piratefiction Chapter 54 The Ladder to Higher Places
Chapter 54 The Ladder to Higher Places
Chu Sheng stroked his chin. It's worth a try!
But the question is, how should he bring it up?
"Your Majesty, I have a plan that can help you regain your magic, but the price is that you must become my mother."
That's a bit perverted.
Just then, a loud bang came from outside the palace.
"boom!!!"
The entire palace shook violently, and half of a broken beam crashed down from above. Chu Sheng quickly stuffed the strategy manual back into his chest and rolled to the side.
Something's happened outside!
Chu Sheng rushed out of the palace. He saw that outside the royal court, the white-clad crowd had already begun its full-scale advance.
Estelle stood on high ground, raising her hands: "Attack."
The next instant, the white-skirted fairies who had been standing outside the tree roots all moved at the same time.
They quietly crept over the tree roots, climbed the wall, and stepped on their companions' shoulders to move forward. Silver threads flew from their palms, entwining the tree roots that Amber had nurtured. Wind blades continuously sliced through the branches, and silver light burned through the bark. The trees in the royal court groaned under the strain.
Amber stood at the very front, her arms slightly outstretched, struggling to maintain her balance against the tree wall, her face pale.
Chu Sheng rushed to her side: "Your Majesty!"
Amber's voice was calm: "It's not time to give up yet."
"You've already solved it?" Amber glanced at him, a hint of teasing in her eyes. "Did you come up with a good solution?"
Chu Sheng nodded, just about to call out to his mother.
Just then, a mysterious and loud noise came from the depths of the Sacred Tree Forest!
"Buzz—"
The sound was deep and distant, as if it came from the deepest part of the earth, and the entire forest fell silent.
The white-dressed fairies stopped moving at the same time, the roots summoned by Amber stopped churning, and even the wind stopped.
Chu Sheng's mouth was still open, and he hadn't even managed to call out "Mom" when the loud noise jolted him back to his throat, almost causing him to bite his tongue.
Amber suddenly raised her head and looked towards the deepest part of the Sacred Tree Forest.
At the same time, Estella, on the distant high platform, also raised her head, and the two looked in the same direction.
A second loud bang followed.
"Buzz—"
This time, all the trees in the royal court began to tremble slightly, tender buds sprouted from the ancient trunks, and withered vines turned green again.
"Your Majesty?" Chu Sheng exclaimed in shock, "What's that commotion?"
Amber didn't answer; she stared blankly into the depths of the forest, her emerald-gold eyes almost lost in thought.
After a long pause, she finally murmured, "The Sacred Tree..."
Immediately afterwards, a third loud bang was heard!
"Buzz—!!!"
The entire Sacred Tree Forest lit up at that moment! Green light began to ripple outwards from the depths of the forest!
The white-skirted elves trembled in unison, their skin beginning to peel away, revealing their grayish-white, muddy bodies beneath.
Estelle lowered her head and looked at her hands. Her hands were trembling slightly.
But she laughed, and her laughter grew louder and louder.
She stood on high ground, her long dress billowing in the shockwave of the green light, laughing until tears almost streamed down her face.
Amber's expression turned grim, and Chu Sheng suddenly had a bad feeling.
"Your Majesty, what did you say happened to the sacred tree?"
Ambermind stared intently at Estelle: "The Sacred Tree has revived."
"Your Majesty, isn't it a good thing that the sacred tree has awakened?" Chu Sheng asked, somewhat puzzled.
Before Amber could answer, Estella, who was in the distance, finally stopped laughing.
Her face was still Estádio's face, beautiful and dignified, but her eyes had completely changed.
She stood on high ground, her long dress fluttering in the wind, and said softly, "It's a success."
"Finally, I succeeded!" she roared triumphantly.
Amber shouted angrily, "What did you do to the sacred tree?!"
Esta looked down at her, her smile growing even brighter: "Your Majesty, how can you still not understand? I have done something that you elven royal families have dared not do for tens of thousands of years."
She opened her arms: "I have awakened the sacred tree."
She gazed into the depths of the Sacred Tree Forest, a sickly light shining in her pale golden eyes: "From now on, there will be no more elves on the continent."
Before Chu Sheng could fully understand, Amber had already taken a step forward: "What exactly did you do?"
Estelle tilted her head: "It's okay to say it now. The Sacred Tree has awakened. You can't stop me, and those escaped kittens are too late."
Her fingers gently traced her cheek, as if confirming that her face was still flawless: "Your Majesty, do I look like an elven royalty?"
Amber didn't answer, but Estelle chuckled to herself: "Of course it's similar. I've spent hundreds of years learning your manners, accents, magic, and even your posture. I remember your smiles perfectly."
"But I wasn't like this before."
She raised her hand and gently ran her fingertips across her face, causing ripples to spread across her fair skin like water, revealing a hint of gray beneath.
Chu Sheng immediately recognized her; she had the same skin tone as Yin Ye: "You're a gray elf?"
Estelle looked at him: "I used to be."
"I was born in the northernmost part of the Gray Zone. The trees there are very short, and fog shrouds the land all year round. Clothes washed there won't even dry for three days." Her tone was undisguisedly disgusted.
Chu Sheng suddenly remembered Yin Ye.
"What's wrong with the gray area?" Chu Sheng asked coldly.
"Of course you don't think there's anything wrong with it!" Estelle's voice suddenly became shrill. "You're not a grey elf! You haven't stood under the suspension bridge looking up at those noble elves walking overhead! You haven't heard them laugh at the grey elves' rustic appearance! You haven't been surrounded by elven children asking why your skin looks dirty and unwashed!!!"
She paused, then suddenly laughed: "But I don't hate them. How could I hate the elven royal family?"
Her eyes became unfocused: "They were so beautiful, so clean. Their robes were never stained with dirt, and their hair shone in the sun. They didn't need to raise their voices to speak; everyone would listen quietly."
Amber frowned slightly.
Esta looked at her with fervent eyes: "I've known since I was a child that the elven royal family is the noblest existence in the world."
"So I worked very hard. I learned from Wang Tingli, from your magic, and from the ancient Ling script. While others slept, I practiced writing in the tree hollow; while others went to pick berries, I practiced smiling at the water's surface."
She raised her hand, pointing deep into the forest: "But that's not enough, I want the sacred tree."
Chu Sheng felt a chill run down his spine. This guy is a yandere!
"I left the Gray Zone before I turned one hundred and went to the Imperial Mage Tower."
Estella's tone carried a hint of pride.
"Everyone in the Mage Tower says I'm a genius. But when they praise me, they always add, 'I'm of Grey Elf origin.' A Grey Elf can master Royal Magic, a Grey Elf can read Ancient Spirits, and a Grey Elf can stand on the seventh floor of the Mage Tower."
The smile on her face slowly twisted: "Why add those words? No matter how high I stand, they'll still see my gray skin first!"
Amber said coldly, "So you're researching forbidden techniques?"
Esta gently shook her head: "That's not forbidden magic, Your Majesty. It's a ladder to higher places."
She raised her hand, and several white-dressed elves suddenly stepped forward from behind her.
On their bodies, the fair skin began to peel off, revealing the grayish-white clay beneath, with fine roots wriggling on its surface.
"You've all been curious about what these things are, haven't you?" Estelle gently stroked the face of one of the white-dressed elves. "They are failures, but also proof."
"I used the root mud from the Gray Domain Life Tree, mixed it with the names of the Royal Court Elves, and then used the magic of the Ancient Spirits to reshape their appearance."
Chu Sheng's face was extremely grim: "What about the real royal court elves?"
"Them."
"Esta said softly."
"Back to the roots."