It's here!
With favorability skyrocketing, could the godly equipment's upgrade be far behind?!
She immediately shifted a wisp of her attention and opened the attributes of the accessory that had been silently glowing and heating up.
[Moonlight's Embrace (Growth-type/Unique)]
[Quality: Legendary (Growable)]
[Equipment Requirement: Lin Qingyue]
[Effect 1: Moonlight Affinity. The wearer will Renew 2% of Health, Stamina, and Mental Power every minute.]
[Effect 2: Moonlight Resonance. All of the wearer's attributes are increased by 20%. The wearer's current highest attribute will receive an additional 20% increase.]
[Effect 3: Moonlight Prayer. Spreads the 'Moonlight Affinity' effect to the entire squad.]
'Holy crap!'
Lin Qingyue felt her heartbeat stop for a moment.
'The Renew speed doubled directly! 2% every minute! From now on, I'm a walking super power bank! A perpetual motion machine!'
'And Effect 3... Moonlight Prayer! Isn't this a mobile fountain?! The whole team shares HP, MP, and Stamina regeneration!'
'In future team fights, as long as I don't fall, my teammates can forget about dying!'
How was this just a piece of godly equipment? This was clearly the lifeblood of the team!
Before, treating Ilanier to barbecue and casually chatting to relax raised her affection level from "Friendly" to "Trusting".
Later on the battlefield, transforming into an idol to hold a concert, summoning Rex Lapis to smash down a meteorite, and doing a princess carry for a hero-saving-the-beauty moment—despite creating such a huge spectacle, her affection level didn't budge an inch.
Yet now, just drawing a pie in the sky about "being able to teleport back to accompany you at any time" caused her affection level to go crazy, directly skipping all the intermediate stages and soaring straight to "Intimate"?
Lin Qingyue instantly understood.
Her Majesty the Queen, high and mighty above all, lacked nothing in terms of power, wealth, or reverence.
The only thing she lacked was companionship.
It was a pure friendship that allowed her to drop all her defenses and status, to be treated equally, to joke around freely, and even to act spoiled.
To her, a "hug pillow" friend who could drop by at any time to eat and sleep with her was far more important than being held in the arms of a world-saving god!
And she herself just happened to be the one who could give her all of this.
That promise of "being able to come back at any time" was more important to her than any divine weapon or rare treasure.
'Sigh, it's so lonely at the top...'
Lin Qingyue sighed inwardly, feeling a trace of unanticipated heartache for the voluptuous, delicate body still trembling against her.
But now was not the time to think about this!
"Ilanier... mph... I... I can barely breathe..."
Lin Qingyue struggled with all her might, her muffled voice squeezing out from that suffocating softness.
If this kept up, she would truly become the first honored guest in the history of the Elven Race to be literally "smothered to death by breasts" by the queen.
Ilanier finally snapped out of her immense ecstasy.
She abruptly released her arms, but her hands remained pressed against Lin Qingyue's shoulders, refusing to let her pull back even a fraction.
Those wine-red eyes were now brimming with sparkling, unfallen tears.
"I'm sorry... I... I was just too excited."
The Queen tried hard to steady her breathing, but the trembling and choking in her voice betrayed her.
She looked at Lin Qingyue as if gazing at a lost and recovered treasure, a blindingly radiant smile blooming on her face.
"Quick! Qingyue! Place that... that 'Chronocognitive Anchor' right here, right now!"
Her tone was as urgent as a child's, terrified that Lin Qingyue would change her mind the very next second.
"This is my Bedchamber, the Core and safest place in the Royal Palace! If you set the Teleport here, no one will be able to find it, and no one will be able to destroy it!"
"Alright, alright, calm down."
Lin Qingyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry at her behavior.
She opened [As I've Written], found the "Chronocognitive Moment" Skill, and followed its guidance, gently pressing her palm onto a Moonstone on the garden ground.
Ilanier held her breath, staring fixedly at her hand.
On the page, a complex rune composed of countless specks of light lit up.
Lin Qingyue tapped lightly with her fingertips.
Rings of a soft golden Halo spread out from her palm, rippling outward like a stone thrown into a tranquil lake.
In the center of the Halo, a palm-sized golden array slowly emerged.
Interwoven with countless fine, arcane runes, it carried an aura that did not belong to this world. It branded itself deeply onto the surface of the Moonstone, then immediately vanished without a trace.
[Ding! "Chronocognitive Anchor No. 1" set successfully!]
[Current Teleport Name: Elven Royal Palace: The Queen's Bedchamber.]
Done!
Lin Qingyue put the book away in satisfaction.
From now on, she possessed a "permanent ticket" that could take her to the Elven Royal Capital at any time!
"All right."
Ilanier watched the Teleport being set up, her whole body relaxing. That lazy, charming smile reappeared on her face.
She stepped forward and completely naturally hooked her arm through Lin Qingyue's. Like a little girl showing off a new toy, she pulled her back to sit at the table.
"Now, we can eat our breakfast in peace."
After breakfast, Lin Qingyue walked out of this back garden filled with a romantic and ambiguous atmosphere.
Behind her, Ilanier remained standing in place, watching her back disappear through the doorway.
After a long time, the queen returned to the courtyard and slowly crouched down.
She reached out her fair fingers and gently stroked the Moonstone branded with the "Chronocognitive Anchor" over and over again.
Her expression was as devout as if she were stroking a sacred piece of art.
A satisfied and reassured smile lingered on the corners of her lips.
-
Suppressing the upward curve of her lips, Lin Qingyue returned to the luxury guest room arranged for them earlier.
The moment she opened the door, three gazes shot toward her in unison.
Worry, curiosity, and a fiercely burning fire of gossip almost set her ablaze.
Lin Xiyue, Su Wan, and Xia Lian were sitting bolt upright. The breakfast on the table was still steaming, but no one had touched a bite.
"Sis!"
Lin Xiyue was the first to spring up, darting over to Lin Qingyue and scanning her from head to toe, terrified that she might be missing a single hair.
"You're finally back! You were gone all night! Where did you go? What did the Queen want with you? She didn't do anything weird to you, did she?!"
The barrage of questions made Lin Qingyue's head spin.
"Stop, stop, stop!" Lin Qingyue raised a hand, pressing it against her sister's approaching face. "What could possibly happen to me? I was just chatting with the Queen, and since we talked so late, I just slept there."
"Slept?!"
Lin Xiyue's voice jumped eight octaves.
Su Wan's eyes widened abruptly, her normally dignified face filled with shock.
Xia Lian's face turned completely red. With a clatter, the fork in her hand dropped onto her plate, making a crisp sound.
Countless indescribable, sapphic scenes instantly flashed through the minds of the three of them.
"What's with those looks?" Lin Qingyue rolled her eyes in exasperation. "It was innocent! The kind of 'slept together' where we just covered ourselves with blankets and actually slept! Got it?!"
"Oh—"
Lin Xiyue drew out her tone, her face practically screaming, "I don't believe a word of that."
"Innocent? Covered with blankets? Sleeping in the same bed?"
"That's right." Lin Qingyue nodded confidently. "Her bed is huge; there's more than enough room for two more people to sleep there."
Lin Xiyue was momentarily left speechless by her righteous attitude.
She circled around Lin Qingyue twice, leaned her nose in close, and sniffed her lightly.
"Wait a minute, Sis, this fragrance on you... smells exactly like the Queen! Did you use her body wash?!"
"Ahem!"
Crap! I forgot to use a Cleanse Spell before coming back.
"Well, you know... it's probably just the scent of the incense in the room," she bluffed without batting an eye.
"I don't believe you!" Lin Xiyue leaned in closer, dropping her voice to a volume only the two of them could hear, and asked with a wicked grin.
"Sis, confess, what exactly is the relationship between you two now? Did things progress this quickly?"
Looking at her sister's face, which had "tell me the gossip" written all over it, a flash of inspiration hit Lin Qingyue, and she answered with a straight face,
"Cross-generational friends."
"Cross-generational friends?"
Lin Xiyue chewed on the term, her expression shifting from confusion to sudden realization, before finally settling into a bizarre look that mixed "so that's how it is" with "you're so naughty."
"Sis, I get it."
She patted Lin Qingyue heavily on the shoulder and said with an expression of profound grief,
"I didn't expect you to be into this sort of thing. A tender cow grazing on old grass!"
Lin Qingyue: "???"
"Get the hell out of here!" She lashed out with a swift kick.
What did she mean by a tender cow grazing on old grass? According to the lifespan of an Elf, Ilanier was only in her early 20s, okay?! She was obviously a peer of her own age!
No, wait, that wasn't the point!
"Can't you keep anything decent in that head of yours?!" Lin Qingyue was so mad she wanted to flick her on the forehead.
"I am being serious!" Lin Xiyue nimbly dodged, retorting self-righteously. "I am just caring about your personal love life! Look, Su Wan and Xia Lian are also very concerned!"
Being called out, Su Wan and Xia Lian reacted differently: one silently turned her head away, pretending to study the painting on the wall, while the other lowered her head, her face completely flushed, wishing she could find a hole in the ground to hide in.
"Alright, stop messing around." Lin Qingyue couldn't be bothered to argue with her and directly pulled the topic back on track.
"You all know about the Queen's orders, right?"
Lin Xiyue blinked, switching to business.
"Commander Aeldara just sent someone to notify us that the envoy from the Human Kingdom has already arrived at Morningwind Harbor. She wants us to prepare and go with her to handle the follow-up matters."
"So fast?" Lin Qingyue was somewhat surprised.
"Isn't it?" Su Wan chimed in from the side, her expression also a bit strange.
"It's said that the humans are scared out of their wits, terrified that if the Elven Race is displeased, they'll throw another meteor over and flatten their Capital."
"Pfft..." Lin Qingyue almost spat out her mouthful of juice.
The humans' intelligence capabilities were pretty good, and their imagination... was also quite rich!
As they were speaking, there was a gentle knock on the door.
Outside stood Aeldara, clad in pitch-black heavy armor, standing as still and deep as an abyss.
She didn't step inside. She simply stood at the doorway, her crimson eyes fixated on Lin Qingyue for a full three seconds.
It was a complex look.
It contained probing, scrutiny, and a sort of... understanding.
Lin Qingyue felt a bit creeped out under her gaze.
No way, right? Does gossip really spread this fast? Does the Commander already know I slept in the queen's bed last night? According to Ilanier, the Commander is like a half-daughter to her, so wouldn't my seniority... be completely messed up?
Aeldara didn't say anything else, simply speaking in her eternally unchanging icy tone:
"Are you ready? It is time to depart."
"Ready, ready!" Lin Xiyue quickly replied.
The four immediately followed in Aeldara's footsteps, heading toward the Teleportation Array outside the Royal Palace.
Along the way, Aeldara remained completely silent as she walked at the very front.
Her tall, upright figure naturally exuded a powerful, unapproachable aura.
Lin Qingyue couldn't help but feel that the aloof Commander was looking at her differently than before.
If her gaze before was meant for an "interesting ally."
Then now, it was more like she was scrutinizing a... "wicked woman with ulterior motives, trying to abduct the Queen."
It was just her imagination, it had to be.
Lin Qingyue shook her head, tossing these messy thoughts to the back of her mind.
The most pressing matter at hand was to go see the Prince who had been subjected to Aeldara's "Holy Blessing."
She wondered just what he had been "purified" into by now.
She was actually quite looking forward to it.