Chapter 145

▪️ARE YOU GUYS REALLY NOT BANDITS?

Do these people really belong to their own kind?

Are they really elves?

Watching the players as they greedily rummage through the piles of treasure loots, Nightingale felt her understanding of things gradually collapsing on itself.

Thinking back to their bloodthirsty demeanor just moments earlier, the ashen haired elf couldn't help but feel a little bit uneasy.

Are they...really the reinforcements that blockhead mentioned?

This...no matter how you look at it, they looked more like a band of bandits masquerading as elves!

Nightingale fully acknowledges that her personality is rather rebellious, which is already considered quite rude amongst the elves. Furthermore, she lacks the elegance as well as the refinement that are innately intrinsic to their own kind and even if she does possessed those said qualities, acting all prim and proper wouldn't really match her true self.

But regardless, compared to these bizarre elves...

Nightingale felt like she herself is way too refined instead!

By the way, where's that blockhead anyways?

Just where did that dummy go?

Nightingale quickly looked around and finally saw Boxlunch's figure standing inside the tower.

After eliminating all the mercenaries with his teammates, Boxlunch had instead returned back inside the tower. His body was entirely covered in a row of equipments that he had just looted and was still searching around for any dropped items from the remains of the targets he had previously killed earlier on...

Nightingale "......."

Why is he bothering to pick up these equipments!?

Isn't that pile of treasures more expensive than these items?

The elven maiden widened her eyes in a mixed of surprise and confusion.

However, one good thing that she noted is that Boxlunch's expression was still indifferent just like always. Even when picking up those second-hand equipments, he still didn't have those greedy crazed expressions unlike the rest of his companions.

Observing him as he silently rummages around in a neat and orderly fashion, Nightingale reinforces her impression of him as a type of person who would rarely have any kind of significant waves that can affect his heart...

Or perhaps, he was just a guy who could remain calm under any sort of circumstances.

Anyhow, seeing that Boxlunch didn't behave like his companions somehow made Nightingale felt much better...

As if he had noticed that someone was observing him, Boxlunch just then stopped his actions and stood up before looking towards her direction.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before he walked towards her in an even casual manner.

Seeing Boxlunch walking towards her, Nightingale's younger siblings instinctively stepped back as they quickly hid themselves back into their darkened hiding spot...

Boxlunch: "....."

After arriving in front of her, he then noticed the strange gaze from Nightingale, particularly as her eyes pointedly stare towards the human equipments draped all around him and he fell silent for a moment, feeling the urge to explain himself.

"These are my trophies." After speaking, he then added, "We won, and you are safe now."

After hearing his words, Nightingale's expression became rather conflicted in an instant. She then looked towards the rest of the players still picking up things from the wagons at the distance and laughed dryly a few times before asking in a inquisitive tone tinged with a hint of disbelief,

"Are they... are they your companions? Are they... really elves just like us?"

This was a serious question...

Because those guys... were just too strange!

After looking at his team members while they crazily picked up items left and right with wild abandon as well as the black dragon critically monitoring their every actions in a scrutinizing manner, Boxlunch fell silent for a moment, then simply nodded.

Nightingale: "......."

She took a deep breath and incredulously asked, "T-Then...have you guys been stimulated by something, and have somehow degenerated into bandits?"

Boxlunch: "....."

"You know, a bandit is quite similar to a thief." He said with a little bit of amusement in his tone.

Nightingale: "....."

T-This damn blockhead!

The players reaped the rewards to the fullest akin to a locust-like plauge on a ripened rice fields.

Except for the monetary and luxury goods taken by the black dragon, the remaining items were divided amongst the members of Moe Moe Committee and Boxlunch's team.

Little Salty Cat took a liking to those strange gain-like seeds, as well as the seasonings and some magical materials, while most of the members of Boxlunch's team chose equipment and food instead.

In the blink of an eye, the looted goods were divided amongst themselves.

Watching the players' actions from Meryer's perspective, Evé felt rather embarrassed.

"They're really unbelievable...If I didn't know any better, I might've really thought that they're just a group of crazy bandits pretending to be elves."

It seems...she also need to find a way to curtail some of the players' crude behavior.

It was simply too hard to watch, really too hard to watch!

Without the constraints of morality or any other definitive rules in place, these players would only seek their own personal desires and wouldn't pay much attention to their own race's image as a whole...

Evé had no doubt that if these players officially debut as the brand new elven race in Saigües one day, with all their possible lies and trickery, then they would probably be immediately labeled as evil by all sentient beings in no time.

Wait a minute...now that she thought about it...

They might eventually be labeled as evil, but is there anything wrong with that?

After all, the players actions are full of uncertainties and they have the tendency to do all sorts of dishonorable things.

However, although Evé doesn't particularly mind keeping a group of henchmen and pawns who enjoy killing, arson, and looting, considering the opinion of the native elves, as well as the overall image of the World Tree...

Hmm...

If necessary, it seems she must need to restrain their actions if the situation calls for it.

The behavior of the players who have been frantically looting seems to have frightened the native elves.

As an important source of divine power, Evé still wants to continue spreading her religion!

She doesn't want to really become a true evil god...

Through Meryer's perspective, Evé looked towards Nightingale as she guards those several young elves hiding in the shadows.

Looking more closely, her face was etched in complexity and the gazes of those young elves towards the players were full of undisguised fear as these little ones huddled together while shivering within their hiding spot.

Although the elves have a particularly long lifespan, their mental maturity is far more underdeveloped in comparison to that of humankind.

So although these young elves are actually not technically young in age, in reality, except for having longer memories, they have no significant difference from the usual children who are about the same age as them...

They were truly frightened.

Sighing within her heart, Evé used her divine power to send a system message.

For a moment, accompanied by the beautiful system sound, all the players participating in the sidequest received a new prompt,

[❗]

[ Hidden Quest: Rescuing the Elves Completed ]

[ All participating players will receive '5000' experience points and '500' contribution points ]

And after seeing the system prompt, the players were all overjoyed.

"The quest is completed!"

"500 contribution points? Not bad!"

[❗]

[ New Location: 'Rivendell' Unlocked ]

The system prompt continued to float by.

And with the system's soft sound, a new music also played within the background. It was also a piece of music that Evé picked from within her inheritance, but unlike the previous music, this elven music style had a heavy sense of age and antiquity, as if depicting a lost world, which is perfectly attuned to the image of Rivendell.

This particular piece of music is called "Distant Memory."

It is said that this is a composition created by an elven composer from the Silver Era which is heavily inspired by the Titan civilization that had perished along during the Age of Giants...

Upon hearing the new background music, each of the players' eyes lit up in wonderment.

"The new background music is pretty good!"

"The music of ElvKing has always been good and I really like this new one as well."

"Me too, me too!"

While they were discussing these new developments, another new system message appeared right in front of them...

[❗]

[You triggered a sidequest: Guiding New Companions]

[Quest Description: You have successfully rescued the elves, but they have not yet accepted you. As servants of the goddess, you have decided to guide them and bring them back to the embrace of the mother goddess.]

[Quest Objective: Obtain the recognition of the rescued NPCs and bring them safely back to Florence.]

[Extra Quest Objective: Revive the faith of the NPCs in the goddess.]

[Quest Deadline: Unlimited]

[Quest Participants: Unlimited]

[Quest Rewards: Experience points, contribution points]

[Extra Quest Rewards: Exclusive title "Nature's Evangelist"]

"A new sidequest?"

"I'm going! There's even an exclusive title? Is it a hidden reward?"

The players all raised their heads with excitement.

"Elf NPCs? Where are they?"

"They seem to be stucked in a dungeon..."

"No, the captain had already rescued them, look over there!"

In an instant, all the players looked towards Nightingale, who was currently communicating with Boxlunch.

"It's a new NPC maiden!"

"Wow! There are also a few cute little girls and boys!"

Seeing this new group of NPCs, each players stopped what they are currently doing and instantly rushed over...

Feeling a distinct pointed gaze from afar, Nightingale shivered instinctively as goosebumps creeps up her spine and she suddenly took a step back.

Then... she saw those strange elves sporting an excited look as they madly rushed towards her location.