Necromancer, summoning 055? What the heck?

Chapter 304 A War Beyond the Rules: The Queen Who Came from Afar

For the elves, the war experience so far can only be described as indescribable.

Iona anticipated how difficult the first battle of the elves would be. As the leader of the elves said, she had been planning for this for hundreds of years. Before obtaining the "divine artifact" of the compound bow, she did not even dare to launch the attack rashly.

The elves' small population meant they didn't have many opportunities for trial and error.

Even after obtaining enough composite bows from the Vast Ocean and having a human artillery team, Eona ultimately chose to attack the south first, even though the ancient royal city she longed for was actually north of the Silvermoon Forest.

There's no way around it, the Green Pine Kingdom is too tough, while the Creek Moon Federation is much softer.

As it turned out, Iona's caution was correct. After the initial rapid advance, even a country like Xiyue, which was plagued by internal strife and had weak local strength, became extremely difficult for the elves to fight once they mobilized!
The other side has ten times the population, controls a much larger and richer land resource, and... once in trouble, can unhesitatingly breach the dikes and drive out civilians.

When the side with superior numbers and resources is shameless, it becomes very difficult to win.

But in any case, the elves took the first successful step and gained a portion of the land under the sun.

Then, in the second phase, the war pattern suddenly underwent a dramatic change.

After the intervention of the Vast Ocean Territory, the elves suddenly felt like they had forgotten how to fight.

Of course, the same goes for Xiyue on the other side.

As soon as the battle against the "North Wind" Legion was over, Eona immediately led all the elders of the Elven race in a post-battle review, and privately discussed a heavy, unavoidable, and crucial issue.

"Gentlemen," Aiona's voice echoed in the quiet council chamber, "let's consider the worst-case scenario. If one day in the future, our elven race were to face the Vast Ocean Territory, how... should we fight?"

After a brief silence, almost all the elders gave a disheartening yet highly consistent conclusion: they couldn't win!

It's not that the opponent is truly invincible, but rather that their rules of war are different from ours.

The battlefield intelligence gathered by the elven scouts at the risk of their lives was all seen by someone using some kind of "sky eye" floating high in the sky.

Despite the repeated emphasis from the Han Hai Territory that the cost of its use would be enormous, Aiona had no doubt that if the war required it, this "Heavenly Eye" could be kept running from beginning to end, and all the costs would inevitably be borne by the enemies of Han Hai.

Then, not only could we not hit the scouts in the vast sea, but now we couldn't even fight back against the enemy's attacks.

They're on completely different levels, how can you fight like that?
Olivia timidly raised her hand: "If, if we summon a dragon and add a composite bow, I wonder if we could capture the unit high in the sky above the vast ocean!"

Iona shook her head helplessly: "Where are we going to find dragons now? Besides, even if we did find them, why would they fight for you?"

"Moreover, we are all people who have led troops and fought battles. You all know how difficult it is to use the air force to capture the air force when you have no idea about the enemy's flight path and activity patterns!"

Corinne, the former neutral elder, has now completely sided with the Restorationists. Or rather, from the moment the elven boots set foot on the land of Creekmoon, only the Restorationists remained among the elven race.

As a senior colleague, she offered a specific solution.

"We don't know how high these attack aircraft in the Vast Ocean can fly. Should we use the Eye of Antiquity to track them down and see where they are?"

"Only by understanding the situation can we take targeted measures!"

"No!"

Another elven elder stood up excitedly, his voice distorted: "Spying on our allies, what if the Vast Ocean finds out? Who knows what they'll think?"

“If they don’t provide us with support, we and Xiyue can still fight, but if that support gets to the other side…”

Colleen couldn't help but shiver slightly.

Safina, the commander of the Silvermoon Legion, has participated in all the major battles since the elves emerged from the mountains. As a highly decorated and experienced senior elven general, she has clearly pondered certain military issues for a long time and proposed a seemingly feasible solution that she could think of.

She stood up, walked to the huge military map hanging there, and pointed to the core area of ​​the Han Hai Territory with her slender finger.

"No matter how high the detection equipment and attack aircraft of the Han Hai Territory can fly, in actual use, they will ultimately have to be launched from the ground."

"For Sky Eye to be used, it needs a ground-based 'communication center' to transmit the intelligence. As for the use of aircraft, they need to be refueled and loaded with ammunition, so they can't be separated from airports!"

"In my opinion, if there is ever a day when we go to war with the Han Hai, we must completely wipe out the Han Hai territory's foothold on the ground. No matter how powerful their weapons are, they can't send people high into the sky and make them unable to come down!"

Iona nodded silently; this was the most reliable advice so far.

"I think that Commander Safina's idea sounds reasonable, but upon closer examination, it is pure fantasy and has no practical significance!"

Ysera Brightwing, having traveled to the Vast Sea many times, knew things that other elves were unaware of. At this moment, she loudly reminded them, "What is the fighting strength of the Zircon Territory's army? They attacked the Vast Sea and were completely wiped out. What makes you think that we elves can conquer the Vast Sea?"

"Let me mention something else. I was a little confused before about why the Lord of the Vast Ocean was building large ships, trying to win over the Naga, and spending a huge amount of money to acquire a small island in the distant sea. Now I'm starting to understand a little better."

"Even if you risk the lives of your entire clan and fill the vast ocean with your life, they can just sail to the distant sea, protected by the Naga. Do you really think you can fill the endless sea with that?"

The whole audience was silent.

Indeed, that lord inexplicably became incredibly enthusiastic about the sea creatures and scaled beasts, not only providing them with money, food, and supplies, but also setting a precedent by receiving the sea creatures with the highest level of hospitality on land.

There was once a rumor among the elves that the lord had taken a fancy to a female creature with fins.

Of course, it was later proven that this was pure speculation, and the position of Princess Liushuang was unshakeable!

But when Ysera brought it up, the elven elders, who had always regarded what the Vast Ocean Territory was doing as childish play, were all horrified.

This is clearly a well-planned and cunning scheme!
The discussion quickly shifted from the somewhat thorny topic of "how to defeat Han Hai" to the more realistic and brutal question of "how to survive a possible attack from Han Hai?"

Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, and in the end, all eyes turned to the "wise and insightful" Chief Iona.

The Grand Elder slowly leaned back into the high-backed chair woven from ancient vines, remained silent for a full half minute, and finally sighed softly, saying in an extremely slow tone, "There is only one... way to survive, but I cannot say it!"

Upon hearing this, Commander Safina was taken aback at first, then a look of sudden realization appeared on her face.

"I think I understand the Grand Elder's method, but... I really can't say!"

None of the elves present were less than two hundred years old; they were all seasoned veterans who had weathered countless storms. Seeing the two key figures speaking in cryptic language with serious expressions, and considering the current situation and previous discussions, most of the elders wore expressions of understanding, contemplation, or inner conflict.

Olivia, ever the outspoken one, blurted out first: "Oh, I see! No wonder the Elder assigned Loma to that lord as a guard. When..."

Elder Aiona's figure blurred into several afterimages, and in an instant, she was beside Olivia, pinching her mouth shut. "..."

Although this discussion among the elven high command failed to find an effective way to restrict the Vast Ocean, it established a major basic principle: to avoid conflicts with the Vast Ocean territory as much as possible, unless it involves major issues concerning the life and death of the race.

That lord is principled, knows when to advance and retreat, is accustomed to exchanging rather than plundering, and has already established a good early cooperation with the elves, which gives him a huge advantage.

Following this line of thought, the best option is to further strengthen the cooperative relationship!
So, Iona personally returned to the Eternal Court and had a heart-to-heart talk with her queen, which led to the Elf Queen's journey to the vast ocean.

The fact that the Elven race's highest leader visited the Vast Sea signifies the Elven race's high recognition of the Vast Sea Territory's political status, which is tantamount to publicly acknowledging that the Vast Sea Territory is on par with the Silvermoon Forest.

On the day the Queen's carriage arrived, the Han Hai Territory also gave her an extremely grand welcoming ceremony.

Led by Selir Morningwind, the elf ranger who had always served the Vast Ocean, and personally led by Liushuang, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Vast Ocean's highest military command, they traveled thirty kilometers to meet the Queen's entourage.

Both of them were half-elves, and it was clear that the Vast Ocean Territory understood the elves' "racial fastidiousness" and gave them the utmost respect.

The two teams met at the border where the Gobi Desert meets the man-made oasis, in a grand and solemn ceremony.

Following diplomatic protocol, both sides exchanged greetings. When Liushuang stepped forward to express his welcome in somewhat broken Elvish, Queen Vera Moonshadow stared blankly at Liushuang. Suddenly, her eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face, leaving everyone present speechless.

"Uh..." This sudden turn of events made the atmosphere at the scene instantly awkward. Liu Shuang's welcoming words were stuck in her throat before she could finish, and she was quite at a loss.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry... This is so... rude!"

In terms of age, Queen Vera is a few years older than the elder of the Bald Eagle. In terms of state of mind, she has spent 99.99% of the last 300 years in seclusion, so it is no exaggeration to say that she is as calm as still water. But why is she so saddened by Liushuang?

The Queen turned her face slightly to the side, wiping away the tear tracks with her gloved hand, and explained in a slightly choked voice, "Seeing you is like... like seeing my aunt who was separated from me and never returned to Silvermoon Forest. You and her... these eyes are exactly the same!"

Her gaze returned to Liu Shuang, and she leaned forward slightly, asking softly in a pleading tone, "Good child...can...can I hug you?"

Liu Shuang's eyes also turned red.

Her mother died early, and her father didn't care about her. During those difficult years, the Elven race did provide her with a lot of financial and material support. Elder Ysera, whom she had met a few times, truly treated her like a nephew.

It now appears that the Queen and her maternal grandmother knew each other and had a very close relationship!
In Liu Shuang's beast-like intuition, she sensed the queen's deep sorrow and kindness. Finally, under the queen's gaze, she couldn't hold back her tears, which rolled down her cheeks. The queen hurriedly embraced Liu Shuang, wiping away her tears with the sleeves of her extremely luxurious and ethereal dress while gently comforting her.

The procession from both sides mingled together, and Liushuang was taken to the Queen's carriage, where the two whispered to each other the whole way.

"Is my maternal grandmother a relative of yours?"

"Yes! Your maternal grandmother is my aunt's distant sister. We moon elves are all related in some way."

"Although she was the youngest among her peers, she was incredibly skilled in fighting. People decades older than her couldn't beat her. Among our group of girls, she was the brightest moon, and we were just stars beside it!"

"Yes, I've also heard Elder Ysera tell me that my grandmother was a very good fighter!"

"Yes, she is the most outstanding general in the Moon Elf race. We have all idolized her since we were young. When we swore an oath to go to war from the royal city, the long robe over her armor was sewn for her by a group of us sisters."

Her voice gradually lowered, tinged with a hint of melancholy: "We were so envious of her back then. In the end, all of us elves who couldn't go out tied a lock of our hair to the hem of her battle robe with silver thread... It felt like your grandmother was leading us to witness the glory of the elves!"

Vera Moonshadow's mount is a gigantic two-headed chimera, one of the legendary hybrid descendants of the dragon race. However, now this creature can only reluctantly fold its fleshy wings and struggle to walk unsteadily across the desert on its two large feet.

Seemingly because walking on the soft sand was difficult and its body swayed a little too much, the queen immediately slapped it. The giant beast shrank its neck, let out a pitiful whimper, and slowed down its pace once again.

The two whispered to each other until they officially entered the controlled area of ​​the Vast Ocean. Like all the outsiders who came here for the first time, the endless rice fields, the rows of factories, the wide and straight roads, and the vibrant people made Her Majesty the Elf Queen look around in a daze.

"This is truly an incredible miracle!"

"Unthinkable!"

For the next part of the journey, the Queen asked all sorts of questions, and Liu Shuang explained them softly.

After disembarking from the giant beast at the embassy reception area outside the city, they transferred to the exclusive open-top limousine of the Han Hai Territory. The Queen kept Liu Shuang by her side until the lord came out to greet them and the guests took their seats, at which point they reluctantly parted ways.

The first step in the diplomatic meeting between the two sides is the exchange of gifts.

Chen Mo loves receiving gifts... or exchanging gifts, especially all sorts of strange and wonderful ones.

To be fair, in the course of their interactions with various countries and forces on the continent, the things that the Elven race sent, from the earliest Life Song taken from the little princess, to the later dazzling array of tree hearts and plants, and then to the seeds of the Tree of Life and the World Tree, were all exactly what Chen Mo and Dong Xia wanted.

Looking at the long list of gifts, Lord Chen Mo's smile was as gentle and warm as the winter sun.

After both sides were seated and exchanged brief pleasantries, Queen Vera couldn't wait to speak first.

"Your Excellency Lord of the Vast Ocean, I have a request, though it is very presumptuous, but... I have been unable to resist asking you for a favor along the way."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes slightly: "Your Majesty, please speak!"

"Liu Shuang is a descendant of my Moon Elf clan. I took an instant liking to her, and now that her parents are gone, I feel sorry for her and want to bring her back to the lineage of my Moon Elf clan according to the rules of the Elf clan!"

The Queen's gaze lingered on Liu Shuang, shifting back and forth. Looking at the somewhat bewildered young girl, she nodded slightly and continued:

“Liushuang’s maternal grandmother is my elder, so in a sense, I should be considered Liushuang’s elder. I have been thinking about this all the way here. Such an outstanding child, so radiant! And with the lord’s care, her future is bright! Among the younger elves and half-elves, none can compare! I can’t help but feel happy and want to take her as my goddaughter.”

"I am truly sorry, I couldn't help myself, I couldn't control my emotions!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty. As for this matter, I respect Liushuang's own wishes, and it is up to her to decide!"

Chen Mo smiled faintly, turned slightly to the side, and said to Liu Shuang sitting next to him, "My little princess is truly charming. Look, Her Majesty the Elf Queen has taken a liking to you!"

Liu Shuang lowered her head slightly, her fingertips silently embedding themselves in the hard armrest, sending crumbs flying, yet she quietly and quickly wrote a few small characters with her fingers.

"I've got my eye on you!"

Chen Mo burst into laughter.

Princess Liushuang blushed slightly, then wiped her hand away, removing a layer from the chair armrest without leaving a trace.

(End of this chapter)