It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Of course, we all know that Bai Lin definitely doesn't want to have too much to do with a big-talking king like Kress, but in fact, what Bai Lin said is not entirely false. The reason why there is no need for Kanena to speak is precisely because Bai Lin already knows her well enough. Kanena is a complete loser, the kind who is completely controlled by Kress.

So, it doesn’t matter whether she starts talking or not here; the focus is on the remaining three people.

"Who's next? I'm just a stranger who'll be leaving in a few days. If you have something difficult to say, just tell me. We might not meet again in the future anyway, so sharing it with me is a way to vent some negative emotions. If you don't want to talk here, we can talk for a while. Of course, if anyone doesn't want to talk, they don't have to. I don't mind."

Bai Lin said this to the crowd. While her words hinted at some casualness, sample size was crucial when conducting surveys on user groups. If the remaining four kept things secret, Bai Lin would certainly be in a difficult position. She was well aware of this.

Chapter 622 Anna's Story

Missing one piece means missing something very important. So why did Bai Lin allow someone not to participate in this research? The reason is not too complicated, but naturally it will not be revealed now.

As soon as the words fell, Phoenix, who was standing opposite, snorted first and said to everyone,

"I won't tell you. I won't open my heart to a stranger I just met!"

This lovely elf girl seemed to be very good at throwing tantrums. Mephistopheles blinked her purple eyes and said,

"But didn't you just..." on the first night we met?

"Xiao Mi, shut up. You, you definitely can't be considered a stranger. Besides, this Saint Son doesn't even want to tell me his name?! Then I definitely don't want to tell him either."

Phoenix's face flushed slightly, and she immediately interrupted Mephistopheles. She seemed to have a lot of malice towards Bai Lin. But Bai Lin didn't express much, just shrugged his shoulders and said,

"Well, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't talk about it. I have no objection to that. For many people, this is actually a kind of privacy. Whether you choose to explain it or not is your freedom."

Bai Lin's words were very calm and reasonable, but her expression quickly changed from calm to a slightly evil smile, and she said,

"But, of course, those who don't share their own privacy can't listen to other people's privacy. So, Anna, Mephistopheles, let's talk somewhere else."

As she spoke, Bai Lin walked towards the two elves very naturally, holding one in each hand and smoothly holding their hands. She glanced at Anna next to her, as if asking for her opinion. The latter was slightly stunned at first, but after exchanging glances, not only did she not let go of Bai Lin's hand, she even clasped it tighter with her backhand and said,

"Ah, well. Let's change the location a bit then."

As the light flashed, a blue crack appeared in front of the three people. At this time, Bai Lin turned his head and looked at Mephistopheles on the other side. He gently raised her hand a little higher, looked at her with sincere eyes, and invited her.

"What about you? Miss Mephistopheles, you probably won't refuse either."

"Hmm? I don't have any problem with that. I'll just listen to you."

This time, Mephistopheles didn't think much, but just casually answered Bai Lin. Bai Lin, who got a satisfactory answer, glanced behind him casually, then pulled the two of them and walked forward.

"Then let's go."

The light flickered, and the only ones left were Kanena, who looked a little bored and annoyed, as if he had just eaten something, and Phoenix, who had a stiff expression on his face and looked like he was petrified, standing there in a daze.

Why would you agree to this…?! This is just our first meeting!! How could you possibly agree to this? This is clearly rude, isn’t it?!

Thoughts like these piled up in Phoenix's mind, causing her brain to quickly heat up and shut down.

The other three people's space shuttle naturally reached their destination in a blink of an eye. After landing safely, Bai Lin naturally loosened his hands, then looked at the two people and said,

"Sorry, it was a little sudden just now. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, it's just a small matter. We are all girls, so holding hands is nothing."

Anna waved her hand generously, expressing her understanding to Bai Lin. Bai Lin smiled bitterly and said nothing more, but just thought to himself.

But you can't be too indulgent just because they are all girls. There are many cases of misunderstandings caused by this.

Mephistopheles tilted his head and asked curiously,

"Apologize? Why should I apologize? Have you done anything to let us down?"

"Uh... then just pretend I didn't say anything."

Although Bai Lin could clearly sense that Mephistopheles was no fool, possessing a similar spirituality to the Elf Queen, something Bai Lin was certain of, and with her vision, she was unlikely to be mistaken. However, this person would often suddenly crash in strange places, which made Bai Lin feel somewhat puzzled.

However, the reason why I wanted to pull these two people out separately was naturally to clear up the confusion.

Bai Lin relaxed his muscles and looked at Anna next to him.

"Now that we're here, let's get straight to the point. You go first, Anna."

As if she had expected it, Anna nodded to Bai Lin without any hesitation and began to narrate.

Anna was one of the people arrested due to her talkativeness, influenced by Kress. In reality, the arrest of these five elves was more or less related to Kress, but Anna was the first one to come into contact with Kress. The two of them could be considered childhood friends.

At that time, Anna, like many other elves, traveled in the outside world. Although she was quite intelligent and had the power of elves, even as a young elf, it was not difficult for her to move around the continent to a certain extent.

But sometimes, simply "walking sideways to a certain extent" is not enough. Bai Lin is a very vivid example of this. Anna found friendship, but she was accompanied by a girl of a different race. They were together day and night, traveling around the world together and living a happy life.

However, the joyful days didn't last long. Elves had a very long lifespan, even in a fantasy world like this. Therefore, Anna and the young girl soon encountered problems with their lifespans.

Although at first, the girl told Anna that she didn't care and left the team after her body began to age. Anna also obeyed the laws of nature and nature of birth, aging, sickness and death, and did not force her to change her fate. She just came back to see her every once in a while. One day, when Anna came over, the girl hugged Anna's back like crazy, knelt down and begged her,

"Please, help my family extend their lifespan."

At that time, Anna quickly said that given their relationship, she didn't need to make such a request. For Anna, this was not a big deal, so she quickly helped the girl, but she didn't know that this was just the beginning of something.

Soon, the girl herself was about to die. When a person is about to die, the desire to survive will be greater. She also changed her mind and begged Anna to help her prolong her life.

Chapter 623: Fellow Villagers Meet Fellow Villagers

For many civilizations, death is a terrifying thing ingrained into their DNA, making it difficult to resist. Anna, as an elf, completely understands this. Helping someone extend their lifespan as a friend is both satisfying and beneficial for herself.

But the developments after that deviated from what Anna had expected.

One day, when the girl brought her friend who looked like an old lady to Anna and hoped to help her, Anna began to waver. Although Anna had no feelings for the old man, the girl brought this person who had nothing to do with her here, which obviously showed that she had gone through a strong psychological struggle, which could be seen from her complex expression.

Anna knew very well that she was not a greedy person who would only ask for endless things. So, Anna chose to lend a hand again and said that she would not rescue her casually anymore, and the girl agreed.

Considering that things might turn out differently, Anna also reminded the girl's friends afterwards that after the extension of life, they should reduce contact with others, even if it was an old friend, and it would be best not to visit them again. Otherwise, it would very likely cause trouble for Anna and the girl.

Anna subconsciously believed that the girl's friend was also a kind and reasonable person. She must have a very close relationship with the girl to be brought here by her, and she should be grateful to her. Anna believed that her advice was effective because the girl was her close friend and Anna was her savior. She would never do anything that might cause trouble to either of them.

Unfortunately, Anna was wrong. Best friends, from the outset, would never let their friends flatter them and ask their friends for help. So naturally, the news of the friend's return to youth spread.

At this point, the nature of the incident changed. Initially, it was just her parents and herself, but now even her friends were being rescued? It was like dropping a stone into a calm lake, creating a massive ripple. Anyone who had any connection to the girl rushed in, using bribery, persuasion, emotional appeals—basketball tactics, practically every possible means. To survive, most people would go to far, and the limits of their behavior were beyond the reach of even a sane person.

Anna was a brilliant person. Though she was only considered young among the elves, with limited experience, she could easily shrug off external temptations. However, she had little experience in relationships, and beneath her intelligence lay a soft heart. The young girl was also different from Anna. With someone as powerful as Anna as her travel companion, while she possessed a mature mindset, she had little experience with the ways of the world. External disturbances, for her, could truly render her dull.

The girl wavered, and she began to plead more and more. Anna, out of remorse, repeatedly made exceptions. By the time Anna finally came to her senses, most of the village had already accepted her favor. Some even wanted to deify her as a goddess, flattering her, and thus bind her. The situation was spiraling out of control.

Only then did Anna realize the difference between the girl and herself. She held too many shackles. Besides Anna, she also had numerous friends and relatives. People, born and raised, quickly age, creating new problems. Hundreds of years passed in the blink of an eye for Anna. She felt no emotional burdens, but the girl's shackles, due to their friendship, had begun to cling to Anna.

Their friendship had already begun to deteriorate.

Traveling is about leaving behind all the worries of life, embarking on a different path from the norm, and letting go of your own thoughts. Some may wonder why someone would willingly travel with a stranger, only to become strangers again after a pleasant conversation. But if the travel companion is of high quality, even without a close relationship, the journey can be filled with joy. Such a journey also allows one to let go of the worldly customs of society.

It was only then that Anna finally understood everything. She asked the girl if she was willing to leave everything behind and travel with her again. The answer was no. The girl couldn't remember where or when their last trip was. A rift had already formed between them.

So Anna ignored the girl's tears and resolutely chose to leave. Breaking off this century-long deadlocked relationship also made her very painful, but Anna also knew that if she didn't break off, this endless contradiction would never be resolved.

"You should be able to understand, Son of Mankind. When your power is much greater than others, you actually have no fewer things to consider."

Anna sighed and said slowly to Bai Lin,

"Extending life is, in a sense, similar to ending someone's life. Both involve changing the course of a person's life through powerful external forces. The difference is that extending life is much more positive than killing."

"However, whether or not to prolong someone's life should also be carefully considered. One must have a certain level of psychological resilience to be able to wield the sharp blade of someone else's life. When you can decide whether someone lives or dies, you absolutely cannot, like ordinary people, rely solely on personal connections to decide everything."

As Anna had said, if she had decided from the beginning to only extend the lifespan of the girl and her parents, and had established an iron rule, things might have turned out differently. After briefly shedding tears and feeling sad for her friend, she and Anna were able to travel freely around the world again, and after fulfilling their wish, they chose to disappear.

Bai Lin was silent for a moment, stroking his chin and thinking for a while, then said,

"Perhaps, but the most important thing is that this is a relationship between the two of you. If you were alone and faced with a life that was about to disappear, I believe you would follow your heart and make the right choice."

In the final analysis, species are different and cultures are different. Anna was too "young" at that time, so it is normal for such a situation to occur. However, Bai Lin is not here to enlighten her about her feelings today. She continued,

"Let's talk about the latter part. How did Chris find you?"

Chapter 624 I Have a Question

Speaking of Chris, Anna felt like she had a headache and reached out to touch her forehead.

"To be honest, this part of her isn't as complicated as the previous one. As for why she got caught, it was mainly because I was stupid at the time."

Anna, already restless after leaving the girl, returned to this world to travel again, only to feel unexpectedly lonely. Having once possessed something, one can only feel the profound sadness.

For the elves, a hundred years isn't long, but it's certainly not too short either. Anna, naturally, was filled with the annoyance and melancholy she felt from the previous events. It was at this time that her childhood playmate, Chris, "coincidentally" came to visit her.

"...After that, it was easy. How could I not be happy to see my childhood playmate at this moment? After spending some time with me, Chris seduced me and led me into the abyss of sin."

Anna didn't grit her teeth when she mentioned Chris, but she did reveal a complex expression of mixed joy and sorrow. Bai Lin could understand this. It's normal to be emotionally moved when meeting an old friend in a foreign land. No one would think that their fellow townspeople were going to stab them.

After listening to Anna's story, Bai Lin nodded and said to Anna,

"Thank you very much, Miss Anna. Your story is very valuable for reference. Developing friendships with short-lived creatures from the outside world isn't inherently a bad thing, but it can easily lead to problems for young elves."

"Elves are inherently powerful. Even if they enter the world, they don't need to learn how to navigate it. If they encounter someone who gives them a hard time, they'll simply defeat them. However, when it comes to positive emotions, they also need to go through a certain amount of training to cultivate a complete character."

Anna did not refute Bai Lin's words. She just smiled bitterly and replied to Bai Lin,

"Isn't it? I'm going through a lot of trials and tribulations, eh."

However, Bai Lin did not blame Anna for her problem. Instead, she changed the subject and said soothingly,

"Anna, you don't have to feel like you've done anything wrong. This is perfectly normal. No one is born with a perfect mind. In human society, there are many people who are still giant babies even after they have established a family and a career. This is even more true for elves like you who usually have less pressure and don't interact with many people."

"Experiencing emotional hardship isn't scary; what's scary is what happens afterward. Once you lose your friends, you're completely mired in loneliness. Even if you chose not to extend that girl's lifespan, with the emptiness inside, you might be found and abducted by Chris."

"So, in fact, the young elves need social interaction, not just with those outside the tribe. It's also very important to connect with people of the same lifespan, in similar circumstances, and with similar living conditions. But you all turn your attention to the outside world, because there are simply too few topics to discuss within the tribe..."

Bai Lin's analysis seemed to be very accurate, but before she finished speaking, she stroked her chin and fell into a period of thought. Hearing Bai Lin's opinion, Anna's eyes flashed with a little surprise. She replied to Bai Lin,

"There's indeed a lack of communication, and we're all aware of that. So, the entertainment you're thinking of next should be something more interactive?"

Bai Lin nodded and replied to Anna,

"It doesn't necessarily have to be direct interaction, but at least it's very important to stimulate the young elves' desire to communicate and discuss with each other."

Having roughly decided on the direction, Bai Lin lowered her hands back to her side. She turned around, looked at Mephistopheles beside her, and asked,

"So, Mephistopheles, what was your situation at that time? Can you tell me?"

Mephistopheles, who was suddenly called out, seemed to have just come out of her thoughts. She looked at Bai Lin in front of her, her eyes still flashing with thought, and answered Bai Lin,

"Before that, I hope you can answer my questions, Holy Son."

"Oh? Tell me what you want to hear. I'll definitely do my best to answer anything I can."

"From what you're saying, I can tell you're a smart person. Your thinking is indeed quite clear, but there are also many creators among the elves. The reason they can't retain people is also because of poor production. What do you think about this? Or, in other words, how do you plan to solve it?"

Mephistopheles' words were sharper than ever. This was indeed a very important and troublesome matter. Even Bai Lin gasped. However, Bai Lin did not dwell on this for too long. She quickly returned to her normal expression, even a relaxed smile appeared on the corner of her mouth, and she said to Mephistopheles,

"I'm certainly aware of this, so after summarizing the various personalities of you young people, I'll try to make it as simple as possible. Just like rock-paper-scissors, with tools like a pair of hands, you can start playing, then use relatively simple rules and some content."

"But what exactly is the method? I think Mephistopheles, you and the other elves will definitely think with me and come up with a perfect solution, right? I can't just do this alone. You elves are much smarter than me."

"Before that, we must first understand your respective experiences and summarize the problems so that we can propose appropriate and targeted strategies. So, please feel free to tell us about your past. If possible... could you also tell us about Phoenix?"

After hearing Bai Lin's words, even Mephistopheles, whose expression had hardly changed, changed drastically. She pointed at herself as if in great surprise and asked Bai Lin,

"Me? Holy Son, why do you think I know about Phoenix and why do you think I would tell you such a private matter?"

Bai Lin only smiled slightly at Phoenix's unexpected reaction and quickly replied,

"The answer to this question is simple. The fact that you're discussing the specifics of this commission with me so seriously suggests that you value it very highly. After understanding my thoughts, you'll likely assist me for your own ends. I believe you'd still do something as simple as quietly informing on me, right?"

Chapter 625 What Do They Need

"As for how you knew that? That's even simpler. First of all, the relationship between you two is definitely unusual and obvious to the naked eye. But when I told Phoenix that she couldn't come to listen to your lecture, she just changed her expression and didn't show any intention of forcing herself to come."

"Given her personality, this situation is completely illogical. So, my conclusion is that she already knew this part about you. If she knew yours, you shouldn't be unaware of hers either. After all, her attitude towards you is clearly much more enthusiastic than yours."

Sometimes, even if the other party doesn't want to hear it, some people will still confide in others about their own affairs. Bai Lin understood this very well. So, with a calm attitude, as if everything was under his control, Bai Lin presented all his inferences to Mephistopheles.

Looking at Bai Lin's confident smile, Mephistopheles' expression remained calm. She nodded and said to Bai Lin,

"You're absolutely right. Even if you hadn't said this, I would still have told you about Phoenix. But I still need an opportunity to betray my friend without his consent. Holy Son, you need to give me a clear reason, a reason that's enough for me to betray him."

As soon as these words came out, the seriousness of the whole matter suddenly increased. Although Mephistopheles' expression did not change much, her temperament was already sharp enough. In response to this, Bai Lin did not retreat at all.

"Reasons? Reasons are more than sufficient, Mephistopheles. This isn't as serious as betraying a friend, is it? It's just revealing some scandalous details about his past. If it serves your purpose, you'd be willing to tell me, right? If you don't think I'm the one who can change the status quo, then at worst, we can sign some kind of magical contract that will ensure I achieve my goal."

When the word "magic contract" came out of Bai Lin's mouth, Mephistopheles' expression changed in surprise. Then she shook her head and said to Bai Lin,

"It doesn't have to be that serious. The fact that you dare to tell me this means that you are confident about it. I'll just say it."

Things like magical contracts are incredibly diverse in the otherworld. They often possess powerful effects, forcing disobedience to result in death or crippling. The content of the contract itself is entirely up to the individual making it. Because money is not important to the elves, contracts typically involve personal matters, such as personal freedom, a body part, or even life itself. This is the most common content.

And Bai Lin couldn't possibly be unaware of the seriousness of this matter. In Mephistopheles' eyes, Bai Lin's courage to say such words had already earned her trust. Little did he know...

Even if I break the contract and die, it doesn't matter. I'll just lose some experience.

Bai Lin, there is such a trick, that's why she said that.

Of course, no matter how smart Mephistopheles was, how could she understand all this when she had just met Bai Lin? She just stared into the distance, a few flashes of reminiscence in her eyes, and began to narrate to Bai Lin calmly,