* * *
Lin Lin walked side by side with the dark elf. It had just rained, and the sky was still grey. Lin Lin’s feet sank into the muddy ground with each step.
Human settlements were not too close to the location of the elves, but the dark elves had their ways.
When they had just left the castle, Felix reached out his hand to Lin Lin. She had thought he was considerate, not as indifferent as he appeared. But the next moment, she was lifted onto his shoulder like a sandbag.
The dark elf was slender, with hardly any flesh on his shoulders. Lin Lin could only grab his cloak tightly, feeling like a squirrel as she was shot forward like a bullet.
With her stomach pressed against his hard, bony shoulder, Lin Lin was grateful she hadn’t eaten too much the night before, or she would have vomited it all out.
She didn’t even have time to see the forests and caves they passed by, only feeling the changes in light until the elf finally slowed down. She couldn’t help but pound on his back, signaling for him to put her down.
Felix stood calmly nearby, watching as Lin Lin leaned against a tree, retching.
Nothing came out, and Lin Lin wiped her mouth, looking towards their destination this time.
In the distance, she could see a human village, somewhat like the crisis-laden towns common in the detective dramas she watched in college. Typical American-style loose buildings, standalone houses with white walls and red roofs, and yards enclosed by fences.
Lin Lin regretted wearing a thin skirt. The wind was a bit cold, so she tentatively tugged at the dark elf’s cloak, but he didn’t react.
She lifted a corner of the cloak and covered her arm with it.
Until they were close to the village.
Lin Lin let go of Felix’s cloak and naturally walked to the front, taking the initiative as a human to take on the responsibility of negotiation.
The dark elf under the cloak glanced at her but didn’t speak.
Lin Lin walked towards a little boy squatting at the village entrance, watching ants move. The boy had dark red curls, freckles on his nose, and wasn’t very tall. He looked like an NPC that would appear in the first episode of a hero comic to guide the protagonist.
“You’re the one! The guide to my new world adventure!” Lin Lin thought to herself.
Lin Lin didn’t know the prices in this world, but she figured the salary the Demon King gave her should be decent. She estimated and took out two gold coins from her pocket, placing them on a wooden box that was originally used for sweet potatoes.
“What are you doing?” the dark elf asked.
Of course, he wasn’t really asking what Lin Lin was doing. His vision was good, he just didn’t understand her actions.
Lin Lin thought for a moment. “Exchange?”
After all, the villagers wouldn’t sell things to her, a “black-haired witch.” If she wanted food, she had to use less than honorable means.
The dark elf frowned. “One gold coin is enough for all these things.”
“Oh, thank you,” Lin Lin took back one of the coins she had placed there and repriced it.
Felix wasn’t correcting her pricing of sweet potatoes; from the dark elf’s perspective, Lin Lin’s behavior was simply foolish.
‘What is she doing, using coins to play a game of ‘water float’?’
Felix didn’t speak again. He reached out and took all the coins that Lin Lin had placed on the box.
Lin Lin widened her eyes, vaguely guessing that the dark elves, being subterranean creatures, had no moral scruples. She didn’t want to argue with Felix here. She placed another coin on the wooden box.
The agile dark elf took away another coin.
“Wow, are you stocking up on coins with me?”
Lin Lin pushed back. She pressed a coin onto the wooden box and then glared at the dark elf.
It was Felix who spoke first, his tone not very good. His voice was still low and soft, as if questioning someone with an abnormal brain, “What are you doing?”
Lin Lin lowered her voice, “We stole his things, I should give him some compensation.”
The dark elf had a completely opposite idea about this: “If the owner didn’t see it, it’s not called stealing. Even a nine-year-old child knows what to do.”
If the owner finds out, wouldn’t that be considered robbery?
Lin Lin grabbed the dark elf’s arm to prevent him from taking the coins again. She looked up, her face close to the elf’s under the hood, “Nine-year-old human children wouldn’t do this.”
Lin Lin saw Felix’s cold and mocking expression. Because the dark elf’s face was always hidden under the hood and he didn’t speak first, she had always thought that he was a silent and expressionless person. Now it seemed that wasn’t entirely true.
The two stared at each other in the dim warehouse for two seconds.
Felix looked away first.
Lin Lin found that whenever she looked into the dark elf’s eyes, Felix’s gaze would quickly shift away.
The elf’s long eyelashes shielded the expression in his eyes, as if instinctively avoiding eye contact.
This was the case with animals as well. The weaker party would avert their gaze first to show submission and avoid further conflict. It was a subtle compromise.
Felix’s attitude softened, “Do as you wish.”
Lin Lin squinted. Although Felix had his own calculations, as long as she was a little more firm, he would quickly give in.
This kind of submission clearly exceeded the boundaries of the task given by the Demon King and seemed more instinctual.
It was really strange, because he was obviously much stronger than her. When she grabbed his arm, he was like a cat being grabbed by the back of its neck.
Lin Lin felt a sense of awkwardness, like a big battle was imminent, and the opponent suddenly surrendered. She quieted down and withdrew her hand.
In the silence, the dark elf raised his head first, his eyes becoming alert and wary.
Unlike Lin Lin’s confusion and slowness, Felix was on guard against the person opening the warehouse door.
He was somewhat worried that the red-haired monkey shouting “Black-Haired Witch” might have attracted nearby warriors or rangers. Those guys, who were so poor that they would do any job for money, were willing to take on anything.
Felix could have dealt with them, but that would have made things very troublesome. No Dark Elf wanted trouble; they preferred to deal with things in a series of simple and quick ways, such as using poison or arrows when the prey was alone, and then quickly leaving.
As the key turned, the door made a creaking sound.
Felix noticed that after the door made a sound, the human female in his arms became visibly nervous. She reached out and pulled his clothes tightly at his chest, her breathing becoming rapid.
She was not afraid of Dark Elves, but of humans.
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