CHAPTER 417: CHAPTER 357 ALLIES_1

The Snow Elves’ Royal Court was built upon a towering tree named the "World Tree."

The splendid and magnificent architectural complex was a culmination of Elf civilization and art.

It was a symbol of the Elves, the epicenter of power in Snowland.

For a thousand years, the Elf Royal Court had never experienced war. The valor of Elf Warriors and the harshness of winter could ward off any enemy that tried to approach the Royal Court.

But this time... the World Tree was surrounded by an army of Elves dressed in green cotton greatcoats.

The Royal Court’s Imperial Guards stood on the World Tree, somewhat at a loss facing a war they had never anticipated.

Swarms of Pegasus circled in the sky.

In the higher airspace, a number of Beak Eagle Transport Planes stood by for bombing.

A messenger had entered the Royal Court, hoping His Majesty the Elf King would come out and talk with his most skilled in warfare son to avoid the World Tree being destroyed in the war.

A canvas pavilion, so characteristic of the Eternal Domain, had been erected under the shade of the World Tree; Prince Elrado, wearing the same green military greatcoat as his soldiers, was sitting beneath the pavilion, waiting for a response from his father.

Prince Elrado was not kept waiting long. The aged Elf King, leaning on a cane and protected by a phalanx of Royal Court Imperial Guards, walked out from within the Royal Court.

"Sit down, Father..."

Prince Elrado stood up to invite the Elf King to sit; he did not address him as ’Your Majesty’ but spoke as a son to his own father.

The Elf King was furious.

He was angry that his own son dared to lead troops to besiege the Royal Court, intending to usurp the throne. He was also incensed that all of Snowland had no general worth his salt nor an army capable of fighting, allowing Erelado to bring tens of thousands of Elf Warriors to the doorstep of the Royal Court and surround the World Tree. He was even more enraged that just recently in the palace, when he had asked who wished to lead the Royal Court’s Imperial Guards into battle against Erelado, not a single Elven hero had stepped forward. All those sons who usually loved to show off in front of him had shrunk back, not daring to speak. In the end, it was he who had to step out of the Royal Court.

After sitting down, the Elf King retained his regal authority and questioned Erelado, "Do you know what you’re doing? For a thousand years, no one has dared to disturb the peace of the Royal Court. Your actions are a desecration of the World Tree and our Elven ancestors!"

Prince Elrado looked up at the World Tree.

It was the tree that stayed evergreen through Snowland winters, its crown spanning 1,000 meters in diameter, sheltering generations of Elven ancestors.

Seeing Erelado disregard him, the Elf King angrily said, "Erelado, do not stray too far on the wrong path. I believe you have been fooled by Yan Xing from Thunderous Swamp. Sever your ties with Thunderous Swamp immediately and return to the Royal Court, and you will still be my most trusted son."

Hearing the Elf King command him to sever ties with Thunderous Swamp, Prince Elrado pointed to the bombers in the sky and laughed as he spoke to his father, "Father, do you know what those are? Those are Beak Eagle Bombers, made in Thunderous Swamp. They can fly at altitudes of 4,000 meters, or even 8,000 meters—altitudes our Pegasus simply cannot reach. Therefore, they can drop bombs and cast magic spells over our heads. Although flying at such a height reduces bombing accuracy, precision is not necessary when targeting the World Tree."

The Elf King looked up to the sky, and through the fringe of the World Tree’s canopy, he could see several large aircraft lazily circling in the air.

After seeing the Beak Eagle aircraft, the Elf King said to Erelado, "A few of these flying machines can’t destroy the Elves; Snowland will forever belong to the Elves. Chun Feng has brought me some news from the south. Staying in Snowland is the best choice for Elves in this turmoil that may engulf the world. If necessary, we could abandon Frostleaf City..."

At his father’s words, Prince Elrado shook his head helplessly. "Your choice is what I expected and exactly what I feared most. The current state of Elf national power and cultural development is even inferior to that of the Orcs, let alone humans. If we continue to confine ourselves within Snowland, we will miss this opportunity. This will leave us lagging so far behind the other races that no effort will ever be enough to close that gap."

Hearing Erelado evaluate his own race so poorly, the Elf King slammed his hand on the armrest of his seat and shouted, "Erelado, remember who you are—a noble Elf Prince! And look at our World Tree and Royal Court. What is there that could possibly lead you to judge the Elves so poorly? Are we in your eyes no better than the filthy, stinking Orcs!"

Prince Elrado retorted loudly, "Father, how many years has it been since you left the Royal Court? Do you know what life is like for the Elves outside?

"It took me less than three days to surround the Royal Court. Such a thing would be utterly impossible for Orcs or humans. And do you see any Elven armies out there coming to support the Royal Court? No! And there won’t be any, even in ten days’ time. Because during this time, the Snowland Elves have only two armies capable of fighting: yours and mine.

"You haven’t seen what I’ve seen. You don’t understand how terrifying this situation is. Stop trusting the harsh winters. This past winter was the last of its protection for us."

Although the Elf King was old, he was not senile. Of course, he knew this period between winter and spring was Snowland’s most vulnerable time.

But to simply hand over his throne like this? How could he possibly resign himself to that?

"Our current way of life is the wisdom left by our ancestors. You’ve said so much, merely to find an excuse for your usurpation."