Chapter 289 - 261: Elephant Lord

Chapter 289: Chapter 261: Elephant Lord

"You may call me the Elephant Lord."

Shire struggled to crane his neck to look at the behemoth before him. The giant elephant stood nearly three stories tall. Like other Magical Beasts, its entire body radiated a steaming black aura, and each of its eyes was larger than Shire’s own head.

The giant elephant’s skin looked rough, covered in overlapping layers of scars, perhaps from scraping against the forest trees. Shire figured that with a physique like the Elephant Lord’s, few enemies would be willing to face it if it ever got angry.

He cautiously scanned the dark-skinned giant elephant. Perhaps because it was a Magical Beast, its hide was a slightly different color from that of the ordinary elephants peeking out from behind it.

When Shire first saw the giant elephant, he was stunned by its massive, wall-like ears and its two huge, grayish-white tusks that resembled battering rams. But since the giant elephant simply stood there quietly, making no aggressive moves, he mustered his courage and took a few steps forward.

From this position, if the giant elephant wished, a single swing of its trunk could send Shire and Evita flying—and likely shatter them to pieces.

"Hello, Elephant Lord." Shire tried waving a greeting. "Was it you who just said we aren’t lost?"

"A goblin," the Elephant Lord lowered its head slightly, its eyes fixed on the tiny creature before it. "How interesting. This is quite unexpected."

"Uh, unexpected?" Shire glanced at Evita. He realized the Elephant Lord hadn’t actually spoken; it was another one of those telepathic conversations. "I’m sorry, I’m not sure what’s happened that you would find so unexpected."

Seeing the Elephant Lord’s build and enormous tusks, he had initially assumed the behemoth was a male. However, the voice that had just echoed in his mind sounded like a grandmother making casual conversation. Shire also recalled that elephant herds were typically led by older females, so it seemed the Elephant Lord was an old matriarch.

"Little one, I’ll get straight to the point." The Elephant Lord’s voice rang out again, this time with the dignified air of a family matriarch. "Find a home for my family."

"Your family?" Shire froze for a second, then took a few steps to the side to see behind the Elephant Lord. It was no use. Her body was like a small hill, completely obscuring the herd behind her.

He silently counted. As far as he could see, there were at least thirty elephants, including quite a few calves. "Help your herd find a home?"

"Yes," the Elephant Lord swished her trunk a few times. "The winter is too cold. If this continues, my family will suffer many casualties. And you... you are the one who can help me, goblin."

Shire’s lip twitched. He never expected to receive a plea for help from an elephant; he’d never imagined such a day would come. He also noted her pause. ’It’s like even she can’t believe her family’s savior turns out to be a goblin,’ he thought.

"I’m sorry, I don’t think I can do that," Shire said after a few moments of consideration, spreading his hands in refusal. "As you can see, I’m a goblin. The size difference between us is just too vast. Helping you would be an impossible task."

"Not help me," the Elephant Lord said, swishing her trunk without a trace of impatience. "Help my family. He told me to travel southwest, that there would be a Race that could offer me aid."

"Me? Help a herd of elephants?" Shire subconsciously pointed to himself. He knew the current winter temperatures were already dangerously low for elephants, and it was only expected to get colder. Prolonged exposure to temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius could cause stiff limbs, full-body tremors, and dulled senses, eventually leading to death. On top of that, elephants were animals that absolutely could not live without water and needed to drink massive amounts every day.

"Let me ask," Shire frowned, "this ’He’ you mentioned... it wouldn’t happen to be the Forest Whisper, or some Will of Nature, would it?" He had a feeling he’d been set up.

"Yes, you could call Him that," the Elephant Lord nodded. "I, however, call Him the Creator."

"The Creator? You mean the Creator God?" Shire asked immediately. "Isn’t He supposed to be sleeping? Is He awake?"

"Creator God?" the Elephant Lord repeated, her tone laced with confusion. "What is that? A new Evil God?"

Shire’s eyes flew wide open. He didn’t answer the Elephant Lord immediately. Instead, he silently pulled up her status panel.

[Name: Elephant Lord]

[Race: Magical Beast (Evil God)]

[Danger Level: ?, Run!]

[Personality: Calm and Gentle]

[Title: Wandering Giant Beast of the Forest]

[Abilities: Super Strong Life, Super Strong Mind]

’An Evil God?’ Shire’s expression remained impassive, but inside, his mind was reeling.

He then pulled up the descriptions for her abilities—

[Super Strong Life: The pinnacle of biological life forms. Grants the individual top-tier defense, strength, and endurance, as well as an exceptionally long lifespan.]

[Super Strong Mind: The pinnacle of mental fortitude. Allows the individual to resist all mental attacks and negative status effects.]

’This is insane,’ Shire thought, inwardly stunned. ’Based on these effects, her physical and magic resistance are maxed out. Plus, she’s got a super long life.’

For a fleeting moment, he had an idea: drag Lust over, let the two of them fight it out, and then swoop in to reap the rewards. But just as quickly, Shire dismissed the thought. He was in no position to control either of them right now.

"Um... what did you mean by a ’new’ Evil God?" Shire asked, composing himself. "Are there many other Evil Gods in this world?"

The Elephant Lord looked down at the 1.3-meter-tall goblin, her gaze showing no trace of contempt for his small stature. "There are two Evil Gods in the forest. Or, if we’re counting beings with the power of an Evil God, then there are three."

"Three?" Shire narrowed his eyes. ’So besides this Elephant Lord and that Feathered Serpent, there’s another Evil God?’

’This Nightmare Forest is getting pretty crowded. One more and they could get a game of mahjong going,’ he thought.

"There’s the flying snake by the lake," the Elephant Lord said, flapping her ears. The slight movement of those enormous appendages stirred up a gust of wind. "To the north, there’s a detestable tiger, and a Black Dragon is holed up in the east. Its power is also comparable to an Evil God’s."

"Huh?" Shire was momentarily stunned. ’So she didn’t even count herself,’ he realized. "Then you..."

"Me?" the Elephant Lord swished her trunk. "I’m just a wandering old elephant."

"So," Shire thought for a moment before asking, "are the Feathered Serpent, the tiger, and you all Magical Beasts?"

He gestured with his hands, indicating the changes to her body and the steaming black aura.

"Magical Beast?" The Elephant Lord mulled over the term. "If you are referring to the state of my body, then they are like this as well."