Haoyun quickly halted the mental conversation with Dao Lao upon noticing the situation. He stepped forward with a gesture to stop them and said, "Ah! No! Please don't! We can't afford such a gesture from you! Get up quickly!"

Upon hearing Haoyun's words, including Pelanod and Harvey, the group of black-clothed figures breathed a sigh of relief. This powerful being was not only conversing with Harvey in standard Elvish but also seemed devoid of any hostile intent from his tone.

After dissuading Harvey, Haoyun exchanged a glance with Dao Lao, indicating that since these people harbored no ill will and were genuinely grateful for their assistance, perhaps they could relax their guard for now. So, both of them, to demonstrate their goodwill, removed their helmets.

Then, Haoyun, unsure how to introduce themselves, scratched his head and said, "Uh, hello, everyone. Um, actually, we're not from around here."

(At this point, the author couldn't resist commenting, "There are many ways to greet someone for the first time. But Haoyun chose the most awkward and baffling opening line.")

Clearly, including Pelanod and Harvey, no one expected the true appearance hidden beneath the zombie armor of these two powerful beings to be like this. Haoyun even felt that if he and Dao Lao looked like zombies after removing their helmets, these black-clothed figures might not have been as surprised as they were now.

"Oh my! What species are these two powerful beings?"

"I don't know! Look at how strange they look! They don't even have long ears!"

"Don't jump to conclusions! They do have ears. They're just very small. Look closely."

"I see it! Could they really be extraterrestrial beings? Instead of having their ears cut off due to mistreatment?"

"Oh! I thought all creatures had long, elegant ears like us!"

"Yeah, yeah! Their ears look really ugly!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down! Don't talk nonsense in front of the powerful ones! Otherwise, it won't be good if they hear!"

Watching the group of black-clothed figures gossiping about their appearance in the distance, Haoyun and Dao Lao felt utterly speechless. What's wrong with having small ears? And you think our ears are ugly? Your Elvish ears are so long, covered in fur, and twitching. Don't you find them scary? Who looks normal with those? Haoyun couldn't help but sarcastically comment inwardly.

"Cough cough! Actually, we just flew over from Mist Town. And, indeed, we're from another world. Moreover, we know Ellieanna. Our purpose in coming here is to investigate Ellieanna. As for our specific tasks, I can't reveal too much. But please rest assured, although we know Ellieanna, we maintain absolute neutrality in the war here. We won't participate in any of her actions here." Haoyun interrupted the gossiping black-clothed figures and briefly explained their situation.

Since Haoyun couldn't come up with any good lies, he simply described the actual situation roughly. Naturally, to comply with the regulations of the Divine Realm and for safety reasons, Haoyun simplified all critical information. Because he believed the most important thing was to let these elven people know their intentions and their stance on the war here.

Although Haoyun and Dao Lao had anticipated that mentioning Ellieanna would trigger a strong reaction from the present Dark Elf, they hadn't expected that even the current Light Elves would suddenly fall silent upon hearing Ellieanna's name. Pelanod and Biscuit Tang, in particular, became more reserved, retracting their friendly expressions and immediately stepping back a few steps, assuming defensive postures.

"Hey? You guys don't have to be so afraid! We two mean no harm. We're really just here to investigate Ellieanna's misconduct. We're not in cahoots! Hey! Old Dao, say something! I'm struggling to explain here!" Haoyun watched as the group of black-clothed figures became increasingly alert, no longer showing fear but rather donning expressions ready to fight, and nudged Dao Lao, who stood beside him.

Dao Lao stroked his white beard and calmly said, "There's no need for everyone to be so nervous. Although we are Ellieanna's colleagues, our purposes for coming here are not entirely the same. Remember, during your battle just now, we could have left quietly."

"Although we arrived here with a neutral stance, given that zombie soldiers are synonymous with evil wherever they appear, we chose to lend a hand because killing zombies created by evil forces is an act of justice. And our actions precisely prove that we are not evil people but rather visitors representing justice, don't they?"

Indeed, they could have avoided the battle earlier but chose to intervene and lend a hand. From this perspective alone, these two powerful beings were benevolent. Coupled with the kindness and righteousness displayed in every move and gesture, Haoyun and Dao Lao managed to instill a sense of trust in the highly perceptive elven people. After a lively discussion, the black-clothed figures decided to temporarily trust Haoyun and Dao Lao.

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"Alright. Since there is no hostility between us, let's talk as we go! After all, a battle just took place here, so it's not suitable to linger." After reaching a consensus about Haoyun and Dao Lao, Harvey made a gesture indicating readiness to retreat.

Then, the group of black-clothed figures began to clean up the battlefield in perfect coordination. Some retrieved the arrows shot during the ambush, some dragged the bodies to a concealed location for simple burial, and others adjusted the surrounding footprints to better conceal the group's tracks. Each action of the black-clothed figures was highly skilled, indicating that they were not clearing a battlefield like this for the first time.

After conversing with Harvey, Haoyun and Dao Lao learned that the elves' proficiency in clearing the battlefield was owed to the frequent wars on the planet of Aluf. Because of the constant outbreaks of wars, clearing the battlefield to create a comfortable living environment was simply routine for the elves here.

"Alright, that's it for today! The remaining stains, bloodstains, sword marks, and other traces will all be covered by the sand and wind in a day and a half! Also, according to Pelanod's reconnaissance intelligence, there won't be any Dark Elf patrol troops in this area for at least a few days. So, we're safe now!" After giving the battlefield a final inspection, Harvey clapped his dusty hands together with satisfaction.

"So, where do we go next?" Haoyun asked curiously.

Harvey smiled mysteriously and said, "We'll talk on the way."

Obviously, although Harvey had a good impression of Haoyun and Dao Lao and was willing to believe they weren't bad people, he still harbored some caution toward them for his own safety.

However, Haoyun and Dao Lao had no objections. After all, being cautious around strangers during times of turmoil was never a bad thing. So, Dao Lao made a gesture of deference and said, "Haha! That's right. It's not suitable to stay here for long. It's better to talk on the way!"

The group soon disappeared into the dim yellow sand. Despite the sudden increase in sandstorm, obscuring the surrounding light, they could still accurately find their way through the maze-like stone forest, thanks to Harvey's familiarity with the terrain. Eventually, after walking for over half an hour, they emerged from the swirling sand into a stone cave.

The entrance to the cave was small and concealed, but the cave itself had a floor area of at least seventy to eighty square meters. The light inside the cave was naturally dimmer, but it didn't hinder Haoyun from using the system's night vision ability to see the scattered living utensils and the ground in the center of the cave with obvious burn marks.

"This should be their temporary residence in the stone forest," Haoyun whispered.

"It seems so. By the way, do you see those black stones on the ground? Those should be Dume ore." Dao Lao replied, gesturing toward a small pile of stones in the corner of the cave.

Following Dao Lao's direction, Haoyun quickly noticed that on the surface of those coal-like stones, there would occasionally be a dark green glow, flashing rapidly like an electric current. As it was his first time seeing Dume ore, Haoyun immediately prepared to walk over and examine those magical stones closely.

But just as Haoyun was about to act, the cave suddenly brightened up. Then, he heard Harvey calling out, "Haha, it's been tough for you two powerful beings! Come, come, sit down and rest! This is our temporary shelter. Because the terrain nearby is extremely complex and covered by strange sandstorms all year round, this cave is very safe. We don't need to worry about Dark Elf patrols showing up here."

With Harvey's warm invitation, Haoyun and Dao Lao naturally wouldn't be polite. They found a spot by the newly lit campfire and sat down. It was at this moment that Haoyun began to gradually calm down from the excitement after the battle. Then, his body was completely occupied by intense fatigue.

Haoyun quickly checked the detection data of the Mold Spirit Energy Tracking System on his physical condition. Sure enough, after the battle just now, Haoyun's mental reserve had almost dropped to fifteen percent. Just a little more consumption, and his mental strength would reach the lowest alert line. It seemed that launching the Phantom Stab in a state of bearing 10G load was still too exhausting for his mental strength! Additionally, even without frequently launching the Phantom Stab in an overloaded state, the consumption of mental strength was still astonishingly high.

Looking at the system's records of the mental consumption at various stages during the battle just now, Haoyun silently concluded in his heart, "Although these superpowers consume a huge amount of mental strength, resulting in a significant reduction in my combat endurance when overly reliant on these powers. But the fundamental reason for all of this is still my weak mental strength. It seems that I still need to take it easy in the upcoming battles and not easily engage in full-power brainless output due to impulse."

"Come on, you two powerful beings, have some water and food. Oh, dear! The conditions here are quite tough. We only have some simple dry rations to ease your hunger. Please bear with us!" Harvey handed two small cans of water to Haoyun and Dao Lao, smiling slightly awkwardly.

Haoyun and Dao Lao quickly assured Harvey not to worry too much because they were used to roughing it. So, these simple rations were already good enough for them.

As they drank the water from the cans, they watched a black-clothed figure sitting at the far end of the cave, chanting softly and lighting several pieces of Dume ore again to increase the brightness and warmth in the cave. Perhaps noticing Haoyun's curiosity about the stones, Pelanod approached and explained that these stones, called "Dume ore," were one of the root causes of the ongoing wars on Aluf. Of course, disregarding the disasters caused by Dume ore, it was also a very useful material for lighting and making fires.

"But, aren't you afraid that the smoke released during the burning of Dume ore will expose your hiding place?" Haoyun asked in confusion.

"Hehehe! Of course not. This is actually one of the magical properties of Dume ore. Because it only releases a colorless and odorless heat energy when burning. As long as we seal the entrance well and ensure that outsiders won't see the firelight here, we basically have no chance of being discovered. Of course, there are multiple vents hidden in this cave." Pelanod replied, pointing to the entrance that had already been covered by a large slab of stone.