Soon, the elf lady with the measuring tape had finished measuring Lux's figure. The elf lady was very professional, like a master seamstress, and when she measured Lux's chest, Lux could feel Sylvie's slightly pitying gaze.

  "I think this is a pretty fabric-saving figure. Perfect for me," Lux said jokingly to show that she didn't care. But when she saw Sylvie's gaze, which seemed to say even more clearly, "What a poor girl," Lux could only laugh awkwardly.

  "All measured," Sylvie said, brimming with enthusiasm to get started. Then she said to Lux, "Would you like to reconsider letting me make you an Aethelfleur Skirt? It's very cool and breezy. I think it would suit you."

  "No, thank you for your kindness," Lux said. "Besides, I'm more used to wearing pants and simple cloth tops."

  "Really? But I think you'd look so cool and beautiful wearing an Aethelfleur Skirt with a Feylight Blouse," Sylvie said, imagining the scene. It was as if she had a magical dressing room installed in her mind, already dressing Lux in this elven outfit and giving her a perfect score.

  Okay, this was the most difficult situation for Lux to deal with: an overly enthusiastic elf lady she had just met.

  But this ordeal ended quickly, because Sylvie discovered that she didn't have enough Everfragrant Flowers at home to make an Aethelfleur Skirt (Aethelfleur Skirts are decorated with many, many Everfragrant Flowers that never rot), so she decided to make a set of pants and a cloth top suitable for Lux first.

  "I'm the only elf around here. No other elves will come here, so if you want to go out, feel free to take a walk," Sylvie said to Lux while preparing to cut fabric (Lux also noticed that elves referred to themselves as "people").

  Then she stared at Lux, as if discovering Lux's weakness, and said with a hint of worry and a reminder, "Just don't go too far."

  "Don't worry, I'll just wander around nearby," Lux said. She realized that Sylvie was kindly reminding her, which made Lux blush slightly. She couldn't blame some 'forest curse' for her terrible sense of direction anymore.

  And since staying here would disturb Sylvie's sewing, Lux went for a stroll around the hut, wearing the 'relaxed-fitting chest-exposing dress.'

  The sky was very blue, like an iceberg permeated with blue dye, suspended in the air. The fragrant grasses seemed to be watching a race of the wind. When the wind blew, the grasses would 'raise their hands' and wave in cheers. And the trees in the distance were silent, as if they were all asleep, though they would occasionally rustle their leaves, like snoring.

  The river was also very clear. A faint phosphorescence shimmered in the flowing water, sparkling with dots of light. These lights danced and rippled, transforming the water into a starry sky.

  Lux looked at this scenery. She felt somewhat out of place. Although she had been in contact with nature for a full three months, she had never experienced such a sense of tranquility. She gradually tried to immerse her whole being in this tranquility, walking, walking beside the stream not far from the hut, walking among the blossoming flowers and fragrant grasses. She was trying to live in harmony with this nature.

  There was no shortage of living creatures here. Butterflies danced back and forth among the flowers, touching a flower and then fluttering away, as if playing a game with their light feet. And occasionally, rabbits or squirrels would poke their heads out, glancing around, allowing Lux to appreciate these small animals' cuteness for once, instead of just seeing them as food.

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  Lux felt an unprecedented sense of exhaustion, a fatigue that almost pulled her to the ground. She could only find a tree to lean against and continue to gaze at the scenery before her.

  "It's so beautiful," Lux exclaimed. "If only Mitty and I could live in a place like this."

  "Mitty..."

  The moment Lux thought of this, the tranquil air suddenly felt suffocating. All the lively animals, everything she saw – the greens, cyans, and blues – were covered in a purple hue, like blood seeping up from the earth. This purple was boiling, burning, and within the flames, human figures constantly emerged, their faces twisted in laughter.

  A cruel laughter, a maniacal laughter.

  Lux felt her blood run cold, preparing to fight or flee, when she heard a voice from behind her.

  "Brother."

  "Mitty?" Lux turned her head and saw a girl wearing a long red dress. It was Mitty.

  And Mitty smiled at Lux, a smile that was pained and desperate.

  "Brother... am I delicious?"

  Then Mitty, too, was consumed by the flames and burned away.

  After hearing those words, Lux felt herself falling into an infinitely cold black hole, plummeting endlessly until the fear in her heart transformed into a blinding light that pierced her eyes.

  "Ah!" Lux woke up with a start, covered in cold sweat, gasping for breath. She felt every muscle in her body tense, and an icy chill coursed through her.

  "Lux, are you alright?" A clear and melodious voice, like the singing of birds, asked. "Did you have a nightmare?"

  "Sylvie, I'm fine," Lux said, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked around. It was now night, but a very blue kind of black, like crushed sapphires scattered across the night sky. The stars were out, a bit dazzling, yet obediently twinkling in the heavens. And the moon retained its mysterious and hazy illusion, as if one could step onto the moonlight and enter that cold, yellow world.

  And everything around her was so peaceful and serene, with only the faint chirping of insects and the rustling of wind through the grass. Lux's dream, however, felt like a warning, warning her not to try to die in this beautiful world. She couldn't die here. She should live, live in that sea of fire.

  Lux's head began to throb. Her mind seemed to sway back and forth between the fiery world of her dream and the natural world before her.

  "Lux?" Sylvie noticed that something was wrong with Lux. She reached out and helped Lux up, saying, "I've finished making your clothes. I saw you were asleep, so I made dinner and waited for you to wake up. I was just wondering if I should wake you..."

  "Thank you, Sylvie," Lux nodded, knowing she couldn't let the kind girl who was hosting her worry. Besides, it was so dark already, which meant Sylvie had been waiting for her for quite a while.

  Lux followed Sylvie back to her hut. It was a bit dark inside, but there were glowing white spherical flowers acting as a lamp. The lamp was strangely growing on a magic crystal.

  First, Lux tried on the newly sewn clothes. They looked plain but fit her perfectly, and were even very comfortable. Lux was amazed by Sylvie's skill and praised her, calling her "Master Seamstress Sylvie."

  "Oh dear, it's getting a bit cold," Sylvie said, carrying an earthenware pot filled with a stew of mushrooms and vegetables. On the table were flatbreads on a plate, and surprisingly, the flatbreads had flower petals inside. There was also a fruit basket with various fruits.

  "Sorry, I'm not very good at making meat dishes, so is this vegetable stew okay?" Sylvie asked. "I heard that you people from Xu's region seem to need to eat meat."

  "It's not that we to eat meat. This is fine," Lux said. Besides, she had been eating nothing but grilled meat without any seasoning for so long, that a meat-heavy meal might actually make her nauseous right now.

  It was a very satisfying dinner for Lux, and the first meal in a long time where she could sit down and eat slowly, like...

  Lux shook her head and calmed herself. She didn't want to show any signs of discomfort in front of Sylvie or in the setting of this carefully prepared dinner.

  After dinner, Sylvie pulled Lux along, carrying the flower lamp, and they sat on the steps by the door to chat.