Lord blessed by the elves

Chapter 48 Play

Kruse's heart sank. He only knew that Qingcui was not in good condition, but he did not expect that she had reached such a point of exhaustion.

The lifespan of a fairy insect is usually around ten years, so it seems that Greenie has indeed entered old age.

Its previous decline was not only due to a lack of jade powder, but also stemmed from the depletion of its life essence! Absorbing the spirituality of new crop varieties may be the only way for it to advance and prolong its life.

Just then, that cold, timely notification sounded in his mind again:

【Ding! 】

[Triggering a beginner side quest: Raising Spirit Insects]

[Task Description: The ancient pea spirit insect "Greenery" is nearing the end of its life. It has an extremely strong desire to survive and yearns to absorb the spiritual essence of more crops of the same species, hoping to break free from its life's constraints and evolve into a higher-level "little spirit." Please fulfill its wish by finding and cultivating at least one new pea variety for it to absorb.]

[Quest Reward: 10 Spirit Crystals]

Fairy Crystal!

As you can tell from the name, this is definitely a higher grade than jade powder and something that is extremely beneficial to elven creatures!

In an instant, all the headache and impatience vanished.

Kruse's gaze toward Qingcui had completely changed. It was no longer a noisy burden, but a precious asset concerning the future agricultural potential of the territory and in dire need of saving!

He strode over to the insect box, squatted down, and his tone became gentler and more serious than ever before: "Alright, alright, Qingcui, don't cry. It was my oversight; I didn't realize you were already... in such a critical situation."

He gently stroked the tender green head with his fingers, trying to soothe this talkative old worm who was afraid of death: "Don't worry, it's a new variety of pea, right? I've got it! In the name of the future lord of Lion Fang Territory, I assure you that I will find it for you as soon as possible! I will never let you just disappear like this!"

Hearing Kruze's solemn promise, Qingcui's whimpers gradually subsided. It raised its small head, its compound eyes flashing with a skeptical light: "Really...really? You're not lying to the insect? How quickly is 'quickly'?"

"Soon!" Kruse said decisively, while rapidly calculating in his mind.

System Shop? It seems there isn't such a feature. It would be great if we could get different types of rewards from the system.

Purchase of other territories?

Or... search in the wild?
It seems that the task of finding new pea varieties must be prioritized immediately.

This is not only for the mission rewards, but also to protect Lionfang Territory's first and currently only mature Elf Insect!
Elena watched as her older brother suddenly became so serious and gentle. Although she didn't quite understand, she sensed that the matter was important. She obediently remained silent, only blinking her big eyes at her brother and then at the verdant green leaves.

Kruse's solemn promise and gentle attitude seemed to have just warmed Qingcui's "wounded" little heart, allowing it to see a glimmer of hope for evolution.

However, the next second, this warm atmosphere was completely shattered by an extremely sharp, even somewhat distorted, insect chirp!

"ah--!!!!"

As if its tail had been stepped on, Green Spinned abruptly from the cordyceps leaf, its compound eyes filled with immense terror, as if it had just escaped one danger only to fall into another. With its tiny, almost invisible limbs, it pointed at Elena, whose eyes were gleaming as she stealthily approached, and screamed desperately for help to Kruze:
"Quick! Quick! Take your precious little sister away! Now! Right now! I beg you! She's far more terrifying than someone nearing the end of their life!!" This sudden turn of events startled Kruze, whose expression then became very strange. He looked in the direction Qingcui was "accusing" him—

Sure enough, little Elena had been holding her breath and tiptoed closer to the cordyceps. Upon hearing Qingcui's scream, she was not frightened at all. Instead, as if she had heard the horn of a game, her face instantly lit up with a bright and slightly mischievous smile of excitement.

"Greenie, don't run away! Come and play!"

With gentle yet incredibly swift movements, she reached out her small hand and carefully cupped the vibrant green shoots that were still excitedly crawling on the leaves in her palm.

She began her daily routine of "love-hate" interaction—gently stroking its smooth carapace with her fingertips, slowly rolling it around in her palm like a tiny jade top, or holding it up to her eyes, curiously examining the magical aura flowing within it, all the while muttering things like "So beautiful" and "So cute."

It was clear that Elena loved Greenery very much, and she moved it very gently, afraid of hurting it.

But for an old, quiet, and self-proclaimed serious little insect, this was undoubtedly a "sweet torment."

It doesn't want to be a doll at all!

"Let me go! You stupid human cub! I'm not a toy! Kruze! Control your sister! Help! Help me!" Qingcui cried out in despair in Elena's clutches. Although to outsiders it was just a faint squeaking sound. Her small body twisted and turned, but she couldn't escape that warm and soft "cage".

Kruze watched the chaotic yet vibrant scene unfold before him. On one side, his beloved little sister was innocently and lovingly playing with him, while on the other, the lively little insect was making heartbreaking accusations, utterly despondent.

He was first taken aback, then couldn't hold back any longer, his shoulders started shaking, and finally he burst out laughing.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

He finally understood why Qingcui had always complained about lack of energy.

Being "carefully pampered" like this by Elena for half a day every day would make any insect feel listless!

No wonder Qingcui complained incessantly whenever she saw him; her life was indeed quite "dire".

While he couldn't help but chuckle, he looked at his sister's innocent smile and Qingcui's "difficult life" appearance, and finally stepped forward with a smile to help her out.

"Alright, alright, Elena, be good~" He gently patted his little sister's head. "Qingcui is getting old and needs to rest. She can't always play with you. Look, you've almost made her dizzy from shaking her. Let her off the hook today, okay? Brother will take you to eat something delicious."

It took a lot of coaxing to finally coax Elena, who was still not satisfied, away.

The insect house finally returned to silence, with only the surviving green worms lying limply on the leaves, like a cat that had been plucked bald, whimpering weakly.

Kruse looked at it and felt both amused and sorry for it.

"It seems I need to add another reason to find you a new pea variety: to distract Elena from your worries."

(End of this chapter)