Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 47 Talkative
"Yes, young master! I'll prepare it for you right away!" Lauru felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He bowed and answered hastily, then turned and scurried towards the kitchen almost simultaneously, his back view revealing a sense of panic.

Kruse watched the young male servant's retreating figure as if fleeing, shook his head helplessly, but couldn't help but curl a smile that was both amusing and self-deprecating.

"Sigh, it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance... and it seems there's still a lot of room for improvement in this world's 'welfare' system."

He grumbled inwardly as he straightened his robes and headed towards the study.

A brand new day begins, accompanied by a small, awkward interlude.

Kruze was not in a hurry to refine the eleven energy crystals that were enough to boost his strength once again.

He deeply understood the principles of cultivation: moderation and a solid foundation.

His recent progress from condensing aura vortex to achieving a stable Apprentice Knight level has been astonishing. If he were to break through these barriers again in a short period, it would inevitably raise suspicions, especially with a seasoned expert like Wilstone by his side. A low-key approach and gradual accumulation of experience is the best long-term strategy.

So he forced himself to calm down and went to his father’s study, which was covered in a thin layer of dust. He picked out a heavy book about the genealogy of the Northern nobility and heraldry, leaned against the window and read it for a while, letting the knowledge settle in his mind.

Only after my mind was completely calm did I begin my daily, unwavering practice and work.

His life is now very regular: he first practices swordsmanship in the morning to hone his body and combat skills.

If there are no urgent matters in the morning, I read and study to fill the gaps in my understanding of the world.

In the afternoons, he would invariably spend his time in the blacksmith's shop honing his forging skills, which was also one of the territory's important sources of income.

At night, he would immerse himself in the cultivation of battle qi, gradually expanding his dantian and refining his battle qi.

As he sat in his study, enjoying the simple breakfast that Lauru had brought him—a few slices of purple sweet potato bread and a bowl of pea soup—a series of light and hurried footsteps approached from afar.

"Big brother! Good morning!"

Accompanied by a clear, bell-like call, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a small figure, like a joyful little deer, rushed in and accurately pounced into Kruse's arms, making the soup spoon in his hand wobble.

Kruse looked down at the fluffy little head in his arms, a helpless yet doting smile on his face.

It was his unusually clingy little sister, Elena.

I don't know where this girl developed this habit, but her "must-do" every morning is to hug her older brothers, as if that will recharge her and start the new day.

"What's wrong, my little Elena? Have you had breakfast?" Kruse gently ruffled his sister's soft hair.

"I haven't eaten yet!" Elena tilted her little face up, pouting, looking like she was the one who did the most work. "I came to see my big brother as soon as I woke up!"

Kruze was amused by her adorable appearance and handed her a piece of "purple bread" from his plate, which he had specially baked with a mixture of purple sweet potato starch and a small amount of rye flour. Although this new type of bread was still slightly rough in texture, it no longer had the unpleasant sour taste of purple sweet potatoes. Instead, it had a unique sweetness, making it a rare delicacy in the territory.

Elena's eyes lit up, and she took it without hesitation, taking a big bite.

After all, Elena's main food is usually regular bread, which is better than black bread, but not as soft and chewy as white bread.

The territory was not wealthy, and the best food resources were always given priority to Kruze and Rezael, who needed a lot of energy to cultivate. Everyone knew this without complaint.

Taking small bites of purple bread, Elena seemed to suddenly remember something important. She tilted her head back, her brow furrowed slightly, and said with a hint of worry, "Big brother, these past few days when I've been taking care of Qingcui and Huangdeng, I've noticed that the pea fairy worm Qingcui seems particularly restless. It keeps crawling around in its box, looking this way and that, and it's even eating less of the tender pea leaves I feed it than usual. Should you go check on it? Is it sick?"

Children's observation skills are often the most direct and keen.

Elena's unintentional remark immediately caught Kruse's attention.

The emotions and states of the spirit insects often directly reflect changes in the magical field of their territory or in themselves.

Kruse's relaxed smile faded slightly, and his eyes became serious. He finished his breakfast in a few bites and stood up.

"Come on, let's take Big Brother to see her." He took Elena's little hand. "Hopefully, our little Qingcui is just being a bit temperamental."

As Kruze was being led by Elena into the insect room that had been temporarily converted into a dwelling for elves, a sharp, resentful voice came at him like a barrage of bullets, giving Kruze no time to react.

"Hey! You heartless brat! You finally remembered to come see me?! Have you found another bug out there?! Tell me! When did you secretly contract a new sprite bug?! Why does that chubby, yellowish little guy get to eat new varieties of root vegetables as soon as he arrives?! I've been working hard here guarding your pea field for so many years, I deserve some credit, right? Why does he get all the benefits?! I want some too! I want new varieties too! I want to evolve too!"

The pea nymph, Qingcui, was excitedly crawling back and forth on the leaves of its emerald green insect box. Its tiny body was slightly glowing with excitement, and its delicate limbs were waving, as if it had suffered a great injustice and was eager to seek justice.

Kruse instantly felt a familiar headache coming on and instinctively wanted to rub his temples.

This is the main reason why he was reluctant to visit Qingcui in person, preferring to leave the "sweet burden" of feeding and accompanying her to Elena, who was enjoying it—this old elf insect who had lived for countless years was simply a super talkative and complaining woman!

Once they start talking, they can go on and on complaining for ages, from bad weather to the bean leaves not being tender, the topics scattering endlessly.

However, Qingcui's next words made Kruse's perfunctory attitude instantly change, and his expression became serious.

"...Waaaaah...you fickle, heartless man! Do you know how old I am? I'm old! So old I can barely crawl anymore!" Qingcui's voice trembled with genuine sobs and panic. "If...if I can't absorb the genes of other pea varieties and gain the opportunity for a breakthrough...I...I can only live for another year at most! One year! Then you can just wait to collect my corpse! Waaah..."

It seemed to grow more and more heartbroken as it spoke, and actually lay down on the leaf, emitting subtle, whimpering energy fluctuations.

One year? Life is coming to an end?

(End of this chapter)