In a (literally) tiny wooden vilge built o giant mushrooms and trees and hidden by illusion magic-

  Male or female, several dozen Pixies miheir business by pying, singing, dang, washing clothes(magically), farming sweet fruit and flower ar, and being happy.

  Aside from the children, the adults were between 0.2m and 0.6m, with the oldest not looking over 30.

  On a fine and sunny day like any, Lilita, who looked no older than 18 despite being 25, returo the vilge with a happy smile.

  "Lilita! We are going to prank Mister Grumpy Elf. Want to e?" A handsome-looking young male with spiky hair waved a hand and invited. Beside him were two other Pixies wearing weling smiles.

  "Sorry, Kukiki. Lilita just returned, so maybe ime." Lilita politely deed.

  "Okay!" Kukiki didn't think about it too deeply and flew with the other two Pixies.

  "Lilita." A calm and mature voice sounded, causing Lilita to flind look up.

  Turning around, Lilita saw a calm ale Pixie with a shapely figure, flowing blue hair, and serene sky-blue eyes looking at her like a kindly mother. She was Elder Tototo, a 295-year-old Elder Pixie who towered over Lilita. At 0.6m, she was the tallest and most powerful in the vilge.

  "Hello, Elder Tototo..." Lilita showed respect to the elder, something that Pixies usually didn't show to others.

  Being at the bottom of the food and being adventurous, Pixies died frequently from unnatural causes, and few reached Elder Tototo's seniority. At her age, Elder Tototo was likely the aor of over half of the vilge, including Lilita. She also babysat all the children sihe younger Pixies were irresponsible parents, so everyone sidered her a mure. There was even a ce Lilita was her desdent, but Pixies seldom tracked their lineage.

  "Lilita, did you have fun speaking with the creatures?" Tototo kindly asked.

  "Oh, yes. They were very o Lilita." Lilita nodded.

  "That's good. But be careful, non-fey are liars and ot be trusted, even the Elves, especially outsiders. They might trick you into something you might regret sooner or ter." Tototo kindly reminded.

  "Lilita knows, Elder Tototo! Lilita is not a kid anymore..." Lilita pouted.

  "Says the child who still baby-talks, haha!" Elder Tototo ughed.

  "Fiddlesticks! Not again!" Lilita stomped her little feet, her face blushing.

  For Pixies, talking ihird person was something the children did. Lilita tried to ge to the first person, but it sometimes reverted.

  "By the way, I noticed you have go alohese st 50 days and ofteurn tired. Is there a reason for this?" Tototo asked.

  "Lilita- I am just snooping, pying tricks, and making new friends," Lilita said while correg her third-person speaking habit.

  "Hmhm, as in Pixie spirit. Just remember what I said." Elder Tototo gently reminded.

  "Yes, Elder Tototo. I will be careful," Lilita respectfully replied before returning home.

  She didn't notice that Elder Tototo observed her with flickering eyes.

  .

  .

  .

  Day 151 FC:

  Close to evening-

  Tharid Evile were minding their own business, either meditating or studying, when a jovial Pixie eheir little haven.

  "#@%#%! ^%#%%!" The Pixie appeared before Tharick, who was studying and happily spoke in her fey nguage.

  "Oh! Hello, Lilita." Tharick gave a curt nod and turo the house, "Evile! Lilita arrived!" Tharick called out.

  "ing!" Evile exited the house and cast Transtion on herself and Tharick. "Lilita! Wele!"

  "Hello, Sister Evile and Brother Tentacles! How was your day?" Lilita asked while cirg them.

  "It was a fine day like any other, I appreciate yesture. How was your day?" Evile gently replied.

  "Good. I danced and sang with friends in the vilge befetting drunk o honey mead and sleeping like a log. Hehe." Lilita chuckled.

  "That's nice. We talk ter, but I think we should focus on our little transa first, wouldn't you agree?" Evile smiled.

  "Oh, yes! Yes, we should!" Lilita repeatedly nodded.

  "You haven't told anyone about us, right?" Evile asked to firm.

  "Lilita was good. She didn't say anything about Sister Evile and Brother Tentacles." Lilita promised.

  "That's good." Evile nodded and took out a small jar from her spatial ring.

  Ihe jar was a viscous, gold-white liquid that sparkled with light, about 500ml. Lilita immediately drooled.

  "This jar has 50 points of Life Force, Magic Power, and Physique squeezed from Tharick. It is only part of the payment since I am uain you digest more. I still have another one of these," Evile expined while handing it over.

  "OH! Gratitudes, Sister Evile. It really would be a bit difficult for Lilita to digest." Lilita nodded while grabbing it with both hands.

  Lilita was only a 3rd-level creature with less than 30 points of Magic Power. Drinking 500ml of this liquid was already her limit, and any more could cause her to go into hibernation.

  "Good. With this, you won't be telling anyone about us anymore." Evile said.

  "Yes, yes. Lilita keeps her promise!" Lilita happily nodded.

  She flew with the jar to the ground a few steps away, opehe cork, and took a deep wif.

  "Sniff* Hah... It smells so rich with life and magic... Much better than honey mead." Lilita said with an intoxicated look befreedily gulping it down.

  "... Should I find this disturbing or hot?" Tharick asked himself.

  "Gulp* Gulp* Gulp* Hah... It's so good to drink a lot at once." Lilita said with a blushing face, vitality spreading throughout her body.

  "Hehehe. You look like a drunkard who just had a good drink." Evile chuckled.

  "The best of the best! pliments for the chef." Lilita bowed to Tharick.

  "Er... I am grateful for the pliment?" Tharick didn't know how to respond to that.

  "Feel free to finish drinking. We will wait." Evile said.

  "Gratitudes." Lilita happily said and was about to tinue drinking when-

  "So there you are, Lilita." A calm and mature voice sounded behind her.

  "Geh! E-Elder Tototo..." Lilita shook, turning around, and saw her Elder looking at her with i.

  "Lilita, didn't we agree about you not telling anyone about us?" Evile narrowed her eyes.

  "So you are Lilita's elder?" Tharick looked at the rger and mature-looking Pixie with i.

  "Yes, I am, gracious visitor to our forest. I sense Uni and Dryad in you. I also sense Human, Monster, and Aberration. Are you a hybrid? Or is this a mutation?" Tototo gave a small bow and asked.

  "A fortu unfortunate magical mutation, I am afraid. I don't wish to talk about it." Tharick shook his head.

  "Uandable." Tototo nodded and turo Evile. "And no, merely followed this child since her activities were strange and suspicious. She also showed unnatural growth and outings, so I wondered what she had been up to."

  "Ah. That does expin it." Evile nodded.

  "I uand you had a special deal with Lilita here. Would you care to expin?" Tototo asked with serene eyes.

  "H-How?!" Lilita widened her eyes.

  "You should be more careful, Lilita. Those who detect magi easily trace you." Tototo calmly said.

  "Elder, I expin..." Lilita tried to expin herself.

  "Shush. The adults are talking." Tototo narrowed her eyes at Lilita.

  "Ugh..." Lilita winced, having a sense of Deja Vu.

  "Pfft..." Tharick's shoulders shook, finding it ironic.

  "Quiet, Tharick. Womealking." Evile mirrored Tototo's behavior, which made him dejected.

  "So, who are you? Are you the disciples of the wizard, Zefaris?" Tototo asked.

  "You know of the old bastard?" Evile asked back.

  "Oh, yes. The Queen warned us about approag this area. He even arrived here several moons prior for a transa with Her Majesty." Tototo expined.

  "We used to be his apprentices, but he has dabbled in dangerous research that turharito... this." Evile gestured to Tharick. "We escaped as soon as we had the ce, and we don't know his fate, but we sincerely hope he won't e after us."

  "Ah... I see. I empathize with your plight." Tototo nodded in uanding. "And what deal did you make with Lilita? Are you pnning to harm my people or this forest?"

  "We don't pn to harm anyone or anything. We holy just want to seek refuge and live a peaceful life while studying magic. As for our deal with Lilita, it isn't anything malicious. We just want a panion and close fidante." Evile expined.

  "I tell you are not lying, yet I somehow sense you are skirting around your hidden motives. Are you sure you were not born Fey?" Tototo tilted her head.

  "I am as human as be, but I am grateful for the pliment." Evile smiled.

  " you tell me the details of yreements?" Tototo asked.

  "Sure." Evile nodded and told her without hiding anything.

  Tototo patiently listened before she spoke.

  "Trading for secred information is uandable, but friendship with a young, ixie? Using a dose of liquid as precious as this for a mere moon cycle? What are you pnning?" Tototo narrowed her eyes.

  "Just making friends in an unfamiliar pce, that is all. At least, we want to have good friends that help us until we leave one day." Evile said.

  "Uandable," Tototo said.

  "How about we extend the deal to you as well? We could always use a friend like you." Evile said.

  "I agree to secred information, but... I prefer not to sign a so-called friendship tract..." She said and then looked at the jar full of golden liquid, swallowing back her saliva, "However tempting it is."

  She was nearing the end of her life, and although she wasn't afraid of returning to Mother Nature's embrace, she also had a desire to grow stronger and bee a Fairy, extending her life by another 700 years. With the opportunity in front of her eyes, who wouldn't be tempted? However, she had her principles, and she would prefer to die over promising her freedom, even if insignifitly. She wasn't as ambitious and eager as the young Lilita.

  Evile seototo's desire, so she thought for a moment and ged her tactics.

  "Then you teach Wild Magic?" Evile asked.

  "Of course. I teach the youngsters in my vilge all the time." The blue-haired motherly beauty nodded, having over a tury of experien raising and teag the young.

  "Perfect. Tharick requires a teacher, and I am sure someone as experienced as you is the perfect teacher. In exge, for every 8 hours of teag Tharick with full effort, you will receive a portion worth 10 years of Life Force of his blessed liquid." Evile said.

  "One hour per portion. My time is precious, and I am still needed in the vilge." The blue-haired beauty narrowed her blue eyes.

  "She's hooked." A glint fshed in Evile's eyes.

  "One portion every seven hours..."

  Tharick watched this se with twitg eyes while Lilita was secretly guzzling the liquid.

  Finally, the two tinued haggling until it was lowered to one portion every four hours of serious teag.

  "Now that this is out of the way, would you two like to tell us about the forest?" Evile asked both Lilita and Tototo.

  Lilita and Tototo looked at each other before Tototo gestured to Lilita, "Lilita, you speak first, I will correct you when needed."

  "Okay." Lilita nodded and looked at the curious Tharid Evile, "We are currently in The Court of Excess, the realm of the Queen of Indulgence."