In the Neutral Plans of the Conflict Plains, a lusty mountain range was located, known as the Holy Mountain Range, because here was located the branch of the Cardinal Spirit Temple, the Cardinal Spirit Church. The Cardinal Spirit Church was different from the other powers among the three factions because only the Faery Humans held true power there, while the others could only be believers of the Temple's faith, the Holy Justice God.
Despite their small numbers, the Cardinal Spirit Church and its main temple still controlled huge power, and their influence was even deeper than that of the other factions, especially among the common folks.
One of the main reasons for the Faery Humans' influence and tight control over the temple was their innate affinity with the Light Element and their heritage of Holy Magic, which could only be performed using the Light Element.
Gravely injured and afflicted people from all over the conflict plains come to the Holy Mountain Range to seek the church's help in healing, and some even come here to cure various poisons and curses.
Although there was also Alchemy for these purposes, it was simply too costly, and some alchemy ingredients were too hard to find or in various dangerous places. Even if someone had both wealth and the means to gather them, there was still a chance that they might never be able to reach the alchemist or that the alchemist failed in the process, hence wasting the materials. That's why the Cardinal Spirit Church held such influence.
However, for this exact reason, entering the Holy Mountain Range was very troublesome. At one time, thousands of people gathered outside the mountain gates just to wait for their turn.
Because there was a rule that each day only 5,000 people could enter the Holy Mountain, and then they had to leave within 3 days, or they will be detained and deported out of the mountain range while also entering the blacklist of the church, never able to step inside again.
At this moment, just like always, the entrance of the Holy Mountain Range was filled with a myriad of people and their temporary tents as they waited for their turn.
They weren't worried about someone else entering before them because they had their entrance token, which they brought from the Star Server of the Cardinal Spirit Church. This entrance token cost 10 million ZC, and once someone turned in, they would receive a message from the star network. Then, they had to report within an hour before their token would turn invalid, and it wasn't refundable.
Among these myriad people, a scared-faced elf with dark hair and ebony skin wearing full body armor was sitting alone on a thick branch of a tall tree. His dark brown eyes were cold as he watched the colossal mountain gates hundreds of meters away from here with scrutiny. "Would you Mind if we joined you, friend?" A jolly voice suddenly caught the dark elf's attention.
Averting his eyes, he coldly looked down and saw another tall elf with emerald hair and a toned build adorned in clean white robes. Beside him was a small, delicate elf girl with similar emerald hair bound in a ponytail. She looked at him with her big, round eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation. However, despite the summer heat, a thick scarf was wrapped around her neck, looking quite out of place.
The dark elf thoughtfully replied, "Suit yourself; this tree didn't just belong to me."
The wood elf was a little startled by the dark elf's reply before he smiled in appreciation and nodded, "Thank you."
The next moment, he picked up the little elf girl in his arms and jumped, directly reaching the top of the tree, and gracefully landed on another branch a few meters away from where the dark elf was sitting.
He then carefully placed the little elf girl on the branch, took out a strange black binocular with runes engraved on its frame, gave it to the little elf girl, and gently said, "Here, you can watch the Holy Mountain Gates as much as you want."
"Thank you, Daddy!" The little elf girl said in her delicate voice. Her eyes shone with elation as she quickly grabbed the binoculars and placed them before her eyes. The wood elf lovingly creased her head gently before he sat down, looked towards the dark elf, and asked in a friendly tone, "So, what happened to you?"
The dark elf glanced at the scarf around the little girl's neck peculiarly before he finally averted his eyes, looked towards the wood elf, and said a single word, "Poison."
The wood elf's expression became grave as he nodded, "Will you be alright until your turn arrives?"
"You don't have to worry about a stranger like me. " The dark elf impassively replied.
The wood elf smiled in embarrassment, "Forgive me if I overstep just now. Don't worry, we won't bother you anymore. My little girl wanted to see the mountain gates, but there were simply too many people around that place, which would make her agitate. Once she fulfills her curiosity, we'll leave."
"No worries." The dark elf nodded, then hesitated for a moment and asked, glancing at the little elf girl, "What happened to her?"
The wood elf was startled by this unexpected question, and the little girl suddenly peered towards the dark elf.
"Why do you think I'm here for her?" The wood elf asked with curiosity.
"Since the crowd agitates your daughter and this place really isn't for sightseeing, it's quite obvious. Furthermore, the scarf around her neck is too eye-catching, and I can sense a peculiar energy around her neck." The dark elf replied coolly.
The wood elf's eyes widened as his expression suddenly changed, "You can sense the curse around her neck?!"
The dark elf's eyes shimmered in realization, "So, it's a curse?"
The wood elf agitatedly nodded, "Indeed, since her birth, she's been afflicted with this mysterious curse, and because of it, she can't cultivate magic or go anywhere near mana. If she did, then that curse started to torment her for hours.
"I can't afford to seek the witch race's alchemists, so I start saving money to try Holy Magic since it said that holy magic is the best way to cure a curse. However, you are the first one who could sense the curse from her. Do you know anything? If you can help my little girl, I'll do anything!" His eyes shimmered with hope as he looked at the dark elf with an intense, pleading look. The dark elf didn't reply but looked towards the little girl, who was now looking at him with a curious yet hopeful glance.
'Why did my hex core suddenly react when this girl got closer to me? Does this curse have any affinity with me?'
The dark elf, or Jacob, who was now using the gluttony mask to disguise himself as a dark elf, couldn't help but think as his curiosity was piqued!