Chapter 680: Going to the Elven Capital (2)
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
At this moment, Lainekel was surrounded by a group of players, numbering
about a dozen.
They were attacking him, and he was retaliating, though it seemed more like self-defense.
These players were only around level thirty or forty, while Lainekel, despite not having any weapons in hand, effortlessly blocked their attacks with just one hand. He wanted to leave but was entangled by these reckless players. He didn’t want to hurt them, and that held him back.
“Come on, guys! We’ll catch this humanoid monster soon, and then we’ll sell him at the slave market for a hefty sum!”
“This creature looks like some evil race. We’re definitely right to catch it! With so many indigenous soldiers helping us, we shouldn’t be afraid of anything!”
Watching these strangely confident individuals who were clearly much weaker than him, Lainekel felt frustrated. Unable to bear it any longer, he finally spoke up.
“If you keep this up, I’ll make you regret it.”
These players were surprised but even more excited. “Wow, it can speak! That makes it even more valuable!”
Lainekel, at the end of his patience, was about to exert some force to make them understand what semi-epic tier power meant when a solemn voice intervened.
“If you don’t want to die, stop.”
The leader of this small group of players instinctively wanted to argue but turned around and was immediately drenched in cold sweat. A bunch of elves were glaring at them, and beside the lead elf stood someone who looked like a player.
In the Maple Principality, elves were the last beings anyone wanted to provoke.
The leader hastily shouted, “Everyone, stop!”
Hearing their leader, the players hesitated and eventually came to a halt.
The leader approached quickly, wearing a flattering expression. “Esteemed Elf
Officer, could it be that this creature is your slave? We saw it on the sea surface and thought it was some invading monster.”
Miligas didn’t respond immediately but glanced at Ji Chen. Seeing no objection from him, he pursed his lips and said, “You, step aside for now.”
The lead player was puzzled by the sequence of events. How come an elf officer seemed to be more interested in a player’s reaction?
With a mind filled with confusion and questions, he complied.
“Brothers, let’s hold off for now.”
The players moved to the side, their eyes fixed on the creature, trying to figure out the connection between it, the elf, and the player.
Lainekel experienced some guilt and self-blame. He knew that if he hadn’t been so curious about human society and hadn’t ventured out to explore it, he wouldn’t have been caught.
Ji Chen smiled and nodded at Lainekel, then turned to Miligas, speaking in a
low voice.
“The matter regarding the demon is significant. I believe we should temporarily detain all witnesses here to prevent any information leakage.”
Miligas didn’t hesitate and immediately nodded.
He hadn’t fully believed Ji Chen’s story until he saw Lainekel with his own eyes.
Others might not know, but he had seen demons in ancient texts and spell records. The demons’ limbs and appearance bore a striking resemblance to Lainekel’s arms and legs. Moreover, that unique aura was the most obvious indicator.
Demons were indeed on the brink of invading once more.
“Convey my orders! Detain everyone here for now!”
“All those detained will receive compensation in the form of precious resources from our Elven Embassy. Please cooperate with us!”
Elves were known for their dominance, and when they said someone would be detained, they meant it. However, Miligas wasn’t foolish and knew he needed to use something to appease the others.
Sure enough, when those players who had initially considered resisting heard the second sentence, they accepted it happily.
After all, they had nothing better to do, and being detained for a while would grant them valuable resources. This deal was a win-win situation!
Apart from the players, the Maple soldiers who had come to guard were also taken away and detained by the elven warriors. Though they had some grievances, they realized they had stumbled upon something significant and could only begrudgingly accept their fate.
Lainekel boarded the carriage, and the wheels began to turn once more as they headed towards Maple City.
“This is the person I mentioned, the witness who can prove the demon
invasion.” Ji Chen spoke.
Miligas widened his eyes, gazing at Lainekel nearby with a sense of disbelief.
“So, what you said was true. This is truly incredible.”
“Sir Lainekel, I wonder how did you end up like this?”
Lainekel forced a smile on his stiff face. “It’s a long story. During the final stages of the Divine War, I was captured by the Dreadlord Balzama and forcibly transformed like this. I served as his executioner for hundreds of thousands of years… If it weren’t for Lord Ji Chen’s intervention, I’d still be his accomplice now.”
“The Divine War?!” Miligas was shocked. He had never imagined that this half-human, half-demon being had been captured during the Divine War hundreds of thousands of years ago. It meant that Lainekel had lived for hundreds of thousands of years, far longer than elves and even dragons.
Miligas couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration. Maintaining one’s sanity for hundreds of thousands of years while serving under the Dreadlord Balzama was no small feat, and it set Lainekel apart from ordinary beings.
Elves respected strength, and with the knowledge about Lainekel, Miligas displayed a newfound sense of respect.
Ji Chen redirected the conversation towards the matter at hand. “Now that we are acquainted, we should consider delivering this crucial information to Her Majesty, the Queen.”
“Indeed, this matter must be brought to Her Majesty’s attention. Only when she believes in it can we quickly gather other orderly races to discuss this issue together.”
This time, Miligas didn’t hesitate or delay. Like Ji Chen, he knew that this was not a matter that could be resolved by one person or one race.
He said, “Coincidentally, a few days ago, important news came from the capital. Her Majesty wishes to personally meet with you, Lord Ji Chen. We can take this opportunity to report this news to her.”
Ji Chen paused for a moment and agreed wholeheartedly, “That’s great. When do we depart?”
“Today in the afternoon, there will be an alchemical airship heading back to the capital, and it’s on our way.”
While Ji Chen and the others discussed their journey to the Elven capital, in the player chat channels, discussions were abuzz about the recent events at the port.
“Did you hear? The elves seem to have captured some players, even the soldiers from the Maple Kingdom have been detained!”
“That’s impressive! They even arrested soldiers from the Maple Principality? What did they do?”
“As far as I know, it seems they saw something they shouldn’t have seen. The detention is temporary, and there will be compensation in the form of precious resources.”
“Are there any of our comrades at the scene? Come forward and share some insights!”
Soon, players claiming to have been captured began to speak up.
“As for this matter, I can only say that those who know would understand. Those who don’t, won’t get it no matter how much I explain. After all…”
“Cut the nonsense and get to the point!”
“We genuinely dare not speak about it. If we do, we won’t get that compensation in precious resources. It’s a loss… But I did see a player with the Elven Ambassador, someone called Ji Chen or something…”
“Being on such good terms with the Elven Ambassador, they must be someone important.”
The name Ji Chen didn’t create much of a stir in the chat channels. Most players only recognized the title of “Islander” and had no idea who Ji Chen was. Those who did know were a handful of guild leaders who had been in the war between the Kingdom of Lienhardt and the Kingdom of Bass.
When they saw this name appear in the chat channel, they couldn’t help but pause. Was Ji Chen in the Maple Principality now?
These guild leaders had a shared understanding: wherever Ji Chen was, something significant would happen soon.
Could it be that something was about to occur in the Maple Principality, and it seemed to be related to the elves?
With their keen senses, some had already started dispatching people to gather more information, even sending agents to investigate in the Maple Principality..