Halfway up the mountain,
Colin continued descending the steps made by the Liya'ers.
"So you transformed into this form by eating the golden pollen flowers that bloomed on the withered branches?" he asked as they walked.
The little elf, Nasi, flying beside him nodded, her appearance greatly changed from before.
Not only had her pupils turned pink, but the red of her wings, somewhat paler than before, now bore golden patterns like the veins in leaves.
"It's quite strange," Colin thought.
He shifted his gaze and continued on.
He had examined Nasi's condition closely in the cave before, and there was nothing unusual.
However, under his supersensitive vision, he could distinctly perceive that Nasi's spiritual light had become stronger, almost dazzlingly so.
Yet... Colin looked back at Nasi again.
Now that Nasi had transformed, her appearance was even more distinct from that of a typical flower elf, making it harder to discern her exact type.
Flower elves usually had golden eyes and pink hair, with two pairs of pink wings, but Nasi now possessed wings with golden patterns and pink pupils with red hair...
"However, this could be a good thing... Elves come in many varieties, and being slightly distinctive in appearance is better than being recognized as a particularly notable flower elf."
After a few more steps, Colin's train of thoughts paused as he was suddenly drawn to a strange sensation coming from the area around his chest.
It was from where the Ancient Tree Heart was located.
Initially, after using the Ancient Tree Heart Witchcraft to implant the Ancient Tree Heart into his chest, he hadn't felt much.
The heavy, lead-like quality energy was tightly contained within the unique structure brought about by the Ancient Tree Heart, with hardly any leakage.
But now, a faint warmth suddenly radiated from his chest, slowly spreading to all his limbs.
This warmth wasn't intense, but the sense of comfort it brought was very long-lasting, as if his whole body was submerged in a hot spring.
...This phenomenon was never documented in the records of Ancient Tree Heart Witchcraft.
When Lillian had first taught him the Ancient Tree Heart Witchcraft on behalf of the Mentor Atbolde, she had detailed the specific sensations and effects after its application.
Typically, from the moment the Ancient Tree Heart was formed inside the body, one would feel a surge of heat, like water, starting from the chest and washing over the body.
Depending on the quality of the Ancient Tree Heart constructed, this process could last from a week to half a month; the higher the quality, the longer the duration.
During this process, since the location of the Ancient Tree Heart was right beside the heart, above the Magic Sea, the first change in the recipient would start from the Magic Sea.
The magic affinity, incorporating the wizard's First Class and Second Class qualifications, would see a slight improvement.
Following that, as the warmth slowly washed over the body, all aspects of the physical body, especially the Life Force, would significantly strengthen...
Yet now, that so-called intense heat had only just started to manifest.
As Colin pondered this, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He lifted his foot, shook his hand, and gave a slight jump on the spot.
"Nasi, wait a moment," he said to Nasi, then took out the Demon Release Ring and sat down exactly where he was standing.
Inhale... Exhale...
Soon, Colin entered a state of meditation. Under the influence of his spiritual power, magic was drawn out from the Demon Release Ring and absorbed into his body.
After a moment, having finished testing, Colin slowly stood up.
The warm sensation in his limbs continued.
Colin realized that this was a sign that each inch of his flesh and every cell was being enhanced.
The bodily reactions were minor, but the enhancement upon close inspection was significant!
The most noticeable improvement was in his magic qualifications, which he could feel had increased by about one percent...
It might not seem like much, but it was enough for him, formerly at the peak of Second-Class Talent, to take the crucial step to truly reaching First-Class Talent!
Moreover, this was merely the first surge of warmth. What would happen once his body fully adapted to the Ancient Tree Heart and his innate Magic Power Affinity Talent?
Colin couldn't help but feel anticipation.
As for his body's enhancement, he subconsciously opened the Golden Paper.
His gaze landed on the Strong Life Talent section, where a slowly emerging upward arrow symbol appeared behind it.
The essence of Strong Life Talent was robust Life Force, but it wasn't something that could enhance Life Force and in turn, upgrade the Strong Life Talent. This involved some aspects that had not yet been thoroughly explored—a fact already known beforehand.
In previous attempts, only the Knight Breathing Method had shown a certain ability to enhance the Strong Life Talent.
But now, it appeared that the Ancient Tree Heart, created from a branch of the Ancient Tree of Life, also possessed the ability to enhance the Strong Life Talent!
After composing himself, Colin slowly stood up, his face involuntarily breaking into a smile.
Somewhere deep down, he had a premonition that the enhancements brought by the Ancient Tree Heart might exceed his expectations!
The only question was... how could he accelerate the occurrence of the warmth.
Colin felt the Ancient Tree Heart in his chest once again and suddenly thought,
"Let's go, Nasi." After a moment, he gathered his thoughts and continued forwards.
The Ancient Tree Heart was inside his body—it wouldn't be lost or disappear. Once they left the Elf Kingdom and returned to Neustadt City, there would be plenty of time to study it!
Following the intricate path, making several turns and passing through some withering vegetation, Colin led Nasi to the base of the mountain.
He took out the Golden Pattern Small Hammer.
"Good giant, are we leaving this place?" Nasi seemed to realize something and suddenly asked.
Hearing this, Colin looked at Nasi and was momentarily stunned.
He realized he had not seriously asked Nasi if she wished to leave with him; he had just assumed so.
He paused, then looked earnestly at Nasi and asked,
"Nasi, do you want to go with me? To leave the Elf Kingdom and venture outside?"
Nasi originally wanted to agree immediately, but seeing Colin's serious expression and possibly thinking of something, she suddenly furrowed her brows.
After a while, she hesitantly asked,
"Good giant, does this mean Nasi won't be able to eat sugar gems anymore?"
Colin was slightly taken aback, paused, then shook his head and said,
"Why would you think that... as long as little Nasi wants sugar gems—well, and behaves well, she can have sugar gems."
Nasi's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, "Then Nasi has no problem! Good giant, let's go!"
After speaking, she murmured, "Nasi was worried because the good giant was so serious, she thought she might not be able to eat sugar gems anymore…"
Colin smiled and did not respond.
Nasi's choice was not beyond his expectations…
Picking up the Golden Pattern Small Hammer, he prepared to open the door and leave.
The next second, Colin suddenly remembered something else and turned to Nasi, saying,
"Nasi, it seems I have never formally told you my name—I am Colin Leonard. You can call me Colin."
"Colin... good Colin!" Little Nasi nodded, indicating she remembered.
Colin smiled, withdrew his gaze, no longer hesitating, and took a deep breath. Grasping Nasi, he activated the Golden Hammer.
The golden light slowly brightened, illuminating the surroundings.
Then at a certain moment, Colin felt the view before his eyes suddenly turn dark, then bright again quickly.
The salty sea breeze blew gently.
He was still holding onto Nasi, but their surroundings had shifted entirely.
They had teleported from the Elf Kingdom to a strange and desolate small island!