Chapter 86

Just as the two of them were busy trying to fill their stomachs, a cluster of small black dots suddenly appeared at the edge of their vision.

"Hey, they don't seem to be a herd of horses," Chu Feiyue shaded her eyes and looked over. "They seem to be heading this way."

"It might be smoke. A wisp of smoke is quite noticeable on the grassland."

Qin Yue pointed to the trail of smoke above their heads, which stretched out for quite a distance.

The cluster of black dots were indeed people, and they were driving their carts quickly toward this direction. Chu Feiyue could see that each of them had more than one horse, and she guessed they were the horse wranglers that Sister Xeni had mentioned.

But why would horse wranglers need carts? To carry family members who couldn't move easily? Were some of them injured? These thoughts raced through Chu Feiyue's mind.

The people on horseback moved quickly and soon reached a place not far from the two of them.

They all dismounted, leaving a few to watch the horses, and the rest came over.

The leader at the front had a messy hairstyle, freckles on his face, and a prominent hooked nose, which was his most distinctive feature. His sea-blue eyes shone with a calm light. He wore a tight jacket and tight pants, and his boots with spurs and wheels made him look very imposing. A wide belt hung around his waist, holding various tools like a horsewhip, horse lock, and water bottle, making him look much more professional than Chu Feiyue and her brother. This was someone who had lived on the grassland for a long time.

When he saw that the person daring to start a fire on the grassland was a strange young girl, he was taken aback.

Could it be that she hadn't encountered any horse herds? Impossible, this was the territory of the chestnut horses. So she must be acting without fear.

A bright smile immediately appeared on his face. He walked over and greeted Chu Feiyue.

"Hello, I am Samiji, the leader of the Fire Fierce Horse Wrangling Team. I've been wrangling horses on this vast grassland for a long time. You're a new face, are you here for a visit?"

The two siblings looked at this friendly man who had come to chat and instinctively moved closer to each other.

"No, I was sent by Mayor Xeni to investigate the problem of wild horses going berserk on the Jima Grassland. I've been here since this morning," Chu Feiyue pointed to the barbecue grill, "and I'm having a meal right now. What brings you here?"

"Then you must be the special envoy from Huating. Please forgive me for not recognizing you." Samiji stood up, placed his hat over his chest, and bowed.

Chu Feiyue was already used to the NPCs' respectful attitude toward Huating, so she didn't try to help him up as she used to. If it were a woman, she might have been more modest, but with a man... do what you want, I don't care.

Samiji was very talkative and told Chu Feiyue a lot about the current situation on the Jima Grassland. This included the wild horses that had gone berserk, which had appeared suddenly a week ago. At first, there were only a few, but then they increased in number. They had resisted two attacks by the wild horses, and although they were lucky enough to avoid any casualties, they were now preparing to withdraw.

He also told Chu Feiyue that starting a fire on the grassland was usually a distress signal, as people who made a living by wrangling and selling horses generally had very tight schedules and mostly ate pre-prepared food, so they rarely started fires. He had seen the smoke and thought another team had been attacked, so he came to check.

Chu Feiyue apologized for her ignorance, which had wasted their concern. To make up for her mistake, she decided to escort them out of the grassland, and Samiji happily agreed.

Chu Feiyue and Qin Yue couldn't ride horses, so she made this suggestion because they had a cart.

However, they encountered a small but significant problem.

Following Chu Feiyue's gaze, Samiji looked at the cart, hesitated for a moment, and then, with a determined look, ran inside and pulled out a woman dressed in a maid's uniform.

At first, Chu Feiyue thought it was their love nest and felt a bit embarrassed. But when Samiji brought the woman closer, it turned out to be something else.

The woman had clearly been crying. She was a very slender and weak girl, with thin arms and legs that made her look fragile. Her body was as flat as a washboard, and she looked like she was under 14 years old. She had a delicate and refined appearance, with an ethereal quality. Her large, tear-filled eyes made her look pitiful. Her long, brown hair flowed gently behind her, swaying in the breeze. But what was most special about her were her eyes, which were split into two colors: cherry red and emerald green. Her ears were pointed and trembled slightly as she sobbed.

She was an elf! A deep sense of kinship told Chu Feiyue that this girl was one of her own kind.

A crying elf? Could it be that these horse wranglers were involved in the illegal trafficking of rare individuals? Chu Feiyue's eyes immediately turned dangerous.

Samiji saw that Chu Feiyue had placed her hand on her staff and knew she had misunderstood. He quickly waved his hands to show his innocence.

"Special Envoy, it's not what you think," Samiji raised his hands in panic. "She is our alchemist, whom we hired at a tavern in town. She's crying because she wants to go to the source of the Jima River, but I won't allow it. There are many strange elemental creatures there now, and it's very dangerous. We suspect that the wild horses' berserk behavior is her doing, so we plan to take her back to Huating for handling."

"Is that true?" Chu Feiyue turned to the crying elf girl and asked.

The girl nodded, wiped her face with her back, took a deep breath, and then knelt down before Chu Feiyue.

"Grassland Elf Aisha Greenfield, I pay my respects to Your Majesty."

Chu Feiyue was taken aback and quickly helped her up. This girl had somehow recognized her as a member of the elemental elf royal family. Could it be a bloodline recognition?

Samiji was so shocked by Aisha's words that he bit his tongue. He covered his mouth and knelt down, bowing deeply to Chu Feiyue. Chu Feiyue's Mage Hand couldn't even pull him up.

"What are you doing?" Chu Feiyue scratched her head, feeling helpless. As soon as she helped one up, the other would kneel down.

"I am unworthy, I didn't recognize Your Majesty. If I offended you in any way, please forgive me." Samiji was now trapped between two low earth walls created by Chu Feiyue, preventing him from kneeling.

"I'm not blaming you. You were very polite to me, and I don't know how you offended me." Chu Feiyue looked at the two people who were making things difficult for themselves and sighed. "Alright, I forgive you."

Only then did the two of them relax and stop kneeling. Chu Feiyue didn't understand why they were so respectful to her. They seemed to revere her race rather than her profession. This was different from the situation with the village chief in Dikeaklink.

This was more than just a matter of etiquette; it could only be explained by faith. Why were elemental elves so revered?

"Alright, now can you tell me why you think she is the culprit?"

"As you command, Your Majesty. Two weeks ago, we stayed overnight at the source of the Jima River. Aisha was cleaning her experimental equipment while preparing medicine. After that, the wild horses started going berserk. Even she suspects that something might be wrong with her test tubes and insists on going back to check." Samiji pointed to the cart. "It's too dangerous there, so I decided to take her to Huating. She has been blaming herself, which is why she was crying in the cart. It's not because I captured her."

"Is that really the case?"

The elf girl nodded, and her tears started flowing again.

Seeing her cry so sadly, Chu Feiyue felt a pang in her heart. She wiped the tears from the girl's face and made a decision.

"Then I'll go with you."

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