"Yes."
Taking a deep breath, Selena removed her hood, revealing her slender, pointed face. She also exposed her exquisite features, as if painted by an artist.
Her light golden hair draped over her shoulders, incredibly smooth. Every feature on her delicate face was perfectly positioned where it should be.
Selena's figure was incredibly graceful, with a curvaceous body and a waist that could be easily embraced.
She was not petite; every bit of flesh on her body was in the right place. Any more would make her too fat, any less would make her too thin. Everything was so perfect, so fitting, complementing her classical face and making one linger in admiration.
Lane knew that the elves in this world, like those in the novels from his previous life, were all high in beauty. But seeing this elf before him so stunningly beautiful, he still couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.
After a moment, he cleared his throat, pulling his thoughts back to reality.
"Elves are usually isolated from the world and do not interact with humans. May I ask, Miss, what brings you here?"
Lane looked at the elf before him and asked with some curiosity.
Right at this moment, The Breeder's Gift, which had been silent for a long time, reacted.
A cold, mechanical synthetic voice sounded in his ear.
[The current target meets the aptitude requirements of The Breeder's Gift. The divine gift can be activated.]
Simply put, in plainer terms, it was saying: You, go make her give birth to a child for you.
What nonsense is this!
Two people who barely know each other, and he's supposed to ask her to have a child for him?
Lane did not have the habit of forcing others to bear children for him.
He had to cough twice, to cover up his inner embarrassment.
While Lane was observing Selena, Selena was also observing Lane.
Strange.
This was the first impression word Selena gave to Lane.
Too strange. Selena knew her appearance; even in the elven kingdom, her face could still be considered top-tier beauty. Ordinary humans who saw her only had desire in their eyes.
This was also why elves were unwilling to interact with humans.
Their appearances were too outstanding. Regardless of gender, they easily became targets for humans. Her brothers and sisters were also targeted for this reason.
But in Lane's eyes, there was not a hint of hidden lust. It wasn't that Lane wasn't interested; Selena could tell he appreciated her beauty. But it was just appreciation, without the sickening possessiveness seen in others' eyes.
This made Selena have some goodwill towards Lane.
"Selena·Nightblade, this is my name, Your Highness Lane·Berk."
"There's no need to be so formal. Just call me Lane, Miss Selena. May I ask what brings you to Berk Manor?"
Lane spoke up to ask.
He didn't think that the usually reclusive elves would come out to talk to him just to make friends. He wasn't money, after all; he couldn't make everyone love him.
"I want to ask for your help. My brothers and sisters have been kidnapped. You are a knight, and I am a thief. If we work together, we can surely rescue them."
"If you can help me, you will earn the gratitude of the Nightblade Clan. I will do my best to repay you."
Kidnapped?
Lane rubbed his chin. This was probably putting it nicely. Elves, due to their outstanding appearance, were easily targeted. A large portion of those who targeted them were slave traders.
Elven slaves were high-end goods in the slave market, able to be sold to nobles. This exorbitant price led to the prevalence of slave hunting teams and deepened the rift between elves and humans.
This was a plausible reason, but Lane didn't ask what Selena could offer in return. Instead, he changed the topic.
"As far as I know, because of the existence of slave hunting teams, the relationship between elves and humans is not good at all. Even if I am a knight, I might still be tempted by wealth and hand you over to a slave hunting team."
"You, a thief, are so close to a knight and appear before my eyes. It would be very easy for me to deal with you."
"Why don't you seek help from other elves?"
This was the crux of the matter.
Thieves were a profession that operated in the shadows. Whether in combat or daily life, they habitually avoided drawing attention. Thieves were like that; undetected thieves were the most threatening.
If a thief was discovered, most of their abilities would become ineffective. This was an incredibly dangerous situation for a thief. Selena wouldn't be unaware of this. She was willing to take such a huge risk and seek help from a human for a reason.
Selena smiled bitterly. "The Ancient Tree of Life of the Nightblade Clan has withered. Our tribe cannot contact other elves. Moreover, they will soon be sent to the capital. I can't afford to wait to find other elves."
Hearing this, Lane nodded understandingly.
The Ancient Tree of Life was the foundation upon which an elven tribe survived and the medium through which they contacted other elves. From Selena's description, the Nightblade Clan was likely a small elven tribe and had probably been completely wiped out, with even the Ancient Tree of Life destroyed.
In such a situation, Selena's survival was already a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.
"Why me?"
Lane tapped the table. He didn't recall having any connection with Selena.
"Several months ago, you had a duel with the Lionheart Family's knight in Ironforge. That strike made me recognize your strength. You definitely have the ability to rescue our tribal brothers and sisters."
"Please forgive me for observing you these past few months. I found that although you usually don't smile much, the servants of the Berk family have never been oppressed. You even give them time to rest. You are truly... a great person among humans."
After struggling for a while, Selena finally managed to squeeze out these three words from her limited vocabulary.
Lane gave a bitter laugh. Was he being given a "good guy card"?
He wasn't actually a good person. It was just that modern education made it hard for him to treat subordinates as non-persons like other nobles on the Arya continent. He did let his servants serve him, but he ensured they had basic human rights.
It turned out that this very reason made Selena think he was a good person.
Should he help?
Lane hesitated for a moment and then slowly said, "Tell me what you know about this Slave-hunting group."
...
Selena told Lane everything she knew about the Slave-hunting group without reservation.
Thieves were unparalleled at gathering information. Although she couldn't kill those in the Slave-hunting group, Selena had thoroughly investigated their personnel configuration and occupational composition.
Only three leaders were noteworthy: a Stage 4 Warrior, a Stage 3 Archer, and another Warrior at Stage 3.
This setup wasn't unsolvable for Lane. If he could instantly take out one of them, he and Selena could completely dismantle and destroy the Slave-hunting group.
There was some risk involved, but it wasn't too great. Not only would he gain the loyalty of the entire Nightblade Clan, but the benefits far outweighed the risks.
"Alright." Lane nodded and then abruptly changed the subject: "But I have one request. I want a child."
He looked straight at Selena, his eyes calm and unruffled, showing no ripple of emotion.
"What?"
Selena was confused. If Lane wanted a child, why involve her?
Wait a minute.
Looking into Lane's intense gaze, Selena seemed to realize something. This human wanted to have a child with her?
What an absurd idea. In human inheritance laws, even an elven child had the right to inherit his estate. He didn't want her body; he wanted to have a child with her?
What was this human thinking?
Selena bit her lip, trying to read Lane's true intentions through his eyes. But in those eyes as still as ancient wells, there was no trace of greed or lust.
This left Selena momentarily bewildered.
After a brief moment of thought, she clenched her teeth and slowly began to speak: "I..."