Chapter 18: The Magic Prodigy Among Elves

At this point, the two teammates who were originally from the north had already left, leaving only Dai Meng and Vlamy traveling together.

They passed through the elf village destroyed by the demon race, where all the elves had perished alongside the Demon King’s army, leaving only a severely wounded silver-haired elf girl kneeling on the ground, waiting to die.

For such a scene, Vlamy, returning from the Demon King’s city, was already utterly accustomed.

She first acknowledged the elf girl’s strength, then habitually mocked her, deeming her choice to fight a powerful enemy head-on absurdly foolish.

Of course, despite the mockery, the soft-hearted Vlamy still had Dai Meng carry her, intending to take her to a nearby town to seek treatment from monks in the church.

But to Vlamy’s utter shock, this silver-haired elf girl possessed an extraordinary magical talent—she was one of the rare magical geniuses among the long-lived elves!

The girl, relying purely on instinct, judged that the seemingly weak human before her was in fact a far superior mage.

This discovery filled Vlamy with both surprise and joy.

Coupled with the intelligence gathered from demons along the way—that the Demon King had ordered the extermination of elves—Vlamy keenly sensed the Demon King’s fear of the elf race.

Without hesitation, Vlamy immediately decided to take her as a disciple and impart all her knowledge to her.

Here, Vlamy’s letter reached its end.

In the final lines, she left her itinerary: first taking Fllilien to meet her master, then visiting him in this forest.

Moreover, she boldly claimed that her new disciple would surely earn Lin Yu’s approval.

This sounded like a friend’s joke, but Lin Yu keenly sensed the deeper meaning behind it—Vlamy wanted to leave her holy scripture to Fllilien!

That was why she needed Lin Yu’s approval.

“At only thirty-some years old, are you already thinking about what happens after you die?”

Lin Yu muttered the words aloud, yet a complex, indescribable emotion stirred within him.

The issue of lifespan.

The thought of losing this friend decades from now made him genuinely uneasy.

Lin Yu shook his head, collected himself, and tucked the letter into his robe.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Lin Yu looked up at the village elder and Dai Meng. “Do you have anything else?”

“No—”

Dai Meng shook his head, but the village elder quickly shot him a glare, then bowed respectfully.

“My lord, regarding the construction of the Spine Peak City walls…”

“Didn’t we already settle this? You have full authority over it!”

Lin Yu waved his hand, glancing at him. “Or do you need me to send some Yellow Turbans… magical laborers to help?”

The village elder hurriedly replied, “No, not at all—but while building the walls, we also need to construct a city barrier, and we wish to request some magic crystal stones as energy sources for the barrier.”

“Ah, so that’s it.”

Lin Yu nodded. “Tonight, I’ll have Longlongyan move its nest. If you need them, go collect them yourselves!”

The village elder was overjoyed. “Thank you, my lord!”

Beside him, Dai Meng looked utterly bewildered, completely failing to grasp the connection.

Lin Yu noticed his confusion and smiled. “That place was where I once tested new spells. Due to the convergence of magical energy and the theory of magical permeation into matter, vast veins of magic crystal formed underground.”

“Longlongyan loves that spot—it’s been resting atop the veins for the past few years…”

So magic crystal veins form like that?

Dai Meng opened his mouth slightly, gazing at Lin Yu in confusion.

Seeing his son’s expression, the village elder let out a quiet hum, clearly proud.

Then, quickly adjusting his expression, he said respectfully yet nervously to Lin Yu: “My lord, one more matter—regarding the upcoming city guard of Spine Peak City, I wish for Dai Meng to serve as its first captain…”

“You’re not afraid to promote your own kin!”

Lin Yu teased with a smile.

The village elder grew serious. “Dai Meng was the vanguard in Vlamy’s squad—he fought the Demon King and his army head-on. There is no better warrior in all of Spine Peak!”

Lin Yu nodded. “That’s true.”

Hearing their words, Dai Meng frowned.

After a moment’s hesitation, he bowed. “Thank you for your favor, my lord, but I am a mercenary—I cannot serve you permanently. If you can accept a captain who may abandon his duties at any moment to answer a companion’s call, then I…”

“No problem!”

Lin Yu agreed without hesitation, his gaze on Dai Meng filled with appreciation.

Dai Meng, caught off guard, fell silent mid-sentence, staring at Lin Yu in stunned disbelief.

He’d meant to make the lord reconsider—how could he have imagined the lord didn’t care about his loyalty to companions, and even saw it as an admirable trait?

Of course, only if those companions were Vlamy’s.

If it were anyone else, it would be entirely different!

Recovering from his shock, Dai Meng hesitated. “My lord, is this really appropriate?”

Lin Yu raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t want it?”

Dai Meng looked uncertain.

“Fine.”

Lin Yu nodded, turning to the village elder with a smile. “I rarely interfere in your decisions, but in this case, let Dai Meng decide for himself. He delivered Vlamy’s letter to me—I owe him a favor.”

The village elder had just been swept into ecstasy, only to be pulled back by his own son.

Yet, this lasted only until he heard the final sentence—his disappointment and anger instantly transformed into overwhelming joy.

The village elder straightened his robes, turned to Dai Meng, and spoke with solemn gravity.

“Dai Meng, do you truly wish to waste this gift from my lord?”

“...”

Dai Meng seemed to realize something—his expression shifted.

Lin Yu observed the two with interest, sensing hidden depths behind them he hadn’t known.

Soon, Dai Meng clenched his teeth, changed his mind under his father’s words, dropped to one knee, and swore fealty to Lin Yu in knightly fashion.

Lin Yu looked at them in mild surprise. “So you don’t want to waste this favor, do you?”

“It’s a gift, my lord!”

The village elder corrected him, then bowed deeply. “My lord, you should know—my ancestor and Dai Meng’s were knights of the Unified Empire. But due to a misdeed by one of our forebears, we lost our noble title—and even our family name!”

Lin Yu suddenly understood. He now grasped the village elder’s deepest desire.

In this world, commoners had no surnames; only nobility could pass down inherited names to their descendants.

“Come to think of it, the Unified Empire once sent a royal letter acknowledging my status as lord…”

"Come to think of it, the Imperial Empire once sent a state letter acknowledging my lordship..."

“I understand. You want to regain noble status—or reclaim your old family name?”

"I understand—you wish to regain noble status, or reclaim your former family surname?"

The village elder shook his head, and together with Dai Meng, knelt on one knee, gazing at Lin Yu with burning eyes. “Our ancestor three generations back brought shame to that name. What my son and I seek is a new surname bestowed by you, my lord!”

The old village chief shook his head and knelt on one knee alongside Dai Meng, his eyes blazing as he looked at Lin Yu: "Our ancestor three generations ago brought shame to that surname; what Dai Meng and I seek is a new surname granted by our lord!"

Lin Yu stared at the village elder, baffled.

It wasn’t his fault—he’d never directly interacted with nobility in this world.

For a family like the village elder’s, once knights, a surname meant honor, not its literal meaning.

After all, their original surname had been granted by nobility—it carried no ancestral veneration like Chinese surnames.

Though he didn’t fully understand, Lin Yu chose to respect it.

He thought briefly, then looked at the kneeling father and son. “Then your new name shall be Sdong.”

“In another language I know, it means ‘rock’.”

"In another language I know, it means rock."

That’s far better than the old one—‘Donkey’s Tail’!

The village elder’s heart swelled with joy—he immediately pulled Dai Meng down to bow in thanks.

“Thank you, my lord!”

(End of Chapter)

(End of Chapter)