I was an apprentice in Ferren

Chapter 149 Oath
DuPont was inspecting the distillery equipment, while in the church's lounge, several elves sat together in a chillingly quiet atmosphere.

After a long while, Cui Xing finally spoke up: "Your Highness, you don't need to care too much about what this person says. What can a kid who is not even 15 years old know? He has probably just read a few books and is talking big, or it's someone like Lavoisier who taught him beforehand. This is bound to be a new round of disputes between the local council and the church, and it has little to do with us elves."

“But what he said wasn’t wrong.” Moonflower looked out the window at the night sky, where the full moon, symbolizing the elves, was far away from the largest crescent moon, emitting a faint halo in a corner of the sky: “Gods do seem to not need faith much; their people are completely dispensable to them.”

"No, we might even be a burden they don't want to deal with. Otherwise, if one of my Lord's incarnations were to descend, how could a mere elven devourer be worthy of being called an enemy of the elves, and even be able to wreak havoc around Evergrande Island?"

“Your Highness, don’t overthink it. The gods must have their concerns, such as our eternal enemy, the orc pantheon. If the gods are involved in everything, is our life what we want, or is it arranged by the gods?” Cui Xing shook her head: “The gods have already given us Eternal Gathering Island. We shouldn’t ask for more.”

"Yes, so what can we do for the gods? Go to other worlds to develop the faith of the elves? Our gods don't even care about half-elves, let alone other races. And what about trying to create the fruit of love, as he said? But most elves aren't interested in that now. Even though elves have a lifespan of 700 years, a 110-year upbringing period is too long. Families willing to have one child are already considered excellent citizens. Even though my mother set an example, it didn't have much effect."

The moon elf sighed helplessly, "We can't address the root cause, so what else can we do? Eliminate the elves' enemies? Neither the orcs nor the drow are easy opponents for Evergrande to defeat right now. If we really start a war, I don't know how many of our compatriots will die."

“We are too rational, rational to the point of cowardice. No nobles openly say that we want to reclaim our former territories anymore. We shrink into Evergrande Island and use it as a shell. Although we are changing, even the crown sword that symbolizes supreme power is no longer the exclusive domain of nobles. Anyone can try to touch it if they want. Even my mother is looking forward to the birth of a new king who can lead the elves out of this awkward situation.”

Cui Xing remained silent after hearing this.

Yes, the elves are also changing. Many previously unbreakable beliefs are now beginning to loosen. It can be said that apart from the unshakeable Kingdom Council, even many elves who consider themselves superior no longer have the same hostility towards half-elves as before. Even a non-noble elf like her has been granted permission to attempt to draw a sword.

Of course, she didn't try; if she didn't gain the sword's approval, she would be burned to ashes.

The last person to be able to pull out this artifact was the Archmage Celinexe. Unfortunately, this powerful legendary mage was unwilling to waste her time on the tedious and ineffective council. In the end, the nobles elected her father and mother as the new kings, and hundreds of years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The artifact remains on the throne, as if it had become a buried piece of history.

"How can we possibly revitalize our kingdom?" The moon elf gazed wistfully, yet could not find an answer.

If praying to the gods were effective, the elves would have been able to reclaim their territory long ago over the past few centuries. Why would they be burying their heads in the sand on a remote island, enduring the ridicule of an apprentice who is not yet a formal mage, and unable to find a way to retaliate?

"There's always a way, otherwise we wouldn't have come here. The adults have done their best. By the way, shall we go see Princess Anqi?"

"Let's wait for the formal meeting. It's not a good idea to make a special trip; it might bring her unnecessary danger." The moon elf gently shook her head, her slender hand gesturing for the curtains to close automatically. "It's time to rest. By the way, Cui Xing, do you want to transfer to this school?"

"Coming here?" The Sun Elf asked, puzzled. "Why? Is it because of that brat?" "There are some reasons, but the most important one is Lavoisier. As a radical reformer, his opinions are still worth considering, but it's really difficult to meet him. If you transfer here, he will definitely have to fulfill his responsibility to lecture the mentors every year, which will be a rare opportunity for us."

This suggestion does seem plausible, but Cui Xing thought of something else: "It's said that DuPont's rapid progress might be related to Lavoisier. Think about it, when that kid was chatting with us, his expression was so natural, as if he had seen it with his own eyes, so that even without a lie detector ring, he could be sure it was true. I've never heard of a priest in Fayen who could gain a million followers just through charm. Even legendary priests don't have that kind of power. I think this must be a miracle from another world. Do you think he could be the breakthrough point?"

"It's possible, but it's unlikely that an apprentice could make a connection with a legendary mage. The only things that might sway him are probably benefits or honor. He could only say he'd give it a try." Moonflower said calmly, "Of course, the voters of the Lady of Mysteries can get the answer from Lavoisier. A marriage alliance is also a good option. I heard he's quite the romantic, which is a good thing."

The sun elf fell silent again after hearing this, but his eyes were filled with anger.

The Elven Empire was once incredibly glorious, boasting dozens of legendary mages even in modern times. However, that powerful empire was destroyed by a coalition of hundreds of thousands of demons led by a three-headed demon.

This seems like a joke, and the elves were not alone at that time. The gods had chosen them, dragon allies and the Harpists' Alliance joined the war. All the elven races put aside their prejudices and gave their full support to protect the city of Mystron, the 'jewel of magic and art'.

But this unprecedented alliance of justice ultimately suffered a crushing defeat against a coalition of orcs, gnolls, and ogres—men who were practically beasts. The mages, who prided themselves on their wisdom, were completely outmatched by the demons' command, both in terms of tactics and intelligence, and the magic lock was easily shattered like an eggshell.

One by one, the mage towers collapsed, countless treasures were looted, and countless elves perished in the evil alliance. The last of the people fled into the mage's teleportation array, abandoning their proud homeland and beginning a life of wandering until they were guided to Evergrande Island.

Some scholars have analyzed this war and concluded that the incompetence of the commanders was largely to blame. The colossal Maze, hailed as the strongest in history, had long been corrupted by dark forces, and even the goddess of magic bore some responsibility for it.

If Faerûn still possessed spells of 10th rank or higher capable of moving mountains and filling seas, how could they have suffered such a crushing defeat, with even legendary mages forced to resort to self-destruction to protect their homeland?
Some people also believe that the Elf's command system is too rigid, and its battle record is even worse than that of the rising star Harua.

The young councilor was not yet a voter of Mystra at the time, but he led a mage force in conjunction with an army of several thousand men on the ground and successfully defeated a barbarian warlord who claimed to have a force of 100,000.

Although that barbarian alliance was not guided by demons, Harua at that time also lacked a large number of allies and even a legendary mage, completely outclassing the self-proclaimed civilized and advanced elven empire in both strategy and tactics.

Even the toughest tongue couldn't face this painful reality. The elves began to seek change, but the process was far too slow. The so-called reforms couldn't even stop the decline, let alone restore glory and reclaim lost territory. Now, even the noble ladies of the royal family were considering using marriage alliances to solve the problem.

What a disgrace!
Looking at the Sun Elf's expression, Moonflower sighed softly, "Don't overthink it. The world won't stop for anyone. Even arcane magic is constantly being optimized and changed. If we cling to our past glory and stop moving forward, we'll end up like the dwarves, mere appendages in human cities. In the end, we might even have to become prostitutes like those shameless half-elves and Tifflins. When that time comes, mentioning our glorious history as elves will probably just be a laughing stock in myths."

"Your Highness, rest assured, that day will never come." The Sun Elf grasped Moonflower's hand with some excitement: "More and more elves have left their homeland for Faerûn. They explore various places to strengthen themselves, and many of them are eliminating those dangerous evils near the City of Song. Even if we cannot restore the glory of the Elven Empire, the oath of the Elegant race will never be forgotten."

(End of this chapter)