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nChapter 282: Elves’ Secrets, Arrogance Divides, Sea Heirs Strike (2)

nTranslator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

nThis undoubtedly coincided with what they had seen and heard in the past few days, matching the impressions formed in their minds.

nIt wasn’t until Ji Chen opened his hand, revealing the Void Ring gifted by Elin, that they fully believed in these words.

nThe ring exuded a strong elven aura, something that only an elf who had worn it for a long time could possess. To be able to give away something Elin had worn for so long meant that this person was undoubtedly important to her.

nThe prospect of a romance between a female elf and a young male human held the promise of excitement.

nThe elven race had long ceased to be as reclusive as before, becoming relatively open after establishing the Elven Empire. As a result, many human-authored books found their way into the Elven Empire through various channels.

nThose originating from the human world, with titles like “Mature Elf Sister x Innocent Human Youth” or “Ignorant Elf Maiden x Righteous Human Knight”, had spread widely among the elven maidens.

nIn just a few seconds, they had concocted a story in their heads about the handsome human lord in front of them and his experiences with an elf named Elin.

nIt involved chance encounters, falling in love, but ultimately separating due to societal discrimination.

nEven Ji Chen’s sigh, to them, was a manifestation of his deep longing for that elven woman.

nNaturally, Ji Chen had no idea about the little composition going on in these elven ladies’ heads. If he did, he would be left speechless.

nA romance between a young human lad and a millennia-old elf lady?

nDamn, just thinking about it felt strange…

nThis should be worth thousands of gold bars by now, don’t you think?

n“So, where has this elf named Elin gone now?”

n“Unfortunately, shortly before 1 rescued you, she had to leave here by boat. I have no idea where she went.”

n“That’s really unfortunate… By the way, Your Excellency, may 1 ask for Miss Elin’s full name?”

n“Her name? It seems to be… Apocalis?”

n“Apocalis!? That’s a name from the elven royal family!” The elves suddenly got excited, exclaiming, but then hesitated, “But how could a member of the elven royal family appear in this place? Is she a lost member?”

nWatching their reaction, Ji Chen found it a bit strange.

nIf he recalled correctly, Apocalis should be Elin’s family name. However, based on their reaction, she was some elven royal family member?

nAt this moment, he suddenly woke up.

nDuring his contact with Elin, although they seemed quite close on the surface, he actually knew very little about her.

nHe only knew that Elin was an epic-tier elven hero, her name, and the reason she was imprisoned.

nApart from that, Ji Chen knew almost nothing about her.

nIn retrospect, he had asked Elin about more things, but it seemed that every time she had cleverly dodged his questions with her mischievous demeanor and clever words.

nInstead, it was he who had unintentionally revealed some information.

nJi Chen’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. It seemed that this millennia-old trickster had outsmarted him.

nSo, Elin was from the elven royal family?

nSeeing the change in his expression, the elves gently inquired, “Your Excellency, what’s wrong?”

n“It’s nothing, I just remembered something. I’m very interested in what you mentioned earlier about the elven royal family.”

nThough elves were proud, they weren’t foolish and had their worldly desires.

nBecause of Ji Chen’s life-saving grace, his ‘good’ relationship with an elf whom they suspected was part of the elven royal family, and the hundreds of pages of fantasies they had already written in their hearts, the elves explained without much hesitation.

n“The elven royal family, as the name suggests, is the royal lineage of the elves, an even higher status than nobility. They hold a lofty position and serve as leaders of the elven race.

nEach member of the royal family carries the blood of ancient elves, which grants them immense power and potential. Every adult member of the royal family possesses absolute strength within the elven race, capable of suppressing entire regions.

nHowever, perhaps due to the influence of the ancient bloodline, the birth rate among the royal family is extremely low, even lower than the average among the elves. This results in a very limited number of royal family members, at least much lower compared to the rest of the elves.”

nAt this point, the elves shook their heads one after another. “We’re sorry, but that’s all we can say.”

nJi Chen waved his hand to indicate it was fine. Although the information was limited, he had gained some useful insights.

nNow, it was almost certain that Elin was a member of the elven royal family, and there was a high likelihood that she was among the upper echelons. Of course, this was a no-brainer since she was an epic-tier top-tier hero, which was no small feat even within the powerful elven race.

nThinking about this, he became optimistic.

nIf Elin was indeed a member of the elven royal family, wouldn’t it be easy for her to fulfill the promises she had made earlier?

nAs the saying goes, when there’s a debtor, there’s a creditor. Knowing Elin’s affiliation, he could potentially go to the Elven Empire to “collect the debt” if she ever tried to evade her promises.

n“Your Excellency, if Miss Elin is truly a member of the elven royal family who has been estranged from her homeland, we must report this as soon as possible. After all, every member of the royal family is a precious high-level combat force.”

n“You don’t need to worry too much. I guess she has already reached the Northern Continent and may even be on her way back to the Elven Empire.

nAs for all of you, 1 don’t have any extra ships available right now to send you back, but my fleet will return soon. They will bring a batch of goods that were originally intended for trade with your elves and all of you will travel back together to the Northern Continent.”

nJi Chen said this, and they didn’t say much more, obediently nodding their heads.

nIn the presence of this lord, their arrogance and disdain toward other races had disappeared without a trace.

nElves, as a race blessed with good looks, were naturally inclined to appreciate beauty.

nWhen it came to races like gnomes, goblins, and half-orcs, which were considered ugly in appearance, elves had always shown strong aversion. They felt that standing next to them contaminated the air.

nOh yes, it’s not pleasant to hear, but they were basically beauty enthusiasts.

nShowing arrogance was something selective.

nAs for Ji Chen, who had good looks, and strength, was gentle and affectionate, had a special relationship with a royal family member, and engaged in trade with the elves, he was like a king among men—a feast for the eyes!

nHowever, Ji Chen noticed that the gazes of these elven ladies were gradually becoming unsettling as if they wanted to ‘consume’ him.

nWait a minute, aren’t elves supposed to be proud and aloof?

nCome on, show me your usual indifference!

nAfter instructing the guards to escort them back, Ji Chen let out a sigh of relief and walked to the door to check the sky.

nUnbeknownst to him, the sun had already set behind the western mountains.

nA faint trace of twilight lingered in the sky.

nAnother day was about to end…

nJust as he was thinking of enjoying dinner first and then examining the gnome’s items that he had acquired, the long-silent warning lighthouse suddenly emitted a piercing alarm.

n“A large number of unidentified enemies have appeared in the northeast waters of the New Moon Islands!!!”

n“We are investigating… The enemy is the Sea Heirs!!”

nJi Chen took a deep breath. The Sea Heirs, an enemy they hadn’t seen in a long time, had finally returned…

nHe had a premonition in his heart. This time might be the most challenging trial in the history of the Crown of the Ocean. A single misstep could lead to the annihilation of his entire army, or even the destruction of his territory.

nApproaching the crowd that had become somewhat chaotic, Ji Chen shouted.

n“Everyone, enter a state of alert! All residents, head to the Kobold Caves and the Underground Lizardman Kingdom for shelter!”

n“All troops of the Crown of the Ocean, prepare for battle!”

n“Activate all defense structures, enter pre-launch mode, and await my orders!”

nSeeing Ji Chen issue commands and speak with an unprecedented severity, the residents realized that this time was different. Without hesitation, they followed his orders and, under the escort of some of the troops, headed for the Kobold Caves and the Underground Lizardman Kingdom to seek refuge.

nThere, Ji Chen had already stored a large quantity of food and freshwater in advance, enough to sustain the residents for several months.

nThe once tranquil and peaceful New Moon Islands had now entered a state of tense preparedness due to the arrival of the Sea Heirs..

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