Si Sheng saw the three elves approaching him and, wanting to interact with them, jumped out of the bushes with his arms raised, hoping he'd make it clear he wasn't a threat.
Unfortunately, a forest rabbit popped out at the same time, delaying his entrance.
Even still, the elves quickly noticed him once the silver-haired elf brought the other two's attention back.
"Can you understand me?" Si Sheng asked as the situation tensed up, hoping they might understand.
"Urgh..! Quid est kono? Sonikku impetus ka?"
"Non, watashi wa omoimasu eum, vel communicate est apud nos tanomimasu. Non est creatura communi gengo no hanashi?"
"..."
The elves seemed to recoil when he spoke. Not wanting to spoil anything further, Si Sheng got down and wrote his name on the ground, then pointed to himself. The elves seemed to understand what he implied as they looked less alarmed after he did this.
After glancing at each other for a second the elves talked, or more like, they argued, and eventually, the silver-haired one approached Si Sheng before the two other elves could finish their bickering. She was holding two swords, one in each hand, and they appeared to be made out of a pale green material, probably some metal from this world.
When she approached, Si Sheng became alert. He could tell she was dangerous because his Sixth Sense was firing warning signs left and right as she approached.
'Shit! Am I gonna die like this?' thought Si Sheng.
He was obviously shaken by the pressure this elf gave off, but he wouldn't go down without a fight. As he was about to grab his knives, the elf stopped moving. They glared at each other for a second or two then she made a gesture to follow. In no place to reject, Si Sheng followed along quietly after picking up his things, everyone being silent the entire time.
***
Si Sheng and the three elves walked through the forest for a good half an hour through the endless expanse of plant life.
At the end of that time, Si Sheng suddenly saw a clearing up ahead. He opened his eyes wide as if he couldn't capture the sight with his eyes in a resting position. When they got closer to the clearing, Si Sheng's eyes stayed popped out of his head. Before him was a wooden gate that was at least 30 meters tall, it had an ornate design on it reminiscent of the roots of a tree. Despite the height, it was still lower than the tree line of the forest, which was around 50 meters, but the peculiar thing was, from a distance, you wouldn't be able to spot the walls. Si Sheng didn't know why, but, the path that they had walked was virtually straight and it hadn't been for more than a kilometer or two, but he couldn't see the walls from a distance. It seemed like there was some sort of cloaking device on the walls that he was unaware of; at least that's what he assumed.
Despite the interesting nature of the walls, on top of the gate in front of them, what could only be described as a buff elf was yelling at the elves next to Si Sheng. They yelled back in response only for the other elf to laugh back as he opened the gate.
Si Sheng thought to himself, 'So there's this stereotype here too, huh,' referring to the muscles-for-brains elf above, inherently understanding his essence. It reminded him of many characters in books he'd read, as well as a friend from Earth.
As they walked through the village, which was more like a city, Si Sheng could hear the whispers and muttering of the elves as he and the three elves passed by. They looked at him in a curious manner and some of the women even blushed when he made eye contact with them, only a few though; there was a guy as well.
The peculiar thing about the city that he was walking through was that it had paved roads, not in the sense of concrete or asphalt, but, it was stone pavement, looking more like cobblestone roads from Rome. Additionally, the architecture didn't look too Gothic—typical of Medieval architecture. Instead, it looked colonial and western. Not something Si Sheng thought he'd see in such a world. Frankly speaking, the world was of swords and magic, so, from Si Sheng's common sense, their level of development, technologically and culturally, would've been slower, thus not to the degree he was seeing. While it was impressive, it was like looking at unorganized suburban housing all around. The level of building wasn't tall either, with the tallest building being around four stories tall. It did give him some hope that people were more advanced here than he previously thought.
While having these thoughts Si Sheng and the group he was following had walked out of what he called the "suburban zone" and only after coming out of his thoughts did he realize that something was overshadowing the area. It hadn't been there a second ago, which confused him, so he looked up. When he did, he saw an awe-inspiring sight. A tree stood before his view, which could only be described as a tree holding up the heavens and connecting them to the ground. Its leaves could be seen along the branches hundreds of meters above him, which seemed small, but as two elves passed by Si Sheng, he got to see a ten-meter long leaf being carried along. It was at a size that was hard to even comprehend. The thing that surprised him the most though, is that this tree had the same capabilities as the walls did, which seemed to have a cloaking effect, blocking sight of it. If it didn't, Si Sheng would have for sure seen the tree weeks ago, or even when he first arrived. It was too hard to miss such a behemoth.
'This is so interesting! The leaves are enormous and plentiful, I wonder if I can get one.'
Si Sheng thought a lot of things after seeing the tree and burned with hunger for the leaves of this behemoth of a tree.
"Hen'naikimono," said the silver-haired elf as Si Sheng roared with passion.
***
Walking to the tree—which felt like it was forever distant—they finally arrived after walking for an hour.
They walked through many districts to get there. The city was really too large, they passed through many different districts filled with many different people to get to the base of the World Tree. The districts they passed through contained merchants, nobles, what seemed like a red-light district and a few others. The creature had a shocked and confused expression on his face after they arrived in front of the council hall.
The council hall was a place where the elders of the elves gathered to discuss certain topics regarding the nation, such as policies, touchy social issues, etc. Basically, they were the politicians and judges of the elves. They were the oldest of the elves and were knowledgeable about many different topics, leading many to trust in their decisions.
Taro opened one of the doors to the hall; Jara, Beyra, and the creature followed behind.
The hall was a massive structure, easily as tall as the gates if not taller, judging by the ceiling height. The whole structure was made of wood and was decorated in a very natural way. There were vines and other shrubberies to be seen all over the place. Looking closer at the wood, it didn't look like it was cut and built as there were no visible joints in the wood anywhere. It gave the impression that the hall was grown, rather than built.
Moving deeper into the hall, Taro and co. walked to the sanctum at the end of the spacious hall where the elders would be.
Knocking on the door, Taro got permission to enter the hall after the guards standing outside confirmed with the elders that their appearance was allowed.
Opening the door, thirteen elders were seen sitting around a long table talking with one another. When they saw Taro, Jara, and Beyra one of the elders quickly asked, "What have you come to see us for? We're busy so make it quick," obviously irritated by their presence.
Suddenly, the elder shut up and lost his look of irritation. The creature that walked through the door after them caused all the elders to feel shock and other complex feelings one couldn't easily discern.
Taro was first to break the atmosphere, "We found this creature in the forest and he didn't seem to mean any harm. Furthermore, he seems to be able to communicate in some language, as well as being able to write in that language, I presume."
Still slightly dumbfounded, the elders soon regained their composure and the atmosphere seemed to take a turn for the gloomy side, some barely containing their anger.
"We should discuss this with the World Tree."
"I agree. It's too dangerous knowing what might happen with their kind."
"Right. First, we should ascertain whether or not he's actually friendly or not. We don't want a repeat of what happened 430 years ago, do we?"
"Ah..."
The elders talked in solemn voices amongst themselves as the four watched on. After they started talking, Taro was stunned and couldn't get a word in edgewise or adding anything else that she had found out about this creature. Finally, the elder at the head of the table spoke to the three elves, "Can you get him to say his name for me, or at least talk to us?" His voice was low and raspy, showing the signs of age, but also commanding and charismatic.
Taro, speaking as the representative, replied with hesitation after snapping out of her daze from the elders' solemn expressions, "I don't think that would be a good idea. When we heard him talk, it felt like our eardrums were gonna burst. I don't think it's a wise idea."
"Then you three leave and we'll talk to him."
"But, he doesn't speak the common language. How will you communicate with him then?"
"It's fine, now leave us to our work. You can wait outside if you'd like."
"I understand." And with that Taro and the other two elves left, Taro was last to leave, looking like she had something to say, but never said it. This left the tall creature alone in the room filled with thirteen elven elders staring at him.
It was obvious that the creature seemed somewhat confused and alert, but he wasn't too disturbed by the three leaving.
Having a staredown, The elder at the head of the table and the creature continued to glare at each other—one with languid eyes, the other with caution. Finally, the elder spoke to the ceiling as if someone was there.
"Mother, can you converse with this man and help him understand us?"
'"Yes, I will make it so you can converse with him."'
"Thank you, Mother."
***
Si Sheng had been waiting patiently, as the elves talked amongst themselves, when one of the elves looked towards the ceiling and spoke to it. Confused, Si Sheng just waited, as that was all he could do.
Suddenly, he heard a voice projected into his mind. It was similar to the first time he heard the goddess's voice but held a motherly charm, instead of womanly charm. It was a very comforting voice, to say the least.
"'Human, I will give you the blessing of the common language so you may converse with my children."'
The voice was holy and filled Si Sheng with a warmth indescribable. He was comforted by it and felt a feeling of safety. Then a notification popped up.
[The World Tree has blessed you: "Skill: Common Language" Acquired.]
Si Sheng knew what the World Tree was from fantasy novels and Nordic Mythology. While many religions and mythologies referenced a tree that could be described as the World Tree, Si Sheng knew this was Nordic, since elves were populating the area around it.
It was a surprise that he'd encounter it here, not to mention be blessed by the World Tree. Si Sheng quickly checked his stats to confirm the blessing
[Blessings section has opened!]
[Name: Si Sheng | Age:18 | Race: Human Type I (Evolved)]
[Status: Healthy (Surprised)]
[Level 2/15 | Experience 452/2000]
[Titles: The Sin of Gluttony, Supreme Healer, Pioneering Human]
[Stats]
[HP: 1000/1000 | MP: 2000/2000]
[Strength: 150 | Intelligence: 100 | Defense: 85 | Agility: 200 | Vitality: 100 | Luck: 15 | Sense: 50]
[Attribute Points: 0]
[Skills]
[Awareness (F), Blink (D), Common Language, Evil Eye (Eye of Understanding), Evolutionary Body, Fire Magic (D), ★Guide★, Gluttony, Healing Magic (SSS), Presence Concealment (C), Repair (A), Sixth Sense (D), Sneak (F), Sprint (E), Swordsmanship (D), Water Magic (D)]
[Racial Trait(s)]
[Assassin's Silence, Rapid Learning]
[Blessing(s)]
[Blessing of the World Tree]
'Wow, that's pretty good.'
Next, after checking his status, Si Sheng looked up at the elders who were starring at him. He was already satisfied with his visit. He learned about a piece of information that he would have otherwise been unaware of and gained a new skill. The more skills that were displayed in Si Sheng's status the more satisfied he became.
The elder at the head of the table spoke again, "Human, can you understand what I'm saying?"
"Yes, I can understand. It's amazing that the World Tree can teach me a language just like that."
"Yes, Mother is a powerful being that cares for the inhabitants of this land."
There was a brief pause in the jovial atmosphere before the elder spoke.
"Human, why have you come to the forest? The treaty with humankind is still in effect and you being here means that the treaty has been broken or disregarded."
"I don't know about this treaty you have spoken of. I've been in this forest the whole time and haven't been to a human settlement before."
"Hmmm... That explains why you can't speak the common language. However, I can't be certain about whether or not you are a friend or a foe. Therefore, I will have Mother decide whether we can trust you or not."
When he said that, Si Sheng was wrapped in warmth. It felt like silk was twisting around his body. There was also light floating around him in a mystical manner, which seemed to be the source of the warmth. From the light, Si Sheng heard a voice.
"'Child of man, your heart does not seek the destruction of elves and there is no prejudice to match. Additionally, you are an Otherworlder that that Goddess sent. You are deemed a friend.'"
[!!!]
[Title: 'Otherworlder' Uncovered.]
'Uncovered?' Si Sheng thought the wording of the message was weird. He had always known that he was from another world, so getting the title now was weird. Additionally, the message said that it was "uncovered" not "acquired" leading him to believe that he had the title already, but couldn't see it on his status. He went to check the title for clarification.
[Otherworlder]
[Title given to people who have crossed over from another world.
*Information can't be completely read due to low "Intelligence".
★World Tree Uncovered Title★]
'So that's why,' thought Si Sheng. It explained why he didn't know about this title despite him always having it. If he had too low Intelligence, then he wouldn't be able to learn anything. The same was true for checking other things information. Si Sheng thought about this for a second and realized that he might have skills and titles that he doesn't know about due to his low Intelligence. Despite the fact that he could learn in extreme detail whatever was on his status, it didn't count towards items he couldn't see. It was like how when you were sick or had a health concern and went to the doctor they would diagnose you with something and given you information about treatment, but might overlook another illness you were suffering from, leaving you ignorant to it.
"I see Mother has deemed you a friend of the elves. Therefore, you can be trusted. I also see that you're an Otherworlder, thus I welcome you to this world and to the Elven Forest."