Chapter 2: New Century (Epilogue)
Chapter 278: Negotiation (3)
“I’ll give you a chance to rephrase that, human.”
Alice’s icy voice echoed in Alence’s ears. He couldn’t move and dared not look into those frost-like eyes.
The surrounding air temperature had already dropped to freezing point. Alence felt his blood beginning to freeze. His teeth chattered, and he wished he could slap himself.
Why did he have to tease this Elven Empress?
She was a genuine legendary figure!
“Um, Your Majesty Alice, I… I was just joking. Human lifespans are so short, as you know. It’s impossible for us to truly be together. I just spoke carelessly. You are so noble, we humans are not worthy of you. I’ll take it all back right now!”
“Hmph!” Alice snorted coldly. She scattered into a flurry of ice crystals and reappeared on the windowsill, gazing at the full moon as if nothing had happened.
Alence breathed a sigh of relief.
Only he knew that what had just happened was not an illusion, because the ground beneath his feet had cracked due to the extremely low temperature. The Elven Empress Alice had controlled this chill to surge towards him.
He thought he had bid farewell to this world then.
This was the Elven Empress’s warning.
It also expressed her dissatisfaction with the negotiation.
“Ahem… Let’s renegotiate the terms.”
Alence awkwardly touched his nose, which felt icy cold to the touch. It was evident that a layer of frost had already formed on it.
“I know you are being suppressed by two Elf Elders in the Elven Forest. To show our sincerity, we are willing to help you deal with these two Elf Elders and help you gain complete control of the Elven Royal Court. Furthermore, we will release your sister, Ashilia.”
“Deal with them? How will you deal with them?”
The Elven Empress Alice turned to look at Alence. Alence knew that the Elven Empress was clearly moved by his offer.
“Of course…” He made a throat-slitting gesture.
“No.” Alice shook her head.
Those two Elf Elders, while flawed, were still powerful forces within the Elf race.
How could she possibly agree to help humans kill her own kind?
Her mind wasn’t so corrupted. She was very clear about this.
“They don’t need to be killed. You only need to help me control Leskali. As for Britt, as long as Leskali is unable to interfere, I am confident I can handle him.”
“Moreover…” Alice paused, a playful smile appearing on her lips. She continued, “As far as I know, the King of Winter you mentioned is just a Champion Knight. Leskali’s attack on the Emerald Fortress will be weakened by the Moonlight Sacred Well. This is the only chance to control Leskali.”
“But Britt has been lying low in the Emerald Forest and hasn’t gone anywhere. He’s a true legendary figure. Even a hundred Kings of Winter couldn’t do anything to him. On what basis can you help me kill him?”
Alence felt a bit awkward at her words but maintained a composed expression.
Negotiations were similar to drawing a pie in the sky.
As long as the pie was drawn large enough, negotiations would be easier to succeed.
After all, he hadn’t specified when the Elder Elf would be dealt with, right?
He hadn’t expected Alice, even in the secluded Elven Royal Court, to know the King of Winter’s background. This threw his carefully laid plans into disarray.
“Uh… You have a point, but anything is possible. After all, His Majesty the King of Winter overturned the Kolon Empire single-handedly.”
Alence began to bring up Xi Wei’s past exploits again, trying to increase his leverage.
However, the Elven Empress Alice clearly no longer wanted to waste time with pleasantries.
“State your demands directly. Let’s not waste each other’s time. However, the Emerald Fortress must remain in elven hands. This is the bottom line. If this cannot be achieved, even if all the Elders die, I cannot control the Elven Royal Court.”
“Think about what your human race has done to the elves! How can you expect us to let go of these grievances? Right now, there are still more than a dozen pairs of Treant couples living in the Elven Royal Court who cannot find their children. Now, they are either dead or in the homes of some human nobles, enduring humiliation.”
The Elven Empress Alice’s words put Alence under pressure.
He opened his mouth, unsure how to retort.
He represented the Human Alliance now.
If he were merely representing the Wintery Empire, he could have stated with all righteousness that the Wintery Empire had never done such a thing.
Finally, he sighed and said slowly, “At least, before the King of Winter rules the entire North Continent, the Emerald Fortress cannot be given to you. And even if it were, we would destroy the Moonlight Sacred Well. This is the final bottom line.”
“The Moonlight Sacred Well should have been destroyed long ago. Only a cowardly race would use such a lowly spell array to reduce the gap between their strong individuals.”
Alice snorted, showing that she truly had no attachment to the Moonlight Sacred Well, even though it was a magic formation set up by a demigod-level Elven King.
Alence curled his lips.
He thought, “The situation now is that elves have many strong individuals, so they find the Moonlight Sacred Well disgusting. A thousand years ago, when humans and the Orc Allied Forces were blocked outside the Emerald Fortress, the elves were so arrogant!”
They never mentioned how disgusting the Moonlight Sacred Well was.
If the elves hadn’t been too arrogant and allowed humans to infiltrate and shut down the Moonlight Sacred Well from the inside, it was hard to say who would have ruled the world between humans and elves now.
However, these thoughts were only for himself.
If he voiced them, he suspected he would truly die here today.
“So, do you agree to this proposal?”
Alence stammered for a long time, finally managing to eke out this question.
“I can give your human race a maximum of three years. After three years, the Emerald Fortress must return to elven hands. As for the Moonlight Sacred Well, you can destroy it at any time.”
“Please understand that if my elves launch a fierce attack on the Emerald Fortress, your human race may not be able to stop us.”
Alice’s eyes were filled with confidence. The moonlight fell on her exquisitely beautiful face, shimmering with an enchanting glow. But none of it could conceal her majestic kingly aura and noble demeanor.
Alence didn’t know where the Elven Empress Alice’s confidence came from.
According to the information he had gathered, the elven army was dwindling, and even if they attacked with all their might, it would be difficult to break through the Emerald Fortress, especially since Xi Wei had already arrived.
As if sensing Alence’s confusion.
The Elven Empress Alice’s lips curved into a smile.
“My elves don’t necessarily have to attack your human race from the Emerald Fortress. In fact, a thousand years ago, a group of elves voluntarily chose to live in the sea… However, they are now called Nagas.”
“So, do you understand what I mean?”
Nagas?!
Alence suddenly remembered the Naga legions attacking the Andor Empire. It seemed that these Nagas attacking the human empire was not simply because the Sea God’s Scepter was lost.
He looked up at the Elven Empress, who seemed to be encountering obstacles everywhere and was in a disadvantaged position within the Elven Royal Court. For the first time, he felt a chill run down his spine.
