"Of course. Who doesn’t know the most famous fortune teller in the City of Light—the former candidate to become Queen of the Elves, the lovestruck madwoman, Elia?"

Walking beside Elena, Rios raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"Are you telling me that lunatic was the Crown Princess before you?!"

"Yes. But it’s unfortunate how she ended up in such a miserable state." Elena sighed and shook her head regretfully.

"Oh? You’ve piqued my curiosity now." Rios raised one eyebrow and looked at Elena.

"Well, I can’t blame you. Everyone who learns about her becomes curious about her story." Elena smiled and glanced at Rios from the corner of her eye before continuing. "Twenty years ago, Elia was the leading candidate to become the next queen. She held overwhelming influence within the Council of Advisors, and it was almost certain that she would inherit the throne. Unfortunately, she made a grave mistake—one she never should have come close to."

Rios listened attentively. When he heard about Elia’s mistake, he smiled mockingly and said,

"Let me guess. Judging by the title ’the lovestruck madwoman,’ she fell in love with someone. And as a candidate for the throne of the Elves, that was something she should never have done."

Hearing his response, Elena smiled and let out a sympathetic sigh.

"Yes. Elia fell in love with one of the most promising knights, who was also at the third level and held the rank of advisor. Sadly, twenty years ago, her beloved was killed by one of the Giants. From that day onward, she began to lose herself until she eventually descended into madness. She comes to this fountain every single day because it was the first place where she met her late lover."

"You might come tomorrow and find her sitting here again. She’ll most likely have forgotten all about you by then."

"Damn it... I can’t believe I was actually about to believe some of that fraud’s words." Rios sighed, almost wanting to slap himself for his own foolishness.

"She isn’t a fraud. There’s some truth in what she says. She really has never read someone’s fortune without what she saw eventually coming true." Elena smiled as she looked at him.

"What do you mean?!" Hearing Elena’s unexpected words, Rios felt a slight chill run through his body.

"She didn’t lie to you. Every prediction she’s ever made has come true—but they were predictions any child could have made."

Rios frowned.

"Explain."

"It’s simple. She sees someone suffering from a terminal illness or a severe injury and predicts they’ll die, and sure enough, they die days or months later. Or she sees a married couple whose relationship has reached the point of no return and predicts they’ll separate. Or she knows the Royal Guard is heading out on a dangerous mission and says this one will die and that one will die. Some die, while others survive."

Elena shrugged mockingly before her expression darkened with annoyance.

"They’re all obvious conclusions mixed with a bit of luck. But this time was different. This time, she crossed the line!"

"What? Are you going to punish her?" Rios raised an eyebrow and looked at Elena with an amused smile.

"Of course not. What kind of person do you think I am, to believe I’d chase after a madwoman who deserves pity rather than punishment?" Elena narrowed her eyes, punched Rios lightly in the arm, and replied coldly.

"What kind of person do I think you are... hmm, let’s see...?" Rios crossed his arms and rubbed his chin before looking Elena up and down.

"You certainly have many admirable qualities. But if I had to name the two that stand out the most..." he smiled and continued,

"First, you’re undoubtedly a wise woman..."

Under Rios’s gaze, Elena’s cheeks flushed. She lowered her eyes slightly, and when she noticed he’d paused without continuing, she asked,

"And what’s the second one?"

"Mmm, the second one..." Rios smiled mischievously, leaned close to Elena’s ear, and whispered softly,

"The second thing that defines you is that you’re definitely the most amazing woman in bed. Hehehehehe."

The instant Elena heard his words, her entire face turned crimson with embarrassment, and she punched his arm hard.

Bam!

"Alright, alright, don’t be angry. Hahaha." Rios placed a hand on top of Elena’s head and gently ruffled her hair before asking again,

"But I’m genuinely curious about you Light Elves. Among the seven clans, every clan has its own element. Why are you the only ones who possess another ability in addition to your primary element, like seeing prophecies?"

"It has nothing to do with the element or the clan. It has to do with the ancestor." Elena shook her head.

"The ancestor? What do you mean?" Rios frowned.

"To understand that, you first have to know the history of the Elves and their origin." Elena looked at him, glanced around, then took him by the hand.

"Come. Let’s sit in that garden. No one else is there, and I’ll explain everything."

Elena led Rios to a relatively small garden outside the marketplace where no one else was sitting.

"You can continue now." Rios nodded.

"I don’t know whether it’s true or merely an old legend, but the story goes back more than a hundred thousand years."

Looking up at the sky, Elena began recounting a history known only to a handful of people.

"The ancient records say that a hundred thousand years ago, none of the races known today existed. There was only a single race, called the Original Race—or in other records, simply Humans. They closely matched the description of the humans from your former world."

Rios’s eyes widened upon hearing Elena’s words, his pupils trembling slightly before he calmed himself.

"Go on."

"They say that after the Tree of Cradle appeared in this world and reached the fourth level, it transformed the humans who served it into Elves. But those Elves were merely ordinary Elves, so the Tree of Cradle bestowed some of its fruits upon a selected group of them. And thus, the first generation of Elemental Elves was born."

Elena explained the history of the Elves to Rios, and when she saw him nodding, she continued.

"That first generation of Elemental Elves was no different from the Elves you see today. The only thing that distinguished them was their command over the seven elements. But during one of his journeys, the ancestor of the Light Elves discovered an ancient treasure he called the Well of Stars. After drinking from its waters, prophetic dreams began to come to him, dreams that later came true. That is how the Light Elves gained the ability to see prophecies. The power was passed down to every Light Elf descended from that ancestor, though its strength varied from one individual to another."

After listening to Elena’s tale and the legend of the Elven ancestors, Rios frowned and pondered for a moment before asking,

"If all the Elves in this world originated from Humans and the Tree of Cradle, then what about the other races? And where did the Humans go?"

"The other races are just like us. They were born from the union of Humans with the bloodlines of sacred beasts. For example, it’s said that the Dragon Race and the Golden Lion Race existed even before us Elves, and that their sacred beasts were no weaker than the Tree of Cradle."

Elena continued,

"As for Humans, after the appearance of the last of the seven races thirty thousand years ago—the Centaur Race—they vanished from this continent and have not been seen here ever since."

After hearing Elena’s explanation, Rios gazed at the clouds drifting across the sky for a while, then at the setting sun. Finally, he let out a sigh and rose to his feet.

"Let’s go. It seems I’ll have to verify those ancient records myself."