A new video was quietly uploaded to Ghostly Grove, and it quickly caused quite a stir.
In the video, a pink-haired girl effortlessly dodged the attacks of a Cloud Knight who had succumbed to mara. Her slender fingers drew back the bowstring, and in the next instant, a pink crystal arrow shot forth. Upon striking the Cloud Knight, pink crystals rapidly spread and grew, eventually blooming into a brilliant crystal flower that bound him in place.
Not long after being posted, the video surged to the front page of Ghostly Grove. People soon began speculating about the identity of the pink-haired girl in the footage. Sharp-eyed viewers immediately recognized her.
[That's Miss Pink Elf! The streamer who suddenly blew up recently!]
[I've actually been a fan of Miss Pink Elf for a long time. Single-push, double-duty.]
[I'm a ten-year diehard fan of Miss Pink Elf.]
[All you bandwagon fans can step aside. I've been Miss Pink Fairy's loyal dog for ages.]
The comment section was lively, and Elysia's follower count began rising exponentially. Beneath her profile, countless "ten-year veterans" emerged out of nowhere.
Naturally, Elysia herself had no idea what was happening on Ghostly Grove at the moment.
After restraining the Cloud Knight, she turned her head toward a nearby patch of bushes.
Earlier, when she had stepped in to stop the Cloud Knight, she had vaguely noticed a child stumble and fall into the shrubbery while trying to dodge. Unexpectedly, the child had simply stayed there, lying flat and hiding.
Unfortunately, the hiding technique was rather poor. Half of a tail was swaying back and forth in the air, as if inviting someone to come over and drag its owner out.
Elysia crouched down and gently poked the tail, her voice soft. "Little one, it's safe now. You can come out."
"Who are you calling little?! That's so rude!" A small girl with a pair of dragon horns on her head waved her tiny fists indignantly. "And stop touching my tail!"
Elysia sized up the girl before her. She looked young enough to not even be in primary school yet. Children that age often felt dissatisfied with their youth, always eager to grow up faster.
"You're still looking at me like I'm a kid, aren't you? Even if you saved me, don't treat me like a child!" the girl huffed. "How old are you anyway? You don't look like a Xianzhou native. You're probably not even older than me."
Seeing the stubborn seriousness on the girl's youthful face, Elysia couldn't help teasing her.
"I'm over fifty thousand years old," Elysia said as she bent down and ruffled the girl's hair. "But you can also think of me as an eighteen-year-old beauty."
"I feel like I just heard a terrifying number... And that last age you gave is way too shameless, okay?!" The girl pursed her lips. "You don't look eighteen at all. Just look at—at that outrageously shameless figure of yours!"
Elysia glanced down.
Hmm... She couldn't see her toes. No wonder her clothes had been feeling tighter lately.
Lifting her head again, she looked at the little dragon girl with interest. "If you want to grow up like me, I can teach you."
"Really?!" The girl's eyes sparkled like stars, and her tail wagged excitedly behind her.
"But first, I need to know your name. I can't just share such secrets with a stranger."
Elysia smiled warmly, like a kind older sister next door.
"My name is Bailu. I'm... I'm an apprentice at the Alchemy Commission!"
As Bailu introduced herself, Elysia felt the name sounded vaguely familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere before.
Leaning closer, Elysia caught a faint herbal fragrance from Bailu, the scent of someone who had long been immersed in apothecaries and medicine halls.
"Since you're being honest, I'll tell you," Elysia cleared her throat. "Drink more milk and go to bed early. That way, you'll grow up sooner."
Just as Elysia was busy coaxing Bailu, a figure hurried out from a nearby corner. She anxiously felt about in the air before finally grabbing hold of Bailu's clothing.
Bailu, who had been about to bolt at the sight of that figure, could only stand still once caught, lowering her head like a child who had done something wrong.
"Lady Bailu... Why have you run out of the Alchemy Commission again? It's so dangerous here." The woman who had arrived gave a slight bow in Elysia's direction. "Thank you very much for saving Lady Bailu. I am the Chief Alchemist of the Alchemy Commission. You may call me Dan Shu."
As Dan Shu spoke, Elysia noticed something odd about the direction of her gaze. Looking more closely, she realized Dan Shu's eyes were clouded over.
She was blind.
"Dan Shu, don't take me back yet! This Cloud Knight has succumbed to mara. I want to treat him so he won't be in so much pain," Bailu struggled as she spoke.
Dan Shu shook her head without hesitation. "Is that truly the case? The last time you said you were going to treat someone's injuries, you were eventually found feasting in Aurum Alley."
An embarrassed expression flickered across Bailu's face, but she still protested, "I'm not lying this time! It was this—"
"My name is Elysia," she supplied helpfully. "I'm eighteen this year, and I work as a professional streamer."
"Miss Elysia can testify. This Cloud Knight looks to be in great pain. My medical skills might be able to ease his suffering," Bailu said hurriedly. In her urgency, she didn't even bother correcting Elysia's fabricated age.
Bailu looked at Dan Shu pitifully. Anyone with a heart of ice would melt at that expression. Even Elysia felt the urge to step forward and pinch her cheeks.
But Dan Shu could not see.
"In that case, Lady Bailu, you should return even more so," Dan Shu said sternly. "If anything were to endanger your safety, the Vidyadhara elders would tear the Alchemy Commission apart. Leave the diagnosis to me. You may wait at the side."
After speaking, Dan Shu stepped forward slowly. Though her vision was impaired, she precisely approached the restrained Cloud Knight and placed her palm against the crystal barrier.
However, before she could begin diagnosing him, glaring cracks suddenly appeared across the surface of the pink crystal. In the next instant, the Cloud Knight shattered the crystal prison and swung his arm toward Dan Shu.
"Dan Shu!" Bailu cried out anxiously as the crystal broke apart.
Several crystal arrows descended once more, striking the Cloud Knight and sealing him again.
"Mara cannot be cured. That is common knowledge on the Luofu," Dan Shu said calmly. "However, there are ways to ease the patient's suffering. It merely requires quite a few materials. I will need to prepare them... Miss Elysia, could I trouble you to assist me?"
Hearing her name, Elysia—who had assumed she was free to spectate—blinked in surprise, then smiled and nodded. "If it's just me, of course."
"I'll help too!" Bailu declared enthusiastically.