When a high-ranking demon dies, a portion of its mana condenses within its remains.
Pure mana is stored inside, which can be released at will when necessary.
However, the ones she had obtained back then had all been handed over. They were probably still locked in the treasury of the Knight Order.
Those were tactical reserve supplies used to deal with emergencies. They had nothing to do with her anymore.
But the one in front of her was indeed the real deal, and...
For her, who was currently in a mana vacuum period, this was a godsend.
“Then I won't stand on ceremony.”
With lightning-fast speed and an incredibly natural movement, Qimeng slipped the stone into her clothes, as if terrified the Chief would suddenly regret it and take it back.
It seemed the Wood Elves indeed had a decent foundation in the past. They had simply fallen on hard times later on.
Yinzhi gave her a speechless look but said nothing.
Once the gathering officially began, a ring of small bonfires was lit in the center of the clearing. The firelight reflected on the round faces of the young girls.
A group of young Wood Elf girls walked into the middle of the clearing. They held hands, formed a circle, and began to dance to a slow rhythm.
Occasionally, one of them would trip over her own feet while spinning. The girl next to her would laughingly reach out to support her, and then they would continue clapping and dancing to the beat.
Qimeng sat to the side, sipping her fruit wine. After watching for a bit, she noticed that most of the dance movements were related to a bountiful harvest.
Bending down, raising their hands, and humming a song. It looked like they were picking fruit and sowing seeds.
“You guys... actually farm?”
She was somewhat surprised.
Yinzhi nodded.
“That is the Growth Dance. We also plant some fruit trees and wild vegetables. Although the mana in the Genesis Forest is weak, the soil can still grow things.”
“I thought Wood Elves usually just leaped around in trees.”
“Don't say such strange things. We aren't magic monkeys.”
Yinzhi gave her a helpless glance.
Qimeng thought about it and admitted that she had a point.
The fruit wine in her hand and the jam on her plate were indeed typical signs of survival; they couldn't have just grown out of thin air from the trees.
Once the dance ended, the clearing fell silent. The Chief sat up straight again and placed her hands on her knees.
“Tonight is the deadline for the Sacred Spirit selection. The spiritual seeds who went out to search for a Spirit of Nature have returned one after another.”
Her gaze swept over the crowd sitting in a circle, skipping over several empty seats along the way.
“When we departed, we sent out a total of twenty-seven spiritual seeds, each accompanied by a spirit attendant.”
“But now...”
The Chief paused, her eyelids drooping.
“Only four have returned.”
“The remaining twenty-three, along with their spirit attendants, have not come back.”
The atmosphere in the clearing instantly grew heavy.
Qimeng saw a young girl opposite her bowing her head, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes.
There were two empty seats beside her, as if they were specially reserved for someone. But she didn't seem to let anyone sit there, and no one else approached.
Qimeng withdrew her gaze and took a sip of the fruit wine in her cup.
The Chief let out a breath and continued.
“Tonight, the spiritual seeds who brought back a Spirit of Nature will display the Sacred Spirit you have found before everyone.”
“We will select candidates based on the strength of the Sacred Spirit. Ultimately, the Sacred Spirit will make its own choice, deciding who is qualified to become the new Spirit Maiden and lead our clan away from here.”
These words fell clearly into everyone's ears.
“Now, the first spiritual seed, Eve, please step forward.”
Hearing her name, Eve stood up and walked out of the crowd. Her two spirit attendants quietly followed behind, maintaining a distance of a few paces.
She walked to the center of the clearing, placed her hand over her chest in salute to the Chief, and then stood up straight.
“Eve, have you found a Sacred Spirit?”
“I have.”
“Have you brought it back?”
“Yes, I have.”
Eve took out an object wrapped in broad leaves from her waist and unwrapped it layer by layer.
Inside was a twig about two fingers long, emitting a soft, pale green glow throughout. A few faint lines of mana could be seen flowing across its surface.
“This is a Magic Spirit Branch I found at the edge of the northern swamp.”
“It is still alive and can sense the fluctuations of the power of nature, though it has not fully awakened yet.”
The firelight shone upon the twig, and the pale green shimmer was reflected on Eve's face.
Several watching girls immediately gasped in admiration, some craning their necks to get a better look.
A smug smile appeared on Eve's face.
Then, she deliberately turned to look in Yinzhi's direction. Her provocative gaze swept over, her eyes filled with pride.
“See that?”
Yinzhi curled her lip, her gaze not wavering in the slightest.
After inspecting it, the Chief showed an appreciative gaze.
“Very good. The second spiritual seed, please step forward.”
The second spiritual seed stepped forward. She was a fair-skinned Wood Elf girl with silver hair and blue eyes.
She produced a fruit that shimmered with a silver light. Its surface had tiny, root-like patterns, and it trembled slightly when held in her hand.
She said she had found it in an underground crevice, growing beside a withered ancient tree.
The firelight shone on the fruit, casting a soft halo around it, and the crowd gasped in admiration once more.
“The third spiritual seed, please step forward.”
The third spiritual seed was a silver-haired girl who looked even smaller and thinner. She held a clump of soil wrapped in moss with both hands.
Once unwrapped, a slender sprout lay inside. The tips of its leaves glowed with a faint, subtle golden light.
She said she had discovered it on a cliff face at the end of a stream, growing in a blind spot completely devoid of light.
All three spiritual seeds had finished their displays. On the stone platform in the center of the clearing, the three Sacred Spirits each radiated their own light.
Seeing this, the Chief nodded in satisfaction, then turned her gaze toward the corner on the other side.
There, Yinzhi still sat quietly.
“Fourth, Spirit Maiden, please step forward.”
Yinzhi walked to the center of the clearing. Her hands were completely empty; she held nothing.
She stood calmly in place, waiting for the Chief to ask the question that she inevitably would.
“Spirit Maiden, have you found a Sacred Spirit?”
“No.”
Opposite her, Eve's shoulders visibly relaxed, and an expected expression appeared on her face.
The surrounding Wood Elves also broke into a wave of whispers, but they were quickly hushed.
The Chief looked at her with a face full of disappointment and slowly announced, “You have not found a Sacred Spirit.”
“According to the clan rules, your position as Spirit Maiden is stripped. From this day forth, you are demoted to a spiritual seed.”
Yinzhi bowed her head, her face completely calm.
“I accept. Additionally, taking advantage of this occasion, I would like to announce something.”
“From this day on, I shall abandon my original name.”
“Henceforth, my name is only Yinzhi.”
A commotion of discussions arose from the crowd.
Although changing one's name was not entirely rare among the Wood Elves, it usually only occurred when one went through a drastic upheaval or wished to sever ties with the past.
Changing her name on the very night she was deposed as Spirit Maiden was bound to make people wonder.
Rate on N.U.
