Valerius failed to notice and continued on his own.
"You can provide us with those interesting 'tools.' You can become our vassal state, lending your strength on the battlefield to wear down the Demon Clan's low-ranking cannon fodder."
"To devote your strength to the great Elves and the Goddess of Nature would be the highest honor for you and 'Great Xia'!"
"Oh! Just imagine-a civilization forsaken by magic, basking in the radiance of the Elf Kingdom. How fortunate you would be!"
"Sir Lin Mo, you should kneel on behalf of your country and thank Her Majesty for her generosity and mercy!"
The entire banquet hall fell silent.
Then came several voices unable to contain their approval.
"Elder Valerius is truly farsighted!"
"Indeed, this is the best possible future for them!"
"It would be their privilege to become our subjects!"
The Elf nobles now regarded Lin Mo with the casual certainty of people looking at a servant who was about to be taken into their service.
"You..."
Fendona flushed crimson, trembling all over, and was about to leap to her feet to argue.
A hand pressed down on her shoulder, steady and firm.
Lin Mo slowly rose.
He knew perfectly well that the Queen was allowing the Elder to act this way to test his attitude-and that of Great Xia behind him.
If he proved weak and easy to bully, the Elf Queen would step in to play the benevolent mediator and offer him a way out. The Elves would then hold the absolute advantage in their future cooperation, leaving Great Xia to be exploited.
Facing the threat of the Demon Clan, they needed help from him and his country. That was his greatest assurance of safety.
Besides, he had already done them a service.
So he decided to push back, within reason.
Whatever happened, he could not let them think he was easy to manipulate, or they would keep demanding more in the future. He had to make it clear that he was not someone they could bully.
He looked at Valerius.
"Elder Valerius, correct?"
Valerius lifted his chin arrogantly, signaling that Lin Mo could begin expressing his undying gratitude.
"Go ahead."
Lin Mo's gaze suddenly turned cold.
"If you're still half asleep, go get some rest. This isn't the place to sit around dreaming."
Every Elf's smile froze.
This man from another world actually dared to contradict a highly respected Elf Elder in public?
The smile vanished from Valerius's face, replaced by displeasure.
"Sir Lin Mo, mind your words! I am bestowing honor upon you and your civilization..."
"Honor?"
Lin Mo cut him off with a derisive laugh.
"Thanks for the honor, but you can keep it. Your kingdom's on the verge of destruction, and you're still talking about honor? It makes me sick just listening to you!"
He stepped forward, fixing Valerius with an unyielding stare.
"I have a thick skin. Say whatever you want about me. I don't care."
"But the one thing you should never have done was insult the country behind me-my civilization!"
"A vassal state?!"
Lin Mo's voice rose sharply.
"Then let me ask you something, oh noble Elf Elder!"
"Without the Compound Bow and Repeating Crossbow blueprints provided by us 'feeble' people, what would have happened to Lothia?"
"It would have been razed by the Demon Clan long ago!"
"Would you still be sitting here, enjoying fine wine and food, spouting nonsense at the benefactor who saved countless lives among your people, and prattling on about your bullshit honor?"
"You!"
With Lin Mo berating him to his face, Valerius shook with rage. His aged face turned a dark, purplish red, and he pointed at Lin Mo, unable to utter a word.
Lin Mo gave him no chance.
"What about me? What can you do besides stand here parading your hidebound arrogance?"
"When Lothia City was in mortal danger, did you go to its aid? Did you kill even one member of the Demon Clan?"
"Now I finally understand why the Elves keep retreating before the Demon Clan, barely clinging to life!"
"If all your leaders are ignorant, arrogant fools like you who can't see the bigger picture, what damn future do the Elves have?"
Every word struck at the hearts of all the Elves present.
The young Elves who had voiced their agreement earlier now lowered their heads, their faces burning.
Fendona stared blankly at Lin Mo's tall figure, her little mouth hanging open.
But Lin Mo was not finished. He returned to his seat, picked up his glass of Elven wine, and gave the ashen-faced Valerius a contemptuous smile.
"You take a victory won through our aid, then turn around and try to make us your dogs?"
"Who gave you that courage? Someone named Liang?"
"You Elves have lived for thousands of years. Have your brains turned to wood? Have you forgotten what it means to repay a kindness?"
"Pfft-"
Valerius's blood surged in his chest. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward.
Elder Valerius, driven to coughing up blood by rage
"Elder Valerius!"
The Elves around him scrambled to help.
The entire banquet hall descended into chaos.
Queen Ellari, who had remained seated at the head of the table and quietly watched events unfold, had now lost all her composure.
She regarded Lin Mo with a complicated expression. He had been so humble and courteous before, yet now he held nothing back.
Clang!
Suddenly, she slammed the crystal wineglass in her hand down on the table.
The sharp impact cut through all the noise.
The hall went silent.
Every Elf instinctively stopped what they were doing and turned toward the grim-faced Queen at the head of the table.
Fendona's heart leaped into her throat.
Lin Mo had berated a highly respected Elder until he spat blood, right in front of the entire Elven upper class. They were done for.
Yet Queen Ellari's next action left every Elf's jaw on the floor.
She looked coldly at Valerius, who had been helped upright and still had blood at the corner of his mouth.
"Elder Valerius."
"You have disappointed me deeply."
Valerius trembled, struggling to defend himself.
"Your Majesty, I..."
"Shut up!"
Ellari's voice suddenly rose, filled with authority and fury.
"As an Elder of the Elves, you faced the benefactor who saved countless lives among our people, yet showed neither gratitude nor respect. Instead, you used your pathetic arrogance and prejudice to mock and humiliate him at every turn!"
"Is this how we Elves treat our guests?!"
"Is this the grace and nobility we have passed down for thousands of years?!"
The Queen rose. Her magnificent robes stirred without any wind, and an overwhelming aura instantly enveloped the hall.
"Look at yourselves!"
Her gaze swept over the Elf nobles who had been snickering earlier but were now pale with fear.
"Arrogant! Foolish! Shortsighted! Prejudiced!"
With every word, Ellari's voice grew harsher.
"Have you all forgotten? Over hundreds of years of war, how much land have we lost? How many of our people have sacrificed their lives?"
"We have been driven back to this final sanctuary. There is nowhere left to retreat!"
"At this moment, when our very survival hangs in the balance, you still cling to that ridiculous sense of superiority!"
"Let me tell you! This arrogance, ingrained in our very bones, is the root cause of the Elves' repeated defeats!"
"It blinds us to our own shortcomings and makes us reject every opportunity that might change our fate!"
Her words rang out with force, jolting everyone who heard them!
Before you continue