Little Lady?

What are your thoughts on this?

After Li Lin left, the king also left the main hall. Under the protection of heavy guards, he went to a sealed room at the back, where an old priest in a robe was sitting in a chair, resting with his eyes closed.

"Very powerful spellcasting ability."

In response to the king's question, the old man slightly opened his eyes.

"Such power is not easily seen even within the Mages' Association."

"So, do you really believe he tamed those Dark Elf?"

It seemed that the king trusted the old man completely, and he directly raised his deepest question.

"Theoretically speaking, this is completely impossible. After all, they are different races, and Dark Elf are not elves; they are very difficult to tame. However, there are always exceptions. Perhaps this man does possess such an ability. After all, he was able to easily break through the seal and cast magic within the hall, which had an anti-magic barrier, and he did so with advanced spellcasting techniques. This shows that this man is definitely not simple—I'm sure he has already discovered my presence."

"Really?"

The old man's answer astonished the king. He had never imagined that this mage, who looked about the same age as his son, would possess such great power.

"But he's only..."

"Some things in this world always defy expectations. Your Majesty, aren't you one of those people? Since there are people like you, it's normal for similar people to appear. Fortunately, this man clearly doesn't want to live in the Underdark; otherwise, he could easily rely on these Dark Elf and become a mountain king. After all, the Black Road and the Underdark are not within the jurisdiction of a nation. But now it seems he clearly hopes to support and is willing to make contact with them, valuing their influence."

The old man paused slightly at this point.

"Did you notice his eyes? He's a very ambitious man. I think he won't be satisfied with merely conquering the Dark Elf."

"..."

The king nodded slightly and remained silent. But looking at the king's furrowed brow, the old man suddenly smiled.

"So, what will you do, Your Majesty? Eliminate him?"

"No."

The king shook his head and answered firmly.

"I will use him. If I cannot even control such an ambitious man, then my abilities as a king are nothing more than this. Of course..."

As he spoke, his expression turned serious as he looked at the old man.

"If anything goes wrong, I hope you can lend a hand, teacher."

I'm not sure.

The old man coughed softly.

"And my time is running out, so if you're going to do it, do it as soon as possible. Fortunately, although you're both geniuses, that man is still too young. Some things can't be achieved solely through divine favor. When dealing with him, don't forget your age, wisdom, experience... these are gifts that time gives us. He's still too young and doesn't know how to restrain himself."

As he spoke, the old man pointed to his head, and the king nodded silently. Then he bowed slightly and left the room.

Meanwhile, in the luxurious guest room of the palace, Li Lin sat leisurely on the sofa, watching Angela leaning against him, sipping red wine.

"I am truly astonished that the king did not arrest you, my lord."

It should be said that she was puzzled; Angela's tone revealed a strong undercurrent of wanting to kill and break someone out of prison.

"I think His Majesty the King most likely sees you as an ambitious but not very bright man, Li Lin."

Nia's eyes never left the book in front of her; it was truly baffling that she could be so engrossed in even a barbarian's recipe.

"After all, what you're doing now is like a nouveau riche who has power but doesn't know how to restrain himself, cultivate his influence, or even how to show off his abilities. You've led so many Dark Elf to the surface, and so obviously..."

"So, these idiots with an IQ of less than 0.15 see their master as a fool?"

Although Angela and Kalin didn't get along, surprisingly, Angela seemed to get along quite well with Nia.

"There's nothing wrong with that."

Li Lin, however, didn't mind at all.

"If you see yourself as dealing with a fierce but simple dog, then wanting to tame it is natural. It's better than dealing with a cunning wolf, because in that case, the first thing you'd do wouldn't be the method you want."

"Master, how can you compare yourself to a dog? If that's the case, aren't all the humans in this palace as insignificant and lowly as bacteria and microorganisms?"

Angela clearly disapproved of the analogy.

"It's just an example."

Li Lin raised his hands with a wry smile.

"Furthermore, I've also sensed that there's a force within the palace watching us."

"It's a mage, and it seems to be a high-level mage."

Nia was not much less sensitive to magical power than Li Lin.

"It's a good thing to receive attention, especially on issues like this."

As he spoke, Li Lin casually stroked Angela's little face, and the little one squinted her eyes, enjoying Li Lin's gentle caress like a kitten.

"Besides, sometimes it's a good thing to be taken for a fool. That's why I do this; they simply can't imagine what we're doing... This is our biggest trump card."

Whether the other party saw him as a fool or a pawn, it was none of Li Lin's concern. Regardless of how he was treated, once the plan succeeded, they would face the most terrible retribution. Therefore, Li Lin didn't care about minor offenses before achieving his goal. He was certain that his title of "Dark Elf Dominator," whether true or false, would quickly spread to everyone worthy of knowledge. At that point, whether they believed it or not, the entire situation would change.

This was also part of Li Lin's plan. After all, his appearance with so many Dark Elf would naturally provoke the nerves of other countries, and Lalia would naturally receive the same news. This would be a threat to Kudel, who was using the crossing of the Black Road as a surprise tactic, because any sane person would associate the Dark Elf with the Black Road and would not ignore the possible significance their presence in Kudel might represent. This would force Kudel to either advance or abandon their plan and obtain some information from the prince. After learning about His Majesty the King's preferences, Li Lin believed the former was more likely. After all, sending an army across the Black Road to control an area was not something a small army could accomplish.

"You all need to be careful here, I believe you all understand that."

Looking around at everyone, Li Lin spoke. The others nodded solemnly.

After all, they hadn't forgotten why they were standing there in the first place.

Just then, there was another knock on the door, and a palace attendant dressed in luxurious attire entered the room. Upon seeing the group of young women, even this seasoned attendant was momentarily stunned. Although he had seen countless beautiful women in the palace, the appearances of these young women still exceeded his expectations. However, he quickly regained his composure under Li Lin's cold gaze and respectfully lowered his head.

"Your Excellency, to welcome you, His Majesty will be hosting a banquet this evening. We hope that you, gentlemen and ladies, will have the honor of attending..."

"We will go."

Li Lin exchanged a glance with Nia, who had looked up, and quickly gave a reply. After hearing the answer, the waiter hurriedly retreated, glancing back at everyone with some reluctance before leaving the room.

"Party?"

Angela raised her eyebrows, amused.

"This king is truly foolish and leisurely; he actually has the mood to hold a party at this time?"

"Perhaps he was confident enough to handle the problems Dark Elf and me."

Li Lin was clearly taking a cautious approach.

"In any case, this is an opportunity. It's very possible that the King intends to use this to test me, or perhaps he wants me to cause some trouble or problems, or maybe he's using it as a pretext to have a private conversation with me—or more likely, all of the above. In any case, we must attend this dinner, and..."

As he spoke, Li Lin straightened his clothes.

"It has been a long time since I have been hosted by a king from another country. I hope their food will be more delicious than it was a thousand years ago."

"What a pity, little guy."

Even at this point, Kalin did not stop teasing Angela.

"There must be some delicious food, but you won't be able to participate."

"... What did you say?"

It seems these two are incompatible from the start.

Isn't that so?

Facing Angela's murderous gaze, Kalin shrugged nonchalantly.

"This is a state banquet, for goodness' sake. All those present are ladies and gentlemen. Look at yourself, you have no chest, and you're only this... tiny. A brat is a brat, you'll never be a lady. If Your Excellency were to bring a little girl like you, wouldn't you be laughed to death?"

"And what about you? In this continent, elves are even lower in status than pets."

Angela, of course, would not give in so easily.

"If Master takes you there, people will definitely look down on you, won't they?"

"I had no intention of going at all."

Kalin waved her hand casually.

"Banquets are so boring; I'm not suited to that relaxed atmosphere. Even when Your Excellency and the others hosted banquets in the past, I rarely attended."

Aside from drinking on the balcony, I've basically never seen you again.

It was unclear whether Nia was being sarcastic or complaining, but Kalin clearly didn't care.

"So, little one, this time, so as not to hold you back, the two of us will stay here. Anyway, you can't go. A little girl should stay in her room and listen to her older sister, right?"

"... You really dare to say that..."

Angela's eyes grew even redder, and then she suddenly stood up from beside Li Lin, grabbing Mina and Fina's hands.

"Follow me!!"

Then, she dragged the two sisters, who were completely unaware of what was happening, into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

"Kalin? I should have told you."

Looking helplessly at the slammed door, Li Lin said with a sigh.

"It's just for fun."

Kalin tossed her long hair.

"Everything will be alright."