If the treasure were with that third group of people, it would just be a matter of time for him to locate their position.
However, before that, time certainly shouldn't be wasted. It would be wise to go to the high mountain with Lillian to look for something that might help Atbolde.
Upon hearing this, Lillian fell silent for a moment, took a gentle breath, and her complexion regained its vitality and determination.
"You're right, Colin," she said, pulling her gaze back to him, "We mustn't delay. Let's set out now!"
"Alright," Colin replied, but as if he remembered something, he hesitated slightly and suddenly asked, "Lillian, have you encountered dark red winds since you arrived here?"
"I have," Lillian responded, a hint of reminiscence and lament flashing in her eyes, "A terrible wind of pollution."
"I've asked Nasi, and such winds come once every seven days... Now, there are about four days left until the next one, so there isn't much time." Colin took out his pocket watch and glanced at it as he spoke.
"Don't worry," Lillian heard his concern and explained, "The instructor has a Witch Tool that can weaken this pollution, and after weakening, the two of us can withstand it for a day or two."
Having said this, she looked up at the distant high mountain and added, "Moreover, since that mountain hasn't been completely polluted, it's likely that there are corresponding defensive measures, so the pollution winds there will probably be even less severe..."
"As long as we have means to resist," Colin nodded.
The two of them took off, flying into the high mountain area.
The entire high mountain region had only one high mountain in the center, surrounded by rolling hills and smaller mountains.
Outside some of the moderate-sized mounds, there were exquisite stone doors, clearly inhabited by living creatures... but not necessarily elves.
"Those are the dwellings of the Liya'er," Lillian noticed where he was looking and responded.
"Liya'er are natural servants of the High Level Elves, rumored to be formed from the dirt around the Ancient Tree of Life, their skin of various colors, but all small and slender in stature, and skilled at cooking and construction."
Colin nodded, looking out across the landscape... He hadn't realized that the High Level Elves actually had specialized servants; this was the first time he had heard of it.
"The High Level Elves don't really like the Liya'er, though they don't mistreat them, they only regard them as lowly slaves in their hearts.
Whether it's in the elves' own literature or information that's spread to the outside world, the name of the Liya'er is seldom mentioned."
Lillian continued, and finally concluded—
"High Level Elves are a group of extremely proud and conceited beings."
Colin looked at her with some surprise.
"I'm not a High Level Elf; I simply have the bloodline of one," Lillian said with a smile, then continued, "Let me tell you a rumor about the High Level Elves that my mother told me when I was a child—"
"The relationship between the High Level Elves and the other eight major elf clans is not very good... My mother said it's because the other eight clans all have their flaws, none perfect, so they are jealous of the perfect High Level Elves, but in my view, the bad relationship is mostly due to the High Level Elves being too arrogant! And they are not perfect either, for instance, even though they possess plant-based natural magic like the Tree Elves, they lack the Tree Elves' Talent for tree architecture..."
Colin listened as she spoke, nodding. Maybe because of the different environment, or perhaps the heavy burden she carried, Lillian seemed more talkative than before.
After about half a day, they finally arrived at the foot of the greenish high mountain.
Possibly due to elves generally venerating nature, this high mountain was largely preserved in its original state, with only a few delicate paths hidden among the grass and trees indicating the presence of High Level Elves.
"I didn't expect this place to have remained mostly untouched..." Colin marveled, perhaps because the omnipresent pollution in the Elf Kingdom had warped his view.
Now that they were closer, they could see that the entire high mountain had barely been affected by any pollution, with just a sliver of dark red at its base.
On seeing this, a look of joy also flashed across Lillian's face.
But this joy was fleeting, indeed.
Along the way, all the evidence she had seen and the information she had exchanged with Colin foreshadowed one thing—the elves had left this place... taking their possessions with them.
This meant that within the current Elf Kingdom, finding something to cure Atbolde had become nearly impossible...
"Let's go," Lillian rallied her spirit and took the lead towards the path.
Like many cities of Wizards, the mountain also had measures to ban flying, which were still in effect at the moment.
"What's wrong, Nasi?" As Colin was about to follow Lillian, he keenly sensed something unusual about the little elf inside his hood.
Judging by the feedback from the spiritual power, Nasi seemed lost for some reason, frowning and staring blankly at the mountain.
"I don't know..." Hearing Colin's question, Nasi came back to her senses, shook her head, and replied, still with a perplexed look on her face.
"I think Nasi has been here before..." She added uncertainly after a moment.
"Been here before... Do you know where the High Level Elf's Treasure Vault is?" Lillian, who had noticed something off and was waiting, suddenly asked.
"Treasure Vault... Nasi does not know," the little elf was caught off guard by the sudden question and answered in a quiet, shrinking voice.
Lillian wanted to ask more, but seeing the pallor of Nasi's bewildered expression and recalling the information Colin had conveyed to her via spirit communication, she chose to be silent.
"Let's go," Lillian urged again.
"Mhm," Colin nodded, stepping forward to keep pace with Lillian.
There were three paths up the mountain; they chose the middle one, which was also the closest.
Walking along the path, the two proceeded in silence, one after the other.
Although the path under their feet seemed inconspicuous, each step was actually intricately crafted, not only slip-proof but also engraved with exquisite patterns and designs where feet did not tread.
'High Level Elves, truly high level...' Colin thought to himself.
Just then, Lillian suddenly stopped in her tracks.
"What's wrong?" Colin asked.
Lillian didn't speak but simply stepped aside.
Looking ahead, Colin furrowed his brow in confusion.
At the end of the path, a deep tunnel had appeared.
"We've reached the place where the High Level Elves reside," Lillian stated from beside him.
'This is the dwelling place of the High Level Elves?' Colin was taken aback.
Even though the exterior of the tunnel was decorated with a huge stone door, exquisitely carved and structured, it still couldn't conceal the fact that it was a cave in the mountain...
He had assumed the High Level Elves would build wooden or stone buildings like the Tree Elves. A cave... even if magnificently constructed inside, it still seemed unsuitable for the status of High Level Elves.
But Colin had underestimated the scene inside the "cave."
As soon as they stepped through the half-opened, inexplicably unguarded stone door,
The scenery beside them instantly transformed.
Above them was the Blue "Sky," slowly drifting "Spirit of White Clouds," ahead were towering stone trees each different in shape, all engraved with ornate patterns and designs, yet all connected to both the dome and the ground.
Every branch of the towering stone trees bore either leaf-like shapes, flower-like forms, fruit-like figures... or even more elegantly and strangely shaped buildings.
"Drawing Sky's Shadow from the Blue Sea, capturing the Spirit of White Cloud high above, carving mountains to form shells, sculpting stone into trees... what a magnificent feat," Lillian was clearly also stunned.
Then, as if a thought struck her, she couldn't help but sigh:
"Yet such a place, painstakingly built by the Liya'ers, is ironically not favored by the High Level Elves..."