After the teleportation light faded, Xiao Chen and Elena appeared in a magnificent hall. Above this hall was a stone dome structure. The windows on all four sides were tall and long, and in the middle of the windows were window panes made of curved vines. The sunlight shone through the gaps onto the floor, forming mottled traces.
Even the interior of the elves' buildings were covered with all kinds of flowers, plants and vines. Xiao Chen's vision was almost half occupied by the green on the walls and the ground.
Xiao Chen discovered that the magic circle under his feet was just one of more than ten teleportation arrays around him. In the short time since he arrived here, two more teleportation arrays also emitted green light.
"Let's go. Let's not block the teleportation here." Elena led him outside. The exit of the teleportation hall was guarded by a team of elven swordsmen and mages. They checked Elena's badge and used magic to check Xiao Chen for a long time before letting them pass.
"These years, apart from the envoys from human countries, few people can come to the capital of the Elf Kingdom. If many elves look at you curiously, please don't mind too much."
"I know, I know. It's just for fun." Xiao Chen said with a smile, recalling the time when he took his overseas student classmates back to his grandfather's small town to play.
Walking in the stone corridor, Xiao Chen saw that although the materials here were made of stone like large human buildings, they were much more refined than them. Almost every brick had delicate patterns. These patterns were often very light in color, but when they were gathered together, there was a kind of beauty full of details. Xiao Chen couldn't help but take out his phone to take several photos.
"Are you connected to the Internet?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Network? The network of the tree's heart? Yes, that's right. Many friends noticed that I was back and greeted me." Elaina was obviously a little absent-minded, just like a modern person who looks at a phone on the street. "I was also asking them about the recent changes in the World Tree."
After walking out of the archway of the teleportation hall, Xiao Chen found that they were standing on a small slope, and most of the Elf King's capital was in full view. The center of the entire capital was a huge tree. Xiao Chen estimated that the tree was at least a kilometer high, about twice the height of the Shanghai Tower. The shape of this tree was very strange. The trunk was straight from the bottom to two-thirds, and the top third was a dense crown. The crown radius was also nearly a kilometer, very flat, and looked like an open umbrella, almost covering the core area of the entire capital. There were many flowers and fruits between the green leaves of the crown. The fruits were large and small, and of different colors, but all of them emitted a faint magical fluorescence, as if the crown was decorated with many decorative lights.
This wonder of nature is undoubtedly the World Tree.
There were also many tall trees in the capital under the World Tree, with countless tree houses and stone palaces intertwined among them. However, compared with the huge body of the World Tree, they were like grass and gravel under the tree.
“Are you shocked? No one can fail to be shocked by the magnificence and grandeur of the World Tree when seeing it.” Elena said with a proud tone.
"Of course." Xiao Chen said after taking the photo, "I have never seen such a wonder. It feels like a dream."
Elena nodded and said, "This is the dreamland of all elves. Do you see those big fruits? When each fruit is ripe, a new brother or sister will come out of it. And those small fruits will eventually become seeds like 'Guardian Seed' and 'Whispering Seed'."
"The area under the World Tree is the core of the Elf King's capital, right?" Xiao Chen asked.
Elena nodded and said, "Yes, do you see the white stone hall under the tree roots? That is the Elf Temple dedicated to the God of Nature. The Queen's throne is in that temple, but we haven't had a queen for a long time. The one on the right is the Elders' Hall, where the five elders decide major events of the elves. The one on the right is the Priests' Hall, where I used to live. There are four branches of high elves' priests, namely the Yangyan Priests who are good at attacking, the Qingye Priests who are good at controlling, the Feiyu Priests who are good at summoning, and the Yulu Priests who are good at healing. My strength used to rank fifth among the Yulu Priests, but after staying with Tiantian and Luo Ling and treating her injuries, I should have made some breakthroughs now."
"What should we do now?" Xiao Chen asked.
"My teacher Dahni is the high priestess of the Rain and Dew sect, and also one of the five elders. I will go to see her first and ask her about the World Tree. I will not mention the matter of the World Tree sap for now, until I understand the situation. As for you, I can only try to settle you with a friend of mine. His name is Di Ning, and he is a very powerful magician."
The two walked down the hill towards the center of the capital. The life of the elves was indeed very leisurely. Most of the elves Xiao Chen saw along the way were either strolling leisurely, singing and chanting together, or playing games together. There were also many elves reading or taking a nap in tree houses or on branches.
Because the wizard robe was not suitable for riding, Xiao Chen changed into a new outfit when he entered the Elf Kingdom: a thick black shirt, a navy blue short windbreaker, and black trousers. This novel look of a human made the elves, who had never seen such a dress before, very curious.
The idle elves gathered around Xiao Chen and Elaina, and watched them. However, most of them just looked at them from a distance or talked quietly. No elves came up to say hello. But even so, Xiao Chen felt a little embarrassed to be visited by hundreds of people along the way.
Elves love art, so they are naturally particular about their clothes. Most of the elves around them wear long and short robes with various borders and embroidery. Unlike the latest popular exaggerated style of human nobles, the decoration of elves' clothes is to pay attention to the fine texture and harmonious decoration. But they rarely see Xiao Chen's beautiful clothes with simple textures. Xiao Chen didn't know that his dress had become the hottest topic in the Tree Heart Network today, and received countless likes.
"Is there really something wrong with the World Tree?" Xiao Chen whispered, "Why is there no tense atmosphere except for you? They all seem so empty."
"This is close to the World Tree. Her power is still very strong within this range, so the change seems very slight. But I am the Rain and Dew Priest who is closest to the World Tree. I can feel her changes. She is indeed weak. Other elves are not so sensitive. They cannot feel the difference. But the priests must know what is going on."