Thousand-Faced Dragon

Chapter 447 Chance Encounter
Stepping onto the island, all you can see are mountains.

This island of turtles and dragons, named 'Spring and Summer (Royal) Court', is far larger than expected.

"Interesting. It seems to have used spatial magic. The internal space is much larger than it appears to the naked eye from the outside. Is it a dragon turtle carrying a small world on its back?"

Victoria, the alchemist traveling with him, ignored the wary and even hostile gazes around her and began studying the soil as soon as she entered the island.

This also made Skol, the half-elf who was receiving them, a little uneasy.

The relationship between half-elves and all elves is delicate, and their relationship with dark elves is one of hostility and even sworn enmity.

This stems from history, and even more so from a dark elf tradition—hunting on the ground.

As exiles, the dark elves hated all elves, especially during the time of Lolth. Their coming-of-age ceremonies and sacrifices to the gods involved hunting on the earth, with elves and half-elves being the best sacrifices (which the elven goddess Lolth considered blasphemous), followed by mortal races.

Elves are difficult to deal with. Half-elf villages, which live among humans and elves on the ground, lack the power to protect themselves. As a result, a coming-of-age ceremony or slave-hunting team of a dark elf noble can bring about the destruction of a village, with dozens or even hundreds of half-elves dying or becoming slaves.

Dark Elves are also a rare race that retains slaves. Their skills in torture and enslavement are even regarded as an art and a technology within the community, with professionals and corresponding gods and priests. It has become a kind of grassroots cultural spirit.

This also means that even after Rose's departure, this "cultural imprint" is not easily erased; the reality is that slavery and hunting practices still exist in most countries today.

There are no neutral or benevolent mirror women, but when the harm is still ongoing, don't expect the victim to have much rationality in distinguishing the subtle differences between the perpetrators.

If it weren't for Rean and local officials accompanying her, Victoria would probably have already been attacked.

"Oh my god, is this a magical artifact for autonomous climate adjustment? Is it fragments of Barry's (the god of climate) technology?"

Victoria, however, seemed completely unconcerned about this hostility, or rather, disdainful of it.

Just as a person doesn't think that a rabbit in a cage can hurt them, even though she herself rejected the arrogance of the dark elf society, some things are still part of her self-existence, and those subtle things are hard to change.

She didn't even bother to respond to their provocative and hostile gazes, simply "ignoring" them and letting everything disappear. This only angered the experienced half-elves, because that's exactly how their dark elf brethren treated them.

When outnumbered, the dark elves will ignore such provocations and hostility, but when outnumbered, they will not refuse more sacrifices and slaves.

"Seeing your companions, I thought you had a problem with us," the accompanying official complained, in a less direct tone, about Rean's actions in bringing Victoria and the others onto the island.

Yes, they, the goddess Alexiet Tarabal, and her retinue also joined them.

"Oh, I didn't expect it either. It really was a chance encounter. Perhaps this is the arrangement of fate and the gods."

Rean shrugged, also expressing his helplessness.

Was this a coincidence? How could it be? It was undoubtedly someone's arrangement, not wanting Rean to get too close to the half-elves.

Rean did not reject the arrangement. On the one hand, he had to consider the helpless position of his "dark elf friends," and on the other hand, as the local lord, he really did not need to be too friendly to the half-elves.

You've come here to escape, to seek refuge. Please make sure you understand the situation. Rean's actions have demonstrated his stance, the dock district's stance, and the kingdom's stance. If you had arrived as a caravan of refugees, Rean wouldn't have done this; he would have tried to appease you. But you've come from an "island nation," a tribe that might directly attack the dock district. He has to suppress you.

This is a warning, and also a test, to see your attitude and true colors.

If you guys jump too high, then the little bit of friendship between Rean and his mentor is probably doomed.

This is not just Rean's personal action; it reflects the attitude of the entire Radiant City and even the kingdom. Unless he is willing to turn against the entire nation, he has no choice but to do this.

After arriving on this island, which strangely retained the climate of late spring and early summer despite it being early winter, Rean always enjoyed his daily relaxation with a smile on his face as he took dates with Sallyman and Lana. As for official business, he left it to others.

"interesting."

Rean saw the woodland and the Tree of Life, which indicated that there were not only half-elf people here, but also druid camps. Half-elf people were very loosely organized in terms of high-level power. Powerful people had no nationality or racial name, but those who possessed power and were willing to pass it on and spread it all had their own races.

Some professions involving divine power or higher-dimensional strength may prioritize certain races, but regardless of their status, their attitude towards half-elves is quite subtle.

Druids are known for being open to all and have low requirements for training; many half-elves are present in druid orders around the world.

"So many trees"

Strolling through the island, the scenery is quite primitive. The expected mobile city was nowhere to be seen; everywhere is filled with classical style that fits the elven aesthetic. Even though it has been abandoned by elven society, some things are still unavoidable.

"However, there are still some subtle differences. The Elf Kingdom is not so primitive; their residential areas are covered with wall carvings on almost every tree. The sculptures are also simpler and do not have many religious themes."

The living environment reveals many details. It is no secret that the half-elf society lacks the attention of the gods. Their culture and writing are like a simplified version of the elven empire. They try to deny their roots but can never eradicate their origins.

The art style of half-elves is similar to that of elves, but by eliminating the overly elaborate parts, it appears simpler and emphasizes form.

“There’s an ancient war tree, and an elven wyvern, is this a flock of dragon eagles?” War potential and residential areas cannot be completely separated; Rean has already seen at least a dozen mutated ancient trees.

The ancient trees are the home of elves and druids, and also war machines.

Who knows how many years this entire island's forest has been nurtured, and what kind of legion it will become under the control of the druids.

"What a coincidence, I never expected to run into you here."

In this place, Rean encountered someone he should know, or rather, a brother.

"Who are you?" Do you know me that well? How dare you call me that?

Faced with the bewildered Rean, Kane Sudar, who had come for the "chance encounter," was completely speechless.

(End of this chapter)