The Alliance Meeting Begins

The Hall of Life.

Located in the center of the Island of Elves, the largest, most sacred, and most beautiful building is undoubtedly the Hall of Life. This palace is not made of stone (building houses on an island with stone bricks would be too much of a challenge for these "nature-loving" people), but entirely of wood. Legend has it that its predecessor was the World Tree, a sacred object of the Elven race. In Elven legend, the Elf Goddess created the World Tree, which nurtured the Elves, sheltering them from the wind and rain, providing them with food and shelter. After the Elven race gained the ability to survive on this world, this enormous ancient tree completed its mission and withered and died. Thereafter, its massive form became known as the Hall of Life, the legendary origin of life for the Elven race.

Of course, this was just a popular belief among the elves, and Li Lin simply listened and let it go. As one of the mortals most knowledgeable about the origins of gods, he naturally knew that gods were born from faith. In other words, even the Elf Goddess was a deity who appeared and protected the elves through their faith as they struggled to survive. Without the elves, there would be no Elf Goddess. Nor could the Elf Goddess have created them first. However, this was merely a propaganda tactic, so he didn't care.

As the tallest building on the island, the Hall of Life is essentially a massive, hollow tree trunk. However, unlike other trees, its size is abnormally large; the thickness of its bark alone is enough to carve out a room-sized living space. In fact, almost all the elven royalty reside within the Hall of Life. Moreover, it is entirely white, and even more strangely, the tree doesn't seem completely dead. Although it has become a hollow structure, green leaves and flowers still grow on its walls and branches, and sunlight filters through the gaps in the trunk, providing ample illumination.

Right now, Li Lin and Angela are standing on the carpet made of flowers and green leaves in front of the Hall of Life, gazing at the Elf Queen before them.

On behalf of all elves, I welcome you, Arcane Mage.

"It is my honor, Your Majesty the Elf Queen... Your body seems to have remained unchanged from before."

The most unusual sight was the Elf Queen before them. Not far from Li Lin and Angela, on a throne made of vines and branches, an oval-shaped, pale blue water sphere floated slowly. Inside it, a beautiful, completely naked elf quietly watched the visitors. Although she didn't speak, her beautiful and melodious voice reached their ears.

"Just as you said, Arcane Mage. But at least we can still communicate like this."

The Elf Queen smiled and nodded at Li Lin.

"Then, I think Your Majesty understands our purpose. Although I imagine you've already heard about it from the goddess, I think it's better to confirm it in person."

Li Lin quickly got to the point; there wasn't much time to waste right now.

"Revered Arcane Mage, we have indeed heard the command of the Great Goddess."

The Elf Queen remained silent. Instead, another elf, clad in leather armor, stood before her and spoke. She was also female, but compared to the ordinary elves, this elf possessed a fierce aura. Her sharp eyes, like those of a cheetah, fixed on their target, and the two curved swords strapped to her waist revealed the unique characteristics of their owner.

"However, this is not easy for us to do."

"The young elf does not understand our relationship with the Magic Empire, esteemed Arcane Mage."

Another elf joined in, since all the elves attending this meeting were ancient elves who existed before the destruction of the Magic Empire, and therefore they clearly had more authority in judging matters.

"But they have had enough of war and suffering. What power do we have now to resist the brutality of humanity? Every day, our compatriots lose their freedom, becoming slaves and prisoners. Yet, we can do nothing. The Five-Nation Alliance possesses immense power in this world. Although we do not mean to underestimate Arcane Mage, a thousand years have passed since then, haven't they? Forgive my rudeness, but a thousand years ago, the Magic Empire failed to stop the invasion of the Five-Nation Alliance. So, what will you do a thousand years later? You are different now than before. You no longer have a vast territory and a powerful army. So, what means will you use to fight against the Five-Nation Alliance? This is not our opinion, but the view of the young elves. Although they grew up hearing these stories, precisely because of this, most of the people of the Land of Elves currently have no hope of victory in this war."

Clearly, though these words are unpleasant to hear, they are the truth. As elves, they certainly wouldn't like to be hunted and sold by humans. However, elves lack the strength to challenge and fight against humans. Unlike humans, elves are a long-lived race, and the longer a race lives, the lower its birth rate. Humans, barring unforeseen circumstances, can recover from battles in a few decades to a hundred years at most, because while humans don't live long, their reproductive rate is very high. But elves are different; the number of people who die in a single battle might take hundreds or even thousands of years to recover. It's not that elves are unwilling to fight, but even one such fight would be too much.

I understand what you all think.

Li Lin gestured, then smiled at the Elf Queen. The crucial part was yet to come. Although the elves were allies, getting them to accept his advice wouldn't be easy.

"Well then, to put everyone's minds at ease, I'll reveal some information. Since I've come here in person, I've naturally come prepared... To be honest, I've found a way to mass-produce soldiers."

"Why?"

Upon hearing this, the elves were all taken aback.

"I have created a new necromancy spell that can turn corpses into undead soldiers to attack enemies... and without exception, any enemy harmed by them will also become undead. This spell can be used infinitely, without any restrictions. We don't even need our own soldiers; the corpses of the enemies are enough."

"This, this is..."

"Of course I understand what you're thinking."

Li Lin's origins interrupted an elf's protest.

"For elves, this is going against nature. Disturbing the slumber of the dead was never my intention... However, please consider carefully, do these people truly deserve to slumber?"

As he spoke, Li Lin's voice gradually rose, becoming increasingly excited.

"You are all figures who have long been allies of my Magic Empire. I'm sure you, like me, know what these barbaric creatures have done on our land, to our people, and to your people. Do they have the right to demand eternal slumber? Yes, human lifespan is very short, but I cannot tolerate them slaughtering my people, seizing my territory, and then dying peacefully in their old age! I once traveled to another world, where there was a saying: 'What goes around comes around.' Now, I believe it is time for them to pay the price for their actions! Their ancestors killed our people, building their homes on corpses and our land! And now they are enjoying the fruits of their labor. I hope you will not forget that everything they enjoy is built upon our corpses, your corpses. In this Five-Nation Alliance, does anyone truly deserve the elves' mercy?"

"..."

"..."

The elves exchanged speechless glances. While they had to admit that Li Lin's words did hold some truth, the undead were also beings they loathed. Now, Li Lin was so frankly and directly telling them that he intended to build an undead army. How could the elves possibly accept this with peace of mind?

How foolish!

Just then, Angela, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Her eyes gleamed with a bright red light, filled with a distinct mockery and arrogance as she looked at the elves before her.

"What time do you think it is now? I don't know what the Land of Elves was like a thousand years ago. But I can see the Land of Elves very clearly now."

As she spoke, Angela's lips curled slightly, and she pointed to the elves in front of her.

"To put it bluntly, you are nothing but a bunch of servile creatures. You hate humans? Of course. Don't humans sell you off like animals? Can you resist? Probably not, otherwise, why are so many elves being captured every day? And yet you are still thinking about tradition? Glory? What right do you have to talk about glory? A race that can't even do what it's supposed to do dares to talk about tradition? The tradition of being captured and sold? Your master has shown you a path, and instead of being grateful for his mercy, you are still clinging to it? How are you any different from those peasant women who sell themselves into prostitution but still maintain their modesty on their first night?"

A chilling, ghostly aura swept across the entire Hall of Life, causing even the once-blooming flowers to uneasily close up again.

"Then, answer my question: Do you have the confidence and strength to resist the human offensive alone? If the answer is YES, then I will take back what I just said."

"..."

Faced with Angela's merciless mockery, the elves' faces turned pale and then red. They wanted to refute her, but they couldn't find any words to say in response.

Just then, the Elf Queen's voice rang out again.

"Very wise words, Miss Angela. Though somewhat harsh, they are excellent medicine for us elves who have been isolated for too long. We do not have enough power to resist the current Five-Nation Alliance, but as Queen, I am unwilling to watch the elven race gradually decline and fall... My Arcane Mage, I think I understand your meaning."

"Of course, I will also consider the elves' feelings."

Li Lin continued, "In fact, before I came, I guessed that the elves wouldn't agree with my opinion so easily, after all, elves have always been very stubborn."

"I want to declare that I have no intention of establishing a necromantic kingdom on the ground. All undead creatures will only be used in the current war, and once the Five-Nation Alliance is defeated, I will abandon these undead legions and completely annihilate them. At the same time, within my capabilities, I will ensure that I do not pollute the nature that the elves value as much as possible."

"You are as thoughtful as ever, Lord Luoxia."

For the first time, the Elf Queen called Li Lin by name directly.

"We elves value friendship, alliances, and covenants. As our former ally, you are more than qualified to earn our trust... Moreover, it is time for us to rise again."

Facing the Elf Queen, Li Lin bowed slightly, performing the greeting of an Arcane Mage.

"Being able to regain the elves' friendship is also very important to me."

Of course, he didn't forget to add a sentence.

"Although this is not an easy task, I sincerely hope to receive the best possible response."