I Became a Cub in the Elven Kingdom

Shu Li had always believed that mastering a foreign language was an extremely long process.

He had studied English from elementary school all the way through high school, yet after more than ten years, he still had not managed to learn it properly. How much worse would Elven be when it was ten times harder than English?

If his father knew that he had mastered more than a hundred words in just one month, he would undoubtedly be shocked beyond belief.

Shu Li did not feel the slightest bit embarrassed about using Chinese characters to write phonetic approximations or filling in words based on what he thought he heard.

His teachers had always said that once you found the right method, learning became twice as effective with half the effort.

Fairies and Elves were both long-lived races. They had long lifespans, plenty of time, and eternal youth.

He was now a Fairy cub barely over two months old. Surely there was nothing wrong with taking five or six years to master a profound foreign language?

After completing this round of mental preparation, Shu Li’s mood shifted from excessive anxiety to complete calm.

So what if he spoke slowly, stumbled over his words, or used the wrong vocabulary and grammar? He could simply learn little by little.

He set himself a modest goal: become conversational within one year.

Unfortunately, surrounded by a group of linguistic geniuses, Shu Li suffered blow after blow every day.

This competition was insane!

It was truly insane!

He had only just begun babbling, while the other cubs could already chat happily with one another and even sing nursery songs fluently.

As the gap between them widened, Shu Li’s pride suffered a tiny bit of damage.

However, he soon pulled himself together and regained his confidence.

Nothing in the world was impossible for someone determined enough.

As long as he continued advancing toward his goal, success would surely follow.

Over the next month, Shu Li studied even harder. He filled three notebooks with detailed records of every lesson. On the left, he wrote phonetic approximations of Elven. On the right, he wrote explanations in Chinese. His handwriting also progressed from wild cursive to neat running script.

After writing so much, his chubby little fingers had finally become flexible and obedient. His running script was both fast and attractive. Compared with the writing in his first notebook, the cursive really did look like the scribblings of a ghost.

Today marked the Fairy cubs’ hundredth day since birth.

That morning, after teaching them two nursery songs, Siet announced a piece of good news to all the Fairy cubs.

“Little darlings, this afternoon we will be leaving the Fairy Nursery. Are you happy?”

The cubs looked at one another. Once they confirmed that they had not misheard him, they all burst into cheers. Their wings fluttered as they flew into the air and spun in circles.

“Waaaah! We’re going to play in the Faerie Forest!”

“We’ll get to live in pretty little houses!”

“Will Siet and Aisha still teach us?”

“Are there any really big, really tall animals in the Faerie Forest? I want to be friends with them.”

“Hey, they’ll swallow you in one bite! Like this—chomp!”

“They will not! Siet said all the creatures in the Faerie Forest are our friends.”

“Right, right! If they eat a Little Fairy, the Elven King will punish them.”

“Wah, I really want to see the Elven King...”

“I want to see the Elven King too! Oh, Sperien, didn’t you receive the Elven King’s blessing?”

“That’s right. Sperien has met the Elven King.”

“Is the Elven King really like Siet said? The most beautiful, noblest, and strongest Elf in the world?”

Suddenly surrounded by several Fairy cubs all talking over one another, Shu Li’s mind went blank.

“One... at... a time...” Even after studying Elven for more than two months, his listening comprehension had barely improved. The moment too many people spoke at once, his ears automatically activated their blocking function.

A curly-haired Fairy cub blinked his large, watery eyes and asked, “What does the Elven King look like?”

“Is he—” another Fairy cub began, only for Redhead to clamp a hand over his mouth.

“Mmph, mmph?” The Fairy cub glared furiously at Redhead.

Redhead kept his childish face stern and said coolly, “One at a time.”

The Fairy cub drooped his ears to show that he understood. Only then did Redhead release his mouth.

Asking Shu Li to describe the Elven King’s appearance was truly making things difficult for him. How could someone who could not even form a proper long sentence use vivid, complicated vocabulary to describe another person?

Looking at all the beautiful, curious little faces around him, Shu Li racked his brain and carefully arranged his words.

“The Elven King has gold hair... green eyes... and is tall... How tall? This tall...”

To give the cubs a concrete idea of the Elven King’s height, Shu Li spread his wings, flew up from his little stool, and rose about six feet into the air.

“This tall.”

Probably.

Shu Li silently added that word in his heart.

In truth, on the day he was born, he had been completely dazed. He had opened his eyes only to suddenly find himself facing a “giant” and had nearly been frightened senseless. How could he possibly know the Elven King’s exact height?

Six feet was probably close enough.

Having finished his description, he slowly descended, pressed his lips tightly together, and refused to speak again.

The other cubs all knew that Sperien struggled to speak fluently. Their interest waned, and they returned to their seats.

Siet patiently waited until the cubs had finished their discussion. Then he lightly plucked his harp and answered their questions one by one.

“The Faerie Forest is extremely large. Other than the areas where Fairies live, it is very dangerous. Without an adult Fairy accompanying you, cubs must never enter the forest alone.”

“In addition to Aisha and me, new teachers will also be instructing you.”

“Each cub will be assigned a house, and you will need to take care of it yourselves.”

“The Midsummer Festival will soon arrive. All Fairies and Elves will travel to the Crystal Castle in the Elven Kingdom. There, everyone will gather and praise the Lord of All Creation.”

“And of course, you will also see our noble and sacred Elven King.”

The cubs listened attentively. When they learned that they would soon be able to see the Elven King, they all began looking forward to it excitedly.

Shu Li gripped his quill and quickly recorded Siet’s words in his notebook.

What he lacked in talent, he would make up for with diligence.

During every lesson, he took notes. After class, he carefully reviewed them. If there was anything he did not understand, he asked Siet about it the next day.

Hard work never betrayed those who put in the effort. In only two months, his Elven listening comprehension had improved significantly.

As for speaking...

Please forgive his clumsy mouth, stiff tongue, and inflexible brain. He could only force out short sentences one word at a time. Long sentences were absolutely out of the question.

Siet watched the little golden-haired Fairy diligently scribbling and sighed inwardly.

Sperien was the most hardworking and studious cub he had ever taught.

At first, Siet had not understood why he wanted notebooks and a quill. Only after some time did he realize that Sperien was taking notes and using peculiar symbols that only he could understand to annotate them.

He was working extremely hard to learn Elven.

Although his progress was slow, he could now communicate normally with the other cubs.

That was something Siet found rather gratifying.

However, he still harbored some concerns.

Fairies and Elves possessed exceptional linguistic talent. In addition to Elven, they needed to study the Continental Common Language, the languages unique to various races, the official languages of different nations, incantations used to communicate with ancient gods, and much more.

A capable Fairy generally mastered dozens of languages. They could not only use them fluently but switch between them with ease.

Sperien already faced tremendous difficulty learning a single language. What would he do when he needed to study all the others?

Shu Li knew nothing of Siet’s worries, nor did he realize that he would have to learn many more languages in the future.

After finishing his notes, his thoughts drifted toward the Faerie Forest outside.

Although the Fairy Nursery was enormous, he had lived there for more than three months and explored every last corner. It contained only lush plants, gentle insects, aquatic creatures in the nursery pond, and newborn Fairy cubs. It was an exceptionally safe greenhouse.

Beyond the Fairy Nursery lay a vast world filled with unknown possibilities.

From the nursery songs Siet had taught them, Shu Li had learned that the Faerie Forest covered an immense area. Like a natural green barrier, it separated the Elven Kingdom from the outside world.

Anyone who rashly entered the forest either disappeared or found themselves sent back to the entrance.

A Fairy cub had once innocently asked Siet where the missing people went.

Siet stopped plucking his harp and, with rare seriousness, replied, “They died.”

“What? Why?” the cubs asked in horror.

Siet lowered his eyes and said calmly, “A region of mist surrounds the outer forest. When outsiders inhale it, they fall into an illusion that magnifies the malice within their hearts. Those who fail the Trial lose their reason, kill one another, and ultimately become captives of the God of Death. Those who withstand the Trial find the path back and leave safely.”

“That’s amazing!”

The cubs exclaimed in unison.

In addition to the mist surrounding the outer region, the Faerie Forest was home to many dangerous and ferocious high-ranking magical beasts. Anyone who invaded their territory was unlikely to survive.

Only the land inhabited by the Little Fairies was an absolutely safe zone.

Shu Li was extremely curious about the outside world.

By the outside world, he meant the continent beyond the Faerie Forest.

After all, he remained convinced that his sudden transmigration into another world meant that the gods had summoned him as a hero.

Only after a hero defeated the Demon King could he return to his own world.

Where could he find the Demon King?

Somewhere on the continent, obviously.

During this period of studying Elven, he had gathered some useful information.

Fairy nursery songs were more like narrative poems, passing down ancient legends and history through song.

Shu Li had learned that ten thousand years ago, a world-shaking war among the gods had erupted across the continent. Countless heroes had sacrificed their lives to seal away the Demon King who sought to destroy the world.

As long as this other world had a Demon King, everything would be easy!

According to the novels and anime he had seen, a great Demon King sealed for ten thousand years had an eighty or ninety percent chance of breaking the seal and returning to wreak havoc upon the world.

As the hero, Shu Li merely needed to master his abilities, find the Demon King, defeat him, and seal him away. Then he could liberate the other world, quietly disappear without claiming credit, and return home to reunite with his family.

His plan was flawless.

Shu Li gave himself a mental thumbs-up.

After lunch, Aisha handed each Fairy cub a large cloth sack and urged them to pack their belongings in preparation for leaving the Fairy Nursery.

Their so-called belongings were the various “treasures” the cubs had collected inside the nursery.

Shu Li had many “treasures” that he could not bear to discard.

Whenever he explored the Fairy Nursery and found something he liked, he brought it back. His flower cradle had been stuffed to bursting.

Balls of pure white silk thread, crystal-like seeds, leaves that never withered, beautiful insect molts, smooth pebbles, and fragrant, crunchy nuts filled the large sack.

The sack was extremely heavy. Carrying it with both hands was difficult enough. Could the thin wings on his back truly support it?

Shu Li was doubtful.

He spread his wings and beat them forcefully.

“Heave-ho—”

With the large sack in his hands, his body slowly rose into the air. After climbing only a few inches, the effort became overwhelming, and he began swaying unsteadily.

Afraid that he might fall out of his flower cradle, Shu Li hurriedly descended and put down the sack.

Wah...

The sack was so heavy that his tiny wings could not possibly carry it while flying!

Shu Li sat inside his flower cradle and scratched his head in distress.

Redhead and Whitehead each carried a large sack as they flew crookedly into his flower cradle. Perhaps their sacks were too heavy, because neither cub could hold on any longer. Their hands opened, and the enormously weighty sacks plummeted from the air, making the entire flower cradle hum and vibrate.

Shu Li hurriedly covered his ears with both hands.

Only after the vibrations finally faded did he uncover them and look up at the two Fairy cubs hovering innocently in midair.

Redhead and Whitehead stuck out their tongues apologetically.

Shu Li sighed. He sat cross-legged in the flower’s center, propped his chin on both hands, and stared at the three bulging sacks.

How were they supposed to transport them outside?

Should the three of them work together and carry them out one at a time?

What if they were not allowed back inside after leaving through the Fairy Nursery’s doors?

The potential loss was too great. They could not risk it.

Shu Li’s pale green eyes turned, and he spotted Aisha flying toward them.

She had come to hurry them along.

All the other Fairy cubs had already gathered in front of the Fairy Nursery’s doors. Only the three of them were nowhere to be found.

Aisha flew back to search and discovered the three cubs sitting neatly in a row inside the flower cradle, gazing miserably at three sacks larger than their own bodies.

There was no need to ask what had happened.

“Do you need help?” Aisha asked gently.

“Yes!” Shu Li nodded vigorously, his sparkling eyes fixed firmly on the belt pouch at Aisha’s waist.

The little cub’s thoughts were written plainly across his face. How could Aisha bear to refuse him?

She quickly and efficiently placed all three large sacks into her belt pouch.

With their problem solved, the three cubs happily followed Aisha toward the Fairy Nursery’s doors.

In front of the doors, many Fairy cubs stood surrounded by bundles and sacks, bringing all their possessions with them. However, none of their sacks were as large as Shu Li’s, so they could not carry nearly as many things.

When Budno saw the three of them empty-handed, he gleefully pulled a face at them.

Redhead immediately retaliated.

Whitehead threw a punch through the air.

Shu Li elegantly folded his arms and regarded the other cub with perfect composure.

If that little fatty knew someone else was carrying their luggage for them, would he be consumed by envy, jealousy, and resentment?

“Jingle, jingle—”

Aisha flew to the front and shook the little bell in her hand.

“All cubs, line up properly.”

The Fairy cubs immediately stopped fooling around and formed two orderly lines.

The male cubs stood in one line, and the female cubs stood in the other.

Aisha nodded toward Siet, signaling that he could open the doors.

With a flap of his wings, Siet flew closer. He extended both hands and pressed them against the magical array carved into the doors. In an instant, the array erupted with dazzling golden light.

The exquisitely carved doors, more than thirteen feet tall, slowly swung open.

When the golden light faded, the doors stood completely open.

Aisha shook her bell and, together with Siet, led the two lines of Fairy cubs through the entrance.

Shu Li was at the very back. The cubs ahead of him rushed outside eagerly, and he hurried to follow.

The moment he passed through the doors, the world before him opened wide.

However, before he could properly admire the beautiful scenery outside, he was startled by the densely packed crowd of adult Fairies waiting beyond the doors.