Chapter 809: The Southern Continent War (2)

Editor: Dragon Boat Translation

“It should be a hundred legions. I believed the Greed Lord had defeated hundreds of heroes on his own!”

“You guys are getting more and more outrageous… Anyway, the situation is quite urgent. If the Greed Lord occupies the entire Southern Continent, this world is probably doomed.”

“It’s just that the natives don’t want us to go over there. Otherwise, as long as us players join the battlefield, everything will be fine.”

The elves had always only transported their own soldiers to the Southern Continent and had not considered sending players over. One reason was the transportation capacity issue; there simply wasn’t much spare capacity. Secondly, the elves believed that as long as they took action, they could handle the demons without needing the Lords of Glory.

The elves were a very proud and arrogant race, self-proclaimed as the number one race in the world. It was difficult for them to let other races intervene until they had been beaten. Therefore, Ji Chen hadn’t initially proposed the idea of letting players join the battle in the Southern Continent.

But now, it seemed that the time had come. It was time for players to truly join the war against the demons.

On that day, an envoy from the Ocean Crown, carrying sealed urgent letters, accompanied by a hundred guards of the Ocean Blood Dragon team, went to the Elven Empire.

Theod, the dwarf from the Sea of Death who came to the Ocean Crown, quickly decided to stay here after learning that Ji Chen was trying to find the dwarven survivors of the Black Iron Fortress. Even a batch of dwarven survivors were already on their way here.

For him, Black Iron Fortress was no longer a place to return to.

Furthermore, Little Gavin was still young and didn’t meet the conditions to travel along. Therefore, he made the decision to stay here and teach and train Little Gavin alongside his old friend, Thotmudo.

Ji Chen welcomed this decision. Theod, as a craftsman second only to Thotmudo in Black Iron Fortress, was adept at various dwarven forging techniques and is extremely experienced.

With his addition, the Ocean Crown’s learning of dwarven forging techniques will certainly see a significant increase in speed… Oops, he meant the learning speed of dwarven forging techniques.

Now, every day, there were hundreds of apprentices and craftsmen following these two dwarves to learn and practice. In the past period of time, as they mastered more and more techniques, the quality of weapons produced by the Ocean Crown had been getting higher and higher.

Their quality was recognized by the market. Not only were their equipments selling well in the Northern Continent, but many merchants from the Western Continent and Eastern Continent also came here to buy goods. While weapons and equipment were exported to the East and West Continents, the name of the Ocean Crown was also spreading.

If there was a metric for territorial spread, with the lowest being o and the highest being 100, then the initial Ocean Crown was at 5, but now it was at 75. Although it couldn’t compare to the well-known Elven Empire, it was still quite reputable.

But if we’re talking about individual spread, the Ocean Crown had at least 85 or higher.

Ji Chen’s series of achievements spread continuously and gained momentum, with his popularity not far behind that of the Elven Queen Laphia, and even slightly surpassing hers.

After all, Ji Chen’s achievements in killing two demon lords were undeniable. The collapse of the undead legion and the annihilation of the dread legion, along with the current relative safety of the Mid-Ocean, were the best proofs. While Laphia served as the Elven Queen, it seemed that her influence was confined to her status. Since ascending to the throne, she had remained within the Silvermoon Holy City, surrounded by high walls, towering towers, and heavily guarded.

She gave off the impression of a canary kept in a castle’s cage—pleasing to the eye but lacking much deterrent power.

In the eyes of ordinary people, she lacked tangible achievements in combat. In terms of prestige, the former seemed to hold more weight, sounding more formidable.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Southern Continent gradually spread through various channels.

Everyone was surprised to learn that the united forces were being pushed back by the Greed Lord, with even the prominent Elven legion suffering heavy casualties.

It was as if they had shed their former aura of sanctity, and people seemed to have a whole new understanding of the lofty and proud elves.

It was like… the elves might not be as powerful as once thought. No, no, the elves were still quite formidable, but perhaps they were not unbeatable?

Over the past two thousand years, the might of the Elven Empire had steadily risen, reaching its peak before the demonic invasion, especially in the Northern Continent, where they reigned supreme.

On the Northern Continent alone, there were seven kingdoms that appeared independent but were actually vassals of the elves.

Through the continuous implementation of strategies by dozens of generations of Elven Queens, backed by unrivaled economic and political power, they conducted tangible yet intangible cultural infiltration. The most popular trends and fashions in the Northern Continent all originated from the elves, and the most revered activities were initiated by them.

After prolonged propaganda and influence, coupled with the deterrent force of absolute military power, the nobility of various human kingdoms on the Northern Continent became fervent supporters of Elven culture.

The various intricate, refined, and elegant aspects of Elven culture, arts, and etiquette perfectly suited the tastes and desires of the human nobility to distinguish themselves from the lowly commoners.

However, the recent defeat of the Elven Empire in the Southern Continent undoubtedly gave the world a small shock.

It turned out, the elves were not invincible.

Although the elves were angered by this turn of events, and the upper echelons, as well as the majority of the grassroots, quickly unified their thoughts and resolved to dispatch more valiant warriors of the empire to deal with the even more barbaric demons on that savage continent, aiming to cleanse themselves of this disgrace.

However, no one knew the extent of the impact this defeat would have on the present and the future.

The demonic invasion had brought not only loss of life but also a liberation of thought.

One of the seven vassal states of the Elven Empire, the Kingdom of White Tower.

“Is it true that the elves suffered heavy losses in the Southern Continent?” the elderly king asked in a hoarse voice.

The general replied solemnly, “Yes, although the elves, along with fleets from other nations, successfully landed, they were subsequently routed by the Greed Lord’s army. Our scouts saw ships returning to the Maple Forest Kingdom filled with elven corpses.

Not only in the Southern Continent, but the situation in the Eastern and Western Continents is also deteriorating. The Decay Lord organization has launched a million-strong demon army to attack the goblins, and the defense lines are on the verge of collapse. Furthermore, the Void Lord recently wiped out dozens of orderly fraction near the central Hogsback Mountains.”

The general’s tone gradually turned pessimistic. “And this is only the situation with three demon kings. If not for the two demon kings being slain, the situation would be even worse.”

The elderly king weakly leaned back in his chair. “So, the likelihood of the orderly fraction failing is increasing?”

“I believe so. Darkness is gradually spreading, and what’s more frustrating is that even in such times, the elves continue to demand our support in terms of supplies and resources. Besides our strategic reserves, we are almost out of provisions!”

The general spoke indignantly. Being a vassal state of the Elven Empire was not all advantageous; they were frequently demanded to provide “aid” under various pretexts.

Not only were they required to contribute various resources, but when clearing out evil fraction races, they were also asked to act as the vanguard. Each time they were engaged in such campaigns, the soldiers from the vassal states suffered heavy casualties, without any compensation.

The lower-class citizens seemed to only see the powerful Elven Empire sheltering them from the greed of wolves, feeling very secure, without realizing that the Elven Empire itself was sucking their blood.

The elves had taken away so many of our resources, yet they suffered such a defeat in front of the demons! Weren’t they ashamed of themselves?

“If this continues, we will all be drained dry by the elves. We would already be half dead by the time the demons arrive!”

The king spoke slowly with cloudy eyes.

“If there was a chance to overthrow the Elven Empire and truly make White Tower an independent kingdom, free from exploitation, would you support it, General?”

The general paused. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”

“The demons told me that if we launch a surprise attack on the heartland of the elves, we could seize the opportunity to usher in a new era when they arrive. Not only could we enjoy such prosperity, but we could also prolong our lives.” The general’s face turned horrified. “Isn’t that betraying the Orderly fraction?” “What’s the difference between betrayal and the consequences of betrayal? With the orderly fraction retreating and the demons gaining strength, they have promised us a bright future. While the elves ruthlessly exploit us, treating us like livestock. It should be clear whom to choose.”

The king’s tone became increasingly impassioned.

“I don’t have much time left. Siding with the demons is the only chance for us to survive, and it’s also our only opportunity for revenge against the elves!”