Distant Allies, Nearby Enemies, and Plans

The border of Dideweiya, the Eternal Plain.

Lush green grass covered the earth, rustling softly in the gentle breeze. An elf raised its head from the grass, its ears twitching warily as it probed its surroundings.

"Nothing seems out of the ordinary."

She spoke softly, then whistled lightly. Soon, two more elves appeared simultaneously not far away. They were dressed simply, carrying longbows on their backs, their sharp eyes scanning the area warily. Although the situation was currently very favorable for them, the elves remained vigilant.

"Shouldn't we be heading back soon?"

Only after confirming there were no humans around did they finally feel somewhat relieved. They had recently heard that humans were becoming increasingly interested in this grassland, even building villages on its outskirts. Clearly, the old method of entering the Land of Elves in groups to capture and sell elves was no longer enough to satisfy these humans' greedy desires. If this continued, perhaps humans would capture their own kind even faster and with more manpower in the future. Thinking of this, the elf on reconnaissance duty felt a heavy weight of unease in her heart.

"Since we haven't found anything, it means there are no humans around. We can retreat now."

"Okay, Sister Yinyue."

Just as the lead elf gave the order and called to her companions to prepare to leave, a blinding light suddenly appeared, catching their attention.

What happened?

The elven captain looked in surprise toward the source of the light, only to find a pile of ruins and a stone gate-like structure. The young elves had no idea what it was; they had only heard from the village elders that these ruins had long ago been a symbol of the elven race's prosperity, but even they didn't know the specifics. They themselves had secretly gone there with a few friends, but apart from a pile of stones and strange symbols, they had found nothing unusual.

Now, in the eyes of the elf captain, the strange symbols on the stone gate began to glow one by one. Then, they converged towards the center, forming a swirling mirror-like pattern, from which two figures emerged. After seeing the two figures clearly, the elf captain was greatly surprised.

Those were two humans!

She couldn't believe her eyes. This was practically Elven Empire; how could humans have emerged from those ruins? What method had they used to get here?

Surprised as they were, the elven captain became puzzled when he saw the two people clearly. The two humans were a man and a woman, one tall and one short. This was a combination the elves had never seen before here. The man looked to be no more than twenty years old, quite young even among humans. The girl beside him was even younger, appearing to be only in her teens. Moreover, the man wasn't armed like the other humans who came to hunt elves; instead, he wore a large, black robe. The girl beside him was even more outrageous, wearing elaborate and elaborate costumes?

Who exactly are they?

Even elves who know little about the human world would be surprised by this strange combination.

"Captain, that's..."

Clearly, the other two elves also noticed this anomaly.

What should we do?

As they spoke, the elves gripped their longbows tightly. What to do? That question didn't need an answer. Given the current tense relationship between elves and humans, there was only one thing the elves could do.

"Follow them and see where they're going."

Although the enemy outnumbered them, the elf captain still gave a more cautious order. She was unwilling to take unnecessary risks, especially since the way these two humans appeared was too strange; it was better to be careful.

Meanwhile, Li Lin, enjoying the atmosphere of the grassland, slowly opened his eyes.

"The Eternal Plain are still the same as before, nothing has changed."

With a nostalgic gaze, he looked at the beautiful grassland before him, still a green ocean, a place that soothes the soul.

"Master, where should we go next?"

Angela looked around, then curiously looked up and asked.

Li Lin's trip wasn't just about sightseeing. After handing over most of the matters to be handled, he began his next plan. He needed allies; in war, the power of allies cannot be ignored. Even in the battles against the Magic Empire, the only difference was that no matter how ingenious the tactics or how powerful the forces, they couldn't withstand an overwhelming sheer numbers of people.

Li Lin's primary target was the Land of Elves. This was not only because he had a close personal relationship with the Elf Queen, but also because the Elf race was not currently very powerful. Li Lin hoped to provide them with better assistance so that they could preserve their strength before launching a counterattack. Unlike the dwarves, who could simply block the entrance to their caves with boulders and sleep soundly inside, the elves, a race that lived in the forest, were much easier for humans to deal with.

For reasons of secrecy, Li Lin did not travel to the Land of Elves via the Ringwraith City; that would be too extravagant. Therefore, he chose another means of transportation.

Before the Capital of the Magic Empire was completely destroyed, Li Lin ordered the mages to salvage many valuable relics. Among them, the most valuable were the magic ship (although Li Lin was very unhappy that only an empty shell remained) and the spatial portal.

During the Magic Empire's era, to facilitate convenient and rapid communication with allies and other regions, the Magic Empire established numerous spatial portals. These portals connected different passages, allowing travel to various places or enabling people from other regions to arrive. Although Li Lin originally intended to use the power of the spatial portals to teleport directly to the Land of Elves, he was unable to successfully establish a passage. It is likely that after the Magic Empire's destruction, the elves, to prevent humans from using these portals to attack them, destroyed the portals within their own territory. Left with no other option, Li Lin had to search for other nearby regions to see if any portals remained. Ultimately, he connected to a portal on the Eternal Plain and successfully activated it.

Li Lin only brought Angela on this trip to negotiate with the Land of Elves. Nia needed to handle affairs within the Ringwraith City and therefore couldn't accompany him. Yi Aier was to oversee the mages' research and manufacturing of new weapons. Kalin, as always, was idle, but Li Lin didn't want to hear her arguing with Angela the whole way. As for Suoxiate, she calmly told Angela that the "re-education" of the two maids had reached a crucial stage, so she couldn't come either. Angela, naturally, was very excited and looked forward to receiving a gift from Suoxiate upon her return.

In the end, Li Lin only took Angela.

"Judging from our current location... we should go this way."

Li Lin looked up at the sky, then turned to look at the teleportation portal, using it to determine his location and then pointing out the direction to travel.

Then, he took Angela's small hand and walked into the grassland. But before they had gone a few steps, Angela revealed a sinister and vicious smile, her lips curling up slightly, and she whispered to Li Lin in an excited voice.

"Master, someone is following us."

"I know."

Li Lin didn't turn back. He had sensed the three elves' presence the moment they appeared. After all, Arcane Mage weren't to be underestimated. Although the elves had concealed themselves well in the hay, their magic hadn't been clouded. However, since they were elves, Li Lin didn't intend to cause any trouble. So he ignored the ones following him and continued walking slowly forward. He simply moved forward, glancing at the surrounding grasslands and the forest in the distance. He had been here before, more than once.

"I made a promise with her that I would come here to see her again."

Gazing at the scenery before him, a barely perceptible sadness lingered in Li Lin's voice. He had lied to her, promising to visit her after the battle. But the girl had lied to him too; she hadn't obeyed Li Lin's orders to return to the Land of Elves, but had stayed in Ringwraith City to resist the enemy's attack. Now, although Li Lin could see this beautiful scenery again, the other person with whom he had made a promise would never see it again.

"Arcane Mage, if you have time, you must visit the Eternal Plain. The scenery there is the most beautiful! I'll be your guide, and I also know of a very beautiful secret place that belongs only to me!"

That innocent smile and that clear voice have also vanished forever into the long river of history.

"... What a pity, I was hoping to see just how beautiful that secret location was."

Li Lin sighed, lowered his eyes, and walked forward in silence. Angela followed beside him, quietly watching her master, but soon, the little one's expression changed slightly, and she turned to look ahead.

The faint sounds of weapons and shouts drifted on the breeze, and the grass suddenly began to sway violently. Then, a petite figure leaped out of the grass and landed in front of Li Lin.

It was a little elf girl, her clothes tattered and stained with blood. Seeing the human suddenly appear before her, the elf girl instinctively tried to back away, but quickly her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground. Her clear, beautiful eyes stared in terror at Li Lin before her, her small body trembling uncontrollably. To the elf girl, the person before her was clearly not her savior.

"Where is she! Find her quickly!!"

"She can't get far!!"

"Quick, search quickly!!"

Accompanied by shouts, several fully armed humans appeared in Li Lin's line of sight. They naturally recognized Li Lin and Angela and were all taken aback. However, after realizing that the other party was human and not an elf, they immediately relaxed.

Hey, buddy.

One of the men, dressed as a mercenary, shouted from afar.

"Have you seen a little elf girl? She just ran this way."

"..."

Li Lin didn't speak, but stared at the trembling elf girl before him. The others followed his gaze and finally saw their prey.

"Hey, isn't she over there? Hey buddy, give me a hand, can you bring her over here?"

Hearing the other person speak, Li Lin extended his right hand, a gesture that startled the little elf, causing her to curl up. However, she didn't feel the pain she had imagined; instead, Li Lin's palm was gently stroking her hair.

What do you plan to do with her?

Li Lin asked without looking up, which startled the mercenaries, who had never seen such a strange human before.

"What do you mean... of course we're going to sell it, what else can we do? Hey, you're not planning to keep it, are you? That won't do, we went through a lot of trouble to catch it..."

"Angela."

Li Lin's voice was calm and indifferent, but Angela's eyes widened with excitement.

"Kill them all, leave no one alive."

"Understood, Master!!"

A red light appeared.

The lead mercenary didn't even have time to react before Angela ripped his head off. As Angela head and placed it on the ground, the headless mercenary's body still swayed as he stood. The others, on the other hand, didn't even see how the little girl had gotten to them.

"Alright, crawlers."

Angela casually tossed away the severed head in her hand, and with an excited, innocent smile, looked at her prey.

"It's time for you all to scream."

"Monster... Monster!!"

"Help!!!"

Accompanied by screams, a new round of inhumane killings unfolded on the vast grassland.

Are you alright? Are you hurt?

Listening to the screams of the human mercenaries, Li Lin squatted down and gently asked the elven girl. Perhaps because she had heard Elvish, the little girl was no longer as afraid as before. She hesitated and looked up at Li Lin, but there was still a trace of fear in her eyes.

"I... I... can't walk anymore..."

"Wait a moment."

As he spoke, Li Lin closed his eyes, and soon, a faint white light emanated from his palm, enveloping the elven girl. Under the light, the girl's wounds quickly and completely disappeared. Under the influence of the spell, the initially frightened elf gradually calmed down, gazing at Li Lin with curiosity, the fear in her eyes slowly fading away.

"Alright."

After casting the spell, Li Lin clapped his hands, stood up, stroked the little elf's head, and then pointed to a spot not far behind him.

"Your compatriots are there; go there, it's safer there."

"This..."

"I advise you to look back; the scene there..."

As he spoke, Li Lin glanced around and saw a man crying as Angela ripped off his finger.

"That's too exciting for you."

Just then, not far behind Li Lin, three elves witnessed the same scene. From the moment those humans appeared, the three elves were extremely nervous; clearly, they were mercenaries who frequently came here to capture elves. They also saw the little elves rush towards Li Lin, a sight that almost made them too heartbroken to bear.

However, what happened next was completely unexpected by the elves. Instead of handing over the little elf, the black-robed man launched a brutal attack on the group of human mercenaries. It was a horror and cruelty the elves could never imagine; even though they were their enemies, the screams sent shivers down their spines. And then, the elves noticed that the little elven girl was actually running towards them.

What happened next was unbelievable to the elves: the little girl cried and threw herself into the arms of one of the elf patrolmen, sobbing uncontrollably.

How could you... how did you know we were here?

The patrol captain was extremely surprised that the little girl had managed to find them. They had been hiding in the grass the whole time, making it impossible for anyone to spot them. Even among their own kind, the girl was far too young to possibly notice their presence.

"It was... it was that human brother who told me. He told me to run back, saying that my fellow humans were here, and that I would be safer here..."

Perhaps sensing the presence of her kind, the little elf's speech became more fluent. She threw herself into the arms of the elf patrolman beside her, sobbing uncontrollably. "But... Daddy... Mommy... and my sister... they've all... they've all been taken away by humans..."

Is it a trap?

The patrol captain reflexively looked up, only to find that the man in black wasn't looking at him, nor did he launch an attack as the captain had expected. Instead, the elf noticed a hint of loneliness on the man's face.

"Captain, what do we do now?"

"This..."

Faced with this bizarre situation, Yinyue pondered for a moment, then gritted her teeth.

"I'll go check it out. You all wait here. If anything seems amiss, take the child and leave immediately."

"But this is too dangerous, that human, Captain, you..."

"I must go see. No matter how despicable the human is, he did save our brethren... Although this might be a trap, we elves cannot let resentment prevent us from doing the right thing." Saying this, the elven captain slowly walked towards the human. Since he had directed the elves to seek refuge with him, it meant that this man had already discovered them, but had simply not taken action. From this, the elven captain intuitively felt that this human was not hostile towards him. However, it was hard to say. Given the man's strength, he might have intended to capture them alone, which was why he killed the group of human mercenaries. Even so, the elven captain had no intention of backing down. Regardless, he had saved his brethren, and he had to thank him, even if it was a trap.

"Hello, human, thank you for your help..."

Upon reaching the man in black robes, the elven captain gritted his teeth and lowered his head.

"Thank you for saving our compatriot, sparing her young heart from suffering. Hope..."

"I simply did what I was supposed to do, daughter of the gentle wind and the forest."

The patrol captain was astonished to hear the human speak Elvish so fluently, almost as well as knowing the Elvish titles so well.

"As a former friend of the elves, perhaps I am no longer qualified to say that."

As he spoke, Li Lin turned his head and looked at the elf in front of him with a wry smile. His actions surprised the patrol captain even more. An elf's former friend? Would a human really say that? However, before she could figure out the reason, Li Lin continued to ask.

Does this kind of thing happen often?

"What?"

Perhaps it was because Li Lin's question was too general that the elf captain was somewhat puzzled.

"These attacks."

As he spoke, Li Lin pointed towards Angela's direction.

"Do they frequently infiltrate the Elven Empire to carry out such raids and plunder?"

"Isn't that obvious, human?"

Although the other party clearly had no hostility, the patrol captain's tone still betrayed barely concealed anger when the matter was brought up.

"Don't you humans love to sell us elves as slaves? Don't you even know that?"

"I just can't believe it."

Faced with the elf captain's question, Li Lin only sighed, looked back at the grassland, and remained silent.

"Master, I've made some new progress!"

As Angela spoke, a bloody, mangled piece of flesh was thrown in front of Li Lin. It was a man whose limbs had been torn off. His face was blank, and his eyes flickered with a faint red light.

"New developments?"

Li Lin looked at Angela, who was walking slowly behind him, and asked her a question.

"These humans have already built a small village nearby? It seems they intend to speed up the capture and sale of elf slaves."

"Despicable humans!"

Although he knew it was wrong, the elven patrol captain couldn't help but utter a low shout after hearing the news.

"I knew it all along..."

"Where?"

Li Lin interrupted the elf captain's angry shout and calmly asked her a question.

"Why?"

"Judging from your appearance, you should know where that village is. I can't possibly get the answer from a half-dead man."

Without even glancing at the mercenary at his feet, who was already on the verge of death, Li Lin stared at the elf before him.

"You must be elven soldiers here, so you should be quite familiar with this area... Where is that village?"

"... there."

Relying on his memory, the elf pointed out the direction.

"They always transport prisoners over there. I've also heard that there's a human settlement there where they temporarily imprison the captured elves... and then transport them elsewhere."

"Elves... and humans."

Li Lin sighed again. Perhaps it was the scenery that reminded him of the past, but everything that was happening before his eyes made him even angrier.

Although I cannot keep my promise to you, I can still protect your people, Ailinna.

Li Lin stretched out his hands and began a deep chant. This action made the elven captain nervously raise his longbow and aim at Li Lin. However, Li Lin paid no attention to the elves beside him. Instead, he poured all his power into the transformation, and through the distorted space, summoned an evil monster.

As a dark void appeared, the scent of sulfur flowed from it. Then, two enormous demons, their bodies engulfed in flames, descended from the sky and landed on the grassland. They instinctively wanted to roar, but the power of magic suppressed them, forcing them to obediently follow Li Lin's commands. Li Lin raised his head, spoke something to the two demons in Hell language, and then turned his gaze to Angela, uttering the command that the little one had been eagerly anticipating.

"Angela, I want you to take these two pets to that town and destroy it completely. When I get there, I don't want to see any living creature other than elves."

"Everything is as you wished, my master..."

Angela lifted her skirt slightly and gave Li Lin a flawless ladylike bow, her eyes shining even brighter.