Mushroom Lord in the Underground City

Chapter 478 - 468: Impartial Galadriel

"Ridiculous!" An elf clad in a dark green robe was the first to break the silence, his silver-white eyebrows trembling slightly with anger, "The Crescent Moon is the Elf King’s sword, how can it be handed over to an outsider like you?"

Another female elf wearing a Golden Leaf Shoulder Ornament also sneered, "Sword Saint, what a grand title! Sending a disciple over, with just a few words, you want us to hand over the sword of the former king?"

The other elves didn’t say much, but only because they didn’t feel like speaking; it was impossible to lend out the Crescent Moon.

"My master was ambushed by a Blood Race Prince and seriously injured, the blood poison is hard to purify, only the power of the Crescent Moon can cleanse it!" Shi Wu raised his head, his eyes burning as he looked at the figure on the throne, "If my master falls, Three Mountains City collapses, then the Demon Race will sweep in, and the Kingdom will be obliterated. Is this the future you all wish to see?"

The threat of the Demon Race...

The elves exchanged glances of uncertainty, and the earlier voices of dissent gradually subsided.

No one noticed that when they heard the Sword Saint was seriously injured, Galadriel’s movements stiffened slightly.

A relatively young elf was somewhat puzzled, "How does this human know of the Crescent Moon’s abilities? The King hasn’t used it in front of outsiders for centuries, right?"

A more experienced companion leaned over and whispered, "That human swordsman came here years ago to study swordsmanship. The former king found him somewhat talented and taught him, allowing him to practice swords with His Highness Galadriel, probably learned about it then."

"He wasn’t the Sword Saint back then, was he? How did he even get into the forest?"

"It’s said he saved His Highness Galadriel then, at that time the two of them..."

Galadriel’s grim gaze looked over, and the two elves immediately lowered their heads and stopped whispering.

The debate in the hall still hadn’t ceased.

After a brief silence, the voice of skepticism rose again, "It’s merely blood poison, there are so many ways to detoxify it. Must it be the Crescent Moon? This excuse is too far-fetched!"

Indeed, blood poison might be a deadly threat to ordinary adventurers and civilians, but the Sword Saint surely wouldn’t lack a Rejuvenation Potion worth just fifty gold coins, not to mention the Church also has the means for purification, though it takes some trouble.

Yet Shi Wu explained, "The Blood Race Prince’s blood poison is unusual. Those methods can only barely suppress it, not remove it! If it could be easily resolved, why would he painstakingly plant this poison during an ambush? If the situation wasn’t urgent, why would I travel all this way at this time to seek the sword?"

The Sword Saint had previously brought Shi Wu to the elves for negotiations. Whether Shi Wu’s mind was sharper now is uncertain, but his speaking skills had indeed improved significantly.

But even so, there were still those who opposed.

After all, it was a relic of the previous Elf King, now in Galadriel’s hands, holding a degree of inheritance significance. Lending it casually to a human was truly unreasonable.

Even if everything Shi Wu said was true, what about after lending the sword and the Sword Saint doesn’t return it? Or if the Sword Saint simply dies there, and the Crescent Moon falls into the hands of the Demon Race, wouldn’t that be worse?

Thus, even those who didn’t oppose chose to remain silent rather than support.

Galadriel’s gaze roved and suddenly stopped on Eco, who was teasing a Puki on his head, "Captain of the Guard, what do you think about the Sword Saint?"

Eco didn’t even lift his head, "I have already resigned as Captain of the Guard, and besides, I agreed not to get involved in these matters anymore."

"Since you brought him here," Galadriel insisted, "I wish to hear your opinion."

Eco squinted slightly, staring at Galadriel for a long while until she felt a bit guilty before leisurely saying, "It’s just a sword. With it, the Royal City won’t be safer; without it, the Royal City won’t be more dangerous either. Whether to give it or not is fine."

Galadriel nodded with slight gratitude and then inquired Salian’s opinion.

As the current head of the Surveillance Array in the forest, Salian’s words gradually carried some weight.

Salian thought for a moment and seriously replied, "I think we should give it. It’s extremely disadvantageous if the humans are completely defeated. Though it might take years for the Demon Race to absorb the human territory, that time would pass in the blink of an eye for us. The threat is imminent. While I understand opposing direct involvement in war, offering help to humans where we can is still necessary."

Galadriel nodded with satisfaction, Salian’s response was indeed as expected.

She asked no more, raising her jade hand lightly, "Since so, the matter of lending the sword is settled."

After making the decision, Galadriel did not linger long, quickly leaving amidst the slightly skeptical gazes of the elves.

The Crescent Moon left behind by Galadriel was handed to Shi Wu by Salian.

Shi Wu didn’t notice the unusual atmosphere around him, only fortunately surprised that borrowing the Crescent Moon went smoother than imagined.

After repeatedly promising to return the Crescent Moon immediately once the war was over, Shi Wu gently declined Salian’s suggestion to rest for a day.

Accompanied by Eco, he hurried away.

Strangely, however, on the way out of the Elf Forest, a Puki steadily trailed behind Shi Wu.

The little creature’s short legs moved quickly, occasionally appearing and disappearing amidst the forest light and shadows.

"Is this a magic pet of some elf?" Shi Wu couldn’t help but turn back and ask.

Eco glanced at it, "Most Puki in the forest are free. You can see it isn’t wearing a green ribbon on its leg; it should be wild."

"Are all your Puki this... agile? Why is it following me?"

"Perhaps it likes you. Occasionally, some Puki do take a liking to particular elves," Eco remarked with a bland tone, "It’s not uncommon in the forest."

"Is that a regular occurrence..." Shi Wu exclaimed in disbelief.

Their pace was not slow, yet the agile Puki kept up!

Only, seeing this nimble Puki reminded Shi Wu of unpleasant memories.

Until he bid farewell to Eco at the forest boundary, that Puki persistently followed behind.

Though confused, recalling the return journey through the perilous Scarecrow Abyss and since Eco indeed mentioned that the forest’s Puki possessed the ’never fall’ characteristic, Shi Wu finally acquiesced to the follower.

What he hadn’t expected was by dawn the next day, the Puki had brazenly climbed onto his head...

What concerned Shi Wu more was that unlike others that only followed Puki Master’s orders, this little guy was especially active, occasionally using its mycelium tendrils to fiddle with his hair or ears, giving Shi Wu the impression it wasn’t lacking in intelligence.

Luckily, this Puki indeed also had the ’never fall’ trait, allowing Shi Wu to successfully cross the Scarecrow Abyss, which was far easier than his arrival journey.

While passing through a settlement on the human territory, Shi Wu made a brief stop.

When the swindler selling fake Puki saw Shi Wu grinning menacingly as he strode towards him, disbelief filled his eyes.

Subsequently, he frantically shoved aside the passerby beside him, desperately trying to escape.

But how could he outrun Shi Wu? He had barely taken two steps before his head was severed.