried the distinct traces of the elven race.

*Could he be a descendant of the Moon Elf royalty?* the old elf speculated inwardly.

Such information was not something even the current elven imperial family would be privy to, let alone commoners; if one were not a core member among the direct royal lineage, such knowledge would be impossible to possess. The old elf immediately concluded that Born’s mother must have been someone of extraordinary status, and he even began to ponder which specific bloodline might have drifted into the outside world.

Seeing the old elf lost in thought, Born let out a silent sigh of relief. Speaking with intelligent people was effortless; there was no need to say much, as they would fill in the gaps themselves, often becoming firmly convinced of their own assumptions.

In truth, this was a move born of necessity. All this information came from Born’s memories of his past life—much of it drawn from the background lore of a dungeon-crawling game. However, after truly transmigrating into the world of Toril, Born realized that this seemingly useless background knowledge was his greatest cheat code.

“Where is your mother? Could I meet her?” the old elf asked.

Born remained silent for a moment before saying, “My mother passed away shortly after I was born. It was only later, while going through her belongings, that I discovered records regarding the elves.”

“My apologies!” the old elf said, looking somewhat embarrassed. His attitude toward Born immediately improved, and he began to harbor a sense of affinity for him without even realizing it.

With this connection established, the subsequent conversation flowed much more smoothly. Of course, the old elf was as cunning as they come and would not be easily hoodwinked by a few words from Born. During their talk, the elder would intentionally or unintentionally bring up certain secrets, to which Born could naturally respond—sometimes even providing more detailed information than the old elf himself possessed.

This left Hill deeply shocked, further cementing his conviction that Born’s maternal grandmother—the lineage from which his mother descended—must have been a core member of the *Teth-Tel-Quessir* (Moon Elf) royalty. Although he had long since grown indifferent to matters of bloodline at his age, he still felt a sense of camaraderie toward a descendant of the same "People of the Grace."

Most elves today had forgotten their past, their origins, and their history. Hill could no longer view such elves as his own kin, though this was largely due to the elven leadership’s intentional efforts to obscure their history.

Elves, also known as the "Tel-Quessir," were among the largest of the migrant races in the world of Toril. Indeed, the elven race was actually an extraterrestrial species. Before their migration, they were known as the "People of the Grace," and the elves were not a single species. Much like humans, who have yellow, black, and white skin, the elves were even more diverse, consisting of six (or, in reality, seven) sub-races.

The old elf belonged to the *Sy-Tel-Quessir*, or Green Elves. Green Elves were shorter and sturdier than other elven sub-races; their skin was deep brown, and as they aged, their hair would gradually turn silver-white. Most Green Elves were druids or sorcerers; they were the explorers of the People of the Grace, having discovered the world of Toril and traveled to the continent of Faerûn alongside two other elven races (the Avariel and the Lythari).

The old elf’s disheveled appearance was not a sign of hermit-like eccentricity, but rather an ancient tradition of the Green Elves—which was exactly why Born had been able to identify him at a glance. Of course, the Green Elves were no longer called that; other elven races and intelligent species referred to them as "Wild Elves."

It was the *Teth-Tel-Quessir* (Moon Elves) who aligned with human aesthetic standards, and the majority of films and games were modeled after their image. As for the Sun Elves (*Ar-Tel-Quessir*), who were often touted as superior, their skin was bronze, and they were tall and thin—in reality, not particularly attractive.

Fortunately, the old elf was only asking probing questions; otherwise, had Born revealed more than he already had, it would surely have caused the elder’s jaw to drop.

As they continued to converse, Born was able to speak with the old man in perfectly authentic Elvish. Though Born lacked the physical traits of an elf, the elder now saw him as a junior of his own kin, his care and affection evident in every word.

Young Ig, tagging along, felt rather uncomfortable. Although he couldn't understand what Grandpa Hill and this older brother were saying, he felt as though something of his own was being taken away, and he found himself liking this place less and less.

Born took the old elf on a tour of the alchemy workshop. As an ancient elf who had lived for who knows how long, Born didn't even need to explain; the old man would glance at an apparatus and immediately grasp its principles.

“A truly genius invention!” the old elf couldn't help but exclaim.

The reputation of a "Child of Nature" was no empty boast. At his level, talking to plants was a trivial matter; he could basically touch one and know exactly what temperature, humidity, and moisture it required, or what kind of environment it needed. In his life, he had built his own magical plant gardens more than once, but Born’s idea of using glass crystals for insulation and magic circles for temperature control to simulate environmental conditions was simply brilliant.

An environment rich in magical elements was merely the foundation; the cultivation of each magical plant was a meticulous process. Born had actually separated each type of plant and instructed a group of half-grown children to provide targeted care. Even if a single spellcaster tried to cultivate dozens or hundreds of magical plants simultaneously, mistakes were bound to happen. But if only one type was assigned to a group of people, the probability of error was effectively zero—a task even a bunch of children could handle.

Moreover, living in such a magical, element-rich environment could even strengthen their elemental affinity and awaken their latent spellcasting talents.

Hill felt as if he had wasted his long life in vain. How had he never thought of this method?

*Click!*

Lehman opened the storage room. After some time spent on construction, the outer perimeter of the storage area had been rebuilt with alchemical steel, and Born had even inscribed defensive magic circles on the exterior—enough to withstand bombardment from high-level magic for a time.

“This is the core of the alchemy workshop: the ‘Mana Storage Device’!”

“Whoa!”

As they entered the storage room, everyone felt a sudden jolt of mental clarity. The Mana Storage Device was already in operation, and the room was exceptionally saturated with magical elements. Mana could strengthen the body, so anyone entering felt as if they had been imbued with a buff.

However, one could not stay in such a high-concentration environment for too long. Even high-level spellcasters could not remain in such a place for extended periods, as the external, ownerless magical elements would eventually assimilate the subject, causing their physical form to undergo elementalization.