With rules in place and a way to obtain rewards, a stick and a carrot naturally brought them under control.
five kilometers behind the escort team for the Moon Well Spring Water, another Elf Clan team was tailing them.
This team was the elite Elf Queen's Guard led by Fiona.
Not long after the meeting of Human Superpower Users ended, an Elf Arcanist approached Fiona and reported,
"They've seen through our arrangement, that Human named Lu Heng has ordered the others not to snatch the Magic Spring Water."
Fiona, riding atop a Horned Owl Beast and moving slowly along the ground, sighed after hearing the Arcanist's report:
"Indeed, the trap was too crude. However, it doesn't matter; as long as we can complete this escort mission, our goal will have been reached."
After saying this, she handed over the command to her deputy and pulled the reins of the Horned Owl Beast, soaring into the sky.
The Horned Owl Beast was fast, and soon it was above the escort team.
Fiona leapt from the back of the Horned Owl Beast, turning several somersaults in the air before landing, and waved at Lu Heng, "Let's talk."
Lu Heng gently patted Su Muyu's back, then jumped down from the Mechanical Tiger and followed Fiona into the nearby barren woodland.
Walking through the dead woodland, Fiona snapped off a branch from a dead tree and looked at the break, "Did you know? When I was very young, this place was a vibrant jungle, filled with Wild Steel Flowers. Now, only withered branches remain."
This was environmental change caused by the Abyssal corruption, making it difficult for plants to survive.
But for such a major change to occur in the environment, it couldn't have happened overnight - it must have taken at least a century.
Well, for General Fiona, her childhood might indeed have been hundreds of years ago.
In fact, many places on this continent have experienced similar situations.
Deterioration of the environment, reduction of vegetation, animal migration - the entire world was in decline.
This made it seem like Abyssal corruption rendered the environment uninhabitable, but it wasn't absolute.
Changes in the environment due to Abyssal corruption did indeed make life more difficult for Elves, Humans, and even Black Iron Dwarves, but not all Species suffered the same fate.
Abyss Races would thrive in such environments, like Demons, Bloodline Clans, Abyss Worms - creatures like these could survive in environments corrupted by the Abyss.
If viewed from the perspective of the Abyss Races, the Abyssal corruption made more worlds suitable for their inhabitation.
Lu Heng observed the expression on her face and said, "If we can't find a way to purify the Abyss, perhaps I will go through what you have experienced."
Fiona turned and let out a deep sigh, "I envy you, being born in a world not contaminated by the Abyss, breathing the cleanest air, tasting the most pristine river water."
When she was born, the Abyss had already engulfed half of the Queldorei Continent, so tales of the past prosperity and richness of the Elf Clan came only from the elders. She had never witnessed them herself.
Lu Heng smiled helplessly and said, "At least the Elf Clan had Magic to resist Abyssal invasion. The Human World, lacking even Magic Energy, fell into the Abyss at a far faster rate, much faster than the Elf World."
Although the Queldorei World had been ravaged by Abyssal corruption for seven hundred years, the Elf Civilization was still maintaining its complete cultural heritage.
The Elves had the Moon Well, and although the Moon Well was contaminated by the Abyss, reducing its number, the Elf Clan indeed slowed the speed of the Abyssal invasion using the Magic Energy from the Moon Well.
It was different in the Human World.
Lacking the Power of the Magic Side, a technological civilization couldn't find a way to resist the Abyssal invasion.
Judging by current developments, Humanity might fall into the Abyss sooner than the Elf Civilization.
In other words, the Human World was an accelerated version of the Abyssal invasion.
Fiona's gaze at Lu Heng was complex.
Because she made sense of what Lu Heng was saying.
In fact, in the past seven hundred years, the Elf Clan had been summoned to many worlds and had witnessed many worlds fall into the Abyss.
They tried to halt it, attempted to help, but none of those worlds had been spared, because not once had they found a method to purify the Abyss.
Fiona bent down, took a stink bug from within the dead stump, but instead of crushing it, she returned it to the small hole at the roots and covered the entrance with dried leaves.
She recognized it; it was an insect native to the Queldorei World.
Even an unwelcome stink bug, as long as it was not from the Abyss, seemed somewhat endearing on this land tainted by the Abyss.
She straightened and turned to ask, "What do you think can be done to purify the Abyss?"
Lu Heng was silent for a long time before answering, "I am still searching for the answer."
Fiona continued, "Then what do you think about being summoned to other worlds? Should we help the civilizations there resist the Abyss, or should we plunder to strengthen ourselves?"
Lu Heng had pondered this question many times, from his past life to the present, with an answer long formed in his heart. However, that answer was not a solution to the Abyssal invasion.
"I believe the will that summoned us hopes that civilizations across worlds can unite to find a method to purify the Abyss..."
That was Lu Heng's answer now, but he left the second half unsaid.