Having been in this world for so long, this was Celia's first time seeing the Elven barrier.
In the past, whenever she had come near this area, the elders had always warned her—never venture too deep.
The flying carpet raced forward at breakneck speed, showing no sign of slowing down as it approached the barrier.
It looked as though the carpet they were on was about to crash right into it.
"Lord Liam, Lord Liam! We're going to—!"
"Don't worry."
In the next instant, with a sudden "whoosh," the carpet shot straight forward and collided directly with the barrier.
Celia's petite form shrank into Liam's embrace, trembling uncontrollably with fear.
She held her breath, feeling a sudden chill on her skin.
When she opened her eyes again, it seemed as if nothing had happened?
Blinking her tear-dampened eyelashes, she looked back and was shocked to realize they had already passed through the barrier, now moving further and further away from it.
Only then did she carefully let out a sigh of relief.
"One can exit but not enter freely. That's the nature of this formation. Didn't you know?"
Liam's voice was calm.
"Then again, I suppose I forgot—you elves should be able to pass through at will, right?"
"I didn't know."
Having lived this long, she had never seen the barrier at the border herself, only being told not to go near it, or her life would be in danger.
Perhaps this was the careful intention of the clan leaders.
As a child, her curiosity had been overwhelming.
If she had known the barrier could be passed through, she probably would have thought it harmless to go out for a look, potentially causing trouble.
"This is the outside world now."
Liam's large hand rested on the girl's soft shoulder, his thumb stroking her reddened ear tip.
His low, husky voice was gentle:
"Unless something unexpected happens, most of you elves probably never get the chance to see the outside world in your lifetime."
Of course.
Internally, Celia scoffed at this statement.
If something unexpected happens, wouldn't that mean being captured by humans...?
They flew on for another half an hour.
Only after getting somewhat accustomed to the height did Celia dare to peek out.
Fighting dizziness, she tried to gaze down at the spectacular scenery—
The trees below had shrunk into patches of dark and light green, looking from afar like a velvety carpet spread over the land, swaying slightly with the air currents.
Directly below, a flock of birds flew in a neat line, soaring in unison.
Liam held the warm girl in his arms tightly, as if protecting a precious pearl.
He kept Celia secure, preventing her from falling.
And so, after a while,
Celia's courage grew, to the point where she dared to spread her arms, freely embracing the baptism of the wind.
This was, of course, under the protection of her husband—his arms encircling her slender waist from behind as he sat behind her.
"We're here."
The flying carpet skimmed over the lush forest, left the Emerald Border behind, crossed a stretch of untamed hills, and finally arrived at Silverdew City.
Sure enough, the journey had taken just under an hour.
It was almost noon now—usually the time for little Celia to eat.
Liam was the first to step off with a large stride.
He then turned and gently helped the bewildered girl down from the carpet.
He rolled up the soft flying carpet and stored it in his spatial ring.
Ahead, a massive city gate constructed of stone bricks stood imposingly.
On either side of the gate stood two guards clad in silver armor and helmets, their spears planted firmly on the ground.
Around the gate, near sparse clumps of trees, shabbily dressed people moved about constantly.
Adventurers, merchants, commoners...
They chatted and laughed, but as they passed, their eyes inevitably drifted towards the elven girl who had just disembarked from the flying carpet.
Celia's face was pale, completely unable to handle the gazes of the humans.
Her small hands, slick with a fine sweat, tightly clutched the sleeve of her husband beside her.
Now that she thought about it, this was only the second time in this life she had seen humans up close, other than elves.
Liam seemed to sense the girl's unease. He reached out his large hand and firmly enclosed her delicate, boneless wrist, soothing her softly, "Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Elven features and figures were far more exquisite and perfect than those of humans, like meticulously carved works of art.
Combined with those highly distinctive pointed ears, they were instantly recognizable.
Tiny Celia standing there—almost no one could fail to recognize her as an elf.
As for Liam, although he possessed what could be called top-tier features, he appeared much more human-like, so he didn't raise any suspicion.
They had only landed for a few seconds when a young man in casual clothes, with a long sword at his waist, approached them.
Conventionally, experienced melee fighters who joined parties would usually be equipped with a set of armor for protection.
But this youth not only wore no armor, he also looked like a novice adventurer who had just finished a quest, exuding an air of greenness.
The young adventurer looked surprised, offered a greeting, then let his gaze fall on the elven girl beside Liam, his eyes holding a scrutinizing look.
The elven girl was exquisitely flawless, her pitiable appearance instantly hitting his preferences.
"My gods, brother! Such a small elf, and without a collar... did you just catch her from the forest?"
The youth reached a hand towards Celia, but she flinched away with a start—acting like she'd never seen the world, timidly hiding behind Liam.
"Do you need something?"
Liam's face darkened instantly upon seeing the youth's action, his tone impatient.
This scene caused several passing adventurer teams to stop and watch, but unlike the youth, they kept a considerable distance.
"Uh, well," the youth squinted and grinned, rubbing the back of his head.
"Not sure if I should say this, but I've actually been looking for lone elves in the Emerald Forest lately. But no matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find a single trace of any elves."
"So seeing you really surprised me. I never thought someone could actually capture a wild elf."
The young adventurer spoke, and seeing Celia hiding, found it utterly adorable.
He tilted his head slightly, trying to get another look at her.
His eyes were full of desire for this 'new pet.'
"Actually... it might be a bit rude to ask, but I mainly wanted to know if you'd be willing to sell her to me directly?"
"To be honest, I'm already bored with the pair of beastkin cat-girls I have at home. No sense of novelty left."
Completely immersed in his own world and full of interest, the youth failed to notice Liam's expression, which had darkened to the extreme.
He even went so far as to ask for a price.
The terrifying aura emanating from Liam even made the surrounding adventurer teams, who were just watching, shudder involuntarily, instinctively taking a few more steps back.
"Ah~ If not, then perhaps... could you tell me the secret to capturing elves... Agh!"
Before he could finish, the youth let out a sharp cry.
Liam had viciously kicked him, sending him flying into a thorny bush not far away, where he tumbled gracelessly several times.
A red-robed female mage who had been watching the spectacle facepalmed and clicked her tongue.
"What an idiot."
"The aura of that elf's master is at least Tier 4. And this guy dares to provoke him? He's got guts, I'll give him that. 'Newborn calves aren't afraid of tigers,' as they say?"
Looking at the youth's pitiful state, no one showed an ounce of pity.
Instead, they cast disdainful glances his way.