’The spring can fulfill children’s wishes?’

Mo Ling stared at the Little Elf in shock.

It seemed capable of creating relics based on children’s wishes, then distributing them to the kids.

’No wonder so many parents were waiting outside with their children.’

’And it seemed they all wanted their children to obtain relics according to their parents’ wishes.’

’But this little boy ultimately chose to create a relic based on what he truly wanted.’

’He’ll probably get another beating when he gets out.’

Inside the spring, the golden Little Elf caressed the red mark on the little boy’s face, its gaze full of sympathy. Golden light shimmered in its hand. A fine mist of water drifted past, and the red mark instantly vanished.

The Little Elf was in no hurry. Instead, it circled the little boy continuously, watching him create all sorts of candy with the toy pistol in his hand.

Only when the little boy had played to his heart’s content did the Little Elf gently remind him:

"I have to send you out now. The other children are waiting."

Hearing that he had to leave, the little boy must have thought of his mother. A fearful expression crossed his face, but he still nodded and obediently replied, "Okay."

Rippling waves rose once more, lifting the little boy and gently setting him down outside the fountain. His clothes were not stained by a single drop of water.

Clutching his toy pistol, the little boy looked around and found his mother in the distance.

The woman seemed unconcerned with the boy himself. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the toy pistol in his hand, her face dark as a thundercloud. Her eyes bulged with rage.

"Did you forget what I told you?"

The moment the little boy reached her side, she grabbed him by the ear. She paid no mind to the nearby soldiers, launching directly into a furious tirade against him.

Then came several slaps against the little boy’s body. And as she hit him, she herself began to cry.

"Do you realize you only get one chance like this in your entire life? And you chose this piece of trash for a relic? When you run into danger in the Abyss, what are you going to do, shoot things with candy?"

"Do you know how your father died? It was because his relic was garbage! He had no way to handle the dangers."

"A relic is a Hunter’s life! Mama warned you so many times, why wouldn’t you listen?"

Exhausted from crying or from hitting him, the woman collapsed to the ground, still muttering incessantly.

But the little boy wasn’t crying. Instead, he tugged on the corner of his mother’s clothes, helped wipe the tears from her face, and explained in a small voice:

"Because before, when you and Papa were fighting, you said you wanted some candy."

"Later, Papa secretly told me that Oasis City doesn’t have any candy. He said he’d stop by Dawn City to buy some when he went out on his next mission."

"But he never came back."

"So I thought... if I had a never-ending supply of candy, Papa would come back."

"..."

The little boy’s voice grew quieter and quieter until he lowered his head, as if he’d done something wrong. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The woman’s eyes flew open, her sobs catching in her throat. She suddenly pulled the little boy into a tight embrace and began to wail.

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Mama was wrong..."

Her cries were lost in the bustling noise of the crowd, failing to make the slightest ripple.

They were just one ordinary pair among thousands of parents and children. No one would pay them any mind...

Mo Ling quietly watched this little interlude play out before turning his gaze back to the fountain.

The queue had already reached number several-dozen. After seeing the beautiful scene within the golden spring, most of the children chose to follow their hearts.

The Little Elf tirelessly created all sorts of toy-like relics for them.

The costs and functions of these relics were very simple:

A doll that could change its own outfit every day, with the cost of having to draw pictures of clothes for it.

A cup that could produce any kind of beverage, with the cost of having to fill it with hot water beforehand.

There was also a mechanical piglet that could float in the air, with the cost of having to wake up early every morning, brush your teeth, and then breathe on the piglet...

Most of the relics were like something out of a child’s game. Without fail, the children who chose them received a scolding and a beating from their parents upon exiting, and the plaza was once again filled with wails of misery.

Soon, it was the turn of the boy in the smart-looking suit. He gave an "OK" sign to his equally well-dressed father and walked toward the spring.

The water surged, and a giant hand snatched him into the fountain.

Golden raindrops fell, and the Little Elf appeared once more.

"Little one, what is it you desire most?" As with the other children, the Little Elf asked the same question. "And don’t you lie."

A paintbrush appeared upon the surrounding currents, capable of painting a rainbow-like arc across the sky...

The boy in the suit stared at the paintbrush with longing, but he quickly steeled himself, wrenching his head away to stop looking.

Then, his eyes darted about as if recalling something, and he began to recite, devoid of all emotion:

"I want a relic that can obliterate any creature I look at. Its form should be a bracelet or a ring. The cost is that after putting on this relic, my body will temporarily become incorporeal."

Hearing this, the smile on the Little Elf’s face vanished instantly. It stared coldly at the boy in the suit.

But the boy had not yet finished his recitation.

"’Obliterate’ means to kill completely, causing a creature to totally cease all signs of life, rendering it unable to move, attack, forage, and so on. This includes Undead-type Abyssal Creatures, for which ’obliterate’ means to make them dissipate on the spot. Including..."

"’Creature’ includes all species from the Abyss, Earth, and the Otherworld, as well as relic-derived species and mechanical lifeforms..."

"’Incorporeal’ means that nothing in the surrounding environment can touch me, including light, sound, and all other physical phenomena. This also includes relic-based phenomena and attacks from special Abyssal Creatures..."

"Addendum one: Becoming incorporeal will not prevent me from receiving external signals. I will still be able to stand on the ground and perceive my surroundings with my five senses, but none of it will be able to harm me."

"Addendum two: The state of being incorporeal will not affect the user’s body when the relic is not worn, nor will it produce any warping, including mental or physical warping. It will not affect the user’s surroundings, will not..."

"..."

"The final right of interpretation for this relic belongs to this user."

"Recitation complete."

The boy recited for a long time. Every word and definition was specified with watertight precision, just like clauses in a contract.

He must have practiced for a very long time; his recitation was perfectly smooth and free of any errors.

The Little Elf listened patiently until he was finished.

The paintbrush above the currents was gone, and the showering golden raindrops had vanished.

"I will grant your wish."

The Little Elf’s tone was tinged with disappointment. It extended a listless arm, and with a single tap, a silver ring appeared in the boy’s hand.

This time, the Little Elf said nothing more. It simply dissipated as the currents surged once more, roughly seizing the boy in the suit.

The giant hand tossed him aside, and the boy slammed heavily onto the ground outside the fountain.

His once-neat little suit was now soaked through. A gust of wind made the boy sneeze.

He clutched the ring, looking disheveled, and walked toward his waiting father.

His father casually took out a handkerchief.

"Dry yourself off. Don’t be an embarrassment."

Then, he pried the boy’s hand open and took the ring.

"Did you recite it exactly as I taught you?"

Shivering, the boy answered excitedly, "Papa, I recited the whole thing! I didn’t forget a single word!"

He looked at his father expectantly, as if hoping for praise.

But the man just held the ring in his hand, inspecting it ceaselessly, paying the boy no further mind.

No one noticed the irrepressibly manic desire that surfaced in the father’s eyes.