Mythical Creatures Strategy Guide

Chapter 36 Overwhelming Beauty

The entrance to the Elven Royal Court is hidden between two giant trees.

The trunk is so thick that it takes dozens of people to encircle it, and the canopy intertwines to form a natural archway at a high point, with countless vines hanging down from the top of the archway.

After passing through the archway, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before me.

The Elven Royal Court is not a city, but rather a cluster of buildings growing in the heart of the forest. All the houses are built on the branches of giant trees, some clinging tightly to the trunks and spiraling upwards, others hanging between thick branches, connected by suspension bridges woven from vines.

The building is mostly made of light-colored wood and milky white stone, with surfaces polished smooth as a mirror, reflecting the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy.

At the highest point is a palace, the main body of which is embedded in the trunk of an ancient tree, with the tree canopy piercing through the top of the palace like a giant open umbrella.

The palace's exterior walls are carved with intricate patterns of vines, leaves, and flowers, painted a pale gold that gleams warmly in the sunlight.

"That's Her Majesty the Queen's palace." Esta followed Chu Sheng's gaze, her tone filled with undisguised pride. "All the buildings in the royal palace were carved by craftsmen from living trees; not a single tree was felled."

Chu Sheng nodded; he had to admit it was indeed very beautiful.

Ella's head turned around and around, everything was new and exciting, and she kept chasing after the various unfamiliar smells in the air.

"Chu Sheng, can you eat those yellow flowers?" She pointed to the vines that were wrapped around the railing of a suspension bridge, which were covered with golden flowers.

"have no idea."

"Then I'll try it."

"Don't!"

It was too late; Ella had already plucked a flower and popped it into her mouth. She chewed it a couple of times, then her eyes lit up: "Sweet!"

Esta covered her mouth and chuckled, "Those are honey vine flowers. Elven children like to pick and eat them too. It's no problem."

Ella wagged her tail even more enthusiastically and reached out to tug it again.

Yinye walked at the very back of the group. From the moment she entered the royal court, her pointed ears were always tucked behind her head, and her face remained expressionless.

Chu Sheng noticed her unusual behavior and slowed his pace to walk beside her: "What's wrong?"

Silverleaf was silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice: "Our Grey Elf treehouses are built with wood that we grow ourselves. We cut down one tree and plant three, but the Elven people say we are destroying the forest."

"But the palaces they lived in were carved from living wood, whose roots were compressed, and the tree would feel pain with every cut."

Chu Sheng looked up at the palace embedded in the tree trunk. It was indeed magnificent from a distance, but upon closer inspection, one could see some cracks on the surface of the trunk, as if the tree itself was trying to break free from human constraints.

He didn't say anything; it was the Elven people's family matter, and as an outsider, it wasn't appropriate for him to interfere.

The main road of the royal court was lined with elves watching. The elves were indeed all female, just as the legends said; at least, Chu Sheng didn't see a single male figure in their fleet.

Their appearances varied; some were as cool and serene as moonlight, some as gentle and graceful as spring water, and some as radiant and bright as the summer sun, but without exception, they were all considered beauties.

Their figures were also generally outstanding, with most being tall and slender, and the curves of their chests and hips were perfectly outlined by their form-fitting elven robes.

It's not the dizzying fullness of Ella, nor the breathtaking grandeur of Arthur; it's a fullness that leans more towards balance and elegance, as if the proportions were carefully calculated by the Creator.

But Chu Sheng's gaze didn't linger on any one person for more than a second. Not because he had suddenly become a gentleman, but because he was counting.

Fourteen elves were on the left side of the road, seventeen on the right, and three on the suspension bridge ahead were pretending to trim vines, though their shears hadn't actually moved for a long time. Behind them, he didn't turn around, but judging from the footsteps, at least six elves had been following them since they entered the royal court, maintaining a distance that wasn't too close or too far.

Not right.

Estelle was completely unaware. She walked at the front, her steps light and graceful, her waist swaying, occasionally turning back to point out a scene or two of the royal court. Her voice was enthusiastic and her smile genuine.

"The banquet hall is just ahead; Her Majesty the Queen is already inside waiting for you."

The banquet hall, built on the third branch of an ancient tree, is the largest single building in the entire royal court besides the Queen's bedroom. Its exterior walls are constructed from single pieces of milky-white stone, the seams covered with vines and flowers, making it almost impossible to detect any artificial construction. The roof is a vast living wooden platform, upon which grows a small ancient tree, its canopy spreading out like an umbrella, providing shade for the entire building.

The door was open.

When Chu Sheng stepped onto the last step, the first thing he felt was a gust of wind.

A breeze blew out from the depths of the banquet hall, carrying a scent he had never smelled before, a fragrance that could not be described in words.

It was as if someone had lit a lamp far away, and the light, piercing through the long night, had lost all its brightness when it shone on his face, leaving only a faint warmth.

Then he saw Amber.

Queen Ambermind of the Elves was sitting in a chair at the far end of the banquet hall.

The chair was a living sapling, its branches spreading out behind her, drooping down to form a natural backrest. The leaves were pale gold, blending seamlessly with her long, flowing hair.

Her hair was also light gold, cascading down from the top of her head, flowing over her shoulders, over her chest, and down to below her waist, rising and falling slightly with the rhythm of her breathing, as if she were draped in holy light.

Chu Sheng's gaze moved from her hair to her face, and then he forgot everything.

It wasn't a description; he genuinely forgot. For a moment, his mind went completely blank. All thoughts were cleared away, leaving only one.

So beautiful.

Her features need no description, not because they are indescribable, but because any description would be superfluous.

Because the overall beauty has overwhelmed everything else.

Chu Sheng had read many texts about beauty. Phrases like "captivating a city or a country," "making fish sink and geese fall from the sky," and "making the moon hide and flowers blush." ​​He used to think these were all rhetoric, exaggerations, pretty words made up by writers to please beautiful women.

Now he knows it's not true.

If she stood on the city wall, the people below would truly forget to close the city gates. Because after seeing her, closing the gates would become meaningless.

What are city gates? What are cities? When she stood there, the city ceased to be a city; it became a shrine.

No one would close the door in front of the shrine.

Her eyes were emerald gold. She looked at Chu Sheng, a slight smile playing on her lips.

Chu Sheng forced himself to look away, his gaze sliding down her face to her neck.

Her neck was long and slender, with skin so fair it was almost translucent. The curve of her collarbone narrowed from her shoulder towards the center, converging at the nape of her neck to form a shallow indentation.

Then, Chu Sheng's view was blocked.