Apart from that wave of beast-hating attacks, there were no other incidents afterwards.
The armored vehicle safely entered the borders of Lanqi Country.
Lanqi Country's territory is not large, located deep within the dense forest.
Yun Manman sat in Lanqi Country's hover car, looking up at the towering trees outside the window that blocked out the sky, and couldn't help but exclaim, "The environment here is so nice!"
Yan Ye glanced at the navigation on the car: "Yes. And the trees here serve as a 'border defense line' for them."
"The elves respect and love nature. After we arrive, we must be careful not to damage even a blade of grass or a single tree."
After an unknown amount of time, the scenery before their eyes gradually transitioned from a dense sea of green to hilly terrain. Along the way, they could see small wooden cabins built by the roadside or treehouses constructed in the trees.
Without exception, they were all small and simple, giving off a rustic countryside feel.
The hover car's navigation announced: "Welcome to Linglan City."
Yan Ye: "Hmm, we've finally arrived..."
But in the next moment, he suddenly slammed on the brakes, his golden cat eyes widening in surprise as he looked ahead.
Yun Manman also curiously looked forward.
They saw that on the necessary route into the city, elves of all sizes were blocking the road with large red banners, while some small elves were flying up and down holding red flags with cat heads painted on them, making quite a lively scene.
When the elves saw Yan Ye and Yun Manman arrive, their eyes lit up. They pushed and shoved each other, then shouted out the words on the banner in unison:
"Warmly welcome our beast friends to tour Lanqi!"
The momentum was overwhelming.
Yan Ye and Yun Manman: ...
Weren't elves supposed to be socially anxious? Huh??
Half an hour later.
"I'm sorry, did we frighten you?"
Alice placed cups of freshly brewed rose tea in front of Yun Manman and Yan Ye.
They were sitting in a spacious wooden reception hall. Unlike its rustic exterior, the interior was exquisitely decorated, using many lace fabrics and sparkling gem ornaments. The room also contained various smart furniture pieces.
The elf lady was still wearing a flowing white dress, but the purple gem ornament on her forehead had been replaced with a white flower wreath, making her look delicate and pure, causing Yan Ye to be unable to take his eyes off her.
Yun Manman picked up her teacup and took a sip: "It's alright, don't worry."
Alice twirled her light golden curls embarrassedly: "My parents said we must give our beast friends who have come from afar the most sincere and warm welcome, to let you feel our enthusiasm."
"Then after discussing with the tourism bureau, it turned out like this."
"We elves have been in seclusion for too long and are very curious about other races."
Yun Manman suddenly understood.
For a moment just now, she had a sense of déjà vu, like when leaders come to inspect a company on Earth and banners are hung to welcome them.
It seems they also had prejudices about the elf race.
Not all elves were naturally cold and shy; many elves had lively and bouncy personalities.
In just the few minutes they had been chatting, countless little elves had been peeking in at the door and windows.
Alice followed Yun Manman's gaze to the window and called out helplessly: "Anan! Come in!"
The shimmering little wings outside the window hurriedly retracted.
Alice spoke again: "You An! Come and meet our guests!"
After a burst of chirping and clamoring, a short-haired little elf poked his head in at the door, grinning as he said: "Sister, can I bring Boji and the others in?"
"They also want to greet the guests."
Alice glanced at the curious Yun Manman and nodded: "All right, come in then."
So a string of little elves, like twinkling little light bulbs, flew in holding hands one after another. They lined up in the air and gave Yun Manman and the others a formal bow.
"Dear beast lady and sir, hello! My name is You An!"
"I'm Boji! You An's good friend!"
"Hello, I'm Kailan. Welcome to Lanqi Country..."
"My name is..."
After introducing themselves, they all looked at Yun Manman and Yan Ye with expectant big eyes.
Are all elf children this interesting? They were like flying palm-sized dolls.
Yun Manman's heart melted, and she softened her voice as she smiled and said: "My name is Yun Manman, you can call me Manman. It's nice to meet you all!"
Yan Ye also looked at these little elves with interest: "I'm Yan Ye."
They were like flying cat toys. Hmm... he shouldn't think like that, it's too impolite.
You An looked at the dimples on Yun Manman's pink cheeks and flew over excitedly: "Sister Yun, your dimples are so cute!"
The other little elves also flew up and down around Yun Manman: "Sister Yun, are you a cat beast person?"
"Sister Yun, do you like catnip?"
"Sister Yun, are cat claws very sharp? Is your beast form very big..."
"Sister Yun, Sister Yun..."
Yun Manman was dizzy from their constant cries of "Sister Yun" and no longer found them cute.
Indeed, little brats are noisy no matter where they're from!
Alice's attempts to dissuade them from the side had no effect; her voice was completely drowned out by these little rascals.
At this moment, a pair of large hands with distinct knuckles reached out and grabbed You An in his palm.
You An, who had been talking excitedly, turned back dissatisfied: "Who..."
But when he saw it was his father, he immediately fell silent and timidly said: "Father..."
The Linglan City Lord wore a white robe with gold trim, his golden hair tied in a low ponytail at the back of his head. Even in middle age, his face remained handsome, showing no traces of the years.
His transparent thin wings were folded behind him, shimmering with a faint golden light.
The City Lord pinched You An's wings: "Anan! Being naughty again!"
The City Lord's Wife standing next to him had an elegant and gentle demeanor. After officially welcoming Yun Manman and Yan Ye, she sat down next to Yun Manman.
She held Yun Manman's hands, her light purple eyes burning with intensity as she looked at the cat ears on top of Yun Manman's head.
"Your name is Manman, right? You're so beautiful. I heard about you from Alice. Thanks to you, Alice was able to return safely."
"You're truly a kind-hearted and excellent cat beast person..."
Yun Manman's ears twitched embarrassedly, feeling shy from such direct praise.
"It's nothing, Alice helped us first..."
The City Lord's Wife beckoned Alice over: "Alice's coming-of-age ceremony will be held in two days. You and your brother can spend these two days exploring Lanqi Country. The scenery in Lanqi is quite nice."
"There's also the Channeling Academy. I heard your spiritual power purity is especially high. You can visit the Channeling Academy, and if you're interested, we can recommend you for admission to study there."
The City Lord's Wife's enthusiasm made Yun Manman feel flattered. It wasn't until they left the reception hall that she realized.
She asked Alice, who was sitting on her shoulder: "Is your Channeling Academy open for other races to visit freely?"
Alice swung her legs: "No, other races need to apply in advance to enter. It's just that my parents particularly like you."
Especially her mother. She had been staring at Yun Manman's ears and tail on top of her head, her eyes full of "want to pet."
But Yun Manman didn't notice, and her mother was too embarrassed to ask someone to transform into their beast form for petting on their first meeting.