Life is tough, so Honglong resorts to performing?

Chapter 79 Double Act
On the Magic Crystal Train, the doors to the special compartments, adorned with vines and colorful flowers, slowly opened.

Charles Ye Ying, who looked no different from any other ordinary, gentle middle-aged man, was sitting cross-legged on a chair woven from two vines.

A portable magic crystal terminal was placed upside down on the table in front of him.

He turned his head to look outside the door, spoke softly, his tone filled with contempt and sneer.

"Come in?"

Upon hearing this, the dozens of people outside, led by their leader, all took out protective masks and put them on.

At the same time, they activated the mechanisms on their bodies, and sets of portable civilian protective suits appeared on their bodies.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, like a group of newly manufactured machines.

Unlike alchemists who pursue the ultimate in chemical technology, druids are well-versed in the ways of nature.

If they so desire, all kinds of originally non-toxic floral scents and plant sap can be transformed into toxins that can silently knock a person out.

The wood spirit before them had been agile for hundreds of years, and had probably seen more kinds of plants and animals than all the members of their Instantaneous Organization combined. They truly had to be on guard.

“If I wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t even have a chance to start these junk.”

Charles felt only sorrow at the sight of this group of people acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

"Hypocritical elder, thank you for your kindness."

Through the mask on his protective suit, the leader bowed slightly to show respect, but the sarcasm in his words was unmistakable.

A dozen or so people entered the private room, each finding a place to stand, and then the door slowly closed.

"I know what you've prepared for me: magic crystal bombs made from the flesh and blood of the Frostfire King."

"And then there's this group of human puppets who were brainwashed by you, forced to advance, their brains damaged, ultimately stuck at the fourth tier for life, unable to reach the quasi-legendary level;"

"Oh, the bombs inside them resonate when they explode, and the final violent explosion causes spatial instability, especially in the wilderness. That's why I can't escape by traversing space. Also, because of the special energy properties of high-level magic crystals, some protective spells are useless..."

"Hmm, have you guys come up with any new tricks lately, you teleporters?"

Charles Ye Ying asked casually.

If it weren't for the fact that the dwarf king Salad Bronzebeard was the one who designed the original magic crystal train tracks, he would have been a kind-hearted cost management master who strongly opposed installing the same anti-energy protection array inside the train as it did outside.

Firstly, there's the issue of cost; secondly, he believes that the younger generation will respect the efforts and hardships of their predecessors and won't engage in internal sabotage.

As it turns out, Salad Bronzebeard was clearly wrong.

He probably never imagined that in just five hundred years, the newly promoted juniors would already be wielding their swords against their predecessors!
If it weren't for the Dwarf King's misjudgment, would he be being threatened in the face by the cultists right now?

How could Charles tolerate this?
He is one of the owners of the latest Tier 5 military-grade Druid version of the Magic Crystal Armor!

A near-legendary figure with a bunch of bombs dares to come up and cause him trouble, trying to negotiate with him? Don't make me laugh.

Do you know that those crazy guys in the tech department just demoted the Mimicry Power Dragon, a legendary dragon species, from Saint to Legendary?

Even if you blow the train into the sky, you can't hurt me.
The cultists are so petty that they can hardly understand the purpose and pace of progress of the Federation.

It's unclear how much tolerance and sacrifice those truly ancient, high-ranking beings made for that empty rhetoric of racial equality.

Now, the Federation has only made some progress in a mere five hundred years, yet you are busy fighting amongst yourselves, ignoring the immediate threats, and only caring about short-term gains.

Where is the face!

"A new trick? I don't know if this counts?"

The leader calmly sat down opposite Charles and pulled a strange blue-glowing dagger from his sleeve.

"One of the sub-artifacts possessed by the drow, a weapon specifically designed for elves, the Death of the Elf?" "How interesting, Spiderweb City has actually become your ally?"

"Aren't the Drow also immortal beings?"

Charles's eyes narrowed, but he quickly regained his composure, even finding it somewhat amusing.

As an elf, it's indeed difficult to remain calm when faced with a weapon specifically designed for elves.

This broken dagger can't even cut through a dragon's hide, but it kills an elf with a single strike.

But as a druid with the ability to transform and mimic military-grade magic crystal armor, he wasn't too afraid of this kind of thing.

After all, it's a sub-divine artifact, not a true divine artifact. What gives you the right to define me as an elf?
I am clearly a bear/eagle owl/dragon/demon!

"It's not that we want to cooperate with Zhuoer, but that the people in your city are preparing to cooperate with Zhuoer, while we are being brought in to deal with you, this variable."

The leader smiled enigmatically, demonstrating his sincerity to the legendary elf druid.

He betrayed his allies and the mastermind behind the scenes without hesitation.

The other party clearly trusted him so much, even entrusting them with a sub-divine artifact.

"This is a bit much, you know what it means for the Drow to be deceived like this by outsiders?"

Charles laughed too; he could almost picture the Drow matriarchs jumping up and down in fury.

When the Zhuoers get carried away, they become unreasonable.

"Of course I know, but our superiors say it's easier to fight the Drow who haven't fully integrated into the Federation than to fight against you who have already integrated into the Federation, right?"

"Especially Spiderweb City, the last city that worships Lolth. If we destroy it, the drow will either have to put forward a new one or completely side with the Federation, and they will not have to waver!"

Charles narrowed his eyes; he knew perfectly well what Spiderweb City was.

It was both a gathering place for the die-hards and hardliners of the Drow, and a place for those separated cities that no longer openly followed the teachings of Rose to place their bets.

Most of the cities that were separated would secretly send one or more daughters of the family back to Spiderweb City to be raised. When the Spider Queen Rose returned, they could at least have an explanation, and at least not so many people would die... right?

Charles felt that this was a bit difficult to say.

After all, Rose's reputation among the elves was truly impeccable, like a tombstone.

That's why the Federation's high command preserved Spiderweb City; they had to leave the Drow a memento.

However, this also brought problems, namely that the drow did not integrate well into the Federation, and were among the worst-integrated even among the elves.

"You want to fight against that Zhuoer exchange delegation that came to serve as ambassadors, and you want me to cooperate with you?"

“That’s right. If you arrive safely in Greenleaf City, you are far too powerful as an adversary.”

“You and your armed forces are more than capable of suppressing any dissent. The Transcendent Ones never doubt the Federation’s capabilities. We just feel that it is better for such power to be in the hands of those who need it more.”

The leader spoke slowly,

"Don't you think it's unfair to us, who are already strong and long-lived, to use the most advanced technology—technology proposed by us short-lived species—to become stronger day after day?"

"Do you think I want to constantly follow trends, be constantly tested, examined, and fought? You greenhouse guys have no idea what the front lines are like!"

Charles thought to himself, but didn't say it aloud.

Because their goal, these old guys, is to maintain the existence of this greenhouse.

One day, a giant tree will grow, strong enough to support the sky.

(End of this chapter)