New Situation

[Front-row note: Regarding the issue of the protagonist having a child with his wife in the fifth year of arriving on the Douluo Continent, well... even if they couldn't transform into humans before the hundred-thousand-year threshold, surely you've seen nature documentaries? The way male and female lions do it in the wild is exactly how Rus Wang and Thalassa do it.]

"The Star Luo Emperor has arrived on the Star Luo Continent?"

Rus Wang set down the urgent report submitted by Ulides, his face full of astonishment, as if he had just discovered he had missed something major. But after considering the distance from the Dragon Valley Forest to the Douluo Continent, he let it go; after all, there weren't fifty agents lurking over on the Douluo Continent side anyway, making it a case of being beyond his reach.

Furthermore, if the Grey Feather Division agents over there needed to return, they would still need Di Tian to assist.

"What is the reaction from the Star Dou Forest?"

"Hmm... no reaction at all. However, the Grey Feather Division branch stationed in the Star Dou Forest sent word that the secret techniques brought back by Lady Zi Ji have already begun to be popularized among the fierce beasts over two hundred thousand years old in the Star Dou Forest. Additionally, Zi Ji has requested to return to the Light Dragon King to continue her studies, and she hopes you will put in a good word for her with the Light Dragon King."

Good grief, that creature above did something to you and laid a hand on my granddaughter only eight years ago, and you want to go back already? I've got psychological trauma from that, dream on!

"Fine, I understand. Ulides, continue to monitor the situation on the Star Luo Continent where the Dragon Valley Forest is located, and report any news of war immediately. As for now, you may withdraw. I will send a message to Zi Ji via the communication book."

"Yes."

Following Ulides's departure from the throne room, Rus Wang immediately wrote in the book shared with Zi Ji: "After my son Barus has evaluated you, if you pass, I will then put in a good word with the Light Dragon King."

He then left it alone and went to check on his son to see how the development of the Two-Horned Imprint was coming along.

This was a good thing. Although all elves possessed Soul Power, which allowed them to crush humans in the utilization rate of Soul Guidance Devices, humans with Battle Armor would inevitably become stronger based on Soul Guidance Devices in the future. Therefore, it was crucial for the elves to find a way to gain additional methods of obtaining soul skills while maintaining spiritual contracts with the Dragon Clan and soul beasts.

From the core area of the Star Dou Forest, thousands of miles away, came the sound of Zi Ji's wailing.

"No, your son says you agreed and he will put in a good word with Teacher. And you say your son agreed and you will put in a good word with Teacher—are you two putting on a double act? I'm just a bit slow, is that really necessary?"

As for why Zi Ji didn't just ask the Light Dragon King directly? Well, as a disciple, Zi Ji did indeed have the Light Dragon King's communication book, but...

[Not allowed until the basics are mastered]

Hmm... that one response from Zi Ji could be said to have left an overly profound impression on both Rus Wang and the Light Dragon King.

"How is it, son? How is the imprint research going?"

Rus Wang arrived at the Nanshan Rainforest sector used for testing and looked at Barus, who was conducting tests with Elena in the experimental zone.

"Ah, Father, you're here. As of now, the imprint is fully compatible with the spiritual contract for elves, and it can also be equipped by our Dragon Clan brethren and hundred-thousand-year soul beasts."

Once soul beasts and elves formed a spiritual contract based on their spiritual rank, the beast's body could reside entirely within the elf's spiritual world. If humans and elves were to go to war one day, and humans caught a lone elf who hadn't prepared any Soul Guidance Devices, the elf could release up to four soul beasts from their spiritual world in addition to unleashing soul skills corresponding to the soul beasts' attributes.

With the imprint invented by Barus, the elves effectively gained another set of self-created soul skills.

"However, there are some things I still can't understand."

"What do you mean?"

"I have two control groups here. In the first group, one is a Spirit Douluo of the Grey Feather Division at the Spirit Domain Realm, and the other is Elena, also at the Spirit Domain Realm. Both contracted four soul beasts simultaneously, but the former could only add two imprints; after putting the third imprint into their spiritual world, they experienced severe physical discomfort. In the second group, Aunt Yanjin could equip three imprints, while Aunt Ximing could only equip two."

Oh... Rus Wang didn't even need to think about why. This reminded him of the mechanism from his past life where the third slot in the elf imprint arrangement required 250 diamonds to unlock.

"What a bad memory."

"In that case, it must be a matter of cultivation level, physical capacity, and the soul core. Let's focus on developing the versatility of the imprints."

Rus Wang immediately suggested that his son focus on strengthening the imprints.

"Understood."

Thirty-year-old Toriya was strolling through the commercial district of the capital, Ravenna, with her classmate Venicia, and she saw the lives of ordinary elves most directly.

"Although the government arranges tuition waivers and free Class D meals for students with excellent grades like me, allowing me to study in peace at school without adding a burden to my family, in other aspects, they really turn a blind eye."

(The high school Class D meal consists of a fixed cup of milk and two white steamed buns in the morning; two corn tortillas, a wrap with potato and chicken curry, and a bowl of water spinach soup for lunch; and a fixed serving of egg and chicken fried rice with a cup of orange juice for dinner—it's better than what elf workers eat outside of holidays.)

Sitting on the second floor of a curry shop, Venicia spoke to Toriya, letting her know that while the kingdom appeared to be thriving, the stability of the lower classes was nearing a breaking point.

The roar of the steam engine for 58 years had benefited elf farm owners, and it hadn't affected the elf farmers (the Zheer Continent is vast, and despite the enclosure movement, the state's intervention ensured the kingdom maintained 100% food self-sufficiency), but the elves in the cities were under immense pressure.

The Elf Kingdom, lacking primitive accumulation, naturally saw the government impose high tax rates on factories with the greatest wealth-creating power. In turn, the factory owners, who were taxed 60 out of every 100 silver coins, squeezed the elf workers.

11 hours was the government's regulation, so why couldn't I make the workers stay for 12 hours or more while paying them for 11? Then the problem exploded; the elf workers began demanding that the government reduce the pressure and guarantee workers' rights.

The elf civil servants in the government were full of question marks—what did I do? The fiscal pressure was already in a state of about to burst, and the Prime Minister asked King Rus Wang for money every year; the state treasury was so empty that even a mouse would be reduced to skin and bones.

Now the government was completely stuck in a state of limbo by public opinion. Catching a few factory owners a few years ago hadn't worked—killing the chicken to scare the monkey was useless. Satisfying the public's demands would mean asking the King for more money, and was that even reasonable?

So, they just kept dragging it out.

"So, Toriya, this isn't just my request; I was asked by the workers. I am seeking help from you, the only princess of the royal family in the public eye, to petition your grandfather, His Majesty Rus Wang, to strictly regulate working hours to 10 hours and raise the hourly wage as much as possible."

Toriya looked at the nervous face of her classmate Venicia, then looked at the pure potato and carrot curry rice she had ordered for 20 copper coins—the cheapest item in the curry shop.

With an elf male's salary at two copper coins per hour, this meal cost almost an entire day of hard labor. (Note: The government controls food prices to prevent speculation, purchasing grain from farmers at a balanced market price while guaranteeing their wages, making a 100-jin bag of rice, which lasts a family of six a month and a half, cost 50 copper coins, while a Soul Guidance desk lamp costs 240 copper coins.)

She sighed and signaled the waiter, who was always ready to respond, standing next to the curry shop manager, who was ecstatic that a royal family member was dining in his shop.

"Waiter! Cancel this pure potato curry. I'll pay for it anyway. Also, I'd like an order of escargot, onion soup, and a medium-rare steak with chicken curry rice."

"Toriya, that's..."

"I'll take it on. I will go speak to my grandfather personally. Besides, I'm taking you out for a good meal, Venicia. You've been eating Class D meals for so long, your stomach must have been crying out for a long time, right?"

Toriya looked at the nervous Venicia, wearing an expression that seemed to say, "Why are you so nervous? Do I look like a bad person?"