Forced to Change

Outside the door, many elves stood there, their clothes tattered and their faces blank. Although they varied in height and build, they all shared the common trait of having suffered torture; their clothes were so tattered that they were barely clothed.

What exactly did you go and do?

Without needing confirmation, Li Lin could tell there were at least several hundred Pokémon, which greatly displeased him. Faced with Li Lin's veiled reproach, Kalin stretched lazily in a style completely out of character, then ran her fingers through her hair. "I just bought some Pokémon, that's all. It's not a big deal."

You don't really think so, do you?

Li Lin frowned.

"Okay... I'll tell you the truth."

Seeing that Li Lin was truly angry, Kalin hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to confess. She first led Li Lin and Angela to a secluded spot before reluctantly speaking.

"I received a divine message from the Elf Goddess, who wants me to bring these fairies back to the island. Considering how kind her daughter was to me back then, I figure agreeing to her request isn't too much of a chore."

"The Elf Goddess?"

"That's right. I happened to meet an elven Divine Chosen at that time. I don't know if she was waiting for me there on purpose, but anyway... I think you should come and take a look."

Since it was the Elf Goddess's request, Li Lin naturally couldn't refuse. However, after much deliberation, he remained extremely dissatisfied with the Elf Goddess's preemptive action without prior notice. He was currently carrying out his own plans, and the Elf Goddess should be well aware of this; such unauthorized disruption and interference was clearly not what she desired. The only reason Li Lin didn't immediately express his displeasure was that during the Magic Empire era, he had a harmonious and solid friendship with the Elf Queen—one of Yinyue Shirley Elf Goddess's eight daughters. Out of respect for her, Li Lin could tolerate most things the Elven race did, but this time, it was simply too much.

"Is that Divine Chosen still alive?"

"Certainly."

"Call her over, let's go upstairs and talk. If that goddess doesn't have a convincing reason, then these elves will have to be resold. Is that alright?"

"I don't care, it doesn't really concern me anyway."

Kalin responded with her usual attitude and then left the shop. Li Lin immediately turned and asked the portly merchant for a room; he was furious about the whole affair. Of course, Li Lin understood the Elf Goddess's intention to see him as a savior (at least from the elves' perspective), but his primary concern was the Magic Empire, not the future of the elven race. Besides, most of these elves were just weak women who had never undergone the brutal, all-powerful training of the Dark Elf. Bringing them in would only be a waste of time and money. If they were Dark Elf, Li Lin would welcome them without hesitation, as they were elite soldiers capable of taking on ten men each, whether in melee or ranged combat; buying some elite warriors would be a worthwhile investment. But elves...

Shortly after Li Lin and Angela settled into their guest room, Kalin entered with the Divine Chosen. The moment Li Lin saw her, he knew this was a premeditated act, because this Divine Chosen was the same one who had appeared in the Capital of the Magic Empire earlier.

"Your Majesty, I am truly astonished."

After the Elf Goddess took her seat, Li Lin began to speak, his voice filled with a strong sense of complaint that almost everyone could hear.

"I originally thought that after leaving the imperial capital, you would be busy fighting off the pursuit of the God of Justice. I never expected you to appear in this godforsaken place, and even instigate my subordinates to do things without my permission. Although the Magic Empire has indeed perished, I think you haven't forgotten the principles of us Arcane Mage."

"Terribly sorry."

Li Lin's words were quite blunt, and even the usually well-mannered Elf Goddess couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed.

"That's not what I meant. In fact, it was just a coincidence. I originally planned to go to the Storm Ocean to investigate the situation there. But I discovered that my people were being sold like pigs and dogs. I couldn't think of a better solution, and just then, I happened to see your subordinate, so I hoped to use her strength... I'm very sorry for not informing you beforehand."

An apology is pointless at this point, because you've already caused me trouble.

As Li Lin spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Kalin. Thinking about it carefully, it was indeed a strange sight. An elf who embodied the perfect concept of elves was leading a group of Dark Elf to buy large numbers of elven slaves. If it were any other day, it would probably have caused an even greater conflict. However, it was clear that the Dark Elf' ferocious reputation had overcome the greedy desires of those merchants; otherwise, things would probably have spiraled out of control.

Thinking of this, Li Lin's expression turned somewhat unfriendly. He changed his posture and looked again at the Elf Goddess sitting quietly opposite him.

"Indeed, I promised you all that I would help you fight against the God of Justice. But not now, and don't forget, I am not one of your chosen ones, and I am not obligated to respond to every single one of your instructions. I think you should be well aware that I stand on the same side. Although I am not against helping the elves, I will absolutely not disrupt my own plans for their sake. What I hate most is having my plans disrupted; you shouldn't have forgotten that, right?"

"In this respect, it was indeed my rudeness. But Arcane Mage, I assure you, my people possess sufficient power..."

"What we need is not secrecy. If our allies can't communicate openly, then I must reconsider the necessity of our alliance."

Li Lin interrupted the goddess, then frowned and pondered for a moment.

"Your Majesty, if you are willing to give me all their lives, then I may consider not selling them again."

"You mean..."

The goddess's expression changed slightly. She carefully examined Li Lin, but she couldn't figure out what he was thinking.

"It means exactly what it says, Your Majesty. This is my final concession. If you don't agree, then I can only try my best to make up for my losses. Moreover, I hope this will only happen once. If something similar happens again, you should understand that angering Arcane Mage on the Prime Material Plane is not a good thing."

"..."

This was Li Lin's final concession, and also a threat. He vehemently disliked unexpected events. Of course, if these events came from the enemy, Li Lin could tolerate them. But if they came from allies, Li Lin would basically fly into a rage or fly into a rage. The Earth proverb "It's not the god-like opponent you should fear, but the pig-like teammate" couldn't be more fitting for Li Lin. He vehemently disliked his plans being altered, and he was also dissatisfied with Kalin for making decisions and taking the books without consulting him. Of course, he also understood that Kalin and Xueli'er shared a similarly deep friendship, just as he was willing to tolerate some of the elves' mistakes for her sake. Kalin would also do things that she wouldn't normally do for Xueli'er's sake.

The Elf Goddess remained silent, and the illustration book was also speechless. Li Lin's request was arguably beyond her limits. For a deity prayed to by the elves, her primary duty was to protect the lives of her people. Li Lin was now demanding that she relinquish this power, at least ceasing to concern herself with the lives of these elves. This was extremely offensive to a deity, but currently, the Elf Goddess needed Li Lin's help and could only obediently submit. She knew very well that this former strongest, and also weakest, Arcane Mage of the empire hated having his plans disrupted, and she had witnessed several arrogant gods who, defying the odds, had acted recklessly, only to be thrown into chaos by Li Lin's machinations. If it weren't for the specific circumstances of this situation, she wouldn't have wanted to provoke him like this.

"Okay, I promise."

Finally, the Elf Goddess nodded.

The negotiations have now concluded.

After that, Li Lin found the fat merchant and pulled him out of the dizzying world of transactions.

"Find two ships and get these elves onto them. Don't forget to hire guards. Also, find a few influential torturers to prevent the elves from escaping. Your business here is doing quite well; I wonder if you'd be interested in expanding into selling elves?"

Are you really going to do this?

It has to be said that the fat merchant was startled when he heard Li Lin's words. He had originally thought that Li Lin would rescue these elves, and never expected that he would treat these elves as commodities.

That's exactly what I intend to do.

Because of the unexpected circumstances that forced the plan to be revised, Li Lin gave a somewhat annoyed answer. This made the fat businessman wisely shut his mouth; he certainly hadn't missed Angela's cold smile standing to the side—which finally confirmed to the fat businessman that a certain dangerous element had never left his side.

"I truly hate this kind of accident."

After resolving the unexpected problem, Li Lin complained with dissatisfaction.

"I hope the reward from the Elf Goddess is enough for me to consider this revision of the plan a worthwhile investment; otherwise, I think I'll have to reconsider my alliance with her."

"That kind of idiotic god is not worthy of negotiating with his master."

Angela gave a dismissive, icy smile.

What are you planning to do?

"In short, the plan continues."

Li Lin went through the simulation again, and after confirming that there were no problems, he turned to Kalin with a serious expression.

"Kalin, keep an eye on those elves and prevent them from escaping. If necessary, I'll allow you to kill them. After all, Her Majesty the Goddess has made her choice, and she must pay the price. Also, keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals among them. After all, it's a stretch to say that the Elf Goddess dared to take such a great risk to disrupt my plans, simply because of her benevolence."

"Understood, Your Excellency."