Demi-human Girls Completion Manual Chapter 1401 - 41: The Elf in My Mind

"My lady, let me help you out first."

Outside the great egg of Nirvana, Heidlin hadn’t had time to reminisce or express her gratitude; she hurriedly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, preparing to reach out and pull Valentina, who was curled up inside the egg, out.

Valentina gasped for fresh air, but each breath she exhaled carried intense cold, as if her body held the entire winter of the Northern Realm within her.

As Valentina breathed, Heidlin’s hand turned bright red from the cold, trembling as she touched the cracked eggshell next to her. It was as if some switch was triggered, and the entire eggshell began to shatter, producing a crisp sound.

"Crack, crack, crack!"

"My lady!"

Heidlin’s fragile human body appeared so vulnerable in the face of a phoenix’s extreme cold. She was forced to step back several paces, watching as Valentina slipped out from the broken shell, fully revealing her current appearance to Heidlin.

In awe of the massive wings appearing somewhat powerless due to unfamiliarity, her legs intact and growing patches of downy blue feathers...

"I... I’m okay. My legs can... can move..."

Valentina was still adjusting to this body, especially as it seemed she had been asleep for a very long time, and waking up was always somewhat disorienting.

"Yes, my lady, you are now indeed a true Phoenix... a species revered by all races in the Northern Realm..."

Moved, Heidlin knelt on the ground, quickly picking up a large blanket to wrap the naked Valentina lying on the ground. As her body gradually adapted, the uncontrollable cold ceased to spread.

Heidlin’s voice was tinged with sobs, tears of joy, as she tightly embraced Valentina, who smiled and patted Heidlin’s back.

"Ah, I’m back, Heidlin... wait, your hair..."

While held in Heidlin’s arms, Valentina’s peripheral vision suddenly caught sight of white strands intertwined beneath the black hair bound by her jade hair crown, conspicuous in the eyes of Valentina, who was no longer a mere human being and had ascended in rank.

Upon hearing this, Heidlin paused slightly, then looked at Valentina, quickly realizing what her gaze had landed upon. Awkwardly, Heidlin smiled, covering the area of her hair crown with her hand, saying,

"Age does that, and with the cold weather under the Wutong Tree, the whitening hastens too."

Valentina keenly noted the marks time had left on Heidlin’s face, swiftly realizing something and immediately asking her,

"Heidlin, just how long was I asleep?"

"Four and a half years, my lady... Let me help you to bed for a while; you should rest first. Then I’ll go out and inform them of your awakening, and bring you something to eat. You must be quite hungry after not eating for four and a half years."

"Four and a half years?"

Valentina echoed incredulously, then allowed Heidlin to painstakingly help her, still a phoenix, up, slowly heading towards the direction of the bed positioned in the room.

"Ah, I didn’t expect you to sleep for so long, my lady, but thankfully, nothing happened here over these years with them around... They’ve all been waiting for your awakening."

"Them?"

"Yes, the Six Snow Mountain Tribes, Slime Species, Moon Rabbit Species, Grey Bird Species, Snow Fox Species, Troll Species, and Cloud Cat Species... While only Sister Ilois remains from the Moon Rabbit Species, she has come to the Wutong Tree too."

"I... Heidlin, could you tell me exactly what happened while I was asleep?"

Heidlin helped Valentina onto the bed, covered her with the quilt, then pondered and proceeded to tell Valentina all that had transpired over the years.

The curse of the Wutong Tree was lifted, Balzac, Philis, and others left the Northern Realm to pursue their own paths. Heidlin had stayed within the Snow Fox settlement, anxiously awaiting updates from above until one day, the Slimes came, taking her along with the entire Snow Fox Species to Sema Snow Mountain, where they gathered the remaining bloodlines of the Six Snow Mountain Tribes, waiting for Valentina to awaken...

"So, regarding the family matters that still..."

"Ah, my lady... It’s regrettable, but for these years, the Six Clans have remained on Sema Snow Mountain to conserve strength, only thwarting several attempts by the family to ascend and reach the Wutong Tree... They are aware of the curse’s disappearance, and after escaping it, they finally dared to leave Snowflake Fortress. It’s said they’ve grown quite close to Nali in recent years..."

A thought about how those fellows were benefiting from the resolution of the curse she and Fisher had fought so hard to solve soured Valentina’s expression somewhat...

Oh, Fisher, her husband!

Where had he gone?

She had been asleep for a full four and a half years, and he had waited the same amount of time, yet Heidlin hadn’t mentioned him seeking her out. He continued to be pursued by Nali, and if the Turand Family had colluded with Nali, Fisher’s fate in the Northern Realm...

"Heidlin, what about Fi..."

"Knock, knock, knock..."

Just then, faint knocking was heard at the door, as if the person outside lacked strength for it.