The Great Thief

As the sun began to set, soft sunlight penetrated through the gaps of the trees and onto the green grass, illuminating it like a beautiful gem.

Collectors who admired this beautiful sight gathered wild plants and flowers, but as soon as they left the Moonlight Forest, the plants and flowers lost their charm.

This was the Moonlight Forest; the closest place to the world of Emerald Dreams.

“Child, how long have you been waiting? It must’ve been boring,” said a man with the body of a deer and a pair of long antlers. He shook his head to the left and right as he stood up from the ground.

“Not for long; I was listening to the whispers of the wind as it blew past the treetops.”

Lu Li returned to his human form as he exchanged formalities in the elven way.

“You’re a thief,” Remulos was surprised as he spoke. “I thought you were a druid.”

“I occasionally study the ways of nature,” Lu Li replied, trying his best to build a connection.

Trying to connect with Remulos through Carolina was clearly an unrealistic choice. Remulos was the grandchild of Elune while Carolina was only a servant to Elune.

Of course, this was only an analogy.

“This must be the work of a Moon Priestess. It would be hard for you to tread in the Moonlight Forest otherwise,” Remulos reasoned, as he pointed at the mark on Lu Li’s shoulder.

“I received her help in order to come here and seek advice about this ring.”

“Oh, what do I see here?” Remulos finally began to see Lu Li in a new light; he took a step forward to take a closer look at the ring.

“Do you know how to make the ring grow stronger?” Lu Li asked.

“Possibly. I once followed a demigod and happen to have some knowledge about rings.”

With his twig-like fingers, Remulos carefully poked at the Supreme Ring, which radiated a green light.

He’s not going to rob me, is he?

Lu Li was slightly anxious as he looked at Remulos’ expression.

Luckily, Remulos had no intention of taking the ring; he was only amazed by it as he spoke, “Surprisingly, it’s been levelled up twice – once by the Twilight Altar and the other by the Altar of Tides. You have been very fortunate.”

“Thank you for your praises; all glory to Elune,” Lu Li humbly replied.

“However, the Twilight Altar wasn’t complete and the Altar of Tides was too crude. Thank goodness you’ve slain many evil spirits, or else it would be hard to imagine what would become of this ring.”

After a quick change in the topic, Remulos continued in a pitiful manner.

Lu Li felt a chill of disappointment as his emotions bubbled over in his heart.

“Pardon me, if I were to compare this ring to Malfurion’s ring......”

“Haha...... That would be a great difference to compare. What the Archdruid received was the inheritance of nature; he also eliminated countless demons.”

Remulos seemed to find this funny and rose his head in laughter.

“So, it was wrong from the beginning,” Lu Li said in dismay.

“No, no, you’re looking at this from the wrong perspective; you’ve already managed to surprise me with what you’ve achieved in your current state. Everyone has a different path to walk, child. There is really no need for you to compare yourself with those who are born to be great,” Remulos gently said as he smiled.

“It will only make you lose sight of the path that’s ahead of you.”

“Then, what should I do next?” Lu Li was quick to pick his emotions back up.

After his rebirth, he had walked this path step by step; he had given his all for the Supreme Ring.

As long as one tries their best, there’s no need to be disheartened, even if the outcome isn’t perfect.

Remulos was very satisfied with Lu Li’s behaviour; he nodded his head and asked, “Before I give you any ideas, I’d like to first understand; what have you acquired so far from this ring?”

“I can transform into a seal, I’ve dove deep into the abyss to slay Illidan’s shadow, I can transform into a child of the forest......”

“Child of the forest? You must be referring to your previous form in the beginning. It looked so realistic that it fooled me into thinking you were a druid.”

Remulos shook the tail of his deer body and spoke in a gentle manner.

“When I transformed into a child of the forest, I learned to move in stealth. I’ve also learnt Stampeding Roar and the ring has also improved my stealth abilities.”

Lu Li was very honest and didn’t mind displaying his strength to the druid.

“This is indeed the most suitable pathway for you,” Remulos approved.

“I’m also capable of flying.”

Lu Li thought for a bit and transformed into a crow.

This time, Remulos didn’t continue to compliment Lu Li but circled him repeatedly, obviously astonished by the dark red crow.

“Transform back, transform back. Let’s keep talking.”

Lu Li followed his instructions and went back into his human form.

“No, we’ll both transform to this,” Remulos said as he transformed into a child of the forest – a little, golden cheetah, slightly bigger than Lu Li and with many inscriptions on his body.

These were markings that belonged to the Keepers of the Grove and allowed them to unleash great power while inside the forest.

Two cheetahs crouched together as they chattered away. If it wasn’t for the fact that Lu Li had already interacted with this guy in his previous life, he would’ve viewed Remulos as a joke.

“Overall, even though some of this ring’s potential has been wasted, there is no doubt that it suits you. You’ve done well, now, what new abilities are you hoping to gain next?” Remulos asked.

The ring is designable?

Lu Li was shocked. At this point in time, his experience from his previous life was no longer helpful. Azure Sea Breeze was also not a source of information he could refer to. Although he had spent two to three years upgrading the ring, he had never reached this stage.

“Don’t just stand there. Don’t you have any attributes or special effects that you want? Even profession skills are fine, but of course, these are limited to skills from the Druid profession.”

Remulos’ voice was laced with temptation.

“Anything?” Lu Li found it unbelievable.

“Almost anything. There are still somethings that are unachievable. For example, if you want to turn into a girl, or if you want to kill Sargeras with one strike, I can’t help you with that,” Remulos replied, as a grin slowly crept across his face.

“I only wish to make this ring more suitable for my Thief profession.”

This was truly Lu Li’s only goal.

He wasn’t a bugged NPC created by the system who could play multiple classes. Neither did he feel like he was supposed to have anything that he wanted just because he had been reincarnated. He barely had enough skill points and he had also learned a precious lesson from those hidden classes.

It was hard to focus and excel when there was too much going on at once.

“That’s a real shame. It’s definitely possible for you to become a Ranger, or a Druid,” Remulos sighed as Lu Li figured out his intentions.

“I tread in the shadows, but I will never bow down to evil,” Lu Li replied carefully.

He wasn’t scared of being killed – he was a player and could revive. He was only afraid of angering Remulos and having him steal his ring.

The ‘unable to drop, unable to destroy’ description meant nothing to a bugged NPC.

“Yes, you have a courageous and righteous spirit, otherwise, there was no way that the Moon Priestess would favor you. Come, let me show you the way to upgrade this ring and as you wish, it will help you master the shadows,” Remulos, the Keeper of the Grove said.