Mountain and Forest Kingdom

The northern glacier road has disappeared, and the elves must take ships to reach Oak City on the other side of the mountain.

There is a steep mountain in the middle and a surging river.

Especially in the summer, the rapid rivers formed by rainfall in the mountains eliminate the possibility of ships going upstream.

The Elf Queen has roughly determined the route and time, and is sitting on a wicker chair looking at the forest below the tree house, thinking about the suitable candidate.

This time we definitely cannot arrange for Oralda and Tia to come out. We must arrange for another loyal and stable female wise man to lead the team.

The Elf Queen already has a candidate and is waiting for the heroine who is known for her wisdom and stability to arrive.

It's not that the elves don't have men, it's mainly because the forest has maintained peace and tranquility for hundreds of years, and most of the time there is no need for force to solve problems or violence.

They have suppressed violence for a long time and like to use rules and traditions to solve problems. Those who discipline have always been those men who occupy the mainstream and have long lives. This also makes the male elves who connect the past and the future seem to have no sense of existence.

As long as an elf has been idle for twenty or thirty years, it will be difficult for him to become a normal elf again.

The Elf Queen is not elected by all women, but a representative elected by both male and female elves. Her actions and attitude are exactly what most elves think.

Continue to maintain peace, continue to be comfortable, do not shed blood or fight, and do not let the atmosphere in the clan become bad.

For thousands of years, even if some elves want to go out and show the strength of the elves to gain more rights, they will be criticized and suppressed as dangerous people.

Male ambition is a dangerous thing. The elves do not care about the impact of this ambition on the outside world. What they are afraid of is that such ambitious elves will turn the tribe into a slave country where the weak eat the strong.

Just like in human society, nobles will kill slaves of the lower classes at will, and will also raise various male and female slaves.

The queen quickly sensed the arrival of the heroine. When a white snowflake flew over, a woman with exaggerated silver hair emerged from the snowflakes, stepping gently on the snowflakes and falling to the ground.

Her bare feet gently stepped on the huge branches piled with leaves. The snowflakes that appeared quickly disappeared near the branches of the tree house, and her long hair floated gently like a streamer, even though it was floating. Also reached the position of the little feet.

"Danna, I need you to go to the Kingdom of the Stars. Crowfeather Prophet Lawrence invites our wise men to discuss agriculture."

Dana has colorful eyes and silver eyebrows. Not only is her face fair, but her hair and eyebrows are also the same silver.

But her face was not expressionless. The young woman who looked like she had ice attributes looked at the queen and said, "Just leave this kind of thing to Oralda. She has been there before, and I don't want to go out."

The Elf Queen noticed Dana's obvious reluctance, which made her feel more at ease.

"Oralda is too obsessed with the outside world. She needs to calm down in the forest for fifty years."

The queen said to Dana: "This is the only mission given to you in a hundred years. You don't need to do anything. You just need to take a few wise men who are familiar with plants to go there and then come back."

Dana was still unwilling, "Can't Oralda?"

The queen sighed, "She can't do it. She told me when she came back. One meal at Crowfeather's prophet's house can eat up our food for a year. There are hundreds of slaves in the castle where Crowfeather's prophet lives. All of them are He is the slave of that prophet, and he eats more sweet soup and meat every day than we eat in a year.”

"When the child talked about this, his eyes were full of envy. He never thought that this was a sign of danger."

The Queen was not only talking about Oralda at this time, but also worried about her only child, Tia.

The fertility rate of extraordinary people is extremely low, and the queen no longer has the time or energy to cultivate another one.

Dana did not notice the queen's defense of Princess Tia. After hearing the queen's description of the prophet, she said casually: "I remember the last time I talked about this prophet, it was when he was looking for a midwife."

The Queen nodded, "Yes, we did not participate that time, and this time we have no right to refuse."

Being conservative is not stupid. The queen can clearly detect the changes in the situation and knows that if she doesn't cooperate, the barbarians will really dare to come in.

Dana frowned and asked, "Will there be any danger after I go there?"

When asking, Dana was obviously already thinking about calculating the danger of this matter.

The queen quickly reassured: "No, the teachings of the Church of the Stars are not to harm those who go to spread knowledge, not only to learn and share knowledge, but also some of the former captives of the Kingdom of Io and the Kingdom of Gran, because they had gone to He passed through the kingdom of stars and was pardoned.”

"You were invited by the prophet to be a guest. The people there will not hurt you, but will respect you very much. Tia and Oroda were entertained when they went there. This matter is related to the prophet's face. There is no problem. .”

In order to make Dana accept this matter, the queen did not continue to say bad things over there.

Dana quickly thought for a few seconds, and then reluctantly agreed after feeling that there was no problem, "Then this will be my only mission in the past hundred years, don't bother me in the future."

The queen nodded and said: "Okay."

Dana quickly turned into snowflakes and disappeared among the dense branches and leaves of the treehouse.

Most of the time, wizards are stronger than witches, and pure-blood wizards are stronger than pure-blood witches, but this is not an absolute thing. Some witches with too strong blood and abilities also have mysterious strength that is not inferior to ordinary pure-blood wizards. .

In the world of extraordinary people, talent is something that is innate and something that cannot be exchanged for hard work. Some people are born at the top.

If they pursue a fair starting point without being able to change their talents, these people will soar to the sky.

If the results are fair, then these people will lie down. After reaching the finish line that can be seen, they will either think about re-formulating the rules, or they will lie down and do nothing.

The Queen did not realize that for some strong people who are born stronger and better than others, who is more fair, the result of not having aggressive ambitions and not having abundant material resources, or the fairness of another starting point.

Lawrence actually had similar thoughts to the Elf Queen at first. He had the idea of ​​a fair outcome, but later found that this was not suitable for a fantasy world where extraordinary beings exist.

Equal distribution is a dead end. The contribution of people like Khalan in agriculture definitely exceeds the efforts of thousands of people. More work, more reward, is a simple concept that is in line with public perception.

Not only are wizards and witches complaining and slacking off if they receive less rewards, but barbarians will also run away if they receive less rewards in a war.

Equal distribution is only suitable for a world where individual differences are similar. In this fantasy world, the differences between people are astonishingly large. You can't let the cows who farm the land and the chickens who lay eggs eat the same feed, right?

At this time, Dana just went back to tidy up the house a little, and then went out without taking anything.

Dana didn't realize what kind of utopia the place she was going to would be.

The Queen also has blind confidence, believing that all the elves under her are loyal ministers to the Kingdom of Elf, and that the Kingdom of Elf is the destination of all elves.

Many times, we just haven’t found a better home.

***

Dana searched in the forest and found that the swift deer that roamed near the door of her house many years ago was gone.

It might have been ten years ago, or it might have been more than ten years ago, but a long time has passed.

You can't travel far without deer, and you can't always rely on yourself to walk.

"No way." Dana returned to her home in the big tree cave and searched for some valuable gems and gold coins.

The gold coins that had not been used for a long time were also a little gray. Dana put them in her pocket and reluctantly went out to join the other elves.

Dana saw several old elves covered in turf outside the humid and quiet forest village covered with vegetation, as well as a man who didn't look weak.

The martial arts master of the Elf Kingdom, Green Hardwood, was holding his hands in front of him, resting quietly against the big tree.

After feeling Dana's approach, he glanced here and then stood up straight.

"Everyone is here, then I will be responsible for leading the way for everyone. We will take a boat to Feiyu Port in the north. After two days, we will arrive at Dumu Port in the Kingdom of Stars, and then we can see the prophet in one day. "

Green Hardwood had been to Pumexiu Town as an envoy before, and he was accompanied by another elder and Aisabel's family.

Dana asked in confusion: "Where is Feiyu Port?"

Green Hardwood explained: "It was the former territory of the Kingdom of Kojako. The big mountain to the north. The previous lord seemed to be called Mercia. It is now the territory of the Kingdom of Stars."

Dana understood what the place was this time, "I seem to have been there before. It was full of mountains and wood. It was a very poor place."

Dana casually stated what she knew. Green Hardwood didn't answer, turned around and walked directly outside.

The other elves soon followed, and Dana found that some elves were riding deer, and some were riding large goats and unicorns.

Dana saw that she and Green Hardwood were alone without mounts, so she quickly walked to Green Hardwood.

"Are we just going to walk there like this? Then I won't go." Dana didn't want to go anymore.

Green Hardwood asked: "Why don't you bring your mount?"

Dana explained: "My deer is missing. The last time I fed it was twelve years ago."

Green Hardwood said casually: "That may be dead. Let's go to Feiyu Port first. There is a shop selling mounts there."

Dana became curious, "What mounts do they have?"

"Those are the ones behind you." Green Hardwood replied, continuing to walk towards the dense and hard bushes in front, opening the forest passage to the outside world.

Dana herself can also open forest passages. She is more curious about the mount than the ability of Green Hardwood to use its mysterious power to separate thorny paths.

After looking back at the mounts of the old men, Dana decided to go out and have a look. If there was a deer, she would buy one.

Green Hardwood walked from morning to afternoon with several equally dull elves, arriving outside the forest before the sun set in the evening.

Dana soon discovered that there were no longer grasslands and wastelands outside the forest, but large medicinal fields.

The medicinal materials here are all flowers and plants, distributed in an orderly manner, looking colorful, like a beautiful garden.

There are many women and children who are busy in the fields. They wrap their hair with scarves to make it easier to work and bend down.

It was getting dark at this time, and these people were doing the final cleaning, moving farm tools and some weeds out of the flower fields.

The appearance of Dana and other elves did not make these people panic. They just took a curious look and quickly moved away from here.

"Are these humans from our kingdom?" Dana felt a little strange, and humans in the Elf Kingdom could not walk out of the forest at will.

Green Hardwood explained: "No, they are nearby medicinal farmers. This land is suitable for growing medicinal materials, so we rented it to these people to grow medicinal materials. When the Kingdom of Stars arrives, they will collect these medicinal materials and give us food and cloth. .”

Dana frowned, "Why didn't I know about this?"

"It was decided last year, and this is the first year." Green Hardwood continued to move forward.

There is a repaired flat road ahead that leads directly to Feiyu Port.

This road was also built just last year, which fully proves the strength of the Kingdom of Stars.

The Kingdom of Stars has the strength to reach the forest gate in one day.

As they walked, Green Hardwood continued: "After Oralda went to the Kingdom of Stars as a mission the year before last, the Queen decided to cooperate with the Kingdom of Stars and the Star Alliance. Prophet Crow Feather asked people to grow these medicinal materials here last year."

"Last year we have been reclaiming land, building roads and fertilizing. The promise is that this year we will make sure there are no problems with the land. Once we can continue to grow medicinal herbs, we will be able to provide us with a large amount of meat and eggs every month, as well as paper and iron."

Dana said disdainfully: "That's all? Is this why the Queen agreed to let outside humans use the land outside our forest?"

Green Hardwood has no nonsense and no excuses.

Everyone quickly arrived at a nearby village inn to rest. This was not Feiyu Port and was still half a day away from Feiyu Port.

Despite this, everyone was entertained sumptuously.

The villagers knew that these were important people, so they killed chickens and sheep to entertain these distinguished guests, roasted mutton and cooked chicken soup for them.

Several elves were eating meat in the wooden shed. Dana was gnawing on a piece of lamb leg and said to Green Hardwood, who was drinking and eating chicken leg, "Do you have any money to give them?"

Green Hardwood said directly: "No need."

While continuing to eat the meat, Green Hardwood said nonchalantly: "This time, their prophet invited us over. The food they brought to entertain us will be paid by the nearby church according to the market price."

Dana quickly asked: "Can I let them kill another sheep for me to eat?"

As we all know, elves don't joke, they are a group of strict elves.

It's not that the elves don't like eating meat, it's just that there are very few animals in the forest, and most of them are other people's free-range mounts.

The most important thing is that raising carnivorous animals will make the home very dirty. Longevity does not mean diligence. Dana is too lazy to clean her own home, let alone clean the pig and sheep pens every day.

Taking care of animals is too troublesome, they are too close, dirty and smelly, and they have to feed them not much food. The elves themselves are too lazy to farm, and of course they are not diligent enough to get up every day to take care of the livestock they need to eat.

My daily intake of meat was seriously insufficient. Over time, I became accustomed to eating fruits and millet, and learned to endure hunger.

He also became longer-lived.

Faced with the free gift of meat, Dana certainly would not refuse, and there was no issue of face. She just felt that this was a good opportunity to eat her fill.

It’s not a trap. Why not take advantage of it?

The witch's logic is very straightforward. Since the other party is willing to give it, then I will accept it. Whether I am grateful or not has nothing to do with the current matter.

Green Hardwood thought for a second or two, then quickly frowned and said, "It should be okay."

Dana got the answer she wanted and quickly stood up and walked towards a family eating bread near the fire about ten meters away.

After trying it one by one in Elvish, Kojako and Hokuriku Kingdom languages, Dana quickly gave instructions to the fat sheep with her fingers and asked the farmers to kill the fat sheep to give her extra food.

Faced with the elf's request, the farmer and his wife quickly got busy again and killed the fattest ewe in the family to feed these distinguished guests.

Fortunately, the sheep themselves belonged to the prophet, including all the produce of the land and most of the nearby serfs.

Tell the pastor about this incident when you go to church to pray on the weekend. The pastor will send someone from the church to check the damage and determine whether it is necessary to check with the corresponding guest.

If there is nothing wrong with the check, the farmers will be given money to buy new sheep to raise, and some expenses for entertaining guests will also be given as wages.

Generally, the verification will be completed within a month. If it is something ordered by the prophet in advance, it will be even faster. Sometimes, money will be given in advance to prepare.

The few elves quickly finished eating and left. Even the mounts they rode ate a lot of grains and egg fines.

When the family was cleaning the house, they found that the meat on the sheep bones was very clean and many bones were chewed into pieces.

However, you can still make soup and vegetables and eat them with bread and potatoes. Sheep skins and horns can also provide the family with a windfall.

The barely-fed elf team quickly went down the mountain and arrived at a bustling town bustling with people.

The current Flying Fish Port gathers merchant fleets from various countries, as well as nobles and adventurers from several nearby countries, as well as a large number of immigrants.

Feiyu Port, with a population of more than 400,000, is no longer the small fishing village it once was. The population is more densely populated than the Ice Land.

This land is more fertile and warmer than the Ice Land, and is more suitable for ordinary humans to settle. The eternal night only lasts for less than a few days every year.

Dana soon arrived at the Cathedral of St. Lawrence as if on a horse trip, and received a rich reception in this tall and spectacular temple.

A table more than ten meters long was filled with sumptuous food, and there were greetings from priests and nuns in clean clothes. Dana didn't know what they were talking about with Green Hardwood, but she vaguely thought of the Queen's words about Oralda's words to the Ice King. description of the place.

One meal eats the elves' food for a year, and they eat more meat and soup in one day than they eat in a year.

It was not that Dana had never seen food or the world before. She tried hard to see the greed for the food on the table from the faces of those women and men.

That look like a child's was what she wanted to see, to prove that such a table of food was a huge expense here.

But Dana didn't see this. Those people were talking to the Green Hardwood. During this period, they kept praising a certain prophet's name, or bowed their heads and greeted the other elves politely to show respect. They did not secretly look at the food on the table. There was no stealing either.

Dana suddenly became curious about the life of the prophet. According to rumors, the life of the prophet had always been known for luxury and corruption.