Tagelise

The wind howled, blowing from the distant foothills. The shattered land resembled an ancient battlefield from history books, littered with countless wrecks and fragments, and the crimson blood had long since stained the earth dark red.

This battlefield is the core and origin of a great war that is almost a miracle.

The outcome of this battle swept across the Civilization world like a great storm within days, leaving even the greatest and most powerful monarchs astonished, simply because of the cause, course, and result of the war.

On the Goth battlefield, six elite Dragon Banner Warband of the Twilight Moon Royal Army, each with a banner adorned with glory and honor, already recorded in history, were capable of annihilating any small country with overwhelming force and crushing any nation's main army in a direct confrontation. Yet, they were completely wiped out in just over ten minutes, with almost no survivors.

This was arguably the most devastating defeat for the Dusk Moon Dynasty in two hundred years, casting an indelible Shadow on the reputation of the elves as overlords... The world has suffered under the elves for far too long.

And the one who accomplished all of this was just an Easterner from Cathay.

In no time, Kang De's name had resounded throughout the continent.

Due to information isolation, limited channels of communication, and even intelligence blockade, the vast majority of ordinary people had not heard of this matter. They were unaware that Goth was at war. However, the true upper class of the world knew Kang De inside and out—limited to what happened after he appeared on the continent.

With all the crew members of the Penguin killed in action, only Princess Tina survived. As a result, the important figures did not even know that Kang De came from the Holy Seal Archipelago. They only knew that he was an Easterner, a sucker that Princess Tina picked up on her way to the Empire, yet he possessed terrifying power to destroy cities and armies.

Countless people are studying Kang De, collecting all information about him, searching for his past, researching his character, seeing him as a thorn in their side, wanting to use him, scheme against him, or even kill him. In the past few days, Valentan has seen an increasing number of people gathering there, all with their own agendas. Some are well-intentioned, some are malicious, and some have ulterior motives.

This includes this informal elven delegation.

There were only a few dozen elves, each riding a winged horse or a harpy. There were both men and women. The males were strong and powerful, while the females were beautiful and gorgeous. They had an air of arrogance between their brows, and every move they made exuded an elegant nobility. Their full sets of magical equipment were dazzling and etched with the marks of time, which showed that they were extraordinary.

These noble elven warriors gazed at the horrific battlefield, their teeth clenched, their eyes bloodshot. The shattered corpses, the battle banners soaked in blood, and the trampled glory of the elves formed a hellish scene before them.

Their hearts were filled with rage and their killing intent was boiling. The news of the annihilation of the six legions had only shocked and disbelieved them, but after witnessing the tragic scene and the utter defeat on the battlefield, boundless anger and a sense of shame had taken over their hearts.

How dare they allow their noble elven warriors to shed blood on the battlefield and leave their corpses exposed in the wilderness without any restraint? Such a trampling of the dignity of the Royal Army is tantamount to making an enemy of the entire Dusk Moon Dynasty!

Kang De! Goth People! Valentan! Everyone who participated in this war, and indeed the entire nation, will pay the price!

An elf suddenly drew his longsword, slashed his cheek, and cried out sharply, "I swear to the moon goddess..."

"--Shut up."

The voice was very calm, without even a trace of emotion.

But the enraged elf immediately shut his mouth and even stopped his blood oath.

"I'll remind you one more time."

When that voice rang out, all the proud elves lowered their heads, their anger, resentment, and murderous intent vanished. They listened respectfully, for the strict elven hierarchy was insurmountable.

The slightly thin figure turned around, his emerald eyes looking at every elf present. His magnetic, gentle voice was like a breeze in a great forest, but no one dared to underestimate him in the slightest.

"You are all heroes of Twilight Moon, promising young people of this generation in the dynasty. I don't care what important positions you will hold in the court or parliament in the future, nor do I care which Sanctuary your fathers were heroes or nobles of. At least for now, at this moment, you are my followers. I have been ordered to serve as this dishonorable envoy, and you are my dishonorable subordinates as this dishonorable envoy."

"Yes, gentlemen, the word I used is dishonorable."

"I must remind you again of the significance of this mission."

"We are unofficial diplomats. We are here because we have failed. More than 60,000 of our compatriots have perished here, defeated in ways we cannot comprehend or believe, without even a chance to resist. We have lost, at least in this battle, utterly and irrefutably. The Dusk Moon Dynasty has been disgraced, and the Royal Army has become a laughingstock across the entire continent."

"The kings and generals of other countries will not understand the reasons for our defeat; they will only laugh loudly in their own palaces or residences, mocking our disastrous defeat in the attempt to conquer little Goth."

"The people will not try to make excuses for this defeat; they will only condemn our incompetence and grieve for our innocent compatriots who died."

"At this time, we have come here without using the royal name, and the country will not even acknowledge this meeting—I ask you, what are we here for?"

The thin figure surveyed the angry elves.

These heroes looked at each other, but none of them spoke.

Because they are all intelligent people.

"You all know this, but you're unwilling to admit it. So let me put it this way: We're not here to swagger or revel in victory. We're here to admit defeat, to negotiate. We were forced here by our opponents, because if we hadn't come, the bodies of 60,000 of our compatriots would have remained here, desecrated, insulted, and devoured by wild beasts, never to return home."

"And we can only negotiate, and we can only come here with a few dozen of us, slinking away, because we all know what the result would be if another army were sent."

"This is the predicament we face, this is our enemy."

"This is the price of failure."

"Now you should all understand why you've come here."

"--Endure humiliation."

The words were plain and simple, and the elf who spoke them showed no emotion whatsoever.

But the spirits who were listening to the teachings gasped for breath.

"The people in that city all know who we are and what we're here for. We are elves, we are invaders. We killed their families, killed their soldiers, destroyed their homes, and now we are forced to come and demand the return of the bodies of our compatriots left here. We have to let them set their price, we have to sit at the negotiating table as losers and endure their humiliation and cruel treatment."

"Just as we have done to the races and nations we have conquered or defeated."

"You are the future of the Dusk Moon Dynasty."

"So you have to bear this."

"Because ladies and gentlemen, the elves are not the gods who are destined to win."

"You may not have heard of the humiliations and defeats our forefathers endured, or you may not have truly grasped their significance, because since your birth, the Dusk Moon Dynasty has been at its zenith, achieving victories across the world. The people can hardly imagine the defeats and hardships we once suffered, but as the future pillars of this nation, you cannot be unaware of these things."

"--Therefore, I command."

Upon hearing this, all the elves who had been bowing their heads to receive the reprimand, or even those who had been standing by watching, and whose appearances were almost human middle-aged, all knelt down.

"In the name of Tagelise, I order you to restrain your anger, remember the shame of this trip, and never kill. Even if a human were to plunder the flesh and bones of our own kind in front of you, or trample the dragon banner, you are not allowed to lay a hand on him. All of you, keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully."

"After entering the city, you will be subjected to the scorn and insults of the common people. They may even throw stones at you. You can only parry; you are not allowed to retaliate. Anyone who throws a stone back will be considered to be rebelling against the royal family, and their entire family will be punished by me with all my might. Although I am far from the center of power in the palace, as His Majesty's brother, I still have this ability. I hope you all understand this clearly."

"Endure the humiliation, but do not cause trouble. Losing will not damage the honor and dignity of the elves, but throwing a tantrum after losing will tarnish the glory of our ancestors. I hope you will all remember this."

After the instructions were given, the elves dispersed. Their task was not only to guard and follow, but also to act as eyes and ears, personally assessing the situation on the battlefield and reporting back to their elders.

The thin, young elf, wrapped in a thick cloak, gazed at the devastated battlefield with a faint sadness in his emerald eyes.

Several days passed, and the flesh and blood should have long since rotted and become moldy. It was Goth's mages and priests who continuously treated the battlefield, lowering the temperature and removing decay to prevent the spread of plague and stench. But as Goth People, they would never go to such lengths.

"Your Highness, you'd better not look at it."

Several elves who had been observing during the earlier reprimand came forward.

His name is Tagelise, the younger brother of the Elf Queen.

Tagelise shook his head and said, "To bear the humiliation and remember the shame—that is one of the reasons I came here. They died for Twilight Moon, and as royalty, I must remember how they died."

The elves remained silent. The elf who had spoken to Tagelise glanced around, then said in a deep voice, "Are you really going to negotiate with that Kang De? The root of all the problems lies with him. Once we get rid of him, everything will be over. You know, with the few of us working together, we have a very high chance of success."

"But if anything goes wrong, the Dusk Moon Dynasty will face enormous risks."

Tagelise shook his head, then gave a mocking sneer, "But then again, we don't even need to lift a finger. There's someone even more eager for him to die than we are. I even know what he'll do."

The elves were taken aback at first, then they all came to their senses, their faces showing complicated expressions.

The elf whispered, "So, all we have to do is wait? Wait for Kang De to die?"

"No," Tagelise said calmly, "We must save his life."

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PS1: Fourth update, 3000 words... I should start writing during the day from now on. I've gotten into the habit of slacking off when I write at night...

PS2: Anyway, I updated 10,000 words today, which feels pretty good. Maybe I should offer a bounty?