Twins

"The entrance fee is one copper coin per person, double for elves. You will be fined for trespassing, and that fine will double again. Forty-six elves, that's a total of one hundred and eighty-four copper coins..."

The human's measured, methodical voice reached the elves' ears.

This is the ultimate humiliation.

Sixty thousand elven soldiers perished here, their corpses lying exposed in the wilderness, unburied. Yet these people venture here to pay homage to the fallen heroes, and they actually have to pay for it—and for such a cheap price!

Although Duke of Tiling had given them some instructions beforehand, and the elves were mentally prepared for the difficulties and humiliations they were about to encounter from humans, they had only imagined verbal insults and physical provocations. They never expected that humans could be so shameless.

This is outrageous!

A male elf, unable to contain himself, strode forward and grabbed the cavalry leader by the collar. He was a size larger and far stronger than the human, and roared, "Human, you're asking for death!"

The cavalrymen drew their swords, and so did the elves. Tensions rose between the two sides, but the cavalry leader merely stared coldly and fearlessly at the face of his opponent so close to his own, a sinister smile on his face.

"Yes, I'm courting death. My parents, my wife, my four-year-old son—they all died in the city. I'm all alone now. I have no other desire than to kill as many elves as possible, until I stop breathing, and then I'll go to see my family."

"Before I left, my new master told me not to start a fight, but that I could vent my anger and hostility as I pleased, because that's what elves deserve. He told me that if I died, so many elves like those here would be buried with me. Pointy Ears, tell me, am I afraid of death? Do I really want to die?"

His tone was as venomous as a vengeful ghost.

But even with such hatred and such a heavy burden of blood feud, he still obeyed orders.

The elf who had captured him fell silent for a moment.

The moment he seized the human, the elf made a rough assessment of the human's abilities. He had nine ways to kill this weak and detestable human instantly, but the human's words made him hesitate—killing him would mean the negotiation would break down, and he didn't know if this implication was true or not.

But I would never dare to gamble.

He couldn't even threaten the other person with strength or death, or instill fear in them.

Because this human has clearly lost everything.

How could one be intimidated by death?

This proud and arrogant elf, born into a noble family, had never encountered such a target before... fearless, unreverent, and impossible to kill. Such an enemy left him bewildered and unsure how to deal with it.

The next moment, he saw the other person's mouth move.

Then my face felt hot.

The cavalry leader spat a glob of phlegm onto the other man's face, revealing a wicked grin.

The elf then realized what had happened.

The sticky liquid clinging to his face was slowly dripping down. He, who had always been pampered, almost vomited. Then, an indescribable sense of shame and anger overwhelmed him. In that instant, he forgot all about the Duke's instructions and the need to endure the humiliation.

He raised his left fist and punched the other man in the face.

One punch is enough to smash the opponent's head into a giant watermelon!

The next moment, the furious punch stopped in mid-air, with only the gust of wind blowing against the cavalry leader's cheek. Tagelise's finger caught the elf's left elbow, and the powerful blow was blocked.

A thin, short man easily blocked the punch. The huge contrast surprised not only the humans but also the elves present, who stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Almost simultaneously, Elandil appeared on the other side, grabbed the elf by the neck, and flung him away. He then bowed and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, please do not use enhancement spells indiscriminately; it will put a great burden on your body."

The elves then looked on in realization, and Tagelise coughed a few times, his handsome, almost delicate face growing even paler, before he smiled wryly and said, "It's nothing."

Having said that, Duke of Tiling turned around and bowed to the cavalry leader, saying, "I regret what happened to your family. This was not the royal family's intention, but what's done is done, and an apology is meaningless."

"My subordinate did something foolish, and I apologize on his behalf. Everything here is undoubtedly His Highness Kang De's spoils of war, and it is perfectly justified for him to want a fee. A total of one hundred and eighty-four copper coins, which we will pay as agreed. It is a very reasonable price. We thank him for his generosity and magnanimity."

He straightened up, looked directly into the other person's eyes, and calmly asked, "Any other questions?"

Those emerald green eyes possessed an indescribable Magic Power, inspiring awe in those who looked upon them with unwavering resolve.

The cavalry leader was speechless for a moment. Although hostility and hatred remained, for some reason, he felt he couldn't bring himself to spit on the skinny, pale-faced man in front of him again.

"If not, please do me a favor. I need to visit His Highness Kang De. Although this is not your task, please send someone to guide me. I will dispatch a messenger to personally deliver the visit request to him."

Forty minutes later.

Valentan.

"Awesome, awesome, this elf is not easy to deal with."

Upon hearing the report, Kang De paced around the room a few times. "Although we forced him to send a messenger, it makes us look petty. What happened to the idea that elves are all hot-tempered and extremely concerned with their image?"

He looked at Hong San: "Is this elf more unique?"

Hong San said solemnly, "This elf is quite different from others, Your Highness. It will be difficult to deal with."

"Tagelise, Duke of Tiling, the Elf Queen's brother." Kang De propped one foot on his chair. "Who the hell is he? Do you have any information on him?"

Hong San replied, "I have intelligence. The Elf Queen's brother, of course I have intelligence."

His main task these past few days has been to use Kang De's prestige and influence to gather intelligence that was previously difficult to access. At this time, the benefits of the Great Bomb Controversy are in full swing, and no one would refuse a request made in Kang De's name. However, Kang De has been enjoying himself on Earth, and only Hong San is watching the intelligence.

But that's exactly what a secretary does.

"Prince Tagelise, the twin brother of Queen Dairila, the heir to the Phoenix King's bloodline, Twins of Destiny, his and his sister's legendary deeds are talked about with great interest throughout the Dusk Moon Dynasty and even the world. But what is most widely circulated is that this equally outstanding brother and sister are almost completely opposite... in everything."

Hong San drew a pattern in the air with his hands.

"Like a yin-yang symbol."

"Dairila is brave and valiant, while Tagelise is thin and frail; they hardly seem like siblings. Even before Dairila ascended the throne, she was renowned as a great general and warrior, while Tagelise's body was so weak that he could only prolong his life through magic."

Upon hearing this, Kang De nodded and said, "Raistlin and Caramon, we understand."

Hong San asked in confusion, "What?"

"A tear of the times," Kang De waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about it, continue."

It was one of Hong San's finest traits that he never dug too deep into things. He nodded and continued, "Tagelise clearly lacked the talent and physique to be a warrior, but he achieved remarkable success in another field. He became a great mage and the most learned scholar among the elves."

"He and his sister have always been two sides of the same coin."

Today, Dairila is a queen renowned for her martial prowess, beloved by her army. The elves believe she will lead the Dusk Moon Dynasty to a brighter future, and the elven armies have repeatedly triumphed, conquered, and expanded under her sword.

"Tagelise, on the other hand, resided in his White Tower, tirelessly studying magic, potion-making, and botany, healing the wounds of his subjects, bringing a better life to the elves, overseeing and promoting the continuous advancement of the Arcane realm in the Dusk Moon Dynasty, and encouraging exploration and invention to improve people's lives through his academic creations..."

Kang De, who had been listening attentively, suddenly asked, "So, the Empress is a proponent of war, and he is a proponent of peace?"

"Perhaps, but it could just be a royal ploy. If the leader of the peace faction were also a member of the royal family, the Phoenix King Family would probably feel more at ease."

Hong San said solemnly, "Furthermore, Your Highness, I must remind you that even the elves of the peace faction are still elves, and even the peace faction itself is a peace faction of elves—you must understand this."

Kang De chuckled. "I understand, I fucking understand."

Hong San smiled upon hearing this, "Then I am relieved."

What are you worried about?

"Rest assured, Your Highness, you will not be deceived by appearances."

"Are you kidding me?" Kang De sneered. "Me, bewitched by a weak, pretty-boy elf? I'll beat him to a pulp, especially the peacemakers. People who are willing to reason can always be bullied into tears."

Hong San smiled and said, "That's not necessarily true..."

"What's uncertain about it? It's clearly..." Kang De paused, then suddenly looked puzzled. "Wait, what did you just say about him? That he was born thin and weak, incapable of being a warrior?"

Hong San nodded and said, "Yes."

Kang De frowned and said, "But according to the report, he blocked the fist of a strong elven man with just one finger. Do elves have a different definition of being weak than we do?"

Hong San replied, "Same here, but that Duke of Tiling is a powerful spellcaster. Using magic to strengthen himself and block targets is not difficult for him. Their conversation is also recorded in the report."

Kang De looked at the other person. "Couldn't this elf's identity be fake?"

Hong San's expression was certain. "It's true, there's no doubt about it."

"Why?"

Hong San answered without hesitation, "Because the messenger who came here to deliver our request for a visit was Elandil, the Light of Dragonheart Grass, the Watchful Sage. There are more than seven hundred verifiable bard poems recording his deeds, not counting the far-fetched embellishments and fabrications in various novels and dramas..."

"Most importantly, he is a friend of my master, and I have met him before."

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PS1: Update, update, update! No hammer drilling this weekend, hope I can sleep well, I've been having bad insomnia these past few days... I'll eat first, then see if I can write another or two chapters.