As Fang Senyan inquired, the Mist Song maiden considered for a moment before seriously stating, "I should have regained most of it. I recall a large portion of the spells and combat experience I learned in my previous life as an elf. It's a pity the potential of my current body hasn't been fully unlocked; otherwise, I wouldn't fear those Orcs so much."

Fang Senyan suddenly recalled something, a chill crawling down his spine, and asked, "Then, in your last life, were you a male elf or a female elf?" Mist Song shot him a look, clearly grasping his implication. This look held three parts allure and seven parts playful annoyance. "The Dawn Elves only gain fragments of memory regarding past life cultivation experience and insights because we once bathed in the glory of the Mother Tree. This grants us an advantage in talent and intellect, but how could we possibly know the rest?"

Fang Senyan let out a long breath, but it made sense. If the Dawn Elves retained memories from a previous life, for a woman to possess the memories and emotions of a man would make her far more perplexing than the most bewildering characters. Conversely, if a male elf carried the memories and feelings of a woman, he would be like a transformed, perfect being. Such a psychologically fractured Dawn Elf would clearly never be accepted as a leader by those pursuing elven perfection.

Seeing that the time was about right, Fang Senyan reached out to steady the Mist Song maiden's waist, then carefully lifted her to stand. He felt the area beneath his touch was firm yet yielding, possessing the unique, fresh scent of the elves—which inevitably sparked stray thoughts. Yet, this elven girl treated him as her "Guardian," trusting him completely, almost allowing him carte blanche. If not for the pursuers behind them, whose safety he had to consider for Mist Song, Fang Senyan might genuinely have been tempted to act on his inclinations.

Mist Song, having just awakened, seemed very weak; her first few steps looked as if she might collapse at any moment. However, after walking another few dozen meters, her pace quickened. After they had traveled nearly a hundred meters, Mist Song suddenly stopped, exclaiming in surprise, "What is this powerful life aura!" Fang Senyan looked around in astonishment, then sniffed the air forcefully, spreading his hands helplessly. His final conclusion was that this must be a unique gift of the Dawn Elves.

He then watched as the elven girl casually plucked a faintly greenish blade of grass from a crack in the stone floor, lightly crushed it into powder, and tossed it gently into the air. A multitude of green motes scattered into the air like fireflies, unaffected by the whistling wind in this stone valley.

After hovering in the air for a moment, these light spots drifted against the wind, flying into a fissure on the left side of the stone, where they re-coalesced into a cluster of green light. Mist Song swiftly approached and used her finger to pick up the object enveloped by the green luminescence. Fang Senyan looked and uttered an astonished "Hmph," realizing that the thing Mist Song had referred to as having a "powerful life aura" was, in fact, the strange, black, stone-like object he had previously picked up!

The elven girl flicked her finger, and the green light dispersed before reforming into a vividly realistic emerald parrot perched on her shoulder. Mist Song, however, scrutinized the black "sphere" in her hand with increasing wonder, eventually becoming solemn. "This egg, which has clearly been stripped of its life force, still retains such an intense vital aura! Very few creatures in the Misty Mountains could lay an egg like this!"

Fang Senyan was startled. "You mean, this stone, this thing, is... an egg?" Mist Song nodded seriously. "Indeed."

She then sighed regretfully, "It’s a shame this egg must have sustained significant damage earlier, and has been exposed to the elements here for so long, causing the core embryo to evaporate and dissolve. Otherwise, it would truly be an exceptionally rare and precious item. While this outer shell still has vigorous life force, it can only be used for compounding certain medicines now."

Fang Senyan's mind stirred. "I did collect similar eggs before, but the ones I gathered contained a kernel. I wonder if that is the spiritual embryo you speak of." Saying this, Fang Senyan produced the few intact eggs he carried. The moment Mist Song saw the azure core within the nucleus, she let out a soft cry of delight. "That's it!"

She then traced several arcane symbols in the air with her slender, snow-white fingers. Where her fingertips passed, specks of fluorescence remained, not dissipating even in the sunlight, apparently ancient Elven script. These symbols hung in the air, rotating slowly, giving the impression of a miniature solar system.

She then placed the mysterious egg containing the core into the floating symbolic script. The enigmatic egg also levitated, and a wave of heat could be felt emanating from it. The azure core began to vaporize amidst the gradually intensifying, wild heat, releasing wisps of blue smoke that seemed to be intercepted by the mystical symbols, unable to dissipate.

The elven girl closed her eyes, breathed deeply, and inhaled the blue smoke entirely, unwilling to waste a single wisp, until the nucleus completely vanished. Only then did she let out a long, relieved sigh.

After a short interval, the elven girl repeated the process, absorbing the essence of three more eggs. Fang Senyan now observed that Mist Song possessed a radiant glow. It was perhaps inadequate to compare her to a woman before and after makeup; to put it plainly, the current Mist Song was like tender green leaves and fresh buds washed by spring rain, possessing a dewy, new color.

This was an exuberance of life unique to nature, hard to describe in words. Furthermore, the fresh scent emanating from her was much stronger; before, one had to be close to smell it, but now, standing two or three meters away, it was clearly perceptible.

Mist Song tilted her head, looking curiously at Fang Senyan. "You indeed possess a mysterious and awe-inspiring power. When you carried these eggs, they were shielded by this power; I could only sense them once you brought them out."

Fang Senyan knew this was likely due to the special properties of his space, so he chuckled, "That is a blessing granted by our God."

While speaking, Mist Song selected another egg with a core and prepared to perform the same ritual. Fang Senyan thought she still needed more after the first three, but when the nucleus turned to blue smoke, Mist Song gestured for him to step forward and take deep breaths. Fang Senyan was surprised. "Why aren't you absorbing it?"

Mist Song shrugged. "I would like to, but these eggs no longer contain life; a violent and scorching power took the most precious soul within before they could hatch. So, absorbing three was sufficient. Any more would only serve for healing, but you can try absorbing one; the first time is very beneficial for the body." At this moment, numerous thoughts began colliding in Fang Senyan's mind. Since being captured by this Orc tribe belonging to Saruman, the threads of difficult-to-decipher mysteries had finally presented themselves close at hand!

Thoughtfully, he approached the arcane ancient Elven symbols and inhaled deeply. He felt as if the blue smoke was not entering his body through respiration at all, but was transforming into a nimble, vibrant serpent that swam into his lungs, refreshing his very core. In an instant, even his heartbeat seemed to grow stronger, and his blood surged like a tide in his veins!

Simultaneously, the Nightmare Mark transmitted a notification: "You have absorbed the essence of the Hachimgar Egg (Death)." "All your statuses have been restored to MAX." "You have gained the temporary bonus effect of +50% maximum health." "Scanning: This is your first time absorbing the essence of the Hachimgar Egg (Death). Your permanent attributes have increased." "(Absorbing the Hachimgar Egg again will no longer grant similar enhancements)" "You have identified and acquired: Hachimgar Egg (Death), corresponding Milestone activated." "Barren Legacy: You have collected twenty Hachimgar Eggs; currently collected: 2." "Pillar of the Nation: Fínduilas, wife of the Steward of Gondor, Denethor, is suffering from a grave illness, reportedly requiring four extremely rare items to cure: the Hachimgar Egg, Unicorn Blood, Elf Goldleaf, and Dwarf Stoneheart." "Octopus's Delight: Hachimgar Eggs have a strong attraction to all octopuses. You have attracted and slain one hundred Giant Krakens in this world using the Hachimgar Egg." "Gourmand: Talons, the proprietor of Minas Tirith, is hosting a convention; submitting rare and delicious foods will earn his approval."

"This... this is the egg laid by that great octopus??" As this message registered, a flash of lightning seemed to strike Fang Senyan's mind, piercing the dark clouds hanging over the entire sky! The scattered mysteries were instantly linked by a single thread!

"If that's the case, then everything makes sense now."

Fang Senyan hadn't expected to gain a permanent increase in all attributes, which was clearly related to the absorption method provided by the Mist Song maiden. If he had eaten them directly, he probably would have randomly gained two or three basic attribute points, which wouldn't be nearly as potent as a permanent boost to all stats.

However, while a permanent boost to all attributes seemed incredibly powerful, it was almost useless in this 'Terror' difficulty A-rank world.