"It worked!"
Shalin felt a surge of joy. Although most of the thoughts entering her consciousness were indistinct phrases like "so heavy...", "sunlight... hot...", or "thirsty... painful...", it proved her spell was a success! She could now engage in basic communication with the living beings of this grassland.
Seeing this, she dared not delay. She immediately concentrated her will and transmitted her question:
"Excuse me... have you seen... a human settlement? A place where many... many 'people' gather to live?"
However, what greeted her was not an answer, but a mountain of confusion. "Settlement? What's that?" "Humans? Don't understand..." "Never seen them..." "Are they edible?"...
All sorts of queries based on simple instincts and negative feedback nearly overwhelmed Shalin's consciousness.
"Wait, wait! Too many... too chaotic!"
Shalin hurried to call a halt in her mind; she felt as if her head had been stuffed with a tangled mess of hemp.
At this moment, she realized her question might be too abstract and complex for these simple-minded plants and small animals. Thus, she took a deep breath, strove to clear her thoughts, and transmitted a more concrete question:
"Then... have you seen... creatures that look similar to me? Like me, walking on two legs, without fur, able to speak..."
This time, while the feedback remained jumbled, it was much less than the first time, though she still failed to obtain an answer.
"Can't see..." "Never seen..." "Creature? What is that?" "Smell... strange..."
Just as hope seemed to be growing dim again and Shalin anxiously prepared for a third attempt, a faint ripple of consciousness drifted clearly into her mind amidst the noise:
"I've seen them! I've seen them before! And back then, there were many, many who looked like you!"
"You've seen them?!"
Shalin was ecstatic. She immediately traced the source of that conscious ripple.
Searching through the dense blades of grass, she finally fixed her gaze on a rabbit-rat that was clutching a grass seed, tilting its head curiously at her.
This was a common small creature of the grassland, only slightly larger than Shalin's fist, fluffy, with long ears like a rabbit's and a tail like a rat's. They were timid and docile by nature. Their height was lower than even some of the lush wild grass, making them one of the most populous yet inconspicuous residents of the plains.
Seeing this, Shalin quickly crouched down, trying to make her posture appear harmless. She softened her voice significantly as she spoke to the rabbit-rat:
"Hello, little one. May I ask where you saw those... creatures similar to me?"
The rabbit-rat first eyed Shalin warily for a few moments. Only after confirming she held no malice did it transmit information intermittently through its blurred consciousness:
"Before... a big fellow, with sharp teeth, ran very fast, wanted... wanted to eat me. I ran with all my might... then, those creatures like you appeared... they... they used things that glowed to kill the big fellow... then dragged the big fellow away."
Its little head shook slightly as it seemed to recall the scene.
"They... helped me. I... I wanted to thank them, so I secretly followed them for a bit... then, I saw a place... there were many, many creatures like that, living... living inside big things... that weren't made of grass and stone."
It's humans! Definitely humans! And it sounds like a hunting party and their settlement!
Shalin's eyes instantly lit up as if seeing a dawn of hope. Suppressing her excitement, she requested in an even gentler tone:
"Do you still remember where that place is? Could you... trouble you to take me there? This is very important to me!"
To ensure this "guide trade" went smoothly, Shalin remembered the ancient elven way of dealing with natural creatures—equivalent exchange.
She reached into the small satchel woven from vines and tiny flowers she carried, fumbled around, and pulled out a small blade of grass that emitted a soft blue glow.
This was a moonlight grass cultivated by the Moon-marked Clan using the water of Crescent Lake. This little plant had absorbed the energy of moonlight and possessed an inexplicable attraction for many natural creatures.
She showed the moonlight grass to the rabbit-rat and said sincerely:
"If you are willing to take me to that place, I will give this little grass to you as a gift of thanks. Is that alright?"
Sure enough, the moment the rabbit-rat saw the moonlight grass, its red eyes went wide and round, flickering with intense longing. Its little nose twitched rapidly, and without any hesitation, it nodded frantically at Shalin, its consciousness transmitting an impatient emotion:
"I'll take you! I know the way! Follow me!"
Before the words had even faded, the tiny rabbit-rat turned with exceptional agility. Kicking off with its short but powerful hind legs, it shot out like a furry arrow, carving a tiny path through the dense sea of grass.
"Wait for me!"
Seeing the tiny guide about to vanish into the grass, Shalin called out in a low voice. She quickly stood up, hiked up her somewhat cumbersome skirt, and sprinted after it. Her light figure shuttled through the knee-high grass, trying not to make too much noise to avoid startling the sensitive little fellow ahead.
Under the rabbit-rat's lead, they crossed a rolling grassy slope. When a panting Shalin climbed to the top of the slope, the view suddenly opened up.
At the end of the grassland, nestled beside a winding brook, the outlines of a cluster of buildings came clearly into view. Rough stone walls, chimneys emitting curls of cooking smoke, and some low brick-and-stone houses formed the typical scene of a human border town.
"I'm here! I'm really here!"
Uncontrollable excitement flooded her heart. Shalin cheered softly, and her tight face finally broke into a smile of relief. She quickly caught up to the rabbit-rat, which had already stopped, and crouched down to say gratefully:
"Is it here? Thank you so much, little one!"
With that, she carefully took the moonlight grass glowing with soft blue light from her satchel and held it out to the rabbit-rat.
"Here, this is the promised reward. Thank you for your help. I'm going over now!"
The rabbit-rat first sniffed the little grass with its nose, then let out a burst of cheerful and rapid squeaks. It tightly clutched the moonlight grass with its two front paws, nodded its little head at Shalin, and then turned contentedly to dive back into the dense grass and disappear.
Watching the rabbit-rat leave, Shalin took a deep breath to calm her excitement before walking quickly toward the human town not far away.
...
As she approached the entrance of the town, Shalin's pace instinctively slowed, and a trace of vigilance rose in her heart. She saw two soldiers dressed in leather armor and holding iron spears, standing on either side of the simple stone gate, chatting casually.
Seeing this, Shalin hesitated. To directly approach and question strange humans required great courage for an elf who lived in near-isolation. But the images of Patriarch Thorne's haggard face, her sister Nimue lying unconscious, and the painful groans of her compatriots in the valley flashed in her mind again... This heavy responsibility outweighed her internal fear.
She bit her lip hard and finally summoned her courage, walking with somewhat stiff steps toward the soldier who looked relatively kinder.
"He... hello..." Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling due to nervousness. "May I ask... do you know of the Radiant Church?"
The soldier on guard turned his head at the sound. He was clearly stunned when he saw Shalin. His gaze instinctively lingered for a moment on her long, pointed ears, her exquisite face, and the temperament that seemed out of place with her surroundings. His face immediately showed an expression of surprise and curiosity.
"The way you look..." He didn't answer Shalin's question immediately, but instead asked back with a tone of disbelief, "Are... are you a legendary elf?"
"Uh..." Having her identity pointed out directly, Shalin's heart skipped a beat, and her body tensed slightly. She hesitated, thinking that hiding it might be more troublesome, and finally nodded gently, her voice becoming even smaller.
"Yes... that's right, I am an elf. May I ask... is there a problem?"
"Oh! No, no!" Seeing Shalin's expression turn tense and even somewhat defensive, the soldier immediately realized his abruptness might have frightened her. He waved his hands hurriedly to explain, an apologetic smile appearing on his face. "Miss, don't misunderstand! I just... I've only ever heard of elves in bards' stories and picture books. I've never seen a living one... uh, I mean, never seen one with my own eyes! So I lost my composure for a moment, sorry, sorry!"
Seeing the soldier's frantic explanation and that he seemingly held no malice, Shalin's tense nerves relaxed a bit. She also waved her hands hurriedly and said:
"It... it's fine, I don't mind."
She paused, bringing the topic back on track, and repeated the question with a sincere tone:
"May I ask, do you know of the Radiant Church? I... I have a very urgent matter and need to find them..."
Hearing this, the soldier thought for a while, then scratched his head and shook it with an apologetic expression of being unable to help:
"Radiant Church... sorry, I don't think I've heard that name. At least not around here; I haven't heard of any church by that name operating."
"...I see. Thank you anyway. I'll go ask someone else."
Although she had been mentally prepared, a flash of undisguisable disappointment quickly crossed Shalin's eyes upon hearing the negative answer. But she didn't lose heart. She nodded politely to the soldier and prepared to enter the town to continue her inquiries.
"Hey, miss, wait!"
Just then, the soldier seemed to remember something and called out to Shalin, who was about to leave. Shalin turned back in confusion. The soldier, with an uncertain look on his face, spoke carefully:
"This Radiant Church you mentioned... just by the name, it feels... somewhat similar to the Church of the Radiant Sun? They both have those... well... names that imply light, faith, and such."
Then he looked at Shalin and proposed a possibility:
"Why don't you... go ask the people from the Church of the Radiant Sun? Between these churches, they might know of each other's news."
This sentence instantly enlightened Shalin.
Right! Since they are both churches and their philosophies seem similar, they very likely share information!
"Really? That's great!" Shalin's eyes lit up instantly, and she asked urgently, "Do you know where the people from the Church of the Radiant Sun are?"
However, the soldier's next words poured cold water on her again.
"Well... the people from the Church of the Radiant Sun are quite mysterious." He smacked his lips. "Even though it's a church, they aren't like the Church of the Goddess of Harvest in town, which builds a beautiful grand cathedral and holds regular ceremonies to collect donations from believers. Their actions are more... low-key? Or rather, elusive?"
However, he shifted his tone, reigniting Shalin's hope.
"But I've heard of their church's tenets. It seems they want to 'clear all evils in the world' and 'bring sun-like warmth to weak creatures'... sounds a bit esoteric, right? But in practice, from what I know, they mainly do two things: clearing monsters that plague the area and using miraculous power to treat the wounded and sick."
Speaking to this point, a look of genuine gratitude appeared in the soldier's eyes. He patted his arm and said:
"Speaking of which, an extraordinary doctor really did come to our town recently! Her healing ability is simply miraculous! And she's accompanied by a feline demi-human follower of absurd strength. With those skills, ordinary monsters aren't a match at all!"
He began to recall the experience at the time, his tone full of emotion:
"Yesterday, I went into the forest to gather herbs and accidentally provoked a pack of spine-fang wolves. I almost lost my life there; several large gashes were torn into my body. Just when I thought I was done for, that doctor and her follower happened to pass by. That feline demi-human drove the wolves away in a flash, and then that doctor just brushed her hand over my wounds. A seven-colored light appeared, and then those serious injuries healed in the blink of an eye! Not even a scar was left! It was simply a miracle!"
"And I wanted to give her a consultation fee to show my thanks, but she just waved her hand and said it wasn't necessary." He looked at Shalin, his gaze firm. "Miss, if you really want to find people from the Church of the Radiant Sun, I think you should ask this doctor. Even if she isn't from the Church of the Radiant Sun, she should at least know some news!"
Having finished, he raised his hand and pointed toward a reasonably wide gravel road inside the town.
"Walk straight along this road until you see a 'Traveler's Rest' inn with a wooden wine cup sign hanging by the door. That's the place. That doctor and her follower are staying there for the time being."
"That's great! Thank you so much! Thank you!"
With the situation taking a turn for the better and finally having a solid lead, Shalin thanked him repeatedly in her excitement. She bowed deeply to the soldier and, without further delay, immediately turned and ran toward the inn in the direction the soldier had pointed.
★ ★ ★
T/N: 30 chapters away until I'm caught up with the raw; I'll be taking a break from here.
Daily reminder: feel free to point out mistranslations, thanks!